Bumpy treks past sweaty shoulders and sloshing pints and aching feet don’t have to be part of the bar experience. At these spots, top-notch drinks are delivered to your table, and there’s always a seat with your name on it.
Pops for Champagne
This romantic, elegant spot overflows with bubbly and booths. Live jazz is performed nightly for couples or small groups sitting at white-tableclothed, candlelit tables. It’s easy to find a seat on weekdays–even Thursdays, the bar’s busiest night. The place tends to fill up from 10 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, but the wait for a table is usually brief (15 minutes or so) and well worth an entire evening of comfortable seating, service and soft jazz. 2934 N. Sheffield Ave. 773-472-1000.
Matisse
This hidden gem in Lincoln Park exudes class and comfort. Dark velvety booths and a flickering fireplace invite unpretentious folks to relax with a cocktail in hand. Despite the small interior, seating always seems to be available, either at one of the tall wooden tables throughout the room or in the cozy booth in the back. Reasonably-priced cocktails are whipped up quickly at the bar and whisked to your table by one of the friendly, polished servers. 674 W. Diversey Pkwy. 773-528-6670.
The Silver Palm
Eat and drink like a first-class passenger at this ultra-chill bar/restaurant in a 1940s train car. A sweater-and-jeans crowd feasts on quality prime rib, grilled fish and crab legs and then turns to international beers, sparkling wines and specialty cocktails (margaritas and sidecars are the specialty) to finish the evening off. 768 N. Milwaukee Ave. 312-666-9322.
Bungalow Bar
Martini-sippers, beer-guzzlers and wine-lovers alike find common ground at this spot, where amber lighting and warm, chocolate-colored furniture set a mood that’s sophisticated yet casual. The bar attracts everyone from twentysomething hipsters to thirtysomething professionals who situate themselves in candlelit booths or at wooden bar stools. Looking sleek in black garb, super-attentive bartenders and waitresses will keep your glass brimming with a drink as cool as the company. 1622 W. Belmont Ave. 773-244-0400.
Enoteca Piattini
This intimate wine bar and restaurant offers more than 200 bottles and 30 wines by the glass. If you want munchies with your merlot, the bar offers antipasto-sized Italian dishes such as steamed mussels in a white-wine sauce and a petit filet topped with a shallot-red wine reduction. There’s plenty of seating in two rooms, so vino enthusiasts can savor their drink as they should: plopped in a comfortable chair. 934 W. Webster Ave. 773-281-3898.
