Le Bistro

Cabaret Strippers | Transgender | Cruising | Organized Crime

821 N. 3rd ST
Milwaukee, WI 53203

State Region

Southeast WI

Neighborhood

Westtown

Year Opened: 1996
Year Closed: 1998

Exact Date Opened: Unknown
Exact Date Closed: Unknown

Clientele Primarily Identified As

Mixed, Black

Logo:

Le Bistro A-Go-Go, open September 25, 1964, was one of Milwaukee's first real discotheques. Run by Angelo DiGiorgio, partner of the Balistrieri crime family, the club featured nearly-naked go-go girls (many of whom were female impersonators) in brass cages. In 1966, it introduced "Total Environment," an immersive dance floor experience using hallucinatory images, music, lighting, and dry ice to mimic an acid trip. After shifting to all-striptease, the club hosted "shockingly erotic" performances by transgender dancer Sir Lady Java, whose California censorship lawsuit later inspired local transgender activist Misty Dawn to fight for women's rights. Razed in 1967.