It's iconic gay bar in memphis. I always go there every time I go there for family in germantown. Drinks are good too.

Howdy folks. How's everyone on Planet Yelp doing? Nasty Nathanial here and it's time for another one of my "Nasty" reviews. I'm going to kick this review off by asking a single question. Where do you think the hottest gay bar in the south is? Well, if you wanna find out, I suggest ya all get to pumping some gasoline into this spaceship because we are heading across the galaxy to a place called The Pumping Station in Memphis, Tennessee. My friend, and fellow 1st Amendment Activist Silent Citizen, and I had just come into Memphis from Nashville so I could fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of visiting Graceland. Yes I'm a big Elvis fan. So after being on the road for the past 3 and 1/2 hours, what we both needed was a good stiff drink. But where would go to get us a good "stiff" drink? The place would turn out to be a groovy bar The Pumping Station. At first we had a bit of a hard time finding the place. Google maps kept telling us we were there. But where exactly was The Pumping Station? There is no big sign with letters lighted up bright with the words The Pumping Station. I wonder if it's that way on purpose. I must remember that we are in the south. The one thing that identified it for me was the rainbow flag in the window. Once I saw that I knew that we had the right place. Walking inside I fell in love with the place right away. The walls might as well of had the words "Dive Bar" written all over it. But please don't take that the wrong way. This is a good thing. For those of you who have read my past reviews will know that I am a huge fan of the classic American dive bar. Unfortunately, in many places they are a dying breed. But apparently that is not the case here in Memphis. The place was not too busy when Silent Citizen and I arrived. We were able to find a seat up at the bar right away. That's when we were greeted by two friendly bar tenders. One of them was a tall fellow with a shaved head and sporting Mustache Pete's stache. This would earn him the nickname Monopoly Man. The other one was shorter with dark hair and a smile that could light up the darkest alley at night. I would soon learn that his name was Gabriel. I'll just refer to him in this review as simply Gabe. Turns out that this was Gabe's first night working and Monopoly Man was training him. Oh lovely. Now let's talk about Gabe's margarita This guy mixed up a spectacular margarita. I mean this thing was absolutely fabulous. It had the right mixture of all the ingredients and just the right amount of alcohol to where it gave me a good buzz, but at the same time wasn't too overbearing. Plus he remembered to put salt on the rim. So many bartenders forget to do this and it's annoying. Especially when your paying $13 at a place like Good Times At Davey Wayne's. But that wasn't the case here with Gabe at The Pumping Station. Best of all it didn't cost $13. In addition to the fabulous margarita I was sucking on, I was enjoying some really groovy conversation with Gabe. I could've stayed at this place all night. But my friend wanted to go check out Beale Street. But that's ok for we'd return the following night. That's when Silent Citizen would meet the ever so "friendly" Junior. But I think I'll leave that story out of this review to protect the guilty. So I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this review up by saying that the best part about my time in Memphis, besides from Graceland, was my time at The Pumping Station. Seriously I loved this place. The atmosphere was groovy, the staff(Gabe and Monopoly Man) were extremely friendly & welcoming, and the drinks were made stiff and they didn't cost an arm and a leg. Who could ask for more? Well, maybe a massage from Junior? Nah. I'll pass. But the next time I pass through Memphis, I'll definitely be stopping at The Pumping Station. Until next time, may the margaritas continue to be fab and Gabe's award winning smile continue to light up those dark alley's. Happy trails. NASTY NATHANIAL read more

The Pumping Station - Enjoying one of Gabe's margaritas at The Pumping Station. #pumpingstationmemphis #nastynathanial #gaybarmemphis - Gay Bars Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

This place was very tacky...the staff is rude, racist, unprofessional and horribly dressed. it's known as a gay bar but not supportive of gay clientele. My friends and I were disappointed with the drinks and attirude from the rude and ugly staff! Shame on memphis read more

If you are looking for an experience and are tired of the run of the mill clubs. This is it. Very unique. The bar owner is an absolute ham. Enjoy! read more

I grew up in Memphis but didn't have very much experience with the bar scene since I moved once I hit 18. Now that I'm back in action, a few high school friends and I were looking to try the gay bar scene in memphis and this was recommended to us! Everyone here was very friendly, and there were plenty of drink specials making prices very, very good in my opinion. It's also pretty spacious and not too loud, so it was a good place for us to just hang and catch up, but I should caution: we went on a weekday evening. So I can't speak to the weekend. Would recommend! read more

I'm visiting and wanted to find a nice gay bar to have a drink in. Red flag number one: I called around 7pm and asked if they had a drag show tonight. The person who answered said "no, never here", and they seemed almost grossed out that I would even ask. They said, "you must be thinking about the other bar. We don't do that here." I said fine and asked what time they close. They told me 12. I got to my hotel, checked in and changed/showered quickly. I made my way to this "bar" by 11. I walked in, looked around and saw about 5 people sitting around/by the bar. I moved some chairs around, and sat for a bit. The person working walked over and asked for my ID and my proof of vaccination. I said I was from out of town and didn't have it with me. They looked at me and you could tell they wanted to say it was ok. But there was a person sitting right there who looked over. I told them I had been vaccinated and I could even wear a mask if need be. But I didn't bring my card with me, because I had forgot it. They asked if I had a picture of it, and I said no. They said I couldn't even be inside without it. So I left... I wish I would have been told this over the phone. Instead of waisting my time driving over there and thinking this is where I was going to spend some time. I could have easily looked up another place. Unfortunately, I believe this will be my one and only time attempting to be a customer at this venue. FYI: drag queens and drag shows bring a crowd to ANY bar. You should really look more into that. Don't sound disgusted when a customer asks if you have one. Most people happen to love drag shows. I know I def. do. Would rather rate zero stars, and I don't recommend this place. read more

The Pumping Station - Sign on building. - Gay Bars Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The bar manager is the most unfriendly person I have ever come in contact with. I do not recommend.

Assaulted by manager, also not trans guy friendly. I wish I had lodged a formal complaint at the time, but since I was already dealing with the manager and visiting from out of town, there didn't seem to be an obvious path of recourse. I was checking out queer Memphis on vacation two years ago and at a glance, The Pumping Station seemed exactly like a Memphis version of my home bar. The night I popped in was a super slow night, but the handful of patrons seemed very friendly and it clearly served a positive purpose as a community hub (the only reason the place is getting two stars instead of one). I noticed that bathroom situation seemed pretty rude and misogynistic and not trans guy friendly as the bathroom with the urinals is labels "masters" and the one with the only sit down toilet is labeled "slaves" which automatically labels every woman and trans guy a "slave" and also suggests that all male slaves are like women. But ok, fine, not the first time I've encountered ignorance in the queer community, especially in what is just a not very thought out attempt to be funny. I just don't use the bathroom because as a BDSM top I'm not willing to use a bathroom labeled "slaves" and not being able to use an appropriate bathroom is nothing new for trans people- though I would have held a gay bar to a higher standard and not a lower one. But we are definitely not a perfect people and I still basically like the place at this point. To kill time while my friend and I are drinking our beer, I start talking to a guy behind the bar who turns out to be the manager. He also turns out to be WASTED. I mean, really, really, *really* wasted. Like, even being active in the bar / club scene, I don't normally encounter people this wrecked in public. He is having a lot of trouble speaking, and he can't follow a compound sentence and is going in and out of seeming borderline hostile. Then, for no obvious reason, this guy suddenly reaches in the neck of my shirt and grabs my boob and starts shaking it around. For anyone who is even going to dare to say "maybe he was just joking around", he wasn't, and beyond that grabbing anyone's (much less a trans guy with gender dysphoria) boob isn't a joke (much less by someone very wasted and combative), and for anyone who might think that this falls under the scope of the kind of friendly touchy feely flirting that goes on in gay / leather bars, as someone who has spent many, many years in them, it absolutely was not. And yes, my friend still remembers this very well, as well. For anyone who isn't up on what counts as sexual assault, grabbing someone's boob (and even more so under these aggressive circumstances) is sexual assault, and in this case yet another assailant gets away with it because, internally, since I'm already dealing with the manager there isn't anyone obvious to take it up with, and externally, obviously police aren't even an option and would only make a bad situation actively worse and possibly result in the closure of a badly needed community hub. Ultimately, this had a very negative effect on me. It's too bad that as a trans guy I think about removing my breasts (which, for the record, I love) not to transition, but so that people like him will stop helping themselves to my body. read more

Some of us old-timers remember the grand days of gay Memphis twenty years ago. One of the highlights was Sunday at the Pipeline (or the "pip-a-lee-nee" as it was affectionately known), the best-known nightspot at this location. When that closed at the end of the nineties, this spot struggled for a few years retaining the clientele. This past December I went into it's legacy, called "the Pumping Station", to meet some old friends and it was good to see a crowd back in its hallowed halls. They have a liquor license now (gone are the days of brown-bagging and set-ups) and they were pouring them stiff and often. A little startling to see hard-core porn playing on the monitors overhead, who knew I was such a prude? I found it a little distracting to say the least when you're stuck in a dull conversation. It was a crowded Saturday night and it was a mixed bag of patrons. Some club kids stopping for a starter-drink, oldtimers, bears, leather, Cordova-married-queens, the works. As usual for Memphis, there wasn't too much attitude, I mean, you're in MEMPHIS for God's sake! You can't be too uppity about that! And that is always refreshing in a humble way. Finally, I was so happy to see one relic of the Pipeline days was still intact: Instead of "men" and "women" on the bathroom doors, it still has "Master" and "Slave". lol.......still makes me laugh. read more

After we finally called to find out where to park (Kroger parking lot worked well), we love this place! I brought a friend to a Yelp event here, and am so so pleased that we put on our party pants! I love that there's a non-smoking area at the front, and a smoking area *called the Back Door) and patio out back. Sectioned bars work so well to keep flow and satisfy everyone. All the bartenders were excellent, though Dan was my favorite. We met some wonderful men and women and even some folks who were a bit blurry from BBQfest last month. I enjoyed running into some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed lovelies, and honestly have nothing bad to say about this place. The drinks were reasonably priced (use Yelp for check-in offers) and flavorful. I don't know how long this place has been around, but I'm sad I haven't been before! read more

This place is so dang FUN! Like Robin said, park in the Kroger lot :). They don't have private parking. They are apparently still renovating a few things, but y'all, give this place a try! Theres three different sections, you have the front bar with a pool table and a handful of tables (non-smoking).. which I loved :)! Then you walk out to a little more open bar area that is smoking. At night they do open up the doors to the patio which helps ventilate! And the patio...so fun! Now for the food, their fried mac and cheese bites were delicious. I probably had like 8 which is awkward cause I said I'd only have one, MAX two. So...yikes. They are also a part of project green fork! Such sweethearts. So many regulars. You can tell they are just one big happy family! read more

I just moved to Memphis and went to the pumping Station for the first time tonight. The bartender had such a terrible attitude that I asked to speak with a manager. Apparently, the bartender was the manager on duty. I was taken aback by the awful service and blatant disrespect from the staff. The drinks are overpriced, and the bar is dingy and unkept to say the least. It's hard to believe this place stays open. Don't waste your time on the exorbitantly overpriced drinks and lousy service.. This was definitely a one and done for me. read more

First of all, the location is sketchy and the parking is terrible. You have to park in the Kroger parking lot then walk across the parking lot of a fried chicken restaurant to get to the bar. Next, the bartenders sometimes have attitude. They don't always treat their customers as customers. They don't always say "thank you" when they are tipped. The drinks are small and over priced. The set up of the bar is pretty nice even though it is somewhat small. The lighting is nice. There is also a nice spacious patio in the back. The clientele is what is the deal breaker for me. It is very "clicky". There are very few singles there. Nearly everyone is standing around talking in tight little groups. I wouldn't recommend the place for singles to try to meet people. read more

Memphis has a few gay bars and clubs. This particular one is a very chill bar. It's a nice place to just go hang out with friends. There is a tree house in the back. It is kind of strange... different... They always have a special for about $6. It's usually fruity. This one was called the after school special, which was kool aid and vodka. This particular day, they had jello shots for a $1. They have a bar area, an outer porch like area, and then the outside area, where the tree house is. It's a full bar, with any mixed drink and beer on tap. They also have a pool table. The restrooms are labeled "masters" or "slaves." They have a steak night. I am curious to try it. The best part of this place is the bar tenders. They are always friendly and they are quick to learn your name, which is a nice touch. read more

I've been here a couple of times, but they have renovated the back half of the bar, and it's called the Blackfoot lounge. You can smoke your cigs back there only not the front part, which I really liked. The bartenders were very friendly and helpful with my drinks. The atmosphere is really nice they always have good music playing and they also have a pool table too! read more

Are you a master? Or are you a slave? (You'll get what's going on with that, once you pee here) For my weekend in Memphis, I made it a point on my list to stop into a gay bar. And luckily, the person I was visiting was all to down with the idea. We had to go to the Pumping Station, because frankily for a gay bar -- the name is brilliant. The thing about going to gay bars in Memphis is that you can carry and conceal there. So it's awkward to see no guns signs in the front - and for it to be a gay bar in the South, you get a bit of trepidation. But I'd have to say beyond awful drinks (sorry, am I the only one that expects gay bars to have drinks poured by broken wrists?) everything else was on point. It was a great place to hang out and it reminded me much of home. The crowd was mixed, but we managed to meet interesting people. We met two transplants from the Midwest, by the tree house outback (infamous for it's R-rated pursuits) and we also met some locals who had a friend who just came out at 29. It would be your every day occurrence here in California, but for Memphis - coming out at 29 is epic. And to speak of the staff, we complained about this awful straight drunk frat boy who completely just ran his mouth to us and the bartender took care of it. So while, I only expected 87 while I got here... I definitely got 91. PUMP PUMP PUMP read more

First bar i came to in Memphis may be the only bar ill come in on a regular bases. Thanks guys for the hospitality !!! read more

The Pumping Station - Very hidden - Gay Bars Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

The staff was not friendly at all went back to the Backdoor so I could smoke I think the bartender was Steve. Not so much as a hello just had a cigarette hanging from his mouth and ask what do you want. Not a great impression for first time in bar read more

I like the nightlife, I like to boogie! Ok, I'm an old, old, OLD Memphian and the Pipeline was one of my favs in Mempho back in the day. This place rocks again with all the events and the full service bar. I do miss the Sunday afternoons but hey, that's just me. All in all, keep it up guys and I love the lack of "tude" at this place. read more

My girl and I decided to meet up with an old friend of hers and visit this joint over the past weekend. So much fun! Friendly vibes abound, strong pours, great prices and best of all... we discovered a selfie the next day with Themla & Louise snapping their polaroid selfie behind us. Priceless! YASSSS. read more

It was my first time coming here and I had tons of fun! Everyone who was there was very nice and friendly. I thought I might get a few dirty looks for being a female, but boy was I wrong. The bar tender John was fantastic. They have a bar (with TVs) and pool tables in what looked like a non-smoking section right as you enter the place. They also have another bar (with TVs) out back that leads out onto a patio in what looked like a smoking section. The patio is small but awesome. They have a giant heater with an actual fire right in the middle of it. The restrooms are very amusing. They are labeled "Masters" and "Slaves". I did not feel too comfortable using either because I was told that they both had stalls that don't lock. Another thing to keep in mind is that they do not have their own parking. We ended up parking on the street adjacent to the bar. I'd definitely come back :) read more

Folks are right. . . The tenders are amazing. Thank you Steve and Dan! Great time!

The Pumping Station remains a huge disappointment, especially since it was rated this year by one of the local news magazines as the best gay bar in town. The layout of the bar is great, with the exception of a room toward the back with patio tables and chairs. This room remained empty, and I'm not quite sure of its purpose, You walk through it to go outside to the patio and the "infamous treehouse,"where apparently, men sometimes engage in sexual pursuits. The jukebox is something from 20 years ago, however, I did enjoy most of the music. The bar serves a variety of beers, imports and some micro brews, but avoid the draft--It was nasty and flat. . There were a number of hot men about the bar, with several interesting guys playing pool. All in all, the crowd was entertaining. My disappointment is the customer service. The bartenders are AWFUL. It's your good fortune to receive their service. You may be ignored standing at the bar waiting on service, and when you do get their attention, these guys have major attitude. There is one guy who is nothing less than obnoxious who walks around like he is some kind of leather daddy type, but in reality, appears to act like a living cartoon character. He is loud, obnoxious, and I actually heard him let loose of a loud, disgusting belch when he was bar backing. A shirtless young guy with numerous tats was selling shooters, hustling tips, and desperately, needed put his shirt back on. Sometime shortly after 2 am, a bartender gets on the speaker system, and in a loud, rude voice, basically screamed for us to finish our drink and get out of the bar! Can you imagine a bar emptying its clientele like that? Just incredible! Since this has been recently rated as Memphis' best gay bar, I would suggest visitors forget the gay scene and visit one of the areas bars know for live music. The Pumping Station doesn't have any competition for its niche as a local gay watering hole. (the two other gay bars were definitey dives). A savvy businessman could open a competing neighborhood bar, and the Pumping Station would quickly become a bleep in the history of gay night life in Memphis. read more

Bartender is nice and the place is pretty cool. My first time here and the other patrons were friendly. Prices are very affordable. Very clean establishment. I'm pretty sure I will be back! read more

Great music, amazing apps, AMMMAAAAZING drinks. They have old school black and white shows playing on the TVs too! Smoking and non-smoking section and the cutest patio! Love this place!!! read more

I was in Memphis and had a great time here. No masters or slaves in here the night I was there. Just some dudes, hanging out. Met two drag queens and had some great convo. I'd go back. read more

My daughter got some gift cards a year ago, held onto them until her 21st birthday, Today. Called ahead to make sure the gift cards hadn't expired. Was told there was some "statute" that they couldn't serve her ON her 21st birthday, that she would have to wait until midnight to be served. I went through a class to be licensed as a bartender in Tennessee, nothing was mentioned about the "statute" in question. We went down anyway, drove an hour, on the recommendation of friends who assured us that it was a "friendly, fun, bar" and that they'd been served on their birthdays, he had to have been "kidding". Walked in the door, attitude, right off the jump. "oh, you're the one who called". Another friend who also has his ABC license asked what statute they were referring too. We were asked why we were there, why we were making a deal, why we didn't go to another bar. We explained we heard it was a nice place, and had the cards. The "mixologist", a different person from the bartender, yelled at my daughter, that she could have found somewhere else to go, made her cry, she normally doesn't and was beyond rude. Slammed a glass on the bar, asked what she wanted, she said she'd just leave, he said "You wanted to drink, what do you want?" Seriously??? Will NEVER go back, Don't recommend it, and when we tried to contact the manager to complain, we were told he'd heard the story, and we should have a nice life. I guess my daughter didn't look enough like a lesbian to satisfy Memphis' "number one gay bar". read more

The girlfriend and I came here for a Yelp event celebrating Pride Month, and were very pleased by our experience here. We had the opportunity to try the sangria here, which was quite delicious. We also got to try some of their liqueurs in a sampling which were amazingly smooth (and dangerous; I would have gotten into trouble drinking that stuff in college). I also got to try their fried macaroni bites and fried ravioli; both of which were excellent. The bartenders were also very friendly and were very attentive to ensure everyone was having a good time. We would certainly come back! read more

awesome bar, great atmosphere, if you just want to relax and have a sexy drink and chill..

Great drinks and atmosphere. It's your classic local watering hole pouring stiff drinks at reasonable prices. They also make sure to keep patrons safe that have too much to drink. read more

Had a fantastic time on a Saturday. The bar is the perfect size and the patio and the tree overlook are awesome. Drinks are good and cheap. Short cab ride from downtown. read more

Always been one of my favorite places to go and just have a drink. The Atmosphere is chill and I always see familiar faces. I love how the staff knows me and remembers my drink order! It's like my very own Cheers! read more

As a new resident of Memphis, it has become my home away from home...great atmosphere, amazing staff (hate to single anyone out 'cause I love them all), especially Dan, Alex and Brando... read more

I'm originally from Memphis but have never went to a gay bar there. I thought it would be best to see what (extremely small) scene is out there. This was my second bar visited, and I have to say I liked this one much more than the first. It's more of what I know to be a traditional gay bar, though other reviews said it's supposed to be Memphis' leather bar. Sorry, but a leather bar this is not. A few things: - The neighborhood is sketch. I find out later that I parked on a side street that I shouldn't have. Apparently, muggings and break-ins happen often. A little disconcerting. I didn't know I could park in the Kroger next door, but I heard you could. - I absolutely hate that this bar is smoking, and apparently all bars in Memphis are. I was probably one of three people in the entire bar who didn't smoke, but it's still disgusting. - The bar itself was pretty nice. It included a large area upfront, an enclosed patio in the back, and a completely outdoor area with treehouse. Kinda cool. - The bartenders were pretty friendly. One scolded me in his cute, Southern drawl for not using a coaster: "You were taught better than that." Drinks were stiff, but for the South, they seemed a little expensive. - Even though it was a Saturday (Christmas night), it wasn't packed like it really should've been. - Restrooms (master and slave) were super tiny. Like with the other bar I went to, I felt like a stuck out like a sore thumb. It would've been better if I would've went with someone. I've lost my accent, and when people would talk to me, I would get the "you're-not-from-here" look. But it's a cool place, nevertheless, but very tame in comparison to the leather bars I know of in other cities. read more

A friend and I was sitting at the main bar drinking and decided to go to the tree house and talk, after being in the three house five minutes the three house bartender came to us and said "Guys if you are not drinking you cannot be here!" Wow what a way to pations I'd never come here again. I'm here visiting from Chicago and what a awful experience! read more

Not an exaggeration to call the Pumping Station the best gay bar in Memphis. I try to make it there every time I'm in town. The bartenders are awesome, and the beers are cheap. This is one of the only leather bars I have ever been to that is truly welcoming to all types and genders. I never felt unwelcome as a woman. read more