XES Lounge
Categories: Dance Clubs, Gay Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Fashion District157 W 24th St
(between 38th St & 39th St)
New York, NY 10011 (212) 604-0212
- Nearest Transit:
23rd Street (PATH)
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd St-6th Ave (F, V)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Thu
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
17 reviews
New York, NY
"Came here for a friend's birthday and really didn't know what to expect. It's like going to a movie with no expectations and without…" read more »
21 Reviews for XES Lounge
Great for after work drinks w/ their 2-4-1 happy hour and super strong drinks (gotten myself into trouble more than once with those . . . stop at the 2nd or 3rd), especially during the spring and summer when it's warm enough to be out in the backyard patio area.
The bartenders are nice and the clientele is, for the most part, unpretentious. Definitely not a scene-y place for people who like to be seen, and that's fantastic. Have had many fun evenings here with friends.
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Decent little watering hole. Not my favorite place, but the price is right for the drinks and it pulls in a good crowd. Last time I was at XES was a Sunday afternoon/early evening, and I was with a group of people who had been boozing for 5 hours, so I was nonplussed with the situation. But I'd come back to XES for sure!
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Okay...I walked in and it was like a bunch of older guys scoping things out as soon as I walked in. So I was like "hmmm." I was there with a friend and we had already done three or so other places when we went so I was a little "good to go." But I ordered another drink.
The bar is pretty much the length of the place, starting from when you walk in. Typical bar appearance, not too glam, but sufficient. It had Belvedere vodka, so all was good. Lots of stools at the bar. It gets crowded, and especially since it was a busy weekend it was freaking packed.
The bathroom was all the way at the opposite end of the room and it was great that I went, because I would have missed the little dance floor and the other seating area at the other end. This is the cool part. The a/c was better over there too. And the guys were closer to my age and people were dancing and not just sitting and looking pretty.
The bartenders are okay, you have to wait a bit. The drinks were great. My bartender kept pouring half my drink with liquor and the rest with the mixer. So needless to say I got loaded there.
The crowd was mixed, in the sense that there were diverse guys, not so much girls. Old, young, average, hot, etc, all were represented. Unpretentious it seemed, but who exactly knows late at night when all are trashed.
The music was pretty good, although there is limited space to actually dance when it gets too crowded.
I'd come back to this place since it was a pretty good crowd, the drinks were strong and the men looked for the most part like men!
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It was the first gay bar I went to when I moved to the city (Bad Education release party, I won a prize!), and now I work on the same block. At first I didn't dig the place, but it's grown on me. It's become the perfect Chelsea bar for a casual meet up: great for chatting, beautiful patio, easy on the wallet and a pretty relaxed crowd.
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Well, I really am not a fan of XES for several reasons. One of which is the cheesy disco ball. Okay, now, if you have a disco ball, and Madonna isn't there, then don't have a disco ball.
The place isn't as spacious as most lounges, but... decently sized. I'll be honest though, it just seems like a glorified dive bar to me. Not too big on it. Amazing music though. Only reason I gave it 3 stars was because of the music. Crowd seemed 30ish.
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i must be a pervert. i always think i'm reading "SEX"... not "XES".
i like this place. the outdoor smoking lounge, flirty bartenders, decent DJ's and mucho hotties... i came here drunk once. didn't remember a thing except for the artwork on the walls with naked pretty boys. the LOGO channel was on the televisions... and that's all i recall. for our first ever Yelp Gay Night, we gathered up on a warm summer night and giggling, danced, smoked, drank (happy hour!) and striked a pose for cameras all evening.
i liked my experience there a lot. comfy lounge sofas and a good view of the t.v.'s and cuties. the only thing i have a gripe about is their bathroom. if i wanted to share the mirror/sink with a boy in drag (i mean, who's more FABULOUS here?!?!) in a dimly lit red-lighted bathroom... i'd much rather not. i had to squint as the queen pumped hair spray in her hair. i couldn't see anything! oy.
the drinks are okay and the vibe is cool. i'd love to come back to one of their "themed" nights.
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When I waltzed in for Yelp Gay Night on Tuesday, I realized two things. One, that the last time I came here I needed a fake ID to get in, and two, that I hadn't reviewed it yet! XES is a quaint little gay bar. Warm and friendly, not too big, but not too small, XES never tries to be anything other than it is. Although I've gotten into a few arguments with friends over whether the bar's name is an abbreviation of "Excess" or if it's just Sex spelled backwards and therefore called X-E-S.
There's a nice mix of older Chelsea locals and PR boys who work in the neighborhood, and the bartenders are nice as can be. The DJ on Tuesday was rocking out all your 80's favorites, and I was certainly not complaining. Drink prices were normal. It's kind of the cleaner, nicer version of Pieces (which is unapologetically a little skanky), but that still doesn't mean plenty of dirrrrtiness doesn't ensure. Just ask David S.
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I work near XES, and it's still one of my favorite spots to go for happy hour. The bartenders are super friendly and the 2-4-1's are strong. The back patio area is nice in the summer/spring, and the karaoke on Sunday is a good time, too. I've had many sloppy nights that started at XES and resulted in call-offs the next day.
11:45pm: Vodka tonic #4...
11:50pm: Mimi the drag queen telling me how hot she thinks I am and how I should totally enter tonight's hottest booty contest... luring with me with prospects of fame and $100 in cash...
12:00am: ###Censored###
12:45am: Compensation prize: free Grey Goose cosmo by hot bartender Frankie
1:00am: Indecent proposal by Mimi the drag queen... declined... Where the hell are my hundred bucks???
1:15am: Flirting with Frankie the hot bartender...
2:00am: Going home defeated and disgraced...
O... M... G...
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I had a great time here with friends after they got off work (late Fri night), but I gotta say, the smell got me every time I walked into the main room.
Feet, beer, armpit, sour, vinegar, eggs? I don't know but it ain't pretty, and I'm not a snob about bar smells.
Clean it up XES, and I'll give you the 4 stars I think you deserve.
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I love this place for it's beautifully laid out patio design with the roll out awning and chic lawn furniture. It's a wonderful low key lounge when you sit on the couch by the old queens having a two for one cocktail. We met some sophisticated boys who invited us to Fire Island with them. David S. and I were too chicken to accept. They seemed nice though.
6 drinks later...
The drag queen karaoke starts and she propositions David S. and apparently does something you'll have to ask David S. about. Turns out the drag queen propositioned him last time too, when David didn't win the "nicest ass in the bar" contest. you'll have to ask him about that one as well.
I liked the drinks, the service was excellent and the crowd was very cool. We could have karaoked but the singers were so good that I had a good time just watching them. This was a weeknight, so not sure how crowded this place would be on a weekend. I would definitely go there again.
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Cute little Chelsea bar. Delightfully large and inappropriately funny and amusing drag queen on Thursday nights, and I don't know if it's a usual thing, but she decided to have a semi-strip show last night, the winner getting $100. Easy-going atmosphere, and I bet it's more fun in the summer with the back patio and all. Inexpensive and strong drinks, and a happy hour that goes till 9 PM everyday, how awesome is that?!
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XES is another bar with that neighborhood feel. There is an outdoor patio with plenty of seats and plastic couches and benches to sit and enjoy the weather and enjoy your drink. A cute waiter is always bouncing around, ready to take your drink order so you won't have to keep walking inside to the bar. Ladies BEWARE - the outside ground consists of chunky rocks so if you are wearing heels, you are sure to stumble a few times so be careful!
Russ W. described it best when he said it "smells like yesterdays booze mop water". There is only one bartender and he is good, but yeah, it does get a little backed up. But for the 2 for 1 drink special, I don't mind waiting. Frankie is not shy on his liquor so it's worth the wait.
XES does a variety of themed nights. One of those being karaoke and another being Desperate Housewives night. I LOVED going for Desperate Housewives night. It's amazing that a bar can get so quite.
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Ah, chic lighting. A garden. Fluffy couches. Gorgeous men everywhere. E! on all the televisions.... Have I finally stumbled upon some sort of urban paradise?? Wait, they're all gay? Oh. Now I get why Katie and Peter is on.
Not a bad choice when it comes to cheap, strong and dirty happy hour with 2 for 1 drinks and plenty of seating to sprawl out and get to know your obviously very good looking neighbors. And as far as gay bars go, this one is wayyyy more laid back than most with a touch of class and a friendly atmosphere to boot.
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Stewart, Chris and I met at XES for "one drink." The hostess of Sunday night, Peppermint, took the stage and proceeded to tell the LONGEST joke ever told. I leaned over to Chris and whispered that, perhaps, her delivery could be a bit tighter. Well, it seems I had whispered in my outside-playground voice, because Peppermint put one muscular, shimmer-stockinged thoroughbred-horse leg in front of the other and walked across 15 feet of sofa cushion in five-inch heels to extend a sequined glove and a thick mask of Cover Girl into to my face and microphone-whip me into being properly worshipful. Anyway, that's what Stewart and Chris told me the next day.
Love XES, and don't fuck with the drag queens.
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I end up at this place more than I care to admit as I'm not into the gay bar scene at all. However, the 2 for 1 happy hour and the heavy pour that is customary at most gay bars along with the back patio makes it an frequent stop after work before heading off to do god knows what for the rest of the evening.
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Apparently we went a little too late to enjoy the outdoor patio (it closes at 11pm?), but still had a nice time. The DJ that night must've been psychic because he was playing pretty much every song I was in the mood to hear... not even boring cliche songs, but rather some of my newer jams.
On the negative side, I guess the place isn't really popular at 11:30ish on a Saturday night because the crowd was definitely not at XES. Also the artwork on the walls was a little odd... anime of dudes that look like they just celebrated their 18th birthday, if that.
Otherwise, I had a good time, and would probably go back.
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Another four star gay bar for different reasons. Divey and campy, but unexpectedly -- a lot of fun. The bar looks unassuming on a quiet side street. I rolled up on an off-night, meeting a friend (who was running late) and struck up some conversation with some people there.
Signed up for karaoke, got up on stage to sing and got roasted by the hilarious drag queen host. My buddy called to tell me (while I was on stage) he would be there momentarily and the drag queen grabbed the phone and harrassed him for a bit to the racuous laughter of the crowd.
Drinks were good, cheap and strong - just how I like my guys, um drinks, I mean. Bartenders screamed at me when I peeked into a storage closet to talk on the phone....um, ok, not a big deal guys. Don't freak out on me. I'll still go back. Had a blast.
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What a cute little place. Smells a little like yesterdays booze mop water, and the floor is ALWAYS sticky, but they have a cute terrace outside that is large enough for more than one conversation, without listening to everyone elses.
Until 9pm, it's 2 for 1 cocktails, which makes me happy. I adore being over served, and since you aren't supposed to count the ones that are free, it's easy to get sloshy. Frankie is the cutest bartender there, yet even cute can be slow. I think perhaps an additional bartender would be helpful in my efforts to imbibe.
I'll go back, but with shoes instead of flip flops, and definitely ordering 2 drinks at once.
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OK, this is an awesome awesome gay bar. Right down the street from the Gay Men's Health Crisis (yes, you rock), it has the best happy hour ever: buy one, get one free. Whatever it is, you buy one, and you get one free. No limitations, no gimmicks, no nonsense. And the waiter has a really cute butt and flirted with me. Kudos.
There's a neat little outside area, where we sat and sweated like crazy because a certain friend of mine NEEDS to smoke as he drinks, but i'm not holding it against Xes. Definitely dug the cool plastic furniture out back, and the sweet beats they started spinning, unfortunately just as we were leaving!
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Hands down. The Cutest. Waiter Ever.
Oh my God, and I cannot repeat how hot he was, it made the bar so worthwhile. Granted he was a little dim, but he was really sweet and did a great job. He even put up with my super bitchy friend and smiled through it.
The outdoor area was really nice, a great little spot to have a chat with friends on a warm evening.
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