Chef's Special Cocktail Bar

The food alone has had me obsessed with Chef’s Special for a long while. Based on a classic 70s era Chinese-American cocktail lounge, they have a special skill in creating classic Chinese-American ‘take-out’ dishes, obsessively from scratch, with fresh ingredients and a chef-driven skill but no fuss and no frills. It’s to die for.

The concise wine list is a standout success, especially considering Asian restaurants aren’t often known for extensive wine programs unless you’re looking for a certain level of fine dining. To combine a fun, casual vibe with a thoughtful, serious wine list that works with the unexpected spice and tang of Chinese ingredients is a shining example of their sommelier’s skill.

Couple that with a fun, kitschy, fresh cocktail menu and one of the best happy hours in the city, and Chef’s Special is the spot where I take out-of-town visitors with the most regularity, by far.