The Ladies' Room - Chicago
Logan Square's brimming with notable bars set on taking Chicago's cocktail culture to the next level. There's Mezcaleria, which aims to educate guests on the joys of the smoky, agave Mexican spirit. Also, there's Lost Lake, a divey Polynesian-themed bar with unconventional tiki tipples.
And not too far is The Ladies' Room, a tiny Chinese-inspired cocktail lounge from the wife-and-husband team behind Fat Rice. The bar, which is adjacent to the wildly popular Macanese-themed restaurant, has no signage, so guests must look for the unassuming front door on Diversey Avenue.
Once inside Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo's exotic drinking den, they'll get an experience that cannot possibly be duplicated in Chicago. The dimly lit setting--which recalls the fantan (Chinese gambling halls) and red light districts that proliferated around Macau in the mid 19th and 20th centuries--includes Chinese antiques sourced from Lo’s grandparents' house, deep-red walls plastered with vintage 1920s Chinese pinup posters and a six-and-a-half-foot mural of an Asian Madonna.
The room is tiny, yet the drinks should leave a big impression. Guests may indulge in cocktails that are largely composed of house-infused spirits like Visinata (a sipping spirit made from sour Great Lakes cherries infused with vanilla), house-made bitters made with black cumin cherry stem or green Sichuan peppercorn, as well as upmarket Japanese whiskeys, hot and cold tea drinks, and Conlon’s house-made Chicago "Malort."
