The Best Happy Hours Near the Loop and Fulton Market Offices

TL;DR After work in the Loop, Remington's and Mercat a la Planxa do the best deals, and Cindy's has the Millennium Park view. In Fulton Market, The Publican's oyster-and-beer happy hour and Aba's rooftop lead, with City Winery for half-price wine. Most run weekdays around 4 to 6pm.

If you work in the Loop or Fulton Market, the after-work drink is part of the routine. Happy hour drink specials are legal in Illinois, so the deals are real. Here are the best spots near each office district, and when to catch them.

The Loop

Downtown happy hour is about finding the good deal in a sea of office towers. A few spots deliver.

Remington's on Michigan Avenue, facing Millennium Park, runs one of the better all-around weekday happy hours: think $5 drafts, $7 specialty cocktails, $2 oysters, and a few cheap bites. Mercat a la Planxa, on the South Loop edge in the Blackstone Hotel, does Spanish tapas deals and a tapas-and-tonic combo that is great for a group.

For a view, Cindy's Rooftop atop the Chicago Athletic Association looks straight over Millennium Park, and Roanoke in the historic Monadnock Building does $10 cocktails and small plates if you want something quieter. The historic Berghoff bar is worth a stop for the room alone, though it is worth confirming its happy hour is running before you count on it.

Fulton Market and the West Loop

This is the more exciting after-work scene, and the deals are strong.

The Publican on Fulton Market is the headliner, with a weekday happy hour built around $2 oysters, beef-fat fries, and cheap drafts. It is the best oyster-and-beer deal in the district. Aba's rooftop does happy-hour wine pours, a cheap lager, and Mediterranean mezze with a view, and City Winery on Randolph Row pours half-price wine and half-price flatbreads.

For the casual, high-energy end, Federales has a retractable-roof patio with $9 margaritas and taco specials, Cruz Blanca does $2 oysters with house-brewed beer, and Bar Siena is the long-running Italian street-food happy hour on Randolph.

The picks at a glance

District	Best deal	View / vibe pick
The Loop	Remington's, Mercat a la Planxa	Cindy's Rooftop
Fulton Market / West Loop	The Publican, City Winery	Aba rooftop, Federales patio

How to time it

Most weekday happy hours run roughly 4 to 6pm, and Tuesday through Thursday is usually when the deals are best and the crowds are right. Some of the taco-and-margarita spots add weekend windows, so it is worth a quick check of each place's hours.

The real luxury is living close enough to walk home after. If you work in either district, see our guides on where to live if you work in the Loop and where to live if you work in Fulton Market. And for warm-weather drinks, our best rooftop bars within walking distance. Then browse current openings near your office and book a tour.

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