San Diego Eagle

Went here for the first time on N.Y.E. 2016 (last night) with some really good friends… Thought there’d be a few drink specials but it seems unless one is gay or drinking PBR there’s no such luck…
THEN, there’s the fact that when they make their «last call», THEY STOP YOU FROM GOING PEE! WTFFITS??? (What The F#%&ing F#%& Is That Sh! t)
I’m a PAYING CUSTOMER, and I can’t urinate in a bathroom, at a bar that I’ve been buying drinks at all damn night? I am also a business owner and I’d be damned and go to hell before I let one of MY employees tell my customers, «You gotta go in the alleyway dude»,
ARE YOU FUNKING KIDDING ME???. And the fact that he actually put his hands on me and spun me around… Almost got a dude KNOCKED OUT! Us Texas Boy’s do NOT like people putting hands on us.
HOW DOES WEARING $ 400 worth of clothes equate to being a vagrant??? I guess since I don’t like penis with my alcohol I’m not worthy of having a damn opinion. Well Eagle, I’m the kind of guy that gets mad THEN I GET EVEN! This will be mass published on EVERY social media site I know you are on!
FIRE THAT PRICK IN THE HAT. The one that didn’t even card me at the door, or anyone else for that matter that I was witness to. Because if he puts his hands on someone else like that, he may not be treated so nicely as I did.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR STUPIDITY!

This place is interesting… it’s a funny place to take someone who has no idea what kind of bar this is.
It’s basically a leather/​fetish bar. The first time I went here I had no idea what it was, I had just moved to north park and looked up gay bars and the only thing that showed up was the eagle, I didn’t read any reviews just showed up. When I walked in it was dark… which is pretty normal for a bar I suppose. I then noticed a lot of shirtless men and some in leather gear, which isn’t really that weird either. I then noticed some casual 80s porn playing on the box tv in the corner.
There’s a small area of the bar that is lit up where the pool table is and a portion of the bar… then it just is very dark the rest of it. There was a decent amount of people in there, most were kind of creeping in the shadows… Like I could tell people were there, but couldn’t make out what they actually looked like.
The people were pretty friendly. for the most part. I took my friend there one night, it happened to be ‘yellow handkerchief night’ that was interesting… we weren’t there very long for that.

This place is dangerous for women. Was invited here with several women friends by a couple regulars. Had no idea what awaited us. We were drinking beer and playing darts having a good time despite the smell when the owner told us to leave. When we asked why he said we were too loud. We were then surrounded by several of the male patrons and threatened. One of the especially weird men yelled that he hoped we all got raped! I think he was wishing that for himself.
I guess if you are male and you hate your mother or some female in your life has made you think poorly of yourself… this is the pee hole for you. Weird… hopefully will get shut down for violating the health code.
1 star for bartender who was nice and tried to intervene on our behalf.

My friends and I came here as we heard it was a fun place to be. Fuck this racist, homophobic, chovanistic place. We got kicked out for playing darts and cheering loudly… but we are women. And apparently women or lesbians aren’t allowed. The OWNER personally came up to us to tell us we were no longer welcome. The place smells like piss and angry horny men. stay clear of this place.

I had a ball here last year when I was in town, but after last weekend I’ll never go again, and will warn ANY queer/​leatherfolk/​BDSM friends away from it. First: the doorman turned us away, reading us as a group of women and saying it was a «private party,» although it was not; it was Flogging Friday, for god’s sake! When we made clear we knew that, he begrudgingly let us in. Second, shortly after we bought drinks, a couple of leathermen left, loudly grumbling in front of us that there were «too many women here tonight» and they thought «this was a men’s club.» We later learned ONE OF THESE GUYS WAS THE OWNER. We stuck it out, dropped $ 70 on drinks because we’re contrary, and decided to tell the story.

Disgusting, completely unsanitary. This place looks gross, and trust me it is, even at night after a few drinks! The employees are even more unwelcoming. As a Hillcrest native, I can assure you: don’t bother making the treck up to this hole in North Park!!! Trust me!

You have to be mentally prepare for this fetish/​leather bar. Fair Warning! I’ve been here 3 times on random occasions. I can’t really say anything negative about this place except for the pee smell. I don’t mind smelling the odor of bleach and detergent. Seriously, That let’s me know the place was cleaned. Beside that, my eyes, cheeks, and mouth are wide open. 0_​o Too Soon? Lol Don’t get it twisted.
Oh yeah, cheap drinks, bdsm props and dark corners. Enough said. Lol

Cheap drinks and a good atmosphere

So much hate for the Eagle! I have to come to its defense…
Sure… It’s dark.
Sure… It’s dank.
Sure… It smells like pee.
Sure… The floors probably haven’t been mopped since the Clinton administration.
Sure… The walls are littered with chains, stocks, cages, and miscellaneous leather gear.
Sure… The first person you meet is the big hairy shoeless dude with a beer belly.
That said…
The drinks are cheap.
The drinks are tasty.
The bartender is always smiling.
And, most importantly…
I always have fun here. (And that’s more than I can say about 98% of the bars in San Diego.)

large topless men playing pool in a dimly lit bar that smelled like feet
cheap drinks though.
i was told that it would be in my best interest to wait and pee until i reached our next stop on our bar crawl. I was also told to be careful if I decided to wear a bandana… i might get some uninvited attention.
I also now know why nobody wanted to be the first to enter.
quite an interesting evening.
had a stiff drink though

YES, I’VE BEEN WARNED…
The 1-​star is for the $ 1.50 draft beer that I got…
Small, dinky hole in the wall a block off the main drag. Reminded me of a biker bar in the movies. You walk in and it’s super dark. (GEE, I WONDER WHY?!)
Walked into 2 guys playing pool, of which one had his shirt off with a big huge disgusting beer belly, cut off jean capris and no shoes. EW!!!
I touched nothing…
Needed to use the bathroom really bad, but held it for 30 mins because when we went to check out the women’s stall, the seat was up and a pee spot on the floor as if a guy just used it… YUCK!
Never…
Again…

I’ve passed this the eagle many times and I visit friends who live within walking distance all the time. I have been to the leather district in San Francisco many times, and been to Folsom st fair so I am no stranger to leather.
I am not gay, and I am a girl, apparently I am not welcome at The Eagle. Granted I am not into the leather scene, that is no reason to make someone else feel uncomfortable.
I came in one night after Ray at Night with two of my gay friends, and my best friend who is also a girl. There is a single blue light outside the bar, and the windows are blacked out. Upon entering you pass under some leather strips hanging from the door. As soon as you enter there is an unmistakable scent of sweaty steam. The bar was literally drenched in sweat. The air was warm, wet and stinky. It was hard to imagine drinking anything in there it was so stinky. All eyes were on us as we moved around the bar. Lets just say I saw more than one man getting a bj in there, and we were most definately laughed at when we passed by. Not too fun. Needless to say we did not spend more than 10 minutes in there.

$ 5 double rum and coke. Im there!
Went here on a Sunday. Did not know it was a leather bar but hey I’m all for trying new things. The bar is small and fun. The crowd was a bit older but fun. I ordered a double rum and coke and when i heard $ 5 i was like what! The bartenders were fun and attentive. I was told the day to go here is on a Thursday. Had a blast here. The bartender gave us free shots which i though was nice of him. I will be back for sure. The bar can be updated a bit and cleaned up. Had fun though.

FAIL!
So it was my birthday and we decided to cruise on over to the Eagle to grab a few drinks. I am no prude nor do I have anything against anyone’s choices of watering holes. Honestly I can have fun at pretty much any bar.
To the Eagle I say this… Thank you for being a welcoming establishment.
To the friendly bartender… although I appreciate you being welcoming and friendly. You can go ahead and stop flirting with my boyfriend and buying him drinks. Although I was a little intoxicated I can tell the difference between just being friendly and hoping for a phone number.
To the rather rude pushy bartender. How about you not yell at everyone in the bar for picking music on the jukebox that you don’t like. I’m not a big Lady Gaga fan either, but thanks to your attitude my $ 5 bought you an hour of it after I left.
The Eagle has always been my back pocket spot for a low key drink in a less than snooty atmosphere… however after this experience I shall remove them from my back pocket.

Awesome Bar! Nice and Relaxing…
Free Pool table! Good Drinks and strong!
Stop by you won’t regret it… I didn’t! LOL

Yeah, this place was awful. I was in San Diego for Pride with some friends, and got kidnapped against my will and taken here because one member of our party is into the leather scene.
We arrived to find ten very bored and depressed looking men sitting around the bar, chatting quietly. The music in the jukebox was standard gay bar fare… the sound quality just so-​so. I really wanted to be anywhere else within about thirty seconds. The bartenders looked at us like we didn’t belong (it was mid-​afternoon during Pride so we were in shorts and tanktops), the crowd seemed dismissive, the vibe just totally depressing and not fun. We left after 20 minutes and I’ve never been so grateful to leave a place…
Leather bars aren’t my scene, but I’ve had fun times occasionally at venues in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Definitely not this place.

It’s a nice dark hole in the wall, which is kind of my setting. They had a decent music selection on the jukebox. The bartender’s for the most part were friendly (except one of them, who was a complete douchebag). It’s also the only s&m bar in the city, so if you are into leather, whips, chains, and boot licking then this place is for you. Last time I went here the place was packed and I felt out of place. Everyone was either in leather or shirtless, and I was the only one wearing a flannel shirt and blue skinny jeans; so the unofficial dress code is at least wear something leather.
The price of the drinks is kind of pricey (like fifty cents more than #1 fifth avenue in Hillcrest), but the are strong and will get you. Pool is free too, mostly the older crowd hangs out here though.

Awesome bar in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood. It’s a smaller sized bar, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in girth :) Haha — get it?
Bartenders and bar backs are H-​O-​T (check out Mikey — a regular weekend bartender that rocks it in a tank top); drinks are strong and the bar is dimly lit.
This is your standard leather/​levi bar and it doesn’t disappoint in that category. Lot’s of sexy leather men wearing their gear — very friendly, cruisy atmosphere.
Do not bring your girl friends and fag hags here — they’ll feel awkward and out of place. Take ‘em up to Hillcrest!

I was here on a Sunday afternoon with a friend. First visit. We were the only two in there — along with the two bartenders.
The beer was cold and cheap — pint of Bud Light (who am I?!) and a Heineken was $ 5.
The music was some of the best music i’ve ever heard in a bar. Seriously. I’m still sorta trippin’ on this fact. It was this weird mix of pop, indy, gay, alternative, dance… I was really pleasantly surprised!
I’ll def be checking this place out again in the future.

The truth is I think each bar should have its own distinct style, clientele and of course atmosphere.
I do like leather bars for the atmosphere and I gave SD Eagle four stars because it is what it is. Leather is not as prominent here in SD as it was in my former city, Chicago.
I consider SD Eagle 2 stars in the leather bar rating, 4 stars from the dive point of view, 3 stars for entertainment sometimes (underwear night, special events). Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars but I get caught again in that there is no ½ star ratings here.
Only go with your friends for safety if you are straight or not into leather. It is not a zoo to gawk at, just a bar to say to your friends that you visited with its leather posters, St. Andrews cross (the X cross on the side of the bar). Warning, if you are a dainty boy or girl and hate dirty wash rooms, go at the restaurant before diving into this world!