In honor of Women's History Month I would like to update my review of Nobody's Darling to state…read morethat the lovely owners of this fine establishment are still doing their thing. Nobody's Darling is not just to have a chat and cocktail, they offer quite a few events for folks to attend. Below are a few examples of the swinging times you can have there. In 2026 I am so happy that they are still in business and thriving. The vibe is still cool, the menu for the cocktails is still exciting and the crowd is eclectic. Wine Down Wednesday Unwind midweek with Happy Hour 5-7pm $7 glasses of wine $20 bottles Thursday: Pitch Your Peeps Help your friend find love (or vibes). Pitch them to the room - all relationship styles welcome. Feel Good Fridayz w/ DJ All The Way Kay Start the weekend right! Happy Hour 5-7pm DJ Kay live 8-11pm Sunday Karaoke All Day Happy Hour starting at 2pm Karaoke 5pm-8pm Sip.Sing. Repeat. Empanadas by De Luna Empanada 7pm-10pm DJ Gloria on the decks Cocktails flowing all night Friday, March 20 DJ Set 8-11PM

Great drinks and no douchy "bro" energy to be found anywhere. I love this bar. The staff is so…read morefriendly and the vibe of the entire experience was very appealing. It's thought of as a gay bar and clearly that's a lot of the clientele, but all are welcome. Cocktails are delicious and run about $15 each. Pretty standard pricing. They have a good selection of n/a drinks and a menu for lower alcohol cocktails as well. Great neighborhood bar

So... I'd parked my scooter on my way to Elixir, and couldn't help but notice The Nook as I was…read morewalking towards the entrance. After my drink next door, I would be remiss if I didn't stop in. What I got was one of the more unique and interesting cocktails I'd tried! It was the Sick Day, and while I don't command the English language or my palate enough to do it justice, I can tell you that it was definitely a great sipper. The absinthe mist, despite being just that, has a way of doing that. I want to give some credit to the service. While the bar was shorthanded at the time, the barman on duty did his very best as a one-man show. Can't fault them too much, someone calls out sick last minute, and that's that. However, if there is something I can hold against them it's the heat! I'm not sure why, but the upon coming in, the place was HOT! After settling in, it became more bearable, but this is the kind of thing that sometimes persuades me to leave before I order anything.

Enjoyed my drinks here. Very complex & sophisticated cocktails albeit a neighborhood bar feel to…read moreit. I briefly discussed the bartenders "r&d" stuff currently in development why also challenging him to go off script for a custom cocktail that was delicious. Small but mighty & the price point for these types of cocktails is unheard of these days. I'll be returning asap to delve further into the menu but as of now this is a high priority for cocktail aficionados such as myself.

Apothecary nails the "speakeasy meets high-end tropical" vibe from the second you walk in -- and…read morethere was no wait to get seated, which was a nice surprise for a spot this good. I filled my prescription with the Silk & Soil, built on pu-erh butter-washed Old Grandad bourbon, sweet corn, silk tea, benedictine, ginseng, and Indian mulberry. It came out perfectly balanced -- the butter wash takes the edge off the bourbon's bite, and the sweet corn and tea keep it from tipping into overly sweet territory. Silk tea isn't an ingredient I'd ever reach for behind a home bar, but here it's the quiet MVP of the glass. If this is what the apothecary's prescribing, sign me up for a refill. Glassware was high-quality and unique to each drink, which added to the whole experience. We also grabbed the Chicken Fried Oyster Mushrooms, which are shockingly meaty for a vegan dish -- highly recommend as a pairing. Service was a highlight: our server was attentive and clearly knew the menu inside and out, walking us through the key at the bottom of the menu and explaining each drink before we ordered. Prices were at or below what you'd pay at comparable cocktail bars in the area, so it never felt like you were paying a premium for the theatrics. If you're on the fence about what to order -- be adventurous and try something different. That's the whole point of this menu, and it pays off.

Fantastic new cocktail bar near Clark and Belmont. Creative riffs on classics like Mai Tai and well…read moremade Martinis. Live jazz Tuesday nights. Fully accessible and the bar has a low top segment on the end which can seat 3; perfect for people in a wheelchair and other barflys who shudder at stools.

I like the Charleston's vibe. They play great music, and the overall ambiance is solid. Huge…read moreselection of drinks that aren't super pricey. My only gripes are A. it's always top-heavy packed by the door and it's hard to find a spot to sit without being a seat vulture, and B. I've had good experiences with ...most... of the bartenders here, but there are 1 or 2 who have a real pretentiousness to them that I can't get past. Like when you're ordering a drink, you're asking them to pull out one of their own teeth to use as an ice cube. I'm all for the stingy bartender archetype at certain places, but these dudes need to get over themselves. I'd say this bar is solid when it's not packed but can be a bit of a headache during peak hours.

Cozy, old school decor, simple corner bar. I loved all the aesthetics and the traditional…read morewoodworking in the bar. Cute photo booth in the back, retro bathroom for women that needs a little more light but nice. I enjoyed my drinks.

This place has been on my list forever to try with my husband but l I finally went here with a…read morefriend! Went on a Monday evening around 9, sat at the bar (tables were full) and were served immediately. The late night cinema cocktail was SO GOOD. I can't wait to go back!

Bartenders are friendly and fun. Great selection of cocktails and eager to try more so will…read moredefinitely be back! Dark and moody atmosphere is cool too, pretty light fixtures!

Fun happening casual and open spot. They hosted the Hawksmoor pop up event for a Sunday supper…read moreseries. It was a fun event and open seating in the courtyard w diverse people. And there was a live DJ. The courtyard of the place was great...outdoor and a great hangout plus it has a fire pit made in history as part of the house/commercial property. Free parking lot. It's a hip place. Bartenders and staff nice too.

Is this the best bar I have ever been to? It very well may be. And that is saying something. I am a…read morelover of cocktails and vibes. Sportsman club excels at both. We went on a busy saturday night and the djs were spinning vinyl while the bartenders were shaking daiquiris. It is a small spot that stays full. Their menu is rotating and their cocoa rob roy was a killer. Slight cocoa balances out this boozy sipper. I started with a daiquiri... and ole' boy behind the bar killed it. Absolutely passed the acidity test (iykyk). Also, hooked me up with a few lilet highballs. This place just felt like home to me. It truly was one of the best bar experiences I have ever had. I have always heard great things and am grateful I finally got to come. This is going to be my new chicago staple. This place is beautiful. Keep doing wonderful things sportsman club, and save a seat for me next time im in town!

The lore of this bar being described as a dive and quickly pivoting to erase all evidence of this…read moreis particularly funny for me. I happen to dislike dives and love cocktail bars (and dorothy's) so I was very excited about the location being closer to my neighborhood! The menu is concise with some classics and some unique drinks. I had the dirty martini and the mojito. Both were good! Ideally i would love to see stuffed olives in the future. I am excited to see more food popups and hopefully some bar snacks being brought in full time. I love the variety of community events at Dorothy's and I am excited to see what happens with this space. One other note, I might have missed it but I didnt see any indication outside of the bar that this is a queer space, it would be good to add :)

positives: - nice big space with a lot of room and nooks…read more- generally nice design and comfortable seats/booths - good lighting, even with the open garage-door style front - area for darts - always great to see a queer bar pop up outside of the usual neighbourhoods negatives: - possibly the worst martini i've ever had: ordered the dirty martini (with gin, because it came with vodka) -- it was mostly olive brine with maybe a hint of gin. for an $18 cocktail, this is pretty not great. not only is this basically an unbalanced mixed drink, there's a reason why vermouth is usually in a martini. - service: a little too stand-offish and impersonal. and then you order at the bar (which is fine), but for an largely empty bar, it would have been nice to have our drinks brought to our table. so ultimately, don't really know where the 20% service fee went. - limited menu: 9 cocktails is okay, but about half of these are just fairly standard classics, so it would have been nice to have a wider selection unique to this spot. mostly i was disappointed in both drinks we ordered (the other was the daiquiri, as a Cuban, one of my fav. cocktails, so i have pretty high standards for this). ultimately, i'd rather make the trip up to Victor Bar in North Center, or hit up nicer spots with greater service and definitley better drinks (Meadowlark, Quality Time, etc.) i saw someone review this as a "dive bar" -- and this is definitely not something i would describe as a typical Chicago dive bar at all, for better or worse. just pointing that out.

Heard about this place with live music and craft cocktails and was really excited to check it out…read more Went with a few friends on a tuesday night for the Kabir Dalawari Quintet. The show started at 9pm, so we got there right around 8:30. There was plenty of seats when we got there (though it did start to fill up by around 9:15/9:30). It's no reservations and no cover, which I think makes the experience a little more relaxed. I ordered the red diamond cocktail, which came with mezcal, cognac, hibiscus, lemon, lime, & absinthe. The flavor mix was really good and I'm hoping to try more drinks there. The jazz quintet was great as well. We just stayed for the first set which lasted until about 10:15, but really enjoyed the skilled musicianship. Definitely enjoyed my experience a lot and hope to be back!

I'm going to show my true age with this review. The first time we went here it was early in the…read morenight and pretty dead, so we left. We went again last night, and my husband and I had a table and sipped on a few drinks. We were enjoying the music and talking, but the music just got louder and louder to the point we were screaming across the table to hear each other. I just got more irritated, and we decided to leave.