Nobody's Darling
Cocktail bar · Andersonville
1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22823106/51309991363_920638aaf4_h.jpg "Nobody's Darling by eater.com")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69809763/51310514304_8619cd1eac_o.0.jpg "Nobody's Darling by Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22822949/51310790235_b1af770607_o.jpg "Nobody's Darling by Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago")
Highlights
Craft cocktails, inclusive vibe, regular music events, and lively atmosphere
Craft cocktails, inclusive vibe, regular music events, and lively atmosphere
"Despite opening in 2021, this Andersonville bar feels like a neighborhood staple that’s been around since the Daley era (specifically Daley Senior). It’s welcoming and lively, with disco lights and a playlist full of jams like No Diggity—all of which make it a fun place. There aren’t gimmicky ingredients, but their elevated takes on classics, like an Old Fashioned with ginger maple syrup, will make you wish that was the local standard. And their quiet sidewalk patio (often full of people with their dogs) is ideal for a chiller vibe." - adrian kane, john ringor
"Nobody’s Darling has been a revelation since opening, bringing tons of energy to an otherwise quiet stretch of residential Andersonville. While this bar isn’t located near downtown, it has turned into a destination, particularly for LGBTQIA Chicagoans. Stop in from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays for $7 glasses of wine and $20 bottles or Thursday through Sunday for $2 off all women- or POC-owned cocktails and spirits." - Lisa Shames
"In short notice, Nobody’s Darling has carved itself a space in Chicago’s nightlife. The tavern itself lacks modern bells and whistles, but it’s the welcoming atmosphere, one that embraces the LGBTQ community and its allies, that makes the bar special. The narrow space is often boisterous on weekends with patrons ordering cocktails and beer. The bar was a finalist for the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. In 2023, the team expanded and doubled the capacity." - Ashok Selvam
"This LGBTQ cocktail bar in Andersonville puts on an impressive number of events and gatherings, including Sunday Funday game-viewing parties with happy “hour” running all day. A 2023 expansion added a slew of seats and a second bar, so there’s no reason not to bring the whole crew and watch the women’s tourney while sipping a Nina Simone (mezcal, sumac, ginger, banana, lime)." - Ashok Selvam
"Hosting a cocktail party and signing on Wednesday, March 19 at 6 p.m. (1744 W. Balmoral Avenue; listed later in the text as 1774 W. Balmoral Avenue) with the Andersonville bar’s co-owners Angela Barnes and Renauda Riddle; reservations are free through Eventbrite. Barnes and Riddle are featured in the book’s “shakers” section (bartenders who submitted their own drink recipes). The event ties into the book’s larger goals — Katz and McGiff used paintings and digital illustrations to make drinks approachable and to include women around the world without studio photo shoots — and Katz emphasizes accessibility: “For a book like this that’s not focused on cocktail technique, it’s just about how we best tell the story of this woman and her career in cocktails and make it accessible for home bartenders by not using infusions or anything too wild or expensive,” Katz says. “We wanted to keep it as relatable as possible so someone could open the book and feel confident doing it.”" - Sam Nelson
