From the outside it's in a dingy part of town but I haven't had any issues there. It's a great community based bar kind of has an in real life cheers vibe because there are people that go there all the time building friendships etc. if you like to do karaoke, Wednesdays are karaoke night. If you like to play pool Thursdays are pool nights. Pricing is fair and even if you don't go on Thursday there are a lot of people that like playing pool there they even have a white board where people put there names to play pool next great system. Drinks are good could not get a pina colada there but did get a tequila sunset. Prices are good. read more

Unlike an ordinary straight bar, a gay bar is part of a community, a safe place where we can be ourselves. For over 20 years this was true of this place for me. A few months ago that changed for me and my partner. We thought we might fight being banned for a simple private message, instead we acquiesced to their need to banish us, the Orwellian atmosphere that is now the Hook Up, is simply too much. I won't bash this place because they employ people I care about deeply. read more

terrible place don't go here smells really bad in there and the bums break in to your car

Cool little local watering hole. Friendly and super chill. Not very big, so get there early if you want a seat at the bar!

Don't waste your time or money coming here. It's in a terrible neighborhood. Drug dealers, prostitutes, homeless people are everywhere. People's cars are broken into all the time right out in front of the bar on the street. The inside and outside are disgusting. It looks like they haven't updated the place within the past 40 years. People are illegally smoking indoors, (as well as the staff). It smells disgusting. If you have allergies, you better bring an epinephrine pen with you. The bathrooms are so dirty that it's disturbing. People go into the bathrooms together to have sex, and do drugs. I walked in and saw it going on myself. I've seen nasty used condoms on the floor before. Cockroaches are a common occurrence. The bartenders are rude, especially Christina. She will smile to your face, then talk sh#t about you behind your back to other patrons. She didn't realize that she was talking to one of my friends, and was saying terrible things about me. Of course it got back to me. I had about 70 dollars of other people's drinks charged to my bill, which I was expected to pay the last time I went. She explained that someone came up to her and said that I was paying for her drinks and her friends drinks. I was alone, and had no clue who these people were. At no point did she ask me if it was ok to put these peoples drinks on my tab. I believe she did it on purpose. Even if they completely remodeled this place, I will not go back here if she is still working there. I do not support establishments that steal from their patrons, or speak badly about them behind their backs. I heard her talking to one of her friends from Alibi East bar across the street. She was complaining about people that only give a dollar tip when they order a beer. I guess she expects 10 dollar tips on a 6 dollar beer. Besides that, the drinks are weak, and very overpriced. You'd expect reasonable prices since this place so dumpy. Nope! If you do decide to go, do not open up a tab! Close your tab after each round. Expect to wait forever to get a drink on the weekend. Don't tell the bartenders anything about yourself, unless you don't mind it being spread around to everyone there. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VALUABLE IN YOUR CAR, and make sure you have enough cash in the bank to buy new windows and to clean all of the glass out of your car also. Be very aware of your surroundings all the time, and never walk to your car by yourself! Hope this helps read more

I always have a great time when I'm here. Bring your good vibes and you'll do just fine!! read more

See all

Such a good bar to start the night or just hangout with some friends. Very underrated and the bartenders are always attentive and kind. The drinks are affordable and always good. read more

Wish I could give no stars. There was like 4 trucks with broken windows across the street and a house surrounded with electrical fences.... yikes not a good sign to leave your car. If you disregard all that, don't bother spending your money as they are were stuck up and rude. Came here for food and drinks and was judged and turned away! read more

This dive place is fun with the right people. The guy behind the bar was rude. He brings down the vibes. The female bartender Christina is always sweet and attentive. Someone needs to train the guy to help and treat customers. read more

You can smoke in here!?! Walked in, tempted to have a drink and then the heard playing pool fogging up the entire bar with the smell of burnt nicotine helped us walk out. Total time here on a Saturday: 3 minutes. Thank You Next. read more

Recently started going to the hook-up, thoroughly disappointed in the owners. The "bar manager" is rude and condescending. Even when he is not working and there as a patron he is always drunk and arguing with something. It's sad when he says that he's the only reason the bar functions because he does more than the owners do. I can t tell you how uncomfortable it is when he's there. He tried to flirt with my friend, and when he got rejected he began to get loud and confrontational. If he's not forcibly trying to flirt with people, he's yelling at them. Me and my friends will never come back until he's no longer working there. read more

Disrespectful bar tenders, unsafe facilities, I do not recommend. I urge folks to drive the distance to go elsewhere rather than giving this place your time and hard earned money. read more

Make sure you pay exact cash, do not give these people your cards. All the bartenders here steal. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Forget the smoke and prices, someone working there is making fraudulent charges on the card I used for my tab! I'm stopping all charges through my bank! I won't be back! Needs to be bulldozed honestly. read more

This place is great except for Christina. The hook up is affordable unique easy going place. Plus its the only place where you can smoke inside while you drink, I guess because they grandfathered in some old law and have been in business for so long they can do that. There is a bartender who's name is Christina who has been there for almost 20 years so many people know her and like her. She has many customers she caters to. However I did not receive good service so on my tab I left a low tip because I was not happy with the service, Ms. Christina took her upon herself to increase the tip by $30 and made the total higher. I decided not to dispute it because I do recognize the inicial tip was low but that was for a bad service reason. However for her to increase the tip on her own is fraud. I have talked to other patrons and although she is liked by many she is also disliked by others for being a rude person who makes unwarranted mean comments. When my friend complained about her drink she was called a drama queen read more

Hook-Up - two glasses of beer on a bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Pomona, California

Horribley place and service and durgus everything Nasty pace.nasty service horrible place nasty read more

If I could rate this place -5 stars I would! Don't even waste your time coming here . Michael and Carlos the two owners are extremely disrespectful and sooo UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!! The bar is dirty and everyone working is rude. read more

Oh where do I start with this place? This bar is disgusting! First off, the establishment does not have a dedicated smoking area so the closet sized bar is basically hot boxing the customers with cancerous smoke. Secondly, the place smells like someone defecated all over the grimy carpet. Furthermore, I witnessed the bar staff aggressively shoving a customer out the door who was walking out on their own. I will never be returning to this place and will be sharing my experience with friends. Alibi East is a much friendlier bar around the corner which doesn't allow indoor smoking! I'd honestly rather go to a straight bar as it'd be far more welcoming. read more

Its best bar to go to and wear a dress and it is nice inside to people are nice to big TV's inside to watch sports. Pool table also.

I've been coming here since I turned 21 and I gotta say....I'm almost 30 and this bar has been with me all the way. From breakups to dates to a fun night with friends. Christina is an amazing bartender and dedicated to her craft. The crowd is very friendly and the drinks are cheap. Where else can you find a bar, with amazing drinks, a great crowd and actually enjoy your night...The Hook Up Bar will and will always be my spot to relax and enjoy a nice cold one! read more

I hate gay bars. I swore I'd never step foot in one. I've always held the assumption that every gay bar would either be a meat market with creepy old men on the prowl or full of pretentious WeHo-style twinks dancing to terrible electronic music and setting anything flammable ablaze. Imagine my surprise when a friend dragged me kicking and screaming down to Pomona, where I stepped foot in a small-ish dive bar with a diverse crowd of guys and gals, pool balls clacking, and the smell of cigarette smoke wafting gently through the air. I was home! The Hook-Up is now my go-to gay-friendly watering hole. Drink prices are quite reasonable, the majority of folks who hang out there are super chill, and the world's sweetest bartender, Christina, pours like a boss! If twinks and dancing are more your thing, you may have better luck at the Alibi down the street, but if an unpretentious dive is more your thing, The Hook-Up is your spot. Weekend nights get packed, as is expected, but there's lots of fun to be had during karaoke night on Wednesdays, and Sunday late afternoons for the $1 to $2 beer bust. read more

The Hook-up holds a special place in my heart. Back in the early 90s, this was a small little dive bar called Mary's, which catered mainly to lesbians. My much older friends would bring me here, where I was a bit of a novelty: most 21 year old twinks were hanging out in West Hollywood, not in a Pomona dive bar. But it's a great ego boost being the youngest, cutest person in a place so it eventually became a favorite hang out. Fast forward nearly 18 years, and now Mary's is The Hook-up (has been for many years actually) and I'm the older friend who drags my younger, cuter friends here. But it's still a great little neighborhood dive bar with zero attitude. Doesn't matter if you're gay, lesbian, straight, transexual, young, old, twink, bear.....whatever: everyone feels welcome at this "come as you are" venue. They have pool tables, dart boards and a pretty good jukebox. Drinks are strong, cheap, and served with a smile. It's the kind of place you go after work to knock back a few brews, or maybe to start your night before heading to a dance club (maybe at Alibi's on a Friday?) Or it's the place you may end up after you're already pretty trashed and want just one more for the road. read more

I met some really cool peeps and although it was bit "grabby" for my taste, we all ended up goin somewhere else where the 3 of us could chill. I spent 48 bucks at the bar and 125 on the taxi getting back to my car! Not sure if their names really were Steve the Stud and Massive Mark but the numbers I got didn't work :( I will be back for the good drinks and great Salsa Music! read more

Smells like lung cancer. Gives one lung problems. The bartenders push customers. First and last time here.

This place is chill, so chill that you almost forget you're in a gay bar. Pretentious attitudes can be left at the door (or in weho with the rest of the queens). No cover, the drinks are cheap, bartenders are nice, and it's a great place to start out at (say around 10pm-1030pm-ish) before hitting up Alibi's across the street. read more

Cheap drinks. Heavy hand. No attitude. Loves it!

I love this place! First off, if you're looking for a place that's like your typical club scene, this isn't it. This is definitely a dive bar, and not your typical gay club. The place is really small, but it works. There's some long tables and bar stools to hang out at, plus there's a pool table to play at. There's plenty of bar stools, and the bartenders are friendly as well. There's a TV in there, which is cool. I've never really noticed what they play on there... But last time I was there, they were playing sports. Sundays is usually when we go, as they have cheap draft beers, cheap burgers, and cheap hot dogs. It's a fun bar to just hang out with some friends at and drink some beer. I love it here. read more

After coming here on such a regular basis I think it's now safe to say that I am a regular. The drinks are cheap in price but high in quality, you're definitely going to be tasting the alcohol. The crowd is usually very tolerable and manageable, with the place being frequented the most by regulars, but like any other bar it's usually standing-room only on weekends. It has a very homey and neighborhood bar feel, with most of the people encountered being friendly and approachable. The bartenders I'm most familiar with: J.R., Christina, and Betty are very nice and attentive and provide bang for the buck and will always chat when they have a minute. If you go here expecting to play pool you'll more than likely be in for a wait, as the single pool table the establishment has is often occupied. And like any gay bar you may find yourself getting hit on or made uncomfortable by a creepy older guy or gal or by someone who's had one too many. Overall, a nice place to spend a couple bucks and get to know some new people, but don't go there expecting lots of extracurricular things to do. read more

I'd like to thank Phillip and The Hook Up for helping me to host a fundraiser yesterday. They provided excellent customer service and were so accommodating to our needs. My fundraiser consisted of donations of spaghetti sauce and pasta. This is for a charity "Caterina's Club" who feed on an average of 1400 homeless kids in anaheim, California. The HookUp is a small neighborhood hood bar, it was the perfect venue for a birthday party! It also has a pool table and a kitchen. You can reserve an area for your party and they provide a cake and decorations for a deposit of $25. If you have more than 25 people attend you get your deposit back. We hired a DJ, the dance floor is small but we had no complaints, we danced the night away. We also had a candy bar. We went back the next day to pick up the donations and candy jars & Phillip had cleaned up the area. Wow I was impressed. The turn out was awesome, everyone had a great time & we will be back for Christmas!!! Thank you!!! read more

Hook-Up - Dive Bars Near Me - Pomona, California

My husband and myself are team truck drivers, we were looking for a place to relax and hang out while we were in town on our reset. We stumbled upon The Hook Up and fell in love with this place. Bartenders are awesome! And cute . We will be back! read more

Love this place.. Drinks are great, great price and strong.. atmosphere is cool.. love this gay dive bar

SMOKING? REALLY? How is it in the year 2017 they allow smoking in a public space?!?! The place smelled like an ashtray. I'm severely allergic to smoke so I had to leave. Never going back!! read more

Had a pretty bomb michelada. Super chill bar with cool music. Bartender was super nice. read more

Hook-Up - Michelada - Dive Bars Near Me - Pomona, California

Bartender was rude as fuck!!! Didn't accept my form of payment and once he charged us for drinks did not inform us of the $2 fee on cards. A place for an older crowd not a place for the youth. Very tiny and out dated music. Not alot of dancing and reeks of cigarette smoke. You literally inhale second hand smoke. Only put one star because I have to in order to comment on the service. read more

Male bartender is really rude. Recommend going to the female. Smells too smokey inside even with fans. Need to go out side for fresh air and make sure I don't get smoke in my contacts. Pool is fun. Would give more stars but bartender ruins the atmosphere being a total douche. Please pay them more, maybe they would happier and nicer to customers unless that's just his attitude and jealous without knowing someone read more

Dont waste you're time!! They allow smoking and it's like a hotbox in there! Very run down and over priced!! Mediocre service, at best!! In a very shady area, dark parking in rear, bring protection!! Alibi's is a better choice!! read more

Today was my first time at this gay bar establishment. It is a "smoking bar" to my surprise! It was disgusting smelling the cigarette smell while drinking my beer. This is why I give it only 3 stars. I will not be going back. I'll take my money some place else. But I appreciated the attentive bar service. read more

Very rude customer service. The facilities are very dirty. Needs better customer service. Too much smoke.. I want to get drunk not get lung cancer read more

Just your average local gay dive bar. Seemed a bit sketchy from outside at first it's located a few blocks from downtown. Bartender was chill, crowd was average. My only complaint, and it's a big one. They allow smoking inside. Yuck. If I'm not at the casino I'm not down for smoking inside. read more

After an hour of being there, I wreaked of cigarettes. Completely disgusting. The bar definitely has potential, but my health and hygiene are far more important. I won't be coming back. Funny how they have a no smoking sign on their door too. The jukebox was amazing, for the hour I was there. read more