Craft cocktails (and good food)

My husband's birthday is coming up, and I'm looking for a restaurant with really good craft cocktails and some good food. I'm not a drinker, so I don't know where to start. We're open to pretty much anywhere in the city/northern suburbs. Thanks!

Analogue. Of all the cocktail focused restaurants, this is my favorite. Not a huge menu and focused on perfectly executed NOLA cuisine--so if you're looking for a more elegant option, this might not be it. But I haven't had better food with better cocktails anywhere in the city.

Without much to go on regarding ambiance, cuisine, or price, the first place to come to mind is Maude's Liquor Bar. Mention the occasion and ask to sit upstairs, preferably in a corner booth.

Maude's Liquor Bar
840 W. Randolph St.
312-243-9712

In the city (River North):

Sable, in the Hotel Palomar. Some of the best cocktails in the city, and also some of the most delicious food. Almost everything on the menu is available in half portions, so you can try a lot of different dishes, and the food prices are remarkably inexpensive.

GT Fish & Oyster. Also some of the best cocktails in the city. The food is great too; many of the dishes are in a "small plates" format, and they are mostly seafood (as you probably guessed from the name).

I liked Analogue quite a bit as well. Others not listed above that I really like:

Casual:
Au Cheval
Owen & Engine
Scofflaw
La Sirena Clandestina
Dusek's/Punch House
Longman & Eagle
Two

Business Casual:
Bavette's
Embeya
Sepia
Tete Charcuterie
Tortoise Club

Dressy:
Blackbird
Celeste

Smaller plates/less food focused but still with food:
Berkshire Room
Billy Sunday
Barrelhouse Flat

jordanhojo wrote:I liked Analogue quite a bit as well. Others not listed above that I really like:

Casual:
Au Cheval
Owen & Engine
Scofflaw
La Sirena Clandestina
Dusek's/Punch House
Longman & Eagle
Two

Business Casual:
Bavette's
Embeya
Sepia
Tete Charcuterie
Tortoise Club

Dressy:
Blackbird
Celeste

Smaller plates/less food focused but still with food:
Berkshire Room
Billy Sunday
Barrelhouse Flat

What an excellent list. FYI...the menu at Barrelhouse is really small now. Also, Tortoise Club seems out of place here. Though I like the vibe of the place, I don't think the execution is worthy of it being on the list.

I didn't add it to the list because I've been only once, but I loved Charlatan as well.

Yeah, add more love for Analogue. which has the vibe of a neighborhood bar, plus good food, nice service and, like L&E/Dusek's, reasonably priced creatively composed cocktails. Pretty casual, though, so doesn't feel like a special occasion spot. Bavette's might be the best compromise, or Dusek's.

You are all lovely. Thank you for the list! I'm going to run a few of the names past my husband, and we'll see who has an available reservation. I'll let you know how it turns out!

This is not city or northern 'burbs, but Autre Monde (Berwyn) has both in spades, and a lovely, quiet, intimate atmosphere.

@iahawk89-
So???
Where'd ya take the Birthday boy?
And how-was-it? (your drinks & nibbles......not the Birthday Present!!!

I will second Charlatan. Stick with the pastas and small bites. The cocktails are fantastic