The Menagerie — Restaurant in Riverside

This is an acceptable bar through most of the week. The Monday night karaoke is great, as are the drag shows and live musical performances they've started having. However, I strongly recommend steering clear of it on Friday and Saturday nights. At these times, it is completely overrun by neighboring bars' overflow of random straight people, many of whom are quite rude and pushy. Pushy in a very literal sense.

On my last Friday night here, I was talking to a friend by the bar. I got shoved towards the bar by a stream of people, including the bouncer. I tried to brace myself with one hand against the bar, to politely keep myself from tumbling into the other people there. This wasn't good enough, as I still ended up bumping shoulders with some dude who was there with his wife (ugh). He then got all pissy, as if I'd just goosed him or something, and shoved me back (double ugh).

Straight people at a gay bar--fine. Hundreds of straight people at a gay bar--whatever. Hundreds of straight people, who often get weird & defensive about their heterosexuality--too much.

I kinda feel bad complaining about this, as it's not really the bar's fault. Although it does have plenty of other shortcomings. There is no happy hour, and the drinks are overpriced. Although there is apparently a DJ, it seems there is just one default playlist; you are almost guaranteed to hear that "I'm Sexy and I Know It" song anytime you go. And of course, some of the bouncers are jerks. But the bartenders are generally pleasant and doing their best. The location is great, in lovely and increasingly lively downtown Riverside (though this is both a blessing and a curse). And I can't help but have affection for it--it is after all one of only two gay bars in town. I just wish it were better. And I swear (this time I mean it for real!), I will never ever go there on a Friday or Saturday again. You probably don't...

I went to this club four times total but last night I got really scared about how the staff treat and look after their customers. I was in a group of 5, we just ordered our drinks from the bartender, 15 minutes later one of my friends started to feel bad and asked me to get her some water. I got in line and on my turn I asked for tap water and the bartender said he could not give me tap water and turned away. After that, I caught his attention again and said I could buy a bottle of water. Unreasonably, the bartender said he could not sell me water thru my debit card. I appealed saying my friend was not feeling good and the guy literally said that was not his problem, adding that he had rules to follow. Whatever these rules are, I don’t recommend a dog to set foot to a place that denies the most available and basic need of a human being, specially in a party. This action is inhuman and unacceptable. I called my friend out and we left the club. We went to the next club and there were plenty of water sold/...

This gay bar is much more low key then the VIP. I like it because it’s not trying to be a trendy gay bar. There’s music and a dance floor. But if your like me and aren’t much in to dancing there’s a back room that opens up to a patio. The music volume is much lower in the area. Making it a good place to talk to friends. Though even in the back you’ll need to speak loudly. Oh yah, there’s a short to no line and no cover charge. Even on Friday night.

There are things I don’t like. If you want a drink, you need to stand in a line at one of two cash registers. My friend and I got a seat at the bar and for well over 30 min the bartender kept saying, “I’ll be right with you guys.” I think it was about 45 min until we realized that if we wherever going to get a drink, we would have to stand in line. The other thing I didn’t like was the fact that the bartenders didn’t want to give drink recommendations and where kind of rude.

Other then that, it’s an okay gay bar with no cover charge. Key word being “no...