Best Intentions

Chicago, Illinois

No. 16 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 and Top 4 finalist for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2026 Spirited Awards.

Calvin and Chris Marty reopened this Armitage Avenue bar in 2023 after a three-year hiatus and climbed to No. 25 on North America's 50 Best Bars by refusing to choose between craft and casual. The Wondermint Malted, a modern Grasshopper, headlines a program where cocktails average ten dollars and a smashburger costs six. Wood-panelled walls, quirky Wisconsin-childhood photographs, and a backbar beer fridge with a tongue-in-cheek "fancy cocktail bar" sign set a tone that treats hospitality as generosity rather than performance. Best Intentions is the neo-dive that every neighborhood deserves. It was a Top 4 finalist for Best U.S.