Nine Bar
Cocktail bar · South Loop
216 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616
Highlights
Hidden speakeasy serving Asian-inspired cocktails & bites
Hidden speakeasy serving Asian-inspired cocktails & bites
"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
"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
"Chinatown’s first cocktail lounge is a dim, moody hideaway with a serious beverage program and great bites to boot. Soak up the alcohol with mapo hot fries, wok-fired wings tossed in General Tso’s sauce, and a McKatsu sando that puts the Golden Arches to shame. Save some room for the brûléed milk bread toast, too." - Jeffy Mai
"Chinatown’s first cocktail lounge is a dim, moody hideaway with a serious beverage program and great bites to boot. Soak up the alcohol with mapo hot fries, wok-fired wings tossed in General Tso’s sauce, and a McKatsu sando that puts the Golden Arches to shame. Save some room for the brûléed milk bread toast, too." - Jeffy Mai
"Longtime Chinatown restaurant Moon Palace Express transformed its dining room into Chinatown’s first cocktail bar in 2022. The dim, moody space offers great pub food (the McKatsu is a standout) and drinks that appeal to Chinese Americans and their parents. This is one of the best bars in Chicago and an essential neighborhood spot for a post-meal tipple. It’s easy to miss, as guests enter through Moon Palace Express." - Jeffy Mai
