Club Cafe

Club Café has one thing going for it: lots of cute, young guys. Unfortunately, it has a lot of negatives: Those same cute guys would watch you choke on a martini olive rather than help give a helping hand. It's primarily a South End crowd and believe me they are in their own antiseptic world. It's obvious most are there to 'meet' someone, but no one says Hi out of an unfounded fear of rejection. The majority are there with friends, and branching out of that circle (clique) rarely happens. The drinks are good, the music can be great, but the attitude is so pervasive it's almost sad. Life is hard enough and we'd all do well to remember that.

Club Cafe, its the Boston Gay Standard. At its best and worst, Thirsty Thursdays which is so crowded, you wish you stayed home. If you stay and punk it out, most end up horse from conversation screaming. The DJ & Music videos are fun & whimsy. Go for the eye candy. One unspoken rule to remember: Dykes in the front rooms, guys in the back. I do not know why.

Club Café has been fairly characterized by the other reviews here. Drink prices trend higher than most of the other gay bars listed here, but are on par with big city, posh nightspots that attract the deep pockets of the Euro crowd, in Boston's Theater District. Food seems to go in waves from very good to disappointing. Sunday brunches are a good bet. There's almost no way to guess how good the food will or won't be, at any time in history. But, in fairness, it's a very nice setting for a gay dinner date. Moving from the restaurant area, which sometimes has piano/vocal entertainment, there is the front bar, with a seating area. There are appetizer specials during happy hour, and sometimes even free apps. The next room has another bar and some flat screens. It opens into the back room, with more video screens, and a stage that makes it a popular spot for cabaret acts, fundraisers, and special events. Their idea of being able to text the DJ a message that plays on the screens throughout the room, which is also used for "dating" games is fun. Various VJ's (video jockey's) spin. The classic joke (which has your choice of punchlines) is "Club Café is Boston's S&M bar... Sneakers and Mascara. (Optional: Stand and Model.) Clientele trends towards well-dressed in gay-popular labels. Men over 35 need to be very fit, or they stick out in the crowd of Armani Exchange twinks. All that said, the club is well done, bar staff knows how to make drinks, and for boy watching, it's gay Boston's choice.

My friends and I have not liked this place since it opened and we were in our twenties. It IS a well laid out space. Skip the restaurant, but if you are hungry get a appetizer in the lounge area. The other rooms out back are ok with decent music...but yes a very young and not very diverse crowd. If you are very young and white and preppy...this might be your spot. I prefer something with a bit more of an edge.

Nice polite place for Happy Hour. Evenings totally range from Crazy to Boring depending on the crowd. Weekends packed!