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Home / Businesses / Nobody's Darling

Nobody's Darling

Andersonville · Cocktail Bar Community-sourced, unverified
📍 1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Nobody's Darling opened in Andersonville in late May 2021, in the old Joie De Vine space — a lesbian wine bar that didn't survive the pandemic — and co-owners Renauda Riddle and Angela Barnes built something explicitly designed to outlast that kind of attrition.

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A 2022 James Beard Award finalist nod for a neighborhood cocktail bar — elevated classic cocktails and a real zero-proof section, in one of the few lesbian bars still operating as the category closes nationally.

The timing matters: as lesbian bars have closed across the country at an alarming rate, this is one of the few still standing, and the only spot of its kind in Chicago built specifically around queer women while staying genuinely open to everyone across generations, gender identities, and relationship structures — trans-masculine regulars, asexual and polyamorous patrons, straight allies, all mentioned specifically in coverage of who actually shows up. The name comes from Alice Walker's poem 'Be Nobody's Darling,' and the bar backs that spirit with real craft: elevated takes on classic cocktails averaging around $13, a few 'lavish' options for special occasions, and a legitimate zero-proof section rather than a token mocktail. It earned a 2022 James Beard Award finalist nod and a spot on World's 50 Best's discovery list, which is serious recognition for a neighborhood cocktail bar.

The space expanded next door to 1746 W. Balmoral, bringing total capacity to 110, with a quiet sidewalk patio for anyone who wants out of the noise. No happy hour turned up anywhere in research — the craft-cocktail pricing and the cultural significance are apparently doing the work a discount would elsewhere.

Specials at Nobody's Darling

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Nobody's Darling

AndersonvilleCommunity

Hours

Wed-Thu4-10pm
Fri4pm-midnight
Satnoon-midnight
Sunnoon-10pm
closed Mon-Tue (per Time Out; may be dated)
📅 Reservations not available 🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (773) 654-3345

Amenities & accessibility

🚶Walk-in only, no reservations
❔Takeout: unverified
❔Wheelchair access: unverified
☀️Outdoor seating available

Location

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