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Twisted Spoke closing in West Town after 30 years

By
Sara Tenenbaum
Sara Tenenbaum
Senior Web Producer, CBS Chicago
Sara Tenenbaum is the Senior Digital Producer for CBS News Chicago, overseeing editorial operations and social media, and covering breaking, local and community news.
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Sara Tenenbaum,
Adam Harrington
Adam Harrington
Web Producer, CBS Chicago
Adam Harrington is a digital producer at CBS Chicago, where he first arrived in January 2006.
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Adam Harrington

/ CBS Chicago

The Twisted Spoke, a mainstay bar of the West Town community, is closing its doors after 30 years.

The owner of Twisted Spoke posted on the Tuesday that they'll be closing their doors forever at the end of August.

"Everything dies. Bars, rock'n'roll, reputations—even the hard men who built them. After 30 years of blood, grease, and bourbon, Twisted Spoke is grinding to a halt," the post reads. "The lease is up. Spend more time with family. Need to focus on my health and well-being. August 31st is the last ride. No more Fatboys. No more wings that could raise the dead. No more Road Rash Mary to cure your sins. 4 Whiskey Wednesdays left. 4 rooftop brunches in the blazing sun. That's it."

Twisted Spoke, perched on the corner of Ogden and Grand avenues, is known for its large selection of whiskey, an extensive bloody mary menu, and its popular rooftop where you can eat and drink while looking out over its iconic spinning motorcycle and skeleton rider

Twisted Spoke has been in business since 1995..

While the beloved bar may be closing, the owners seemed to signal on social media they're not quite done with the industry yet.

"After that? We'll be sitting in the wreckage, chain-smoking and scheming. Bad ideas never die," they wrote.

For several years, Twisted Spoke had a second location at Clark and Roscoe streets under the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line tracks in Wrigeyville. This location closed in 2008 and was supplanted by other bars — notably including the  Houndstooth Saloon, which closed in 2023. The current occupant of the Clark Street space, , opened at the site recently.  

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