"Located on the second floor of an old masonic lodge in Highland Park, Checker Hall is part restaurant, part bar, and a rare spot where any type of night is possible. The cavernous main room is lined with booths and a Mediterranean-leaning food menu suitable for intimate date nights. But we love Checker Hall most for its late-night scene, especially when the attached music venue lets out, and the pentagon-shaped bar is suddenly wall-to-wall with people drinking excellent cocktails—like tequila and jalapeno Carmen #6, one of the best spicy margaritas in the city—and looking for an afterparty." - nikko duren, brant cox