Menz and Mollyz Bar

I can’t believe there’s a cover charge to get into this dump. We went there on a Sunday night and witnessed the biggest train wreck of a drag show in history. The music was LOUD and the performers were third rate. The patrons were the saddest looking group I’d ever seen and not one person would even talk to us, except the drag queen with the mic who announced that my partner made her nipples hard. Classy.

Menz Bar might get a bad rap because of the reputation it might have based on the normal clientele and the part of town it’s located in. Those are both issues separate from this review but all I’ll say is that despite all the negative you *might* have heard, it’s a great place to go.
Having only been a few times myself, it surprises me each time the variety of people that do come here despite what people say. There are women. There are young people. The music is great! And the people are exceptionally friendly. I feel like Menz Bar caters more to being inclusive rather than trying to make a quick buck.
Other than the typical weekend dancing nights they have, they also have many special events, whether cover is required or not depends on the event and the purpose which can occasionally be something community related, which is great!
Maybe the worst thing that can happen to this bar is that everyone realizes the truth about it because then it can no longer be a well kept secret held only by those that are willing to come and find out for themselves.

Love the place since they moved from up the street. Lots of little sitting rooms where you can get away from the loud music if you so desire. Wednesday’s Karaōke night is always fun although Wednesday is really an inconvenient day for people like me who have to work in the morning. I try to make it a point of taking the odd vacation day on a Thursday so I can stay out for karaōke the night before.
I’m not a huge fan of the ‘loud music dance scene’ but occasionally, I’ve been know to cut a rug with folks at Menz and when I do, I must say the music selection is usually always just what I’m looking for.

Well, another first for this chick and a first I’ll remember.
A friend invited me to a Burlesque show here, a place neither of us had been before. We bought our tickets, grabbed our bf’s and headed over.
As mentioned by other Unilocalers, Menz Bar is a place where you can be yourself or someone else, what have you. The energy in this place is uncanny, and the atmosphere reflects it. Lots of colors, lights, laughter and glitter.
Everyone had a great time, some more than others. The talent was entertaining and fun, the bartenders and patrons were friendly but the response of the crowd during the show (and games) was the best.
I found drinks to be competitive with every other bar of downtown Halifax. I had a couple double rum and cokes for $ 11 each…
I look forward to returning.

This bar is a hidden gem! I love going here for shows and the people who run it. I’m not a bar person and hate going out but I love this place. Great shows, great people, great atmosphere, and hey it’s actually a clean bar! Yeah shocking I know but you can tell the people who own it actually care about the bar and making their customers comfortable. Only thing I wish was that they still had Molly’s attached to it (their food was delish and would be great to have while watching a show).

This is one of my favourite bars in Halifax.
Chilled, open to anyone who is over 19 and great little rooms to lounge. I like to go with my friends and drink on our own, or mingle with the people in the pool room or dance on the dance floor.
Bar staff are polite and to the point and they seem to be continuously changing it up which is nice. Check it out for Karaōke on wednesday, less waiting and you can win some bucks.
They also support the local theatre scene by previously hosting Café Dapopo every month. Not only is this a fun place to get drunk and sing your face off, or meet some really nice locals that frequent the bar, this place is a great performance venue. Great crowd and above the image it gives to some of the younger gay crowd, it is a safe and chilled place to hang out here. I love the neighbourhood too.
it’d be nice to have another bar like this for the gays.

Aside from my friends, Menz Bar might be the one thing I will miss most about Halifax. When I first moved here I thought Reflections was the best example of gay bar I had ever been to. Menz Bar was that «old man» bar up on Gottingen Street that no one went to unless you were without fear. Thankfully my mind was changed and I’ve never looked back. Menz Bar is a gay bar through and through but they would never turn anyone away and I think that is its shining quality — they’re building a community.
I remember the first time I went to Menz Bar and I ascended the carpeted staircase to find myself looking into a library. Oh yeah, it has a library. At first, I felt like I was in an odd hotel lobby or the home of an eccentric gay man. I mean, there are silver torsos, a chandelier made with construction helmets and drag queens as far as the eye can see. I’m sure Stefon from SNL would recommend this place. In addition to the library you will find a billiard room and parlour that provide an alternative to the dance floor saturated in disco lights. If you’re looking for a respite from partying, I have to warn you that in an establishment that sells discount shots at coat check, and employs drag queen to walk about selling trays of shots, you won’t be able to resist for very long. Name another bar that sells JagerBombs for $ 4.75. What’s that? You can’t? With daily drink specials, karaōke every Wednesday, Ladies’ Night on Thursday and one of the best dance parties in Halifax on Saturday, Menz Bar is one of the great undiscovered destinations in Halifax.
I have indulged in Menz Karaōke quite regularly and I have to say that on those nights when the crowd is less than capacity, I’ve been able to get to know the bar staff and I am going on record to say that the guys and girls who work there are the nicest and most outgoing bar staff I have ever met. Anywhere. They are never short of a smile (or sass) and make you feel like a patron rather than a customer. The outreach of Menz Bar into the gay community is so great that they regularly host fundraising events, Pride Week events and sponsor LGTBQ initiatives in Halifax. On holidays when many people are spending time with their families, Menz Bar hosts community events with food, drinks and entertainment for those who may find themselves without company. You won’t find another bar that cares that much about their patrons in Halifax.

I’m not a «bar person.» I find them too crowded and too loud.
Menz Bar? Menz meets my needs. Yes, the main room is loud and crowded (mostly hot, sweaty men shaking their bodies in time to the music) but they have lots of little rooms tucked around where you can sit and have an actual conversation. Beer is a bit more than I’d like to pay; but since I’d like to pay $ 0 and I rarely go out, it’s affordable.
The crowd, while mostly men, is still fairly diverse and most people I’ve gone with (including the odd straight guy) have felt very welcome here.
I also have to give «mad props» (which I realize no one says anymore) to the owners; they are very actively involved in Halifax’s LGBT* community, sponsoring lots of groups and always offering to help out in any way that they can. The bar hosts lots of community events, even on holidays when some people don’t have anywhere else to go.

Prepared NOT to be judged (unless you want to be). My first trip to Menz Bar for for a Drag/​Burlesque show. What a hidden gem we have here. Folks from all walks of life get together and have a genuinely fun time. If you want to get your freaky dance on, go for it. If you want to chill it’s cool too, there is a nice comfy back room. The atmosphere is great, from the old Canadian Tire sign on the wall, funky ceiling lighting. painted manikin bodies, to the bar built on steel barrels (or so it appears).
Drink prices were a bit high $ 5.25 for a bottle of Keith’s.
I’ll be back for further performances, they have first rate talent in this place, best drag in the city and hopefully more burlesque!

Ahhh Menz Bar… the welcoming, fun-​loving, extroverted step-​brother to our city’s better known Reflections Cabaret. It may be tucked away on Gottingen Street — so a tough sell to get your friends to come along — but it’s always well worth the trip. Enter through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it door and be greeted by some of the friendliest staff at any bar in Halifax. Ever have your outfit complimented by the guy who takes your cover? It’s a nice change!
Heading up the stairs, you’ll reach the landing at which point you can choose the billiards room, the low-​lit (and always hilarious to me) Study with books, fireplace, coffee tables and lounge chairs, or the main dance floor. I’ve never seen that many people anywhere but the dance floor but that could also be because it’s just so damn hard to pull yourself away when every song is «MY SONG». Still, the extra rooms and seating are a great place to catch your breath or give your ladies-​in-​waiting a chance to get off their stilettos.
There are two bar locations — one at the back of the venue which is often staffed by either delightful drag queens or topless beefcakes, either of which I’m completely fine with at two in the morning, and another that runs the length of the dance floor itself for your convenience. Now, while we’re on the actual bar portion of the review, it’s worth noting that Menz Bar seems to offer some of the worst drinks I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not sure whether it’s the alcohol or the mix, but something is definitely not okay there (which is the only thing keeping my review from being a 5-​star). That said, order a beer or cooler and you’ll be good to go.
Why go to a bar that serves bad drinks? Well, because of everything else about this place. If you’re looking for an incredible night out on the town, expertly remixed Top 40 and pop divas (not just rave whistles and bass drums), and a friendly and judgement-​free crowd, there truly is no better place to find it.

«Dance like nobody’s watching» seems to be an apt phrase when considering Menzbar’s spirited night vibes. I have a few friends who frequent often, and it seems like a spot to just get out, let loose and kick it to the insistent pop drones of Ke$ha and Katy Perry.
Everybody is full of fun, and egos are checked at the door. Come one, come all– this primarily gay bar is filled with folks of all sorts of sexual preference and appearance. I enjoy this spot more for the great energy than the musicality of it all (I am certain that Ke$ha was at one time a dumpster baby), as the people and venue itself cannot help but invoke contagious dance moves.
A fun place to pop into for wiggling around. Great location, and an alternative to the antics of downtown Reflection’s, Menzbar couldn’t be dull if it tried.

Don’t ask me how I ended up here one cold Tuesday recently. I think it had something to do with Charlies closing early. A few of us stragglers got to talking and before we knew it we were in Menz Bar ordering drinks from a dude wearing little more than a pair of tighty whiteies.
I can’t say this is how I planned to spend my evening…
Menz Bar is Halifax’s other major gay bar, located in the closest thing Halifax has to a gay district (Sea Dogs is right across the street). While my sexual preference would never cause me to step foot in this place, the sense of freedom it gives is very refreshing.
The bar was filled with an incredible variety of people. Old, young, men, women, drag queens, gays, lesbians and surprisingly, more than a few straight people. Most importantly, everybody seemed comfortable and happy to be there, nobody was judging or attacking other people. Nobody was trying to prove how macho they were (except for maybe the dude dressed in leather cut-​offs), everybody was just there for a good night out.
And that’s what we all had, a good night out. As I’ve said, this is not my scene. I can’t see myself ever becoming a regular at Menz Bar, but I’m glad it exists in our fair city. And the next time Charlies closes down early and a group of stragglers are looking for another bar to haunt, I’ll have no problem returning.