Updated December 3, 2020

The Bloody Mary cocktail consists of tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, vodka, your desired level of spice, and an accoutrement of edible garnish, from celery to beef jerky. National Bloody Mary day is January 1st, aka the day many people are hungover. Touted as a hangover cure, the bloody mary is a popular brunch cocktail. Some bloody mary enthusiasts prefer to have their bloody mary for them, while other bloody mary fans are on the hunt for the best build your own bloody mary bar in town.

Chicago’s Best Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bars

What makes a build your own bloody mary bar good, anyway? Toppings. Unlimited blocks of cheese, exotic pickles, did we mention bacon? These Chicago bars have a bloody mary spread you’ll be drooling over.

Parlor Pizza Bar

Parlor has multiple locations in the city including Wicker Park, West Loop, and River North. The DIY bloody mary bar compliments their delicious pizza and there are lots of toppings like beef jerky. Parlor is a fun place to watch sporting events or enjoy the outdoor patio in good weather. You can also order delivery of food and bloody Mary’s via Grubhub, Caviar, or your favorite delivery provider.

Bub City

Bub City in River North is a country western bar serving barbecue and a build your own bloody mary bar on weekends. As of December, you can also make a patio or tent reservation. You can order Bub City grub like fried pickles and BBQ, but bloody Mary’s are in person dining only. However, you CAN get mai tai and other cocktails and cocktail-making kits from Three Dots and a Dash through ChowNow.

Chicago’s Best Bloody Mary Cocktails

Most of the build your own bloody mary bars above will probably make one for you if you’re too lazy to leve the table. If you prefer to sit tight and have your bloody mary delivered to you from laziness or because you appreciate good craftsmanship, these bars make a mean bloody mary.

Sunda in River North piles on the toppings to its bloody mary. While the Bloody Marys aren’t on the Postmates delivery list, there are a bunch of fun beverages like cocktail pouches and ‘date-night-in’ dinners paired with sake.

Similarly, Homeslice in Lincoln Park skewers a slice of pizza into the bloody mary garnish stack to ensure you are satiated. You can get pizzas and DIY pizza and dessert pizza kits delivered from Homeslice via ToastTab.

Twisted Spoke in West Town is known as a biker bar and whiskey lover’s destination. At Twisted Spoke brunch, you can expect a solid food menu with a variety of bloody mary concoctions that you can add a beer back or shot of whiskey to. You can order Twisted Spoke Brunch delivery via Uber Eats Saturdays from 10am - 3pm, but bloody mary’s are dine-in only.

Smoke Daddy doesn’t disappoint with its bloody mary toppings, as each one comes with plenty of meat. You can order Smoke Daddy’s signature bloody mary mix via Doordash, as well as their bottled signature sauces and food menu.

Eleven City Diner piles a generous amount of cheese and salami onto its famous bloody mary, and has a decadent brunch menu to soak it up with. You can order bloody mary boxes (add your own booze), bagel boxes like the Lox Box, and Eleven City Diner’s brunch menu for delivery too!

Beatrix has a green bloody mary which is a unique spin on a traditional brunch cocktail. You can order brunch, coffee drinks and cocktails for pickup, or food and non-alcoholic items for delivery via Beatrix on Chow Now.

Flo in West Town is also a great place to try a green bloody mary in Chicago. You can order their Cholula Bloody Mary Kit, which includes vodka, and many other cocktail kits to make at home alongside your brunch. Order Flo delivery via Grubhub or Uber Eats.