Kevin Beary

Beverage Director and Partner

Kevin Beary is the Partner and Beverage Director of the award-winning Chicago-based Three Dots and a Dash, The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, Gus’ Sip & Dip, Crying Tiger, and Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club. Under his leadership, Gus’ Sip and Dip was named No. 27 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list by World’s 50 Best 2026, was named the Jean Banchet Bar of the Year 2026, and was recognized as one of Bon Appetit magazine’s Best New Bars in America 2025. 

The success of Gus’ Sip & Dip, opened in 2024, is rooted in Beary's and his team’s deep understanding and unique interpretation of classic cocktail recipes. Located in Chicago’s River North, the menu features more than 30 classic cocktails paired with tavern-style food from Chef Bob Broskey, welcoming the next generation of cocktail connoisseurs by offering a high-quality experience at an accessible price.

In 2025, Beary and his partners opened Crying Tiger, a Southeast Asian concept in River North, with a beverage menu featuring a nearly equal number of cocktails and zero-proof beverages to accompany the menu from Chef Partner Thai Dang. 

Most recently, Beary opened Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club, a refined cocktail lounge in River North devoted to classically-inspired cocktails, modern technique, and impeccable service. 

At Three Dots and a Dash, he and his team demonstrate a mastery of rum, international spirits and historic tropical cocktail recipes, offering their own creative riffs that provide a full sensory experience through complex flavors, custom glassware, and dramatic large-format presentations. 

In 2019, Beary and his team opened The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, an intimate rum-focused speakeasy that was recognized as one of Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2020 and North America’s 50 Best Campari ‘One To Watch’ in 2022. Known for its extensive collection of rare, esoteric rums and rhum agricole, The Bamboo Room employs modern technique and innovative presentations as storytelling to highlight the distinctive flavors behind each rum and cocktail. 

Between Three Dots and a Dash and The Bamboo Room, there are more than 300 rums utilized, representing nearly every rum-producing country in the world. 

Beary also opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san in downtown Chicago, where he created a menu reflective of refined Japanese cocktail bars combined with his signature technique-focused drinks.

Beary has earned numerous individual accolades over the years, including: National finalist in both the 2014 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition and the 2015 USBG Cocktail Classic; winner of the Mai Tai Mix-Off at the ninth annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival, the Continental Diplomatico Bartending Competition for North America and the World Mai Tai Championship in 2017; Rising Star Bartender from StarChefs in 2018; and the Jean Banchet Award for Best Bartender in 2020. Beary is currently completing his thesis project for a master's degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot Watt University.

Prior to joining Lettuce Entertain You, Beary served as General Manager of Rural Society and of NoMI Restaurant at the Park Hyatt Chicago. Previously, Beary was the restaurant and lounge manager of Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia. 

A Long Island, New York native, Beary attended LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Beary’s passion for fine spirits translates into his personal life, with travel to more than 30 rum distilleries across the globe.