A Ravenswood staple, this low-key hangout is the very definition of a neighborhood bar, boasting a friendly atmosphere every single time you visit. This bar’s got all the fixins: a dartboard, a jukebox, flat-panel TVs, drink deals every night, and a lovable crowd you’ll fit right into. You might see a drag queen drift through the crowd, ready for the evening wave of party people, but for the most part, these bars are just good places to grab a drink with some friends and maybe even get someone’s number.
Though many gay nightclubs don’t even open until the evening, there are some LGBTQ+ friendly bars that have afternoon hours, where you can saunter in, order a beer, and literally just chill. It’s a rarity to find a gay or lesbian bar in Chicago that doesn’t get absolutely lit every night of the week, but there are a few exceptions, of course. Believe us when we say there have been many nights when we’ve wound up in Boystown at 3 am, still somehow ready to tear up the dance floor and instead, totally throwing off everyone else’s groove. There seems to be a trend here: Chicago’s gay bars always end up being a place to dance the night away, and we’re not condemning that by any means.
