Map Room

"The Map Room is a casual coffee shop by day, tavern by night in Bucktown. The space feels like a typical old-school Chicago bar—the bartenders are friendly, there’s a great beer selection, and it’s usually full without being insanely crowded. Travel is the theme here, so if Twilight: New Moon isn’t doing it for you, there are lots of National Geographics and travel books lining the walls to choose from." - veda kilaru, adrian kane, john ringor

"A comfortable spot with tons of great beer, the Map Room is the perfect place to bring food. The maps and flags hanging around the bar might remind you of all the countries you haven’t visited yet, but there are enough international food options nearby to make up for it. There’s Costa Rican from Irazu, Italian from Club Lucky, and, uh, French fries from Small Cheval. The point is, you can’t go wrong with whatever you BYOF here." - josh barnett

"If you're traveling with a beer snob, check out the Map Room. This place always has an excellent and extensive offerings of craft beer from all over the world. A "world traveler" theme decorates the inside of the bar and inside you'll find loads and loads of National Geographic magazines." - Lee Zelenak

"There was a time when Guinness was the only option for a craft beer option in a town with draft handles dominated by big beer companies. The Map Room, when it opened in 1992, was a refreshing change. With a “traveler theme” — the shelves are full of travel magazines like National Geographic, the beer list includes selections from all over the world. As American breweries gained traction, management weaved local options in as well." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman

"One of our favorite winter activities is Googling flights to much warmer places. So drinking in the Map Room in Bucktown just makes sense, since this place is map-themed. (It feels like your typical old-school Chicago bar, just with lots of geographical wall decorations.) As a bonus, the bartenders are really friendly, which means they won’t judge you when you get up, slowly walk towards a map of the world, put your finger on the equator, and say, “I want to go… here.”" - josh barnett, adrian kane