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    The Tool Box

    3.8 (16 reviews)
    InexpensiveGay Bars
    Closed 2:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

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    a man in a dark room
    Angela F. W.

    I really can't remember much of this place b/c I was pretty tipsy already when I went there with a group. The music wasn't bad and we were the only group there. So we took over the floor and danced like crazy. There wasn't a DJ. I am not sure if I was dreaming but I swear the music stopped then I saw my friends walking to this red box like thing to change the music. Seriously? Maybe that's the magic "tool box" it is referring to! Or maybe that was all just my imagination. Well, I had a good time. Guess that's all that matters!

    the tool box logo
    Sixto M.

    The tool box is a great place to spend your evening. It's next door from the Briar Patch (see my review), and this little gay bar duo can make anyone's night special and fun. While the Briar Patch is more upbeat and busy, the tool box is more low-key and relaxed. My friends usually just go back and forth between briar patch and tool box. I love coming here with friends that I haven't seen in some time, and just spending the night drinking and catching up. No need to jockey for position for a chair, no need to talk over loud music and crowds, because at the tool box, you can sit by the bar, listen to the music playing, and still be able to hear what your friend is talking about. Granted, I've only ever been here on stereotypically "slow" nights (tue/sun), but even then, briar patch was more crowded than the tool box, so I assume this trend holds for fri and saturday. However, I will definitely be back to find out. P.S. the lesbian bartender is super nice, and even expanded my drinking horizons. She made me a "muff diver" and while the name grossed me out, the drink was super delicious! Try it. I know you'll feel the same.

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Awesome music! I wish more people would see awesomeness I see. Very respectable business. I didn't have a drink, but I will next time.

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    8 years ago

    Great bar, but understaffed. It's "pride weekend" in El Paso and you have to wait 30 min for a drink at the bar...I ended up leaving.

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Great staff great drinks just all together great nothing to complain about it's a place you can be yourself with no judgment

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    16 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    Review Highlights - The Tool Box

    We liked our drinks simple sometimes so we got cranberry and vodka as well as bourbon and coke.

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    Chiquita's Bar

    Chiquita's Bar

    4.0
    (10 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $

    It's listed as a dive bar. But frankly, it's clean and bright. So as I define "dive" - this was not…read moreit. It is small and the liquor selection is beyond limited. So that may be the reason it's listed a a dive bar. If you want a bourbon and Coke or a vodka seven then by all means this is your place. If you want something that requires more than 2 ingredients...keep walking. The drinks were cheap. But really poorly made. My wife asked for a Colorado bulldog. She had been talking about getting one forever. Not only did the bartender have to Google the recipe but he had no coffee liquor and subbed Baileys...uh, ok. My Top shelf vodka martini was half Tito's and half well. I watched him poor it...and I watched him water it down with something from the Coke shooter. You know they aren't keeping Tito's vodka or vermouth in there. There's a jukebox and tiny dance floor but I see more folks just bellying up to the bar here than grooving out on the dance floor. It seemed more a cruise bar and an all day hang out for regulars.

    First time here. LGBTQ+ "friendly" with emphasis on the…read morequotes. Pros: not too crowded; decent prices; good music playing on the juke box second drink order didn't take as long as the first Cons: no pool table; no darts; Had to ask twice to be closed out before I got my card back and actually closed out. Waited close to 15 min before I was served but only about 14 people total present at the the time of order. Closer to 20 people now (second drink order took less than 5 min extra points for sure!!!!); the regulars here seem close knit and that's awesome! However, I've been here for about an hour and 10 maybe 15 min and each time I interacted with the one bartender-the one that was serving "other-than-regulars--'" and I still feel like the straight person that "doesn't belong." I'm not straight. On a scale of one to five where 1 is the worst "dive" I've been to so far and 5 being the "best" dive I've been too, I gave this place a 2 but I think it would be a 3 if I was still a local and never played pool, darts, or been too a dive where an anon gets the same service as a reg but that's that. I've never been treated like the "unwanted" straight guy either so that was weird... maybe it's an off night. I might come back one more time. MIGHT!!!

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    The Tool Box - gaybars - Updated June 2026

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