Twisted Spoke Chicago Review: The Bar That Taught Me Pool, Motorcycles, and Why Condoms Aren’t Toys

Twisted Spoke Chicago Review: The Bar That Taught Me Pool, Motorcycles, and Why Condoms Aren’t Toys

Some restaurants teach you about food.

Some bars teach you about life.

The Twisted Spoke taught me both.

Long before it became the Chicago institution most people remember, a massive multi-level destination with a rooftop deck, whiskey selections, legendary Bloody Marys, biker culture, and one of the most recognizable signs in the city it was just a rough-around-the-edges neighborhood biker bar. (CBS News)

Back then, Sunday mornings meant climbing onto the back of my dad’s Harley and heading to Twisted Spoke.

While everyone else remembers rooftop brunches, whiskey Wednesdays, and the giant spinning skeleton riding a motorcycle on the roof, my memories go back even further. (CBS News)

This is the place where I learned how to play pool.

Not well.

Just enough to understand that bank shots matter, corners matter, and if you don’t have enough room to pull the cue all the way back, you better learn some creative geometry.

Twisted Spoke was also where I learned one of the most important lessons of childhood.

The machine in the bathroom that dispenses condoms is not, in fact, a toy vending machine.

A lesson every kid apparently has to learn exactly once.

The food was exactly what you wanted from a biker bar.

Greasy.

Delicious.

Questionably healthy.

I still remember omelets so greasy they probably violated several modern health guidelines.

And they were fantastic.

What made Twisted Spoke special wasn’t just the food or the drinks.

It was the personality.

Every corner had character.

Every regular had a story.

Every visit felt like stepping into a place that existed outside the normal polished version of Chicago.

And then there was the skeleton.

If you grew up in Chicago, you know the skeleton.

The motorcycle-riding skeleton that sat above the building became one of the neighborhood’s unofficial mascots. Over the years it was dressed up for holidays, events, and local sports moments. My favorite memory was when they turned it into Dennis Rodman, complete with the clown-colored hair and Bulls jersey. That image is permanently burned into my memory.

Twisted Spoke officially closed in 2025 after roughly three decades of serving West Town and Chicago’s biker, whiskey, brunch, and neighborhood communities. Rising costs, changing habits, and the passage of time finally caught up with one of the city’s most beloved institutions. (Axios)

Today the building at 501 N. Ogden has entered a new chapter.

The space is now home to Soccer House, a soccer-focused gathering spot created by Garret Drexler, who previously worked with the U.S. Soccer Federation and Chicago Fire. The venue features multiple match-viewing areas with plans for the rooftop beer garden to continue serving crowds as Chicago prepares for the FIFA World Cup excitement ahead. (Facebook)

And honestly?

That’s probably how cities are supposed to work.

Places evolve.

Buildings change.

New memories replace old ones.

But for those of us who remember Twisted Spoke before the rooftop crowds, before the destination dining, before the neighborhood transformed around it, it’ll always be more than a bar.

It was a place where a kid learned pool.

Learned motorcycles.

Learned a few life lessons.

And ate some of the greasiest omelets Chicago has ever produced.

Everyone has their own Twisted Spoke story.

That’s mine.

And like the skeleton on the motorcycle, it’s one I’ll never forget.

RIP Twisted Spoke.

Thanks for the memories.