A playground for sensation, where conventional notions of taste are reimagined in a laboratory of sights, smells, sounds, and temperatures, the Aviary is a craft cocktail bar in Chicago run by Michelin-starred chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, arresting the public with a unique dining adventure replete with new, playful creations in food and drink. With three options for experimenting with exclusive flavors from light and refreshing to bold and spirited, from the Kitchen Table Experience that features a 7-course cocktail and food tasting menu in iconic form to the Tasting Menu that pairs remarkable, off menu cocktails with small plates, featuring innovative techniques and rare ingredients, and a 3-Course Cocktail Progression, where you chose which cocktails and unique palates to explore, the Aviary is known as one of the world’s best bars, focused on molecular gastronomy and bringing a sense of the scientific and the culinary to drink, engaging all the senses with sophistication and style.
Considered a destination for discovery, the Aviary opened in 2011 and lives within the restaurant Next in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. By adapting a fine-dining approach with custom glassware and an evolving seasonal menu, this innovative cocktail bar has altered the way drinks are presented worldwide, where bartenders are treated as chefs and work in a fenced-in ‘cocktail kitchen.’ In a separate room, an ‘ice chef’ prepares custom ice cubes for drinks, adding to the unique and exclusive experience of the bar. Recognized as the World’s Best Cocktail Menu, the Most Creative Drink List by Time Out Chicago, and Best Cocktail Bar by Chicago Magazine, the Aviary offers a birds-eye view into what is riveting and exclusive, alluring and distinguished. With unusual treats like the Smoked Papaya with honey bitters and hickory smoke or the Affogato with espresso and horchata, the Aviary is guaranteed to excite the tastebuds while captivating the eyes in a thoughtfully curated environment of pleasure and serenity, an investigative workshop for the senses where balanced flavor unites with culture and delight.
February 2024
