Sidetrack (Chicago)

Sidetrack is a gay bar on Halsted Street in Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois.

Description

Sidetrack is a two-story, bar that spans eight storefronts. It has six rooms and a rooftop deck. Sidetrack hosts themed video nights.

History

Established in 1982, Sidetrack is owned by Art Johnston and Jose "Pepe" Peña,
In 2013, Sidetrack boycotted Stoli Vodka over Russia's anti-gay laws. In 2023, the business announced stopped selling Anheuser-Busch products as part of the Bud Light boycott.

Reception

The Chicago Sun-Times has called Sidetrack "one of the world's top gay bars". Sidetrack ranked first in Time Out Chicago's 2023 list of the city's best LGBTQ+ bars. Sidetrack has been called the "most popular bar in Illinois" by BuzzFeed and "one of the 50 top gay bars in the US" by Yelp.