Scarlet Bar

This is my third time going to Scarlet and the vibes never disappoint. I’ve been to Kpop (Twice) Night and I had a blast. Usually the Bad Bunny nights are the most fun, I would really recommend going to any Latin Music Night. The bartenders are always super nice and fast, we really appreciate their service. The place is small but it’s enough to have a good time!

Scarlet is such a vibe! I love bringing friends here when we want to dance and have a great time. The crowd is always lively. The staff is super friendly, energetic and seem to have a great time while working. I’ve come to Scarlet for years and it’s ever evolving with the times but the vibes always on point. If you want to let lose and dance, this is the place for you!

I usually don’t go on Thursday to Saturday due to extreme large crowded inside almost too busy crowded here. But I came on Sunday and I have to say it’s way underrated Sunday was a fantastic time. No cover. And not empty. Not busy too over capacity. Perfect crowd. And positive happy vibe and great theme music. Tonight was Lady Gaga night. Was very impressed. Great lasers, and sound system and great energy. Bar staff like Bryce and AJ & other staff behind bar were friendly and personable had smiles on faces with new customers. A lesson other bars needs to learn from ! I will def be returning because of this positive experience. When a dance club seems to appreciate their customers new and old , is a great quality ! Management is responsible for ensuring that staff is friendly and professional and kudos to them A smile from a bartender like Bryce and other bar staff makes all the difference ! I highly suggest Scarlet ! Even when I see the scarlet staff off duty at other late bars after they close , they are friendly and cordial unlike many other halsted popular bars who act like Mean Girls club and think they are VIP who act like they are so conceited. CONGRATS ON SCARLET NOT BE PRETENTIOUS AND giving customers a great experience to let loose and dance without judgment and extremely positive attitude!!! Will return on Sundays from now on after this experience ! Recommend 5 stars

I love Scarlet and have been a regular since 2023! So many fun and cute theme nights. The staff are all super welcoming and kind. However some criticisms I have is it can get very packed very quickly because the space is quite small. I think they should limit the amount of folks they let in because it can get crowded and even dangerous. Also the drinks prices have been getting more expensive throughout the years. I will still be back for all my favorite theme nights!

First bar i went to on my 21st. Why? Because I heard the faint sound of the Jonas Brothers playing and said “wait we HAVE to go in there”. They do so many fun themed nights and unique specialty drinks, it can get crowded but if you a tiny bit early its a cute time 🫶

Just dropped by Scarlet Bar last weekend and it’s 🔥! Laid back vintage vibes, killer DJ set that had the crowd hyped by 10pm, then mellowed out after midnight. Grabbed two cocktails and split an order of loaded tater tots. Bartenders were chill and the drink specials were legit. Love this spot for a fun, no-drama night—highly recommend if you’re in the neighborhood!

My friends and I have been regular guests at Scarlet Bar for years now. One of the most welcoming and supportive places to let loose and have a great night. From the drinks, to the music to the atmosphere, I cannot say enough good things! Miranda, Brryce, & Dahlia give some of the greatest customer service and are huge bonuses to the night every time we return! Definitely recommend.

This bar is great. They always have some kind of theme/genre going on so that makes things fun! The biggest con for me is how small the bar is. On very popular days like a Charli XCX day, Beyonce day, etc, the bar is super packed and it can become difficult to enjoy yourself and dance. The bartenders are really nice, quick and efficient despite busy nights. I would also recommend getting to Scarlet early before huge lines form. There is almost always a line to get into Scarlet and usually a cover charge that's about $10. You can easily spend 30mins just waiting to get in. But over all the music is really good (but also depends on the theme for the night). There a nights where this place is bumping while the bars around can be a lil empty.

Loveee this bar! They play the best music and the coat check comes in a clutch in the winter when you don't want to hold your coat

Came to Chicago with my partner in September and decided to hit every gay bar we could in one night. Scarlett was the last we could fit in before a concert, and maybe that's for the best that our time was cut short. I was excited by the number of afab and trans / queer people I saw walking in, but that quickly diminished. The bar was fairly empty, which made the cold air a bit colder. The music playing didn't match the videos on display at all. The drinks were the weakest we had on our mini-crawl, unfortunately. Disappointed that the only lesbian-centric bar we visited didn't live up to the hype. Hoping to come back soon and give the crawl another

what a treat to be able to dance with assorted drinks and friends! I can't tell if charliXCX is my favorite or Nick-E Minaj! At midnight they dance a lot too

First time coming to Scarlett for a friend's birthday and I have the day that the vibes are immaculate. Music was fire and constantly playing songs that my friends knew the lyrics to so everyone was enjoying themselves. The walls were gorgeous with an assortment of magazine pictures featuring Taylor Swift and other icons. And the lighting was bopping for my eyes! Definitely enjoyed the servers or bartenders getting on the bar and scrolling club-goers with free Fireball shots! Felt safe there and even tho the place is smaller than expected, I will definitely be coming in again to party!!

The security staff at Scarlet are on a consistent power trip. They're rude and dismissive. If you leave your group in line for even a second they will single you out and tell you to go to the back of the line. They never hear you out and they are never understanding. I partially understand the severity due to Scarlet being insanely small and cramped but, the poor treatment sours the experience nonetheless. Personally, I will continue avoiding Scarlet.

The staff here has got to start being kinder to women. I come here often with other lesbian friends and often find the staff to be extremely rude to us while not keeping the same energy with our gay male friends. We have had multiple bad experiences with security, specifically the blue-haired security guard who I have never seen not having an attitude. I get that Scarlet wants to keep the bar a safe space for queer people, but queer women come in many different forms, and it's upsetting to have a space that's supposed to be safe for queer people only seem to keep that energy with gay men. Do better and stop assuming that any woman with a purse is straight.

I have been a longtime patron of Scarlet. Unfortunately, I just had a very negative experience, and I don't know if I will be back. I was at Scarlet with my friend and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was our designated driver and had worked all day, so he was understandably lower energy than either of us. At approximately midnight on 11/16, he was accused of "being too drunk" and kicked out of the bar. He had ordered only one drink the entire night. We were not provided with any explanation. We tried to explain the situation, but were met with extreme hostility from the bouncer. Far from being too drunk, my friend's boyfriend was completely sober. I am extremely disappointed with how this situation was handled. The bouncer told my friend and her boyfriend that I was "making things difficult" simply by questioning what was happening. Again, none of us were causing any disruption whatsoever inside the bar. As a result, all 3 of us had to leave the bar and were provided with no valid reason. As paying customers, this is extremely disappointing. I cannot in good faith recommend Scarlet when this is their customer service protocol.

i love this place the music is good and it's a good dance bar to CLUB!!! so hot in there though omg

Good staff. Comfortable environment. Amazing music nights amazing drinks. I highly recommend.

Played cha cha slide one night and then proceeded to play YMCA. Disappointing for the fact that there were no songs by Chappell.

Current Covid state means no co-mingling. You can only breath the are of those you cane with. No dancing, only getting up from your assigned place to sit to use the bathroom. You have to wear a mask to go to the bathroom and walk amongst others. This place seemed one of the stricter places. This was my observation from driving through Boystown. A lot of people were not wearing masks. Boystown might be a COVID hotspot, but whatevs. I suppose you're taking that risk. Service was friendly and prompt. Was it Rihanna night? This place loved her music. No qualms because I love her too. Had a good time with my friend, by ourselves. Haha. Drinks were priced as expected and very strong, so greatly appreciated.

Love Scarlett but got my phone stolen DURING PRIDE MONTH of all months. It's always fun and everyone (besides the phone thief) is a good vibe. I am not sure if I will return until they catch the perp, but if you keep your stuff safe you should check it out.

Blue hair bouncer is actually insane. I was deep in the bar and had only 2 drinks when randomly he came in to get me accusing me of being too drunk. I had literally no problem walking or talking and wasn't stumbling. I'm very aware of when I'm intoxicated so to randomly get taken out for no reason was irritating. I get that's their job but maybe actually focus on the people that are on the floor or on people that can't communicate. I never had an experience like that and they really need to check their priorities. I wanted to go off but held in my emotions cause I was over it at that point.

honestly wow!!!! i love scarlett so much its my favorite place to be. sad? go to scarlett. happy? go to scarlett. i could not stress this enough. i love this place with all my heart. amazing music, amazing vibe, and i adore the decor. lets go to scarletttttttttttt

I was extremely disrespected at the entrance of this bar by the 2 bouncers. They thought my id was fake and throughly quizzed me about my id, and the city I got my drivers license at. I had to pull multiple other documents to prove my identity and they still were feeling suspicious abt me. I felt mocked right in my face and felt horrible when entering this establishment. Will not be coming back

This gay club was super cute. They played good music and it was super fun to dance and sing along. Although they close at 2, they kicked us all out around 20 min earlier.

wouldn't let me girlfriend in w an expired ID as if her birthday would suddenly change on a renewed one.

Amazing vibe, atmosphere is top tier. Only issue... the bartender, Eric, sucks. He will insult you for your tips being insufficient and overall kills your vibe. Be warned!

This place isn't a gay club, half the crowd was made up of straight cis couples. The drinks are decently priced, music is alright, and it's objectively a cute spot but the crowd is rough. The bouncers were nice.

Very young crowd tried to wave a bartender down for 6-7 mins (for the duration of 2-3 songs) but they were too busy dancing and singing to even notice walked out immediately after never returned. Vibes were way off.

Of all the gay bars in Boystown I think scarlet has the best music to dance to (at least for my personal taste). They add in a good mix of hip hop and rap which, in my opinion, is the best music to get down to. They also mix in pop and some good early 2000's hits too. Unfortunately, my friend always wants to start at Scarlet and leave pretty early so I haven't gotten to experience Scarlet past 8:30/9pm but I'm sure it'd be even more fun later on when it's more crowded and dancey. Regardless, I always have a great time. I only wish it were a bigger place so there was more room for dancing.

Though this place looked fun from the outside and had posters in the front window advertising shows and events that take place here, once we got inside it was really nothing special. The security staff checking IDs at the door seemed to be more interested in chatting with each other and cracking low humor jokes than just checking IDs and allowing people in. Once inside we found dark barroom, with a long bar to our right, a few tables with patrons at them on the opposite wall and maybe 1/2 dozen people near the front, dancing away. We wanted to check out the back of the place as we figured there must be more to Scarlet's than what we were seeing, but it was stanchoned off. From what we could see, there was simply a second, smaller bar back there. The DJ was decent, and beers were reasonable at $6 each. The drinks they were serving in miniature pitchers looked really good and were also inexpensive, but since we were planning to be in the Boystown district for at least a few more hours, we decided to stick with beer. There were a few drag queens walking around the place (two of whom we saw perform later on this night at another establishment), but again, for us Scarlet was small, needed more A/C though the place wasn't even full and nothing much seemed to be happening here, so we finished our drinks and left.

I've been to Scarlet several times before and I think it's a great atmosphere with good drinks and fun music. But when I went last weekend I was really disappointed by how I was treated. After one drink I was dancing with my friend against a wall and I closed my eyes for no more than two seconds to absorb the music. When I opened them again I was being told I was getting kicked out for "falling asleep." Without even letting me explain, I was rushed out of the bar without my friend, my coat, my wallet, my keys or my phone. They didn't notify my friend, so I had to stand outside in the cold until they inevitably figured out where I'd gone. Assuming I had been as drunk as they suspected, I can't believe they'd kick a girl out on the street in 5 degree weather with none of her belongings or the safety of her friends. Honestly really disappointing behavior.

The DJ was rude on 11:40pm on 8/11 . After I requested a song WITH A TIP he agreed to use the song he said he had on the playlist and hadn't played it so I asked for an update after 30 minutes of waiting. He asked me to leave. I noticed the same experience with other people at the club who agreed they played a song WITH A TIP and didn't play it: So all of my 10 friends and I left. Even in Arizona (where I'm visiting from) they have better music. This is sad for Chicago I expected better.

Good music, nice space, cool bartenders. Only issue when I went was an announcement about pickpocketing. Keep your purses, phones, etc. close. Also, they closed at 1:45 not 2am so don't show up last minute.

They advertise drink deals and don't follow through when you get there. Crooks. Do not go here.

The door woman was extraordinary rude. We had a $200 tab we were trying to get in to pay it but she kept attacking us and freaking out, acting like we had not been in for 2 hours giving our business. We went out to smoke a cigarette. She kept us out for over an hour. Would never suggest this bar unless you're ok with with the Gestapo denying you because they hurt their sensitive ass feelings. Gay bars should be free and loving. None of the above was considered. Just rude ass decisions and people. Not worth it. Go literally anywhere else.

Ryan makes the best drinks ever. Berlin could neverrr. He is very kind and gets the order done as soon as possible.

Wasn't sure what I was going to walk into here. You only get so much from online and it is hard to get an honest depiction from old reviews and pictures. I wanted to form my own opinion and I have to say that after one visit, that was a stupid idea. We decided to make this our last stop for the night before heading back to the hotel. The place looked like a hole in a wall before we even walked inside. We wanted a place where we could just dance the remainder of the night away. Walked in, paid a cover, stamped my hand and over to the bar we went to get a libation. The place was packed. And not in that good, energetic way. More in that annoyance type of way. Done with my drink I made my way to the bathroom and then to the dance floor. Here is the thing that I did not like, nor appreciate, about this place is the amount of unwanted groping going on. If I had to use the facilities in a hurry, someone would have pulled back a wet hand. Also, if you didn't like these unwanted solicitations, then the grabby-patty will form an attitude and then they seem to target you the rest of the night. One particular kept following me around and bumping into the rest of the time I was here. That was my cue to leave and call it a night.

Love this place, always a good time with great music and friends. Open concept for dancing but drinks could be cheaper lol

So called "lesbian bar"... there was a misunderstanding with the bartender. We apologized but the bartender was incredibly rude and pushed us out of the bar for no reason, and when we tried to talk to him he was even worse. He was power tripping and pushed us out of the location despite us trying to reason with him. For one of the few "lesbian bars", I was surrounded by gay men who were pushing and shoving us at any given chance. There was one stall in the only bathroom that I waited in line for at least 20 minutes. Sad excuse for a gay bar and even worse excuse for one of the only lesbian bars in Chicago. Good music, but if you're trying to have to a good time, try somewhere else.

your phone will be stolen. the will take your phone out of your purse. they will take your phone out of your pocket. it's so severe that the staff when you ask them say, " you too?!" they will steal your phone keep your hand on your phone the whole time you are in this bar or your night will not end how you think it will.

As others have said -- this is pretty much a pure dance club without much of anything else. Good if you want to be in a very loud, dark environment with lasers and fog with tons of people dancing around you -- but not good if you're looking to have any type of conversation or looking for much more than cheap beer and fireball shots.

I'm literally trapped. I was sat at a table in the back corner of the bar. I have been waiting literally 30mins to pay my tab and leave. I want out!!

This place is goals. All of my queer dreams came true last night at Scarlet's Spooktacular drag show. This grungy drag bar was the perfect medicine for a night on the town with my people! It was no surprise, but the Chicago queens were doing WORK last night. After seeing Saltine perform her T Swift number, I thought it couldn't get better. Wrong. When Nice and Slow by Usher comes on at a drag show, things are going to get a little wild, at least if I am there. And they did. Xo Carrington spotted how down with Usher I was and seduced me in the best way. When she started unzipping my jacket I was a unsure if any of my clothes were going to stay on. So lit. They had me at $5 Fireball specials. There were also points throughout the night that they would announce they were $3 and everyone (me) would rush to the bar to take full advantage. Additionally, couldn't pass up my love, Miller Lite. Had a healthy amount of both. After the show the bar turned into an early 2000's emo night? Couldn't have been happier to be interpretive dancing on stage while shouting the lyrics to Ocean Avenue. What a sexy blast this place is!

Great taste in music! I had so much fun here, the drinks were great, and bartenders were friendly. I hope yo come back here soon!

I've previously had a good time here, but let's be real. This is clearly the dive bar of Boystown. It's super small and crowded. The drinks are cheap af. That's the attraction. I stopped by here on a Wednesday night, most recently. It was a dud. We ended up going to Sidetrack, which was packed. Also no cover, but the drinks were almost double. Even so, it was worth it for the show and the crowd.

I wanted to leave a good review to say thanks so much to the amazing bartender who returned a drunk girls debit card last night! I am so grateful you got that back to me! So much love for Scarlet staff for that.

If your visiting from out of town DO NOT COME HERE!!! My husband and I have been wanting to venture in boys town and wanted to come for Gaga night and the bouncer didn't account our out of state ID's. (5/15/22)

I went to Scarlet for the first time last night. Soon after leaving, I realized someone had stolen my wallet. My wallet was inside my purse which was zippered shut. I reported it to the bartender and left. About an hour later the bar called me and told me my wallet was turned in however it was completely empty. My drivers license, debit card, credit card, health insurance card, triple A card, car insurance, social security card, and $20 cash was gone. Someone completely cleared my wallet out. Very disappointing and sad. I will definitely not be returning.

Skip this place. It's a dry bar. Server was lame. All our drinks were mostly sprite. Learn how to make a lemon drop!! Nice music tho.

SO.MUCH.FUN. I'm not even going to pretend like I have been to all the bars in Boystown, or even that I regularly go to gay clubs/bars, but this one was definitely a lot of fun. I came here on Sunday afternoon right after drag queen brunch at Kit Kat right down the street. We actually met some fabulous divas at brunch and even though we were pretty wasted, they demanded that there was no way in hell that we were going back to our hotel because we MUST continue the party at Scarlet. Every Sunday, Scarlet has a "liquid brunch" in which the doors open at 1:00pm (and close at 2:00am) and you sip on $12 bottles of champagne and cheap drinks and shots. When we walked in (after I fell out on the sidewalk because 1) I was drunk and 2) my stilettos may or may not have given out- nevertheless, I didn't feel anything) it felt like a nightclub in the middle of the day; there was a doorman, a DJ and even VIP sections with bottle service and champagne bottles with sparklers. I knew that I walked into heaven. What I loved most is that every one was extremely friendly and since there were only so many girls there, a lot of guys were buying us a lot of drinks and shots. Everyone was also gettin' down on the dance floor like it was midnight...but it was only 3:00pm. I don't think I've danced so much in my life and my friend who always tries to "keep it classy" and acts reserves was dancing like she was auditioning for a Beyonce video. Even though some random girls pulled me into the bathroom with them as I was waiting for it, and proceeded to ramble to me as if we were bff's, this was seriously one of the best times of my life. I can't wait to go back.

I don't normally check out gay bars but this one was pretty hopping early on a Friday night so my friends and I decided to stop in. The music was bumping, the DJ was grreat, and they even had a deal on Absolut vodka pitchers ($10 and you're set!). The dance floor is quite small, so you're constantly getting bumped into. However, I'd return here because it really is a good place to dance!

I came here on St. Patrick's Day with a couple of guy friends. It was packed when we walked through. Probably helped that there was free cover! The space is quite small compared to other clubs like Roscoe's or Hydrate. The bartender in the back was feeling the music and dancing along which was cute. He gave us a free drink for rooting him on. Haha. The music is more top 40s, which I don't really care about. I think that if I wanted something more low-key and intimate, I would pick this place.

By far best music and dance place for me. Bartenders are nice and cute. I liked the environment how clean it was...good job. Had a good time here.

I liked the ambiance of this place. People seemed quite friendly. The space was small enough where you can mingle with other people. The DJ was awesome. He was playing hit after hit. I came here on a Thursday night. They had $5 40oz beer specials. Seriously, can you really beat that? I think that is great. It looks like there are many other drink specials during the week as well.

Scarlet is everything you would expect from a bar in Boystown! I was first introduced to Scarlet the first weekend that I moved to Lakeview by a random group of drunken strangers. They told my group of friends that this was the place to be and I thank them to this day for introducing me to this place. My first visit was during the weekend of the 4th of July so the whole place was booming with excitement. love visiting Scarlet because there is always a good story that comes out of a visit. Unlike many places that I've visited in the surrounding area everyone seems to genuinely enjoy themselves. The DJ is always playing the best dancing music from today's artist or artist from the 90s. The DJ never fails to take the crowd back to the boy band era which makes the crowd go nuts. I one thing I love the most about Scarlet is that they also seem to have the same local rapper that performs during random moments throughout the night. Every time the person performs the crowd is so into whatever they are rapping about. There are a couple of things that prevents Scarlet from being 5 stars. The biggest thing that brings down their rating is the fact that they only have two bathrooms (one male and one female) and the bathrooms are always disgusting no matter the time of night. The second biggest thing is that overdue it with the smoke machine. I'm not sure if they are trying to slowing chock us with the smoke or make the place look more packed but sometimes you can barely see an arm length in front of you. Overall I love Scarlet because I know every time I visit it will be a good time!

Always hit up Scarlet when other places in Boystown disappoint. Makes me wonder why I don't just plan to come here in the first place? Everyone is dancing, drinking and having an amazing time. Sexy, fun vibe and totally affordable drinks. PLUS if you are interested in women, this is one of the few places you'll find that has gay women. Some other places, if you can even find a girl, she's just lost her bachelorette party group and will be insulted you thought she could be a lesbian LOL. If you get overwhelmed easily, it is dark, narrow, crowded and loud. Makes for a perfect dance-it-out or dance-floor-makeout place but don't plan to chat or sit down!

Scarlet has risen from the ashes. Well designed space, adorable bartenders and the boozy specials that only Boystown can deliver. Went in here for a lightly attended Yelp Gay Night and had lots of fun. Okay, it was just John B. and me and Mesum and Dane and a few other cute guys who's name I can't remember (forgive me!) yapping the night away and downing the Long Island Iced Tea specials. It was really funny to see people suckin' on paper bag covered fawdies, another of the specials - that always amuses. I walked in at 8 PM and it was absolutely dead, but picked up quickly without ever becoming oppressively crowded. This was a Thursday, though, what I call the New Friday. My only bitch was that around 10 PM, someone came by and took away our chairs at the bar. Hey! Time to go! Policy is policy, but it really wasn't crowded enough to really need the extra space. All that said, sure, I'd come back. It's a cute place, love the dishy bartenders, and a very friendly vibe.