Where to Drink Wine in Chicago
The New York Times
Great wine lists abound in this fascinating city. Here are eight places with distinctive lists that stand out.
The motto of Chicago ought to be, “Too much to do, not enough time.”
That’s how I feel whenever I visit. Whether restaurants, architecture, museums or music, Chicago overflows with wonderful options, and that certainly extends to great places to drink wine.
On a recent trip that unfortunately coincided with a biting Arctic blast, I sought out warm refuges with superb food and intriguing wine lists.
I was looking for casual, comfortable places that served full meals and offered lists with a clear personality. I omitted the sorts of classic, expensive Michelin-starred restaurants where you would expect to find extensive wine lists. These eight places stood out as distinctive emblems of Chicago’s singular Midwestern character.
I could have included many more, like Beautiful Rind, a lovely cheese and wine shop where you can pay a small corkage fee to open bottles with cheese and salumi; Easy Does It, an excellent natural wine bar with a modest menu; Bronzeville Winery, a thoughtful wine bar that celebrates its South Side neighborhood; Daisies, a fascinating restaurant with a small selection of Midwestern wines embedded in its list; and other places I loved, like Lula Cafe and Avec. Not enough time.
Here they are, in no particular order.