Rockbar NYC

A wonderful time. I was recommended this bar by a local employee, specifically for the events they would host thru the month. I looked online and it turned out there was a game event hosted by the Gotham Kennel Club. Staff were friendly, liquor was tasty and reasonably priced, and the overall vibe was chill. I had a great time. Would visit again! Addendum 2/10/26: I feel like ordering a Long Island Iced Tea in NYC is a recipe for getting messed up if the pours here are anything to say about that. Great time still, great booze, great people!

A Happy, Friendly and Joyous place and Great 👍 entertainment 🎈🎈 For everyone and I had a Wonderful time 🎶🎶🎶 Met some 🆕 people and Welcomed some tourists To the Big Apple 🍎🍏 And to the West Village And shared some of the Amazing history and stories Amen 😁🙌🏙️🙏

The music is nice, no complaints there — but everything else feels like a bit of a joke (too bad it’s not a funny one). The place is tiny, the prices are ridiculous, and — surprise! — no price list anywhere, not on their website, not on Google. Maybe because they make them “customized per person”, who knows! My boyfriend and I picked Rockbar based on the reviews and the listed price range ($10–20). In the end, between the cover charge, two rounds of beer, and two cocktails, we ended up with a $90 bill. When we mentioned it to a few regulars, they looked more shocked than we were — which says a lot. So yeah: music’s fine, but tourists beware! You might leave feeling a little lighter… in your wallet. We’ve learned our lesson! 👋🏻

A really fun hole on the wall with a really fun bear night. Drinks are fine, there is clothes check on certain events, and great DJs.

- Recent reviews were correct, bar was extremely dead and they still were charging a cover fee despite no more than 5 people inside - Floors were sticky and gross - Drinks were watered down and expensive Ended up walking out and going to another bar which was packed to the brim.

Spent $50 on an Uber because I don’t live in NYC and only here for one nice to arrive and be told they decided to close an hour and a half early. Wasted my time for nothing

People are so friendly and accepting, I loved coming here for the first time today, this was the best first experience with a bar/party ever!!!

Friendly bar with great staff and a variety of events to cater to all sorts.

I just did a show their & had a Gay time the drinks were So good. The Boytoys wear nice I will be back.

Dirty, sleazy, and probably the best bar in NYC. The crowd skews older and beefier along with guys who admire that. Drinks are incredible strong (pro tip... alternate with water to avoid getting shit faced).

Awful place, they don't have nice drinks , they lie to you on the specials!!!! There was a benefit auction raffle that was supposed to be at 10 pm at it started one hour earlier without notice!!! Surprisingly the people who knew the personnel won the prizes on the raffle contest! NOT GO THERE!!!

Stumbled upon this joint after a short walk along the west side. Unassuming exterior leading into your basic dive-bar inside. Temperature checks and protocols all met with seating safely spaced apart. Since it was cold outside, was welcomed to a few options for hot cocktails. Decided on the "Spiked Chai" ($8) - a regular hot tea spiked with whiskey. Balance is okay, could have used a more flavorful tea but overall fine enough to sip and relax. Looking around, seems like this place is also a live music venue when things are normal (given the small stage up front). Friendly staff and well priced drinks is a welcome respite in the area.

I have been visiting RockBar on and off for the past 15 or so years. Overall, I have had pretty positive experiences. It's a pretty standard dive bar that is pretty accepting of folks from various walks of life. Here you'll definitely see LGBT+ folks of all colors, sizes, and shapes. Most of the clientele is pretty laid back and chill, and the bartenders are pretty approachable and very efficient. Finally, the drink prices are pretty reasonable, especially for the area.

Prob worst bar I've been to sadly ...... Monday night bartender sat on phone all night with 2 people I'm his bar ...... no friendless, no intrest in customers ..... take my money elsewhere...... which seeing how dead this bar has been all week is what everyone thinks .

Decided to give it one last try...ACKK. The place smells like BOX (old damp cardboard) that tunnels into your nose and throat to the point where you do not even want to finish your drink. Absolute pig sty (and not in a good gay way)! Not sure how they have stayed in business for so long.

This is one of few nice bars in the west village that offers live entertainment and great drink specials. They're always holding events and the staff is friendly. The have karaoke on Wednesdays. This bar has everything. You can't go wrong, I highly recommend it.

Rockbar really is the best little dive in all of the West Village, and the type of wonderful hidden gem that welcomes absolutely everyone. While its focus as a gay bar is bears, its doors are open to all body types, identities, and, well... everyone. And yes, that includes women and hetero folx also looking for a place to grab a drink and socialize. Regular drag shows rule the roost here, as do trivia nights, gaming afternoons, and lots of other tame-to-risqué pride events. If you pick the right day to stop by, horror film icon Joe Zaso is occasionally cooking tasty little snacks like hotdogs, meatloaf sandwiches, and quiche! The vibe here is leather bar-meets- Texas roadhouse, but without any of the intimidation that either of those establishments would offer. Pop music videos play (just loudly enough) on their numerous TVs, while unassuming horror movie memorabilia is tucked beside neon signs and pride merch behind the bar. Drinks are moderately priced (especially for Christopher Street) and quite strong, and the staff is top-notch. COVID protocols are currently excellent, with mandatory contact tracing and temperatures taken at the door, socially-distanced indoor seating, and a side entrance for to-go beverages.

YES. Hometown favorite. This place has the vibe, it IS the vibe. Patrick is incredible as are the other folks who work here. It's even fun when it's not busy. Rockstrap is my favorite event.

I love their to go option and recommend it for people who choose to enjoy Rockbar's reasonably priced beverages on the go

Drinks may be a bit pricey, but are strong . Drag shows are fun and small. Very nice atmosphere . If you are in the are I would totally recommend this bar.

I've come here for shows that my friends are apart of and I always have a good time. I don't drink beer so I can't attest to how it is, but if you are looking for a fun gay bar look no further. Yeah it's got a leather, bear vibe and everyone is really nice. Basically come here and hangout for good times.

Bar full of misogynists. My friend was inappropriately touched by the barback and everyone acted like they were in the wrong, and there were several people staring at my group of femme friends and touching some of us where they shouldn't as well. I'm disappointed because I wouldn't expect that kind of behavior from my own community. Never going back here again, and I would strongly suggest not going here especially if you are a woman or present femme in any way. Might I also add that there was no reentry allowed and it was so hot in there someone could easily have a heatstroke, and the smoking area was so cramped and would not help anyone cool down. I'm not normally one to leave bad reviews or get in altercations but this was just particularly bad. There was a reason this placed was packed with white men.

Absolute train wreck, very poorly managed. I actually had to leave due to awful it smells. Feels like you're in a dumpster

Great spot for this being my first bar visit in NYC. It's a gay bar that was full of wonderful people. The crowd was so relax, friendly, and beautiful. Lots of beautiful people here. I can't say much about drinks because I can't do heavy alcohol, I get sick. The Orange juice was fine, only $2.00 ! I did had to settle for one Budweiser beer on a glass because they don't have it in the can, it tasted bad, It didn't taste like the can beer according to my taste buds. The bar had really nice life music, then after it had Karaoke, it was fun. I did one song at the end of the night and I was satisfied to see a couple dance to my son. Going out to meet Yelpers in a cool relax bar, can't get any better than that. Thank you for the invite Mr. M. ! You can drive here, there is parking on the streets.

Very disappointed with the service we received at your establishment this evening. We came to town a couple years ago and had a good time and wanted to relive that. Unfortunately the bar staff was not friendly and treated us with contempt. I thought it was just me as I had been drinking and was mouthy but my other friends experienced the same unfriendliness. Sad. During a day when bars are dying you guys are getting it wrong. You should be on your a-game during world pride.

As COVID-19 infections are on the rise around the USA, it's important to make a note about RockBar. Back on February 28th, RockBar hosted a party called "Mess" It was a fun party. A great time for all. Unfortunately there was a gentleman from out of town that willingly visited the bar with a respiratory infection. This was right at the very very early stages of COVID-19 in NYC, so it wasn't a concern for people. So it seems several people that attended Mess that night tested positive for COVID-19. Several members of the staff, including bartender(s) and barback(s), ended up being admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 infections. I also tested positive, and so did several of my friends..all of us attended Mess that night. This was all confirmed by different social media posts that floated around in the following weeks. This establishment holds various forms of social media. The staff at this bar hold social media accounts as well, all connected to the LGBTQ community..and several of those who attended that night. Rockbar had the moral and ethical OBLIGATION to make patrons known that they were in close contact with the virus. Even after members of their own staff were infected, Rockbar still failed to disclose and announce of the infections. It's 4 months later, and Rockbar still has had no discussion or disclosure about the cluster of infections that happened that night. Rockbar is a wonderful establishment, and I hope this review would make people aware that may have been there that night who didn't know about the infections.

Cabbed out especially for this. Considering it's out away from downtown. I took a special uber here. It was closed lol. Before business hours on google and yelp. What a bust. Go to Ty's. They were open. What a joke, update your dang hours of when you close early. Don't come here, it's a bust, they will most likely be closed. Came yesterday as well and no one was there! Go elsewhere. Such a shame. If it was close to the subway, it would be one thing but Wow, to come here and to see it's closed before 11PM when business hours say 4AM is a shame. Please spend your money elsewhere where the business hours are complete and accurate. Wow! Subpar....they simply don't care.

Went out to support a friend and their group raising funds for the AIDS walk. This place seems like a fun time. Who doesn't love daytime drinking? Regular people doing regular things, DRINKING!!! It's a bar, the bartenders are super nice, the bar is FULL and the drinks are plentiful. There's music always playing, and videos to boot! The price points are just fine, it's a trek from the train, but go. Listen to the music, shake your shoulders, get buzzed, have fun.

Absolutely LOVE that Rockbar has become our home bar away from home. Every time we've been there we have had such a great time!! Dijoun and Patrick have been so incredibly welcoming!!! They're the sweetest angels!!! Be back soon, y'all!

Was always fun. Reopened with snob bartenders and covid recover beer prices. The sweet door man is still here.

We absolutely love Coco Taylor and Bella Noche. Tuesday's at Rockbar are LIT! The bartenders are so nice and pour such strong drinks. What else are you doing with your Tuesday night???

Rockbar is the best. It's a standout in that it's a gay bar where women aren't ignored by bartenders on the regular (wish that wasn't a noteworthy accomplishment but, it is!) The crowd is a good mix of bears, leatherfolks, gay nerds, and a general melting pot of LGBTQ folks. Drinks are strong. Come through, you'll have fun!

Rockbar is a great dive bar. The drinks are strong but not too strong, beer is cheap (for NY), and I had a fine margarita here, tho it's not the place for fancy cocktails. Still, go for the people. The bartenders are super nice, but a couple of them are pretty shy. Don't take it as rude, they're just nerdy :P Handsome crowd; pretty diverse, lots of bears, but no super-overly-masc-only guys. I go every Saturday for game night (3-8PM) and the crowd is super nerdy and fun. If you're new, talk to Shane who runs it, and he'll introduce you. If other people are quiet, I promise they're not ignoring you; we're just shy nerds. Otherwise, drag race night is always packed, and the underwear night (second Saturday each month I think) is always fun. Drink specials every night, special events all week, and monthly events too... Think I got most things. Single or taken, it's a great bar!

Good gay bar. Lots of bears. We saw the drag show on Sunday and it was a lot of fun. Friendly crowd, at least on Sundays when we were there.

This is my bar. I've been here so many times but tonight we had the rudest person at the door. Not happy.

If you want to enjoy a nice night out on the town and you're a bit "different" this is the place to go! You'll have a good time drink are Amazing

I visited Rockbar for the first time for the "Only Janet" Dance Party this Thursday. It turned out be a warmer, friendlier environment than I imagined which is a good thing. The music was fabulous, there was a good combination of people in attendance and the cocktails were well mixed too! The restroom was clean and well lit. I stayed until the last song played before going home. Overall, I have a good first impression of this establishment. I would considering visiting again.

No need to go there. This place need a serious cleaning. You could smell the old beer in the taps and I was scared to touch anything. The bathroom door didn't lock and I haven't had service that bad in a while. I ordered a gin and ginger ale that was so sweet and nasty I gave it back. The clientele was a bit strange but that's not the bars fault. In all, never going back. No need to go there.

From the 'geniuses' behind 'Gym Bar' (feel free to refer to my review of that crap spot) - Rockbar is the latest still-born gay establishment in the old Dugout location. I hated the Dugout and had high hopes for Rockbar. But the thin line between pretentious cool and outright undeserved snobbishness is thin and obviously unclear to the current owners/managers. New Yea'rs Eve was a loud, laughable abortion. It was wortht the $10 cover to know that we should never return. Clearly they have dropped the Chubs and Bears and I don't' blame them = but who is dragging their ass to this spot at the end of a dead-strip? Hopefully, the recession will force it to become a tranny whore bar with coke sold in the toilets. Then it would actually deserve it's attitude. As it is now, the only thing missing is the Ed Hardy T-shirts.

I get it. I want to be one of those jaded queers who think that anything out of perfection is complete trash. If it ain't glam ... it's trash! So, naturally I want to hate this place. It's small, has no twinks, and no club music (is this place EVEN GAY ?!?!) But I don't hate this place. I just like it the way it is. Very chill (gets wild later at night though) and reasonably priced/sized drinks. $5 draft beet? HELL YEA! The live music performances and DJ was meh. In all seriousness, it could be a little bit better. I'm not gonna lie. Cute bartenders are always a plus :) Are you into big guys? hairy guys? I mean ... REALLY BIG guys? Then you're in the right place :P

A little bear goes a long way at RockBar. This has become one of my favorite haunts in NYC. The easygoing crowd, the affable bartenders (and cute barbacks), Tuesday night trivia (most of the time at which I am completely inept except the singing part), and sometimes live music all combine to make a place where I can hang out without all the plastics. (Plastics have their place, but I don't need them all the time.) Proximity to the Christopher St pier makes it a great place to stop in after a day of sunning, pretending to read, laughing with friends, and cruising. And the music is never bad. Never. I have never used Shazam anywhere so often as I have at RockBar.

Rockbar has some big shoes to fill. It is the latest incarnation of a bar which had its longest run as "The Dugout" a gay bar with a decidedly bearish clientelle. Still it does a good job. Busy time remains the Sunday Beer Blast starting at 4PM.

Here's what i will say. I've heard decent things about this place. And even though I prefer Chelsea or HK over the vill, I've stopped here on my way somewhere numerous times, waiting for it to get good. I realize now that rockbar is what it is. I've seen some great live bands perform I've met some friendly, neighborhoody type people. I've had more than a few drinks that tasted like cat piss. I've seen cuties and average guys alike fraternizing which was refreshing to see. Rockbar is what it is. You will never have a terrible time, but I leave it for a stop on the way home or to another bar. The Latin bartender is superfriendly and makes decent drinks.

The first time I was here, I walked in on a Saturday night on my own around 2am and it was completely empty except one other patron, but I'd missed the last train out, so I took a seat and grabbed a beer. Eventually more people came in and it was actually a little bit fun. The second time, I met my friend here for happy hour. We were a few drinks in when they began hanging curtains and told us that there was an UnderBear party that night (underwear encouraged). We accepted the surprise, threw back some more drinks, stayed and had a blast! I went again on my own last Sunday around 10pm or so...and it was again completely empty except for one completely drunk older gentleman. I don't know what to make of this place. It's ok, but maybe you should bring your own very large group to make sure that someone is there.

I love Gym Bar. I really really like RockBar. Great location, with a fun atmosphere where you and your boysssss can come and go nuts, drink and sing to your lil heart's desire. I felt a tad outta place since I didn't have my blonde wig on, but whatevz. Haaaaaaiiiiiiii...buy me a drink, big boy?

Smells of nasty old draft beer permiates this noisy place _ the men are unkept and older and out of shape. Looking around how can anyone have a good time seeing beasts all around you. Skip this place - Not worth your trip!

So I love this bar normally but I went on "jockstrap" night and the DJ was pretty awful. He only played 80s music, which would be ok, accept the median age of the bar was 28-32. I even had a friend that asked about playing more current music, like Beyoncé for instance, because we wanted to dance, as did MANY of the random patrons I met that night. The DJ said he only really had 80s playlists which as a Dj is unacceptable and basically took that night that started at a 10 to a 4 because nobody could dance. It was pretty awful. Thankfully Ted on Thursdays for karaoke makes it fun. Edit: the bartenders are always super friendly, as well. Unfortunately, a DJ makes or breaks the quality of the experience.

On Wednesday evening EARLY 7-10 there are drag queens and a burlesque show, very fun and great people. Other than that it's more of a seedy hook up joint way out at the end of Christopher st.

I'm not sure how the new owners de-stickied the floor. I occasionally went to the Dugout, and my shoes would stick to the ground outside as I walked up Christopher street. No more! It's nice that a bar considers having live music and not the same disco crap soundtrack that you hear in 99% of gay bars.

Laid back, not so glitter focused but just enough punk glam. Obviously catered to the male LGBTQ scene (but lets face it, thats the situation NYC usually is). Definitely will be back! Had a blast, fun Drag shows

I've been going here since 2003-2004, when it was the Dugout. Let's just say I don't take change very well. While the Sunday beer blasts are always fun, I miss the staff that used to work there. The old bartenders Danny, Pedro, and Anthony...all good guys who were always friendly. The clientele is a bit more mixed since the ownership change. It's mostly bears and cubs but you can tell some of the snotty GYM Bar crowd slips through the cracks once in a while. Joe Fiore throws a great party on Sunday's. All request VJ/DJ who'll play whatever you want. $3 Buds and other cheap drinks. What's not to like, really. All in all, a decent dive...just a few too many straight girls for my liking.

Fun... videos, live music and really cheap strong drinks..... love that its summer now and you can enjoy the river as well

Here's the thing. I've always loved Rockbar. When i moved to Manhattan it was a place that everyone always talked about as being the best place to hang out with fellow bears. The music was great, the drinks were cheap, the staff was amazing, and the boys were burly (or were there to admire the other burly boys). Writing this in the summer, things have been busy, my visits to an old favorite have become less frequent, i'll admit. But in the past month or so, I've been to Rockbar twice, and both times I've been severely disappointed. Needing a night out with my cubs last month I suggested we hit up Rockbar. When we got there there was a melange of ladies, twinks, and several drunk groups all rocking out to Madonna. "Madonna?", I thought. Well that was cool, who doesn't like her music. Turns out had stumbled upon Madonna night at Rockbar. Ok, fair enough, it was a sunday night, and if this was bringing in the crowd, business is business. Unfortunately it was not really our type of crowd. Expecting to catch the tail end of beer-blast and wanting to chat up the usually friendly bear crowd there, our expectations were not met. But hey, I'm all for giving it a second chance. This place has given me many good times. So this Saturday we made the trek across town only to be greeted by - you guessed it - Madonna music! A $5 cover later, we were standing in a rather empty bar sipping our drinks, listening to Holiday. Again, nothing against Madonna, but if I wanted to hear the immaculate collection, I would it on my iPod at home. Where did the "rock" in Rockbar go? Where were the slutty bears I've grown to love? The "madonna dj", i believe was the same girl from Madonna night. She seemed to have a crowd around her most of the hour that I was there, I suppose her friends. When i went up to ask her to play a request she said she didn't have it - her friend later informed me she could only play the playlist from her iPad. Finding myself asking what happened to the great DJs Rockbar used to employ, I finished my drink, regretted losing my $5 cover, and lamented that this would probably be my last time at Rockbar.

It's my favorite bar in NYC. From drag to tv shows to my own balletic moves, RockBar always tickles my fancy.

First time here. No crowd, but it was too early. Bar tender was very friendly.

I've been a couple times and with the new policy of a cover charge, I would like to understand the value of the 5-10 $. If it was truly for a unique offering sure. But most times it is typical bar entertainment with very poor bar service and replacement top shelf. Yes that Tanqueray you pay so much for is likely poor generic. This explains why so often the place is empty.

The last fun gay bar in the Village. The staff is always nice, the drinks are always strong, and the crowd that comes here is cool.