The Surly Wench

Stopped in last night for some food… but there was a burlesque show instead. Paid my 10 bucks, and bellied up to the bar. Show was about to start… made my over to the stage area. A bit confused on the VIP section, as it was 20 to sit by the stage, but no-​one was in there. The host started the show, and asked that everyone fill in the seats. Pretty full crowd for a hot summer night.
Show was good. Energetic. Got the crowd going. Each of the girls had a routine, well done. Kind of surprised they did not come around during the show to wait on people, but no biggie.

Hip without the stink of hipsters. Divey without the stink of dive. No bros here, only buds. Top notch beer selections and just the right amount of drinking food available.
I’ve found a regular stop for when I’m in town.
Shout out to Tammy, a sweet human being to have behind the bar.

The one and only time that I stopped in to The Surly Wench it was a Monday afternoon and there was no one in the bar. But I loved it. Even during the day it was dark and dank and smelled like a dirty old bar. I loved it.
Not only is there a lot of open space but there are places where you can sit and be cozy and intimate. They even have a stage that is all black and ominous and totally cool. I’d love to come and see a show here someday.
Take a look at the walls. There are some crazy decorations up in this joint. It all adds to the flavor of the space. There’s a lot of personalty which has to be built over time. You can tell that this is a classic bar with a lot of crazy times in its past.
For those of us who enjoy the nitty-​gritty, low-​down bar scene this is an oasis on 4^th Ave. It’s just the kind of place where you can be strange and not give two hoots about it.

One of the grossest smelling places I’ve entered. It was like having a cocktail in a port a potty. The reason for even staying there was we were at the street fair and needed a break from the crowd and wanted to cool off (I don’t think they had ac, but whatever). Walking into the restroom another patron replied that it wasn’t the most pleasant place to be. Reading the other reviews I can’t believe I was at the same place!
The fact they had a food menu completely repulsed me. I can only imagine the cleanliness of the kitchen with the place smelling like a sewer.
The one good thing was the bouncer was very sweet. That was about the only good thing to say about our experience. Sorry.

Love this place! Awesome jukebox, friendly staff, good bar food, and bottled Schlitz! A must visit for any punk or rockabilly types visiting Tucson.

Definitely worthy of checking out. I’ve never had a bad time here. Prices were good that I remember. Yeah most girls here are gay, but who cares? The place is awesome, food is terrific and their shows are fucqin epic.

I made a joke that upset the bouncer and he declared me too drunk to come into the bar despite my obvious sobriety. He got embarrassed for overreacting and instead of apologizing he then insulted me and the group of friends I was meeting. We went to Plush instead and had a great time. I’ve worked downtown for years and am typically treated very well by fellow service industry folk. I guess we’ll be spending our Tuesdays elsewhere as long as this oversensitive jerk is at the door.

Went to see the «Manlesque» show not so long ago. It was not worth the money. I get it that its supposed to boost your self esteem and its more about the act, but, uh the acts were not good or interesting. Don’t waste your money and they charge for you to sit in the dancing area, like twenty bucks, not worth it. Anyways, read some of the reviews on the food. ITS BAR food, its suppose to be greasy and not good, duh. Also, its sort of true if the staff don’t recognize you or you aren’t their friends they are rude, specifically the male bartender. The female bartenders are very sweet and nice, talk to everyone. The bouncers are so much nicer these days, before they were rude, but that part has gotten better for sure. I go to fineline and always have fun. Nice place to chill on off days.

I really want to love this place… however everytime I stop in the beer is warm… hey its 100 degrees out and we live in Tucson turn that beer fridge down!

we went for the tachos and we were not disappointed! tater tot nachos covered in nacho cheese, poblano sauce, and a bit of sour cream are not to be taken for granted — they were amazing! the tots were perfectly cooked — crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. we wished we ordered more than just one order! The bar itself is a little gloomy and I don’t think the bartender was super excited 2 girls a little tipsy from wine tasting down the street strolled in, but we got decent drinks, were able to grab a table, and dug into the tachos… have I mentioned how amazing the tachos are?!?

Everything I hoped place would be. Fantastic homage to my favorite movie, the Royale with cheese, is great with tots. Margaritas are made with love and fresh squeezed citrus to perfection. Wish we could have been here to enjoy the burlesque shows, just means we’ll come back again!

I’ve this place! Been coming here for a few years now and I always love the atmosphere. Drinks are good. The events are always interesting and fun. FinelIne Revisted, or Sanctuary. Black Cherry Burlesque– always a good time. Check this place out!

Really cool little bar. Let’s see… Decent Jukebox– was pretty surprised to see the Goddamn Gallows in there. 2 of their albums, in fact. Franziskaner on tap, yesssss. Rosemary Garlic Lemon fries were salted to hell and back. I tried to choke em down, but eventually had to send ‘em back. The regular fries were much better. The bartenders were pretty cool and the key lime pie martini was surprisingly delicious! I liked the rest of their cocktail menu too. Interesting, delicious sounding and creative but not pompous. I was especially intrigued by the salty white russian, though I didn’t order it.
A word of advice — before putting any cash in the jukebox check with the bartender to make sure their system is not set on Pandora. I put some cash in the box and had to sit through about 12 horrendous, depressingly awful country songs before I realized my songs were not going to play. They would not refund me the entire amount I put in the juke, which isn’t really cool in my opinion. All in all, I’d recommend checking this spot out, it’s cozy yet not cramped and looks like a real good time when they have bands.

Amazing alternative style bar. Always so much going on. The music, beautiful women of Black Cherry Burlesque, The Manly Manlesque Show, game night and special events. The staff is amazing nice and food is good too. Get the Mom’s tocos or the amazing fries. All made with fresh ingredients.

Well, they certainly live up to the name. The bartender kept a cynical look written on her face the entire time she, umm, «waited» on me and refused to answer a simple customer service question related to the types of tequila they served — instead, she just pointed dismissively at some bottles that were too far away to read and walked away to serve another customer she deemed more worthy of her time, even though I was being genuinely polite. Sub-​par service, all the way. There are better places in Tucson to spend your money.

This place is dive-​y without any creepiness/​dirt. A large pub with a fun atmosphere and great sarsaparilla whiskey.
The Black Cherry Burlesque show is well-​worth the $ 10 fee they charge to get in. That is about the only thing that will get me down on 4^th Avenue on a Friday.

It’s also worth noting that I’ve seen several dudes get their asses handed to them for being creepers.

Nasty nasty urinal tasting drink! How could a drink taste so bad?! Its like they did it on purpose somehow. And ordered a double but it was absolutely watered down with what must have been toilet water. Not okay! Do not recommend, and I love dive bars! Nope!

I came here last night for a friend’s birthday and I was not impressed with the service. I usually come here once a month and I always have a great time, but definitely not last night.
Walking into the bar, the doorman was nice and friendly, but the bartender was nothing but rude. I was with a group of friends trying to have a good time, and it seemed like he wasn’t paying attention to us. I can understand if it was busy and there were a lot of people at the bar, but there was not, just a group of 3 aside from my group and I. We waiting for 10 minutes to get refills on our drinks, which were not well mixed. He told us to wait a moment while he flirted with the group of females that had just sat down. Very professional. Towards the end of it all, it seemed like we were overcharged for our drinks, which we found out he charged us for one drink 3 times, something we didn’t even order.
The other times I’ve been here, I’ve had the female bartender and she was amazing. She paid attention to each patron, she was sweet and nice, and she made the drinks exceptionally well.
I don’t know. I guess I came here on a bad day.

Very surly, very surly. Went for the Burlesque night — First part was well done. Self-​esteem building for some of the gals. They all worked hard on a routine. 3 of the gals were very professional and had amazing outfits.
The Break was TOO LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. lordy
The second half was okay. One gal was stellar again.
The audience is fun.
Nice setting for lesbian couples to enjoy being open and out.
Once was enough.
The bar is really skanky. The bathrooms atrocious.
There is a nice jug of ice water to enjoy.
Once was enough.

The Surly Wench does live up to its namesake. They are not big on service, let’s say that much.
I’ve tended bar for ten years and in my experience, it’s much more difficult to be a dick to customers and give bad service than to just do your job well with a smile.
There has been more than one occasion where I waited at that busy bar for fifteen minutes or more, money in hand, while everyone BUT me got a drink. What the hell?! I tip well, too.
There’s more often a cover at this place than not, which is strange considering the mediocre acts who perform there. Definitely has kept me from returning to the Wench on the last few tries.
They do have good and greasy bar food, if you can overlook the fact that most of it is frozen and not made in house.
I do enjoy the Burlesque show once in a great while and they have also hosted some other fun events. And there’s air hockey.
Maybe three stars is generous. But I really like air hockey.

If I had a bar it would look just like the Wench. I love this place.
The ambiance is super cool, the beers on tap are great, and the entertainment is varied enough to please the most hardened urban dweller, from burlesque to awesome local and travelling bands to fun DJ nights — this place has it.
Every time I visit the Wench I feel like I’m in an episode of Cheers. Everyone is super friendly and the bar staff know their way around.
The Surly Wench is a Tucson staple. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for good grub, excellent drinks, stellar eats, and fun!

This is a great little bar that straddles the line between dive bar and dance club fantastically. The music is loud, the drinks are great and the food is cheap. What more could you ask?
There’s a small dance floor towards the back which is great for those people that don’t want to dance, a smaller room off the main bar that is a bit quieter for when you need a break, a few tables and booths and a window to the kitchen where you can place an order for food.
I’ll definitely stop here again next time I’m in Tucson.

I’m not sure what to make of this place. I guess I should be here on a Friday or Saturday night, but Sunday mornings are kinda dreadful and dead.
Needless to say, my friends and I stopped by for a shot or two. Maybe just 1 actually. We also ordered some food along the way. Fried Oreo’s what the heck?! You’d think this was a carnival or state fair! Well actually this place reminded me of a carnival. Seriously, what the heck is this place! It seems a tad bit shady with some hard rock and roll theme along with some gothic «I want to cut myself» feel.
My buddies and I decided to order some burgers too. I had the BBQ Bacon burger while my friend had the mushroom swiss. He said it was one of the best he had, but then again he was drunk and hungry. My burger was kind of dry, but my waffle fries were decent. One more fireball shot? Sure what the hell, I’m at a carvival! The taters really hit the spot here by the time I was ready to walk or stumble same thing I guess.
Service was good here. Then again we were the only group. However, I can appreciate a smile with my service to some «old folks» like us walking into a college bar. — Enjoy!

This bar is one of the top five reasons I wish I lived closer to Tucson. Coming from someone who has a cabinet full of ornate skulls in her living room, it almost goes without saying that I dig the Surly Wench’s style. I love the vibe, the staff, the drinks, the fried food I demolish because of the drinks, and I love dancing on the stage with other gothy-​90s revelers during their Fineline Revisited night.
If ever I become a bar fly (a retirement option I will seriously consider) this is where I will call home.