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These bars and restaurants have plentiful tricks, treats, and spooky scares
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It’s back: after several years of muted and socially distanced Halloweens in Chicago, the city is champing at the bit to indulge in the holiday’s silly brand of spookiness. With Monday, October 31 fast approaching, it’s time to come up with a costume (or several, for the ambitious) and head to some of Chicago’s most inventive seasonal parties. From pop-up bars celebrating classic B-movie scares to an ‘80s-themed New Wave bash on a rooftop, these hotspots are offering more than pumpkin beer and Monster Mash. Partiers who strut their stuff in costume may even win cash and prizes.
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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.
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This cozy neighborhood cafe in Albany Park is making its first Halloween Bash a family-friendly one, with a day-long event including pumpkin decorating, doughnuts, costume contests, and drink specials on Saturday, October 29.
Keep those eyes peeled for Freddy Kreuger at this Wrigleyville bar’s annual Nightmare on Clark Street pop-up, which runs through Sunday, October 31. Staff are betting that thirsty reveler’s mouths will say yes, yes to Halloween drinks garnished with gummy eyeballs, worm candies, Jell-O shot syringes, and more. Tickets are available online.
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Halloween can be a tricky time for those who don’t consume gluten, but pastry chef Angela Diaz of You’re a Cookie has plenty of sweet and seasonal options for celebrants with various sensitivities and restrictions in the form of Trick or Treat buckets stuffed with her dairy-based or vegan triple-chocolate chip, sprinkle crunch, or monster mash cookies. They’re available for pickup or shipping and must be pre-ordered by Saturday, October 22. Place orders on the bakery’s website.
Never one to be outdone on the pop-culture pop-up front, Replay Lincoln Park has unveiled a pair of Halloween pop-ups in its large arcade game-laden bar spaces. First, there’s Stranger Bar, where fans of Netflix’s ‘80s horror tribute Stranger Things can venture into the town of Hawkins for thematic drinks and intricate decor that references all four seasons of the hit show. For even more frightening fun, customers can explore the Tree House of Gore, a Simpsons-themed spectacle with an outpost of Moe’s Tavern, and elaborate set pieces (think an inside-out living room scene) straight out of the famous cartoon’s annual Halloween episodes. More details and tickets are available via Tock.
Psychedelic rooftop spot Utopian Tailgate in Old Town will kick it college-style in the lead-up to Halloween this year, hosting a “spooky szn” beer pong tournament on Sunday, October 23. Teams of two can sign up online for $50, which includes a six-pack to get the games rolling. The top two teams and the duo with the best team costume will win prizes. Party people can also expect seasonal candy-laden cocktails starting Friday, October 14.
Big Easy-style restaurant and bar Ina Mae Tavern continues to play on its New Orleans theme with its annual “Ina’s Voodoo Lounge” pop-up, which runs Tuesday, October 11 through Halloween. Ina’s offers a stacked calendar of events, including voodoo bingo, drag performances, burlesque shows, live blues and jazz music, and tarot card readings. The main event, an evening Halloween party, comes Saturday, October 29 with a costume contest and DJ.
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River West cocktail bar the Dandy Crown has undergone a Halloween transformation into the Black Lagoon, a pop-up with creepy cocktails and scary decor that originated three years ago in New Orleans. It’ll remain through the end of October with beverage options like the Screaming Banshee, a shaken drink with Botanist Gin, Giffard Abricot du Roussillon, pineapple syrup, and Greek yogurt.
Offshore, the massive rooftop bar at tourist destination Navy Pier, will on Saturday, October 29 hold a Nightmare on Navy Pier Halloween Party for revelers and promise an evening of dancing, giveaways, an open bar, small dishes, and a costume contest, all with sweeping views of Lake Michigan. Tickets ($125) will include a Blood Bag welcome cocktail, “bloody” Buffalo bites, fresh mozzarella “eyeballs,” pumpkin soup shooters, and more.
Downtown hotel the Gwen is also bringing back tarot this month — specifically, a tarot card-themed menu based on an imagined reading with the late Gwen Lux, a famed sculptor and hotel’s namesake. That translates to drink options like the Eight of Wands, which features clarified milk punch, Makers 101, and allspice; and the World, made with Apologue Saffron, Le Normand, honey, and egg white. Tarot cocktails will be available through Monday, November 14.
The Chicago location of Instagram-friendly art installation the Museum of Ice Cream has renamed itself “the Museum of I-Scream” for Halloween this year, which means special tricks and treats for visitors through Monday, October 31. Attendees, who are encouraged to come in costume, will receive a (potentially terrifying) ice cream mask and treat bag to collect “unlimited” candy, and access to the I-Scream Apothecary Lab to learn about the making of its pumpkin spice soft serve. Even the local outpost’s signature hot dog-flavored soft serve, usually a shade of pink, is now black for the holiday.
Director Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated Barbie movie won’t hit theaters until mid-2023, but enormous patio spot Recess in West Loop is ahead of the curve for Halloween with a life-in-plastic pop-up tribute to the extremely accomplished doll. It’s set to run Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, and organizers promise special decor (it seems safe to assume plenty of pink), patio games, a costume contest, and “special activations” each night.
Opulent Prohibition-era drinking and dining spot Untitled always has a Halloween treat up its sleeve, and this year is no different: Under the banner of Unbridled, the venue’s burlesque and variety show, owners will present Boogie Frights: Night of the Dancing Dead, at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 28, “a night of debauchery, cocktails, and three rooms full of performances.” The evening will wrap up with a dance party worryingly described as “equal parts gore and glam” with DJ Danny Leroy. Costumes are encouraged and reservations are available online.
Morgan’s on Fulton will lean into the current cultural affinity for ‘80s nostalgia with a New Wave Halloween on Friday, October 28. The “night of tears and fears” will include karaoke, burlesque, and a “sensationally opulent synth-centric dance party” on the venue’s glass-enclosed rooftop. Tickets ($75-$80) include a Creme De Synth welcome cocktail, complimentary drinks, small bites, and admission to the costume contest (attendees are instructed to dress to impress).
Reggie’s in the South Loop is continuing an annual tradition: a bus trip to a haunted house, this year Dungeon of Doom in Zion. For $60, on Sunday, October 23, attendees will get a bus ride, beers, booze, and a ticket for scares like the pretty self-explanatory “Buried Alive” experience.
As people who spend an outsized amount of time in costume, drag queens in general have a diversity of opinions about Halloween. But Lips, the over-the-top restaurant and drag venue near Wintrust Arena, is fully embracing the holiday with a weekend of “frightfully entertaining” events starring — what else? — a cast of Evil Queens, ready to distribute tricks and treats to revelers. Lips’ Drag Spooktacular runs Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30. Place reservations by phone at (312) 815-2662.
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This cozy neighborhood cafe in Albany Park is making its first Halloween Bash a family-friendly one, with a day-long event including pumpkin decorating, doughnuts, costume contests, and drink specials on Saturday, October 29.
Keep those eyes peeled for Freddy Kreuger at this Wrigleyville bar’s annual Nightmare on Clark Street pop-up, which runs through Sunday, October 31. Staff are betting that thirsty reveler’s mouths will say yes, yes to Halloween drinks garnished with gummy eyeballs, worm candies, Jell-O shot syringes, and more. Tickets are available online.
Halloween can be a tricky time for those who don’t consume gluten, but pastry chef Angela Diaz of You’re a Cookie has plenty of sweet and seasonal options for celebrants with various sensitivities and restrictions in the form of Trick or Treat buckets stuffed with her dairy-based or vegan triple-chocolate chip, sprinkle crunch, or monster mash cookies. They’re available for pickup or shipping and must be pre-ordered by Saturday, October 22. Place orders on the bakery’s website.
Never one to be outdone on the pop-culture pop-up front, Replay Lincoln Park has unveiled a pair of Halloween pop-ups in its large arcade game-laden bar spaces. First, there’s Stranger Bar, where fans of Netflix’s ‘80s horror tribute Stranger Things can venture into the town of Hawkins for thematic drinks and intricate decor that references all four seasons of the hit show. For even more frightening fun, customers can explore the Tree House of Gore, a Simpsons-themed spectacle with an outpost of Moe’s Tavern, and elaborate set pieces (think an inside-out living room scene) straight out of the famous cartoon’s annual Halloween episodes. More details and tickets are available via Tock.
Psychedelic rooftop spot Utopian Tailgate in Old Town will kick it college-style in the lead-up to Halloween this year, hosting a “spooky szn” beer pong tournament on Sunday, October 23. Teams of two can sign up online for $50, which includes a six-pack to get the games rolling. The top two teams and the duo with the best team costume will win prizes. Party people can also expect seasonal candy-laden cocktails starting Friday, October 14.
Big Easy-style restaurant and bar Ina Mae Tavern continues to play on its New Orleans theme with its annual “Ina’s Voodoo Lounge” pop-up, which runs Tuesday, October 11 through Halloween. Ina’s offers a stacked calendar of events, including voodoo bingo, drag performances, burlesque shows, live blues and jazz music, and tarot card readings. The main event, an evening Halloween party, comes Saturday, October 29 with a costume contest and DJ.
River West cocktail bar the Dandy Crown has undergone a Halloween transformation into the Black Lagoon, a pop-up with creepy cocktails and scary decor that originated three years ago in New Orleans. It’ll remain through the end of October with beverage options like the Screaming Banshee, a shaken drink with Botanist Gin, Giffard Abricot du Roussillon, pineapple syrup, and Greek yogurt.
Offshore, the massive rooftop bar at tourist destination Navy Pier, will on Saturday, October 29 hold a Nightmare on Navy Pier Halloween Party for revelers and promise an evening of dancing, giveaways, an open bar, small dishes, and a costume contest, all with sweeping views of Lake Michigan. Tickets ($125) will include a Blood Bag welcome cocktail, “bloody” Buffalo bites, fresh mozzarella “eyeballs,” pumpkin soup shooters, and more.
Downtown hotel the Gwen is also bringing back tarot this month — specifically, a tarot card-themed menu based on an imagined reading with the late Gwen Lux, a famed sculptor and hotel’s namesake. That translates to drink options like the Eight of Wands, which features clarified milk punch, Makers 101, and allspice; and the World, made with Apologue Saffron, Le Normand, honey, and egg white. Tarot cocktails will be available through Monday, November 14.
The Chicago location of Instagram-friendly art installation the Museum of Ice Cream has renamed itself “the Museum of I-Scream” for Halloween this year, which means special tricks and treats for visitors through Monday, October 31. Attendees, who are encouraged to come in costume, will receive a (potentially terrifying) ice cream mask and treat bag to collect “unlimited” candy, and access to the I-Scream Apothecary Lab to learn about the making of its pumpkin spice soft serve. Even the local outpost’s signature hot dog-flavored soft serve, usually a shade of pink, is now black for the holiday.
Director Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated Barbie movie won’t hit theaters until mid-2023, but enormous patio spot Recess in West Loop is ahead of the curve for Halloween with a life-in-plastic pop-up tribute to the extremely accomplished doll. It’s set to run Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, and organizers promise special decor (it seems safe to assume plenty of pink), patio games, a costume contest, and “special activations” each night.
Opulent Prohibition-era drinking and dining spot Untitled always has a Halloween treat up its sleeve, and this year is no different: Under the banner of Unbridled, the venue’s burlesque and variety show, owners will present Boogie Frights: Night of the Dancing Dead, at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 28, “a night of debauchery, cocktails, and three rooms full of performances.” The evening will wrap up with a dance party worryingly described as “equal parts gore and glam” with DJ Danny Leroy. Costumes are encouraged and reservations are available online.
Morgan’s on Fulton will lean into the current cultural affinity for ‘80s nostalgia with a New Wave Halloween on Friday, October 28. The “night of tears and fears” will include karaoke, burlesque, and a “sensationally opulent synth-centric dance party” on the venue’s glass-enclosed rooftop. Tickets ($75-$80) include a Creme De Synth welcome cocktail, complimentary drinks, small bites, and admission to the costume contest (attendees are instructed to dress to impress).
Reggie’s in the South Loop is continuing an annual tradition: a bus trip to a haunted house, this year Dungeon of Doom in Zion. For $60, on Sunday, October 23, attendees will get a bus ride, beers, booze, and a ticket for scares like the pretty self-explanatory “Buried Alive” experience.
As people who spend an outsized amount of time in costume, drag queens in general have a diversity of opinions about Halloween. But Lips, the over-the-top restaurant and drag venue near Wintrust Arena, is fully embracing the holiday with a weekend of “frightfully entertaining” events starring — what else? — a cast of Evil Queens, ready to distribute tricks and treats to revelers. Lips’ Drag Spooktacular runs Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30. Place reservations by phone at (312) 815-2662.