It is often regarded as a historical spot for the city’s LGBTQ community. Jeffrey’s is the other gay bar in the south of Chicago that caters to African Americans. But during the week, Escape’s affordable yet refreshing drinks keep the customers coming. The popular LGBTQ hangout is located on the south side and is particularly packed to the gills on the weekends because of its engaging drag shows. EscapeĮscape is one of the two gay bars in town that are predominantly frequented by Afro-Americans however, it’s equally friendly and welcoming to anyone who wants to have fun. Here’s a quick rundown of the best LGBTQ friendly places in downtown Chicago. Who would want to sit behind the wheel for 1/3rd of an hour after a tiring day at work just to grab a drink? You guessed it right, nobody! So what does one do if they want to enjoy a minute of leisure at an LGBTQ-centric nightspot without having to make a haul for it? Well, then they go to the buzzing bars in downtown! Although the city center doesn’t offer a lot of hangouts, the ones it does are unapologetically entertaining and inclusive. That said, the northern part of the city is the wealthiest in terms of having gay-friendly bars and clubs getting to those places necessitates unnecessarily long drives from the inner city, and that can be too much on a weekday. Hence, the LGBTQ community owes a lot of its success in gaining rights to the Windy City.īeing such a sanctuary for the queer community, naturally, Chicago houses many great LGBTQ hangouts all over town. Though the city itself barely survived a calamitous fire in 1871, it has always given refuge to people looking for acceptance. Touche attracts more of a fetish and raunchy crowd, but Jackhammer has "The Hole", a downstairs level that IIRC requires you to be shirtless on Fridays and in underwear or gear on Saturdays.Witness to illustrious LGBTQ history, Chicago is undoubtedly among the most LGBTQ-friendly towns in America. Touche and Jackhammer are both predominately leather bars located next to one another in Rogers Park. Sofo Tap is a bit south of those, and is mostly a bear bar.
Mary's Attic is nearby and is notable for it's karaoke, drag shows, and food. Replay and Elixir both have locations in Andersonville. Some possibilities outside of Boystown (again, definitely can't list all of them): Little Jim's is similar, but I don't think I've ever seen more than like three people inside. Very, very chill vibe and a good spot to go if you just want to sit and a have a drink. Town Hall Pub is possibly the most low-key and bar-like spot. Manhole is a shirtless bar with a cover, but fairly tame all things considered.
North End is a pretty typical sports bar.īerlin is another club-type setting, but has a good amount of space and generally runs specialty events.
THE BEST 10 GAY BARS IN CHICAGO FREE
Free arcade machines and a nice backyard area with a great beer selection.Ĭellblock caters more to the leather crowd, but is a cool space even if you're not into that.
Generally it's not too crowded and has a pretty relaxed air about it. Has a cover too but you get a free shot so it works out.Ĭharlie's is a country themed bar that turns into more of a club after 2am.Įlixir has some great specialty cocktails and is also open until 4am. Scarlet is another dance one that can be fun, but it gets ridiculously packed and it's not a huge space. One exception I'll make is for Dueling Pianos on Thursdays which is actually a lot of fun. I don't see the appeal myself but others enjoy themselves. Almost always has a cover even though almost none of the others do, the drinks are watered down, the music isn't great, and there's always a good amount of straight people. Roscoe's is another one I'm not really a fan of. Lots of dancing and after 2am it turns into a shirtless mess of humidity which is fun for some. Hydrate is one I'm not a huge fan of personally. Definitely a good choice if you're just looking for a generic sort of bar. Sidetrack tends to draw a slightly older crowd, but it's easily the largest (two floors with like 6 bars and an outdoor area) and most "vanilla" of the bars so to speak.
I'd have to hear more about what you're looking for to give a serious recommendation, but here's a quick overview of the ones that people usually mention and I'm familiar with (following are all in Boystown, and I'll probably forget a few because of how many there are):