Part of the Gay Chicago Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Chicago, Illinois
A hidden upstairs gay bar tucked above a Streeterville restaurant.
Second Story Bar has been open since 1984, tucked on the second floor above Sayat Nova restaurant in Streeterville, a short walk from the Magnificent Mile and all but invisible from the sidewalk. Founder John Tessler opened it as a post-retirement project and ran it until his death in 2012; regulars still treat it as a link to Tower Town, the queer enclave that once filled this stretch of the Near North Side. It's one of Chicago's oldest surviving gay bars, even if it isn't the very first. Inside it's small, dark and cash-only, with strong, cheap drinks and a longtime regular crowd that mixes after-work locals with hotel guests who'd rather skip the Northalsted scene. This is a hideaway, not a party — the kind of low-key second-floor bar you climb the stairs to for a real conversation and a stiff pour, steps from one of the busiest streets in the city.
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$89
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