History
The first location was opened in 1934 when William "Billy Goat" Sianis bought the Lincoln Tavern, near Chicago Stadium, for $205 with a bounced check (he made good on it with the proceeds from the first weekend they were open). When the 1944 Republican National Convention came to town, he posted a sign saying "No Republicans allowed" causing the place to be packed with Republicans demanding to be served. Of course, a great deal of publicity followed and Sianis took advantage of that fact.
In 1964, it moved to its current location under Michigan Avenue, made possible by Chicago's network of multilevel streets. Being situated between the offices of the Chicago Tribune and the old Chicago Sun-Times building led to the tavern's being mentioned in any number of newspaper columns, particularly those of Mike Royko.
In the 1970s, Sianis petitioned the mayor of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, to issue him the first liquor license for the moon. His hope, according to the letter that currently adorns the establishment's wall, was to best serve his country by serving delicious cheeseburgers to wayfaring astronauts as well as raising moon-goats.
On New Year's Eve 2005, the tavern fittingly held the farewell party for the famed City News Bureau of Chicago, whose reporters were a fixture at the Billy Goat for decades. A small sign commemorating America's first news agency still hangs near the northwest wall.
In what he said he hopes becomes a tradition, Illinois's Republican junior U.S. Senator-elect Representative Mark Kirk met with his defeated Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, for 20 minutes at the Chicago tavern following the bitter campaign and a tight election, where both sides had made each other's missteps very public.
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