XES Lounge

I truly have not been to XES as much as I have been lately, and this is a good thing especially after finding out that they are closing soon. The building has been sold (or in the process of) and they can not renew the rent.
Will miss you because: 2×1 is amazing, karaōke nights, DJ Jay is super friendly and a sweetheart, the bartenders look rough, but mean well, the people are actually of pretty chatty nature here.
This is a chill lounge, and it’s sad to see it go. The back area includes a outdoor patio where people go to smoke and chat a bit and escape the inside music and chatter. Inside they always have some interesting videos on the tvs or classic top hit songs or concerts of our favorite artists. Lately they have been putting models and gay porn on it… So hey, maybe also worth saying this bar can be a bit seedy, but at least I have never heard stories of people having sex here or keeping the bathrooms to themselves.
If around, definitely worth coming, also known as one of the cheapest drinks around town places.

Recent visit was a Saturday night Madonna themed night. We stayed for about an hour and not one of her hits was played. Just concert footage. They had some 12 year old looking go go boy in crotchless fishnets and heels that was feeling himself a little too much (what were you on and give me some). He flashed his exposed anus to my friends. Gracias Dios I happened to turn my head at that moment and missed it. The outside area was closed due to noise restrictions. The bouncers were nice but you couldn’t even step outside to chat because even at a whisper we were being too loud. We left. Won’t return.

Place was wak! A dude in panty hose pulled his clothes off and got doggie style on the floor with his butt hole exposed to the whole bar. Not cute boo boo… music was aiight… all Madonna but given that her tour just started we knew that going in… space was small… creepy dude in the bathroom pleasuring himself. .had to leave that mess!

I used to go to this bar a lot however it has been a while since I went. I went recently and was extremely upset with the prices one bartender charged $ 12 for a margarita the other charged $ 11 not much difference but shouldn’t the prices be standardized? Also $ 12 for a margarita and $ 6 for a vodka cranberry. They are both well drinks and should be the same price. $ 11 for a cosmo which isn’t a bad price bc martinis should be around there however I asked that he put it on ice and he gave me this tiny baby shot glass filled with ice. 3 small sips and the whole thing was gone. It was literally a joke that my friends and I just tried to laugh about it. Unfortunately I had a bad experience and will go to Boxers before I go to XES again!

I give this place 3 stars, the crowd is Ok, they do have a back patio which is chill but no music because of the neighborhood, the good thing about this place is definitely the 2−4−1 drink special until 9pm and the bartenders are on point!
For a gay bar off 7^th ave it’s good especially if you work in the area.

My report may be biased because I went here with a friend at around 5:15pm on the day of the Pride parade, which meant that in addition to discounted shots and a more free swag than we had at the actual parade, we were able to see a ton of objectively and subjectively beautiful (and in insane shape) gay men shake their toned asses in front of our faces while we sat, drank and listened to dance remixes of Katy Perry and Iggy Azalea.
Although Karen was not a huge fan of the music, when the remix of «Unbreak my Heart» was put on by the DJ, she got up, started dancing and led a sing along of two dozen guys who were singing and dancing right next to her. We unfortunately did not appear during happy hour, so while the $ 8 Alabama Slammer was more than I would usually pay for a drink, it tasted well-​made nonetheless.
The velvet-​like booth chairs lining the walls gave us a great view of the dance floor, bar and flat screens playing the videos to accompany the dance music. The glass doors at the back of the bar also gave a clear view of the brightly-​lit, backyard seating area away from the low-​lighting, booty shaking and pumping dance music. I will also state that when we left the bar at 6:30pm there was a line of 50 men and women loitering against the wall as they waited to get in.

Came here with my friend for evening drinks during the week and this place was pretty crowded! Happy hour goes til 9 as other reviews say so it’s definitely worth it for those in a budget! There’s a nice outdoor patio in the back with tables and chairs. Unfortunately there were no seats available outside so we stayed inside. The bar itself is kind of small and on a weekend I can see how it might get packed out. The music was good and they even show the music videos on the TV screens inside the place, very cool!

CHEAP Monday Night Happy Hour!
This is a great place to unwind after work. The bartenders are nice, you get 2-​for-​1 drinks for under $ 10 typically. And in true gay bar style, they play the latest and best pop diva music videos.
Come on a nice day and you can use the outdoor space in the back to socialize. If you’re a smoker, they even have a smoking section.

Don’t forget to take your HH receipt for your free drink!
The outside area is really the smoking area which is unfortunate.

As a straight woman, I love this bar! Seats are easy to come by, bartenders are friendly, and the music is an awesome selection if 90’s pop. My only reason for giving it 4 stars is the drinks, specifically the cosmos. My friends and I ordered 3 rounds and each time, the cosmos came out very differently for each of us. It was like 6 different people were bartending! Some versions were excellent, others not too much… a little more consistency would be great!

I hadn’t been in the bar AT all tonight and I was refused entry because «I have already seen you and you were too drunk». Are you fucking retarded Mr Bounce boy? Ok there are plenty of gay bars to give my service to. And the «manager» on duty can go fuck himself too. I came to your place to have a drink. Apparently I can’t do so. How sad when gay men can’t go to an establishment called XES to get a simple beer.-Tony fucking Di Meglio

Bartender refused our entire party because one person «appeared to be drunk». This person had actually had one drink previously and civilly asked the bartender to engage in a conversation. Worst service ever! Plenty of other friendly locations to take your business!

I dropped by here last Thursday around 7 PM. I happened to be a few doors down the block earlier. I was walking to get on the subway and decided to come in here since I barely do walk on this block anymore. The happy hour crowd was going strong but tit didn’t take me long to get the bartender’s attention. I ordered a screwdriver with Absolut Mandarin. The cost was $ 9 but a decent amount of alcohol was in the glass. Since there was no seat at the bar, I was leaning against the wall and happened to be near where the coat check employee was stationed. When I saw all the tickets he had I realized he was the coat check person. He was more than happy to be friendly and strike up a conversation. When I finished my drink, I got a refill and then went back to continue the conversation since he wasn’t busy. Upon leaving, I wished him a good night and thanked him for the company.

Tried to order a seltzer or soda water with bitters. Bartender: we don’t have bitters. When clarifying I wasn’t referring to the English variety of lager or tonic, ‘…like Angostura or Peychards.’ Bitter bartender had none. What kind of bar doesn’t have bitters?! And since when does a beer, shot and ginger ale cost $ 20?
Nice door guy though.

Spent $ 50 on four drinks and left more sober than when we arrived. And we really needed to be drunk to endure the music. Four thumbs down for weak drinks.

It’s been a while since I’ve Unilocaled and I’m climbing back on the horse again because I think this place is special.
I’ve been to XES 4 times… twice in the last 3 weeks and twice before within the last 2 years… and I must say that every visit has only gotten better and better.
I will admit that I was only going to rate XES as 4 stars and then I remembered my first 2 visits to the bar.
My first visit was 2 summers ago and we were looking for a bar with an outdoor patio. A friend said XES was in the area and we dropped in. The coolest thing about that visit was that they weren’t even open yet and they still let us in, an hour early, and got us drinks while they did their opening stuff.
My second visit was probably around the same time last year where my best friend and I appeared with our boyfriends and got some awesome drinks to round out a night of already heavy drinking. I remember the drinks were awesome and my bff and I pissed off our bfs but hey, we had a ball

I love xes. It was my favorite bar when I lived in Jersey, let alone when I moved to an apartment a block away in Chelsea. (No comment on whether my move to 25^th St. was impacted by Xes’ location)
I quit drinking three months ago and am now pretending to be hanging out at xes by writing this review from my apartment while watching cbs on demand
Xes offers :
— great happy hour, nice strong gay pours
(4−9 weekdays, love the bonus power hour Saturdays at midnight)
— back patio (great for smokers and non-​smokers alike with that partition)
— fun entertainment
— videos of standard gay/​top 40 music
— often less crowded than other bars
Have a drink there for me!

I love to come to this bar whenever Im in Chelsea.
They have one of the best 2 for 1 happy hour promo on weekdays.
They serve nibbles like chips and nuts (thank god I’ve seen the movie Contagion so now I never get my hands anyway near the nibble bowls).
They have big TV screens everywhere that show hit videos and movies.
The bar is very dark and can get loud at times.
During good weather, you can access the back view less patio, and yes I will keep coming back.

I been going to XES since day 1. I have seen it evolve and grow into a fabulous home for my gay brethren! The drinks are cheap the drag is trashy and fun and sometimes the music is hot! What more do you want from a gay bar in NYC?
Michael

You want $ 9 for that drink on a Sunday afternoon when there’s only five people here?
Who do I look like, the Pope? I can’t afford that!
Actually, I could afford it, I just didn’t want to pay that much for a mediocre drink. Bartender was nice but really liked to look at himself in the mirror. And not in the Michael Jackson «Man in the Mirror» way, where he’s reflecting on his humanity, but more like a Narcissus kind of way, like «I’m so hot, I can’t keep my eyes off myself». Yeah, get a haircut buddy and then we’ll talk.
It was also very dark in the place (which I’m told does wonders for my looks) but it just felt a little seedy.
There’s too many other cooler places to go than this. I say pass.