Fancy a boogie? Sound Bar and Enclave are your passes to the best late-night hedonism Chicago has to offer. The former has two levels and is invariably packed: downstairs plays hip-hop music and upstairs grooves to an unrelenting house beat. You can engineer your very own oasis of calm, though, by booking a table in the VIP room. The drinks are phenomenally cheap, you get waitress service and the chance to retreat if the music becomes too much or the people too raucous. Not the best club in the world, but a good laugh nonetheless. Altogether better is Enclave. This upscale location has undergone a full year of renovation: new floors, new (clean) bathrooms, new furnishings, impeccably styled bar areas, etc. And it’s been worth it. This is now the premier dance spot in Illinois, with beautiful people to match. Get a table in the circular, curtain-swathed VIP area and forget all about work.

Sound Bar
226 W. Ontario, Chicago, IL 60610, Tel: 312.787.4480 sound-bar.com
Enclave: enclavechicago.com

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

If you’re looking for a post-dinner drink or two, the J Bar at The James is a good place to start. In harmony with the rest of the hotel, it’s sleek, sophisticated and very cool. The barmen fashion martinis with olive lollipops (so you can look like Kojak for the night) and the waiters provide appetizers from David Burke’s in-house restaurant. If you get there early enough, you might also get a seat on the attractive low-slung banquettes.

James Hotel55 East Ontario, Chicago, Illinois, 60611Website: jameshotels.com/chicago

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Now, I am not normally a cocktail man. But on a weekend in Chicago with my then-fiancee, we discovered The Terrace at the Conrad. You snuggle up on a sofa five stories above the rest of the world but feel like you're a million miles away, so it's perfect either for romantic drinks or for a relaxed night with friends (and not as pretentious as a lot of other bars we tried in the city). The unique cocktail menu was a really big hit with my other half and even I was a fan of the 'TerraceTini'. Go in the summer and soak up the atmosphere, or go now and soak up the alcohol whilst the exchange rate is so good... the lovely lady I took is now my wife so it must have been a reasonable success!

The Terrace, upstairs at the Conrad Chicago at 521 North RUsh St.
Chicago, Illinois, 60611.
Tel number 1312 645 1500

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends