DOWNTOWN — Known for its luxury stores, Michigan Avenue also has plenty of places to stop for a drink.
At 80, Michigan Avenue has more bars than any other street in the 42nd Ward. Covering the Loop, River North and parts of the Gold Coast, Streeterville and West Loop, the 42nd Ward covering Downtown has 785 bars, making it the booziest part of the city.
Inspired by the duo who drank at all the haunts along Western Avenue, DNAinfo Chicago analyzed which streets in the city have the most bars. We looked at three types of business licenses active as of Jan. 11 to find out:
•"Tavern" licenses for watering holes that mainly sell drinks.
•"Late hour" licenses for the places that can serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday. (This overlaps with some tavern licenses.)
•"Consumption on premises" licenses for businesses ranging from Mariano's grocery stores to Starbucks locations across the city that sell beer and wine alongside cappuccinos.
Add them all up and Michigan Avenue, boosted by hotel bars and such, beats out every other street Downtown. Other well-known thoroughfares including Wabash Avenue (42), Wacker Drive (42) and Ontario Street (38) were distant runners-up in the neighborhood.
With 123 stretching from the Gold Coast to suburban Harvey, Michigan Avenue is also the fifth most bar-heavy street within city limits. Clark Street has the most, at 203, followed by Milwaukee Avenue (136), Lincoln Avenue (128) and Halsted Street (127).
Check out our map to see where your street ranks (or find a new bar near your home):
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