Chicago has plenty of bars – from speakeasies to gastropubs, wine bars and more.
Of the many establishments, a few of them are especially extraordinary, at least according to some. Three Chicago bars recently made Esquire's list The Best Bars in America - all for different reasons.
Esquire editors appear to have been so impressed, they highlighted one Chicago spot right off the top. Meadowlark, described as an old library-like spot in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in the article's introduction, offers an Avian-themed cocktail menu, with "each drink meant to resemble a specific feathered friend."
Here's what made Meadowlark as well as the two other Chicago establishments stand out, according to the reviews.
After Lounge - 1338 W. Fulton St. - West Loop
"Like Ever, chef Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser’s epic tasting-menu experience, After feels like an inner sanctum of gustatory delight, albeit a bit more chill—you can get a beer and a cheeseburger, after all. It is a sublime combo here, but do allow the moody, elegant surroundings to lift you toward a higher plain. The bar bites are in another orbit (get the duck wings), and beverage director Luis Rodriguez’s glorious creations are some of the best kitchen-meets-bar libations around.
What you’re having: The A5 Vesper—Monkey 47 gin washed in Wagyu and served with caviar on a puffed tendon." —K. S.
Local
Easy Does It - 2354 N. Milwaukee Ave. - Logan Square
"This is a wine bar, but as the name implies, this is not a place to take wine too seriously. You can, in fact, get a Miller High Life if you wanted, or a negroni made from mostly local ingredients. That said, the wines are seriously good and off kilter in a good way–let the simple descriptions guide you ("light and oceanic," "str8 blueberry pie") towards whatever mood you’re in.
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What you’re having: if the weather is nice the pro move is to grab a bottle and head out to the vast back patio and be comforted by the rumbles of the elevated Blue Line train." —K.S.
The Meadowlark - 2812 W. Palmer St. - Logan Square
"The sign outside is marked with a single bird. Inside, the dark exposed brick, chesterfield couches, and golden light create a tried-and-true library vibe. What feels delightfully uncommon, and why the thirty or so seats are filled by 6:30, are the inspired drinks from beverage director Abe Vucekovich based on . . . birds of the Midwest? There are sixteen cocktails—many with strange, high-flying ingredient pairings, like chartreuse and sotol or brandy and mezcal—that are all mesmerizing and listed in a field-guide menu complete with Audubon drawings. Future menus will be inspired by eclectic themes such as the World’s Fair and CBGB.
What you’re having: Finish the night with a Turkey Buzzard. Like the bird, it’s ugly on the surface— blackstrap rum, agricole rhum, amaro, mole bitters—but entrancing once you get to know it." —K. S.
