Hands down one of the coolest places we visited in Chicago was The Violet Hour. It’s a speak-easy bar found in the Wicker Park area of Chicago. Its wall looks like a simple wall, and I believe is repainted every so often to keep it mysterious. You just have to try the door and see for yourself if it opens or not.

We heard that it gets pretty busy sometimes, and they have a policy of not letting more people in than they have seats for. A wonderful policy that means there is no over crowding and the atmosphere inside remains calm and enjoyable. We decided to arrive early at around 7pm, meaning that our eyes had to do a bit of adjusting from the bright sunlight outside to the near darkness inside.

The Violet Hour is split into a couple of different rooms separated by some long black flowing curtains. The first “room” is really the waiting area for those arriving too late, while the first room is part split into a bar and several booths for smaller crowds of people. There were about eight of us so we got some space out back, a loungier-type space with tall backed chairs, small tables and candles everywhere casting small shadows in every direction.

Their menu is spectacular with lots of different cocktail options (all at US12), plenty of single malt, brandy and tequila choices for those less inclined. They also have a nice selection of finger foods (we tried the kobe dogs, cajun prawns and the flatbread, all delicious options). Service was great with constant fill ups of the bottle of tap water and the waitress asking if we needed any help with the menu or ordering when someone new joined our group.

I remember trying the Oldest Living Confederate Widow (Bombay Dry, Lemon, Honey Syrup, Pernod Absinthe, House Orange Bitters), the Juliet and Romeo (Beefeater, Mint, Cucumber, Rose Water) and the Sitting Limbo (Beefeater, Pineapple, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Luxardo Bitter). All of the cocktails were amazingly delicious, never tasting like acrid alcohol but definitely strong as you feel the effects hitting you quickly.

The Violet Hour is definitely a place I want to return to when I come back to Chicago in August.

Name: The Violet Hour
Address: 1520 N Damen Avenue, Chicago, 60622
Website: http://www.theviolethour.com/
The good: Amazing cocktails at only US$12, fantastic food and nice ambiance
The bad: Getting in early to need to get a table.