RT
Roscoe's Tavern
Legendary Chicago gay bar on the corner of Halsted and Roscoe in Northalsted, open since 1987 and one of the anchors of the city's Boystown drag scene.
Roscoe's Tavern is a legendary Chicago LGBTQ+ bar that has anchored the corner of North Halsted and Roscoe Street in the Northalsted (Boystown) neighborhood since 1987. When owner Jim Ludwig first opened it, it was just a small watering hole in the front half of the building — the back half was a gourmet grocery — and it was one of the very first bars on Halsted to put in expansive street-facing windows, effectively ending the era of gay bars needing to hide behind blackout glass. It grew into a five-bar sprawl with an outdoor café, a food-service patio and a full back dance floor.