I moved to Chicago a month ago. I've been to this club twice now. Both times my NC id scanned fine and I passed the coat check. The third time, I was denied because the bouncer said I had a fake id. The worst part is that I recognized the bouncers from the other 2 times I've been there and they still denied me. I at least got my id back, but I highly recommend you avoid this place if you have an out of state ID. read more

This boystown institution is still going strong! I can remember when this bar was just one room. After many years, this bar has grown into a huge complex. Great drinks and videos. I would highly recommend this bar to visit. read more

Fun, young audience, great drinks and deff recommend frozen margaritas when you are here. Monday nights they have a Disney night where you can make a request on any songs and everyone starts screaming it. They also have about 3 different rooms where you can dance. I met amazing people here and we had a blast. Literally I only bought 2 drinks for a 4 day weekend, everyone was super friendly! read more

I'm sitting here now and there is no alcohol in my cup nor the cups of the 4 people I came with. The covid precautions are great but apparently I'm at a bar that isn't serving alcohol! Vodka and tonic - all tonic. Jameson and ginger? All ginger. Crown and cran??? There isn't a DROP of crown in this drink. I'm so disappointed. We didn't want to be jerks so we left after one round. What a disappointment because the atmosphere is phenomenal. read more

Sidetrack - Gay Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My go-to in Boystown. There's never any cover, the bar is MASSIVE, the music great, the drinks are reasonably priced. What's not to love!

Great place, always a "must" stop on the weekends when my friends and I go out. Large space, with many different areas which keeps things interesting. Drinks are reasonably priced for the amount you get. Staff is usually always super friendly. I love the themed nights like Showtune Sundays or Musical Mondays. The only thing I wish they did was keep the outdoor spaces open longer than they do and I wish they had a dance floor area. But, for dancing and a little more movement, there are the other bars right near by. read more

Best bar in boystown HANDS DOWN The venue itself I would give 5 stars. But the GM, the security, and the bartenders are fantastic as well! If u haven't been...you HAVE to go read more

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this place! Came here for a Sunday funday with friends and got the frosé? I'm not sure it's pictured below and was handed to me from a friend. It was a delicious and strong drink. They were also playing a great collection of 90's-early 2000's music and had a great vibe. It wasn't too busy but it was getting there. I will be coming back! read more

Sidetrack - Gay Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here as part of a group and the interior was really cool. They had all of these giant black light flowers and stuff everywhere. I can't rate this place anymore beyond this because by the time we got here, I was officially DONE drinking for the night. I'll have to go back and see how well they mix their cocktails. read more

LOVE this bar. Drinks are very reasonably priced and they are fantastic. Vibes are immaculate if you're looking to dance with friends to all your favorite pop songs read more

Overall a fun place to meet up with friends and grab a drink. There are a multitude of rooms and spaces, but if the weather is nice, the rooftop is a nice space to park. On Sunday's, show tunes are the theme, which are fun with a group. The slushees are yummy yet deceiving! read more

Sidetrack - Gay Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my favorite Gay Bar in Chicago's Boystown.... It has several areas, some open, some cozy, some with videos, some with great seating. At least 5 different bar stations are scattered around a large area that on a busy day, is all PACKED !! We sat at one of the bars and Tim, the bartender made us feel at home. As we were chatting amongst us, we noticed a cute lady sitting alone by herself...Tim introduced us to her and we kept talking to her and kept her company until her friend arrived. The people that go here are nice, fun and friendly. We were there on Labor Day weekend, so many visitors from Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana made the place truly "cosmpolitan" LOL.... Love this place, the atmosphere, the slushies ( I had the pink lemonade ) and the staff make this a winner in the windy city... read more

This place is always a good time. We went a little earlier in the night but it was already bumpin. The drinks are good, the music is good and they had a body painter too which was cool to watch. I've also been on musical Monday and that's a lot of fun too. read more

By far my favorite bar in Chicago, this place camp style bar is over the top and so different, I had never seen anything like it. I loved that I felt like I was in a maze and it was so fun to explore around in. There around probably over six bars inside, I lost count. The workers have shirts on the back that say "camp counselor", its an awesome feel. There's an upstairs level and a lot of photo-ops... there is also a patio but it was closed at the time we went, it was one of the coldest weekends this year (Nov. 10-13). We had a awesome time and no complaints, the drinks were affordable and bartenders were nice. I would definite recommend for anyone visiting Boystown just to check it out. There was a pretty music genre... fluid which is what I loved and very diverse in the crowd as well. Door men were nice as well. This bar closes at 2:00AM. read more

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do not support sidetrack, if i could give 0 stars i would. the only thing this place is good for is the slushies. sidetrack denied my friend for being "too intoxicated" after looking her up and down. ultimately we know it's because she presents as straight... we know this because she had only had 2 drinks before going to sidetrack. plus, they let me and another friend in first who were definitely more intoxicated than the denied friend. they also delete reviews so take the reviews with a grain of salt! read more

This place deserves all the YAAASSS! I went here last Friday night, and had the best time! They were getting ready for Mardi Gras coming up, so the theme for the night was GLOW. There was free face/body painting, glow sticks galore giveaway the whole night, and go go dancers. NO cover. Their music is the best, whoever was DJing did amazing job. Oldies and new, super sing-a-long able! They have these big screens that play the music video as well, which is so much fun! read more

Sidetrack is a very chill bar that plays crazy retro music videos. We came here for the slushies! They have the following flavors: grape, mai thai, black cherry, and one more can't remember. The bartender recommended mixing the grape and the mai thai and it was amaaaazing! I didn't even know there was a rooftop here but now I know! Super chill bar LOVE IT. read more

Sounds like Amy A. was doing something in the bathroom that she shouldn't have been doing.

Sidetrack is one of the absolute best places to go to when you want to finish off your night with good people, drinks and music. My favorite nights are when they do Musicals and when they were doing Little Mix night. I can't wait till they start it back up read more

I was there halloween night and had a great time! Best bartender by far was Craig- even though he was hidden away in the back bar. If he had been working in the front I would have ordered more drinks just for the chance to talk to him. He was incredibly cool and looked incredible in his wrestler costume. You all better show Craig off!! Total gem and gave me my best drink of the night! read more

Sidetrack is a decidedly good bar. It's not the best, but it's very good. I've been here many times, and I visited again on a Friday night. The weather was bitter cold, so I wasn't able to enjoy the rooftop, but we still went up to the upstairs portion of the bar. The bar charges no cover. Sidetrack's biggest strength is that it has several areas where the volume of music vary. Downstairs, I consider it to be a bit loud. And that's fine! Because in the upstairs area, the music is more controlled and it's pretty easy to have an in-depth conversation. The patrons are generally polite. I've heard some rumors of overaggressive tush-pinching. The bar staff is generally helpful as well. The drinks are well-priced, and the restrooms are clean. The bathrooms are important. Several bars in Boystown have men's bathrooms that lack a stall door separating the toilet from the rest of the bathroom despite there being no lock on the bathroom door. I don't consider this acceptable. Sidetrack, however has [at least] one actual toilet where this isn't the case. I knock this bar down a star because of a lackluster beer and liquor selection. Lack of ginger beer, an important mixer, also brings it down. However, I think the bar is a great place to go any night of the week, even on those busy Fridays and Saturdays. read more

By far one of the best G Bars you will ever visit! Sidetrack is essentially a home away from home for so many people. The bar is not just a bar, it is an institution and a huge community advocate. There are special nights throughout the week to please anyone and everyone. Weekends are of course more mainstream, but Show Tunes? So great! Visit on an early Sunday evening (post Sunday fun day on the rooftop patio) or all night Monday and you will see (and hear) some passionate theater folks singing along while sipping delicious, boozy slushies in a relaxed, clean, comfortable environment. Speaking of environment, there are several different areas of the bar that accommodate all moods and the team here does an excellent job with themed decor throughout the year. I took my dad here once and he jokingly called it an "S and M bar... Stand and Model." Old gays... There is certainly some eye candy but this is in addition to all other walks of life traipsing around. If there is any one thing Sidetrack lacks, it's a dance floor... actually, no... this makes it more special... move some tables in the main bar and you've got yourself a make shift dance floor (which happens often) and what seems more like a party (Spontaneity is the spice of life). No matter who you are or where you're from, Sidetrack is always open (JK I think they close at 2 or 3) and at the ready to show you a good time... just make sure you have a handful of napkins to throw up in the air when you see Madonna as Evita on the big Screen! read more

Took our temperature upon arrival. Plenty of hand sanitizer. Drinks came quickly and they didn't skimp on the pour.

Yummy drinks and the awesome rooftop make Sidetrack a perfect place to hang out with your friends and people watch. It was nice to get away from my usual type of bar - y'know - the good ol' Irish Pub. I had so much fun the last time I was here and even met a fellow ninja nurse. I'll definitely be back! :) read more

A+ Awesome. My ears had been burning from all the gab about Sidetrack from my Chicago pals. Finally the big day came when I got to experience Musical Mondays. Yes, I was skeptical - shameful to say, but I'm not the biggest show tunes fan, or so I thought. Musical Mondays is soooo much more than show tunes! In the main bar there is a huge screen playing old and new clips from movie musicals, tv shows (Glee and The Golden Girls!), commercials, broadway plays, ect. My favorite moment was the Mommy Dearest vs. Mama Mia mash up - I was dying laughing with the slapping clips! There must be a lot of regulars because throughout the segments the whole bar seems to chant witty banter along with the action in the film - some of it is very funny, and if its not your thing there are like 5 other awesome bar spaces you can go to playing the film reel. Titanic/Poseidon Adventure napkins flying in the air, Rocky Horror dance party - you have to experience it to believe it. Decor was gorgeously decorated for the holidays. My bartender Rick was an absolute sweetheart and poured me delicious cocktails. I also tried the Kettle One grape slushy which was sweet and powerful - yes please! Everyone seemed very friendly - a few times while waiting for a drink different strangers just came up to say hi. With all the different bars you'll want to walk around - definitely recommend the coat check. read more

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This place needs to fix their horrible ID scanning system. Me and my friend from out of state had our IDs rejected at the door because their stupid scanner rejected them, even though we are years beyond legality and have valid licenses, while our other Illinois friends got in no problem. I can use my government issued ID to get through TSA but I can't use it to get into Sidetrack? What a joke. To make it worse security was rude and rudely pushed us out the door. All they said was the only way we could get in is if I had my passport. I guess you need your passport to get into Sidetrack now. Horrible experience. read more

Have been going there for some time. Walked in with my backpack, usually there's door guys that check it, but the black guy checking IDs was too busy flirting with some twink in front of me, so he checked my ID ans I went in. Enjoyed drinks from Ryan who is an amazing bartender, two hours later, was harassed by two staff members, one one which was off the clock and another still on the clock. They both told me that I either need to check my bag in or leave. "We'll okay, I don't have a problem with that but we were gonna leave anyway.".. "that's what they all say." Wow... "but you have full drinks." "Yes, but we're gonna leave, we're about to go eat." They insisted that I leave. So, i left. Never will go back. Poor management skills and customer service. read more

1/2 of ownership is Cubano! Great to see Latinx LGBTQ+ business owner. Staple in one of Chicago's Queer neighborhoods. Massive space with multiple bars and outdoor space. Friendly bartenders/staff. I have had a blast at their RPDR nights with Dida Ritz & live local Queens performing afterwards. Showtunes on Sundays and Monday evenings (usually with Broadway talent singing live) are a blast. However, one of my favorite monthly events is their hosting of the Queer storytelling OUTspoken; Loving that they have continued this as a podcast during COVID. Doing a great job during COVID and feels safe, yet comfortable, and fun. read more

The location, decor, large available space for mingling and open air roof top patio certainly earn them 4 stars. The frozen drinks however were extremely sweet (all of them) and almost medicinal. My next visit I'll perhaps stick to a well drink and club soda etc. The vibe was great and people energized. Great for a weekend stop in. read more

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Any time I visit Chicago I make sure to stop in at Sidetrack as it's my favorite gay bar in the city. During my most recent trip (06/27/18) I came in with a friend and was served by Karlie who was phenomenal. There was a guest that had to be asked to leave and the entire unfortunate situation was handled gracefully and efficiently by staff. Karlie in particular was very attentive, personable and sincere (beyond typical bartender pleasantries) which made our experience even more positive. At one point we were also given a tour of the bar by another staff person who explained the theme of the summer (circus) and about the different events they have each night. Sidetrack is the kind of place that makes you feel like you're in your own neighborhood no matter how far from home you happen to be. I can't wait to come back next time. read more

You must have to be amazing to work at Sidetrack, cuz Amanda, oh my god! What an awesome person. What an amazing bartender! She has my order ready before I even ask for it! This girl is awesome, beautiful, and that's coming from a gay guy! Guys and especially gals! You need to go check this girl ouuuuut! Thanks for taking such a good care of us girl! Two Miller lights, one Bud Light, one Corona, and one vodka soda with a splash of cran! Hook Em'! We. Will. Be. Back! read more

Absolutely positively love this place!! We go whenever we are in the city. Get a little crazy with the energy around you, always awesome events, awesome music, beautiful people, my boy is the dopest bartender I refer to him as my boy because I always forget his name but he remembers us every single time! Makes us some delicious shots. Friendly atmosphere for sure until someone ruins the fun. But it is what it is. Hopefully back there soon!! Miss it! read more

Went here for the first time Saturday and man their slushees are so good! Sip slowly lol I had a couple and they taste very yummy so you will have the tendency to just keep sipping read more

I have been here somewhere between 2-5 times but I do not remember it. There is a coat check but I have never been inside (regular people are not allowed), so for all I know, it could be a deep stone well, and the Coatman lowers coats on a rope and fetches them out with a fishing rod when it is time for you to go home. read more

For me is the greatest gay bar in Chicago. The crew is always in a great mood and the drinks are great and in a good price. My favorite day is on Sunday, specially when the rooftop is open. Thursday night is also a good day to watch great videos and have good drinks. read more

I've been living in Chicago for the last 13 years and when I turned 21 Sidetrack was the very first bar in Boystown that I walked into and I had a lot of fun now that I'm in my 30's I must say that every time I go I still have a lot of fun although the establishment has changed quite a bit they still manage to make it fun and enjoyable for locals and tourists around. This is by far the biggest bar in the strip and it's always fun in the summer because the rooftop is open. Living in this city for so long you tend to become friends with the bartenders so that's always a plus, they have fun things during the weekend like showtunes, all things gaga, all things Beyonce and many others, they've also hosted other events for the LGBTQ community this has been a staple bar in Boystown. It's a n read more

I've been coming to sidetrack for Quite some time now. Unfortunately , I have never been so disappointed with the inconsistency of pricing with the bars. The downstairs bar I always get the same size mug priced at $7 vs the upstairs bar , they had the audacity to charge me $9 for a cup which was the same size. When I walked away the bartender gave it for free to somebody else . Completely unacceptable. After being a loyal costumer for years , I was let down. read more

Security forcibly removed me and my friend after accusing him of vaping in the bathroom (which he was not doing) and then proceeded to accuse my friend of putting his hands on security as we were being escorted out (which never happened). The manager had zero interest in hearing what we had to say. My friend goes there every weekend and that's how he's treated. I used to like Sidetrack but it would be hard to go back after that type of treatment. read more

Visited today for the launch party of the new dating app, Vigr. As usual, Sidetrack sets the pace for bars in the area with friendly service, reasonable prices, and innovative entertainment. I especially appreciate the fact that the crowd here is more eclectic than at some other venues in Lakeview. We need to make sure we are supporting all aspects of the LGBTQ community in Chicago, and I encourage Sidetrack to keep doing just that. read more

You know those places you go and the service and all around experience was so good that you decide to download the Yelp app and make an account just so you can write a very public love letter to said establishment? Well that's what Sidetrack is. First off Dixie Lynn Cartwright is so effing good. Her makeup might be harsh and her tuck might be meaty, but she is hands down my favorite thing in the Lakeview neighborhood. I took my parents to Sidetrack on my birthday and she sat with my mother and shot the shit for while and I loved it cause they actually had a conversation rather than small talk b.s. Plus I love the whole "funniest one in the room" thing Dixie has going on (cause she's not wrong). Dixie alone is enough to make me love a bar. As far as the staff goes, they are lovely. Big shout out to Brian R in whatever that one bar that leads to the stairs to the rooftop is called. I'm an indecisive idiot and when I said I didn't know what I wanted he actually went and made a damn good drink that I would have never thought to get, key lime pie whatchamahosit (it's crazy cause it actually kind of tastes like key lime pie, pie crust included). And this is just one anecdote, but across the board - dynamite service. Also the space is like sosiopathically well designed. Each bar definitely has it's own feel, while still playing into the aesthetic of the bar over all. Oh! And the art work! That Chad Sell knows what he's doing in Illustrator.... or like whatever medium he uses to do his thing. All in all - BRAVO! read more