In Chicago, you can buy packaged alcohol at stores from 7:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, and from 11:00 a.m. to midnight on Sunday (8:00 a.m. at licensed supermarkets). Bars and restaurants serve from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on weeknights, close at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning after Saturday night, and don’t start pouring again until 11:00 a.m. Sunday unless they hold a food license. The rules come from Chicago Municipal Code Section 4-60-130 and apply citywide.
Store Hours for Packaged Alcohol
Liquor stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores selling bottles and cans for off-premise consumption keep the same weekday schedule year-round.
- Monday through Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to midnight. Sales are prohibited between midnight and 7:00 a.m.
- Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to midnight for most retailers. Supermarkets with an early Sunday sales license can start at 8:00 a.m.
The supermarket exception is not automatic. The store needs a separate early liquor sales license, which requires at least 10,000 square feet of retail space and a food selection beyond snacks and drinks.1City of Chicago. Early Sunday Liquor Sales Fact Sheet At a neighborhood corner store on a Sunday morning, don’t expect to buy anything before 11:00 a.m.
Bar and Restaurant Hours
Service for on-premise consumption runs on its own clock.
- Monday through Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. No alcohol service between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.2City of Chicago. Classes of Liquor Licenses
- Sunday: No service between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. under a standard license.
Saturday night effectively runs an hour longer than any other weeknight, because the Sunday closing time is 3:00 a.m. rather than 2:00 a.m. The same trick on a Tuesday night will get you cut off an hour earlier.
Sunday Mornings and the Brunch Exception
Sunday is where the rules get layered. A bar or restaurant that also holds a retail food establishment license can begin alcohol service at 9:00 a.m. instead of 11:00 a.m. Between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., any alcohol sold at those locations must be incidental to food service.3American Legal Publishing. Chicago Municipal Code 4-60-130 – Hours of Operation Not every table needs to order an entree, but the venue has to be operating primarily as a food business during that two-hour window.
Sunday morning by establishment type:
- Regular liquor stores: sales begin at 11:00 a.m.
- Supermarkets with the early sales license: 8:00 a.m.
- Bars and restaurants with a food license: alcohol service begins at 9:00 a.m., food-incidental until 11:00 a.m.
- Bars without a food license: 11:00 a.m.
Late-Hour Bars
Chicago is one of the few major U.S. cities where legal drinking continues well past 2:00 a.m. Bars and taverns holding a late-hour liquor license can serve until 4:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and until 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.4City of Chicago. Classes of Liquor Licenses – Section: Secondary and Special Liquor Licenses Only establishments with a Consumption on Premises-Incidental Activity license or a tavern license are eligible, and in some cases the applicant has to collect petition signatures from a majority of registered voters within 500 feet of the premises. That requirement pushes late-night spots into commercial corridors; Wicker Park, River North, and Lincoln Park are reliable places to find a 4:00 a.m. bar.
Holiday Hours
When Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday, packaged-goods stores get the 8:00 a.m. supermarket start time instead of the usual 11:00 a.m.5City of Chicago. Industry Notice – Sunday Hours Outside those two holidays, Sunday hours apply as normal.
Chicago does not restrict alcohol sales on Election Day. The myth that polls being open closes the liquor stores persists in some states, but it doesn’t apply here.
Quick Reference
- Liquor stores, Mon–Sat: 7:00 a.m. to midnight
- Liquor stores, Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to midnight
- Supermarkets, Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to midnight
- Bars and restaurants, Mon–Sat: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Bars and restaurants, Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. with food license)
- Late-hour bars, Mon–Sat: until 4:00 a.m.
- Late-hour bars, Sunday: until 5:00 a.m.