Charlie's Chicago

I must admit ..I don't like the renovated Charlies. They made the space much smaller by putting a huge bar area. The bathrooms layout? Really doesnt have any logic. Also chargung after 10 instead of the previous midnight is a bad choice. Slowly they will loose customers. The drinks? Same as before, good and gendrous pours.

If you're young and attractive, this is the place for you. If you're something other than that I would not bother. I was sitting there having a drink minding my own business and someone from the staff said that I was sleeping and that I needed to leave. I guess if you're not some muscled guy on a energy drink then that means you're asleep. I made my own way out. I will not be back. Granted when you have an endless wave of young gay men that want to go there doesn't really matter. Oh well. Still middle-aged and sort of overweight. No room for me.

Country music and dance every Wednesday and Saturday 7pm-11pm with free lessons said the advertisement. We wanted to couple's dance, but most of the songs were line dance, fast two-step, or too slow waltz. Seems like the DJ was playing only his favorites. And the sound system needs an upgrade - no treble, just bass is all that's heard.

Come to Charlie’s very often for the vibes and super nice staff. The music is always on point by dj Ron and dj Lulu. The 5 stars tonight are definitely going to my favorite bartender Nikki for always have a great attitude and he introduced me to these amazing Jell-O shots! I highly recommend coming to have a great time whether is coming for bingo or to dance the night away til 4am.

Nikolai made our short visit so much fun. Told us the secrets of Chicago and it sounds like Charlie’s cares about its employees. Highly recommend.

No longer a trans-friendly space. Caters primarily to cis men, the remodel makes that very clear. The aggressively gendered bathrooms where you can see the people inside doing their business are quite the statement. Employees are still friendly, but the new layout of the bar is borderline hostile.

Happy they remodeled but currently the set up makes it hard to enter and leave the dance floor. Also the places where people put drink glasses down make glass breaks way to frequent and potentially dangerous.

You play with friends and you win 🏆. The drag queens are very sexy they are sliving every day. You get alcohol & win so many fun prizes plus win free shots. Get them shots to make the show more fun! 10 stars across ✨️

I love love love Charlie's. They always have something going on, which is refreshing now that the world's opening up again. I'd say weeknights are your best bet at a fun activity (like Monday night drag bingo) and plenty of space to dance. Otherwise, I'd say Friday & Saturday nights around 10 p.m. onwards is a different scene: imagine a sea of half-naked bodies so thick you have to hold your friend's hand to make it to the eternally stationary bathroom line. You also might get cut in front of the line by a gay man trying to gatekeep you, a queer person, from the entering the space. I believe the words were, "This is my city, baby."

Post renovation review: Someone took a great gay bar and asked themselves "how can we make this place a completely terrible experience for the Chicago community?" The renovation is completely diabolical and will, sadly, be the demise of Charlie's in Chicago. The ideas they had for crowd control and egress will never work as, for some reason, they've decided to shove massive crowds of people into a 4 foot wide maze from the front door all the way to the bar, the dance floor, and the bathrooms. The dance floor is smaller than it used to be and the wood benches make it impossible to get from the dance floor to the bar without having to walk around the perimeter into the non-moving crowd of people trying to walk through this bar. Although I will say "dance floor" is a loose term, because there actually isn't any room to dance with the way people are crammed in there. Two positives: 1. The staff was wonderful and were so kind and did a great job. 2. The men's restrooms are a major upgrade in making us feel like human beings versus cows at a trough. However, these are not enough to make up for the nonsensical decisions that were made in the redesign of this bar. If, God forbid, there were to be an incident at this bar, everyone would be trapped inside because the design is completely unsafe for patrons and will lead to a dangerous situation for anyone inside. I do not recommend coming to Charlie's if you want to have a fun evening without getting squished, trampled, and physically violated. Reopening this bar with this layout was a massive mistake and I hope they take the time to fix it as soon as possible. I was very excited for the renovations; however, do not advise coming into Charlie's until major changes are made.

Came for a movie screening, moving in the musical, and had such a blast :) perfect location (literally right next to the bus stop!!) and loved the service. Highly recommend the espresso martini shot

The layout is atrocious. The bar is far too big for the space and eats up the "dance floor". I'm not sure why you would jettison a bar of that size out in the middle of a tiny room. Hope there isn't an emergency because the walkway from the entry to the other side of the bar is always congested and requires you to push through. The bathrooms are nice though so, yay that.

This is a super fun place. Karaoke is always fun there the staff is amazing and nice. The drag performances and performers are so cool. Sundays they lay down the best Latin music and I love dancing there. Go there now! You won't be disappointed!

We were making our rounds in the "gayborhood" aka "Boystown" and this was our last stop of the evening before dinner. Chatted with a bartender (didn't catch his name) who was super friendly and a really nice guy. He gave us a sampler shot of their homemade apple pie everclear concoction and I was hesitant at first so I sipped on it very carefully but it was really tasty and not like a typical "squint your eyes and wrinkle your nose" shot! Regular drink prices were on the average side (6 bucks) so I guess they do not have happy hour on Sundays. Will definitely try to make it back before we leave.

I don't regularly post reviews. I was actually looking forward to doing this one though! Both of the dance instructors (I'm entirely partial to Herb) were SO fun and gracious! The bartenders (all three) were friendly and super nice! I can't wait to go back... even the patrons were all wonderful. It was an overall great time!

We left celler, 2nd time ever being there. Walk to Charlie following other friends of my friend. First time ever at Charlie. Only order a $8 captain and coke w a $3 bottle of ice mountain water vs just being given a cup of tap water from the beverage dispenser that they use to make the drinks. I was appalled about the water and they couldn't use my first card to open a tab. He ask me to switch cards, from my pre paid netspend card to my 5/3 bank card. Was given an agreement to sign. I keep the document and decide to switch to cash and to close out and leave. Agreement was for 20% surge for any tabs left open. Bartender, Felipe Oliveria is a light skin Hispanic, about 5'11, 180 lbs. In a white button shirt open at the top. With black slacks. He either flat rate charge me, or added extra drinks rather then close my tab as requested. $11 in total, so I only gave $12 cash, cuz I didn't like the feel and the other people we followed had left as soon as we got in so we bounce to hydrait. There is no way a 20% surge of an $11 tab equates to $25. That's a 227% increase. This is theft. Bad customer service. And a establishment I'd never recommend. Counting the cash payment. That was $37 in less then ten minutes for a captain and coke w a bottle water.

great prices...Michael is a great bartender...makes you feel very welcome...it's the only bar I like

This place is so so so fun but there is no reason that the restrooms should smell this way!!!

Adrian the manager is an asshole I would give a 0 but there's no Ciro he didn't let us in because of my friend she forgot her purse at home and he knows us we visit the club twice a week and hi still didn't let us in that's bullshit

Amazing bar be it either your local hangout during the day, karaoke after dinner, or your late night dancing, Charlie's has what you want. cute and nice staff with good music everyday

if you're into horse play or puppy play this is the spot for you...it smells like straight up shit in other words, a stable. its like the floor has absorbed 30 years worth of vomit and shit and is now releasing it. it's awful. Sunday and Monday are the worst. it's overwhelming. go there at your own nasal risk. the drinks are strong and cute tho

Charlie's is such an amazing place. The staff are friendly, professional, and drink knowledgeable. The prices are great, and the drinks are strong, and the entertainment is pop'n every night of the week. It's a "MUST GO" when in North Halsted!

I lived by Charlie's for two years during my time in Lakeview but never went inside the bar. I was invited to see my friend perform drag on a random Saturday and decided to check out the show. I always expected Charlie's to be this tiny little bar that barely had enough space to hold 20 people but I was completely wrong. The bar is much more spacious then I expected. When I arrived at the bar prior to the show their was a bar crawl that was currently dominating the dance floor. Before the show started the bar crawl quickly vacated the bar. The show was absolutely a blast! The host was very personable and really knew how to keep the crowd engaged while moving those frozen slushy drinks. I didn't know what to expect but a 2.5 hour show was a giant plus. The drink prices were very reasonable in comparison to what you would normally pay just a few blocks away from the bar. I can definitely see this being a place that I would stop by first before heading out for the rest of the evening.

Jesus Christ. The last time I was here is was a lifetime ago. The late 90's were a different gig, for Charlie's and boystown. I forget why we stopped coming here...oh right, we all started to go to bed at 8pm. Drinks are strong, drag nights are snatched and it's always a good time. Open late (or early, depending on your relationship with the sun). Boys are just as adorable - I seemed to have gotten older while they stayed the same age. Unlike most white gay bars, Charlie's seems to be open to all who behave themselves. I might need to revitalize the crew and start coming here again - maybe for nostalgia.

Great place for karaoke if u wanna sit around all night waiting for ur name to be called, and never actually go up to the mic. I guess u gotta know the queen taking requests bc it was the same ppl on a friggin loop

Making people wait in the 200 person long que after waiting once, and already having paid once, is bogus. If they have a stamp they should be able to come back in without a wait. Treating your customers poorly, while they support your business, this way is unfathomable.

Excellent cute gay bar in boystown. I went last Friday night. Drag night. They have the cutest gogo boys. Excellent drinks, sexy boys and awesome music. 4 stars, they close around 4 am make sure you take a lyft home.

I have to rate to post so I'd actually rate -50. I went here in February of 2022, this is literally the most uncomfortable I ever felt at a bar. I watched someone drug my gfs drink & had to throw it out. Then the bathroom was disgusting. I was angry. The bathroom is shaped like a U, probably because of its original country theme like design, however there are no stalls that close or wall blockers, it's a room with toilets, just a bunch of people who can sit on toilets & look at each other. Toilets next to the sink, toilets here, there, everywhere. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. It's sweaty, it's gross, it smells. Never again.

This place is the best! I love it! My husband and I go when we can, we have a blast. From drag to spandex, I'm in heaven

I really liked the large stage with lots of bench seating around. The cast was great and gave a great show!

Hi, I'm a pilates trainer who is on the hunt! Really though, I was hunting for bears but then came across this bar. It was on a karaoke night so there was a lot of loud noise, which I think must have scared away the bears. Anyways, the drinks were great, the bartenders were really friendly there. They were a little on the feminine side which is NOT what I prefer, but I was drunk so I didn't care! I will say that some people in the bar were very annoying with all of that singing. Go get a room!

Love the drag queen bingo and monday night drink specials. Plus the fact it's a vaccinated only bar is huge - finally a place I can feel comfortable in!

The bouncer turned my friends & I away - screaming in our faces to get out because he assumed our IDs were fake when they were not. Very immature and inappropriate. Should probably hire bouncers/managers that know the difference between fake and real IDs.

The dj was bogus. It was dead and refused to play a song we PAID him for. When confronted , he got shitty and said he played it, when he DIDNT. Don't go there. Ever.

For a country club for gay men, Charlie's is part of a very few country based clubs that I have been to in a long time that boast some of the best country music around. I remember Charlie's back in the day and it seems that is still formidable when it comes to entertaining. I found it really fun to see the men doing the dosey doe around the place but the talent to know these dances is incredible. I only wish I could be so lucky. I did speak to a manager who says that on some nights they do offer classes for those who aren't really able to grasp the whole concept of square dancing. SO this is a good thing. But the dancing they do is really beautiful to look at, why couldn't I have those country genes? (No pun intended) So for a quick country romp on the dance floor, Charlie's is the place. And of course for a nice drink while your at it.

Not sure exactly what it is, but something is just really fun about this bar. Could be the patrons, could be the atmosphere -- could be the fairly spacious layout or the drag queens. But, this bar has an interesting and memorable vibe to it. There's lots of specials and daily events here -- so make sure you check the schedule.

My friends and I are all 21 and they told us our IDs were fake. The manager, Collin (or Connor... something like that) SCREAMED at us to get out after they already let us in. Rude, unnecessary, and uncalled for. Don't go here.

The six of us were excited to visit after having a great time at the locations in Las Vegas and Denver. The door person was so rude we left immediately. I won't pay a dime to be spoken down to. We had a great time at several other venues in Boys Town where the staff didn't talk to us like crap.

I was assaulted at Charlie's during Halloween weekend. Charlies' staff responded by suppressing any actions towards the assailant. They told me and my friend that there was no appropriate staff to handle the situation and that the bouncer was not responsible for taking any action. I was to either remain at the club with my assailant or leave. Charlies purposely chose to ignore the situation. I was told they didn't have security violating state policy. I have also reached out and have been ignored by Charlies.

One of my favorite bars in Chicago! They donate to charity and allow so many groups to fundraise there too! Best staff and management that are so nice and welcoming!

THANK YOU, Charlie's, for getting a toilet seat on at least one of the toilets. Your penile challenged clientele much appreciates it. Jack Daniel's + squatting over seatless toilet = hot mess. I've only ever been here to play in the dart league on Thursday but Charlie's hosted our end of season party this past week and it was awesome! The bartenders were super nice and efficient. There was plenty of space for us all to move around. It was a great event!

Have been going to this bar for many many years. It appears that the owner is not investing in his property as it continues to look ran down. Bartenders are sometimes not available or attentive to customers. Drinks can be pricey but most places in this area price gouge customer.

The staff is always great, friendly and professional. It's a very welcoming bar, very inclusive bar. The entertainment and show hots are top notch. They are very supportive to the community, always willing to give back.

If you want to get roofied have your belongings stolen and barely make it home alive Charlie's is the place to go! And when making a complaint the next day to the manager was told that "I must have been at a different bar" until I showed them the credit card charges. Still no results..they said they searched camera footage but I doubt that very much! Stay safe-stay out of Charlie's!!!!

I don't think this is a Country Western Bar anymore. I was there Pride Weekend on Saturday. Very young crowd...not Country Music at all. Had Strippers. Bartender was very rude...no hello even after I spoke to him. No thank you. I had a well bourbon and seven and it was $8. I will not be going back.

Great place for country music on Mondays Fridays and Saturday with country DJ Michael B. Awesome after hours Fridays until 4 am and Saturdays until 5am with DJ Lulu. Drinks are flowing and cheap. Great place to go with friends. Come on out and have a drink.

I ended up at Charlie's one night after some serious bar hopping in Boystown... needless to say that I was pretty intoxicated, so take my review for what it's worth. The bar/club is pretty big: big dance floor (and sure enough, a lot of people were dancing), pretty crowded, and a fair amount of eye candy. I didn't have anything to drink (I'd already had my share by the time I got there), so I can't comment on that. The drunk me really enjoyed reading the trivia on the bathroom wall, of which I recall one item: "Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of a blue whale". Who would have thought, eh? Overall I had a pretty good time, and I even thought the $5 cover was fine. So why the two stars? I'd have given the place 4 stars, but as it turns out, the cover is higher for girls ($10? I can't remember for sure). Now that pisses me off. Since when do gay bars discriminate? That's just lame imho.

For a textbook case of sexism . . . I have never felt so discriminated against in all my life! I was truly floored by my treatment by staff and patrons at this bar. Some friends of mine were in town performing at Chicago Takes Off and we were joining others in the show to dance and celebrate the money raised at the benefit. The staff was excessively rude to us from the outset. The moment we said, "hi," they made it known that they were not happy to see us and that we were not welcome. They also charged us double their door as other female guests have reported. Since we were planning to meet people there we coughed it up but definitely shouldn't have. I will never go back to Charlie's or take anyone there- male or female for these reasons: 1. The hilarity ensued when I tried to go outside for a smoke. The door guy stamped my hand then shouted an FYI at me, two inches from my face. He told me that I would have to wait in line for 20 minutes to get back in. When I asked him why he had stamped my hand and why he was being so rude, he grimaced and yelled at me again. This time he threatened to have me thrown out. My friends had a similar experience. Since I hadn't done anything other than ask a question, the whole exchange seemed weird to me so I just backed off and attributed his rudeness to a long night. When I then asked the bartender if the door guy was sexist or something, he looked ill and said, "no," then proceeded to be very polite. 2. My friend and I tried to find a restroom and some men in line informed us that there wasn't one and then told us that there were plenty of straight bars to go to. I shot back at them that I was a lesbian and that it was illegal to not have a women's restroom. Normally I wouldn't have been so defensive but there were all of these men coming out of the woodwork to be rude and not divas- just rude. Apparently these people thought I was straight, which is a joke since I definitely look like a lesbian. 3. Some a-hole was harassing my mild-mannered friend on the dance floor. Obviously he didn't like women being there either. 4. Exempting one awkwardly friendly bartender, I found the attitude at this place to be self-involved and self important. Patrons and staff wore their neanderthal hatred clearly on their faces. The staff and patrons acted like this dump was some exclusive men's club. My money spends just like like everyone elses. Maybe Charlie's doesn't want my money? Last I checked the economy wasn't that great and one would think a bar would want a few customers, so they can pay their rude staff and keep their hatred haven open for the masses. I've been to lots of gay bars all across the country and this bar was nothing special. It was a weekend night and people were going out to celebrate, hook up, have fun. That's the function of a bar. I think somewhere along the line Charlie's forgot that and the small fact that there are people other than gay men who go out and drink. Sometimes these people even accompany (gasp) gay men to their clubs.

I have never actually been inside Charlie's. You see, I organized a pub crawl for Halloween, and I chose Charlie's as one of the stops. I called ahead of time to let them know we were coming (50 ppl!) and to see if I could hook up a drink special. They said "probs no" to the drink special, and that's cool. But they also said that there would be no cover if we came before midnight. And, the bartender I talked to on the phone promised a return call from the manager, but that never happened. Even so, I would have still gone happily. And come Saturday night, I led a group of costumed revelers to Charlie's front door. However, the doorman refused to let us in w/o charging us a cover, $5 for each. I explained that it was still only 11pm, and that I was assured that there would be no cover before 12am. So the doorman rudely informed me that the cover was $5 for every guy, and $20 each for the ladies. You know, if they'd rather fill their space w/ hott gay guys I have no problem with that. But half of my group (who showed up minutes before us) was let in w/ no cover and no attitude, and the other half was rudely dismissed. wtf? Plus, come on, we had a couple token gays. So we went to the Holiday Club and spent a shit load of $$ there.

where's everyone at? late friday evening and it was empty. the long island pitchers brought me back to college and the cans of pringles brought me back to cross country drives with my family - so a+ for the fuzzy feels. i love to dance and i loved the company i was with but felt a little intimidated on the dance floor (weird for me). i can pick up choreography (so i thought) and whether the "teas" were kicking in too hard or what, i was a little slower than usual. the choreographer and his buddy seemed to want the dance floor to themselves. i guess we weren't music video ready enough for their taste. oh well... it was 'country' enough for me but i'm not a country fan so i'm not a good gauge.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the boys at Charlie's!! I always have a great time! Fantastic dance floor, funky fog machines. Great bartenders, good drinks, reasonable prices (considering it's a dance club) Fabulous D.J.'s and music! I've never been there before midnight, or on a Fri. or Sat. night. No cover on the week nights (I heard about the infamous $20 cover for women on the weekends) The times I've been there...I've always been treated wonderfully, danced my butt off to fantastic tunes, was entertained by the adorable eye-candy, and have been told on numerous occasions "Guurrrrl, you have great hair!" What's not to love?!?! NOTE: They have now installed two "Stripper Poles" on the middle of the dance floor, can I tell you how much fun that was to watch??

It was so so for this place. Cheap drinks and the music was ok. anyway this place is good to chill out with friends .

If there is one late night bar I would call home, it is "Charlie's". I frequently refer to this place as total debauchery. It's trashy, let's be honest, but by the time you are done being pretty on lower Halsted head up here to sweat your ass off... Put your hand's up if you miss Miss Amanda??? Newbies to chicago, make the trip... you will have a devilish good time.

I felt like an "invader." But had a helluva good time. Took me a minute to get used to the bathrooms with swing doors but when in rome....

So I am visiting from out of town while "clearing"my bingo card from the host who was absent for most of the session she started screaming and then came and picked up my bingo card from me telling me that my actions were unacceptable. I was confused because I didn't know what other way one was to clear their bingo card. She then called security to kick me out of the bar. I then exclaimed I wasn't going to leave without drinking the drink I paid for. She got super angry and screaming on the mic. Calling security and the bartenders. Darla seemed to be the only one that had a problem with me there the bartenders apologized and were confused one of them actually saying I'm sorry I think she is drunk! How embarrassing. I will never come back here or suggest for any of my friends to come here. I hope chicago has way more to offer than this trashy bar!

Question for the guys out there. Have you ever felt objectified before? Truly eye-raped? Probably not, unless you're a doppelganger for Sawyer from LOST. But when you step into this place, you'll feel like a piece of meat hanging in a freezer on a hook. Charlie's is hands down the GAYEST bar I've ever been to. Sure, its not like I was born and raised in San Francisco's Castro District, but I've seen my fair share of gayness. This place takes the cake. Flashing lights, blaring club music, shirtless "bois" and FOG everywhere. So thick you can't see your own hand, let alone someone else's. It's a fun place to get your dance on. If you're a sexy bear or a cute twink, the door guy might even waive the cover for you. Then jump in to the writhing and shirtless crowd of men! Plus, if you're a single straight guy, the single straight girls can smell you a mile away. There's a lot of girls that accompany their gay friends and if you're the least bit appealing, you'll probably meet some of them. They'll probably even buy you a drink to let you know they're interested. Now I really know what it feels like to be a chick!

I DON'T DO KARAOKE. Well, only outside of the continental United States of America. But here I is with my Honey and the erstwhile Bailey h. While dealing with a stunning Stillers loss, karaoke was the only salve for Bailey's wounded soul (against the Ravens (fake Browns) no less!). So to Charlie's we go, $10 pitchers of mixed drinks, with people that really enjoy their karaoke! but not in that annoying way that makes you want to put an ice pick in your eyes/ears kind of way. While I can't imagine myself participating anytime soon ($10 pitchers of cocktails could change that). Charlie's is a fun place with great bartenders that are fun, and get the job done. I may start singing in the shower now... NO!