Sportsman's Club

Chicago winters are cruel and punishing, and that’s why you seek the cozy, taxidermied confines of Sportsman’s, where the custom-built tables double as functional checkers sets, and an “amaro machine” blends Italy’s finest digestivi into mysteriously delicious shots. Chicago summers are swampy and brief, and that’s why you end up at Sportsman’s, draining Old Styles at picnic tables on the sprawling back patio and wishing the night never had to end. If you’re wondering what you do during the other two seasons, you’ve never been to Chicago.

PRO TIP: Despite the pretense-free atmosphere and limited drink menu (four cocktails are listed each night), the bartenders are pros and can make pretty much anything you want.

THE DETAILS: Crowded and loud (but not obnoxious) on weekends.