Part of the Gay Chicago Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Chicago, Illinois
A gritty Boystown leather bar with themed kink and fetish nights.
Cell Block is Northalsted's leather and Levi's bar, and the only dedicated leather and fetish bar on the Halsted strip. It opened in 1996 in the former Loading Dock space at 3702 N. Halsted, and it's been a fixture of Chicago's kink and leather community since. The front bar runs with no dress code and draws a broad neighborhood gay crowd for cheap drinks, darts, and pool; the back bar, open on Friday and Saturday nights, keeps a strict leather dress code for a more serious play crowd. Various groups meet here regularly, and it leans into themed nights rather than chasing a general dance-club crowd. If you're into leather, gear, or fetish culture, or just curious and respectful of the room, it's the anchor for that scene in the neighborhood. Read the dress code before you go so you know which bar you're walking into.
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