Chicago’s Best Bars for Cocktails | Eater Chicago
"Across America’s Chinatowns, tiki found a niche with Westerners conflating Asians and preferring the tropical flavors paired with Cantonese food. In Chicago, that led to the popularity of late-night karaoke lounges. However, there wasn’t a specialized tavern serving cocktails in Chinatown until Nine Bar made a splash in early 2022. Located behind Moon Palace Express and from the same family, this narrow bar is welcoming with fun drinks that honor the past and also new classics that use ingredients like Thai coconut milk, umami bitters, Japanese barley, and Chinese five spice. While the drinks are impressive, the food menu is already an all-time great. Even the fries, inspired by mapu tofu — topped with saucy pork, scallions, and more (a vegan option is also available) — are top notch." - Ashok Selvam
