And the award for Worst Experience at a Gay Bar goes to... I was at Evolve/Adonis Lounge on the morning of May 19th 2019. This bar is a long, narrow place with the bar along one wall and a small lounge area 1/2 way back. A plinth is in the back for go-go guys, and the lap dance area is behind that in a separate room. A Pac man video game (yes really!) sits opposite the bar. There was a $10 cover charge and I paid $10 for a rum and coke-- a pricey drink, but hey it is NYC. I was there on "Adonis Night" and there were only a few patrons and some hot dancer guys there. (Hey Timmy? The white muscle twink kid -- yeah you are cute but not really my type. Don't take it personally if I turn you down.) Unfortunately not all were adonises and the ones I met were pushy AF. Beware of "Stinky" Sammy (short Indian-looking guy) who has a body odor problem and wanted me to put my wallet on the shelf behind me. NO WAY. (Hey Sammy a heads up-- no one wants to blow a guy that smells bad. Yuck!) Another dancer (buff black guy, didn't catch his name) asked me for $300 for a lap dance plus $30 for a (unwanted) massage. Money grubbing much?!? I got mad and left. I will definitely NOT be back, ever. One star.
My Favorite Bar
Good selection of beer, smoking patio, convenient location, and friendly staff make this my favorite bar in the city.
Decent
Cute setup, decent prices, and some awesome go-go boys. Nice, unpretentious crowd.
AIDS jokes in a gay bar?
I'd skip a bar with the tasteles and insenstivity to the gay community to host drag queens who make AIDS jokes, then, after I complained, make more jokes. When I booed, the person with the professional title of "barback" told me to leave, claiming drag queens can make whatever jokes they want. Oh really? About a two-decade long, government-exacerbated plague on our very lives? Oscar Wilde is rolling over in his grave on this travesty in the use of his name. Skip OW in memory of the real Oscar Wilde who served jail time rather than compromise himself.
Oscar Wilde is HOT and warm!
I have always had a good time in this bar with both gay and non-gay clientele. The bartenders are very lenient and don't cut us off just for a slurred word. And besides, there's a patio in back for free mixing and smoking a good cigarette with a buddy. Oscar Wilde is much better than the Townhouse, anytime!
Terrific Time!
I've had a wonderful evening each time I've been to the O.W. Bar. If for no other reason than I'm a beer drinker, and O.W. has the great Australian beer -- Foster's -- on tap. It's so lively, with that great jukebox -- tens of thousands of tunes, every imaginable musical genre -- with a very diverse crowd. Though the crowd skews to those in their 20s and 30s, I at 57 have never felt out of place. There's a drag show, a game night, and now that the weather is nice, the patio is perfect for cruising or just having a Foster's outside. That this Chelsea-like place is on East 58th Street is even more remarkable. Go with a partner or go solo, you won't be solo for long. Highly recommended.
The bartenders are more drunk than the customers
This place is a mess. Me and some friends went into this place. This first thing we encountered was some short bartender on steriods trying to pick us up. I was in the bathroom and he followed me in.. he was a mess. They kept getting our drinks wrong, and some other bald headed bartender was being rude to other cusotmers, so we headed out the door! 58th Street is not a happening street!