A Local Legend Worth Traveling For
Chicago has no shortage of bars rich with history, but the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, opened in 1907 under a different name, stands apart. It’s flush with Chicago lore: By some accounts, it was a favorite hangout of Al Capone, and its jazz club hosted the likes of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday in their day. But the bar is much more than a piece of living history. Much of what makes it a destination today owes to owner Dave Jemilo, who bought the decaying venue in 1986 and had a vision to restore it to its original glory—circa the early 1900s, a time when Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood was a bustling hub of nightlife—and program live music seven nights a week; his work has transformed what was a down-and-out dive into one of the country’s leading, and most atmospheric, jazz bars. Jemilo is still a regular presence and isn’t afraid to shush guests speaking too loudly over the music. The bartenders can be surly (the website states, “We don’t make drinks with egg whites. We don’t make Mojitos,” so be forewarned). But the drinks are not why you go to the Green Mill.
One of the country’s top jazz bars is just a short drive away.