Bar tender was really nice. She was easy to talk to and even told us about happy hours right before it ended. I would def go back....

Service was okay. Had to wait in a long line to get my drink. Ambiance was okay? The dj was playing good music ass night long. read more

Weird as fuck my friend and I tried to pee and he SHOVED WIT WHOLE WHE ASS BODY THE WHOLE DOOR OPEN WHILE WE PEED Regardless of the rules and regardless of whether you are drunk or not you do NOT shove the door open with your whole ass body We were peeing and he was shoving the door open with his shoulder and entire body weight read more

The bartender was completely rude and overcharged me for my draft beer. I had to wait a long time before I was served. read more

The Menagerie - I love this sign and the misspelling - Gay Bars Near Me - Riverside, California

Horrible place from a fellow gay person. They are definitely not gay friendly here. It's supposed to be a safe place but these security guards will kick u out no matter what, one time I was with my friends and that happened to one of them and I told them he was with me they did not care read more

My go-to spot in Riverside. Friendly staff/security, great drinks. Never a bad drag show

5/5 this was my first good club experience I went on saint Patrick's day and everyone was very freindly and overall the bouncers and bar tenders had a good attuide . read more

The Menagerie - Gay Bars Near Me - Riverside, California

I've been a loyal patron of The Menagerie for many years, and it's always been a welcoming and fun spot. Unfortunately, my recent experience was quite disappointing. Last night, my friend and his girlfriend were standing in line at the bar by the dance floor. He was definitely not cutting; the person behind him even confirmed that he had been waiting his turn. However, when he got to the bartender, an older gentleman with gray hair and glasses, the bartender rudely insisted that he was cutting in line and needed to wait. Even after my friend explained and had the person behind him vouch for him, the bartender was quite dismissive and unprofessional. This incident left my friend feeling unwelcome, which is really sad considering how much we love this place. I hope this was just an isolated incident, but it definitely made us reconsider our future visits. read more

Super chill vibe. I want to come and check out one of the themed nights or drags shows. Sounds fun.

We love the drag shows at The Menagerie!! They don't serve food but the drinks are good. The crowd is always super fun and eclectic. The show itself is always a fun time ! A must see if you're in downtown Riverside. read more

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Very dated and more like something a grandma would decorate , but calm mellow vibe the nights we have done

Went with my girlfriend and was made to feel extremely uncomfortable by a multitude of straight men who made uncomfortable comments and went out of their way to make us uncomfortable. I was under the impression that it would be a safe place for me and my relationship but it was not that. read more

Do not recommend especially if you're African American. My first time coming here and the bar was trash. My bar tender was a black female stud. Wasn't very friendly and when tried to ordered she seemed to ignore my request and only speak to what already to be regulars. Then the skinny ass male white security guard only spoke to me and my friends and told us that we were standing in the way of the bar when everyone was standing in front but he only felt the courage to tell us to "move" out the way. There's no organization here and clearly the people that work here don't really want to be here. I won't be back. read more

The bartender Steven or whatever his name is needs to check himself real hard. I came in here a month ago and someone STOLE my phone. I tried to speak to the manager about the reviewing the footage and the bartender went off. He was like "GO AND SIT DOWN AND I WILL ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO SPEAK TO YOU". I couldn't believe the way I was spoken to at all. I am innocent and did not deserve that. This place is a JOKE ! read more

I dont know who trained these bartenders but they can't even get the basics right. Dirty glasses, ice in my martini which came out foggy instead of clear, the DJ uses other people's mixes. There's more comfortable bathrooms at a bad truck stop. No food except popcorn which is stale. Employees dont care either. I wish I could find a reason to come back. Please save yourself from disappointment and go elsewhere, literally anywhere else. This would be a great place for the bar rescue show!!! read more

Always good music and the happy hour is actually really good. $2 off anything so easy math

Service and ambiance were extremely underwhelming. The bartender deliberately asked us if "we weren't planning on tipping" after we gave her exact change. Only reason she even asked that was because we gave her the change and asked for a solid bill back. The entire interaction was rude and unprofessional. I had change to tip and I let her know that.. Then she said oh okay and gave me singles back. read more

The ambiance, the service, and the drinks is just what I have been searching for in my area. Everyone was there to have a good time with good music. I'd definitely be back again. read more

This place is the worst LGBT bar in the IE. Went to use the restroom and the security blocking the door said that an employee was using it. What? There are 4 other stalls and your patrons are waiting. He stated that sometimes if the lines in the woman restroom are full they'll let woman in there too. I don't understand it but this place is gh3tto! Service here in general is very low bar. So many other places in the area that are lgbt friendly, and have the service to boot. read more

Love this place! Super good vibes and easy to mingle ! Service is amazing with alcohol fast and heavy on the alcohol which is good for some people who don't like that much juice. read more

We stumbled upon this place after our picnic in the park. Noticed the flags and my wife noticed the name and we saw that it was open for business. Upon entering the bartender was setting up and was eager to take our drink order. After about five rounds we decided it was time to get home. The space was vibrant and the music system was great. Anticipating coming here when the dance floor is crowded and the Queens are doing their thing. read more

The Menagerie - We out here getting into the vibe feeling nostalgic on the happy hour . - Gay Bars Near Me - Riverside, California

Best drag show! I had so much fun here. I only wish they did them.on Saturdays . I would be here all the time.

It's a big space. I came in on Labor Day 2024 and they were open and it was Karaoke Night with KarenB. Levi the bartender was super helpful in drink suggestions. I had a cider. Everyone was nice. Yes, the place is a dive with carpet in the front but the tables are clean. The bar is big as in plenty of security. The decor is cool. read more

Had the worst service in this DIRTY STINKY DRUG INFUSED hole in the wall place. Floors were dirty, bar was sticky, stage was being used for storage, and bathrooms were horrific! To disclose my friend and I are trans women - very beautiful and passable if you ask anyone. First, we were not greeted when we walked in, ID's were not being checked, and there was no bouncer at the door. On top of that, the gay tattoo bartender is definitely doing drugs in the bathroom. Second, we're immediately given dirty looks & looked up and down by STAFF when we approached the bar to sit. We're from San Diego so we definitely didn't look like the dumpster rats that are normally crawling through there apparently. Took almost 15 mins to get 1 round of drinks which was incredibly watered down & not made correctly. Then another bartender's boyfriend (who was off work and at the bar drinking) approached us asking us very inappropriate things and using derogatory terms with us. We asked him to leave numerous times and he wouldn't, the girlfriend and bartender on duty could hear us asking him to leave but didn't do anything. Very very inappropriate especially from a significant other who is tied to someone that works there and for someone who is on the clock. The bartender on duty was listening the whole time laughing and smirking until I noticed. I asked the tweaker bartender his name he refused to give it to me. I asked if "The Menagerie" discriminated agents trans people and he just looked at me and smiled proudly. He then has the bouncer who is apparently hiding in the shadows waiting to be called on by this tweaker to finally do his job to came up and was escorting us out. Didn't leave with out throwing my drink and glass in his face and completely wiping all the drinks off the bar and I'd do it again. If you are trans stay CLEAR from this DISGUSTING DIRTY DRUG INFESTED place. Keep driving don't stop through, they discriminate against trans people. There are way cleaner more classier trans friendly places in San Diego and Los Angeles. Leave the roaches where they belong. read more

This place is so awesome and unique! Got the 40 and fabulous drinks for me and my friends... forgot my souvenir glass cup, and I came back the next day to see if I could get them and they still let me get it!!! Super nice of them!! I absolutely love the vibes of the all the staff and everyone around... this community is beautiful and I love being an ally! I've never fit in anywhere and have ALWAYS felt like an outcast! Everyone here is so accepting and I can't wait to come back again!!! I loved reading about the history about this place and how it opened up and the story how about the unique artwork! Definitely worth more than five stars! Plus the drinks are amazing I also love that they don't have a cover charge! You are welcome to walk in and just be yourself at no cost and there's no pressure Brian (hope I spelled it right) was ABSOLUTELY the best bartender and all the right vibes!!! We also met the new guy MANNY who did some great popes for us during happy hour!! read more

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I've only been here twice and each time I've had a noteworthy negative experience. The ginger white guy security is a creep first and foremost. It's a GAY bar so why hit on women? Not even innocently, by touching my back and getting close to me. Very weird and inappropriate. This is not a safe place to drink too much. Be sure to always be aware and with people who you trust and can take care of you in case you happen to drink too much. Also there's hella people tweaking out on other drugs. It's a scary place so have good morals before going in lol. I've seen a lot of reviews regarding the bathroom and honestly I have to say as a cis woman I felt safe and protected by the security guards watching over the bathroom, they let you use the male one if there's no one else in line for it and they stand in front of it for your safety. Personally I think it makes sense to use the bathrooms according to the sex assigned at birth for everyone's safety. Or an additional gender neutral bathroom would be incredibly helpful and more inclusive. The drag is some of the best! I watch a lot of drag and their theatrical shows are impressive and super fun to watch. read more

I've become kind of a regular since my last review so I thought I'd provide an update. All the bartenders here are really cool. On fridays and Saturdays it usually doesn't start to get busy until a little after 9pm. I saw another review of somebody complaining about being told they need to get in line to get a drink.. lol, well yes once it gets super busy, you need to get in one of the lines at the bar where the registers are located (both ends), otherwise I've been able to walk up to any part of the bar and get service. Also, if you're a female, there can sometimes be a bit of a wait for the restroom on the busier nights. Overall I love coming here and have had no issues ever. read more

The Menagerie - Drinks with friends - Gay Bars Near Me - Riverside, California

Great time for a night out with good music . Would go over and over again. Not bad prices for a bar.

I'm not surprised the ratings are so low. It seems like a cool place but the bartender's are horrible. They treat me much better when I'm with my gay friend. They usually either skimp on alcohol or try to get you fucked up. The last encounter is why I will not be coming back. I was homeless and was waiting so that I could find a spot to sleep and not be caught so I was biding time while studying. I also had a sleep medication that I take every night to sleep. I've taken it with the drink or two before and it's never been a problem, but for some reason the bartender was extra nice this night and I believe it's only because he wanted me to get drunk so I would buy more from him. I kind of felt manipulated and realized if he actually was nice he would have asked me somewhat about my situation or anything about me but he decided that it was a good idea to give me free drinks that were completely different from the alcohol I had had before. And I'm not trying to say that this wasn't also my own responsibility, but I literally went back with the intention of having one beer just because I had nowhere else to go and he gave me a free shot and I pretty much blacked out after that and took my medication thinking it was fine. Again I know I have to take accountability, but I have never in my life been this stupid and I don't appreciate the one time that the bartender was supposedly nice it was not the time I needed to be getting drunk. After intentionally getting a lone female to mix liquor and black out, he sent me on my way. Because of my medication,which is supposed to take two hours, it took maybe 30 minutes and I was okay one second and then all of the sudden fell asleep while driving to where I could find a place to sleep and ended up losing my car and got robbed of almost 1,000 worth of possessions. I take responsibility but at the same time I couldn't have done it without them. I would never do this to someone as a bartender. Luckily the police didn't want to "ruin my career" before basically leaving me there alone to get mugged again without asking if I could call anyone, but if I had gotten in trouble, the bartender would have been charged with me. This place sucks. read more

Been there once and the service was great. We walked in and ordered right away even in a massive crowed. The bartender did a great job. The price of the drinks was very reasonable. The building it self was very cute. I have never seen a club like this before will be back next time i'm there. read more

The bartender Bryan is so slimy, he kept insisting to go back to his place after his shift. I just ignored him, and he kept winking the whole time I was there. Like! could he not get the hint? I felt highly uncomfortable being served by him. Thankfully Tony was there, and he always has a smile ready to bring in some good energy. Nice bar, but needs to work on a lot of things, especially with trying to make a safe and healthy environment there. Especially with some of the bouncers always getting drunk and crazy with the customers. read more

The Service was quick! This place is so cool, I had a girls night here and I loved that the dance floor was not only fully mirrored but well lit. The music was "themed" but still very hip and recent! I will 10/10 come back again! Very welcoming and friendly, THE ART ON THE WALLS Love love love ty read more

I give this place 5 stars just because when i went their the other night & last night i had a really good time just dancing n listening to the music plus everyone their is super friendly & you could just be yourself around everybody & have a good time & I'll definitely be going back so if anyone sees me say "Hi " I'm super friendly as well read more

The Menagerie - Gay Bars Near Me - Riverside, California

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This place does not cater to the gay men community. The restroom situation is a mess. The men's restroom has a line waiting over 15 mins for a female to come out. This place is not what it used to be. The DJ only caters to female requests. This place is not what it used to be. Better off going to Palm Springs where the lgbt community will acknowledged. read more

I give this place no stars for the simple reason the two bartenders last night on Thursday night were horrible they charged my card multiple times do not leave your credit card or your debit card with them they will make false charges I had over $200 in fake charges that I have to dispute this place is horrible management needs to deal with their bartenders making fake charges if you go to this place pay with cash do not and I repeat do not leave your credit card or your debit card they will literally charge your card multiple times this is fraud and I did send a request to them don't do a guys I'm telling you horrible read more

Historical landmark. Spent the first day I met my future husband here. We Vibed. Drank. Loved. Married. Best bar in dtr. And shoutout to the best bartender ! We'll always be back to visit read more

If I could leave a 0 I would, annoying bar tenders try to say I didn't pay for my drinks and wanted to charge me twice. Look at my credit card statement to see they did charge me and changed it to give themselves a tip. Broke looks dumb on old men and that's why yall look like that. read more

My future wife decided to love me here. Here I am married and at the same bar. Shout out to the bartender! read more

The security with the weak a$$ beard has nothing positive to say or influence onto anyone here. I was crouched down because my feet hurt due to my heels and he commented negatively on my outfit and told me to drink water even though I'm sober. he can kiss this a$$ for real and y'all can hire a new security hopefully with a better attitude read more

Didn't think a gay bar can be homophobic. Me and my boyfriend got engaged here and they completely shut it down. We were disrespected, spit on, and humiliated. Stay away from this bar it is horrible! read more