Sparrow
Cocktail bar · Near North Side
12 W Elm St, Chicago, IL 60610
Highlights
Rum cocktails, craft beer, 1927 art deco building, Cuban flair
Rum cocktails, craft beer, 1927 art deco building, Cuban flair
"Sparrow has an impressive collection of rum from 22 different countries, so it’s no surprise that most of the drinks here use it as a base. Though the cocktail menu is short, it’s wide-ranging—from sweet and refreshing drinks like the fruity Floridita with grapefruit and lime to a very strong Á La Louisiane with rye, rum, and absinthe. The narrow space is charming, with Art Deco design and vintage touches like a phone booth and room numbers on the bathrooms to make them look like apartments (this was originally a lobby bar during the 1920s after all). And though the bartenders may be decked out in button-ups and ties, it’s refined without feeling stuffy." - adrian kane, john ringor
"One of the city’s best bars is tucked behind Rush and Division and Mariano Park on the bottom floor of a 1927 Art Deco apartment building. Sparrow is a charmingly moody spot inspired by the rum bars of Havana from years ago. Find $5 drafts and $10 glasses of wine from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday." - Lisa Shames
"The main focus at this old-fashioned hotel bar is “sugar cane spirits,” rum from all over the world. Sip them neat or mixed into classics like a Hotel Nacional and El Presidente. But the bar also stocks just about any other liquor you can think of." - Ashok Selvam
"One of the city’s best bars is tucked behind Rush and Division and Mariano Park. For drinkers fed up with those shenanigans, Sparrow is a moody spot patterned off of Havana’s rum bars. Find $5 drafts and $10 glasses of wine from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday." - Samantha Nelson, Eater Staff
"It’s always a good time at Persona and a Botanist & Tonic would only take it up a notch. Listening to a live DJ set Thursday to Saturday at this South Loop spot is the perfect way to enjoy a cocktail in our books." - team infatuation
