Bryant's Cocktail Lounge
1579 S. Ninth St.
414-383-2620
With its dim, orange lighting, antique stereo system and cordial service—the bartenders wear ties and vests and carry themselves like staff at a four-star restaurant—Bryant's is a relic of an era when cocktail lounges were the classiest, most relaxing places on the planet. The most fastidious mixologists in the city work at this proudly retro 73-year-old South Side escape, creating specialty cocktails and ice cream drinks around each customer's tastes. There's no menu here. Patrons just order by flavor (or, if they're really at a loss for ideas, by color) and trust the bartenders to set them up with something special, which they always do. (E.R.)
Runners-up:
At Random
Foundation Tiki Bar (tie)
Hi Hat (tie)
