Lazy Bird
Lazy Bird lands at thirteen because the live music program and the 52-cocktail menu give it a completeness that most hotel bars never achieve.
Tucked into the lower level of The Hoxton Chicago on Fulton Market, Lazy Bird was designed to read as a 1940s speakeasy filtered through a modernist sensibility: low ceilings, dark upholstery, the particular kind of dim that flatters everyone. The cocktail list runs to 52 drinks, which is ambitious enough to risk incoherence but disciplined enough to stay interesting. The bartenders know what they’re making.
Thursday through Saturday, the stage hosts live music ranging from solo jazz piano to full bands, which changes the room entirely from its quieter midweek self. The Hoxton’s hotel guests fill part of it, but Lazy Bird pulls a local crowd for the jazz nights in a way that most hotel bars can’t manage. Arrive before the second set to find a seat that isn’t next to the service station.
- A Negroni variation from the house list
- A long cocktail on the lighter end of the 52-drink menu
- A nightcap stirred drink for the late set
