Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Headstone of Matilda Joslyn Gage.
Matilda Joslyn Gage Grave
Mammoth footprint replica
Ice Age Floods display at Tualatin Public Library
Karpeles Manuscript Library Mini Museum
Shakespeare’s Death Mask
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
about 17 hours ago
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
2 days ago
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
3 days ago
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Illinois Chicago The Violet Hour
Gastro Obscura

The Violet Hour

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

Chicago, Illinois

Added By
Lizzie Boyle
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
Exterior of the speak easy   whitneyinchicago/CC BY 2.0
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
  star5112/CC BY-SA 2.0
The entrance to the Violet Hour   Sean Davis / CC BY-ND 2.0
The door to the Violet Hour   Edsel Little / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Edsel Little / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Edsel Little / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Edsel Little / CC BY-SA 2.0
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Due east of the former location of Idful recording studio, one spies an unusual facade on Damen: a wall of rough-hewn planks, covered with a changing array of murals.

This is the Violet Hour, which in 2007 introduced speakeasy style and the nascent “cocktail culture” to this hard-drinking town. A smashing success, the Violet Hour’s exquisite high-end cocktails were designed by acclaimed New York City mixologist Toby Maloney, and its employees have gone on to open numerous posh establishments throughout the city. The Violet Hour is a recipient of the 2015 James Beard award for outstanding bar program.

The lack of clear signage is a Violet Hour trademark, as is the long line to get in at most times. Their $13 sippers provide an excellent tonic with which to mull over the changing nature of urban spaces.

Related Tags

Unique Restaurants & Bars Cocktails Bars Speakeasies

Know Before You Go

The Violet Hour is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Final seating is one hour before closing time.

Community Contributors

Added By

lizzieboyle

Edited By

allisonmarach, ashbrasch, notoriousFIG, Michelle Cassidy

  • allisonmarach
  • ashbrasch
  • notoriousFIG
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

May 23, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/2015-james-beard-award-winners
The Violet Hour
1520 N. Damen Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60622
United States
41.908901, -87.677415
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Wicker Park

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Myopic Books

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Former Location of The Hothouse

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chicago

Chicago

Illinois

Places 161
Stories 55

Nearby Places

Wicker Park

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Myopic Books

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Former Location of The Hothouse

Chicago, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chicago

Chicago

Illinois

Places 161
Stories 55

Related Stories and Lists

14 Surprisingly Romantic Places in Chicago

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • Seats ready for take-off.

    Palm Springs, California

    PS Air Bar

    Experience the glam side of air travel without leaving the ground at this speakeasy.

  • Nokishita711’s cocktails are made with custom infusions of unlikely ingredients.

    Kyoto, Japan

    Nokishita711

    Sip “liquid cuisine” made with meat, vegetables, and insects.

  • He’s definitely watching you.

    Nashville, Tennessee

    Chopper

    Feast on award-winning birria tacos from a food truck inside this neon robo-tiki bar.

  • A cocktail made with Waldmeister, the “forest master” known in English as sweet woodruff.

    Berlin, Germany

    Velvet

    Taste freshly foraged yarrow and black locust blossoms at this ambitious cocktail bar.

  • San Francisco, California

    Li Po Cocktail Lounge

    One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

  • Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

    Kentucky Club

    When life gives you Prohibition, open a bar in Juárez.

  • New York, New York

    Marie's Crisis

    Those belting out show tunes in this West Village piano bar might not realize it marks the site where Thomas Paine died in 1809.

  • Ridgedale, Missouri

    Bat Bar in Lost Canyon Cave

    If there's another drive-through golf-cart bar in a bat-filled cave on top of a mountain, we don't know about it.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.