The Hottest Bar Openings Across The Country

A bi-level lounge debuts in Chicago, San Francisco welcomes a pirate’s lair and more.

Spanning two levels and offering both upscale bar food and creative drinks, Fremont adds to the variety of Chicago’s nightlife scene. The venue has a retractable roof on its second floor.
Spanning two levels and offering both upscale bar food and creative drinks, Fremont adds to the variety of Chicago’s nightlife scene. The venue has a retractable roof on its second floor. (Photo by Joni Kat Anderson)

Chicago Nightspot Takes Cues From Downtown Vegas

The bi-level nightlife experience Fremont opened in Chicago’s River North neighborhood in December. Named for the street in Downtown Las Vegas, Fremont boasts an eclectic dining room on its first floor and a high-energy lounge and cocktail den upstairs. The space offers a varied selection of specialty drinks and classics like the Sazerac, the Aviation and the Sidecar (cocktails are $9 to $16). Signatures include the Goldilocks, mixed with Nolet’s Silver Dry gin, Lillet Blanc aperitif, Combier Crème de Pêche de Vigne liqueur, Angostura bitters, Fever-Tree Tonic and lemon juice, served over ice with a hibiscus flower garnish, and the Netflix & Chill, a blend of Effen vodka, The Bitter Truth Xocolatl Mole bitters, house-made Ruby Port syrup and lemon juice. Fremont also boasts nearly 50 beers, with 16 draft pours ($5 to $8), and more than 40 wines by the glass or bottle ($9 to $14 a glass; $36 to $300 a 750-ml. bottle). The venue’s food offerings are designed for sharing and range from appetizers like izakaya-style fried chicken to large platters, such as charbroiled lamb chops ($5 to $80). Operated by Four Corners Tavern Group, the dynamic concept has lit metal and glass tubes throughout the space, as well as a large retractable roof on the second floor.

San Francisco’s Barbarossa brings to life the area’s history of pirates and prisons.
San Francisco’s Barbarossa brings to life the area’s history of pirates and prisons. (Photo by Alex Leber)

Mystery And Legend Collide At San Francisco Bar

Located in a former prison and celebrating the pirate culture of the Barbary Coast, Barbarossa Lounge opened in November in San Francisco’s North Beach area. The intimate space pays homage to its locale, and the drinks menu features cocktails named after infamous criminals, as well as beer and wine. The venue highlights grog, mixed with seasonal produce and the drinker’s choice of spirit, and offers a monthly special flavor, such as apple-ginger or cranberry-hibiscus (specialty drinks are $12). Barbarossa Lounge also pours craft beer on draft ($6) and has an extensive Champagne selection ($9 to $50 a glass; $60 to $1,800 a 750-ml. bottle). The food menu is inspired by historical saloon fare, including oysters and sausage and cheese plates ($7 to $24). The space’s interior evokes its past as a jail and the area’s history as a red light district.

Bar Briefs

  • Beer and wine dominate at Los Angeles bar The Semi-Tropic, which opened in December in the city’s Echo Park neighborhood. The venue boasts craft and domestic beers and a few larger labels, a handful of global wines, and a menu of all-day fare, from eggs, toast and pastries to salads and sandwiches.
  • An ode to craft beer and artisanal spirits, Treadwell Park opened in December on New York City’s Upper East Side. The beer hall–style venue offers 20 draft beers and ciders that rotate weekly. These offerings are joined by beer floats and creative cocktails, as well as upscale bar fare like ribs, fried chicken and smoked pork nachos.
  • Miami’s latest nightspot, Bond Lounge, opened in November with a luxurious atmosphere. The South Beach venue highlights rare spirits and Champagnes, as well as top-shelf cocktails. Prestige wine labels are on display in the foyer, and the interior has wood paneling, crystal chandeliers and tufted banquettes.
  • Entertainment complex Punch Bowl Social added a venue in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, in December. The 10th location features bowling, video games and a private karaoke lounge and boasts a drinks program anchored by punches, specialty cocktails and adult milkshakes.