Bars in Chicago

As Tommy, one of Howl at the Moon’s piano players, explains on the club’s website, “Every night…we try and throw a party, regardless of whether it’s a Tuesday night or a Saturday night.” The bar’s trademark dueling pianos serve as the epicenter of these nightly celebrations; patrons submit their favorite songs on slips of paper for the pianists and backing musicians to recreate. If the website’s playlist is any indication, the bands can handle popular songs from all genres and eras, from Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” to Kanye West’s “All of the Lights.” The performances are spirited: colorful lights splash upon a stage where servers, guests, and chairs that have somehow developed mobility all dance along to the music.

Fueling the celebration is the bar’s indulgent selection of drinks. Servers stand over patrons to plunge jello injectors into their mouths, and revelers grab colorful straws to help drain 86-ounce booze buckets filled with sangria or other fruity libations. Pomegranate liqueur and honey-infused whiskey sweeten specialty cocktails, and local beers add depth to coolers stocked with Stella Artois and Dos Equis.

While plantains make handy banana doppelgangers and semi-decent boomerangs, the sweet and starchy treats shine alongside island spices, savory meats, and sea-meats. Different in flavor and approach from other Latin cuisines, the Rumba Room's slow-baked sweet and spicy array of Cuban dishes is available for lunch (Monday–Friday) and dinner (usually Thursday–Saturday). If you're new to Cuban eats, try arroz con pollo ($8), a traditional, hearty dish of seasoned chicken with Puerto Rican–style rice, black beans, and sweet plantains or ropa vieja, a succulent seasoned and marinated beef slow-cooked until it falls apart. Spelunkers weary of Alabama cave shrimp can taste the real thing with Veracruz shrimp ($10) in garlic salsa, served with Puerto Rican–style rice, black beans, and tortillas. Specialty drinks like the Cuban mojito ($7) or rum runner ($7) present potable solutions to such dilemmas as lack of rum and taste for mint. If you use today's Groupon for lunch, you'll get a free order of light and sweet coquito rice pudding.

Behind Beviamo's counter lies a wonderland of drinks ranging from aged vintages and craft beers to liquors both familiar and exotic. Wine by the glass and bottle hail from the vineyards of Spain and Italy, the rolling fields of France, and the geodesic dome covering what used to be California. The hangout's dim lighting sets the scene for cool cocktails such as The Connery–a mixture of 12-year-old scotch, biscotti liquor, ginger, orange bitters, and a splash of soda. Taps populated by craft beers compliment bottled offerings, which bear floral hops or roasted malts as diverse as the music played by live bands that musicians that often play on into the night.

Rittergut Wine Bar Restaurant & Social Club crafts the perfect wine, seafood, and steak experience, with seating that overlooks the Chicago River. Wine by the glass and bottle from the vineyards of Spain, Austria, France, and Italy complements charcuterie and imported cheese plates stocked with wild boar salami or herb-laden garrotxa goat cheese, much like the contents of an enophile's personal bomb shelter. The tasting bar and private wine rooms set the stage for uninterrupted swilling, while dining rooms bathed in amber light host feasts of lamb burgers seasoned with Moroccan spices. Arched ceilings draw the eye downward to exposed brick walls and hardwood floors indoors, and a riverside patio with dark wicker booths and wooden tables perch patrons over ebbing crests and bottled messages that implore you to try the salmon.

Like any pub found in its namesake counties, the Cork & Kerry boasts an interior of dark, shiny wood paneling and exposed brick accented by stained glass windows. Unlike many of those pubs, however, the venue sprawls across 6,000 square feet, its crowning jewel a multi-level beer garden. In summer, the entire garden provides a sunny spot to enjoy one of the 20 beers on tap, a selection anchored by the constant presence of Guinness and Harp. Come winter, a portion of the patio boasts enclosed walls and climate control so that guests can still enjoy Chicago’s sunny, if snowier, vistas.

Rittergut Wine Bar Restaurant & Social Club crafts the perfect wine, seafood, and steak experience, with seating that overlooks the Chicago River. Wine by the glass and bottle from the vineyards of Spain, Austria, France, and Italy complements charcuterie and imported cheese plates stocked with wild boar salami or herb-laden garrotxa goat cheese, much like the contents of an enophile's personal bomb shelter. The tasting bar and private wine rooms set the stage for uninterrupted swilling, while dining rooms bathed in amber light host feasts of lamb burgers seasoned with Moroccan spices. Arched ceilings draw the eye downward to exposed brick walls and hardwood floors indoors, and a riverside patio with dark wicker booths and wooden tables perch patrons over ebbing crests and bottled messages that implore you to try the salmon.