The Lone Star
www.lonestarsaloon.com
Rating: ****
Type: Bear bar
Hours: 9 a.m. - 2 a.m. Sat & Sun, Noon - 2 a.m. M-F
Crowd: 80% gay bears by volume, 10% chasers,
10% uniforms & whatever
Pooltable: Yes, not the best
table in SOMA, but players are fun if a bit
serious
Best time to go: Sunday beer bust
in the afternoon, Saturday nights before 12:30 a.m.
We often go on Sunday nights to miss the crowd and
chat with Bruce the bartender on duty who is beautiful,
smart, and hilarious.
The Lone Star is my favorite
SOMA bar, and it's where you'll find Scott and me
50% of the time on a weekend. We are the "fun" couple
of the moment, which I find fairly insulting. I like
chatting with all of the bears and playing pool, at
least the ones that will still talk to me after the
balloon hat fiasco, which people still bring up.
The Lone Star is starting to get a reputation
for being "clique-y," and it's true that some of those
that go there travel in packs and only talk amongst
themselves. Make the effort, however, and you'll be
rewarded. I've met a ton of people here, and they've
all been great for the most part despite my lack of
chest/back hair.
The uniform crowd congregates here after
events, so there's almost always someone dressed in
full leather on the back patio smoking a cigar. I don't
get it, but it keeps the mosquitos away.
During
the week, it's pretty slow. Tuesday nights are pool
tournament nights, so don't go until after 11 p.m.
if you want to play pool. The good news is that it's
usually free after the tournament is over.
There's a store upstairs which sells
great t-shirts, sweatshirts, and various bear-related
accountrements. There's an online
store if you forget something during
your visit (the anvil shirt is my favorite; great design).
The Eagle Tavern (The SF Eagle)
www.sfeagle.com
Rating: ***
Type: Levi/Leather/Whatever
Hours: Noon - 2 a.m. every day
Crowd: 99% gay male
of all sizes and ages. Sprinkling of lesbians and straight
people. Some bears and uniforms.
Pooltable: Yes, I like this
table the best of the SOMA bars
The Eagle is packed (and I mean
sardine) on Sunday afternoons for the beer busts,
but I hate standing in line and feeling claustrophobic,
so we almost never go. For most nights except weekends,
the place is fairly empty, which is a shame given
the enormous patio.
The crowd changes from night to night.
They have live music every Thursday, but I'm more interested
in chatting with people, so I avoid it. I've had some
super fun nights at The Eagle, mostly because
if you start something, they'll play along.
DJs play a very eclectic mix, mostly
rock. Don't expect to hear the top 20 dance hits. The
club has changed a bit since the owners of the Hole
in the Wall took over, although the place has never
looked better in my opinion.
The Powerhouse
www.powerhouse-sf.com
Rating: ***
Hours:
Type: Levi/Leather/Whatever
Crowd: 110% gay male of all
sizes and ages. Some bears.
Pooltable: Yes, but infrequently
used and kind of shabby
The liveliest gay bar in SOMA,
with the broadest spectrum of gay men: uniforms,
leather, boys, daddies, sluts, twinks, and tourists.
They've started playing "art" movies in
the back section of the bar, which is very distracting.
The back patio is the best place for smoking and
watching—and usually gets frisky—but watch where
you step.
The Powerhouse hosts the largest number
of weekly events: everything from nipple play to wrestling
to rope bondage to bootlicking. Check their website
for the latest schedule since new events are added
frequently.
Nice bartenders, sometimes chatty, usually
shirtless. We especially like one of the barbacks and
usually only go there to chat with him.
My Place
Rating: **
Type: Levi/Leather/Whatever
Crowd: Unsure
Pooltable: Yes, although
it's currently stuck at the entrance to the bar
I'm not sure what to make out of this
bar. The history (as I know it) is that the original
My Place was on the verge of being shut down for sex
in the bar and was sold. It became CIP, which was a
straight club for awhile, then went "gay." The new
My Place has the atmosphere of the previous club, which
isn't nearly as sleazy as the original My Place.
We
almost never go here, mostly because there's no one
to chat with except the bartender most nights, although
the tiny back patio is a nice place to have a quiet
smoke on a rainy night.
Hole in the Wall
Rating: ***
Type: Neighborhood
Crowd: Very mixed, 99% men of various shapes,
sizes, ages, ethnicities
Pooltable: Yes, and good
players too
A tiny, wildly decorated neighborhood
bar, and Scott's old hangout. I have a theory that
a fair number of crazy people from the halfway house
down the street wander in here, but most of the regulars
are just that. If chatting with a naked dancing midget
will make your night, this is the place to go.
Excellent pool
players all around, on par even with the best players
in San Jose. If they let you win, count yourself lucky.
Hole in the Wall pool players play for fun, so if you're
intent on winning you'll find yourself alone.
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