Queen Mary Tavern

06/23/2026

It was a very special honor to host Zara Madrusan and Michael Madrusan last week for a book talk and signing, during their whirlwind visit to Chicago for the James Beard awards!

Their book, THE MADRUSAN COCKTAIL COMPANION, is a truly essential document of the best wisdom of the “cocktail revival” that has brought such joy to all of our lives these past twenty-some years and made bars like Queen Mary possible. Better still, it’s totally accessible to the home bartender, relying on well-known or easily replicated ingredients, and it has quickly become our top recommendation to our guests who ask for a single volume to guide them on their home bartending journey.

The book has pride of place in our bar library, and we think it should in yours too. if you don’t own a copy, you can pick one up wherever fine books are sold. We especially recommend a visit to The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, who also generously staffed the bookselling table at our event last week.

Many thanks to Michael and Zara, to Book Cellar and to everyone who attended! It was a joy to host you all, and we’re especially grateful to you for rolling with the changes brought about by storms and flight delays. Bon voyage and we’ll see you again before long!

06/11/2026

Coming up tomorrow at Queen Mary! Join us at 2pm for a conversation with Michael and Zara Madrusan, coauthors of the James Beard-nominated book The Madrusan Cocktail Companion! Cocktails to follow at 3pm, featuring three undisputed classics from their book.

Michael was present virtually at the birth of modern cocktail culture and worked under the tutelage of Sasha Petraske at Milk & Honey in the early 2000s. He and Zara went on to open The Everleigh in Melbourne, Australia, which they operated for fourteen years. This book is a magnificent summation of the achievements of the “cocktail revolution”: a compendium of thousands of recipes for classic and neo-classic cocktails, edited according to the best wisdom of the tradition founded at Milk & Honey and carried on at the country’s leading cocktail bars ever since. It is a definitive reference.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase on the spot, and Michael and Zara will be glad to sign them!

05/27/2026

Queen Mary is thrilled to welcome our friendly neighborhood street festival back to our block this weekend! Join us for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday — we’ll be open special extended hours, serving up the best cocktails in the fest as per usual. The Tristes Tropiques makes its triumphant return for the eleventh straight year, plus a few new ideas we’ve concocted for you.

Our hours this weekend will be:
Friday, May 29th : 3pm – 1am
Saturday, May 30th : noon – 1am
Sunday, May 31st : noon – 1am

We will be serving a streamlined menu during the festival. We’ll be open regular hours, serving our full normal menu, all other days.

Please note that, due to the festival, we and will not be serving Raw Bar Happy Hour on Sunday 5/31. It’s the only Sunday all year without a Happy Hour — with tens of thousands of people visiting our block for the festival, it’s just not possible for us to deliver the Happy Hour experience you are used to. Raw Bar Happy Hour will return as normal the very next day, Monday 6/1, from 5–7pm as always.

04/24/2026

We just got back from a visit to Vancouver for the awards! It was such a treat to be honored as one of the best bars in North America, especially because we got to do it alongside our wonderful Chicago sisters and brothers , , , , , and . We are beyond grateful to the 50 Best team for organizing such a wonderful event, and for their recognition of the unflagging efforts of our outstanding team, who make Queen Mary happen every day.

04/12/2026

Chef Cub and Shucker Dylan — the heroes of Happy Hour! Enjoy their legendary work every Sunday 3–7pm and Monday 5–7pm, all year round at Queen Mary.

03/31/2026

We’re elated and so grateful to be named one of the best bars in North America by . So many of the bars we most admire have appeared on this list, and to be in their company is really an exceptional honor. Our deepest thanks to for the generous recognition, and as always, to our guests for their loyal support for over a decade now; your appreciation makes our work worth doing.

Major congratulations to all our fellow honorees, especially our Chicago pals at and (plus others still to be announced!). Your work sets the standard for us all and we’re so proud to appear with you.

With love from the QM team — Dan, Amy, Barrett, Jon, Omar, Nikko, Tad, Carli, Quinn, Elena, Cub, Dylan and Trinity

03/31/2026

03/13/2026

If you don’t know rancio sec, you are in for a treat!

It’s a rare and ultra-rustic form of winemaking traditional in Catalonia, both the French and Spanish portions, and we find it absolutely captivating. Wines from local grapes such as Macabeu, Grenache blanc and gris, and Carignan blanc are fermented fully dry and left to age oxidatively for many years in barrel or glass demijohn, often in partial or full sun (as pictured at Dom. de Rombeau, feat. rancio maestro Fernand Baixas), utterly transforming them into something reminiscent of amontillado or oloroso sherry, but with a savory and robust character entirely its own.

Next Thursday, March 19th, from 5–10pm, we’ll be running a special menu of oxidative wines from — including three rancio secs, a Madeira and a Carcavelos — together with a beautiful menu of fish and game by . If you like uncommon wine, good food, , and especially all of those together, this is a treat not to be missed!

No reservation required. See you there!

03/09/2026

It’s back! Attention lovers of fine shellfish and uncommon wines — Off-Soif at Queen Mary is returning for another year! Join us next Thursday evening, March 19th, from 5–10pm for a selection of rare and wonderful wines from , including rancio sec, Carcavelos and Madeira, paired with a beautiful selection of shellfish, cheeses and more by .

Like last year, think along the lines of rustic, ultra-traditional oxidative wines, alongside such delights as smoked eel, rabbit pâté and wild razor clams — for one night only, only at Queen Mary.

Watch our stories for the full menu, coming shortly. No reservation required. We had a ball last year and we can’t wait to do it all again!

02/18/2026

Whenever you enjoy a Queen Mary cocktail, you’re benefiting from the handiwork of Amy Lewis, our hardworking Prep Director! Behind the scenes, Amy and her team make all of our homemade ingredients and cocktail batches, and they keep the bar well stocked, tidy and in good working order, ensuring that our bartenders always have everything they need and that it all tastes right. They are the foundation of the bar, and without their diligent efforts, we’d never be able to do what we do for you every night. Catch Amy behind the bar on Thursdays and Saturdays too!