Double A

My friends and I booked a table service for our reunion on Friday night. Our experience at Double A was superb. Rachel — Events Manager was accommodating with our group’s requests.
Service: The service we received in Double A lounge was very attentive and friendly. We did not have to ask twice for amenities and mixers.
Atmosphere: Double A is right downstairs of Mercadito restaurant. I personally thought the place was very cozy yet elegant. There is a DJ booth in the corner. The music was not too loud or low. We were able to make conversation and enjoy the music at the same time. The booth in the lounge was comfortable and can hold up to 10 – 12 people.
I am actually planning to reserve a table there again. I would definitely suggest Double A to anyone who is planning a special event. Cheers!

Speakeasies are great
Here is no exception
Get the tacos, man.

My fiancé and I were looking for a place to eat on a Friday night in Chicago. Since we both have a serious love for Mexican food and street style tacos, we came across Mercadito Chicago and decided to check it out since the reviews were so great. When we arrived the upstairs was full so they led us downstairs to the Double A lounge.
It was quieter, had romantic, dim lighting, beautiful wood low tables and we could smell what seemed to be burning sage. (later found out it was rosemary.) We started off with the Mango Guacamole and a round of delicious cocktails. I ordered the swordfish tacos with mexican style coleslaw (sooo good!) and he ordered the pork belly tacos, which were also amazing.
The manager came over to us and talked with us for a while. We all had similar interests and he ended up suggesting a very cool speakeasy down the street.
It was exactly what we were looking for! We both recommend this spot for a date night or a night out with friends.

I made a reservation for my girlfriend birthday here. They were very accommodating as I changed the amount of people on the reservation like 5 times.
Our host was Rachel and she was very helpful. She provided me with a menu to order food for the group. All the food comes out with more than enough to feed the entire group. All the guacamole is very good, they have 6 different types to choose from. They have a huge selection of tacos, sides and desert.
Rachel then provided me with a drink menu. The menu had a 3 tier special. Each tier is a bit different but the basic idea is that you can drink as much as you want for 1, 2, or 3 hours for a certain price. Be careful for which tier you get, because even though you can drink unlimited until your time is up but a lot of their drinks are very strong.
The ambience and mood of this place is very nice. I’ve seen picture on Unilocal and on the website and I was still pleasantly surprised. The music keeps the mood going, it’s not too loud and it’s not too low. They have a bar you can sit at, some booths where you can fit around 10 people, and some tables you can gather around. It’s a very nice set up.
We brought a cake and they kept it in the fridge until we were ready and they brought it out with the candles lit and everything.
This place was very welcoming. While we enjoyed it as a group, I can also see this place as a nice date night type of place.

We came here on a Friday night and I guess our reaction was how small this place was. It felt like a lounge but the music was so loud that you could hardly talk to anyone. You had some randoms dancing but overall the clientele was weak. The drinks were okay but nothing special while you’re paying a premium for where you are.

Me (standing in the corner, looking thirsty): Hey! Can I get a cocktail menu?
Bartender (moving past me like I don’t exist): Do you have a reservation? We’re really full tonight!
Me: No. The hostess didn’t say we needed one.
Bartender: Well I can give you a drink if you want to stand.
Me: …That’d be great. (Thatd be exactly what I asked for)
Drinks sucked. Atmosphere was 75% bachelorette/​bachelor parties. Bartender did comp one of the cocktails which was fair. We dipped out.

This place is awesome. A nice chill spot to have some amazing cocktails. They werent cheap but the price for what you got was worth it. The bartender even made us some off the menu drinks that they were working on. delicious! If you aren’t sitting in the booth though those lil square sits arent that comfortable.

This is a small lounge right downstairs of Mercadito. I was searching for a place where I can grab drink with my friend on Friday night and glad I found this place. We had a bottle of wine and mango guacamole and it was really good. And the service was excellent ! I forgot our server/bartender’s name but she was very nice and explained about the cocktails they had. I would definitely go back and try it next time!

Came here Friday night and loved it! Cute little bar right below Mercadito— pretty hard to find this place unless you come here specifically looking for it, but thanks Unilocalers for posting about it!
They have great service and great drinks here! I ordered the Mexican Kitten and loved it! Usually I love any drink with heat in it, but the other spicy drink I had (can’t remember the name) wasn’t that good… it just seemed like a weird blend of flavors. Oh well. The guac here is pretty solid.
Love the ambiance of the place, and how cozy it is– looks like it doesn’t seat more than 18 – 20 people. Would be a great date spot!

Service was fantastic! I asked for a fruity cocktail and the bartender delivered! It was quite good. The place is small and quaint, but loved the atmosphere as it is tucked away under Mercadito. My friends ordered the pork belly tacos and we ordered the guac with pomegranate seeds in it. Was a little skeptical, but since our bartender recommended it, we ordered it. It was fantastic! The music was nice there as well and wasn’t annoyingly loud like a lot of lounge/​bar venues.

Double A beckons you through an inconspicuous, speakeasy like entrance. Double A is home to the basement section of Mercadito restaurant. It boasts delicious cocktails that really give you a run for the money in terms of mixology. The bar is open format, meaning you get to stand next to the bartender as he whips up your preferred poison. No cover, classy crowd, and classy DJ spinning only deep house and subtle hip hop. No obnoxious drunks. Perfect place for candle light conversation or drinks to catch up with friends. Really enjoyed the innovative ingredients they chose for the cocktails.
PROTIP: Good place to get your pregame on, or to get your afterhours in.

I had never heard of this place (and I really like to think I have heard of most places), I was at dinner with a couple of friends upstairs and one said let’s go downstairs and buy a bottle. I said what! Ok! So down we go, grabbed a table and a bottle. Very tiny, reminds me of The Office under Aviary, but easier to get into.
Younger crowd gathered after midnight and were dancing, the music was ok. Typical stuff was played. Wait staff was attentive to us when we needed more mixers, etc.
Overall was a nice place with no minimum on the table which is refreshing.

Real cool vibe. A bit on the smaller side but the vibe is nice and sexy. Bartenders are friendly. It was a bit crowded due to the small size. The layout is a bit funky with the bar but overall it was a good experience.
I’d recommend this spot and even thought about having my girlfriends birthday party here as it is a perfect size for a smaller group in one of their booths.

I found a way to enjoy Mercadito finally — instead of dining upstairs in the loud environment, get a large party table reservation, which they seat downstairs, and not worry about the cramped space. While the downstairs is small for small party diners and bar daters, the larger booths seating 6 – 10 are a good call.
The guac and salas were really good, the guac empanada was yummy and the vegetarian tacos with spring veggies was surprisingly well flavored! I generally am not a flan fan but theirs is thicker and less jelly texture — I enjoyed it.
Good cocktails though not strong, and great music by live DJ while dining (at least on a Saturday night).

Came here for a work event on a weekday, we had rented out the bar, and had about 30 people there all night. Really great location for this event — plenty of places to sit and chat, and lots of room to move around and change conversations without ever feeling trapped.
Food from Mercadito was excellent, small bite tacos and apps were sized appropriately and had really good flavor. My favorite was the estilo baja, but everything was really good. Drinks were expensive, but that’s what happens in that area. They were simple, well made — really enjoyed them.
Granted we were the only party downstairs, but service was great — never in our faces, always ready to serve and clear. Music choices were awesome, found myself jamming all night.
I don’t think I’d come here on a regular basis, but it was a fantastic party area for up to 40 – 50 people.

My one experience at Double A was not entirely a pleasant one. I think I would enjoy the lounge if it were more loungey and not a basement living room completely packed to the point that you barely have a place to stand (don’t even think about sitting down). I paid for all the drinks (at about 18 a pop) for my friends because I felt bad having brought us all to this uncomfortable environment. My good lady friend Beth sat down at a big (empty) reserved booth only to fix her shoe and within seconds a concierge came over to instruct her she was not to sit there. Yeah, we get it, there’s no one there now, but will be soon, meanwhile everyone else is just shoving for a little space to breath. We left very quickly.
To be completely fair, I think it really would be a nice place to relax and have a nice drink if it were not so crowded. The staff were very flustered and the drinks weren’t really that good. I made a note that on that Friday the place definitely bit off way more than it could chew.

After a horrible experience at a bar across the street, we stumbled upon Double A, a bar I have been meaning to check out. When migrating down the stairs, we were greeted by a friendly bartender and amazing music. At first glance, we were slightly confused, as the bar can be serviced on both sides by the wait staff so we opted for a table, which was open to anyone and everyone (a nice change to the standard River North establishments).
We cozied up and let our eyes roam around — The place is small and intimate, with a trendy lounge feel, however we were pleasantly surprised by the friendly wait staff and the play list made you want to dance on tables. The drinks were moderately priced, and delicious but nothing out of the ordinary. This place allowed us to end our night on a high note…

I’m convinced Double A stands for Double A (gent). Mercadito is large and in charge, but I’m not really not into the crowd there — not my get down. I headed directly for the staircase to the right of the Mercadito hostess station and quickly made my way downstairs to Double A. Proceed cautiously because it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness (love).
The secret cellar is decked out with a bar you might see in someones house — the bartenders can work both sides of it and are on full display. It’s doubly awesome (do you see what I did there?) because these mixologists are killin’ it! I watched them spray something on rosemary and light it on fire — rad! The drinks are goooood and you can order food from upstairs — try the guacs, ceviches and plantains! Oh my, so delicious and went perfect with our $ 5 happy hour (til 8pm) house margaritas.
There are a few cozy spots to tuck in with a date and enjoy the DJ spinning some noise and mood appropriate tunes while you nosh and imbibe and chat and flirt and simply enjoy an awesome little place tucked deep under the noise and combustion of the above.
I will be back.

I went back to Double A a couple of weeks ago and still had an amazing time. Fun music, great drinks, good atmosphere. I just love this little hidden gem!

As you usual, i turn on the Unilocal radar to look for a lounge to take my friends to on a saturday night.
We were simmering in the aftermath of some shit we had to deal with at the Underground. This is a shoutout on behalf of the stuckup douchey bouncers at the Underground: You guys are full of shit telling us that the place is fully booked and you can’t let anybody in when my friends are already IN the place calling us and telling us there are like no people. I don’t even want to contemplate what shitty ass strategy you’re using here. GTFO.
Aaaanywayys, I already had been to Curio (thanks to a friend and Unilocal) so I decided to try another good-​looking place: Double A. Let me just say that the great service we got here flipped our night around completely and turned frustration into bliss.
I’m not going to say anymore because I don’t want more people finding out about this hidden getaway spot on Kinzie. Message me if you want to learn more.
Much credit to Erin and Steve. You guys made our night. A martini for each of you when I come back.