The Bar Complex

The shows are fun, the drinks are good, it is kind of hard to find parking sometimes during peak hours but overall fun. My favorite part is the lounge part & bar downstairs at happy hour, I always liked that best because it was quieter & you could socialize better without the noise. Pretty fun spot. Just need more parking ;)

Hard to find (no big signs), and NO gay pride flag combined with a «only open in the evenings, we’re kinda hiding» atmosphere means meh to me. This place is sort of next door to The Kentuckian Theatre.
I give it credit for being trans friendly. This isn’t an early-​evening place — drag shows start late.

During my year off from school, this was my go-​to spot on the weekends. The cover (on weekends) and drinks are relatively inexpensive, the staff friendly, and the crowd diverse.
The bar itself is compartmentalized into three rooms. The main bar includes booths and music videos playing on several televisions. The noise level here is moderate, which is ideal for socializing without having to shout to be heard. Through a set of doors is the drag room, where entertainers put on shows regularly. The drag show here is the most impressive Lexington has to offer. Upstairs, there is a dedicated dance floor with awesome music.
No matter what you feel like doing, the Bar Complex will likely have something for you.

For a gay bar in a small city, this club definitely has it goin’ on.
It’s large, and the layout is nice, with separate drag, bar, and dance floor areas. The dance floor is one of the largest and nicest you’ll find in this area. Drinks are reasonably priced and strong, and there’s no cover on Thursdays.
However, the drag room leaves a bit to be desired, especially when compared to The Connection in Louisville, which is only about 70 miles away.
If you’re in Lexington and looking for a fun place to spend a Thursday or Saturday evening, this is your place. Stop in, and see Kenny behind the bar in the drag area for the best drinks in the bar.

Definitely a gem in the local gay community. Walking in was like stepping back into the Castro. Drag on Thursdays is a hell of a good time.

It’s the best gay bar in town and probably the best dance floor (upstairs) in town too. The music can get a little too gay-​bar to dance to at times, but if you shake your fist at the DJ’s it’ll usually improve. The bartenders are skilled and nice. There is a downstairs bar, a drag theater, an upstairs bar and big dance floor. There’s a good population of both boys and girls in the place and when I go I almost always have a blast. The drag show can’t compete with Connections in Louisville, but it is entertaining and fun.

Well, this place is my muse! I basically came into my own at this place and really developed my own identity and sense of self here. Not only do the employees at this place shine (bartenders, barbacks, and drag queens alike), the buidling is a jewel not many would expect from a smaller city gay bar. I’ve lived in Chicago one year this month, but no gay bar has had the people or the venue to even compete with this. Sure, Boystown has probably twice the gay people (usually ones with 4x the attitude of Kentucky boys), but The Bar Complex can top any of those bars in almost any category you could throw at it (no pun/​double entendre intended). Go to Brad downstairs, he’s an awesome friend and also an awesome bartender (not to mention the alter ego of the fierce Sierra Reigns).
Speaking of drag queens… can I just say Jenna Jive? Mya St. James? Octavia Bonet? Yeah, look them up. This is one Chelsea Pearls original spots. In a nutshell, the drag show is outstanding and not to be missed!