The Gay Bar — Restaurant in Sherman Township

So I'm a violinist from Wisconsin who is in Houghton, MI playing opera for the Pine Mountain Music Festival. Several of my colleagues told me that a trip to The Gay Bar was not to be missed, especially for the bartender's sassily disdainful demeanor ( you play music for a living?!?). Headed up today and was not disappointed. My request for a Manhattan was met with spluttering disbelief, much amusement from the locals (who are awesome if not overly chatty with weirdo out of towners), and a Google search for the recipe lol. The resulting drink was actually pretty good, and the fried pickle spears were really tasty. Made even better by the withering putdown " Does that Manhattan complement the fried pickles?" Yeah, it's a weird combination. I really wanted a glass of wine but didn't dare order one for fear of being thrown out head first. All in all a unique and memorable experience! Definitely worth the drive and a glimpse into the UP's mining community past. Never change, Gay Bar, you are perfect...

Saw the mixed reviews and figured I’d try it for myself. It’s not a “must stop” as some others have stated unless youre after novelty or want a souvenir (will admit they have pretty good shirts); it’s just a small town bar. Bartender was friendly and effective but they don’t really have menus; I got a brew and an Italian hot dog which was pretty good considering it was microwaved (you can hear the thing running in the “kitchen”). Prices were fine but higher than they should be considering the value you’re getting.

No tvs on or music playing, bit of an awkward vibe with just a few locals in there.

No real complaints, it was completely mediocre and apart from the novelty of Gay there isn’t really a point imo

I can see it being a nice stop for ORV riders as they sell beer and fuel but beyond that, meh.

**cash only but they...

This was such a let down! Went to get lunch August 3rd and were snapped at by one of the bartenders that only frozen pizzas could be ordered, but that another bartender had to take drink orders if we wanted drinks… ok...

The second bartender could barely pour three sodas, and the two bartenders couldn’t stop complaining about how they would only serve pizzas and no one could order any other kind of food because there were too many people in the bar (maybe 15-20 max) and between two people they couldn’t manage food and drinks. After one table ordered several pizzas, they cranked the music so loud the remaining patrons, us included, left. We had a group of 11 who were more than willing to order food and drinks but the snark attitude made the wait not worth it at all. I wouldn’t recommend nor would I...