The Denton Garage

Didn’t know about any drama that when on there, had a pretty good time with my wife, drink prices were pretty cheap, but it is a college town bar, so like Austin, reminds me of a miniature 6^th Street, lot of young college students and alcohol, didn’t have any problems of any sort, bartenders were pretty fast, and wasn’t annoyed by too may people. They have some video games and darts section. If you want to dance, it looked to be very crowded during the weekends. Otherwise worth a try, and if it doesn’t work, many other clubs in the area.

This place is absolute garbage… NEVER GO THERE. Trashy atmosphere, horrible bartenders/​door people, and no good drinks. I am personally part of the service industry and provide honest reviews. This place sucks.

So, a lot of people have already touched on their «Statutory Grape» shot and their horrible response to the outrage it caused. So, all I will say about that is that is a major reason I will not go back, and I don’t approve.
Now, Fry Street bars have the Fry Street crawl where the bars give you a free shot at midnight of your birthday. One per bar. It was my best friends birthday, but we were out a little early so we BOUGHT some beers waiting for midnight. Once midnight rolled around, we went up to the bar to request her birthday shot. Well, the manager was standing next to the bartender we were speaking to so he chimed in.
Manger: «No. You already had it.»
Me: «Um, no. We have been here a while and bought some beers to tide us over, but we haven’t had a single shot.»
Manager: «Yes, you did. I saw you come get it.»
At this point, my friend and I are getting pretty mad.
Me: «Okay, explain to me how we had already gotten the birthday shot if we came up here as it turned midnight? If you have been taking my money for it, how does it qualify as the birthday shot?»
He was stumped for a second before waving at his employee.
Manager: «Whatever. Just give it to her.»
Me: «No thanks! I’m really not interested in anything y’all have to offer. I’m taking my business elsewhere.»
I know threats like that typically don’t mean a lot from one person, but they have steadily been losing clientele and I fully believe they should!

Basically don’t come here unless getting treated like a piece of garbage is something that you like

This place is covered in piss.

A bar with such a lax view of women’s safety is not a safe place.

This is the bar in Denton that you go to if you are 18, want to chain smoke cigarettes, play pool and get felt up or hit on by Affliction wearing jersey shore wanna be’s.
Drink prices are cheap as are most of the people that go there.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent my fair share of time there and sometimes they have good music on the patio (whenever local wanna be rock stars aren’t playing acoustic versions of Blink182 or Goo goo dolls).
Just go there after you are already drunk. And look out in the bathrooms for puke and advertisements for Egg donors.
I also forgot to mention that they have a dress code… HA.

Won’t take any passport except American. Fucking discriminatory!!! Don’t ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever go here. They are horrible people who discriminate based off of your country. We love everybody in America.

I think that judging those who work there after an encounter one person had (while out to get drunk I might add) is really unfair. If you know the people that work there personally, you would know they have families, bills, worries, and lives just like any of you. These are not people who condone rape, but people who like a LARGE number of other people saw a shot with a name that played on words and thought maybe it would be clever. They’re not saying fuck you and rape culture but fuck you for insinuating I condone it. You don’t know these people and if you did, you would know their actions are not carried out to hurt those who have been raped or to promote rape as being a funny thing. There was absolutely not that much thought that went into it. They decided to serve it up one day because they didn’t think people in a bar getting drunk would take that name very seriously. These are good people who are truly kind and who I’ve grown to care about very much. That goes for all the bar staff on Fry St. The problem here is not the bar or the name anymore. The problem is the new American hypocrite who will be quick to strike down those who don’t agree with them but throw a fit when nobody listens to their opinions. Take a look in the mirror. The next time you hear that slightly offensive joke and laugh or the next time one of your offensive remarks comes out of your mouth, maybe you should write an article about that. Not to get biblical but he who is without sin and all that should apply all around. Not when you want to jump on a fucking bandwagon. If you care that much, do something about it outside of a fucking bar. Get to know someone before you decide to try to convince others that you know what’s going on. You’re entitled to your opinion just like me. Shame on you all. Also Garage has great drink specials!

I always have a great time at the garage! I mean for Denton Fry street, what more do you have. Public house… (Smells like vomit) Lou’s… (Smells like vomit) Tavern… (way to frattastic) Garage have a good mix of everything and really good drink specials! It’s Denton people you don’t get dressed up to go out so don’t hold your expectations too high. The Garage is a great bar :)

I can’t say that The Garage has lost a customer, as my first visit to the bar a year ago was unpleasant enough to make it my last.
Service: I’ve been to just about every bar in Denton, and this is the only one where I have watched the patron in front of me be greeted and served with a warm smile, only to have my smile met with a standoffish gaze and cold, unfriendly service. We actually stopped getting drinks shortly into our visit to the bar, because fighting through an unyielding crowd of regulars to be given the evil eye for tearing the staff from their conversations just wasn’t worth it.
Atmosphere: The first thing you notice about this bar is that you’ll be stared at. Almost as if you’re in an old western movie, and you just kicked in the saloon doors, startling the pianist – his jaunty tune and the whole bar, falling into silence as all heads turn to face you. There’s definitely a cliquish feel. The bar itself is filled with the stale clinging odor of cigarettes and is very poorly ventilated. Nothing really fun, inviting or upbeat about this spot. If you want a bar on Fry with a good vibe and nice staff, Rip Rocks or Cool Beans is a better choice.
Drinks: The only thing noteworthy about their drinks is that they have the audacity to serve a shot called «Statutory Grape.» Now, if you’re new to Denton, you may not know that there are reports of rape and sexual assault against women AND men on or around Fry every year. The Garage, being full of leering «bros» with a male to female ratio precariously close to the «sausagefest» threshold, is the perfect place to meet men (like the bar staff) who think statutory rape isn’t «real rape”– just consensual sex after litigious parents get involved. I obviously won’t be back to try the shot, but i’m sure it’s poorly mixed and nothing special, if it’s anything like the one I was served there. When confronted about the offensive name, the owner took to Facebook, slamming the woman who confronted his staff, calling her an alcoholic (bite the hand that feeds, much?) and continuing to slam patrons who found the name offensive, or voiced concerns based on the context of rape being a local issue.
Bottom Line: This bar attracts the rapey crowd. I wouldn’t be surprised if their next featured shot was named, «Hey, does this taste like GHB?» If you’re a woman, you’ll find a much more female friendly, warm and upbeat vibe at the very well lit, not so seedy bars of Fry street, like Rip Rocks, Lou’s, and Cool Beans.
If you’re a man who likes (consenting) women, see above.

Rape joke controversy mostly aside, this is why The Garage will never again receive my patronage.
When a club uses strobes on their stage, disclaimers are clearly posted for patrons with epilepsy to prevent a detrimental occurrence. I assume business owners do this because they care for the wellbeing of their patrons. When a LARGE number of regular Garage customer came out publicly to express hurt over the «Statutory Grape» shot, The Garage responded with a metaphorical middle finger. Now, seeing as up to one in four women and one in seven men of college age are victims of sexual assault or rape, it stands to reason that a number of the patrons involved in the outcry have a VERY real reason to feel wronged by the nonchalance of this rape reference. I’m well aware that The Garage didn’t invent this shot, nor its name. That fact isn’t important. Regardless of whether or not your business came up with this thing, a huge number of your paying customers have come forward, telling you this name causes them pain or emotional discomfort. You responded not with compassion, but with a true f**k you on multiple media outlets.
Why would ANYONE want to give their hard-​earned dough to a business that has so little regard for the emotional wellbeing, or even basic opinions of their customers? I sure as hell don’t and never will again… And I think the Whitest Kids U Know skit is hilarious.

If you want some Denton window cleaner, ill advised drink names, and the possibility of getting dosed by some of the dude bros who frequent this place, look no farther! Clothes smell too clean? Don’t worry! They have cultivated a thick fog of cigarette smoke to create the atmosphere you are looking for! Slight undertones of menthols coming from the beautiful, sloppy ladies just dying for a ride home because they are too drunk to walk. Is it Paradise on Earth? No. But it’s close.

Only giving it one star because zero stars is not an option. Do not give your business to a bar that thinks it’s okay to make light of sexual assault. We need to make it known that this is NOT acceptable.

This bar is horrible and you shouldn’t go there unless you also support rape culture.
If the management changes the name of the shot, apologizes, and makes a donation to a local rape crisis charity, I will update my review as I feel they have acted accordingly.
They allowed someone who said he is a bartender there to speak for them as a whole, and that makes my review a one star. Unilocal,why don’t you have zero stars yet?

You probably already know all about the shitty atmosphere, the filthy cigarette stench, and the overpopulation of bros, but let me add one more reason why The Garage sucks. (As if you needed another reason to avoid this place like the plague.)
This bar serves a drink called statutory grape. When confronted about how inappropriate the shot’s name is, an employee of the bar insisted:
«Statutory rape is almost always consensual anyways.»
Um, no. It’s not. That’s why it’s called RAPE.
As one of my buddies put it: That’s The Garage for ya, full of tools.

A bar that supports rape culture.
Didn’t you know? That’s everyone’s dream when they frequent a local college drinking hole? Now I’m a proud, PROUD alumna of the Mean Green. I made a ton of memories getting pierced off of Fry Street, grabbing burgers, late night coffee, thinking that Jimmy Johns at 2am was BRILLIANT… and hitting up the bars all up and down that blessed little corner.
I also remember the night one of my friends got raped after a night of partying. And try as I might… there just isn’t a context, or a situation… where I can ever think of where making light of rape (a horrifying act of violence that just in 2012, Texas ranked at #2 in the nation with the frequency of forcible rape… oxymoron anyone?) — in any way shape or form… is funny. I honestly took a hot minute to reflect on that statement, and yup — still can’t think of a situation where it’s funny! Go figure. Guess I need to do what a ton of defenders are telling me to do — and get a sense of humor. I suppose I’m suppose to dig deep, and forget about the horrifying reality of little girls being taken advantage of by older men… and find the funny in statutory rape.
Why am I talking about statutory rape? — oh, see, the guys at this bar, for $ 2.75…will sell you what they tote as a delicious little shot… called the Statutory Grape.
Somehow…just somehow… the guys who work at the Garage… and the Garage spokesperson itself (Who posted the messages that I’m attaching to this review…) remind me of the rapist who couldn’t see why what he did was wrong — and actually though it was HILARIOUS that she had a problem with what had happened.
See…when I went in and heard the special … I turned around and walked out.
Come to find out, that other people… better people than I … started raising hell about it.
So, here’s the thing… Garage…You might think this is hilarious, and that all of us «humorless kill joys»…need to get a life. But … us killjoys, have successfully closed down establishments once wind picked up the news of crap like this.
So you get a big olé bird flipped your way. Because no matter what you have inside that bar of yours… which apparently you think is more priceless than gold… this, is never ok. Making light of rape… any rape… is never ok. And for you brilliant folks out there, who seem to think that Statutory Rape is «consensual rape between a minor and an adult whose parent’s found out…»…read a book and find out exactly how horrifying it is.
I have to say… it’s quite the disappointment that the city I ADORE and the little street called Fry… that holds many memories for all of us alumni and the current students of UNT… is also home to this shameful, blight of a bar.

The Garage is a pretty cool Denton bar with, you guessed it, a garage theme. There is an indoor area with pool tables, darts, and couches, plus a patio with occasional live music. This is the only place on Fry that is 18 and up. I believe the cover is $ 1 for those under 21. The staff here is always super friendly and the drink specials are great.

This bar rules! There are awesome drink specials all the time and the pool tables and cues are in good condition. Good jukebox and a patio with live acts most nights. The staff is really cool and friendly. Overall a great DENTON bar.

This is one of my favorite bars on Fry Street in Denton. They’ve created a pretty rockin’ atmosphere over there and combined it with some pretty stellar staff (with the exception of one lady who just really seems to be having a bad day every day) and RIDICULOUS drink specials.
On the weekends (Friday night and Saturday night from 9−11pm) they have 50 cent wells, $ 2 double wells after 11. Occasionally they go all out and just have 50 cent wells all night long. That’s on top of a myriad of other pretty great drink specials, $ 4.00 32 oz. Shiner draft among them.
On top of the drink specials, this place is decked out with pool tables, dart boards, two bars (one inside and one outside), great indoor seating and great patio seating, an internet jukebox inside, and they almost always have some sort of live music outside, whether it be a DJ or a live band.
The location is as convenient as any bar on Fry Street — right off of campus, next to Pita Pit, Jimmy John’s, and Crooked Crust, so you can get some good drunk/​hangover food as you’re leaving the bar.
All in all, you can expect to see me here almost every Friday/​Saturday night, unless I’m in the mood for trying something new.
4 well-​deserved stars, Garage. Good job.