A wonderful and friendly atmosphere. The bartender was attentive and extremely nice. I had a great time celebrating with friends there for the night. I can't wait to go back! Will definitely be one of my upper east side go to bars! read more

Love the staff and crowd. The bartenders always have a smile. They pour you drinks heavy, abc can converse with the best of them. It's a great safe space for local UES guys trying to meet other local LGBTQ neighborhood people. The patrons all welcome you with open arms, the music is.... ok and repetitive. The place isn't pretentious and you can just be.... you. And I like that. A pregame, a night cap, a happy hour place to unwind..... So why 3 stars? The manager (if he is even still employed there) I like beers and my beer selection request for some updates of local IPA's are going to deaf ears I get that not everybody likes beer but the beer selection is quite boring. I merely tried to suggest updating the bottles and maybe getting a new beer on tap and the told me that the selection was great (which is the sports bar staples with different labels. Bud, Bud Light, Heineken, Coors etc). The IPA is boring and there's nothing worth drinking. He said to me "gay men drink vodka, you don't know anything about the bar business." Limited space means that you can rotate seasonal drinks and try new things. Stagnation leads to decline in a business. We all know that. read more

Friendly gay bar, good happy hour. Drink chips. Been there about six times. The seating at the bar is ridiculously cramped. if there are more than ten people in there it is incredibly hard to get past, but that's not really their fault. Its a small place, a toolbox if you will. Two bartenders I met were incredibly nice and good looking. they both wore fake dog tags so I guess that's their uniform. Some guy was in the middle of the bar playing solitaire on two of the occasions I was there. WHY??? Why would the bartenders allow him to take up valuable real estate, at the bar, being completely anti-social and NOT DRINKING. Not only is there a weird guy, by himself, ignoring everyone at the bar; but HE'S NOT EVEN A PAY/TIPPING CUSTOMER. Someone told me he is related to the owner. So what? If that's the case, he should be in a corner somewhere unobtrusive. It's really bizarre. I actually like this bar, despite my review. If Solitaire Man is there, I won't stay long. read more

Absolutely love this place. Staff is absolutely lovely, great tunes on the juke box, great specials, and show tunes night is the best. One of my favorite spots in the neighborhood. read more

Who would have thought, indeed. It's a neighborhood gay bar on the UES. Not a club full of pretentious gym queens. Just a fun gay bar with friendly people and strong drinks. I was in for bingo night a couple weeks ago and had a great time. Apparently they have a downstairs room where some naughtiness is known to go on, but it was closed on the Wednesday night I was there. read more

More dump than dive bar, no drunks or dipsomaniacs, so it's really just a lousy little place with Stella on tap and prices that are obscene for the location. $6 for a bottle of bud light??? WTF? The only excuse is that it's local and the only gay bar around. The entrance is a silver door in a brick wall. The bar is so (structurally) shallow that you can't pass once there are three patrons in the place. Which, due to it's lousy decor, prices and location, isnt' a real problem. There is a pool table without a full set of balls. I'll let you fill in your own joke for that one. Music is via a laptop that only has mid-90's fag-tasic dance music. Martha Wash, Anastacia, (enter name of a random dancing euro-whore in colorful wig), that Swedish pop band whining about wanting another baby, and other crap you don't want to hear ever again. Saturday night we met 'Nickolai' the Ukrainian bartender who looked so young I wanted to card him. Me and my buddy were the ONLY people in the bar until 11. (we were going to a party in the area) Nick is a lousy bartender and really seemed to believe we were there to meet him and hear about his life.He has been in this country for a year and lives in Bklyn with 2 guys and a girl who wants to do him but he's doesn't like fat chicks. He works part time in construction. He is a borderline imbecile, a fact he didn't' offer but my Friend made a professional diagnosis before finishing his first beer. But once you see Nick's dewy face and stupid grin, you know he wasn't hired for anything other than looks. He told us he was straight about a dozen times, about how he wanted to sleep with a Chinese girl, and how he didn't believe gay Jews existed. Nick, so cute, so dumb. And he's straight. order a beer, and he tells you he's straight. Ask for a drink, it's delivered with "I'm straight". Happily for me, I never feel the need to tip 'straight' bartenders in gay bars. Oh, the place had a shockingly clean bathroom. read more

I like it. 2-4-1 drinks till 10 three stops up on the m15. No complaints here. Bartenders are fun. Crowd is chill. I need to see this downstairs lounge.... read more

A dive. Seedy. Porno on screen. Nasty, ugly stripper on the bar. Old men looking uncomfortable. $7 Corona. Awesome (current) music playing on a Saturday nite. Loved it! It felt casual and non-judgmental. read more

Stopped here on a rainy Saturday night, and stayed until 4am! This is a super cute place with outstanding service and super friendly staff. They let us dance on the raised stage and played every single song we requested. Will be coming back here again! read more

I am a semi regular and love the trivia night on Tuesdays. As far as the woman who is pissed about being called a name by another patron I say GET THE FREAK OVER IT. It wasn't the owners nor the regulars that said it so either accept that explanation or move your ass down the street where they want to hear you whine. We like to play nice here. Not cause drama. I gave four stars because I heard they used to show men on the TVs and now they don't. Maybe they will change it back. ;). read more

A complete toilet! Bad bartenders, and high drink prices. Watch out for the strippers. They might try lap dance you!

What can I say about this place but, WOW. I have been coming here for years and it never disappoints! The staff is fun and flirty:-)

who would have thought! A tired, Dirty, Raunchy gay bar on the UES. stones throw a from my friends place on 89th street. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Made me think why I ever left NY. I always wanted a bar that reminded me of San Francisco and I found it on 2/90. YESSSSS!! read more

Toolbox is the best Gay bar on the upper east side i have been coming here since i moved to the neighborhood a few years ago the bartenders are great and the music is awesome it is truly somewhere worth checking out read more

The Tool Box - Ready for Halloween!!!!! - Gay Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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Great bar on the Ues just don't use the juke box cause the Dj will decide there music is better and play what they want just don't waste your money here. read more

I cannot express how much i love this place. my close gay friend brought me here twice and thats it, im in love. the 2for1 happy hour is amazing with their already decent priced drinks and every bartender has been beyond sweet. theres some bars where i do not feel comfortable being a straight woman and i get a few glares from the staff or patrons but here everyone is welcome! i normally hate kareoke but i stopped by during it once and even that was fantastic! in my eyes the tool box can do no wrong. see you soon!! read more

Amazing spot, been coming here for years and never disappoints. Shout outs to Avery and Milo.

If you want fun in a neighborhood bar atmosphere check this place out. It's just plain friendly. cute guys and gals and a treat outside of Hells Kitchen and the Village read more

Way more girls than guys here. Nothing against girls, but i thought this was a gay bar. Seemed like an okay low-key place but i felt out of my element with so many females there. read more

Godawful. The reason you hate going to gay bars.. This has it all. Hideous queens giving you nasty stares, rude bartenders, aweful music, the worst. Was hoping to find a decent bar on UES but I'd rather a straight bar over this crap. Avoid at all costs. read more

Tiny little neighborhood bar that I came across quite by accident, when there last Saturday night. There was a DJ and the volume was so hight that I could feel on the bar. It was the like you where at a huge venue 20 times it's size. I had to yell my order to the bartender, then he got it wrong...I couldn't talk to the person I came with. Wanted another drink while waiting for another friend but the bartender was into the other bartender and left us sitting there without a rink for 15 minutes, we just left. This would be a great divey bar that people could enjoy if it weren't pretending to be a miniature Dance Bar. It's a Mixed crowd that would enjoy a bit more mellow background music and have a chance to meet people and talk with nice glass of whit wine or martinis. read more

Had a disappointing night here last night. The bartender was very inattentive, although the bar was not unusually crowded. For the most part, he was not busy making drinks, but just chatting. I could tell a few other patrons were frustrated. It's too bad, because I have some friends living in Yorkville and, in theory, Toolbox would make a nice go-to spot, as the only gay bar in the immediate area and one of only three on the UES. But unfortunately, we didn't have a very good experience. I'll give two stars, because I think the potential exists and maybe the bartenders just need a reminder that people's experience at Toolbox is shaped to a large degree by the service the bartenders provide. That service will have a big influence on whether people come back and recommend the bar to others. read more

so i just moved to this neighbourhood and checked this bar out on a monday night around 11. there was hardly anyone there. the bartender was friendly. the place quite a dive. There are no windows. you just have to open the door and jump in with no idea what your getting into (i'm not so into that). played a game of pool and called it a night. I will review again on a more happening evening... cause as it is there's nothing too recommendable. read more

Last weekend I finally made my way into this bar. My sister and I had never been into a gay bar, but we were immediately welcomed! The bartender quickly got us drinks and even handed me the remote, and told me to choose a channel. The atmosphere was amazing-- everyone was nice and singing and dancing, even when my drunk sister picked out unlikely choices on the juke box. When we ordered our second drinks, the bartender made a mistake. We told him that he had gotten our orders wrong, and he was extremely apologetic and immediately poured us new ones, no questions asked! I look forward to coming here again. I was in a group of three straight girls, one straight guy, and one gay guy, and we all had an amazing time and had fun dancing and talking to all the other customers. I'm definitely looking forward to visiting this bar again! read more

I found this place by reading a craigslist missed connection. Never knew a gay bar was in my neighborhood of the Upper East Side till i read that. Me and my boyfriend decided to walk up and check it out one night. Small and narrow inside till you get to the back. Other then that its a fun place. I've never been there when they have gogo dancers though. Wouldn't mind checking them out. Bartenders have always been really nice. People inside are always really friendly as well. Nice drink special until 10pm. Wish it was closer to my house.. but then again i would probably go all the time. Cute boys inside. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE. My favorite bar in the city. The bartenders are awesome, very friendly and sweet! The drinks are cheap. (If you get here before 10pm they are 2 for 1) The atmosphere is very friendly, safe and, laid back. They make you feel so comfortable and at home, that it becomes hard to stay away. I have made most of my friends come here and gay or straight they have loved it! read more