Charlie's was the worst experience I have ever had at a club. The bouncers were assholes and extremely unfriendly. Karamba's is 100x better

My colleagues and I were visiting Phoenix, AZ for the first time EVER on a work trip. One of our colleagues who is a resident of Phoenix invited us to join him at Charlie's to have a good time on our last night in town. It was a Tuesday night, which I believe is their Karaoke night, so we were pretty excited. We met a nice guy with a big smile and a cowboy hat at the door who checked our IDs and ushered us in. The place was dark and the music was pumping. There seemed to be a very diverse crowd but since it was a week night it wasn't overly crowded. Perfect. Two people in our party were celebrating birthdays so we got shots and drinks and they were even serenaded by the entire bar. Very nice! There were people dancing (remember this for later) and having fun and the karaoke was popping so we were having a blast. When the time came to perform the karaoke numbers, we listened and cheered on those with the mic. In between performances we danced like crazy and enjoyed ourselves. Then, a few people in my group decided to take the mic and we continued having the time of our lives. Next thing we know, the music stopped, the emcee--a beautiful drag Queen whose name I do not remember--grabbed the mic and we were told to leave. In fact, the emcee actually grabbed one of my colleagues by the arm and basically threw her at the security guards so that they could escort us all out. To say we were caught off-guard and shocked would be quite the understatement. We had no idea what we'd done wrong. When we asked "why" we were told in so many words that we were being rowdy. We were accused of spilling drinks (never, they cost too much), dancing too much, singing too loudly and being too excited. Apparently, as we found out later, they don't do this at Karaoke night at Charlies. We had no idea we had been doing anything wrong; we were just acting the way we would act at a club in Atlanta. We were on a business trip and just wanted to have fun with the locals...we did not mean to cause any issues. In fact, other people, Charlies' regulars I assume, were dancing and having fun also so I'm not sure why we were targeted. Anyway, we calmly left the club as asked but felt incredibly disrespected and offended. If the rules had been explained to us we would've been more than happy to comply. However, we were just thrown out without explanation. Obviously, we will never make another appearance at Charlie's the next time we're in town. I hope they learn to treat their patrons and guests with a little more appreciation and also implement some much better customer service in the future. read more

I hardly ever go out but when I do I go to Charlie's. I love the music, their drink prices, and the decor. This is my favorite place to dance and drink on the weekends. It is a gay bar of course so I let whoever I'm inviting know that beforehand. I always make a joke like honey trust me these boys don't want you! You'll want them (bartenders) after you see them! LOL! Some people may think it's too much but they have men dancing and sometimes drag shows. I love them both!! If this isn't for you do not come here and make fun of anyone please. We come here for a good time! If you see me, say hi and let's take a picture! I believe there's no cover charge for men but a charge for women. I paid $7 the other day to get in. read more

Always a great time when I go with my friends. Great music and entertainment. The bartender Ed is absolutely amazing. He is very hospitable, and I can genuinely tell that he enjoys working there! If you are in the valley or visiting Phoenix and are looking for a great time, I highly recommend Charlie's! read more

I came here on my 21st birthday and I like how there's dancing, karaoke, food, drinks, nothing more than people living their lives. Having fun and letting loose after a work week is always nice to checkout this place. I haven't tried any tacos yet but I'll be around soon. read more

Been going to Charlie's since 2011 but apparently tonight randomly I'm 86ed. Fix your management and staff!! Highly recommend KOLBALT BAR if you're looking for a fun safe place! read more

I thought I'd never be caught dead here! Me, stuck in a line outside a booming club at 1AM. Why is it so packed this hour? Oh yeah, because it's apparently the biggest gay bar in town! It was literally at maximum capacity, but the hour or so I spent inside was a good time. I've never been to one of these before, but I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the atmosphere was. Bouncers who aren't dicks. People who actually just want to converse. Lots of couples. Tons of straight women taking refuge from creepers. Guys grabbing my butt! (guess that comes with the territory) But between the fog machine, happy people, and ridiculously low ATM fees, I wouldn't mind coming back here with my friends. Even if there are wangs on the TV screen. Weird. read more

Friendliest staff and men you'll EVER MEET Clean. Courteous. Respectful. I LOVE coming here. Plus the BEST street tacos EVER! Spicy too! read more

Charlie's - Phoenix - The tacos. O MY GOD THE TACOS - Gay Bars Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

See all

Charlies has been shelter and a place for LGBTQ to enjoy not that but it has been a stable for community to hangout and meet howvee recently the young never went to struggle who think they over client because Charlies historically influenc and status They can treat any client customer however they like ( I was told tonight that I cannot respond nor Have an opinion.. and when said are talk over me the boy manager said no you can't talk and I am kick you out (Nothis this bar is run by people who are very vey rude Especially if you are a female or Of African American heritage ) So I left the bar voluntarily Yet that same manager called me maid talking to his friends our side in Spanish . Please let Charlies owner know how clients are treated ... with no respect read more

Ready to have fun and get your party on? This is the place to be. After tending several events here I was impressed on how much fun I had. Let me start with the bar staff. They are super busy but can hold down the fort with a smile. Each bartender is friendly and quick on their toes to make you a drink. Now for the drink specials. I have to say they have the BEST drink specials in town. Even though I don't drink watching friends and patrons make their dollars stretch helps keep us partying longer. The atmosphere is upbeat with pool tables, large space inside and out, along with a dynamic dance floor that has live performers. Now don't worry if you drink to much there are plenty of taxi drivers parked right outside to make sure you get home safely. If your ready to make a one stop spot to hang all night than Charlie's is the place to be. read more

Had to give it one star b/c couldn't give it ZERO. This is not female friendly - women (not those in drag), but women are charged a cover to get in. This is a guys only bar - even though they will tell you otherwise. They are not about equality - yuck!!! read more

1 star for being fun to dance but other than that horrible! the doorman charged me to get in jus because he THOUGHT i was a woman. not only is the assumption frustrating, but we'r going to ASSUME gender and charge EXORBITANT FEES based off that? ! read more

I visited Charlie's this evening for the reopening. I was expecting limitations due to Covid restrictions so I was not surprised to see the social distancing and a wait to get in. I was not expecting however the bar to be reconfigured the way it has been. It now appears to be an exclusive a drag queen showroom. Sadly Charlie's has used the Covid restrictions to re-configure the bar this way. After waiting 45 minutes to enter, from the entrance we were carefully escorted to a socially distanced table. We were told we could not leave the table unless we had to go to the bathroom. We had to order food and drinks from a waiter and only watch the lip-synching performers. I am sure many people who enjoy drag shows think this is heaven, but I typically don't go to Charlie's for the drag queens. I know many other people don't either. Not sure how long this is going to last. Other bars that have reopened are not configured this way. Sadly I will not be back to Charlie's until this changes. read more

If you love to dance, watch a great show, or just exists with some of the nicest people I've met, get yourself to this bar. I'd walk back to Phoenix from CA to go here again read more

Best place to go and hangout with your friends. They follow quarantine guidelines and make sure you have a safe and fun environment. Everyone's cleaning through the night and it opens at 4pm. They have a drag show every night!!! I super recommended Charlie's and when it comes to food, there Taco truck is amazing! Thank you staff for making our night unforgettable read more

This bar is literally a dumpster fire. They HATE women. This is not an over-exaggeration. If you're a women, or identify as a woman, never ever go here. They treat you like you are non existent and don't belong. It really is quite pathetic. The whole bar smells like vomit. They are tired, classless and trashy. There are plenty of other places in town better off. Instead, head on over to ThunderBird Lounge where literally anyone across all spectrums is welcome. They'll treat you right and take good care of ya. read more

Okay first let's talk about the positives. Their outdoor space is lovely, their drinks are cheap and strong, and they play good music. This would be my favorite spot in Phoenix.  So I've been to Charlies a lot and I assumed that everyone paid a cover and I recently found out that it's just women who pay. The cover itself isn't the issue, I don't mind that. It just feels weird that a gay bar that is supposed to be friendly to ALL queer folks forces you into a gender binary the moment you step into the door. I asked the door person "if someone who is nonbinary comes in, do they still have to pay a cover" and this person looked me dead in the eyes and said "yeah, because at the end of the day you're either male or female" and I was in legit shock. Like what in the Fox & Friends is going on...  Listen, I'm a queer cis woman so I don't want to speak over or say something that's none of my business but I feel having this mindset and policy is just setting people up to be misgendered. This is supposed to be a safe space for ALL members of the LGBTQ+ community, not just cis gendered gay men. What happens if a trans man or woman comes in and the person at the door doesn't feel that they are "passing enough" and misgenders them? How is this creating a safe queer space for everyone?  I hope they learn to do better and be inclusive because this really is a cool spot but this bigoted "only two genders" mindset is truly disgusting. Oh and P.S. be careful, there are ALWAYS cops out front. Because having cops in queer spaces has historicially ALWAYS worked out just fine. read more

More a cowboy LGBT ‍ bar mot really a club. Ok but the atmosphere wasn't what I like. They do have a drag show and play "dance" music but it's a younger crowd say 21-30'ish I am out of the age range of the clientele so I'm not a fan of the place but to each their own read more

This bar is AMAZING. People complain about prices if you don't have enough $$ than STAY HOME. Charlie's is the place to be for Drag Shows and to see hot go go dancers (some times). They have drink specials from 7-9 pm on the weekends and they are usually really good prices. Their events are fun as fuck man seriously you guys have to try it. This bar is FOR EVERYONE but if you are a woman looking for another pretty lady you might have an issue there are not tons of lesbians there. The dancing is good and the staff is very friendly and some of them are SUPER CUTE GOSH SO HOT FOR SOME OF THEM. Anyways. Try it for yourself before you judge by the comments of some cheap people. THIS BAR ROCKS!!!! read more

Not once not twice but multiple times Ive seen trans girls out front crying not being let in because they don't look female in their id photos. It's extremely sad to tell someone transitioning that they're not welcome (remind you into a "gay" bar) let alone already feeling unwanted. I grew up in Phoenix already knowing the queer community is rare to find here. Charlie's is extremely anti queer, anti trans, and anti anything but "straight acting gay". There's a huge line between gay and queer (queer being artistic, expressive, trans, drag.... queer is acceptance) and I hate to say it but this bar is a perfect example as to why the two communities don't get along. There are many many other places where you're accepted ladies and gentlemen and anything in between. Fuck this play, boycott it, shut them down. read more

super disappointed in the second bouncer once you get inside. i am a trans man who generally passes as a cis male. the man at the door before you go in didn't tell me i needed to pay after checking my ID but walking in the man tried to charge me. i asked him if i had to pay him even tho it's girls only who pay and he asked me for a male ID. i was disgusted and told him that i haven't obtained that yet but i am a man as trans men are men? he said legally he has to charge me which was crap. being a gay/lgbtq "safe" bar....this was just outright disrespectful. first and last time going there. if i could do zero stars i would read more

Charlie's is my favorite place to have a drink in Phoenix! I love this place. The vibe is great, the people are great, the drinks are amazing. Charlies goes out of their way to make things fun. In the summertime last year they had a huge water slide pool party, one night they dressed up like Super Hero's. At Christmas time it was decorated. Always put together so well and themed with the current holiday. My favorite bartenders are Ivan, Erik and Jonathan. These guys are The Bomb! Always smiling and taking care of my drinks. Monday nights are the best because it is underwear night. The bartenders are in underwear only, so of course I have to go check them out while I have my glass of peach vodka and cranberry juice. If you take your shirt off or pants off the drinks are half price and they usually have some sort of show going on that night. Charlies is the biggest and best gay bar in Phoenix Arizona. Love love love it!!!! read more

Customer service here is 50/50. Depending on who's working it's either great or it's horrendous. It seems as if the little children they hire here are more interested in socializing and taking selfies than offering actual service. BTW don't call them out on it out they will publicly humiliate you and accuse you of being a bad tipper (which I'm not). I know Charlie's doesn't care if I never come back because we are indispensable so I guess it won't matter if I never step foot in here again. However, I'm writing this as a forewarning to future customers. Also they have a very misogynistic policy of only charging women to come in here and giving them a very hard time about bringing their purse in. Also if you you see a pasty white boy with a dog collar on who thinks he's all that, avoid him at all costs. He's the worst. If there ever was a place that I would recommend to people not to go to or spend their money at, Charlie's Phoenix would be it. read more

Terrible Host is awful and full of false stories. Might be fun post covid but during social distancing it's a waste of time. Management needs to take a hard look at who they have in charge of seating and bouncer with extreme attitude. Boycott for months and then they will offer a welcoming product. And good luck to them. read more

I walked in to Charlies once to meet a friend wearing a suit and tie. The bartender immediately half screamed/half moaned, "Does anyone around hear wear cowboy boots?" It could have been a friendly joke type of thing but It wasn't. I didn't appreciate it to say the least. If I had had cowboy boots on, and I own quite a few, he might have ended up with them hanging from his ears that day. I wasn't happy about being there anyway. It had been a long day! I spoke with the owner of the bar. A few days later, from what I was told by someone who works there, I could be sure that guy would never do anything like that again. If you have a problem there, talk to the owner. He will handle it for you if he knows about it. I should say I rarely go to this place, but people know have always had great things to say about it. They have remodeled and it seems to have a nice lay out, I like the patio and volleyball court.. I rarely go out to bar so can't say to much more than that. read more

LOVE this place! I often come in for work but it's trulh my favorite bar to work in (working for a beer company) it's so fun and I'be always felt so welcome! Mini Arizona Gay Rodeo is coming up on Valentine's day and I am pumped!!!! Definitely a great place! read more

I went here on a Saturday afternoon with a very large group so perhaps my review would not be considered an average visit... However, with that said, service was on the slow side but it was packed so no loss of stars there. The bartenders were friendly even though they were totally understaffed for our group. This place is very dark so I can't really comment on the decor but I did see some video games there. They also had a decent sized dance floor that we used to get our groove on. They have a good patio out back too and I'm pretty sure it was being cooled with misters (not positive). They did put on a drag show for us that we all really appreciated. It was fun and light-hearted and of course a little sexy too. I had a great time here and so did my group. They did a great job. read more

Visiting from Las Vegas on Sunday and Monday a friend brought us here , super packed on Sunday , great staff , great tacos and friendly customers !! Big thanks to Eddie the bartender for treating us well last night , when you are visiting and never been to Phoenix it was nice to have him treat us like friends . The manager is also really nice ! Look forward to returning !!! Thank you !! read more

Needs to be closed up, cleaned and not allow kooks and creeps in. Most people looked like they just jumped out bed and not even bothered to shower. It's really for local locos. If you want a classier place hit Kobalt ro Sazerac read more

Sunday funday is always at Charlie's & I've never had a problem before. Last night my friends were behind the DJ booth as was I. I went to get one drink for myself and came back to them. The manager I guess it was Ivan, was talking to the DJ so I tried to tap him to know I was behind him and tried to get thru to the DJ booth. But he had other plans for me. He literally screamed at me "don't touch me, back up right now or I'll have you kicked out" I said "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get to my friends" and he said "no, back up or I'll have you kicked out" I've never been screamed at/disrespected like that before BY A MANAGER. I work in the restaurant business, I'm a manager at one restaurant and a bartender at another one who was no days off and when I go drink with my friends and decompress I really rather not get screamed at when people at my other jobs already are rude. I was literally crying. I spoke to higher management I guess and I guess they were gonna talk to him. But whatever happens, I just hope people know this is not the way to treat someone at all. Thank you read more

The bouncer was absolutely awful, tried to refuse my entry because I had an international passport. I thought the purpose of checking ids is just to check for age? What does it matter if it's from another country, tourists from other countries do exist, though if it was a European passport would it have been different? read more

I was there 7/26/14, I'm a straight female and I had a blast! The staff were all nice to me. I have never been to a gay bar before but I will definitely go back. The cover charge for females isn't a big deal, they want men in there. Just like at "straight bars" men are charged a cover because they want females in there. The drinks were cheap and strong. The line dancing of gay men and the drag show was a nice change of pace. The only thing I didn't get was the no purse thing. (You can bring a wristlet) but I guess it goes back to the "they want more men in there." No biggie I just brought my necessities and was good. I loved this place! read more

See all

I'm visiting from NY And honestly I did love this place but one interaction left a sour taste in my mouth. Nate and Eddie were amazing and made us feel right at home. BUT there was a woman, Claudia who was incredibly rude and when we complimented her she looked us up and down and gave us a cold "thank you". If it wasn't for Nate and Eddie we would've left. We were being nice and she was incredibly distasteful and cunty for NO reason. She was beautiful but her personality was disgusting. read more

Nice bar. Nice music. Huge patio. Food truck. Nice Saturday night crowd. There wasn't much to see there on Sunday. Good looking go-go dancers on Saturday as well. read more

By far the best gay bar in phx in my opinion. If you are looking to have a great time dance watch drag shows and all kinds of other good stuff Charlie's is the place to be! They hold special events with famous people in the lgbt community. They also play games food prizes all the good stuff! They also have the famous Charlie's tacos or some may call them gay tacos either way best tacos around! Charlie's drink specials are unbeatable 3 for 1 on certain days they have 5 dollar pitchers of beers great great drink prices! The only negative I would have to say is it is a male gay club so woman going in here are not the main focus you will have to wait forever for drinks unless you know some of the best bartenders then you will be helped fast but either way the place is the best to have a good time weather it is in the middle of the day or late at night this place stays open until 4 am so you will for sure be having a amazing night tell the early morning. Cleanliness- pretty good could be a bit better but for as packed as it gets they stay pretty on top of things the bathrooms most of all. Staff- amazing they are all awesome and work very hard. We love this bar this is by far my most favorite bar to be at no matter what day of the week it is you will have a blast! read more

See all

Love this place! I come here all the time with my friends and girlfriends! However, today I went, and was told I couldn't bring my small handbag inside (literally couldn't fit more than 2 cards and car keys). I asked why, and he said it's against policy. I have been here so many times with handbags larger than what I was carrying tonight, and I was just so shocked that they would turn away customers like that when I've never had this problem in the past. The bartender was rude and wouldn't brother to speak to us after telling us we couldn't bring handbags inside. read more

Charlie's is always a fun and entertaining spot, and it's where I had my very first (legal) drink on my 21st birthday. It's a special little spot to me, which is why it kind of hurts giving it just 3 stars. The events and the GOGO guys are all fun, but what ultimately makes a bar is it's value: how good is your drink and how worth it is the cost. And Charlie's has been slipping in those regards! Maybe I've gotten tolerant to alcohol, but I used to get a GOOD hard buzz after two cocktails there, but lately I can hardly taste the liquor? Also, the glasses themselves are minuscule, and are far too iced. All of this for a lowest cost of like, $10. If Charlie's could just fix its value problem, I'd see it easily as the 5 bar it used to be. But until then, you can get very cheap sips at Nu Towne Saloon, and BS West has daily deals now for an equally boppy joint. read more

Every year, my best friend and I travel somewhere new for NYE. While we were in Phoenix, we were looking for a gay bar. After asking around, most people in the area recommended Charlie's. My first impression when I walked in--wow this is very small. I walked around the bar and noticed real quick how wrong I was. With multiple bars, a HUGE patio area, dance floor and mini "chill" areas to sit and talk, Charlie's has something for every vibe. It also has a taco stand at the patio--definitely recommend! read more

This bar is pretty live but once you go in it stinks and looks like they dont use any kind of lysol or disinfectant for floors of any kind ot smells like a group home disgusting! All the money this bar makes and cant disinfect it especially with the corana virus going around! read more

They have done an amazing job since being allowed to reopen operating as a restaurant for now. The staff has done a great job transitioning from bartenders to servers. They have gone to great lengths to keep staff and customers safe. Actual restaurants I've been to don't even take some of the steps Charlie's has. I appreciate they spray your hands with sanitizer when you walk in. read more