"Progressive cocktail lounge hosting a Whiskey & Cigar Fest package that includes two whiskey cocktails and a complimentary cigar, with additional cocktails, cigars, and food items such as truffled honey-fried chicken available for purchase." - Lisa Shames
"At River North newcomer, mixologist Aneka Saxon takes her uber-creative cocktails even further with libations that include the use of tarantulas, beetles, and grasshoppers for tinctures and coloring agents. Pair those with dancing a masquerade party on Saturday, October 26 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets ($25 to $35 and include two drinks and a mask) are available here." - Lisa Shames
"A Near North cocktail bar opened in June by the same owners as the Wicker Park lounge; it is described as sharing similarities in concept and style with their previous cocktail-focused project." - Ashok Selvam
"The team behind Machine opened a “cocktail restaurant” in River North. Aside from cocktails that involve snap pea-infused gin or coconut horchata chai foam, they also have an eclectic dinner and late-night line-up of dishes like potato pierogies, okonomiyaki, and short rib pastrami." - john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Headquarters Beercade owners Chireal Jordan and Brian Galati built up a great deal of mystery around the debut of Dearly Beloved. In June, Chicagoans finally ventured inside the duo’s ambitious “cocktail restaurant” on the city’s Near North Side. It’s their most elaborate venue yet, equipped with outside-the-box tipples with esoteric ingredients and a food menu that emphasizes vegetables in fun and unusual forms." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman