Fathom

TL;DR: A long-overdue queer dive bar for the northwest side. Charming yet subtle nautical vibes, well-crafted cocktails ($12–20), solid N/A options that don’t feel overpriced, and owners are a queer couple who clearly poured their hearts into it. An instant neighborhood gem! — I’ve been keeping an eye on this place since I heard of its inception, so you best believe we came opening night… And we were very impressed! We live in Avondale so having a queer bar so much closer to us than Boystown is SUUHCHHHH a welcome addition. Plus the owners are a couple of badass women who put so much professionalism and love into everything they do, so supporting them feels like such a win too! Despite being busy for a Thursday, it didn’t feel like a long wait to get drinks, it wasn’t overly crowded, and the service was prompt and very friendly. The atmosphere is lively, yet chill enough to easily have a conversation. The interior and decor elements are sooooo freakin’ cute too. It has this modern nautical theme, but without being overdone or too “on the nose”. They really leaned into the bar being a queer DIVE bar. Subtle, yet so charming. The drinks were perfectly balanced with great presentation. Prices are very reasonable for such well-crafted cocktails (ranging from $12-20). And! They even have spirit-free options that don’t cost $40, which is very much the moment (I know we all hate when the N/A menu is the same pricing as the boozy drinks). My spirit-free mojito was $8. Perfect. No food offerings, just as an FYI. This spot is everything you want in a contemporary dive bar: Relaxed yet fun, warm and welcoming, and thoughtfully designed with lots of space and multiple gender-neutral restrooms… And lest we forget: QUEER! Look for the drunken seagull and you know you’re in the right place! (Not me… the adorable sign outside). :) Edit: When speaking to it being for the “northwest side”, I guess I really just mean how easily it can be accessed from there via Belmont bus because it’s obviously not west.

Excellent new place! Slammed but bartenders are keeping up and getting through the line. The two bar lines also help! Great classic drinks, I look forward to what cocktail program they end up implementing and hope it's here for years to come!

Went for a Vietnamese popup and enjoyed my time! Cannot wait to come back to try to the weekend happy hour.

First visited a few weeks after opening. It was then billed as a ‘queer dive bar.’ It seems they’ve since dropped the ‘dive’ part. We stopped in on Saturday night over Labor Day weekend around 10:15. There was a $5 cover (really?) for the DJ who was just playing records. About a dozen people total in the bar. The drinks were decent but $15-19 is on the very high end of the acceptable price range for a place like this. Both bartenders seemed bothered that we ordered drinks, pulling them away from their phones. Sitting at the bar for about 45 minutes, at least 15 people walked away when they discovered there was a cover for a nearly empty bar. (Congratulations, you turned down a few hundred bucks in revenue trying to collect $75 in cover charges.) The doorperson left about 11:00, assuming the cover charge ended. With so many other options, there’s just nothing that would draw us back to this place. It lacks identity and energy. I’d be surprised if it makes it through the winter.

so glad this spot has joined the neighborhood! love the vibe, music & menu. would say between the lightbulb temp and screens it’s a little too BRIGHT to feel truly cozy/romantic..