WTTW News Explains
WTTW News Explains: What Are Chicago’s Alcohol Laws?
Chicago may have become virtually synonymous with speakeasies during prohibition, but that doesn’t mean the Windy City is lawless when it comes to drinking.
In fact, we’ve got a lot of rules on the books governing when and where we can enjoy an adult beverage.
New York might be the city that never sleeps, but Chicagoans can be night owls, too.
Carousers looking to party into the wee hours of the morning just need to keep an eye on the clock.
Bars can’t sell liquor after 2 a.m. most nights or 3 a.m. on early Sunday morning, at the tail end of a wild Saturday night.
Of course, that’s unless they have a coveted 4 a.m. license — which actually extends ‘til 5 a.m. on Sundays.
If you want to take the party home, you better have planned ahead. Liquor stores and supermarkets have to stop selling alcohol at midnight every night of the week.
Whether you rise Sunday with a powerful need to chase away a hangover or just your standard Sunday scaries, you’re in luck. A boozy brunch is just around the corner.
Thanks to a recent move from the City Council, restaurants and bars that serve food can start selling alcohol at 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings. You used to have to wait until after 11 a.m.
And if you want to whip up those brunch mimosas at home, the liquor stores can’t ring you up until 11 a.m. on Sundays, but supermarkets can sell you a bottle of bubbly starting at 8 a.m.
And some of the barriers to imbibing aren’t just about time; they’re also about place. The city won’t issue liquor licenses near most libraries and churches, or schools, hospitals and nursing homes. And residents can use the power of the ballot box to banish all liquor sales in the precinct where they live.
Perhaps one of the best-known boozy no-goes is in Chicago’s adult establishments. Alcohol is prohibited in places that allow fully nude dancing.
The City Council did ease the rules in recent years to allow alcohol sales in bars and clubs with occasional topless performances with the intention of drawing a crowd more art connoisseur than base voyeur.
Or at least, so we heard from a friend.
So yeah, we’ve got rules.
But with nearly 200 breweries, several local distilleries and a questionable obsession with a borderline unpalatable digestif, Chicago is still a drinking town. It just sometimes takes an ounce or two of preparation.
