There are nights you plan... and then there are nights that just happen to you. This was the latter, and it all went down at Cowfish Dance Club. Now look I'm the first to admit, I'm not exactly out here breaking it down on the dance floor. I say it all the time: "I'm too old for this." And yet somehow, like clockwork, I keep ending up in places like this, drink in hand, wondering how I got here and more importantly, how long I can survive. We roll in, no real plan. Just one of those rainy Eugene nights where the air feels like trouble and bad decisions. Dinner? Solid. Drinks? Flowing like someone forgot to install brakes. We even ran into some friends, which always turns a simple night into a full-blown episode. And then... things got weird. In the best possible way. At some point, I look up and there are these gals glowing glowing painted in neon like a scene out of some underground rave documentary. Black lights hitting just right, bodies moving, maybe outfits, maybe not outfits... honestly, I couldn't tell you. And I'm standing there thinking, "Either this place is incredible... or whatever I just drank has officially taken the wheel." Probably both. The music? Off the hook. DJs knew exactly what they were doing pulling people in, keeping them there. The lights, the energy, the whole setup it delivers exactly what it promises. It's a full-send kind of place. Not pretending to be anything else. We were there maybe an hour... maybe two. Hard to say. Time doesn't exactly behave normally in a place like this. Now I'll be real this is probably a young person's playground. College town vibes, full throttle: a little bit of chaos, a little bit of freedom, a whole lot of "we'll deal with it tomorrow." But here's the thing... I had a damn good time. Even if I can't dance. Even if I don't quite belong. Even if I woke up the next day piecing together memories like a detective on a budget. Because for a few hours, it didn't matter. Shoutout to the staff friendly, on point, keeping things moving. The whole place runs like it knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize for it. And honestly? Respect. So yeah maybe this isn't my everyday scene. But I'm glad I went. It was wild, it was funny, it was just disorienting enough to be unforgettable. And for one night, I felt like a kid again. read more

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Place smelt like a urinal when I first walked in. I took a drink of my drink but just felt so uncomfortable I had to get out. The aroma was terrible. I know it's a dance club but come one there was like a group of 4 ladies on the dance floor that's it. Don't think the place would smell that terrible with 7 people in there. read more

I love cow fish. In fact it's my favorite dancing spot. I was harassed last night by the evil doorman who was charging people. He yelled at me and called me a bitch and said I have one brain cell. He told me to fuck off because I tried to bring in a non alcoholic lemonade because I have diabetes and I have to carry sugar with me. Granted I could have gotten the lemonade at cow fish but i had already experienced a low blood sugar earlier that night so I had the drink with me. The bartender and the DJs are always so sweet and friendly. Just wanted to say how badly this guy sucks. read more

Whether you want spaghetti, to watch a cool show, or just to dance this is the place to go! The servers are always nice, there's plenty of events going on a weekly basis here. Their food is great for being a multifaceted place. It's definitely one of my favorite places when I want to dance, or when I just want to grab some tea. read more

Cowfish Dance Club - Dancing - Dance Clubs Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

They denied my real ID, then told me to leave when I recited all of my information. I've been here before so I'm not sure why they wouldn't take my ID this time. read more

My best friend wanted to drop in and take a look around. We hadn't eaten all day. At the recommendation of Bartender Maggie, he ordered the broccoli cheese soup. Me? I always ask what offerings are homemade. Maggie said all the soups are made in house by the owner. I waited to sample my besties soup--/ it was the best broccoli cheese soup we have ever had. Simply delicious. Maybe just a tad on the thin side, but I will take that all day long over gloppy overly-thick soup. We had a great time-- and everyone is welcoming and friendly. Next visit? I'm ordering the French Onion Lentil Soup. And that will be SOON! read more

Cowfish Dance Club - No fun to be had here! Heh - Dance Clubs Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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I can't recommend this place. Took more than 40 minutes to make a happy hour bratwurst. We were the only table in the restaurant. Drinks were tasty but not super strong. Service was not good - they ignored us completely and then made weird excuses when we asked what as taking so long. read more

I went with my girlfriend last night to this bar, hoping to have fun and get some drinks and dance. Unfortunately, we fully believe that you serve FAKE alcoholic beverages. At $10 a drink for your "cocktails", after 2 full cocktails for each of us we had NO buzz, and did not taste ANY alcohol in the drinks at all. For $40 we were ripped off. read more

Went here for a friend's birthday. Right off the bat they had a girl who was obviously too drunk running around making out with random guys. The music was terrible too. You call these EDM? I've heard better off of free CD's from random renegades. Took a solid half an hour for anything half way decent to play. The obviously drunk girl came out on the dance floor and basically stripped naked. Dozens of creepy men were just staring her down like she was prey. After a while of this she collapsed and a number of these creeps swept in and dragged her off the dance floor and tried to take her out of the bar. My friends and I had to step in and surround her and force her to drink water while her friend came to pick her up. Where was the bouncer in all of this or any staff? This place has a reputation and deserves it. Never going back. read more

Fun vibe, happy hour, and good cheap drinks. Yes Please! Very nice bartender to boot.

Went to Sunday goth/industrial night and loved the atmosphere. So many pretty, shiny things hanging from the ceiling! Dance floor was a good size and felt like being in a giant aquarium. Friendly bartender. Really cute place! read more

No no no no no. Terrible. Tried to go there to dance. Waited for something dance-able. Nope. Minutes passed. More nope. Terrible techno no art no artist crap. No hope for anything better. Do they not have access to the vast catalogue of music available in the universe? And who are these yahoos who are okay with the music they play, gyrating mindlessly to music no one has ever been inspired by and means nothing? 3 reasonable song requests later, still nothing recognizable. All songs played could legitimately be titled "Take Me From Behind." How are intelligent people okay with this? I give up on this place. Never again, Cowfish. Not good enough. Not worthy. PS I feel really bad for the fish. How depressing. Ick PPS Bleh! read more

Wandered in one afternoon looking for a glass of wine. Surely, a place called The Cowfish would have wine, right? Well, they did indeed have wine...a red and a white. A red. And. A white. I like to believe I'm an adventurous type, kinda sorta. The glass of red turned out to be a Cab. I'll say this much, the first sip took me straight back to my childhood! Back to the days when we dyed hard boiled eggs in tinted vinegar. I was not prepared for this. I slipped my cute mask back over my mouth and nose, answered texts, scrolled through bts IG posts, trolled the twitter accounts of MTG, Rand Paul and DJT Jr. before slipping out the door. read more

Cowfish is the place to be!! Michael was very accommodating, gregarious, and genuinely conversational. I was highly impressed with the the quality of service and the welcoming energy that Michael provided. Next time I'm in Eugene, I will definitely come back to Cowfish. Thank you for making my friend and I feel unbelievably welcome. read more

Cowfish Dance Club - a margarita in a glass with a straw - Dance Clubs Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

Great entertainment, cheap drinks, and plentiful seating: what more could you ask for?! When we first walked by around 8:30pm, it was a stark empty bar emanating it's blue light with the fish tank visible at the bar. There were only two people at a ping pong table, so we assumed it must not be a very popular place. We were also looking for dinner at the time so we continued on our search. After our bellies were filled, we figured we could give the place a shot and went over just before 9:30 to find all of the curtains down and zombies standing outside, one drinking "blood" out of a bag. When we went in, we found that it was zombie night and they had converted the ping pig table area into a dance floor. The bouncer told us that he couldn't charge us the cover charge of we bought drinks immediately, so of course we did. We bought well drinks for $4 and chilled out on their spacious couches before wandering to their 2 pool tables. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they were free and proceeded to suck at pool, yet be thoroughly entertained. They also have a couple arcade games including Pacman, Street Fighter II, and the asteroid blasted came that I can't remember the name of. Each play was only a quarter and we dukes it out on Street Fighter for several rounds, with a lot of jumping and yelling, at least from me. It would be an understatement to say I was thoroughly entertained. Earlier on in the night, they played throwback pop hits, but gradually transitioned into more club/electronic music. Their dance floor is very spacious with a small ledge with a lip along the wall to hold drinks and jackets. The volume was definitely sufficient and I could literally feel the music. Overall, I had an amazing time at Blowfish and I would certainly go back if I get the chance! read more

Cowfish Dance Club - Screwdriver = so much drank! - Dance Clubs Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

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Fun place, as good as you are going to get for a dance club in Eugene. Had the right feel of quality control, but relaxed at the same time. Nice secret lounge next to the DJ was a nice touch. read more

This place was alright. My husband and friend enjoyed the Foosball table, so that was good. And any place that has a coin operated pool table is alright by me. We were here earlier in the evening, so there wasn't much dancing going on. But it sounded like they were going to be spinning music worth dancing to, like Michael Jackson and stuff. The drink special with Dr Pepper sounded ghastly, so I took a pass on that. My tequila pineapple was a strong pour and I was satisfied. Some locals told me that this spot might be good for house music later in the evening. I guess I will have to find out next time I visit Eugene. read more

I really only come for drag queen nights and those are fun. The bartenders are also nice and the place is pretty clean. The only reason I'm docking a star is because they let a homeless transient whatever into the bar to use the restroom and he came in the women's room then made things awkward/weird. I told the door guy and he was like he just needed to use the bathroom. Not how I'd handle that but okay. But I really do like one of the door guys who made another homeless guy leave us alone when we were out front smoking and he dropped trout to show us what I think he was claiming was a penis? Hard to tell under the speckled gray hair and gunk. I also didn't examine too hard once I realized what was happening. Welcome to Eugene! read more

The owner and Kamiel had better stop messing with Mikel. He's pissed and sick of the bullying. Those fish are sensitive to vibrations, so logically keeping cowfish in an environment where the music (especially the base) gets that loud is animal cruelty. read more

Finally, a dance club that plays music I want to dance to. I loved the music selection (which changes depending on the day of the week) and the accommodations for dancing; namely lights, bass, water and lots of alcohol. I'm also glad to see how supportive of LGBTQ people they are. I'm hoping they can perhaps fill the hole left when The Wandering Lamb shut their doors. Mimosas are cheap, some beers are cheap, bloody marys are cheap and some of their in-house cocktails are decently priced too, although I felt some were a little steep. This is a club I'd recommend checking out, especially on a friday night. read more

loved the vibe and the space is so cute! drinks were great and pretty decently priced!

Best Happy Hour in town. Micro Beer and Brat for only $7.00! Hardly anyone in bar in afternoons. Great quiet place with interesting decor. Don't know what it is like during evenings when party crowds show up read more

This is usually the last stop when we're down town. Mainly because we won't buy drinks here anymore. They all seem very weak and watered down. The drinks are always over priced, and even if someone else spills your drink, you get cut off! It's fun for a random few dances, but the price at the door and the prices of the booze makes it NOT WORTH IT. read more

$5 cover is ridiculous when most of the Portland clubs don't even charge that much. This place is dirty, the music usually isn't that great and the clientele can be really creepy. As for the staff, I've always liked the bartenders but have never had very positive interactions with anyone else. I have been yelled at for walking too quickly through the club and the staff did not care that I was trying to escape from some overly zealous men because I could have spilled someone's drink. The employee said he talked to us the night before and when we denied this claim he said he talked to some Asians who looked exactly like us. He then proceeded to call my male friend a number of vulgar names when he was simply being a gentleman and standing up for us. What an ignorant racist. read more

This place is considered one of the only "night clubs" in Eugene, but I use that term loosely. With its white plastic furniture and weirdly patterned carpet, Cowfish reminds me of a rundown roller skating rink, and not in a good way. Of the four or five times I've been here with friends, the music they play after 10pm until closing is terribly unrecognizable techno, and they don't even abide by song requests. To make matters worse, the last time I came here I had to pay a cover charge. When I got inside, there was some woman belly dancing, and the place was dead. This place is so not worth a cover charge. It's not like we're in LA; we're in Eugene. read more

I've been to cowfish twice -- both on weekend nights after 10:00. I just wanted to dance, but I was out of luck. On both occasions, the DJs were TERRIBLE. Someone told me this before I went and I chalked it up to them being really snobby about music and DJs, which I am not. I just enjoy some good beats and am happy to get my groove on to lots of stuff. The DJs couldn't seem to play anything that anyone wanted to dance to. The dance floor was empty. Granted, I think both were after school let out for the summer (? not sure); but it was a little pathetic. I think I might be able to do better. The bar was not that busy at all and we still waited to get served. I don't drink that much so can't vouch for the quality of the beverages. They have water out for self-serve, which is very nice. As for the ambiance -- one other poster mentioned "Ikea-chic" and that is probably the best descriptor I could use. Has anyone else noticed that the giant aquarium that is kind of the focal point of the whole place above the bar has like 1 fish in it? Seems kind of sad to me. Haven't been there for coffee or food during the day hours. Overall, I gave it two tries and wouldn't go back again, except that Eugene's dance scene is pretty sad in general and I will probably wind up getting pulled back in there some night if the dance floor ever looks like it has more than 10 people on it. read more

Went in for one drink and then stepped out for air and a cigarette around the corner. Came back to the bar and they said I was "to intoxicated" to come in and join my family. Walked around the block and waited some time to see if I could join my family and I was still to intoxicated off one drink to enter. Bad music and drinks as well so don't waste your time. read more

OK, so I am from the SF Bay Area & like to hit the Castro so I know a good gay time when I see one. I was told by the locals here that Cowfish was THE ONLY gay bar/dance club in Eugene, so I HAD to check it out. WOW. I really wish I hadn't. I went on a Friday night after midnight & it was filled with way too many freaky/weirdos. The music was ONLY house/trance -_- Plu,s a $3 cover for that crap was so not worth it. I would have felt ripped off if I had gotten in for free! If you want to dance to some decent music, go to The Rok. end of story. read more

Animals and nightclubs don't mix. I was shocked to see that live fish are confined to a tank amid crowds of clubgoers and subjected to loud music from a DJ booth as well as live acts. Aquatic animals are highly sensitive to vibrations. Holding them captive is cruel enough, but a nightclub setting rife with loud music, bright lights, and noisy crowds causes them extreme torment and stress. Please stop bombarding fish with bright lights and loud music at Cowfish. read more

There is approximately one club in Eugene. This is that Club. It would not be the club that you would go out to for a craft cocktail, a hip DJ, or to rub elbows with some grown n sexy folks. That said, this place, as the one club in Euegene, has EVERYONE. Old, young, rich, townie, dancy, druggie, hipster, bachelorette---ALL types. That's what makes a place like this unique--- everyone is forced to interact within what is essentially an LMFAO video crammed into a box with little/no bubble-wrap. In another context, this bar would be that annoying place that you had to go to for your friend's birthday and just stood there talking about how you felt like you were in high school. In THIS context, you simply revert back to high school, and get down with a good messy time you haven't had in 10-15 years! Also, there is a Cowfish. read more

I was visiting Eugene for a week and decided to go out for one of the evenings. Coming from the big town of Seattle, I can admit I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to 'clubs', but Cowfish won me over. PROS: It must have been one hell of a happy hour because I ordered at least six to eight mixed drinks, and two beers and my bill only came to $13.00? Whatever the reason, this made me super happy Servers were helpful, and drinks were made pretty quickly. Has really nice decor and decent dance floor. Much nicer/classier than some of the usual divey places Eug is known for (not that divey is always bad) Pool tables were nice. I know some people are bitching about a cover? Luckily, there wasn't one the Monday night I showed up (and no live band or DJ playing) so that made sense, but honestly coming from a big town where I'm used to $5 minimum covers it wouldn't have phased me. CONS: Don't really have any cons, I had a good time there drinking and playing pool on a slow night. read more

The dance club I've wanted for Eugene since I moved here! Sorry Snafu, but you can only cram so many lights and beats into a refurbished coffee shop. Cowfish is always a good time, the bartenders are careful to serve everybody in order of appearance (something the clowns at Diablos should learn!), and there's never any aggro macho bullshit like you get every night across the way at John Henry's. The sound on the dance floor is incredible, but the wall keeps it from being too loud by the bar. And really, the design of the place is stunning - a nice change from the rest of the bar scene in Eugene which all seems so thrown together. No televisions! No ducktard parties! The pool tables are often open too, even when it's busy. I love this joint! read more

Cowfish is cool. Maybe too trendy for gritty and depressed Eugene. But definitely cool. The inside is a semi-airport themed open space with some quirky art on the walls and a giant dance floor on the east side of the building. I like that the dance floor has a little seating and a drink gutter. This means you don't have to spill your drink when you're bumping and grinding to the sweet sounds of Gunther. I went by for the grand opening and the place was packed. It was an eclectic crowd of Eugene beardos and fancy dressers. Seeing people in collared shirts and nice shoes was a much needed break from the usual bar crowd in Eugene. The bar itself was a pain in the ass to get a drink at though. Nothing is more frustrating than asking a bartender to close your tab and then having that bartender go and serve someone else. That unfortunately happened to me and I spent 10 minutes trying to get out of the place. They asked a $4 cover on the night of their grand opening. I think that maybe went to the band....but still....on your grand opening you're going to charge a $4 cover? This is Eugene, not Los Angeles! Try the pulled boar sandwich. I had it with provolone and was very impressed. They did that hoity-toity drizzle bbq sauce all over the plate thing. They could definitely improve the service at the bar and I'd recommend a nice hard cider for the ladies who don't want liquor but can't drink beer (gluten allergy). Cans of OLY were available for $2.50. We had two mixed drinks, (The Biloxi was a nice blend of vodka and house made sweet tea) a sandwich and some Northwest Pee In A Can for $19. You can't order drinks off their menu yet, but if you are persistent like I was you can both piss off the bartender and get one of their house specials. Best of luck to Cowfish! read more

I love the $3 well drink specials before 10:30pm (what can I say I love a bargain). I also love the cool fish tank behind the bar - they have to have a real cowfish in the place with a name like that. Dancing is fun, come early to avoid the cover charge. Sometimes I wish the DJ were better. For dancing fun on a Friday or Saturday night check this place out and John Henry's. The fun usually gets crazy at 11 pm. there are other bars in the area within walking distance - making it fun to bounce from place to place. (Jameson, Horse Head etc) read more

Cowfish is always fun, but it kinda makes you wish bar owners would take some of that cash they're making and re-invest in their business. When this place opened it was great, spotless and pristine, but now the carpet (in a place where drunk people congregate, bad idea) sticks to your shoes and the bathroom REEKS of piss and has broken faucets. In general cowfish has more in common with the 50 year old alcoholic with a scratchy smokers voice than the sweet tongued 20 year old vixen she once was. The service is usually pretty good, but sometimes staff there could try to have more of a sense of caring about their customers. The coat check is great!! Lots of people think this place is a gay bar, but it is definitely not. Just because some straight guy saw a gay guy here once, or every Friday and Saturday, doesn't make it a gay bar. It's a dance club, that doesn't equal a gay bar. At any rate, Cowfish is fun and it's the only game in town re: dance club. I've never had a bad time here. Being the only game in town also means they can lower the bar and still get tons of people coming there which is kind of sad. You should be able to expect a restroom in a business that isn't a gas station on the side of the freeway to not reek of piss, crazy as that sounds. If they could just clean the place up a bit and instill a better sense of service into their employees, it could be so much better, like it used to be. Nowadays it just looks and feels dirty and used up and like they feel the patronage of people is what is owed to them. That is never a place any business should be happy occupying. With all that said, you'll have fun if you go. Guaranteed! read more

Whats with all of the negative reviews on here? I went with friends last friday and it was a blast. There is a 3 dollar cover charge which is a bit annoying on principle ( this isn't disneyland). But I guess if you pregame and only come to dance it makes sense that you gotta pay. Anyways, my suggestion pregame and buy drinks here! We bought a few drinks here but the only one i remember was the tic tac which was delicious! The place was packed, and my friends and I danced for two hours! We got there before 11 and left around 1. After reading a few reviews it seems like a-lot of people who didn't like cowfish came on random weekdays because it was a bit slow, but thats expected.. this is eugene not SF. Moral of the story, come on the weekends! Its tons of fun. read more

Jess was so fun! She made my night entirely, great bartender & such a electric personality.

By far the best place in town for both girls and boys, no matter their orientation, to mix it up and have a good time. Sure it can be a pain to get a drink when it's busy, you have the same prob anyplace that's full. The drinks aren't mixed with any consistency, you might get a vodka and red bull that's mostly vodka one time and the next round you'll wonder if they forgot the vodka. The prices are reasonable and the service pleasant and efficient. The dance floor is bigger than it looks and the music very danceable. Don't bother showing up before 10 unless you plan on camping out until the party starts. It really a bisexuals ideal hangout hot sexy guys and girls all mixing it up. read more

The bar was fun, drinks were cheap. The first bartender we had was really friendly (tattooed young guy wearing a beanie). The other bartender, heavy set Hispanic wearing a hat, was extremely rude. Due to this fact, I would not attend this bar again or recommend it to others. read more

Cowfish Dance Club - Hispanic bartender wearing hat was rude. - Dance Clubs Near Me - Eugene, Oregon

I came here last week with my friends. I ordered the same drink that my friend bought which was 5 dollars. I tipped the lady on my card 50 cent and then when I went to look at my bank statement it was 6.50 for some reason. I tried calling to talk to a manager for them to fix this and I was super nice about it. They havnt bothered to call me back or just refund me the extra dollar. If I do decided to return I will definitely use cash. Also the door man didn't let my boyfriend in because he had a passport instead of a ID. THE GOVERNMENT ISSUED THAT PASSPORT TO HIM WITH HIS BIRTHDAY ON IT YOU IDIOT. read more