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Categories: Gay Bars, Dance Clubs
Neighborhoods: Theater District, Hell's Kitchen50th St-8th Ave (C, E)
8th Ave-42nd St (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W)
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After a happy hour and an even happier open bar, I was in Chelsea with no where to go.
I heard of the his place that wasn't too far, its late happy hour saved me some dough.
Please excuse my lame excuse for poetic humor.
However, I do seriously recomend giving Barrage a try.
Happy Hour form 11-12! What!? I thought so.
Place is nice on the inside, managed to get get a seat on a cube thingy. Crowd was mixed, though I felt like the youngest one there.
Struck up a convo with random peeps throughout the night. Music was good, drinks were good, pictures in the bathroom amusing.
Overall pretty nice place, will def go back when in the neighborhood,
Ehh. Was dragged here on New Year's Eve by friends. Didn't find the place to be interesting nor disinteresting. It left no impression at all...and you would think on New Year's Eve it would.
Bottom line: read another review on this place (but in all fairness: my spider senses weren't tingling in the least bit).
I could not be happier with Barrage. Great place to unwind. Not pretentious, nice and low-key usually, depending on the cast of characters and time of night.
My one complaint used to be that it had this bleach/sweat smell thing going on all the time, but the past few times I have been, the stink has vanished. YAY!
I sort of miss the old decor, with the white beads dripping down the red walls--now it is plastered with naked guys, which I'm sort of indifferent to, but alas, it's not designed for ladies who like ladies--no biggie;)
Anyhow, I just love the bartenders here. Totally friendly and lovely in every way. Since I live so close, I will often pop in late at night on my way home, after work or going out, to see if any of my HK friends are around--usually there are at least a few, sorta like a gay Cheers. But if not, I saddle up to the bar if I'm in the mood for a nightcap and always feel extremely welcome. I am never ignored and always get a strong one. They even make a great martini, so feel free to order one with no fear--they know what they're doing!
Though I usually miss their late night happy hour at 11:00, it's a great deal. But even after that, 7 bucks for a mixed drink and 9 for a very well made martini is a steal. Definitely a neighborhood favorite.
BFF and I dropped off a friend at the train station and made sure to swing by here for a drink. Or 6. Perfectly witty servers, clever drink menu, and by far the best tunes I've heard since the Tea Dance in P-Town this summer.
Great crowd for an early Saturday eve and the places doesn't pretend to be clubby or unapproachable. Would definitely come back here, possibly would skip the numerous rum drinks as the bartender had quite the heavy pour. That, of course, is no cause for complaint.
this place is whack. first of all, what is up with the kevin federline posters? second, why did it smell like diarrhea, and how come none of the other patrons were grossed out by this? crowd is just like any other HK bar, except less open and willing to engage in a conversation (unless it's packed, which is rare) - definitely come with a group if you're going to come here at all. prepare to feel like you're in college when it comes to the furniture and decor. it's cheap and tacky, and the walls are painted different colors, and not in a chic or stylish way. it looks like someone got bored, put the paintbrush down to have a few cosmos and got wasted, abandoning the job. summer happy hours can be okay, when the barrage (boy-garage?) door is open. for a neighborhood dive, hit up Posh a few blocks up.
Great frozen cosmos & happy hour specials. Never gets too crowded or pretentious either, unlike some other gay bars in the 'hood. And it's full of gays of all ages, which is admirable. If it's a nice day in the summer, they'll open up the front garage doors too. Can't really go wrong with Barrage.
Barrage is the best queer joint in the Times Square area. By far. It's chill, it's dark, it's a bit more open than most... And it doesn't try to pass itself off as anything but a bar. This is a very important point for me because I can't stand places that need to be bars given their size but somehow think they should have a DJ and pass themselves off as clubby (regard Posh or Vlada Lounge). Even better is the fact that one song just goes to the other, not horribly 'mixed' by some dude on a laptop.
Better yet are its patrons... They are cool, chill, and open to conversation -- something that ain't the easiest thing to come across in NYC, especially when you say you're from L.A. But a friend and I found ourselves among many people who were not only willing to have conversation, but open to telling us where to go and exchanging digits. They rocked and pretty much made my night.
Okay, so they pretty much played the typical gay shit -- but at least they played the best song off of Britney's 'Blackout' album and at least they didn't play singles only. Annnnd: red is one of the best colors to light a bar and they do it rather well. Come in, hang out... It rocks.
I'm pretty sure this was my first gay bar experience, and the only real difference from any other bar were the giant pictures of half-naked men on the walls. Which for me is definitely a plus. I actually didn't know it was a gay bar beforehand, but the giant half-naked man at the entrance was a tip-off.
$3 cosmo specials aren't really my thing, but happy hour at 11pm with reduced drafts definitely is. And it was a great place to catch up with old friends and hang out, which is what I came to do.
Small, dark, and red are three words that come to mind to describe the look of the place. Kind of how I'd imagine the inside of coffin to be, if the coffin had those giant man-pictures all over the inside. But that may be too harsh... the interior really wasn't all that bad.
All in all, nothing really stood out for me... it did its job giving me a drink and a place to chat with friends. And it reminds me nothing of a garage.
This has to be the only damn gay bar in my hood that I haven't reviewed yet, and that's probably because I'm pretty indifferent to it. I can't pinpoint why exactly, but something about this place always rubs me the wrong way. Crowd is typical HK mix of ex-chelsea boys, theater queens, and midtown professionals, no complaints there. But something about the space - vacuous and garage-like - always makes it seem empty and crowded at the same. People tend to hoard in clumps around the room, even though the space is pretty open. Unclear.
Good happy hour specials, and friendly bartenders, but it just doesn't add up for me. I'll be a few blocks up at Vlada or Posh.
I've been spending quite a bit of time in HK lately (and not calling Sam -- for shame!), and I actually found myself (who am I kidding? PUT myself) in Barrage for the 11 p.m. - midnight happy hour twice this weekend. Some of the nicest and sexiest barback/waiters in town (but not giving out their phone numbers -- for shame!). Good crowd. We lost track playing "top 5" in the bar -- too many hotties to count.
The (monthly?) "international theme" nights are a total kick. Went for Italian night, and there were red, white, and green balloons and streamers, and decorative bowls of raw pasta. Why not -- have some fun!
A hole in the wall, but a good one at that. The strong basement odor hits you in the face the second the door opens, which is usually a sign that a bar should be severely avoided at all costs. With some great drink specials and speedy bartenders, Barrage wrangles in a healthy number of patrons every night, ranging in age from the younguns to the fogies. The seats tend to be a bit uncomfortable - what is it, play furniture? - as well as limited, but if you get there early enough, you can enjoy a relaxing drink on a couch with a friend or two.
Beware - do not stand next to the waiter area or you will inevitably be elbowed at least a dozen times before someone physically forces you to move out of the way.
So, it's no longer the hoppin' spot in Hell's Kitchen. But it has a nice atmosphere and very friendly staff. It's especially good for meeting up with friends. Compared with most bars in the area, its lay-out is functional -- unlike the Ritz or Therapy where I always feel like I'm in somebody's way.
Barrage has a nice neighborhood bar feeling. It should not be blown off simply because it isn't the newest HK bar.
Small, low-key bar, fun place to go hang out with friends, happy hour and all. Extremely nice and friendly bartenders and waitstaff. Cheap and good drinks, though, it is cash only, so minus one star for that. I get annoyed when places are cash only. Plenty of great restaurants within a block, so it's a good stop after dinner. I really like this place though, it's very relaxing, particularly after a long and hard day at work. Though, I wonder why it isn't named "Garage" and NOT "Barrage" given the garage-door style window which is opened up during the summer. Perhaps they thought "they sound similar, they must mean the same"! I'm guessing the person who named it didn't finish high school, leave alone college. Check it out for sure.
The bar is cute and the seating layout is very comfortable and welcoming. The waiter was pretty and, more importantly, never let me sit for long with an empty glass. And the cocktail menu is the dirtiest I've ever seen! I ordered, not without an immature chuckle each time, the Cock Ring, Pearl Necklace, Prince Albert and Golden Shower. All the drinks were delicious (definitely on the sweet side, but I was in the mood for that), and during the happy hour from 5-8 they were only $6 each. I will definitely be back here for more happy hours in the future.
Ooooo, this lounge is full of pretty people. Like Therapy, Barrage has ample space set aside for comfy couches so you can just sit around, watch, be watched, or talk with your significant other while staring at the guy past his shoulder. Before happy hour, hardly anyone is here. Then, happy hour rolls around and before your can blink, people are all around you. Then, afterward, about half the people leave and head on to the next Hell's Kitchen happy hour. I chose to stay. It was a pretty good time. Lots of guys bold enough to talk to you, yet not tactless enough to feel your crotch just after saying hello (I like to at least know the guy's name before I allow any of that...-wink-). A great place for anyone to hang out, but I think a lot more couples come here than singles. Still, the pencils and pads on the bar are convenient for jotting down a number, just in case.
Barrage is a great place for happy hour. $3 well drinks (if my memory's right) around 6pm, and also from 11 to 12pm (how great is that?). The bar is pretty big, with a lot of couches for lounging with your friends. As Sam P points out, it does sort of look like a garage or a former fire station, but those garage doors at the front open up in the summer making the place yet more pleasant. It doesn't seem to get too packed during happy hour, but the crowd was fun. I'd be curious to check it out on a weekend night.
Not a bad local bar but not a great one either. Decent space that opens up in the summer time. So-so crowd. Worth a try.
my home base
my love
my drunken love
i love this bar
i am not sure if it is the red walls
or
john - best bartender ever
or
happy hour 11-12 everynight
or
the comfort of a lounge
but whatever it is, i love this bar
it is my home base
where i start and sometime end the night
perfect for most occasions
the people are generally friendly
and
nice
check it out
i will be there
it's delightful
the crowd is mixed
some
older
and
some
younger
but everyone loves all the same
usually
this one you can run to
quickly
Went there on a Monday night with some friends, and the Monday special of $3 Cosmos and Frozen Cosmos is reason enough to come back on such a random night.
A mixed crowd, decent music, a nice setup, and nice bartenders/waiters. I'd go back. I'd be curious to see what it's like on a more crowded night.
Not a shabby spot! Came here during the bar hopping of Pride, which probably made it lots more fun, but it was a good time. Good peeps, good drinks, etc. Not much else to say there, eh? One star off for no credit cards. What is this, the Stone Age?
I went here years ago with a friend, and I remember a hoppin' neighborhood gay bar. This time around was earlier in the night, so much more empty than I would have expected, even for a Saturday night. I assume that it gets more hoppin' later on. The interior is kind of cold and austere, with a concrete, modernist flair. Drinks are strong. The crowd was older and unpretty - I think pretty people only come out after midnight. Is that a rule?
Barrage is a great bar with a big open spacious room, cute boys and nice bartenders, plus a happy hour from 11-12pm. What more can you ask for?
Free pool for the ladies!
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Happy Hour - Every Day
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Fashion District
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Gay Bars
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