How does TastyPals choose the best bar restaurants in Chicago?

We evaluate bar restaurants in Chicago on food quality, room tone, price, and whether the experience holds up for real dining plans — not just the places with the most Google reviews. This list is anchored by Gus' Sip & Dip alongside Three Dots and a Dash and Arbella Cocktail Bar, chosen through editorial review and cross-referenced against neighbourhood context and guest ratings. Read our full methodology at tastypals.com/methodology.

GuideUpdated July 15, 2026

5 Best Bar Restaurants in Chicago

Q: What are the best bar restaurants in Chicago?

Gus' Sip & Dip is our top pick in Chicago. Here's the thing about a bar that calls itself "Sip & Dip": it has to deliver on both, and Gus' actually does. This River North spot from beverage director Kevin Beary (Three Dots and a Dash) and chef Bob Broskey (RPM, Intro) takes its name from Gus' Good Food, which held this address from 1906 to 1966 — so there's a neighborhood-tavern soul under all the Michelin pedigree. The play here is dipped sandwiches and reimagined classics. The Smoked Ham Dip ($23) is a brown-sugar-glazed pork roast on pan de cristal with mustard jus for dunking, and the Wagyu Steak Frites piles thin-sliced rare top round on toast with horseradish cream. The Rangoon Dip deconstructs a crab rangoon into something craveable. Thirty cocktails, all $12 — the Breakfast Martini comes with Earl Grey-infused gin and a honey-buttered toast point, which is exactly the kind of cheeky move I'm here for. It's racked up serious hardware: No. 27 on North America's 50 Best Bars, a 2026 Jean Banchet for Best New Bar. Walk-ins only, first come first served. Worth the wait. Other strong options include Three Dots and a Dash and Arbella Cocktail Bar.

The 5 best bar restaurants in Chicago, sorted by rating and curated by TastyPals editors.

The best bar restaurants in Chicago are Gus' Sip & Dip, Three Dots and a Dash, Arbella Cocktail Bar, and more. Start with Gus' Sip & Dip if you want the strongest overall first pick.

By James Whitfield•5 ranked picks•Published July 15, 2026•Updated July 15, 2026

Methodology•Editorial team

Gus' Sip & Dip Three Dots and a Dash Arbella Cocktail Bar

Google

Top picks at a glance

#1Gus' Sip & DipBar • Chicago • moderate #2Three Dots and a DashBar • Chicago • moderate #3Arbella Cocktail BarBar • Chicago • moderate

Who this guide is for

This guide covers the highest-rated bar restaurants in Chicago. The picks are sorted by Google rating and review volume to give you a reliable shortlist.

Quick picks

Gus' Sip & Dip

Bar • Chicago

Here's the thing about a bar that calls itself "Sip & Dip": it has to deliver on both, and Gus' actually does.

Three Dots and a Dash

Bar • Chicago

Three Dots and a Dash is the kind of bar room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.

Arbella Cocktail Bar

Bar • Chicago

Let me tell you what Arbella actually is, because the word "cocktail bar" undersells it in one direction and oversells it in another.

Browse all Chicago restaurants Back to Chicago hub

Editorial details

Author: James Whitfield

Published: July 15, 2026

Last updated: July 15, 2026

How the restaurants compare

Three Dots and a Dash

How we chose

We looked for restaurants that feel like a strong fit for the guide topic, not just the most obvious names in the city. The shortlist favors rooms with clear mood, dependable pacing, and enough distinction to help someone decide faster. Read our full methodology →

Room tone

Lighting, pace, and general energy all need to support the reason someone clicked this guide.

Food fit

We favored restaurants that feel best suited for the moment, not just restaurants with broad reputation.

Useful range

The final list tries to give readers enough variation in neighborhood, price, and style to compare real options.

5 ranked picks

Gus' Sip & Dip — Here's the thing about a bar that calls itself "Sip & Dip": it has to deliver on both, and Gus' actually does. This River North spot from beverage director Kevin Beary (Three Dots and a Dash) and chef Bob Broskey (RPM, Intro) takes its name from Gus' Good Food, which held this address from 1906 to 1966 — so there's a neighborhood-tavern soul under all the Michelin pedigree. The play here is dipped sandwiches and reimagined classics. The Smoked Ham Dip ($23) is a brown-sugar-glazed pork roast on pan de cristal with mustard jus for dunking, and the Wagyu Steak Frites piles thin-sliced rare top round on toast with horseradish cream. The Rangoon Dip deconstructs a crab rangoon into something craveable. Thirty cocktails, all $12 — the Breakfast Martini comes with Earl Grey-infused gin and a honey-buttered toast point, which is exactly the kind of cheeky move I'm here for. It's racked up serious hardware: No. 27 on North America's 50 Best Bars, a 2026 Jean Banchet for Best New Bar. Walk-ins only, first come first served. Worth the wait. View restaurant →

Google

Bar•Chicago•moderate

Gus' Sip & Dip

Here's the thing about a bar that calls itself "Sip & Dip": it has to deliver on both, and Gus' actually does.

cocktailsdinnersmall plates

Read restaurant page

Three Dots and a Dash

Three Dots and a Dash is the kind of bar room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.

Cocktails and foodcocktailsdate night

Read restaurant page

Arbella Cocktail Bar — Let me tell you what Arbella actually is, because the word "cocktail bar" undersells it in one direction and oversells it in another. This is a room that figured out the thing most cocktail bars get wrong: the food isn't an afterthought bribed into existence by liquor license requirements. It's a genuine kitchen running alongside a genuine bar program, which means you can show up here at 10 p.m. genuinely hungry and leave genuinely satisfied — not just less drunk. The crowd knows it. You'll see people who came for drinks end up splitting a full spread, and people who came for food end up staying for two more rounds. That feedback loop is harder to engineer than it looks, and Arbella has it. The menu plays a smart range of registers. The Coconut Shrimps are the kind of thing that sounds like filler but arrives with enough crunch and sweetness-to-heat contrast to make you order a second round before the first is gone. The Thai Fried Chicken Sliders bring real technique — that brine-forward, lacquered-crust fry that holds up under sauce without going soft. The Smash Burger is exactly what it should be: aggressively seared, lacy-edged, no architectural pretension. And then there's the Cafecito Tiramisu, which is the move you didn't know you needed — espresso bitterness dialed up, mascarpone still doing its cool, cloud-like thing, with enough of a Latin coffee riff to make it feel like it belongs here specifically. Practical intel: the Spinach Cauliflower Fondue and Steak Frites are strong anchors if you're building a table spread rather than snacking solo. The KFC Chx Basket is bar food done right — order it early, it goes fast. Price-point is genuinely reasonable for what lands on the table. Go on a weeknight if you want breathing room; weekends fill up. Sit at or near the bar if you can — that's where the room makes the most sense. Start with the Thai Fried Chicken Sliders and end with the Cafecito Tiramisu; that's the through-line. View restaurant →

Bar•Chicago•moderate

Arbella Cocktail Bar

Let me tell you what Arbella actually is, because the word "cocktail bar" undersells it in one direction and oversells it in another.

Cocktails and foodcocktailsdate night

Read restaurant page

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Bar•Chicago•moderate

Storyville Chicago

Storyville Chicago suits a night out when you want bar that feels grown-up without getting stiff.

Cocktails and foodcocktailsdate night

Read restaurant page

LH Rooftop

LH Rooftop is the kind of bar room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.

Cocktails and foodcocktailsdate night

Read restaurant page

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Get the App

Save these spots to your Chicago list

Save these spots to your Chicago list in the TastyPals app, then explore similar restaurants when you want a tighter shortlist for the night.

Personalized city picksCleaner shortlistsBuilt for iPhone and Android

TastyPalsTonight

Your taste. Our picks.

Smarter follow-through after the guide: better restaurant context, quicker narrowing, less second-guessing.

For tonight

Date night spots with warm rooms and polished service

Next step

Keep exploring in the app when you want a tighter shortlist

5 Best Bar Restaurants in Chicago

Top picks at a glance

Who this guide is for

Quick picks

On this page

How the restaurants compare

How we chose

5 ranked picks

Gus' Sip & Dip

Three Dots and a Dash

Arbella Cocktail Bar

Save these spots to your Chicago list

Storyville Chicago

LH Rooftop

Explore next

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Save these spots to your Chicago list