uncutedge

nice place

This is the only gay place left on what was the gay strip. It's also just about the only option open before 11pm. Service and food are very good, the prices are in line with other trendy places in ipanema (a bit high compared to rio overall but still not expensive by world standards). Popular with locals and tourists. This place is pretty much a must for any gay visitor to Rio.

excellent deal

Good value. Big comfortable bed. Fast wifi. Big breakfast selection included. I'll definitely come back to this hotel

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT

Back when this bar was Keith's it sucked - rude/indifferent staff and nasty clients. Plus bad drinks at bad prices. NOW, thanks to the new owner, it's 100% different - the bartenders are great, the drinks are good, the prices are good, there are fun specials and theme nights, and the crowd is much bigger and friendlier. There are a core group of regulars but lots of new faces as well. I'm very impressed. 5 stars for this neighborhood hangout!

mediocre

It looks likes my opinion is in the minority here but I don't like Guava Lamp very much. The decor is actually very nice but the layout is bad. There's a huge space between the bar on the one side and tables on the other which makes someone walking in feel very exposed, like all eyes are on them. Except, they aren't, because the place is very clique-ish and it's very difficult to break into the groups of friends. The drinks are average in quality but very high in price, and the bartenders again are very clique-ish - they'd rather sit and chit-chat with their friends than, you know, tend bar. Guava Lamp is obviously going after a more upscale crowd but they need to go to F-Bar, or even Meteor, to see how it's done. I've tried GL a few times but I'm not going back there again if I can help it.

Excellent place

F Bar is by far the best of the many new places that have opened up recently in Houston. The design is really well-done and hip and the patio is beautiful. Happy hour til 9pm is good. I'm impressed!

eh. so so.

The bar isn't terrible. I've tried it a few times at different days/times of the day, and it's never awful, but never that great either. The layout is kinda bad, with a lot of dead/empty space, and the smoking is atrocious - I think the carpeting magnifies the smoking effect. I have lived with various smokers over the last 10 years, I'm not tobacco-phobic, but this bar is ridiculous when it comes to cigarettes, it's like walking into an ashtray, the place needs to be fumigated. The crowd is kinda blah, the bartenders are kinda blah, the drink prices are a bit steep... see what I'm getting at? The outdoor patio area is pretty nice though. This bar would be improved immensely if it banned smoking inside and replaced the carpeting with any kind of hard floor. There's definitely potential but the management needs to make some changes.

Stayed here night of 8-1-2010

OK this has one of the most "mixed" reviews of any place on gaycities, some of you love it, some of you hate it. I decided to try it and judge for myself. Came for the Sunday T-dance and stayed over. Here's my opinion: 1. employees/managment being rude: no, they were professional and nice. had no negative encounters, mostly had positive encounters 2. bartenders being bad: tried out all the bars. all bartenders were friendly, though some drinks were better than others. probably would not have thought twice about it had some reviewers here not commented. drinks aren't cheap but if you stay there you can go to the liquor store next door and bring your own. 3. cleanliness: room was perfectly clean. there's a difference between being totally updated/modern and being clean. this place is definitely not updated, probably last remodel was early 80's? but it is maintained and clean. 4. noise: yes it's noisy until 2am. expect this, and bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper (like me) 5. the neighborhood: yes it's skanky but it won't seem overtly dangerous unless you've only lived in white-picket-fence suburbs your whole life. then again some rich-bitch neighborhood wouldn't put up with a loud-ass gay mega-plex among their mcmansions. 6. the crowd: great mix of people. tons of people of all ages, nationalities, etc. whatever it is you like, it's here, and it's friendly. All in all, I would definitely recommend this place ***if you know what to expect***. I had a blast. But if you come here expecting the four seasons, and/or if you're totally prudish about gay men being gay men and cruising, you might not like it.