Nice bar, big and varied spaces for hanging out. Good prices on drinks. Love when they do musical days and show random broadway musical numbers on the TVs and audio. read more

I really enjoy coming here in the summer, mainly for their huge patio on their roof! I am an addict for their sugar free slushies, and they are quite tasty in the summer time! Great music, great times! read more

delicious, delicious slushies. i had a mai tai and a cherry and both were so freakin good. these are the best frozen cocktails i have ever had and definitely worth a trip back. this place is huge and pulsing with sound. not really my vibe. i prefer a little more laid back. i think i will try it on a sunday or a weekday night next time. the massive amount of boys on the prowl makes me nervous. love, juston read more

I was here the Friday of Gay Games week. I was skeptical at first as normally the atmosphere of a place that large is bad. Would we be able to get in without a line? I needn't have worried as we arrive early and although Sidetrack is huge, it has a very nice flow. My friends and I had a great time in the rooftop area, lots of guys wearing their medals, an evening I'll always remember. read more

This bar is tons of fun! Expect it to be crowded, but you won't mind. They pump the music and everyone is having a great time dancing and enjoying themselves. read more

A huge gay bar in the heart of Boystown. The rooftop deck is pretty sweet when the weather is nice. There's a bar that is half inside/half outside up there too. This place is really really big - two huge bar areas, one non-smoking, lots of bathrooms, a small bar near the entrance and my favorite...the Star Trek room. read more

I love this place! Great atmosphere and the staff is great. It's a well maintained, and beautiful space, but the thing I like best is that they hire bartenders for their personalities, and not because they fit a stereotype of what the bar manager things is cute (see several other bars in boystown). Every member of the staff is nice, helpful, bartenders pour great drinks and chat it up with you. The bar management has a reputation for treating their employees well, and it carries across in how the employees treat the customers. I like supporting businesses like this. BRAVO! read more

Sidetrack is probably a great place, but it just makes me feel really ugly every time I go there. Maybe it's because my straight friends get hit on while I'm buying drinks at the bar. read more

Rejoice, the homosexual bartenders are friendly toward heteros. What a classy place...I mean this would be the place to convert heteros if you believe American Christian Jihadist propaganda....that's called sidetracking or getting off topic. Back to the bar. This place is a gem, it supports great causes, makes great drinks and is one of the nicest bars in the city. I can't say enough great things about it so I won't say anything else. read more

Expected show tunes on Sunday but night from 9 pm to 2 am per the Web site. Got there at 11 and they weren't playing any. Slow night, too.

Really love the space here, many different areas and a cool rooftop area. Decent drinks and music.

Love this place for a chill drink with my boyzz and the interior is cool and mellow. Great place to chill out. Check this place out.

The mecca of gay men are here! I'll be honest, I love gay bars over straight bars. It's not because I think of gay men as forms of entertainment like some girls do but because of the energy and I can just be myself. I usually hit up the gayborhood of any major city with my second husband but I rocked it with another friend of mine. She had never been to a gay bar before and I felt it was time to pop that cherry of hers. Slushies...rocked. Bartenders...hot. Bathrooms...clean. Music....fabulous. Everyone is super friendly and nice. Best bar in Chicago! read more

I went here for my 21st, and it was definitely the best choice to go to for both that milestone and for my first gay bar ever! Good eye candy, nice bartenders, and I LOVE the frozen drinks. The clientele on Friday and Saturday tend to be overflow from Roscoes (6'5" 130lb dramaqueens talking about how fat they are), but they're outnumbered here. If anything, go for Showtunes night! read more

Awesome all the time! I Heart Vince! She is amazing...service is always excellent. Door girl, Jimmy, rocks too!! I frequent this place because I love it! Aside from Cherry Bar on Wednesdays, this place can suck. ALWAYS visit Vince, and tip him WELL, please. read more

Was here for pride and stopped by Sidetrack. Was suuuuuuper hot out and the berry slushy they served was damn good. Had a couple w/the besty while standing shoulder to shoulder w/people in the crowd. Was super packed b/c of the event but I def wanna go back when the crowd is not as massive. A def must visit! read more

THIS PLACE IS GREAT! Not to mention ridiculously huge for a bar. fun dancing, fun not dancing, good people, and best of all? MUSICAL MONDAYS. oh my goddddddddddd musical mondays. Imagine a room full of people singing along with amusical montage playing across tv screens across the bar, complete with appropriate hand motions and dance moves. SO GOOD. read more

This is by far the best gay bar in all of Chicago! The music videos are fun, the showtune nights they have are a lot of fun! I'm surprised I have not written a review about this place sooner, I have been coming here for several years now. The bartenders are the best in the city! they always are friendly, upbeat, work fast, and they make fantastic drinks! The crowd is very mixed, young, old, very laid back. The layout is like no other bar, there are so many different rooms to go into and their rooftop deck is great to hang out on during a warm summer night! Cold drinks, great music, good friends....you got a place that definitely makes you feel welcome. read more

Great music, very crowded but it's understandable, why miss out this place? there's a nice atmosphere and drinks are great, specially the drunken slushies, omg, round of applause for that. I only wish they would have a dance floor, that place is huuuuuuuuuuge, they can make an area for that, it's my only recommendation. read more

Slowly but surely I have been won over. Sidetrack kicks...features serious booty.

I never realized the greatness of a bar until I moved away from Chicago in 2014. No other gay bar in the country compares to what Sidetrack has created. It has brought the community together in so many ways. Every room has a different vibe. There are so many people to meet from all over the world. The service is excellent. This place is a must see for anyone traveling to Chicago. And for Chicago residents, don't be jaded - feel lucky to have such an amazing establishment in your backyard for the gay community! read more

One of my Boystown faves! Beautiful encaged in glass and plants, everyone is so nice and there are 3 floors!

Sidetrack is one of the great all around gay bar. There is something for everyone even the straights, except for dancing. Overall sidetrack is big and roomy, can get crowded on Sat & Fri night. The bartenders a very nice and get to know their regular customers. Drinks are the most fairly priced of all the bars on halsted. Most importantly the owners care about the neighborhood and community and always give back. They also take good care of their staff which also shows on how good the staff treat its customers. It's a great place to have drinks, meet up with friends, meet some new friends and enjoy some fun videos and entertainment on the screens. read more

Extremely entertaining evening - listening to the best musicals, enjoying great company and sipping some delicious drinks. The service is fast and friendly. The space is enormous and really well designed. We will return. read more

Love Sidetrack! I always have a good time here with my friends. The first time I came was during Market Days when they were serving some absolutely essential slushies. The times I have been back on weekends have been guaranteed fun. The drinks are strong, the people are nice, and it has always been packed! Definitely check it out if you are in Boystown. read more

Seriously, Sidetrack is not only my favorite gay bar I've ever been to, but it's also my favorite bar - period. This place is amazing and it is so much fun to explore. The architecture is really, really cool. And I love LOVE the fact that there is never a cover (unless it's for a fundraiser). Sidetrack is great and anytime I have gone, I've enjoyed it. I really like how you can find an atmosphere to fit your mood. If you want to chill and relax and talk with a group of friends, hang out in section on the south end. If you want to sing along to some tunes, go explore and find your stage. If you want to sit and people watch/stare, there's always the first bar area with the ledge when you walk in. If you want a plain, all out bar, go to the back. If you want to feel like your in a gay greenhouse, go to the bar on the north end. If you want to be outdoors, go outside upstairs (weather permitting). If you want a down-home, small bar feel, check out the bar upstairs. Seriously, this place has so many different moods - it is simply fantastic. I also like how the crowd is different. I hesitate to say diverse, cause it's usually guys who look like me in there, but it does have a good mix of gay/straight, young/old, etc. I like how it's not all twinks and not all broadway singing queens and not all bears and leather guys. It's just the best a bar can be. read more

I love Sidetrack. Everytime I wander in the haven of cute boys, I am pleasantly surprised by the music, the delightful bartenders and of course the multitude of people to play with. read more

my friends birthday party was this past weekend and she chose sidetrack as the after party place. genius idea. the place is HUGE. like...gigantic. it's almost ridiculous how large it is. it's really snazzy too - i love the atmosphere. as many others have said - where's the dance floor?? we made whatever space we had into dance floors, but still. come on now. drinks. um hello. fruity slushies with plenty of liquor? $6 for a large mug of it? SOLD. ohhh was i feeling great. musical mondays? ohh i'm there! read more

This bar is a huge mess, but there doesn't seem to be a better alternative. I liked the rooftop deck, but I hated the immense line to get inside. read more

I would say love hate relationship here with Sidetrack. I don't have weekends off too often so I go on the weekdays and those days seem to be sad. Yeah I know weekends are the party days and when the entire place is open but people still enjoy themselves on the weekdays right? Normally half the bars are closed and sometimes the "security" or what you want to call it can be rude. How was I supposed to know the front patio was closed, the doors were still opening up to it. It is fun on Mondays and I guess that's its only weekday funday. Maybe I jsut need a different job to enjoy the weekend night life. read more

I co-hosted a fundraiser here the other night, and was really blown away by this place, especially Brad. He helped us from the beginning to get organized and guided us through the entire process. He even printed us a sign for the fundraiser and helped us through the event. We also were able to keep most of what we made that night--it's a better deal than some other places. This place is a community fixture that allows for some great things to happen. Keep up the good work! read more

by far my favorite bar in the heart of boystown. with an absolutely amazing space and great staff, sidetrack has more to offer than your usual gay watering hole. the smoke-free glass bar and rooftop deck are fantastic. sidetrack also has a great showtunes night on mondays and a hilarious comedy night on thursdays. read more

My favorite bar in the entire world. I love Monday night Showtunes, but every night is a blast at Sidetrack. They must put crack in those frozen drinks because I'm addicted to them. For the most part, the bartenders are the friendliest anywhere. The video screens everywhere make for a fun and entertaining evening. The regulars make Showtunes unique and highly engaging. BUT FOR GOD's SAKE don't allow those guys to perform their songs anymore. It's irritating and stupid. Yawn. I'm talking about the guy that plays "Hitler" during "Springtime for Hitler," the guy that sings "The Book of Morman's" song "I Believe" (now with a bible in hand) and ESPECIALLY the guy who performs "Let It Go" from "Frozen." Last night he even had someone behind him with props. Enough already. It's fun to shout out lines during "Titanic" and "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," but the performances are off-putting. Regardless, I always have an amazing time. *now some mentally challenged fool is performing "Defying Gravity." Went to Sidetrack last Monday. Management, please put an end to this. Still love Showtunes. read more

Love this bar. Especially the upstairs patio. great on Friday and Saturday night after 9:00 pm when the showtunes aren't playing. yes, I do not like showtunes, however Sunday nights after 9:00 when retro is on it rocks. The crowd can tend to be a little clickish, but after a few drinks you won't even care read more

Great place to hang with friends and meet new ones! No dance floor is my only scuff with this place. But its right on the strip so just go somewhere else to dance. Normal drink prices. Normal one shot drinks. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of this bar compared to others. The slushy drinks are great. They are sweet and slowly sneak up on you to leave you feeling relaxed after a day at work. I was invited to go there by some friends on Friday for Show Tunes. I was tickled by how many men were singing along and making up their own words to certain videos. Suddenly I was reminded of The Rock Horror Picture Show were people also yell out certain lines. I laughed, I cried, I fell victim to the slushies. I recommend you try this bar with it's lack of attitude and fun atmosphere. read more

Loved it! The place is huge; you can be surrounded by a crowd if you want or find a less-traveled spot where you can laugh at the crazy videos and chat. I was really impressed with the bar staff; they were very accommodating and friendly. It was surprisingly busy for a Sunday night and I think I was only one of about three women in the whole place. Bonus for me, for that meant no line in the bathroom. When does THAT ever happen?! Whoo hoo! read more

After a long week in town for business, I thought it was finally time to venture out and grab a beer. Everyone I know seemed to recommend this place. The place is huge- much bigger than I thought. The crowd was great and surprisingly unpretentious. I easily struck up a conversation with a dozen local patrons. The bartender managed to deliver our drinks under a minute each time we ordered- big props considering the packed counter. I'll be honest and say that I was VERY tired and exhausted from a week long board meeting and was very much delirious from lack of sleep and quickly intoxicated. But I had a great time and would definitely head back the next time I'm in town. The one downside - not close to downtown. Although, even that seemed a plus because the metro trip was so much fun with so many different types of FRIENDLY people. A+++ night. read more

Great place to hangout and have a few drinks wether after work, or on the weekends. Staff is incredibly friendly, Trey, Garcia, Brennigan, Josh, and Rob are my favorites although everyone there deserves kudos. I've literally never had a bad experience here, and always recommend it to friends and strangers alike. read more

My favorite place to go in boystown, especially in the summer when the rooftop is open. Drinks, people, music...always great! Oh and I love the music videos on the tv screens. read more