The Heretic

No picture policy here. Apparently it’s not ok to let others know we’re gay. If we as gay people aren’t ok with ourselves in our own bars and establishments how can we expect those on the outside to be ok with us. I will not support this establishment or any policy that condones keeping who I am hidden. Somebody please tell them it’s the 21^st century. It’s not the 1960s anymore man.

Ok, we get it that you have to buy a drink. There’s a sign when you enter. The twink at the door told me I have to buy a drink. A bartender came and found me on the patio and tried to force me to buy a drink before I was ready. I told him I wasn’t ready yet and he said «pay for it now». So much for pacing your drinks to avoid a dui should you bar hop. I have bought drinks from that same bartender many times and I am always a good tipper at least leaving a dollar. Do they remind everyone at the door about drinks or was I profiled as some cheap patron. If I wasn’t going to buy a drink I wouldn’t have gone there, but I certainly left without one never to return to that bar again. I could just go to ferguson Missouri to be treated like that. No business model should involve treating loyal patrons like that.

Pretty awesome club, if you like me who just love a good dj, and to dance to EDm hahhaha. The guys there was not really my type not really into bears but i love the music and the club :))

How has it taken me almost 6 years of living in Atlanta to find out about free line dancing ITP? I visited The Heretic for the first time tonight with a bunch of friends from school — what a great time!
We went for the free line dancing lesson at 8 pm on Thursday. The instructor was really good at teaching the dance and making it accessible for everyone. After the lesson there was time for free dancing — lots of people doing the 2 step and fancier line dances. We all had a blast! I definitely will be back for line dancing Thursdays and want to check out the two step lessons on Tuesdays.
Don’t let the fact that The Heretic is located on Cheshire Bridge scare you away. If you’re looking for a fun night of free line dancing this is your place!

Atlanta has more gay bars then you can count; from underground, rave style to neighborhood bar but the Heretic is the least pretentious and comfortable whether you want to talk, drink or dance or, all three.
I know, it’s ‘the Heretic’ but as Atlanta bars go it’s great for pre-​late night bear and cub watching. The place doesn’t get busy until after 11pm but from then on it’s packed from wall to wall. Not really a leather bar but what some would call a Levi bar.
Go before 10pm to avoid a cover or, a line to get in. The drinks are still served in stupid lightweight plastic tumblers, but the bartenders are good looking and make a decent drink.
The crowd has aged a bit with the club, now attracting a more 30’s-50’s crowd then it did in the 90’s (not a twink in sight) but if you’re looking for the younger crowd the Atl Jungle just down/​across the street on Cheshire Bridge Rd might be more your place.
All I can say about venturing into the back room area is know what you’re getting into beforehand and play safe. Though not a sex club (which Atlanta has plenty of), the back room has been known to be a bit raunchy which is why some call the heretic a bit seedier than others.

AWESOME dance floor! FREE 2 step classes at 8PM EVERY Tuesday. FREE line dances EVERY Thursday at 8PM! FREE line dances on select Saturdays at 8PM. AMAZING bartenders! GREAT drink prices. No better place in Atlanta!

Fun, dark, great drinks, and one of the best dance floors in Atlanta.

The Heretic was the only gay bar that I was able to go while I was in town for the weekend. So, I came here to meet some friends of mine for drinks and some catch-​up.
This place is generally a leather bar but this particular night was country/​western night. So, almost everyone was dressed up in cowboy gears and dancing to country music.
I thought it was an awesome place with a dance floor, a mini store (leather gears, t-​shirts, jockstraps, lubes, etc.), outdoor patio, and a poker table.
It’s really nice to see a decent number of lesbians at a gay bar and dancing. Heck, they’ll even dance with the guys. You don’t really see that in DC.
What I wasn’t fond of was the indoor smoking. In DC, it’s illegal.

The Heretic is arguably one of the most well-​known gay night clubs in Midtown. It’s been around for quite some time and has changed considerably throughout the years.
Long ago, Heretic was more of a leather scene than it is now. Of course, the small shop inside the club still sells various leather goods but not nearly as good of a selection as the Eagle (one of Heretic’s «rival» clubs, in my opinion).
One thing I really like about the Heretic is that the music is always top notch and spun by talented DJs. The dance floor is a blast.
At least once a month, Heretic has some sort of special event. Some examples are: famous DJs (such as Ralphi Rosario or Joe Gauthreaux to name a few) visiting from out of town and foam parties. Heretic also has a «Latino Night» on Thursday, which can be fun to go to if you are a fan of reggaeton music and Spanish men.
A few downfalls of the Heretic, in my personal opinion are:
— there is a $ 10 cover after 11 (compared to Eagle which is $ 0!)
— it is CASH ONLY, with ATMs charging $ 3 for cash withdrawl
Overall, Heretic is a fun night out on the town, especially if you go to one of the many events held there throughout the year. Just remember to bring cash!

I don’t want to make this Terry’s review of the gay Atlanta bar scene or anything, but. .. The Heretic is the «old school» gay bar and dance place in this town. Backstreet is gone, so you have to go to The Heretic. A decent dance floor, great bartenders and an interesting mix of men to enjoy. Saturday nights used to be Asian night here, but that seems to have changed over the last few years (sigh!).

Lame… Music is to safe and boring.

I can’t believe the last review was in 2007. I guess it will be my duty to give a current review. I been to Heretic a few times. This is not your typical gay bar. It’s a bit more what I would call South of Market if I was in San Francisco. Slightly on the seedier side, dark, and very casual. Great outdoor patio and a lower patio. Came on a Thursday and it was dead. But Fridays and Saturdays you will not find parking in the lot. It’s PACKED. So be prepared to park down the block.
The crowd is bit on the older side, 30’s-50’s. You wont find any twinks here. The men are more masculine. Where you want men to be men. So you get daddies, tiny bit of leatherish crowd (note I didnt see anyone wear leather that night, just a description here). There’s a pool room in the back that when the lights go out the men play. But that doesn’t happen too often and it’s only for a short time. Can be fun if you find Mr. Right. I must say the drinks sucks! They come in tiny lilttle plastic tumbler cups 8 oz I think at $ 4.75 for well drinks. They were just too small, forget about the prices. You would need to do several runs before you even get buzzed. Get larger cups people!
The bathroom has lots of troughs. Maybe that why people might think it’s a bit seedy. But people were well behaved when my tiny gall bladder was using it all night. The bar is not up to date or modern but it’s not run down. It sort of have this mid-​west charm about it. Personally I think it fits the theme perfectly. Looking to get lucky? I would recommend this place then. Oh I almost forgot about the music. There’s huge dance floor in the center. People just dancing the night away to dance music. It’s a great place if you were high and wanted to dance. Cuz it’s the kind of place that will take you away. Not to say that people were on drugs there. But if they were, I would recommend dancing there.

I’ve lived in the ATL for almost 10 years now and it’s only in the last year that I’ve started going to The Heretic. The name is ominous. It looks ominous (a shack on Cheshire Bridge, it’ll make you want to get caught up on all your shots). And the rumors of the nasty things going on are pretty graphic (ask me about «the hall of shame» one day). However, with Backstreet a casualty of the city’s attempt to clean up the nightlife, The Heretic is now one of the only sure bets for a night of dancing in the gay bar scene. I’m not sure which is the best night to go– Friday or Saturday. I’ve heard both get equally crowded, but I usually favor Friday nights. The music is typical gay dance mixes– not much to fuck up there. The crowd is mixed, more so than Backstreet ever was, with a healthy balance of ethnic folk, average joes, and circuit boys. I always see half of the gay Atlanta rugby team dancing in the corner. Wednesdays are supposed to be «Boys Night Out» where everyone is required to wear leather fetish, cowboy fetish, shirtless or military fetish. I’ve only been there on a Wednesday once and it was only half crowded, and most guys opted to go shirtless instead of embracing their fetish fantasies. In other words, go on Wednesday if yer bored, but I wouldn’t plan your night around it. On any given night, it’s generally pretty safe to go despite being a bit on the shabby side. I think they’ve made an effort to clean up their image a bit (i.e. they turn the lights on in «the hall of shame») so the nasty rumors you hear are probably less the norm than they used to be. However I only give this place 3 stars because despite being a decent dance club, it usually leaves me uninspired at the end of the evening.

If you want to go dancing, you gotta check out the Heretic. Nicknamed the «scary dick» by many a gay boy in Atlanta, it definitely lives up to its name… While it does have a «sketchy» vibe, its bark is worse than its bite; for the most part, the place is totally harmless. If you are just wanting to go and check out a bunch of hot sweaty men dancing up a storm to the best diva music, look no further. It is decorated kind of like a meat locker, and it is definitely always full of meat. Most of the men are of the bear/​leather/​muscle crowd, but honestly, you will find just about anyone there. Drinks are moderately priced, and there is a back deck to hang out on. Wednesday nights you have to be shirtless to dance (at least it was like that a year or so ago), so do those sit ups before you go!