DrinkedIn Trends

Work can be its own refuge for those who love their job, but it’s an undeniable pleasure to take a bit of time away from the daily grind and enjoy some sights other than the four walls of your office. Those who call Chicago home are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to make the city their office, at least temporarily, thanks to the wealth of work-friendly bars that provide the perfect environment for meetings with clients. If you’re eager to take a break from the office, head to one of these hotspots where business and fun are always on the menu.

The Violet Hour | 1520 North Damen Avenue

Intimate, elegant, and an ideal destination for anyone who loves a well-mixed drink, The Violet Hour is a well-earned break from the traditional office setting. Grab a seat with your colleagues and enjoy a relaxed meeting over drinks like the Must Confess, a margarita with cinnamon grenadine and egg whites, a Velvet Flip, a malted egg nog, or a massive batch of Violet Hour Punch to serve the whole table.

With the holiday season officially in full swing, there’s a chill in the air, the vivid displays in department store windows are shining like beacons in the night, and parties celebrating the spirit of the season are well on their way. While intimate gatherings ringing in the holidays are often best left to the comfort of your own home, larger events require an elegant atmosphere where your guests can enjoy the celebration and company. Fortunately, for those who call Chicago home, the city is replete with stylish lounges perfect for your holiday get-together. Whether you’re partying with co-workers or your closest friends, check out these celebration destinations this holiday season:

Gilt Bar

If you’re looking for an elegant environment for your holiday party this winter, look no further than The Library. With vintage-inspired décor, from tufted red velvet banquettes to stately chandeliers casting low light across the room, this River North hotspot exudes an intimate charm. Luckily, The Library’s drinks are just as enticing. If you’re in the mood for something fizzy, try the Bar Germain; if a sweeter cocktail is more your style, opt for the honey-infused Bee’s Knees.

Rogers Park Social

The feel of a low-key lounge and the mixologist know-how of a high-end cocktail bar combine seamlessly at Rogers Park Social. This popular Rogers Park institution, outfitted with a large communal table, comfy seating in the back, and board games to mitigate those awkward lulls in the conversation, makes for an ideal spot to get your group together to celebrate the holidays in style.

Presidio

Presidio’s urban rustic design scheme may give it a bit of a hipster vibe, but make no mistake: this Wicker Park watering hole is anything but pretentious. With plenty of room for larger parties and a menu boating everything from bison strip loin to their own take on the Big Mac, cheekily called a “Royale With Cheese,” in a nod to either the French rendition of the sandwich of “Pulp Fiction,” this is one party destination that’s sure to please. Even if dinner isn’t on the menu for your gathering, your guests will have fun ordering horror trope-inspired drinks, like the Wickerman’s Punch and The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs.

The Aviary

Although it’s regularly named one of the best bars in Chicago, The Aviary claims that a night with this West Loop lounge is more than another trip to the pub, it’s an experience. Home to indulgent small plates, from foie gras with rhubarb and lavender to cheesecake with balsamic vinegar and strawberries, The Aviary is a sophisticated destination your guests will appreciate you seeking out. With drinks like boozy hot chocolate, a popcorn-inspired elixir made with real butter, and a long list of craft beers, there’s something to suit every thirsty guest’s palate, as well.

Chicago's culinary scene is second to none, with some of the world's most respected chefs bringing their talent to the Windy City. While Chicago's fine dining establishments are perhaps best known for their multi-course dinners, the weekends offer up yet another culinary treat for the city's gastronomes: brunch. From Edgewater to The Loop, Mayfair to Margate Park, the city is replete with some of the best brunch restaurants you'll find anywhere in the world.

Mortar & Pestle

Lakeview hotspot Mortar & Pestle's eclectic menu draws influence from everything from Midwestern to Middle Eastern cuisine. On the menu, you'll find a wide variety of delicious dishes like beer-battered cheese curds served with Romesco aioli, biscuits with Merguez gravy, and eggs benedict served with Alaskan king crab and sriracha hollandaise.

Arbor

Anyone with an affinity for local cuisine would be wise to set their sights on Logan Square's Arbor for brunch. From their own apiary and garden and other local vendors, Arbor creates homestyle fare like GoGo Oatmeal, a mixture of oats with espresso, hazelnuts, and brown butter cream, and the Machacha Breakfast Burrito with beef, onions, peppers, potatoes, and Arbor's own hot sauce.

Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club

North Park's Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club mixes the intimacy of having lunch at your very own breakfast table with the fine fare Chicagoans have come to expect from chef Manny Mejia. Mejia's menu finds inspiration in everything from his Mexican heritage to North Park's significant Korean population, offering dishes from breakfast burritos to pajun, a scallion pancake, with eggs, pork belly, and Brussels sprouts.

The Publican

If you find yourself in Fulton Market over the weekend, make sure to stop into The Publican for brunch. This New American eatery keeps visitors on their toes with different menus of innovative treats for both Saturday and Sunday brunch. If you stop in on Saturday, make sure to try the grilled olive oil cake and the chicken liver pate, and on Sunday, treat yourself to the Cajun sausage with grits and sunny side-up eggs and a Smokin' Maria, the restaurant's chipotle-infused take on the traditional Bloody Mary.

The holidays are the time to share our appreciation for friends, family, and for many of us, co-workers. While company holiday parties can vacillate wildly between boozy affairs and uncomfortably corporate events, there's no need for your festivities to be stodgy — book a table at one of Chicago's most prestigious restaurants for an exciting get-together your whole office will still be talking about by New Year's.

Alinea: Voted country's best restaurant by Gourmet, Grant Achatz' Alinea has tuned food into a science. Wow your co-workers with microgastronomy treats, like balloons filled with green apple-flavored helium and a fourteen-textured scallop citrus aroma.

Goosefoot: American cuisine has been elevated to an art form at Goosefoot, where the food is always inventive. Make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your meal and don't mind a surprise — the restaurant's 9-course menu changes with the season.

Blackbird: Seafood enthusiasts will love Chef Ryan Pfeiffer's Blackbird, where the fruit of the sea is artfully prepared each evening for guests. Whether you're eager to order from a la carte options like barbecued sturgeon and glazed pork belly or are eager to try Blackbird's ten-course tasting menu, you won't be disappointed.

NoMi Kitchen: You won't have to worry about your co-workers finding something they like at NoMi, thanks to this kitchen's long and diverse menu. The restaurant, named for its location on North Michigan Avenue, serves up everything from foie gras on toasted brioche to Maine lobster.

When it’s Friday night (or maybe even Tuesday; I won’t judge) and you’re looking to have a good time in Chicago, you can’t go wrong with any of the standard bars and clubs in the area—when you combine music, alcohol, and fun people, it’s hard not to have a good time wherever you may be.

But sometimes you just want to do something different. Sometimes you want to escape the same old Top 40 songs and play arcade games like you’re 10 years old again. Luckily, there are a number of places in Chicago that let you do just that.

Emporium Arcade Bar

Emporium has 20+ beers on tap, dozens of whiskeys, and 41 different arcade games all under one roof. Need I say more?

Tokens are 25 cents each and every game only costs one token. Stop by and relive the glory of your childhood years with the increased level of difficulty that only alcohol can provide.

Big Joe’s Pub

On the surface, Big Joe’s may just look like your average bar. And on most nights of the week, you might be right in making that assumption. But one night a week, Big Joe’s Pub hosts an event that you’ll want to be a part of at last once before you leave the city: turtle racing.

Places to Party in the Windy City

Do you think that the Windy City has nothing to offer except an extremely cool weather, some snow on the pavement, occasional shopping and sometimes Broadway shows, you are extremely mistaken.  Chicago is in fact fast following the major cities such as New York when it comes to the party scene.  Yup, if you feel like partying it up in the Windy City, you will be pleasantly surprised that you have such a wide selection to the point that you will be confused on where to go first.  I assure you that one week is not enough to cover everything.  Then again, if you know where to go, then your entire Chicago experience will be very much worth your while.

If you want to know the best bars, clubs and bars in the Windy City, there is one website that you can surely trust.  When I visited a while back, I checked out Drinkedln and I sure was not disappointed.  I found out that the bars they recommended are indeed among the best in the city.  I had such a grand time because the party hot spots offered a good mix of the right crowd, alcoholic beverages I have not heard of and some heavy dancing which for me are the ingredients of a perfect party.

One of the clubs I visited while I was in Chicago was the Smuggler’s Cove.  The name of the place sure got me interested.  The name isn’t your typical bar in the United States and apparently, so was the entire place in general.  The moment that you entire the Smugglers Cove, you immediately know the feel and theme of the place.  Being there is just so fun and exciting. Match it with a good cold drink of alcohol and you are all set for the evening.

Do you want to veer away from meat and try to be a bit more healthy before your drinking spree?  That is perfectly possible in the Windy City.  Why not savor the unique vegetarian cuisine that Soul Vegetarian East has to offer?  The food is very flavorful and light to the stomach at the same time.  Of course, the night is still young after dinner and the last thing that you want to do is to head home.  Well, you will be pleasantly surprised that Soul Vegetarian East offers some of the best drinks that the Windy City has to offer.  Who would have guessed that vegetables and alcohol would go so well together?

Chicago Bars (or Chicago Bears ;))

Finding the best bars in Chicago is a task anyone would love to take upon themselves. Being able to visit midwestern taverns, elegant night-clubs, Irish pubs and friendly neighborhood bars has to be a rewarding experience.

Staying at a hotel near Lincoln Park gave us a great location to start checking out the Chicago bar scene...

Let's start at the Gilt Bar on West Kinzie Street. Walking into the pub, I immediately was reminded of the movie The Sting (not sure why as that was in New York) - but nevertheless, the mood was set as I wondered over to the bar, sat down and ordered a Leffe Blonde Ale (later followed by a Darkhorse Brown Ale). Looking over the rest of the bar, I noticed how extensive was their whiskey collection, including my favorite Oban 14 year old. I can't forget to mention the food too - choosing from the food menu was almost as difficult as choosing from the selection of draught beers. What a great club - how can we follow up on this? Well...

Not too far away is Pops for Champagne. It's widely acclaimed as one of the best Champagne Bars in the country. I don't like to mix beer and any wine, but the lady I was with has a weakness for champagne, so I had to oblige. We went into the lounge and noticed that Pops has over 100 different brands of champagne and sparkling wines. The atmosphere is brighter and more modern than at Gilt's... seems like a great place to celebrate an anniversary.

The next night we wanted to try something different in terms of food and drink... so we went to The Publican Bar on Fulton Market. Back to basics and back to beer... I was really happy to be back in my comfort zone. I ordered the oysters my friend ordered what looked like a pork platter... but what we did have in common is that both dishes were followed by several tasty ales (if I remember, an IPA and a stout - perhaps Guiness... but who can remember).