Gale’s Central Club

Dive bar. Nothing too special stands out. Friendly crowd conjugated, Locals are regulars. Chummy bar staff. Drinks are decent. Not strong drinks. I only had one drink and then left.

This is a bar where people come to drink, not to show off or be lame, if you wanna do that go to the donkey. The $ 2 PBR’s are awesome, they mostly play rock and the bartenders are pretty cool. If you need to use the bathroom make sure it’s not a number 2, because there’s no door on the bath stall, so people can see you shit, other then that it’s a great place. Hopefully it doesn’t become gentrified.

Friendly dive. Two pool tables, pinball machine. Vintage Topless woman painted on black velvet. $ 2 pbr!

Love the homegrown debauchery and willingness to keep it live… but also the compassionate strive to keep the soul. Tenders are easy on the eyes but also attentive… be ready for interaction. Jukebox varies from the skills addressing it. Pool tables are straight but monitored by the eccentric and eager. Only downfall is I can’t poke the bear.

The only bar I really like out of em’ all, $ 2 dollar PBR and good people. Tip em’

Go somewhere else

Great little dirty punk rock bar. Dirt cheap drinks, a great jukebox and friendly locals. This seems to be the only bar around that isn’t permeated by club-​rats and It’s easy enough to get a drink even when it’s super crowded. The Moscow Mule is hands down my favorite drink there, $ 5 gets you a big brass cup of fuck-​you-​up. They have a couple pool tables in back, and I hear they have free punk shows on Sundays. Gales is one of the few things that makes going back to dreary Petaluma worth it.

Tip the bartender

I walked into this place for the first time today… okay, I’m a local, I’ve lived here for about 6 years, but ive never been inside here before today, so I’m not exactly known by the bartender or the other patrons. Was that a problem? Nope, not for me or them. Had a cheap Bourbon and soda, then ambled down the sidewalk to my next stop on this impromptu Tuesday afternoon dive bar walk through Petaluma… will Gale’s be on my list of favorite watering holes of all time? Nope, but it’s not bad at all, and I wouldn’t hesitate coming back again.

Gale’s is the definition of a dive bar.
People of all walks of life getting too drunk on drinks that are not expensive.
It has a jukebox two pool tables and be yourself have fun attitude.
Basic set up and nothing fancy.
If you want to people watch, meet strangers, and have a good drunk time, this is the place!

The best dive in Petaluma. Friendly service, Racer 5 and Lagunitas on tap along with other, (cheaper and) less drinkable beers, a couple of coin op pool tables, standard internet juke box and a package store in the front. Quiet on weeknights, crowded on the weekends. What is missing from this place is actual real, unpackaged food served late every night of the week.
A pile of smokers adorn the entrance any time the place is open (seriously, there were 3 people out front at 1pm on a sunday afternoon, and you can tell from a block away that there is a bar there. The entrance is smallish, but the knot of people around the doors will quickly part to allow you entrance to the bar, or if you prefer, the package store, with an odd assortment of made to order pulled pork sandwiches, tampons, candy bars, condoms, aspirin, and six packs.
The place is small, you have to step between the singer and the drummer to get to the bathroom when they have live music (not often while I am there.) Generally, the music is from the jukebox and is a mix of mostly country (a downside for me,) and some tried and true metal (ok, but played out.)
All kinds inhabit the long dark bar. I have not gotten to know them yet, but they surely look like a motley assortment of rag tag characters, each with a story of their very own. The televisions play a mix of silent metal, football, american football, hunting shows and other randomness, while the bartender (s) do their best to keep up with demand.
Other bars in Petaluma may offer a more seedy mix of characters, but at Central Club, you never know what weirdness you may find.

Great dive bar, always good drink specials, no cover, live local music on Thursdays. My band played here many times and the staff is always cool. Usually pretty packed, cash only.

Whenever I’m down for a night on the town, I usually hop from bar to bar with my friends trying to figure out the best locale. We always eventually end up at Gale’s. The drinks are cheap, and there are always interesting people. It has more than its fair share of creepy old dudes that hit on twenty something women, but it wouldn’t be the same without them, or any of the other characters that frequent this place.

Not that bad of a place. It has pretty good priced beers, a pool table, juke box, and is away from the busier bars downtown. The only problem I had though was the vibe. I felt that if you are new then you will be looked at as an outcast. You have to be a regular or know regulars to have a good time. The bartender girl was pretty and very friendly, but sadly I need the people instead to also be friendly in order to return. I prob won’t return on my own request, but might if others decide to stop by.
It isn’t a bad place… you just fit in or not. If not, just check out another place.

Reading through the reviews here it is obvious Gale’s has its share of fans and critics, and like most nasty, seedy wateringholes, a bunch of critics who cannot seem to stop going there.
I don’t live in Petaluma and only went to Gale’s once, so I did not have the time to soak up the lost dreams and sob stories that live in the cracks and crevices of all good dive bars. To try and do so would be like an out-​of-​towner going into my Round Corner for 60 minutes and trying to understand why there is a one eyed ex-​crack dealer with a cane who perches outside on a regular occasion: you don’t know because you are an outsider. The nuance of the place is only revealed after you completed your evaluation period, initiation and had at least one good cry.
But let me tell you what I do know: after being shocked and horrified by the bizarre setup at Infusions (please see my previous review), I asked a raucous group of locals «Where is the best dive in Petaluma?» They pointed me to Gale’s.

Who doesn’t love Gale’s? The only people that don’t have a fun time at Gale’s are pretentious, up-​tight, stuffy middle aged women. And even those type of patrons end up having a blast if they give this dive bar a chance for more than 1 drink.
Gale’s Central Club is the type of place where you see a 21 year old punk rocker kid chatting with a 70 year old conservative cattle rancher. The drinks are CHEAP (the have $ 2 drink specials 5 nights a week)!! Also, they have 10 great beers on tap!
And despite the negative reviews, this bar is extremely safe and doesn’t even have 10% of the fights that the other, more popular clubs in town do.
Live music every Thursday with no cover charge. Bands range from rockabilly to country. Hip Hop to punk…
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot! They can sell booze TO GO! So, at last call, you can buy a 6 pack of great white and a bottle of jäger!
Gotta love Gale’s!

I hate Gales! I hate it soo much.
BUT its a love hate thing. I’ve been going there since the high school days (shh don’t tell, back when it was a real sh*thole). I’ve had many a drunk night, a horrible hookup, etc, etc. Yet when I come back into town I have to go. Just to see who’s still there. Its like a bad reunion or a horrible car accident, you can’t look away you just have to go!
I love you Gales. I hate you Gales.

It’s a dive bar in Petaluma, what else did you expect?
They do have a smoke shop connected to the front of this place and they sell bottled alcohol too, reminds me of bars in the midwest. Cheap Miller Highlife’s, pool tables, jukebox playing crappy music, and weird shit/​art on the walls.
If I’m in Petaluma again I’ll hit it up.

I love a good dive bar-​but Gayle’s went from charmingly crusty to scary, when I saw a man stabbed and beaten with broken bottles outside the front door. I can’t think of anything else to say about Gayles, other than it’s the kind of place where people are violently attacked and stabbed.
Oh, and they have a funny naked painting of a woman on the inside.
And a Jukebox. I really hope that guy was ok.

Okay for sure– this is the best place to hang out in Petaluma for a good cheap drink with good company as well. Most bars with cheap drinks are full of ass holes and virtually no girls. It’s different here– plenty of cool people, plenty of beautiful girls. Gale’s clientele is rich in petaluma’s blue blood heritage and lots of students and post students too. The juke box here is awesome I guess it’s connected to rhapsody so its got everything the net has to offer. 5 bucks will get you 20 plays.
Special nights include:
Tuesday 2 dollar kamikazes
Thursday 2 dollar cosmos
Every night– 2 dollar Irish slides (that’s the shot in the Irish Car Bomb)
Generally the place is packed from Thursday night on thru Sunday. Go check out– lots of beer on tap including the two prides of Sonoma County– Lagunitas and Red Tail Ale
This is the best bar in Petaluma.
Be sure to check out its myspace page listed as the web address.