The Aviary
A Chicago destination cocktail bar that applies fine-dining technique, scientific experimentation, and theatrical service to drinks.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Aviary is a destination cocktail bar in Chicago, Illinois, created within the Alinea Group, the hospitality organization associated with chef Grant Achatz and business partner Nick Kokonas. It is located in the Fulton Market District of Chicago’s West Loop, in the same broader culinary environment as the restaurant Next. The venue is widely known for treating cocktails with the discipline and imaginative presentation usually associated with modernist fine dining. The bar opened in 2011 and quickly developed an international reputation for highly technical drinks, bespoke glassware, unusual service vessels, dramatic presentations, and an evolving seasonal menu. Its approach draws on molecular gastronomy and other scientific techniques, but the concept is broader than novelty. Bartenders operate in a visible, enclosed cocktail kitchen and are treated more like chefs than conventional bar staff. A dedicated ice chef prepares custom ice for drinks, with shape, clarity, dilution, temperature, and texture considered part of the recipe and service experience. The Aviary offers several ways to experience its program. Guests may order à la carte drinks or choose multi-course formats, including three-course and five-course cocktail tastings. The three-course progression generally moves from lighter and more delicate drinks toward richer preparations. The five-course format combines cocktails with food prepared by the kitchen and bar teams. A seven-course kitchen-table experience is served in the restaurant kitchen and is positioned as the most extensive presentation of the bar’s drinks and culinary pairings. The Office, a smaller speakeasy-style bar, operated beneath The Aviary in the same Chicago complex. The brand expanded beyond Chicago when The Aviary and The Office opened in New York City’s Mandarin Oriental hotel in 2017 after several years of development. The New York venues occupied the hotel’s former Lobby Lounge and MoBar spaces and were noted for panoramic views over Central Park. That location closed in 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the hospitality industry. The Chicago bar remains the core expression of the brand, although the available reference material does not establish a current operating schedule or detailed present-day ownership structure. The Aviary has been recognized by major food and beverage institutions and publications. It received the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bar Program award in 2013 and appeared on The World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2014 and 2016. Its reputation rests on the combination of ambitious technique, hospitality choreography, custom equipment, culinary collaboration, and a highly curated setting. In 2017, the bar also published The Aviary Cocktail Book, a substantial self-published project funded through Kickstarter. The project reflected the Alinea Group’s preference for controlling production and economics rather than treating a cookbook chiefly as promotional material. The Aviary has therefore functioned not only as a bar, but also as a platform for experimenting with how cocktails are designed, served, documented, and experienced.
History
The Aviary opened in Chicago in 2011 as part of the hospitality and culinary world developed by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional cocktail lounge, it brought the logic of a modern tasting menu into beverage service. Drinks were developed with the precision of composed dishes, and the venue made technique visible through its cocktail kitchen, specialized tools, custom glassware, and elaborate service choreography. A defining feature of the concept is the treatment of ice as an ingredient rather than a disposable utility. The bar includes a dedicated ice operation in which custom cubes and other forms are prepared for individual drinks. Shape, clarity, dilution, temperature, and melting behavior are integrated into the design of the cocktail. This emphasis helped distinguish The Aviary from bars that focused primarily on spirits lists or bartender showmanship. The venue’s menu developed around several levels of engagement. Guests could order individual cocktails, while tasting formats created a progression from lighter drinks to fuller and more substantial preparations. Longer experiences incorporated food from the kitchen, and the seven-course kitchen-table format placed guests close to the culinary production environment. The Office, a smaller speakeasy-style bar beneath The Aviary, provided a more intimate counterpart within the same Chicago setting. The bar’s reputation grew through critical attention and industry awards. It won the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bar Program award in 2013 and was included in The World’s 50 Best Bars rankings, reaching 13th place in 2014 and 39th in 2016. Publications described it as one of Chicago’s essential and most distinctive cocktail establishments. Its influence extended beyond the venue itself, particularly through its use of modernist culinary ideas, custom presentation, and a restaurant-style approach to hospitality. Expansion followed after several years of planning. Between 2017 and 2020, The Aviary and The Office operated a New York outpost on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The project involved a major remodeling of the former Lobby Lounge and MoBar spaces. The New York setting, with broad views over Central Park, became an important part of the outpost’s identity. Both New York venues closed in 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruption across the hospitality sector. In 2017, The Aviary released The Aviary Cocktail Book. The book was self-published and financed through Kickstarter, an unusual route for a high-profile cookbook associated with an established chef. Nick Kokonas argued that direct control could produce better economics and preserve more of the value created by an expensive, technically demanding book. The project extended The Aviary’s influence into publishing and provided a durable record of its methods, recipes, equipment, and presentation philosophy. The brand also experienced a widely reported controversy in 2019, when an employee spit on Eric Trump at the Chicago venue. The employee was arrested and detained for approximately two hours and was immediately placed on leave. Eric Trump declined to pursue charges. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned the incident, and The Aviary issued a statement describing the behavior as unacceptable and announcing an investigation. The episode became the most prominent reputational controversy associated with the bar in the available historical record. The Aviary’s significance lies in its hybrid identity. It is a bar, but its operating model borrows from chef-led restaurants, laboratories, theatrical design, and tasting-menu culture. Its Chicago venue remains the central expression of the brand, while the New York experiment demonstrated the possibility of exporting that format to another luxury hospitality market. Current corporate and operating details are not sufficiently documented in the supplied references to establish a fuller present-day account.
- 2020
New York venues close
[1]The New York locations of The Aviary and The Office close.
- 2019
Employee conduct controversy
[1]An employee is arrested after spitting on Eric Trump and is placed on leave while the company investigates.
- 2017
New York expansion
[1]The Aviary and The Office open at New York’s Mandarin Oriental hotel after a multiyear development process.
- 2017
The Aviary Cocktail Book released
[1]The bar publishes its first cookbook through a Kickstarter-backed self-publishing project.
- 2016
Returns to The World’s 50 Best Bars list
[1]The Aviary is ranked 39th in The World’s 50 Best Bars list.
- 2014
Ranks 13th among the world’s best bars
[1]The Aviary appears at number 13 in The World’s 50 Best Bars ranking.
- 2013
James Beard recognition
[1]The bar wins the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Bar Program.
- 2011
Chicago bar opens
[1]The Aviary opens in Chicago as an Alinea Group cocktail bar built around culinary technique and experimental presentation.
Products and positioning
A luxury, destination cocktail experience positioned at the intersection of fine dining, modernist culinary technique, and theatrical hospitality.
Cocktail menu · 2011
À la carte cocktails
The Aviary’s individual cocktails combine spirits, culinary ingredients, technical preparation, and distinctive vessels. Drinks are designed as complete sensory presentations, with the bar’s ice program, temperature control, dilution, aroma, and tableside service often forming part of the concept rather than merely supporting the liquid recipe.
Tasting experience
Three-course cocktail tasting
A shorter tasting format that guides guests through a progression of cocktails. The sequence generally begins with more delicate preparations and develops toward richer drinks, allowing the bar to present contrasting techniques and flavor structures within one curated experience.
Food and beverage tasting
Five-course cocktail tasting
The five-course format expands the cocktail progression with food prepared by the kitchen and bar teams. Pairings are intended to connect the drinks with culinary flavors and textures, making the experience closer to a restaurant tasting menu than a conventional bar visit.
Premium tasting experience
Seven-course kitchen-table experience
The most extensive format described for The Aviary is served in the restaurant kitchen. It combines seven courses of food and cocktails and provides access to the bar and kitchen’s most elaborate preparations, with the production environment becoming part of the guest experience.
Cookbook · 2017
The Aviary Cocktail Book
The bar’s first cookbook, released in 2017, documents its cocktail philosophy, recipes, equipment, presentation methods, and technical approach. It was self-published and financed through Kickstarter rather than issued through a conventional cookbook publisher.
Controversies
2019
Employee spits on Eric Trump
An employee spit on Eric Trump at The Aviary. Police arrested and detained the employee for about two hours, and the bar immediately placed the person on leave. Trump declined to file charges. The company condemned the incident and said it would investigate, while Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot also denounced the conduct.
Brand decisions
2017
Self-publish The Aviary Cocktail BookStrategyBackground
The bar pursued a publishing project that required unusually high production standards and significant investment. Its business partner argued that conventional cookbook publishing could leave the author with limited economics after production costs and publisher participation.
Action taken
The Alinea Group used Kickstarter to finance and self-publish The Aviary Cocktail Book, retaining greater control over production and distribution.
Aftermath
The book became an extension of The Aviary’s brand and technical philosophy, while the publishing model attracted attention as an alternative to the traditional cookbook route.
2017
Expand The Aviary format to New YorkStrategyBackground
The Alinea Group developed a second market for The Aviary and The Office over a period of approximately three years, targeting a luxury hotel setting in Manhattan.
Action taken
The two venues took over and remodeled the former Lobby Lounge and MoBar spaces on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in New York.
Aftermath
The New York locations operated from 2017 until their closure in 2020, offering the brand a prominent Central Park-facing outpost outside Chicago.
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