Encore started life in 2017 as a liquid lounge in Chicago's Theatre District: a Loop room that did a brisk lunch, a serious martini and a late crowd spilling out of the shows. The bar closed, as bars do. The habit of knowing where to send people never did.
Encore Chicago is the second act: an independent guide to eating and going out in this city, written by people who live here and spend an unreasonable share of their income on it. We cover restaurants, bars and nightlife, things to do and where to stay, one visited-and-verified guide at a time.
How we work
Every recommendation is based on actual visits, paid for by us. We do not accept payment, comped meals or drinks in exchange for placement, and we say so plainly when something is not worth your money. When a place slips, we update or remove it. The full detail is in our editorial policy.
Questions, corrections, tips about a room we should know? Write to us. We read everything, especially the corrections.