The Ritz is the The Ritz. While not my favorite bar in HK, they are absolutely a mainstay and will likely be around for many years to come. With drag shows on some nights, and just plain dancing on others, The Ritz has it all. Like every other bar in the area, drinks are generally $7. On the first floor, there's a bar area with dancing in the back, which gets PAAACKED on the weekends. On the second floor, another bar area, with a smaller dancing area which can also get packed, but not as much as the first floor. On the THIRD floor (yes, the third floor), is an area generally reserved for private parties - with its own private bathrooms, dj booth, and bar. A special shoutout to bartender Barry V., who is absolutely incredible. Whether you are visiting NYC, or a local, The Ritz is a great place to stop in for a drink or two if you can bare the crowds. (mind you, during Happy Hour, the place is practically yours... [wink]) read more

Oh, Ritz, what has become of you? You used to lean more towards the "Carlton" on the Ritz Scale, but now you're starting to drift more towards the "Cracker" side of the Ritz Scale. When this place first started to become popular, it was usually a good bet for a fun night out with friends on a Friday or Saturday, since the crowd wasn't that bad (not too pretentious, not too slummin'), the music was pretty good and there was always enough people there to keep it interesting. These days, however, the major issue they have is crowed control. They will really let ANYONE in, regardless of how crowded it is. Those of you have have spent time at the old Mr. Black on a Friday night (God rest its soul) will remember the shoulder-to-shoulder, ten-minutes-to-just-reach-the-bathroom dance floor. The Ritz manages to outdo that by cramming in the greatest possible amount of human beings you can fit in the space. When they are mixin' up tons of $12 Cosmos, why should they care about fire code? The savior for this place: Weeknights. Usually a pretty good after-work crowd, be it happy hour or later. read more

I love the place... My partner and I always have a good time talking with the Philippine bartender and enjoying the music...

Do you want to dance until Dawn? Do you want to see men get hit on, and others rejected? Want to watch crazy music videos? Can you see through the hazey fog and the disco ball? Whatever your motives, you're bound to have a good time at the Ritz. Wear your dancing shoes, and be prepared to blast your ear drums! read more

Please go there if you want to lose hearing in a few years. On my decibel meter over 109! Absolutely nuts with no ear plugs given by management. Ridiculous! I love to dance and have fun but not at the expense of my hearing! read more

I was ripped off and charged $90.00 for 6 well vodkas. I later then checked my bank account and the bartender added a $10 tip for himself that I did not authorize. Fortunately American Express is taking the money back from the bar. read more

I came in here with my boo after we were randomly checking out spots in the area near the Yum Yum thai restaurants. Yes it's a gay bar, but whatever. It is what you make of it! I didn't get hit on, but it was neat to see. The place looked like a huge meat market with everyone dancing and partying it up. It totally reminded me of Homer Simpson in the episode where he takes Bart to the steel mill. The place is packed and everyone was dancing it up having a good time. If you're on the prowl, I highly recommend this place. read more

Andy Griffith was wrong. Everything does not taste better when you're sitting in the Ritz. Or maybe he said sitting on a Ritz. In any event, I don't think Andy Griffith would go here, but that could be just because he's dead. This is a smallish bar on 46th Street. You might walk right by it if you weren't looking for it. The front room is a little dark but the back patio is actually really nice. I had a frozen drink which was kind of awful, but it was a nice day and the bartender was friendly so sitting in the sun having a drink is never bad. The crowd when I was there was very eclectic. I'd be interested to see what it's like in the evening. Oh, and there's sort of a dance floor in the middle room with a DJ up on a platform. He was cool and the music was good but nobody was dancing...probably because I was there on a Sunday afternoon. read more

Great dance floor! Great music! Great crowd! Great drinks!! Loved this place!! We went here for pride and was very impressed. Loved the East Coast vibe and the bar set up. read more

The Ritz - Gay Bars Near Me - New York, New York

We decided to check out the NYC gay club scene, and Yelp brought us here. ATMOSPHERE: The long and narrow bar is very dim. The front section features a small bar with some seating. In the back was a small dance floor and an even smaller walk-up only bar. The music was good. No cover on Thursday nights. We walked in and walked out. It had nothing to do with the biz, but just me. Either I'm getting old, or am over the club scene, or was not having it that night, or a combination of all three lol. I'm now more into sitting down actually hearing and conversing with someone rather than standing around and shouting everything. OVERALL: Nice place if you want to dance. Go elsewhere for a more chill scene. read more

I had a traumatic experience at the Ritz this past Saturday night, 12/4/21. I am a 40 yr old transgender man, who generally gets told that I look about 25. I'm 5'3" tall and a small build. I was hanging out with my friends (all women), buying drinks and tipping for the queens. We were dancing and enjoying ourselves when security rushed over to where we were and one guy told the other security that I had smoked weed in the bar. i told them that I had not smoked in the bar and that I didn't have anything on me and they could even check my things if they wanted. As soon as I made that statement, one bouncer said to the other that I had to go. The bouncer grabbed me at the chest (a very vulnerable spot on my body, where I have scars), lifted me so that buttons flew off my shirt and dragged me from the back on the bar out front, where he kind of threw me. I believe this was assault. I had done nothing to deserve the extreme physical aggression and the security had no proof of their claim. I was calm, in no way hostile or aggressive. As a transgender man who only recently has been consistently gendered as a man, this was a shocking experience, as I was not socialized to expect this type of physical aggression from men. I filed a police report and the two older white owners told the police that the bouncers did what they would normally do. What I would say to the two older white owners...perhaps you might reconsider the culture of yr gay club, a space that is supposed to be safe for both gay cisgender and transgender men (and all people). They should know as bar owners in NYC, the harassment, discrimination and violence perpetuated against us. i would like to see a response by the owners and some accountability on their part for the culture they have created at the Ritz. The two other people that I saw get kicked out of the bar that night were also transgender men. I know this to be true because they told me before being told to leave. So, I would caution trans people to be on guard if you do choose to be a patron at the Ritz. read more

Came here twice.... would it be weird if I said I had my second date there? I know a lot of the men goes there for this one particular bartender---but if I was gay, he doesn't cut it for me! read more

I liked the smaller bar/atmosphere more so than getting lost in a place like therapy (which is good in it's own way). Obv, when you think you have a great idea, so do 200+ other people who want to go to the Ritz. Friendly bartenders, well ventilated dance floor, even when it was packed with so many people! read more

While the bar itself was fun and very crowded, six women in the bar had their wallets found on the floor missing various amount of cash. When we reported this to the management, they tried to quell a missing $400 by offering us free drinks for the next few days we were in town. Since this has happened, we have learned through various friends that this bar is KNOWN for having this happen, in particular to the female patrons of the establishment. We were the only of the 7 effected by this who bothered to report the incident to the police. The manager was not helpful, and ushered us out quickly to get all of his staff out of the building before the cops arrived. The moment the cops did arrive, all of the employees quickly dispersed. It seemed pretty obvious that some of the employees may be turning a blind eye to whoever is commuting these petty crimes. They were intelligent enough to leave an ID and passport in the wallet ensuring their crime was petty and not grand larsony. Please be safe, don't bring a tons of (or any cash) to this bar. Don't trust anyone, it's so crowded it is impossible to tell if someone is pickpocketing or robbing you blind. Seemed like a fire Marshall violation with how crowded the rooms were. We will be reporting to the better business bureau. read more

venue is great and fun. the security guards are stric with rules. bring a photo ID or a photo of your passport. read more

This is such a trashy place. I was there during a happy hour special on well drinks and asked the pretentious bartender for a recommendation. His response? "Couldn't tell ya." How lovely. What I got wasn't good, and I believe I was sneakily double-charged. Obnoxiously loud music in a claustrophobic environment. The guys at the door checking vaccine cards were stupid as hell, quibbling over little details and then chuckling over the ruse they were creating, like straight guys with no sense of humor do, probably singling me out because I live outside of town. I only give a second star because the drag queen performing in the background on this Thursday night had charisma in spades and truly earned every bit of the money she made. She almost made me want to stay - but I couldn't wait to get out of this place - which felt like the pit of hell - and head to someplace classy. I went to Joe Allen's and had the best drink and stimulating conversation. It's still to be had in New York sometimes; you just have to know where to find it. read more

I was there the other night on Tuesday Latin night bouncer is rude and also I cursed at them when I was drunk and came second day to apologize and he was acting stupid dont go to this bar there many options in the area and also the owner did it even try adress the issue Not a place if u want to feel safe their service bad read more

Worst DJ ever. On a Saturday night? C'mon. Play some songs everyone knows? Everybody just standing like bobbing their head

Came last night for my best friend's birthday. Had a great time and he left to grab his phone from his apartment. Came back and the short, fat bouncer would not let him back in and would not provide with him a reason. I walked out to see what was happening and then the bouncer would not let me back in! Wtf. Such rude assholes and ruined our night. Won't be returning if those piece of shit bouncers are still working there. read more

I've been to this bar a couple of times for the last few years. Now they decided to hire the most rude and violent doorman who if he doesn't like you will only accept the IDs that he considers "valid". When we left, he started screaming at us and coming at us in a violent way. The music, the drinks and the place definitely don't worth being mistreated from a frustrated doorman. Way much better options all over the city. read more

Just from the bad reviews and overpriced drinks our group decided to bypass this establishment. Never could imagine paying those prices for service that is reviewed as slow and rude. Hope to see reviews improve to feel comfortable enough to visit. read more

Been coming here for years, always had a great times, However, now they have hired these unprofessional bouncers who stop and frisk, go through your belongings, and treat every guest as they are airport security. We have spent $ hundreds of dollars a night here through the years, NO more. I've heard from many people your losing business because of these security people, let's get some professionals at the door. Thanks, still love your club, we'll have to see. Just to add, the bartenders are all so awesome, great pours and really friendly. DJs are the best too. read more

Would have loved to have danced the night we went, but it was wall to wall people. I could barely move. People kept flooding the place and would head to the back. I had to wonder where every one was going to fit or if they just evaporated after awhile. I couldn't fathom anymore people fitting in the place, but they just kept coming. Decent music, crowd was lively, coat and purse check. Only downfall. When it's that busy- you can smell everything! read more

Don't waste your time going here. The bar itself isn't bad but the security are on the worst power trip. Very immature and downright rude. Standing outside having a smoke, I noticed they turned away two groups of mostly women. Gave me and my partner (hetero couple) a hard time re-entering over a misunderstanding, then wouldn't let my sister and her girlfriend back in after we left. Brought my bfs tab and the charges looked iffy too but we just wanted to leave. One word to describe this joint is YUCKY. Vibe was off. We were there for only and hour and has a better time at the bar across the street. read more

I stopped by this bar with some of my softball teammates for the first time yesterday afternoon (Sunday) and had a really nice time. We got there as it opened and were greeted by the bartender who was ready for our orders, funny and a cutie! We ended up in the outdoor patio at the back of the bar and throughout the three hours we were there, we were greeted by a nice mix of people who we ended up laughing and taking pictures with. We even got an impromptu show by a drunken straight boy from CT who was there with his mom. By the time we left the music seemed to like it was beginning to pump and more of a crowd was starting to come in. The drink specials were great (half off of everything) and there was eye candy. I'd definitely come back to see how it is during the evening. read more

CANNOT be on 46th without at least one Redbull Frozen Cremecycle!!! So Frozen, refreshing, and Delicious. The staff is great, personable, and so much fun!!! read more

Me and my friend's go to nightclub at Times Square NYC! We'd always come back!! Come earlier before 11pm and you get no cover. They have 2 dance floors too! read more

It's a ok place to grab a drink with your friends. The service is really slow . And sometimes they ignore you .

The bartender cursed at me and called me a bitch when I complained about a charge for something I never ordered and don't even eat, and they lost our debit card for over 25 minutes. The service was terrible. We only got one drink and were there for 1.5 hours. Literally the most embarrassing staff I've ever seen at a restaurant. read more

Under poured drinks! Random people digging into the drink garnishing. Local spot for same crowd every weekend. $13 drink half full. There are plenty of other places in nyc. Choose wisely. read more

This place is a absolutely no go !! We went tonight and where ignored for about a hour by a waiter ! 4 drinks and 4 shots came out to 120$ drag show slightly entertained! Drinks where not good service wasn't good read more

This bar is lit when it comes to dancing! First time here last weekend. And it was a blast. Plus got the chance to dance with the dancer too. Lol. And love the idea of dancing higher than others. When you're looking all the people enjoying as well! read more

So much fun in here, can't really rate tue quality of the drinks since I always have beer, music is always lit 2 floors both always PACKED, the line for the restrooms is quite long all the time but there's nothing they can do about it, also the coat check was a pain, but if you're looking for a great time definitely come here, also last time I was there, Saturday night, there was no cover charge so I'm not sure if they usually charge. read more

Service. Bartender at the front bar. All I wanted was some well booze with some tonic in it. Nobody else was ordering anything. Customers were all sitting, sipping. I just wanted a drink. Bartender was just standing there flirting with a friend. It didn't even qualify as chat. It wasn't, "So, tell me about you. What have you been up to, have you heard the news?" It was just "Ahhh! Oh --you! Yes, yes, I'm working here. Yes, I am a bartender here now. Yesss. And you WILL come back and talk to me later in the night? Yessss. Oh, you look so good tonight." So I wave to him. Hi, just want a drink here. Without making eye contact, he frowns at me as if I'm rudely interrupting his reunion with his highschool best friend (which I was not). Okay, that's okay. I know about friends. I have a few of my own. And gay bars are for flirting, I understand that, that's okay. I wait. And I wait. And I wait until THEY STOP TALKING and the bartender is just standing there with his hand on the guy's arm, gazing out into the sea of customers. So I show my money. Not "Hey, I'm angry here," not waving money in the air. I give him a little sorry-to-interrupt-type high sign: look, I'm offering you money in exchange for a drink, and I intend to tip you. I'm not one of the guys just standing here, I'm here to buy a drink. Guy looks me in the eye, **rolls his eyes,** and launches another giggly round of jive with his friend. Intentionally ignoring me. So, y'know, that's alright. It's not the bar for me. That's okay. There are other bars. I'm sure the Ritz is for somebody, just not me. I opt to leave, and I head for the door. I'm not hot under the collar at all, it's just I get the picture. Then, as I leave, the bartender suddenly snaps out of it and roars: "Hey! What do you want? I said what do you want?" Come on, man. "Methinks not" -- which is what it means when you give a place one star on Yelp. read more

After not seeing each other for 6 years, a friend whom I was close with finally came to the city on business, and asked if she could stay the night at my place. That seemed like the perfect opportunity to take her out on the town, but I wanted to take her to a place that wasn't that cruisy. A place where a woman would also feel comfortable. The Ritz Bar came to mind. I should explain that my employer frequents this bar often (Every Friday) for happy hour, and since he buys the drinks, he always gets to choose the venue. Would I go here otherwise...probably not. The space can get a bit cramped in the narrow bar area, and bar staff have a way of forgetting to bartend while they are having their conversations. But they also have $4 drinks during happy hour, and I work at a Not for Profit. My friend met me at my apartment and we took a cab to our destination on Restaurant Row. Walking in, we made our way to the bar, where I ordered my friend an White Wine, and myself a vodka and cranberry. The interior is a mixture of Pottery Barn meets Crate and Barrel, with a little Ralph Lauren. Dim enough to make the older crowd look better (everything looks better in candlelight), and light enough to actually see who you would rather not know. With it being the winter months, the back deck wasn't open, and the cramped space of the bar gets to be a bit much, so instead I chose to move to the front porch, where the smokers all hang out. The front porch is first come first serve seating, but the gentlemen out there were nice enough to offer my lady friend a seat, and we all got to know each other well. Before I knew it...my second vodka and cranberry had been ordered. ***which I finished too quickly*** But I'm Irish. I can handle my liquor. Unless I haven't eaten. I hadn't eaten. Two vodka and cranberries on my 148lb frame is not a pretty picture, and one should never mix drunk and horny. Suddenly the crowd...well they just didn't look as unattractive as they did when I first arrived. My friend watched in awe as I started a game called "Lift your shirt or Show me the Johnson!" By the time happy hour was over (and my 3rd vodka and cranberry had been consumed), the score was 6 lifted shirts, and 14 dropped pants. And that was when the man next to me bought me a cosmopolitan and a shot of tequila. Looking at my friend (all three of her), who was on her third glass of wine, I insisted we find dinner...and right then. She (while spinning in circles) agreed and we walked (well she walked...I stumbled) to a Greek restaurant down on 8th Ave. My next clear memory is telling my friend (and whoever was next to me) that we needed to pull the cab over...NOW! For the record...every New Yorker knows that you always put the drunk person on the window side of the cab (with the window down) in the event that the cab needs to make an emergency stop. Why the hell I was in the middle, I have no clue. But I ended up getting sick all over the smoking guy next to me. Oops...my bad. I awoke that morning to bed spins...and a tattoo of a Chinese symbol. Except...I didn't have a tattoo like that. As I came further into consciousness, I realized that the smoking man was sleeping next to me. My friend below my loft, was also sound asleep. We later checked the smoking man's wallet to get his name. In my wallet was a credit card slip, totaling all of the drinks I paid for...$20. Not bad for the hangover of death. I smartly chose to text message my boss saying I was sick and not coming in. Two hours later, my boss texted me back. Boss: Do you realize what you've done? Me: Huh? Boss: You went home with my boyfriend's brother! New Year's Resolution: Never go out without eating first. read more

A list of things I've learned late in my life: 1. How to ride a bike. (What's the point? Everywhere you go has valet.) 2. How to swim. (Though if a shark is following me, you can guarantee I'm a goner.) 3. That you can set copy machines to staple FOR you. (And you can even choose which corner!) 4. How to hold my liquor. (Just kidding! Still working on this one. Or not.) And finally . . . 5. That Ritz has an upstairs room. For some reason I never knew it existed. Probably because I am Dumb. But now it's the only part of Ritz I stay in when I visit. Unless I need to use the bathroom, and then I brave the trough on the first floor.* I've had nice, friendly bartenders, even on the messiest weekend nights. And even though the dance floor is small, it's always magically big enough. The music is better too, in my opinion, than downstairs. The downstairs dance floor is a little too ecstasy-flashing-bright-crazy-seizure inducing for me. 6. My greatest lesson, though, is to always pregame. Pregame to the point of total intoxication. Then, when you go to a place like Ritz where a bottom shelf vodka tonic is something like $7, you can just be classy and order a cheap Bud Light and continue being the mess you were born to be. Cheers! ** EDIT ** There is a third floor you can reserve for parties. CRAZY. __________ * Or is there a bathroom upstairs that I'll discover a year from now? read more

My friend and I were on the prowl for marines and sailors and ended up in front of this establishment. "Oh a bunch of people walking in, let's go inside". After showing our IDs I take a look through the glass and see only men. I turn to my friend and say "this is a gay club, still want to go in?" And in we go. This place is like the little engine that could. It's so narrow and small but it works very hard to be a big time night club. I like how dark it was and the back was even better, the whole area was smoky. Very sexy. We order drinks and the bartender was a little bitchy but he's gay and that's just how they are sometimes, you don't get offended because it's funny, but if it were a woman it would be a different story smh. As soon as we walked into the back room a drag queen waved her arms and spilled me drink. She was very apologetic and asked me what my drink was and came back with another one, twice the size of my original drink! Awesome! There were go-go dancers and more drag queens and it was terrific. The music was popping and the dancers were killing it. I love that they had tvs playing the music videos. Love it. My favorite part. After a while I wanted some straight men so we left but I love gay bars because a woman can thoroughly enjoy herself without the risk of a guy bothering her or feeling up on her. I can wear whatever I want, dance however I want, and be myself or totally slutty and no one will judge. read more

It's an eclectic place but probably not for everyone. I did come here early on a Friday night and it wasn't super packed. They had dance floor on the first floor as well as the second. We decided to hang out on the second floor. Music was hit or miss but there were actual periods when the DJ wasn't there or when the music just stopped for 20 second intervals. Very strange. Drinks were quite cheap and decent. I think if the vibe were better and the music more consistent this could be a better place. read more

Wandered into this place after throwing back some STRONG drinks at Sangria 46 down the road...quickly noticed there were some very hot and fashion forward males at the bar. Ok, not some--but all actually!! I nudged the BF and he quickly realized he had just led us into a gay bar. "This is AWESOME!!!" I screamed while he ordered us drinks. We got our happy juice, got onto the dance floor and started busting moves, throwing shapes, dancing like epileptics... What a great place, every one was so friendly!! The night ended perfectly when a big black man made a grab at my BF's neck and tried to hold his hand, saying "Come with me.." Now...in any other type of club/bar I'm sure the BF would've sucker punched the dude. But....how funny and cute was it that he was actually flattered. Hehehehhhh... read more

O to the VER. That's a bit harsh. When the Ritz first started up, I definitely enjoyed the fun dance floor, multiple floors, and classy ambiance. Since then, the bar has become so popular that, on Friday nights, it's almost impossible to stuff yourself inside. And once you do, you're immediately drenched in sweat due to the sauna-like temperatures. I do still enjoy the pop/current music, and I think other bars and clubs should take note. The gays don't want to hear techno/remixes that last for 20 minutes - we want pop and we want it now! Hopefully, more bars will follow suit and the Ritz crowd will eventually thin out a bit. Until then, I'd look elsewhere for dancing on Friday nights. read more