Gilt Bar opened in 2010 and essentially set the template for what moody, dark cocktail bars in River North would look like for the next decade. HogSalt Hospitality opened it before the neighborhood had much going on, and places like Au Cheval and Bavette's followed a similar aesthetic playbook not long after.

The Library downstairs is the better room: dark, quiet, and tucked away enough to feel separate from the main floor. The cocktail list pulls from past eras without pretending they're still current. Food is American, done simply and done well. It's one of the originals that didn't need to reinvent itself.