Monthly Archives: July 2008
Best Gay Sports Bar Chicago – North End
With 20 television monitors (and a few 60″ plasmas) , several pool tables and several dart boards, NORTH END is the best gay sports bar around Boystown.
Overlooked by many people, it draws a diverse neighborhood crowd of friendly people. Super-friendly staff (you may even be served by a porn star…) and reasonable prices on drinks and beer.
Even if you are not really into sports, North End is a great place to have a drink and hang out with friends – or make some new friends. However, if there’s a Cubs, Bulls, Bears or White Sox game happening, everyone here’s watching. But post-work or most times when there is no big game happening, the crowd is laid back and there to have a good time.
Located on the northernmost edge of Boystown
(3733 N. Halsted St., Tel: 773- 477-7999 ) – near the GayHOP (the notoriously gay IHOP), the guys at North End have other things on their minds besides drama—like sports, men and beer. Bartenders serve up brews like Bass, Guinness and Miller Lite, big selection of whiskey and liquor, they will make a martini or margarita for you (and not make a face) and they even have white wine!
Throw on your jock strap and stop in and see what you have been missing!
The Best of Gay Chicago and the New Gay Travel Guide
Best Sushi in Boystown Chicago – KANOK
Located on a stretch of Broadway Avenue in Boystown, where sushi places practically outnumber people, Kanok offers a surprising menu that stands out from the rest. Impressive selection of different platters and reasonably priced rolls. Beautifully prepared and fresh!
Kanok offers a wide variety of noodle and rice dishes, most under $9 and come in big portions. Its main courses seem to take inspiration from all over Asia with selections like Kung Pao chicken, Korean barbecued beef ribs and salmon teriyaki. Most entrees cost around $8 to $13 and come with rice. Great Bento boxes run $10-$13 and lots of specialty rolls.
BYOB (with no corkage fee) saves some $ on the wallet if you want to bring a bottle or two of wine in with you. PLUS, Tuesdays and Thursdays they offer an amazing $22 per person all-you-can-eat menu! Not just Maki rolls – like some places. You have choices of soups, appetizers, tempura vegetables, rolls and a good variety of nigiri! How can you beat that?!
Kanok – 3422 N Broadway St (between Hawthorne Pl & Roscoe St) 773- 529-2525
The Best of Gay Chicago and the New Gay Travel Guide
Chicago Gay Beach – Hollywood / Osterman
(all photos in this article by BRENDEN-JOHN)SUMMERTIME FUN!
Summer got off to a slow start here in Chicago, but finally,
I think the warm weather is here to stay and the beaches are busy!
The gay beach is Hollywood Beach. (AKA Kathy Osterman Beach) The gays and gay friendly people hang out at the southern end of the beach. ( or what some say is the east side – to the right). If you are driving out Lake Shore Drive, exit at Bryn Mar and start looking for parking, and the beach is a short walk.
Sundays are always busy, with anywhere from 200-250 people out there. And you may even find people photographer BRENDEN-JOHN out there shooting photos of hot men! He shoots a lot of photos at events and clubs around gay Chicago and many of photos can be seen on his MySpace page.
Chicago also has the most swimable and most guarded waterfront of any single municipality in the world. While many patrons complain about the cleanliness of the water, Chicago boasts the cleanest urban waterfront in the United States, and second in the world only to Stockholm; water is tested daily by the Chicago Park District for E. coli and other dangers. – The beaches are staffed through Labor Day – but weather permitting, you will find the boys out here through early fall, if it’s warm enough!
SEE YOU AT THE BEACH!
The Best of Gay Chicago and the New Gay Travel Guide
Roscoe’s – Best Summer Patio For Boy Watching in Chicago…And You Can Bring Your Dog Too!
Located right in the heart of Boystown, Roscoe’s is the place to hang out in the summer on patio, have some great food, boy watch…and now, you can even bring your dog too!
Roscoe’s
3356 N Halsted St @ Roscoe,
773-281-3355
Long considered one of Chicago’s favorite gay clubs, Roscoe’s offers a friendly atmosphere and a variety of entertainment. There is no stand-and-pose attitude here – everyone comes to drink and have fun. The club itself is divided into five major areas, each with its own bar. The front room has a genuine tavern feel with dark wood, copper bar, large windows, lots of video screens and a pool table.
Toward the back, you’ll find a dance floor and an outdoor patio. Regular drink specials (like pitchers of Long Island Ice Tea or Vodka and Lemonade), theme nights, Post Office Sundays and special events keep things hoping just about everyday.
In the summer months, the outdoor cafe serves up food from about Noon-10pm. Excellent appetizers like Artichoke Dip and Pesto, Tomatoe, Goat Cheese Pizza. Great salads, sandwiches and wraps, there is something to satisfy everyones taste. Roscoe and Halsted is the epicenter of Boystown and a great place to watch people….especially the hot guys walking by!
Thanks to an ordinance passed this year in Chicago, this is the first season the city officially allows dogs on patios—as long as the bar or restaurant has a Dog Friendly Area License. And Roscoe’s does. Of course, there are a few rules:
• You must keep Rover on a leash.
• You must have you dog’s rabies vaccination tag or other proof of rabies shot.
• The restaurant must have outdoor seating accessible from the street—you can’t walk through an indoor area to get to a patio.
• Don’t expect any food for Fido: These spots are only allowed to provide water for your pooch.
Celebrating 21 years! Owner Jim Ludwig goes out of his way to make Roscoe’s a friendly place.
The Best of Gay Chicago and the New Gay Travel Guide
