Fun Chicago Bars/Restaurants for Holiday Drinking and Eating
Cocktails, beers, glasses of wine, straight shots, they’re all a part of the Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s holiday season. Though we’ve probably never been so aware of the need to drink and eat responsibly, we all drink and eat a little more than usual mid-November to early January. Of course, there are many fun places in Chicago to both drink and eat. Responsibly, of course.
Here are six Chicago bar/restaurants where you can have good drinks, good food – and a lot of good fun – during the holiday season.
Fado Irish Pub. Yes, we know, St. Patrick’s Day is months away, but Fado Irish Pub is a cozy place to grab a drink and a bite even if the Chicago River is not flowing green at the moment – and Irish pubs are, by definition, a rollicking good time. Fado presents holiday partyers with a massive listing of beers and ales (an entire menu section is devoted to stouts, like Guinness), but there’s also a lot of well-finessed food. We recommend selections from the seasonal menu, including Chicken and Butternut Squash Pot Pie, roasted pork belly, and other stick-to-your-ribs options, just right for a cold afternoon or evening. Places like Fado almost make cold weather enjoyable.
Lawry’s The Prime Rib. (Now Closed) There may be no other majestic dining room in Chicago that’s quite as warm and friendly as the one in the old McCormick mansion, now the Chicago location of Lawry’s The Prime Rib. White tablecloths, uniformed servers, wood paneling, it’s all so old school and comfortable. In addition to magnificent meat, there are cocktails shaken tableside. Before or after, visit the old wooden bar on the westside of the mansion – they have a very impressive collection of Scotch. The atmosphere is usually restrained, but around the holidays, it’s all about fun. Bring the kids!
The Fifty/50. If you’re looking for a casual place, with great food, and maybe a flat screen or two so you can watch a holiday game with your homies, The Fifty/50 is where you want to be. There are truly fantastic burgers and fries, but what you really want are the chicken wings, named best in Chicago by Chicago Magazine, Eater, Thrillist and several other publications. Though beer is really the beverage of choice at The Fifty/50, there’s a good selection of Scotch and a truly massive collection of Bourbon/rye…but here, what you’re probably going to go for is the beer, lots of beer, because this is a loose and casual place where it’s all about having a good time, maybe catching a game, and eating what might be the best “bar food” you’ve ever had.
Carnivale. The drinks at this brightly colored and spacious restaurant take a decidedly Latin American turn, with caipirinhas, mojitos and palomas, just the right kind of anti-freeze for a cold Chicago evening. At Carnivale, there’s also one of the best selections of rum in the city – and if you’ve never given rum a serious chance, here’s where you can rectify that grievous oversight. The food is also a cut above, with shrimp quesadillas, ropa vieja, Peruvian chicken and other nibbles that pair perfectly with the sunny southern cocktails. If the winter blast is beating you down, this is a place to spring back.
Volo Restaurant Wine Bar. Good food demands good wine, and at Volo Restaurant Wine Bar, you have a lock-solid guarantee of getting both. Voted #1 Notable Wine List by the OpenTable Diner’s Choice Poll, Volo has a list of over 50 boutique wines, over half of which you can have by the glass. There’s also a menu of inventive, wine-friendly options, including chilled oysters, lamb tacos and marrow bones, as well as heftier portions of duck confit, fried chicken and beef tenderloin, spiced just right to complement your wine choice. If you feel a slight sag in the holiday spirit between Thanksgiving and Christmas or Christmas and New Year’s Eve, you can keep the holiday fun going strong at Volo Restaurant and Wine Bar.
Tortoise Club. The dining room at Tortoise Club, down a few steps from State Street, has a comforting subterranean vibe, providing respite from the madding crowd of holiday shoppers while still helping you feel like you’re in the thick of River North holiday revelry. Specialty cocktails tend toward the traditional, with the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Penicillin. There’s also a generous sampling of American whiskey and Scotch. The food, ah the food, is exceptional: must-haves are Parmesan and Aged Cheddar Mac n’ Cheese, Baked Oysters Rockefeller Dip, and Oak Aged Bourbon Barrel Meatloaf. It’s a good time at Tortoise Club, during the holidays or, actually, any time of year.
