chicago bars
wheres the best chicagobars at? preferably downtown?
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what kind of scene are you looking for? if you like laid back fratty/sports bars, lincoln park and wrigleyville are the areas to go to. for more divey/hipsterish spots, go to wicker park and bucktown. and for more upscale clubs and lounges, try west loop and river north.
Division Street between State and Clark. There's Mother's, Mother's Too, Butch McGuire's, and many others. Check them out.
me and my gf are on vacation in chi-town for the weekend, what bars do you recommend?
also, what restuarants are best to "get a taste of chicago"?
you still didn't say what kind of bar you're looking for. It's hard to help without knowing that. Same holds true for Restaurants.
jjc was right on with the bars, but if you're looking a little more high end or clubby you can add Rush St.
Restaurants: Gibsons for a steakhouse, probably not the absolute best steak in the city, but a great "chicago" place. The few times I've been their, there were always a few athletes and/or celebrities. Harry Carray's - probably better than Gibsons - not quite as unique, but probably my favorite. For Pizza you can do Gino's East as the touristy thing, I I prefer Pequods. If you're a total baller with connections and $ - Aline will impress the hell out of your gf. I've never been, but its the top rated restaurant in N. America. Sushi - go to a smaller place in Lincoln Park, that always my favorite way to do it and pretty cheap. There are tons of other, the Signature Room is always popular, you can take the redline to Chinatown for cheap chinese. Greek Town is just south on Halstedt (turning into a cooler area). GREAT Italian on Taylor St.
Really, you can't go wrong eating or going out in Chicago. It's a great place, especially this time of year.
i would get some great cheap sushi in LP.... and jeans and tee were good enough.. the look is trying not to have a look..hahah
gibsons is fun and in the v tri
Rush Street for restaurants and walk to Division Street for bars.
sorry college type places i guess
I'll tell you this much, Chicago has a million places to eat. I'd have to work out 7 days a week if I lived there.
I think Accountbyday meant to say Alinea, which is a amazing, but comes with a mighty price-tag. It really isn't a very appropriate date or tourist spot, even forgetting the price-tag, because you will be sitting at dinner a good 3 to 4 hours if you get the full course, which can be a bit much and overwhelming if you aren't a foodie. Whoever you take will be quite impressed.
If it's nice out, Fulton's on the River will give you better views/experience, although it isn't the best food.
Everybody says Gino's East, but it isn't the best pizza in downtown, let alone all of Chicago. Prob 3 or 4 other places in downtown alone that are better, but won't be as touristy. There is great pizza everywhere, so I wouldn't worry too much about this one. Go to Gino's if you want a tourist spot, otherwise just go to the nearest place (for the most part).
Rosebud is pretty good for Italian if you want something safe. It is not even close to one of the most unique restaurants, but if you want somewhere that is pretty nice and will be safe food wise, it is a decent choice.
Boka is pretty good--I've met the executive chef and he knows what people want. Great service IME as well. Japonais is an Asian fusion type place that is higher end, great service, filled with a lot of young professionals, etc. Carmine's is where a lot of the Bulls and other pro athletes go after their games. The food is pretty good and it is well known in the city.
If you want good breakfast/brunch places, check out Yolk! on Roosevelt/Michigan, The Drake Hotel for tea and champagne on Sundays, or Valois, which was featured in the NYT during the Presidential election (it's in Hyde Park, so you'll need to drive or cab it to be quick).
If you give some direction on types of food you're interested in trying, you might be able to get some better answers.
If you just want to go to frat bars, head up to Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park. I'm sure you can find whatever you want to eat just fine up there and there will be plenty of cheap beer. Some of the places in Wicker Park and Bucktown even serve cheap PBR. There are a good amount of attractive, drunk college girls. You can just plan on hitting up all the ones in a given area because they are all fairly close together.
Trinity, it's great if you're looking to get bombed and not all that interested in classiness. I've had a few awesome nights there.
if you're not a college kid, don't go to rush and division. butch is a POS. many bars there are places which lend an inch-thick layer of puke to your soles. not exactly the kinds of places you go to in a new city with your gf.
on the other hand, there are good bars/restaurants/experiences available in all of the neighborhoods mentioned. stay close to the loop for some of the higher-end stuff.
nomi is a decent restaurant and has a rooftop bar. alinea is a great experience, nice food, but a bit self-conscious/stuffy. ("are you in the business?")
2nd Japonais
Although Japonais has a cool bar scene, the food is overrated. Ai Sushi is better as far Japanese food goes.
Avec is a favorite of mine. Only downside is they don't take reservations. Make sure you try the pork shoulder if you go there.
If you want Chicago steakhouse, try going to Gene & Georgetti's.
That is what I heard about Japonais. Good scene, decent food.
pizza: lou malnati's italian: sapori trattoria is solid alinea is expensive and probably too late to get and is >5 hours, but it's amazing
Billy Goats, anyone?
the bars on division and rush are absolute shitholes, that are populated by midwestern trailer trash. definitely don't go there with your gf.
stick with the nicer bars and lounges in river north and west loop. for a more romantic evening, get drinks at the signature room atop the hancock tower. take her shopping on michigan avenue on a warm afternoon.
Marche is a french restaurant in the west loop that i absolutely love, despite the somewhat corny ambience. Also tru, blackbird, and everest, are all top-notch, but of course pricy. for sushi, japonais has a great scene (lot of young people, tons of gorgeous people), food is good but not amazing. Rise in lincoln park is also a great sushi joint.
If you want a good experience (not fratty drunk college idiots), listen to JJC1122. If you do want that, Lincoln Park bars and Wrigleyville (all college kids and young 20s). I hate the bars on Division and have an extreme hatred for Joe's on Weed Street, or any bars on Weed for that matter. I do happen to like Wrigleyville, though, but keep it to Moes Cantina or Barleycorn.
Personally, if it were just me and my GF, I would stick to River North or Downtown lounges. On a nice night, ROOF at the Wit hotel is really nice and I have been wanting to go back since its warmer. Market Bar on Randolph has a nice roof top as well.
As far as food, I would recommend Pizzeria Due for Pizza. I have yet to go to Japonais but have heard good things and meaning to go soon. Steak: Gibsons or Chop House (I think its called. I hear its better than Gibs). There are plenty of good restaurants to go to, but someone recommending Harry Caray's.. LMAO.. Comedic
Have fun! But listen to JJC. He has some good recommendations for just you and the girl.
Ugh. Billy Goat Tavern food is actually a step down from McDonald's.
Tuesday Nights at Joe's on Weed St.
$2 pitchers and 50cent Cans....
bars that i enjoy,
33 club lux bar mcgees state bar waterhouse
honestly, there are so many awesome bars in chicago. areas i recommend, gold coast, roscoe village, lincoln park, wrigleyville, lakeview, river north, south loop, wicker park, west loop
i'm a bit too old for the lincoln park scene, but i really like state and stanleys. wrigelyville is awful, IMO.
if you're totally wasted and have no standards, check out hange uppe, on rush and elm. make sure you go there AFTER 2 AM, and never before.
i would avoid division, bars there are really tacky...unless you want to get blackout retarded..then that is a possible area to stop by
If you want the pinnacle of classiness that your girlfriend will be sure to enjoy, I cannot recommend The Tilted Kilt highly enough. Now there is a classy establishment that is guaranteed to provide any gentleman or lady with culinary masterpieces and intricate drinks.
^ not bad at all.
....
If you're looking to just do the party reasonably, just call around to bars in the wrigleyville or Lincoln park area. We've had success at Hi-Tops and Uncle Fatty's for good deals.
I can't believe no one has mentioned in this thread Cere's cafe or Cheesies for how cheap the drinks are (since billy goat came up) or Kuma's for their amazing burgers (esp. with their new location in Lincoln park).
Soundbar if you like clubs/lounges. Free drinks 9-10:30 and free drinks all night for the birthday person of honor.
The best recommendation I can give would be Small Bar on Division in Wicker Park – I was actually just there a few weeks ago for a happy hour for a group of about 25.
It’s got one of the best beer selections (on tap and bottles) I’ve seen anywhere. Good food. The Wicker Park area is also huge for people age 25-30. 50/50 (another good bar for that age group) is right next door for after.
People will bash it for not being in the central/west loop or LP/Wrigley, but it’s a $12 cab ride to any of those area and well worth it.
Good Chicago Bars (Originally Posted: 09/09/2010)
Can anyone suggest some good bars in Chicago? I am from the NYC area and am less than 1 year out of college. We're staying 1 block off the Magnif Mile and will be there for a Thursday-Sunday.
I am really just looking for some fratty/college type bars. I have heard Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville are good for that, but can anyone suggest some specific bars? Just looking for places with a young atmosphere trying to have a good time.
john barleycorn is fun
Chicago is a dump, especially If you're from NYC.
You'll never find a place half decent. All the women are fuckin ugly, fat corn-fed midwesterners who are dating loser douche bags who couldn't make it in NY.
Chicago runs SH*@T. Best city in America.
If you want a fratty place, but that's still nice and has a nice ratio of hot ladies to fratted out DBs, then you should go to one of the places on Hubbard Street. Either that or you could go to like Mother's and McFadden's and all those near Dearborn and Division. There are a ton of nice places down in that area. There are also some VERY legit nightclubs, if you're into models and bottles.
My personal Fav's
Bars: Hub 51, Market (higher end, owned buy the manager of the white sox i think), Lincoln station (young crowd, cheap)
Nightclubs: Manor (very nice looking ladies), Underground (though this will be hard to get in if you don't reserve bottles/tables in advance or roll with 3-4 hotties)
I don't know what kind of strange experience Marcus had in Chicago but as someone from New York I can say you'll enjoy the girls from Minnesota and Iowa way more than the ones you'll find in New Jersey/Long Island that invade NYC.
I always enjoy Schoolyard, also check out the Hang Up, its open till 6am.
If you want Fratty, college bars, it's worth it to take the CTA Red Line train a few stops over to Fullerton. The Mag Mile area has lots of great bars, but they are more upscale, club type bars. Lincoln Park will have the type of bars you want, lots of them. It's a 10 minute (or less) train ride. If you get off at the Fullerton stop, once you get off the train, walk towards Lincoln Ave and you'll be in fratty bar heaven. If you want to take the train for two more stops, get off on Addison and you'll have all the Wrigleyville bars to visit.
Have fun!
If you want young fratty bars, I second John Barleycorn. It is far from classy, but after about midnight it gets packed pretty well and has some talent and drinks are 1/4-1/3 of NYC. There are a lot of bars nearby as well.
Whoever recommended NYC bc of women.... LAWL. Just lawl... nothing else to say, although if I was focused about women I sure as shit wouldn't start with NYC or Chicago.
marcus trolled you guys hard
Chicago Bars (Originally Posted: 02/09/2011)
www.barballot.com
Pretty cool website; a source for many bar specials in one place and you can vote for your favorites. This website was started by a friend of mine. WSO is a great sounding board for startups, let me know what you think!
Public House and Mo's are the best places right now.
Wow. Exactly the idea I had about 10 years ago. I might as well give you the high points of my business plan so you can pass them on and your buddy can use what he thinks will help.
I was going to make a specific site for each city, but all under one umbrella (kinda like craigslist).
The homepage would be a calendar with the current day highlighted, and all the bars with a righteous drink special that night would be there. Anyone with dollar drink night, ladies night, whatever.
Sell ad space to all the bars in town.
Offer a customer rating system of each bar.
Professional bar reviews.
Coupons (sort of Groupon style) for half-price buckets of beer or whatever.
I envisioned it as the sort of resource that both locals and visitors would use, so people travelling to that town just go to the site for that town to find out what's happening that night.
Nice. I'll definitely be using that link when I get back to the Chi in 2 weeks.
Public House is solid, but can get packed on Friday's.
Tavernita is solid tapas. I like Bavette's; good steak and good bar. Boarding House has a nice bar on the lower level too. All are good places to take a date. Chicago isn't too expensive. Unless you go crazy with drinks, 2 people should be able to get out for under $100.
As for high end dining, Chicago has a surprising number of good options. Next is supposed to be fantastic, but good luck getting reservations. There's an associated bar (The Aviary) that I've been meaning to try.
The previously mentioned Tru and Alinea are also supposed to be top notch. Spiaggia if you like Italian. Grace has been getting good reviews; I'm actually going next week.
IMO Public House is fun if you want a guys night. Otherwise, it's typically a sausage-fest.
Bars I've recently been hitting up include Mercer, Moe's Cantina, and John Barleycorn (LP +RN). Looking to try something new.
Speaking of nice places, you ever go to Joe's Stone Crab or Mastros? So good.
Barleycorn? Moe's? You must be 21-23. I would hope.
Joe's and Maestro's are both solid.
BEST BURGER Au Cheval. Don't ask questions, just try it.
Formerly the best: -Kuma's Corner (Northwest Side - not sure of the neighborhood, but it's on Belmont) - best burger I've ever had, they are enormous, appetizers like Mac N’Cheese and Calamari are unreal, not too expensive, top notch beer list; Negatives: waits can be as long as 3 hours during peak time, so beware!
Well besides Kuma's hit these –
Chicago-atmosphere Bars/Restaurants -Twin Anchors (detailed below) -Coq D'Or (opened first day after prohibition, upscale cocktail and dinning bar... very retro) -Miller's Pub (been around forever, plenty of celebrity appearances, good bar food, drinks, ambiance)
Chicago food -Portillo's (chain) - fast food style, just unreal...anything you get is awesome
-Al's Beef - fast food, great Italian beef
-Chicago Q - Absolutely phenomenal... wins all kinds of rib contests. Try the Kobe beef ribs or brisket. Sides are great, plus unlimited homemade chips, and deli pickles
-Twin Anchors - sit down, possibly my favorite rib place in the WORLD... they are so tender and meaty, but it falls right off the bone, get the zesty sauce... also cool b/c it has been around since the 30's and has many celebrity visits
-Smoque (Far NW Side) – Great BBQ spot, many sauces and meat options
TAPAS -Café Ba Ba Reba (Lincoln Park) – great meat/steak dishes, always busy -Café Iberico (River North) – best seafood tapas, paella I’ve had; pitchers of sangria are dirt cheap -Tapas Valencia (South Loop) – solid menu, food, drinks
Pizza
DEEP DISH -Lou Malnati's (chain) - great pan deep dish, best there is IMO -Pequod's - real solid pizza, deep dish or thin crust. Good lunch specials as well ($6-7 person pizza & drink). -Art of Pizza - good deep dish and thin, check for specials and coupons. They also have solid pasta and even a decent (not great) rib special. You get tons of food for cheap.
THIN CRUST -Frascas (roscoe village) - great for pasta as well, Neapolitan style thin-crust pizza -Amato's (Lincoln Park) - average deep dish, but thin crust is some of the best I've had, also has good pasta deals and specials
Sushi -Butterfly (west loop) – 3 locations, also has Thai, get reservation -Toro (lincoln park) -Coast (wicker park) -Shine (lincoln park)
Brunch -Yolk (downtown) -Cornerstone cafe (north/northwest side) -M henry (far northside) -Silver Cloud (Wicker Park) -Ann Sather’s (chain, mostly Lakeview and Lincoln Park) – I’m usually an omlette guy, but their French Toast Fantasy even impressed Rachel Ray
Steak -Tango Sur (Lakeview)- Great Argentine-style steakhouse, but if you like your steak cooked, ask for the next level higher than usual b/c they are so thick they tend to come out on the rare side. Try the cheese infused cut. Unreal. -Gibson's - doubt you can get a table though, creme de la creme -Chicago Chop House (River North) -David Burke's (River North) -Zed 451 - similar to Fogo and Texas De Brazil, just awesome -Wildfire (downtown and in the burbs, chain) - cheap, but solid, especially the Medallion Trio (3 fillets different style), good seafood too -Fulton's on the River (River North) - best view, right on the river
Mexican/Latin -Tarascas International (Lincoln Park) - awesome food, even better margaritas that come in a variety of sizes...the big one is literally a fish bowl that will knock you on your ass, but it's delicious -Big Star (Wicker Park) - Tex-Mex style place is very crowded at times (warning!), but the food is great, the guac is awesome and it comes fully stocked with a hundred different whiskey's and tequilas -Frontera Grill (Gold Coast) - great food, well-known, famous, can be touristy -Cafe El Tapatio (Roscoe Village & Lakeview border) - great food, cheap for both dinner and drinks -Nacional 27 - Latin-style restaurant with good food, turns into club at night, good bar scene
Italian -Rosebud (gold coast) -Coco Pazzo (Streeterville) -Spaggia - pricey, but unreal -Quartino - italian tapas (gold coast), not my favorite, but raved about by many -Sappori Tratoria (Lincoln Park)
Thai -Joy’s (Lakeview) - only place you should go, the best and it's cheap -Spoon (downtown) is decent also
Weiner Circle - ask for the Chocolate Shake after 9PM
That is one hell of a post, I need to copy and save this ... thanks man +1
LOL
You know you liked it BH :)
Lockdown on Tuesday's is the best burger place to go to. Half price burgers and it is run by the former chef @ Kuma's. Otherwise, there are many options, can't go wrong. The wait at Kuma's is insanely long and the service is generally terrible.
Most places in Wicker Park/Bucktown/Ukranian Village will be better than Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park, which are basically just extensions of Big 10 parties for 21-30 year olds. The Milwaukee/Damen/North triangle is a great place to start. There are too many places to list and you will most likely get to meet people outside of the general finance/yuppie ass lawyer places that are popular in River North/LP/Lakeview.
Stout can be a lot of fun and I still like Hub51 after work for some tacos. Moe's and Barleycorn? Those places are straight-up terrible. I get frustrated when people want to waste money at those places. I honestly can't say anything good about either establishment or most of the people that seem to go there.
Au Cheval and pretty much everywhere in West Loop / Fulton Market area is very good. Great value, reasonable prices.
If you're 'adventurous', Nightwood, Honky Tonk BBQ, and the Skylark are all located in Pilsen and fun spots to go to. Great food at the first two and occasionally some hot hipsters @ Skylark (and very cheap drinks).
Amelia's in the far south side is the best Mexican food in the city, period. Most people here are too scared to venture down there though.
Interesting... is the Lockdown a 3-hr wait type place? It's sad how far Kuma's has fallen. Been there 3-4 times since she left and it just gets worse every time. The Waffle Fries removal a year or two back was the dagger.
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