Crush

Love this place! One of the times I came here was for a figure drawing event (Dr Sketchy’s). It was very organized and well run, with art supplies you could borrow if you didn’t bring enough of your own.
They have lots of interesting events including mixed-​gender burlesque which I think is ridiculously awesome and about as sex-​positive feminist as it gets.
Looove the cheap, fruity drinks — like a watermelon cooler with actual watermelon for $ 6.50! Definitely need to come back for happy hour and to check out some of the other events!

«Crush… crush crush two three four» You mutter under your breath as you wait for your boyfriend to order the two of you your drinks.
You can’t get Paramour out of your head, although you’ve been trying all night. God, his calves are *statuesque*, aren’t they? He shifts his weight to one leg, brings his toe up on the other foot to scratch the back of his knee. You’ve dated guys this handsome before, you’ve dated guys this sweet, but this is the first time you’ve found both in the same package. How’d you get so lucky?
In this nice comfortable space between cocktails three and four, you pick idly at the remains of the steak and frites plate. God, everything here has been really good, hasn’t it? Daniel comes back, hands you drink number four, and grins.
«You look slightly — mmm! How is this so good?! — uh, you look slightly guilty.»
His smile widens. He loves it when you recognize stuff like that, even though he’s such an open book, it’s never seemed like any great feat.
«I ordered the LGBT afterall.»
«The sandwich? Dude, aren’t we going to do dinner with your parents in a couple hours?»
«But everything else was so gooooooood and I’m so hungry,» he moans, and you both laugh.
Bacon, Guacamole, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato — you would’ve given ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ odds of him breaking and ordering even after initially claiming he’d decided not to. Maybe he’s right, maybe you really do know him that well. Huh.
This just the latest in a line of triumphs for the two of you and Crush, and you wonder if it qualifies as your ‘go-​to’ yet. Do people do that? Say that this is ‘our’ bar, the same way they claim ‘our’ song?
«Hey, Danny, do we have a song? Like, you know, ‘our’ song?»
He snorts, blowing sugar off the rim of his cocktail glass.
«I know it’s stuck in your head, but we are *not* using that Paramour track as ‘our’ song.»
Crush… crush crush two three four.

Excellent experience! Great drinks and survive from Cory! We had a wonderful experience!

Love the chill vibe and the friendly bartenders. Good place to go if you’re queer/​friendly and new in town. Watch out though, a super sneaky gay boy stole my scarf because he claimed it looked better on him. I couldn’t come up with a better argument so I «let» him keep it. Otherwise very interesting dive.

My husband had a djing gig at crush, so I end up checking it out. It seemed like a cool little bar with a cool vibe. Although labelled a gay bar, it attracts a very much mixed crowd. The bartenders were very personable and they always remembered my name whenever I ordered a drink. So I was impressed. And was it busy!!! It can get really packed on a satur night. I don’t know how often they have djs/​dancing, but it was fun dancing in the back room.

I am a pacifist. I have MLK and Gandhi tattooed on my arm. Push come to shove, I would punch you in the mouth and take their meatloaf from you :)

I love Crush!!! They are definitely becoming my staple neighborhood bar. Great atmosphere, nice bartenders and bussers, and solid food and drinks at totally reasonable prices. I never seem to be able to make it to their special events, but they seem fun, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can catch in the future!

I’m actually here right now, that’s how much I like it. My bartender made me enjoy a liquor I normally hate (Campari), they have a great happy hour and awesome awesome prices, everyone here is cool and kind and friendly and clever—
Logistics: I love the atmosphere, the outdoor seating, the music, the fact that I don’t feel weird about being the only person in here on a Monday night, my drinks are great.
Sometimes in gay bars i feel a little alienated as someone who isn’t a gay man, but this bar is inclusive and I can just keep being my cool dyke self at the bar. Love y’all
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I refuse to succumb to crappy puns, so I’ll never say that I have a crush on Crush. But if I WERE to say that, it wouldn’t be far from the truth. This Inner SE neighborhood bar is a fun and inclusive spot to kick back and have a few drinks. It may be listed as a gay bar, but the whole LGBTQWXYZ community is represented and welcome.
Crush’s menu features surprisingly good bar food that can accommodate most any dietary restriction, including some vegan yams with curry gravy that this carnivore would eat any day of the week. The mac and cheese is tasty, the hummus plate is varied and obviously not just an afterthought like at so many other places, and the Idaho Nachos are basically cheese fries that are delicious and belong on nobody’s recommended diet. My favorite? The pulled pork sliders. You should eat them.
Crush is all about the specialty drinks, most of them as delightfully fruity as the patrons. Oh, they’re also strong. Watch out, compadres. These «girly drinks» pack a bear-​sized whollop. For this hot hot hot summer my favorites are the Lavender Lemon Drop (house-​infused lavender vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup served up with a sugared rim) or the Cheap Date (house-​made ginger ale with fresh grated ginger & lots o’ whiskey). They also do a lot of different margaritas that are 1) super strong 2) delicious and 3) on special on Thursdays!
The space at crush is varied. There are a lot of outdoor café tables, which is great for the triple digit heat we’ve had recently. Inside there are tables, loungers and sofas. In back? A small room with a smaller stage and dance floor. I’ve had some great times in this room. Oh man, the times I’ve had in this room…
They do brunch, and they do a lot of specialty programming. OK, fine. I’ve got a crush on Crush. You could do a lot worse than checking them out for yourself.

Good food no service. You have to order in the bar and prepay or start a tab. Employees are not very friendly borderline rude. Best time to eat here is when the weather is good so you can sit outside. Otherwise you would have to sit inside a smelly bar. Food was good but don’t think I will be back. You have to go into bar every time you need a refill on coffee or water. There is no service except when they deliver the food. I want to relax on a Sunday… if I want no service I would cook at home.

This is a real gem. Friendly bar tenders and servers, tasty food, not of the typical bar variety, and the place ranges from lounge, to bingo hall, to dance club. They have things like poutine and curry on the HH menu, along with bruschetta, tacos, and a variety of other types of food available. I appreciate that, for when I’m not in the mood for your standard grease bomb bar food.
The specialty drinks are thought out, and well prepared. One of my go-to’s is the Watermelon Cooler, which is made with fresh watermelon purée. Pretty great in my opinion. I always recommend Crush as the place to go for a refreshing beverage and queer-​friendly atmosphere.

I very much enjoyed my the visiting my home state and stopping in at Crush Bar. Friendly folks, very welcoming, with a great kitchen and happy hour. You won’t be disappointed if you give them a try.

Super friendly bartenders and great happy hour prices. The Idaho Nachos for one is a must! A platter of steak fries with all the regular nacho toppings is more than enough for one, but I always manage to finish it.

Great stop for happy hour. All of the food was above average and the staff was incredibly friendly. Nothing special as far as atmosphere goes but a solid offering and a in place to grab a drink and a bite to eat before heading out.

Came here for drinks while we were waiting for a table at Nostrana. Their lack of enthusiasm makes me feel indifferent towards them. I didn’t love the atmosphere, but I also did not hate it.
Standard bar atmosphere. Order drinks at the bar and then grab a seat. As it was still early in the night, they were pretty slow. Drinks were made fast. We each ordered a drink:
Cactus Cosmo — A prickly pear cosmopolitan…7
Nate’s Mango Cooler — Lime, mango purée, vodka and soda in a hurricane glass…7.5
They were tasty enough, but I wonder if its because they both just tasted like juice? You know how there are sometimes those mixed drinks that are «dangerous»? Like the buzz hits you out of nowhere? Yea, I don’t think this was the case. I think they were just weak drinks that were tasty.
Other reviews seem so positive. Maybe I will return again to give them another try because I did not get the same experience.

The servers are all great and sometimes friendly. It’s sort of a gay Cheers. There’s typically someone or something there to keep your attention while you try to enjoy your food and beverage. I really wish they had djs play in the dining area; that’d be awesome.
Okay so it’s my neighborhood bar. It’s pretty dull mostly. Each infrequent visit I wonder how come this place is busy. It’s pretty poorly managed overall. More often than not I see the people running the show outside drinking and smoking — for hours on end.

Such a nice crowd! When I arrived an environmental group of some sort had most of the back area in hand, but a group of folks that I was meeting there managed to score a few tables for our hangout.
In front, it is mostly casual ++ (=not fancy but not long john shirts and converse heaven). The Thursday night I was there, it appeared to be a mixed pref crowd with lots of folks under 35 with a cute factor of my my, oh my. That’s three «my’s»!!
I got a soda and bitters (dang Whole 30) and the sweet bartender even did me up some fancy orange bitters, all that and a $ 3 bill. Seemed a bit steep for a a pint glass of soda water, but ya know, it’s the aesthetic that matters.
I will DEF come again and fully intend to check out the burlesque shows that happen throughout the month (check out their website for full deets).

Meh. $ 12 for a chicken quesadilla that wasn’t tasty, cheese barely melted, tortilla soft, should be slightly crunchy at the ends but is not at all. Didn’t come with fries or salad for the price. There was just a little tomatoes and sour cream mix which was actually quite tasty. Atmosphere is rather dark considering the restaurant portion is not a night club. But staff was very friendly and apparently they have a happy hour I missed, so I guess I will be generous and give them 3 stars.

Oh, I absolutely love this place! It’s known for being a «gay bar» which is a very relaxing atmosphere for a straight girl!
Love the décor, the coed bathroom and I have yet to make it out to burlesque/​boylesque on a Saturday night.
The food is phenomenal! There are lots of Vegan options and not your typical bar food. Things taste fresh and they even make their own bread which they use for the hummus platter. The cocktails are fancy and can’t beat the Happy Hour price, which ends at 7pm. The staff have always been very friendly, efficient and accommodating!
I come here every chance I get!

Stopped in for food and a night cap. Thurs night @ 11pm the place was about half empty and very low key. Surprising since the next day was 4^th July holiday.
Ordered chicken strips and fries w/​cilantro ranch sauce and fries. It was typical bar food, nothing special. But for $ 8 it was a good deal. My friend had the mac-​n-​cheese which was also okay, but not as cheesy or salty as she hoped.
Had a blood orange margarita. DELICIOUS!!! I’ll definitely be back for another one. and a few other drinks on the menu that I’m dying try. I really wanted a watermelon cooler and was disappointed to find out they had run out of watermelon.
My drink gets 5 stars, the bartender gets 5 stars, the food gets 3 stars