Chicago’s diagonal streets mean that the city has a fair share of oddly shaped buildings—and businesses with unusual layouts—but I’ve never seen one embrace its triangular configuration as completely as Estereo, the Latin-inspired cafe and bar at the pointy intersection of Milwaukee and Sacramento that Heisler Hospitality opened this summer. Not only does the bar itself form a triangle, following the lines of the walls, but the track lighting is also arranged in concentric triangles. Glass-paneled garage doors dominate two of the three sides, flooding the space with light and, when the doors are open in warm weather, turning the place into the closest thing to alfresco drinking you can accomplish indoors.
Our bartender recommended the beer cocktail as well, which turned out to be my favorite of the bunch. Made with rum, pistachio orgeat, creme de cacao, and Rubrique-a-Brac (a wild biere de garde from the south-side brewery Whiner), it’s creamy, nutty, and a bit tart, with a funkiness that reminds me of blue cheese. The beer is one of four on tap, including a rotating selection from Three Floyds, plus three in cans and one cider. Really, though, the simple, graceful cocktails are the reason to go. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to enjoy a cocktail without overthinking it. v
2450 N. Milwaukee estereochicago.com Mon-Fri 8 AM-2 AM, Sat 11 AM-3 AM, Sun 11 AM-2 AM
