All Visitor Reviews for Boots and Saddle (12 reviews)

Not the world's best bar, but a MUST West Village visit. Older crowd, but friendly. It's been there forever and the locals call it Bras and Girdles.

I was on holiday from Australia recently and was taken to B & S by my friend for the 1st time. I must say B & S is one of best bars in NY and definitely a highlight of my trip. The place was well managed, drinks were strong and the whole atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. The Sunday night karaoke was great fun and good looking guys were everywhere!

I enjoyed going on a friday starting at 6pm happy hour special and the ealiest male dancers show, hot!!!. I took some friend of mine there and we had a blast! Needless to say thats one of my number spot on fridays

It's under new management now and it is crowded once again and more fun. They've added a DJ, 29 new beers and Stella, Becks, India Pale Ale on tap. More comfortable, more gracious, and more cruisy, too.

First ~ it sounds like a leather bar (NOT) and it is no longer called Boots and saddles,we called it bras and girdles !! It is now B&S NY.I was a regular for many years ~ Very boring during the days,but they do have 2-1 H. hours,OK at night~they now have strippers

You can still have a good time at this bar due to many wonderful customers and friendly staffers -- Jose, Robert, Gus, Roberto, etc. -- most of whom have no idea that this used to be THE great social center for gay men of all ages, and one of the hottest, cruise bars in town. Now you're just as likely to run into clueless straight women who are either the girlfriends of the mostly straight-identified go go boys or have come to ogle them -- not exactly conducive to a friendly homoerotic atmosphere. Worse yet is "Grumpy," the straight bartender who works solo on Thursday nights and haunts the place like a nasty imp at other times. An aspiring actor, he develops a foul disposition when he doesn't get a callback, taking out his frustrations on some of the customers, even trying to 86 anyone with Gay Pride who dares call him on his dumb and borderline homophobic remarks. Why doesn't the management send this jackass packing? Recommendation: go in the wee hours, after 2 or 3 AM when you want to have another drink and Ty's down the block has closed (remember bars in New York can stay open until 4 AM). But it's sad to contemplate how really great and totally gay this bar used to be.

First visit to B&S since it returned to its notable past -- that is, good old Gay bar. Felt right back at home here, and those at the bar on this crisp Spring afternoon were feeling just the same. Night entertainment will once again become Gay-focused. Sitting at the bar, watching the passing human parade through the window on Christopher Street, felt good indeed. Welcome back, B & S!!!

The straight owners of Boots and Saddle, an historic bar that was supported by the gay community for 32 years, have tried to turn this into a "mixed" [as many customers as possible] "club" with mixed results. On opening night, when a female singing group said they were pleased to be spending Valentine's Day in a gay bar, the new gay host -- and a couple of his straight friends -- shouted out that it was a straight bar, which was a big surprise to the patrons, most of whom were gay [not to mention the mostly gay staff, entertainers, go go boys, etc]. Since then the early evening hours have been given over to the antics of host Barry Z., a public access "celebrity" who apparently seeks to expand his following. My advice: Go after eleven or midnight, especially on Saturday nights, when no matter what Barry Z says [let's hope he was joking] the crowd is almost entirely gay and cruisy and BOOTS AND SADDLE reigns once more -- the straights, alleged entertainers, and Barry himself are mostly gone. The gay regulars are divided over how long this schizoid situation can last -- and how long it will be before the bar goes back to being plain old Boots and Saddle! Most regulars hope an owner with more of a connection to the community will take over and bring this wonderful village institution back to its former glory.

Boots and Saddle/BSNY underwent a name change to CLIMAXX in January and will have a grand reopening on February 14th 2007. While trying not to completely alienate its largely older gay male customers, the bar will try to attract a variety of customers – including straight people – with everything from stand up comics and karoake to Bear Nights and Hunk of the Week contests. Will it work? Will the gay guys flee in droves? Will the bar ultimately turn straight? Or will it become a smaller, somewhat demasculinized version of mixed bars such as The Duplex and Rose's Turn? Only time will tell. In the meantime, it will undoubtedly be worth a look. I will post a review of CLIMAXX in a few weeks.

B&S is the perfect example of a neighborhood bar. Located in the heart of the Village, on Christopher Street right off 7th Avenue, it is ideal for a quick drink or two after work or shopping, a nightcap after a film or the theater, or idling away a couple of hours in the evening. Friendly, witty, outgoing barkeep, especially on Sunday afternoon. Lots of room to spread out and relax.

B&S is the best bar in the city so far

Fun neighborhood bar and friendly staff, convinient location and great specials.