Cell Block Chicago

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I had the pleasure of being served by Sergio, and I have to say, he made my night unforgettable! Not only is he an exceptional bartender, but hes also one of the coolest and most welcoming guys Ive ever met. From the moment I walked in, Sergio made me feel like a VIP. His friendly demeanor and attention to detail made the entire experience top-notch. Whether it was crafting the perfect cocktail or just having a great conversation, Sergio truly knows how to make his guests feel special. If youre looking for a spot with a great vibe and an even better bartender, this is the place to be.Thanks, Sergio, for making my night one to remember!.World Class Service.

Love how welcoming this place is from management to bartenders. Its not uptight even though its boys Town. Actually I dont think boys town is uptight. Make sure you stop in youll have a great time

Great location look for Sergio the bar tender very cordial n very customer service oriented. Always able to make my drink with no issues. As to parking its a hit and miss. The atmosphere is wonderful everyone is so friendly. Want to just sit and conv with friends pull up a seat. Maybe shoot some darts or maybe play some poll. The back room is a bit darker with a bar n dance floor plenty of seating area and musiic to set the mood. And the rest is just great.

Super friendly staff and very welcoming atmosphere. The drinks are very reasonably priced and the music fits the fun upbeat vibe!

No food but youre allowed to bring outside food in. The Bar service was great and the atmosphere was Awesome, especially the back room 😊 on Fridays, Especially Saturdays and Sundays

On gay pride weekend, management let a cackling group of girls in the back room while dudes were doing their thing. Total buzzkill. They just stood there awkward for nearly 10 mins until they left on their own. Nobody wanted them there. You’re either going to run a seedy gay bar w a back room for MEN or you’re going to run a Disney-themed dive bar where no one does anything. You can’t do both. If management wants to retain its clientele , they shouldn’t be allowing groups of girls in.

Of the few bars i went to during my visit to the city, this is the one i returned to the most. clientele was very fun and the music was bumpin! the only thing i would’ve liked is if there were some more NA options for the occasions when you’d like to hang out but not have a tipsy night.

Great pace to have a fun time with friendly staff and bartenders. Casually hang out with friends, play darts, pool, or just chill.If you want something more, head to the back bar. Always friendly people to meet and explore with.

Long time customer wishing for the cell block that wasn’t so much about drug parties. They fired long time staff a while ago and kicked out CODE then kinda just got super messy. LOAD party was scary, bartender selling drugs right in front of us. Place smells like an open sewer in areas. Did not feel safe so left.

Always a great time at Cell Block. Great staff, drinks and guys of course. Check it out. It’s an experience. The music, vibe, energy…All good imo.

First time here bartender was super nice I think his name was Jack loved the environment and and the music will be returning

Joe and the BEST COAT CHECKER IN THE WORLD SHALOM are the best parts of this place! I prefer going when theres less of a crowd bc of social anxiety lol but highly recommend!

Nice and attentive staff. Great guys and vibe. Fun times!

I have no issue with the place in general. Love the staff, but clearly randomly close, with no notice on private events on thier web page or social media. Suggest you call each and every time before you go. Wasted money traveling there, based on the website, and found it closed.When not closed randomly, its a good place and fun. Good drinks and friendly people.

Fun chill bar. My favorite bartenders are there, and as a leather bar I’ve always felt comfortable. Only thing is they have to clean the place a little bit better cause sometimes it smells lol.

Always have a great time when I come to this bar

What an absolutely amazing space. Friendly bartenders. Clean and well kept with a lovely amount of “grunge” feel without being gross. Good clientele. And amazing back of house entertainment.

I have a complicated opinion on this business. The manager Joe and the bar staff are amazing and inclusive, and make sure the bar is a safe space. There was, however, a significant layoff of staff who had been at the business for years and made it popular with regulars.Events like Sunday Bunday draw in a crowd of regulars, and it is a space for me to catch up with people every couple of weeks. The current owners of the bar have a difficult time managing their public perception. In early 2022 they received criticism for canceling the event CODE. In response, the owners responded by banning the event organizer for expressing frustration with the bar. Businesses have the right to do this; however, the public also has the right to express criticism of private businesses.There has been a significant issue with sewage odors recently--it goes beyond back-alley bar charm. It doesnt seem like there has been much progress in addressing this over months.

I’ve visited here plenty of times in the past and have enjoyed myself. But tonight it was different. I was here for the Organized Crime L.O.A.D party. I was told it was an inclusive party and the bar itself was too. I didn’t get that experience once the crowed started to pick up. The bartender in the back right corner bar started ignoring me after having a tab open with him for an hour. He was deliberately serving everyone else around and even the people that walked up after me! It got to the point where I needed to ask a friend (who was standing to my right after noticing me being ignored) to ask them to close my tab. They then proceeded to ignore my fiend after that. I wasn’t over-served, and I was invited to be there by a host of the party… I’m not sure what I did to deserve this treatment, but it really bothered me to the point I went home. I don’t know if I’ll be back anytime soon.

Did you know they have an ATM? It’s in the back and it’s only $3.00!

I love this place. It’s the gay bar for everybody who maybe isn’t a pretty boy. Dive bar atmosphere with three distinct spaces. It’s the place for puppies, kitties, bears, cubs, daddies, kinksters, etc. Where else can you find a kinky space in Chicago, as well as a place that is frequented by pups, daddy and (human) pets. It’s nice to have a place in this city.

I had a very nice experience here ... Im new to the scene and asked if they served food and customer suggested a few restaurants in the area and I was allowed to bring my takeout food in the bar and I ordered a few drinks... The customers and bartender were very nice and friendly...I will be back..

Great place. Great atmosphere. Staff is great.

There are two bars: a front bar and a back bar next to the back room where shenanigans happen. The front bar has friendlier bartenders. The back bar seems to be defensive about people who come in and order water in order to cruise the back room, and they insist that there a $10 minimum. Which is fair I suppose because it’s a business not a public service. Anyway, it’s a fun, uncomplicated and lightly rather than aggressively sleazy place. If you want to chill with the locals then you’re happy in the front bar. Is you’re there to cruise then the back bar is for you. Something for everyone!

I Love This Bar. Everyone is so laid-back and friendly. They have a variety of different events catering to people have different tastes. And several specialty drinks. I strongly recommend the blue bomber. Easy to get to, and no cover charge tonight that I was there. Definitely will go again the next time I pass through town

I love the back bar in the back room so very inviting

I love the atmosphere and staff. I had a great time here. If you are from out of town I highly recommend this place.

I give 2 stars because of the interesting sites you may see in the backroom. But on some level I think the bartenders here have less respect for men of color, especially if they arent in the club of yap queens that are their favorites. Several times I have stood at the bar to order and been overlooked repeatedly. Bartender even serving others that came up after me.

This bar was one of the first I visited when I came to Chicago! Fantastic atmosphere, Amazing bartenders, leathermen (and occasional woman), super fun weekends, and a liberated environment!! I love this place!Be sure to stop by on weekends and check out The Pound!!This is one place you can express and embrace yourself without fear!

The service and environment provided by the establishment and more specifically GREG was FABULOUS!!! He made me feel comfortable and welcomed, not to mention the bomb drinks he makes!!! If you need your night to be LIT🔥 come here sober leave LIT LIKE A BON FIRE!!!

Always great food, some of the best fish around and the salad and soup bar is delicious. Service is sometimes horrible, unless you sit st the bar you probably are gonna be ignored.

I love this place! My favorite element is the staff: they are warm, trustworthy and fun. This is a local dive bar and it ranges from quiet to raucous, depending on the day. This place rocks.

Good drinks especially lemon electrical and the crispy chocolate chip was really strong and tastefull. Thank you for the nice trip. Would recommend

First time there. Bartender was a bit snippy but it was partially an odd night. I’d recommend for sure. Careful of people being grouchy with out of towners

I find this place just gross and especially, on a sanitary level questionable to say the least. Definitely avoid this place if you dont want to catch Monkey pox or STIs.And dont get me started on the crowd...

I usually have a good time here so I brought a friend who was visiting and my friend went to the bar to get me a water and the bartender rolled their eyes at my friend for whatever reason.

I use to go to Cell Block a while back early 1979 to 1980s it was a blast a very good place to hangout on weekends. Just like Aguies bar by the bus terminal on Halsted & Broadway

I like the place. Low-key and very friendly. Unless its Thursday or Friday, I dont think a crowd is expected. One thing that I dont get was the cash-only policy, hence the 4 stars.

Best little bar on halsted. Dustin the day time bartender is an amazing bartender who makes it his personal mission to make you feel like his regulars within the first five minutes. A place to go to meet great people, have great drinks, cheep laughs and amazing bartenders. The decor and the sometimes smell of old chicago keeps the uppity ones at bay. You deffently get alot more then what you see at Cell block. A true diamond in the Ruff, cheers.

Always nice always point discreet and fun the workers are always nice to you. just the music box sometimes customers play so fking depressing music that all

Sorry but what I though it was a good community turned out to be a bunch of thief’s, my jacket was stolen. Not a safe place in Chicago. Not worth it.

Not often my favorite haunt. Several times the back-bar has reeked of spilled beer and urine (in a bad way) and otherwise been unpalatable. The entire complex is rarely full, and frequently empty... making visiting there alone an awkward and sometimes creepy experience.

I love everything about this bar. Great bartenders, fun atmosphere, good friends. Bring your friends or make a new one kind of bar.

Scam, they make you pay $30 if you go to the restroom and come back. Don’t go to the restroom skrewball, they will charge you $30 to return to the back room

It’s been a few years since my last visit and it’s just as good as that last time!

Mean bartender. Bad vibes.

Great place and love their events. I wasnt sure if Id feel welcome but theyre great!

Fun, super nice crowd and a great bartender. One thing to note is they are cash only but have an atm on site.

Nice bar with friendly people. The back area is great for extra fun too.

Thank you to the staff at Cellblock, who let us wait inside for our Lyft. You guys are the best, and will continue getting my business!!

A perfect place for the kinky pup of chicago to go grab a drink in a dog bowl. I have my own bowl kept there! (Pup Striker WAGS)

The person on the first bar now take us outside because is very ignorant. And arrogant.

Just yuk. And rude doorman and my 1st time.

Been a while since ive been there but a good time hang out beer bar.

Possibly my favorite gay bar in the city.

Theyve kicked up their game. Love the staff, and non judgemental patrons.

Dive feel but very queer friendly and quick staff that makes you feel important

The bartenders and drink specials are this bars saving grace, it needs to figure out if it wants to be a kink bar or not

Great place with great bartenders. Amazing show of pride in the community!

Terrible

Bartender over charged me 🙄

Pride Fest, they cheat on drinks and over priced. Like every where :)

They must urgently invest in cleanliness, disinfection and odor.

Great place to unwind and play pool after a long day of work

Definitely worth the trip here

Always a good time.

Tmx

Now OPEN W/ JOHN 1:30PM

Always a gooood time .

Because. I dont have to explain myself to you.

That backroom tho 🔥

Hateful, shallow people

👍👍👍🌈🍻🍸💟

Nice and cheap.

Rock on

I go there every time I come to Chicago. Each time before last night, I’ve had a good time. But last night 08/23/2024 the bartender at the back bar, was paying attention just to his friends. He ignored me while I was waiting for his service at the service station at the bar. He probably made a good amount of tips from his friends but definitely, his choice to ignore other customers hurt the bar and left us other customers unattended.

Good place