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Talk about truth in advertising! I love a divey gay bar, and so I definitely came to the right place. The bar is darker than the pictures would suggest, and it's on a strange street--definitely not a place you would happen to stumble across as a tourist. Friendly with good drinks. If you like dive bars, you'll like this one; if you don't, you will probably run away screaming. lol
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This is a true neighborhood bar. Very friendly, diverse crowd. The patio area is great, even in the summer thanks to all the misters. It's probably a good thing I don't live in Houston--I would likely spend far too much time here.
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This is one of my new favorite bars anywhere. It's similar to Eagle bars in other cities, though with a slightly more Texan vibe. Very relaxed, friendly, laidback, with good drinks. If you're in Houston, you must check it out!
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Not a gay bar
This was such a disappointment. I went on a Friday night while visiting Toronto. Literally, about 70% of the crowd was straight women, and another 5-10% were their straight boyfriends. I stayed 10 minutes and then went across the street to Woody’s. -
I don't know what happened to this place. They say the Roman Holy Empire was neither Roman, nor Holy, nor an Empire. This place is neither gay nor a sports bar anymore. I went on a Saturday night, and it was full of the same drunk college kids that now infest all the bars in the U St corridor. So sad. This place used to be a fun, laidback bar for gays of all ages--not any more.
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Don't let the name fool you. This place attracts a very diverse crowd (of men) and has something for everyone on Friday/Saturday nights. The vibe is very friendly and unpretentious--especially from the bartenders. I discovered this place on a weekend trip to Baltimore, and I ended up going back every night.
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This is a great downtown bar. I was staying at the Westin Bonaventure for work, and a friend told me to check out Mattachine. Nice combination of "coolness" without the snobby attitude. The bourbon drinks were so good that I was a tad hungover the next morning. I will definitely go back.
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This is a gem that you may miss if you don't look for it. It's right off the main drag (Olas Altas), but it's small and fairly inconspicuous--which turns out to be one of its selling points. Nice, cute bartenders are playing music videos off of YouTube (and they're happy to take requests!), and the crowd is usually older, polite, and fun.
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This is a fun, big gay bar with different levels for drinking, socializing, drag/go-go boy watching. Be sure to catch the view at the very top. SuperWendy (the resident drag host) is a fun, hot mess. Unfortunately some nights the bar is taken over by drunk, obnoxious straight people, but otherwise it's a must-visit spot in PV.
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This is not a gay bar. My partner and I went on Saturday night. 80% of the clientele were rowdy, straight women monopolizing the karaoke machine. The bartenders were nice enough (and slow), but it's hard to enjoy a drink when a drunk, tone-deaf girl is belching Lada Gaga. The bar even pumps the karaoke into the patio area, so no respite there. #anothergaybarruinedbyhenparties
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This bar epitomizes the Rochester gay bar scene: friendly (if slow) bartenders, cheap strong drinks, diverse crowd of all ages. I was in Rochester for a conference and came here every night. It can be loud during karaoke night, but otherwise it's a very laidback, friendly place.
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Fun, relaxed neighborhood bar
This is my kind of bar. Friendly, unpretentious, diverse crowd, reasonably priced drinks. This is the only gay bar in the downtown area, and as it turned out was only 3 blocks from my hotel. It was a great place to unwind on my own after a work conference. I will come back next time I'm in Milwaukee! -
Downtown's Best Secret
I come to this bar every time I'm in Chicago. I love a good, unpretentious, divey gay bar (an endangered species), and Second Story is as good as it gets. This last time I took my husband, who is NOT a dive bar fan. He wasn't loving the fact that the entire bar is smaller than our living room (he has space issues), but after a couple of strong drinks and after noticing how diverse the crowd was (old men, young boys, big lesbians, lipstick lesbians, etc), he let his hair down and had a great time. -
Great neighborhood bar
While the clientele is mixed, this place definitely has a gay feel to it. The atmosphere is very casual and friendly. I feel equally comfortable taking friends here for an unpretentious brunch or dropping in by myself during the week for a drink or dinner (half-price pasta night!). -
Go for Bear Happy Hour
This is a fun place to go on Friday nights if you like a big, diverse crowd. The atmosphere is friendly, and there are plenty of different types of guys beyond the typical DC clone (not that there's anything wrong with clones). The kind of place where you be in an untucked flannel shirt and drink beer straight from a pitcher. -
Great standby
I've never been disappointed here. It won't win any awards for originality, but it's a reliable place to go for chicken parmigiana and people-watching in Dupont. -
Truly exceptional
My partner and I stayed here for a week in March 2011. I don't know where to begin. The rooms are beautiful, the breakfast is superlative, and the staff is friendly and helpful. Another reviewer said the smaller rooms were perfect because she was spending most of her time in town. We stayed in one of the suites, which was perfect because we spent a lot of time relaxing at the hotel. How can you go wrong with your own private super-size outdoor hot tub?? This was unlike any beach resort or chain luxury hotel we had ever stayed in before, and we won't even think of staying anywehre else next time we are in PV. -
Neighborhood bar, no more no less
I agree with everything MammyGraham says, but that's why I LOVE this bar. If you're looking to pick up a pretty young thing, go online. If you're looking for a divey bar with cheap drinks and a friendly, alcoholic crowd who won't give a shit if you're wearing denim on demin--then this is your place. (Don't come here for the food, though. Seriously.) -
Small town club, big city attitude
1. If you're a club person, you're in the wrong city. 2. If you're not a club person, then don't waste your time going to Tilt. The place is overrun with 18-21 year olds (again, fine if that's what you're looking for, but don't expect much). The music is terribly outdated. Worst, the bartenders are arrogant and slow--this would be annoying enough in a place like New York City, but it's ridiculous in Rochester.
