Camp Bar

The shows here are great! I highly recommend it for evening entertainment! Unfortunately they do not serve food here, but you are able to order food from the nearby businesses which is nice! If only the Black Sheep down the street were a Punch Pizza instead!

This location was fun back in the day with Molly & Doris. I don’t even know what «Camp» is billing itself as these days. I mean I know it’s a bar. I get that.
The staff was pleasant to my husband and I however the place simply no longer commands attention like it once did.
Oh the Rossmor Building… how you used to have a colorful, fabrication friendly and artsy feel. Now you’re a memory with a facelift which betrays your history. No one will ever see the sights you saw, the craziness in your halls or the utter debauchery which we will not speak of… though from time to time one may reminisce and sigh with a satisfied grin.

I came here with my girlfriend for one of the Slam Poetry Nights, and it was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t think the drinks were overpriced for being in St. Paul. I also enjoyed that it didn’t have food options from the bar; however, instead they offer food from Sawatdee Thai, Black Sheep Pizza, and Key’s Café. I love that they are helping the local businesses, instead of adding food to their menu. There was plenty of room in the bar, in addition to the small theatre where the Slam Poetry was held. They had a bar inside of the small theatre, and made sure that there was always water and water cups available for people if they did not want to purchase a drink.
I appreciated the bartenders help when deciding where to eat, in addition to them being prepared, and having numerous water pitchers out for people to serve themselves their own water during the show.
I will for sure return here if there is another event happening that I am interested in!

Originally heard that this used to be a gay bar, so I was excited to check it out before the Wild game with my pal. Not quite what I expected. Lifeless and dead. Reminded me of an old building they just decided to throw some shitty carpet in, build a bar, and a chalk board and call it good. Dingy and old fashioned as well. Even the tvs didn’t have anything interesting except old 80s and 90s music videos. Drink prices were average and bar tender was nice which is why I gave Camp bar just barely 2 stars. There was also an unused dark room next to the bar which I would assume is used for shows and dancing, but nothing at all going on for a Thursday night. Also didn’t like that their menu consists of food that you have to order from next door, and they walk it over. Why not serve some of your own food and differentiate yourselves a little. All they would have had to offer is some pizzas or salads, nothing much. Was hoping for soem Wild gear on the walls or something, but nope… there was a pool table by the front door with two little dim lights hanging over head. This bar doesn’t motivate you to do anything except have a couple beers, and look around and realizing this place could be so much better.

With 3 for $ 6 rail drinks, Camp Bar’s ‘wet wednesday’ happy hour could be one of the most dangerous happy hours in St Paul. The décor and the service are casual and hip without being too hipster.
Instead of offering its own menu, the Camp Bar seamlessly integrates the food items from nearby Sawatdee Thai, Black Sheep Pizza and Key’s Café into a combined menu. I love that they do this even though I’m not a fan of Sawatdee (meh) and I think the wood-​fired pizza at Big River (just down the road) is better than Black Sheep’s coal-​fired alternative.
The main attraction at Camp Bar, for many, is the shows featured in the bar’s small theatre. On the night we visited, we stayed to attend Bippy’s Burlesque-​O-​Rama. It was entertainment worth the $ 6 entry fee, and it convinced us that it’s a good idea to return for other shows at this location.

Not a gay bar anymore. Lost its personality. No one goes here and drinks are expensive.

I love the bartenders and décor. They have large windows to leave view the weather. I don’t attend the shows but the crowds seemed excited when exciting the shows.

I love this place. Its close to home. Great bar staff. Nice feel. Nothing pretentious

Enjoyed our Saturday night visit to Camp. Ordered Black Sheep pizza (it seemed that was there as quick as Black Sheep would have served us if we were at their place). Server was attentive, bright and amenable to our loud foursome. Listed in Unilocal as a gay bar, I’d say more gay-​friendly neighborhood bar. There was a lot of everyone there (more diverse than at Lush or Jetset). Enjoyed the experience and would go back for a show or just to hang out some more.

Stopped in for a beer after 8 on a Friday to kill a bit of time and it was pretty quiet, but the bartender was friendly and chatted with everyone. It lives up to its name, the atmosphere is kinda fancy in an outwardly campy way. If I had stayed much later I’m sure there would’ve been loud terrible music playing and been too busy.
Seemed like an older crowd when I was there, except for the one college-​aged dude who was, of course, one of old guys’ boy toy. I always wonder how some of the parents of these guys deal with that, coming to terms and accepting a gay son, then having to deal with the fact that he’s with a 60 year old for his money. I’m a minimalist, so this whole materialism thing and what people are willing to do for it (yuck, count me out) is just lost one me, just like the religion thing (homosapians are such a strange illogical bunch: that includes the hetero ones too). Oh yeah, beer’s what you’d expect at a downtown bar at ~$ 5. I’m guessing as with any gay bar liquor is the way to get more bang for your buck.

They don’t really cook here, they offer food from the restaurants next door. Key’s Café, Sawatee and Black Sheep Pizza. If the restaurant is closed that day you cannot get selections from that part of the menu.
As for their menu, don’t believe what they say. The wines listed are not what they have and what they do have are more like swill than wine. YUK! If you don’t have it, don’t present it on a menu! It feels like a total bait and switch.
They have really gone down on quality but the prices are still up there. Definitely not worth a trip to go there.

There are many wonderful features about this place. I’ve been going on a semi-​regular basis for several years now and have built up a good relationship with the staff both current and past. I can’t think of a single time I’ve had bad service.
I love that you can order food to be delivered to you at the bar from Keys, Black Sheep, or Sawadee. There is a bar menu for those places, but if you ask the bartender you can get the full menu to pick from.
They have added a pool table recently which I’m really excited about. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it out, so I can’t speak to it’s quality, but I can’t wait to try it.
For years the best happy hour in town was Camp’s 3 for 1. That’s right… buy one drink and get the drink along with two tokens for additional drinks. Up until recently, this was a weekly stop for me. Inexplicably, this has changed to only include beer. This is a real shame and the only reason it’s only getting 4 stars instead of 5. Taking Newcastles off the list of 3 for 1s was one blow, but then to take everything except beer off the happy hour was too much.
I’d like to add that Wednesdays used to be very crowded and it was hard to find a spot at the bar. It was filled with laughter and energy. This no longer seems to be the case. I wish they would change it back :(
There is a cabaret attached to the bar that has regular shows. Everything from regular plays to drag shows, to puppet shows, to standup shows. They even have karaōke if you are into that kind of thing.
Bottom line, this is a great neighborhood bar with excellent service, great drinks, and a relaxed vibe. I love it there. It was perfect before they changed the best happy hour in Saint Paul.

I went here and kept coming back because I got $ 2 drinks with my out of state ID. Very nice bar, nice bartenders, and some seating outside which was cool because at the time I was a smoker.

Unfortunately we came to our favorite establishment to get a bite to eat and drink, Tony the bartender/​server spoke to us from the bar well after we sat for 5 minutes. We sat for another 25 minutes and watched him serve drinks and place a food order and never came and asked us our order. This being our favorite spot and a regularly frequented place with fantastic service from Nate and Josh we were taken back by Tony ignoring us. We chose to leave and go to Tavern on Grand. This is the second time this has occurred with Tony

Camp Bar: I love you because you make good drinks, you put on good shows, and it’s always a good time.
I’m maybe not the normal demographic that patronizes Camp Bar, but I’ve always enjoyed being there and have always felt welcomed. Plus, the shows they bring in are top-​notch and FUNNY. Bible Abridged… Confessions of a Prairie Bitch… they bring in good stuff.
Now I know that bartenders usually hate it when you do this, but I walked into a show without knowing what the heck I wanted to drink. Actually, more accurately, I wanted something different. I was tired of the standards. The bartender asked me if I liked cake-​flavored vodka. I said I was game and he made the BEST drink using the vodka and pineapple juice that tasted like pineapple upside-​down cake. I definitely appreciated his assistance.
Now on a normal weeknight, you’d probably find Camp Bar to be a little bit low-​key. But hey, that’s part of the charm. (And it is Downtown Saint Paul after all… we’re working on getting more happening, but it just ain’t happening yet…)
You can also get food here – pizza and Sawadee – both made out-​of-​house. I don’t know too much about it since I’ve only ever mooched off of friends’ pizzas – but it was tasty for bar food.

Made a stop last week to meet up with a few friends and had a great time. the beer was cold and not over priced. They had live music. was fun

Camp Bar has a few unique offerings that other places in the area do not have. It has the piano bar where they showcase local talent, and a cabaret which is a theatre in the evening and a club after the sun goes down. It’s really the only place in St. Paul where I feel like I’m in a club. I’m normally a quiet bar kind of guy, but it’s nice to know I can get that club feel a few blocks from my house.
It also offers a food selection no one else can match. Do they have a huge kitchen? No, just partnerships with Sawatdee St. Paul, Black Sheep Pizza, and Key’s Café (not that anyone would want Key’s). So their menu spans different cuisines. Where else can you get Pad Thai and Sausage Pizza?
Another unique aspect of Camp Bar is the clientele. When Camp first opened it seemed clear to me that it was a Gay/​Lesbian establishment. It was one of the only establishments in St. Paul that catered to the Gay and Lesbian community. But as Camp Bar has established itself in the neighborhood, it has become less of a Gay bar and more of a community bar. Camp Bar is a place open to every lifestyle, and that’s one of the things I love about it. No matter who you are, you’re welcome at Camp.
If you want to hang with locals who enjoy drinks, food, performances, and dancing then I highly recommend Camp Bar. But if the sight of a shirtless bartender, or two women holding hands is not something you can wrap your mind around then by all means check out another bar in St. Paul. Do what makes you feel good, because they will be at Camp Bar!

I love the scene at this place. The events that they host here are pretty great as well. I loved the Lady Gaga fashion show/​CD release party here and I would go back for a fun night on the town at this place. The appetizers are quite tasty.

It’s nice to have an alternative option for a place to dance if you don’t want to drive to Mpls, sit in traffic, pay to park and then finally get to your destination. Not like it’s that far, but sometimes it feels like there’s so much infrastructure to get through, it’s just nice to have a closer option and in St. Paul no less.
Dropped in for some Halloween festivities last night.
Not bad for a bar/​club in St.Paul.
First off, found free street parking. Second, no cover. Thirdly, it was a pretty good time.
The only negative thing was the DJ. Not a fan. Most DJ’s know how to work a crowd and don’t want the floor empty. A few people were dancing here and there, but not many. J also went up to see if he could play a song and the DJ wouldn’t even acknowledge him. The music sucked. DJ’s attitude and lack of enthusiasm sucked.
Halloween contest was fun to watch. Lots of great costumes and ideas. The guy emceeing the contest was great, really knew how to work the crowd and was fun.
Nice atmosphere, fairly decent sized dance floor. Places to sit; couches, tables etc.
Nice to see St. Paul having some options for night life.

Last night I volunteered for The Aliveness Project to work the Camp Gaga event and let me tell ya, this place is amazing! It’s the only gay bar that I have ever been too that looks fancy, but doesn’t feel pretentious!
Well… some of the employees kinda were, but they’re pretty so I guess they have every right to be.
It was very fun to be there for this event as it was in celebrationg of Lady Gaga’s new CD release. We had designers and models competing for a competition based on inspired looks from Gaga. And we had prizes and all kinds of other fun things!
The glam, the music, the fun! I will definitely go back to St. Paul for Camp! As I typically don’t leave my confines of Minneapolis… hehe

I went to see the play «Bye Bye Liver» in the back room Cabaret here. They show was awesome. The bar is open and there is a lot of improv with the audience.
Had a drink at the bar at Camp before the show and I must say it’s a pretty swanky joint. You think of a gay bar as pretty dark and dirty, but this a much more upscale place. At least on Thursday at 7 p.m. They have 2 happy hours, an after work one 12 to close as well.
They have another show playing, I think its called, «My first time». It is what it sounds like. The poster for that looked pretty good as well.

I have to give the owners of this place credit for first and foremost having the nerve to open a gay bar in downtown St. Paul. Not that St. Paul is conservative, über religious, or any of that silliness… I live right downtown and it’s a pretty accepting bunch, especially for Minnesoooota.
The issue is that downtown St. Paul after 5:00 during the week and pretty much all day and night on Saturday and Sunday feels as if the rapture has come and gone… and you were left behind. There are no freaking people in this city.
Or maybe St. Paul is purgatory… and we are all waiting for our number to be called.
Regardless, Camp is cool, clean, and nice place just to go hang out and have a drink. It’s like a VFW but with more lighting… and with gay people.
It’s actually a pretty good place for the ‘straights’ (or breeders as I like to call my brother) to go if they want to actually meet some gay folk in an environment that won’t scare them. Straight people get spooked easily… like kittens. Camp is a good place for them to just take a deep breath, grab the wife by the arm and just jump into the 21^st century and start to get along with the rest of us.
Remember that line in Poltergeist when that little woman said, «Cross over children. All are welcome. All are welcome. Go into the Light. There is peace and serenity in the Light.»
Well go into the Light at Camp and have a seat at the bar, order a drink, relax, and meet some new people and friends. And if by chance the rapture actually did happen and we were left behind? Well, that just means more parking for the rest of us.

Thankfully I’ve never been here when they’ve had the songstress on, but I have been here for booty-​shaking and let’s just say the straighties sneak in. Ugh. I know it takes all kinds, but if I wanted some weirdo grinding on me, I’d be at the 90s.
That aside, the drinks here are good to fair. I can’t speak for the food as I’ve always been drinking my dinner here, but they do cover all the bar food bases.
I haven’t been in a while, but as far as STP goes, you can’t go entirely wrong at Camp.