2009 Eat Out Awards Readers' Choice Awards

Photo: Martha Williams; Inset, Marzena Abrahamik

Best New Bar
ANGELS & KINGS
Other nominees Tiny Lounge, the Whistler, Bar DeVille, Vertigo
If you know only one thing about Angels & Kings, it’s probably that it’s owned by pretty-boy punker Pete Wentz. And if that, in your mind, is a good thing, then you’re bound to be a fan of this space, a rock palace of sorts where the fabrics are plush but the vibe is rebellious. (You’ll also appreciate the aesthetic of the clientele, many of whom have copped Wentz’s look with stalkerlike precision.) But even if you’ve never heard a note from Wentz and his band, Fall Out Boy, Angels & Kings can still appeal. It’s not so much a “rock club” as a “rock/club,” meaning there are DJs but no techno, a laid-back aura but no sticky floors, a cocktail list but nothing that requires a dictionary to decipher. And that—not Mr. Wentz—is why our readers came out so strong for the bar: It may be celebrity-owned, but it’s the everyman who runs the place. 710 N Clark St, 312-482-8600.—David Tamarkin

Readers’ Choice Awards: Best New Bar | Best Beer Bar | Best New Restaurant | Best New Middle Eastern | Best Brunch | Best Loop Lunch | Best Italian | Best New Frozen Yogurt | Best Thai | Best New Vegetarian | Best Tapas | Best Thin-Crust Pizza | Best Barbecue | Best Corner Tap | Best Burger