Since 2003, Jackhammer has been serving LGBTQ+ communities by creating and preserving a safe space for exploration, education, leisure, and community engagement for visitors and locals throughout Chicagoland and across the globe.
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Not what I expected.
From reading the profile descriptions on various websites, I was expecting leather and levi bears and cubs all over the place, especially when I visited the connecting leather and fetish store. I found a lot of very sexy and cute little twinks, all dressed very pretty and trendy. I'll still come back, the staff were extremely friendly and made me feel like i've been a regular for years, the decor was clean and inviting, kinda trendy, and the twinks are pretty to look at, but just not what I expected.
Great neighborhood bar.
PROS: Very nice and open space. Bartenders are cute and crowd was nice. The back area the best spot. CONS: Jeeze.. kill the lights. It is like an interrogation lights up in the front bar. Yes having bands play is a unique touch, but all the bands I saw sucked ( 3 different nights ) and you couldnt talk to anyone next to you because the music was so loud. OVERALL: This place needs to determine what it wants to be. A cool indi concert bar, or a gay bar. I would just pass on the upstairs and go to the other bar downstairs instead.
History lesson,,,,
A few years ago, this bar went through a major remodeling, and transformed from a dive bar catering to bears and leathermen to a cute neighborhood bar catering to bears and leathermen. It's a lot brighter and cleaner now, with wall-length windows that look out onto Clark Street, an upstairs bar and dance floor, and a small back deck. In addition to the requisite male dancers and amateur strip nights, Jackhammer now hosts live music and other events. The clientele is still gay, but the bar now attracts a wider variety of gays and some straight folks. Be aware that the back bar on the main floor may not, not safe for casual viewing, and the men's room -- while all clean and shiny, with new fixtures -- lacks any dividers between urinals -- or what would normally be stalls. So if you don't want guys checking out your material while you pee -- or worse -- you'd better hold it.