I was at this bar with my friend and he got called out specifically from our group to show his ID (he's 25) and after showing his ID was denied ordering a drink at the bar by the owner and then told to leave. I think it's suspicious that he was the only black person in our group and seeing the other reviews suggesting racism from this bar is alarming and seems to confirm my suspicions at the time.
Worst place I’ve ever been in Charlotte! Avoid at all cost. Not a safe space at all. The owner was extremely racist and kicked me out for no reason at all. After yelling at me and kicking me out he attempted to take my (white) friend’s drinks orders who were left feeling extremely uncomfortable. We had only walked in minutes prior to being yelled at and kicked out and never even ordered a drink.
The owner was very rude and there was a confusion with our IDs already being scanned and he got very defensive even though the member of our group he randomly wanted to scan again was complying and talking with the bartender we had already been talking to. The owner then said "I can't deal with this" and walked away from us in the middle of our order. Understandable if we were causing a scene or being disruptive but there was one member of our group even talking and he was just making small talk and talking about the year he was born with the bar tender because he was getting scanned again for seemingly no reason. The owner was on a weird power trip and told the bartender to tell us to leave. Which we gladly did because I have never encountered anything like that. (It should also be noted the person he randomly wanted to scan again and was being blatantly disrespectful to was black. Judging by the other reviews on this business it is safe to assume the owner to be racist)
If I could I would give 0 stars. Myself and another friend in the lgbtq+ community were visiting Charlotte for the night with a friend and came to this bar for drinks and to dance. After pulling up to the ominously dark and eerie building, we entered the empty house with no greeting. We walked upstairs to find one lone patron, and the bartender. We were greeted, ID’d and served our drinks. At this point, the bartender was personable and welcoming. I can’t explain how dead this bar was. We decided to finish our drinks and come back later in the night. Around 11:30 we came back to see if the place had livened up. We walk upstairs to the bar and are immediately given dirty looks by a different bartender serving drinks. We see our previous bartender from earlier in the night and he said “they’re good, I already checked them.” The other unwelcoming bartender then stated “I’m the owner and will ID you as many times as I want. Let me see your ID.” He only directed his rude comments towards my friend who was the only gay, black man there. Myself and our other friend are younger, white women and were never spoken to harshly, only referred to as “sweet heart” and “honey”. My friend made a joke about being ID’d and everyone laughed, except the owner who then threw his hands up and said “I can’t do this” and walked away. The previous bartender gave us a nervous look like he knew what was coming next. The owner came back and told the bartender “they need to leave” to which the bartender looked at us embarrassed and said “I’m so sorry but you need to leave.” Absolutely appalled, we left without any hesitation and were stunned at what had just occurred. Describing what happened on a Google review does not give nearly as much detail as what unfolded, but the genuine disgust and uncomfortable feeling I got from how the owner treated us, especially my friend, is comparable to kicking trash on the sidewalk. I am saddened that this is named the “best gay bar” in Charlotte and does not give our loving, welcoming community the accurate representation it deserves. The owner is a pompous racist who has no respect for anyone but himself and I will never step foot in this place again. Save yourself the anger and money and visit somewhere else. You’ll find better drinks and a more welcoming vibe than you ever will here.
Showed up 5 mins before before close. The door person said 16$ for 2 people. That’s crazy. Why would we pay 16$ when you close in “5 mins? He also told us if we don’t like it “don’t come back”. What kind of gay bar has a door person or security that tells gays “don’t come back”. This is unacceptable for any bar. I went to lost and found before coming to 316 and had a GREAT exprience and no issues. This bar at 316 needs serious retraining. Probably would recommend new owners. You’re business will fail eventually.
Great bar with awesome people! Jeff & kolby make sure the bar is always clean & you always have a full drink! Strong drinks & well worth the money. The drag shows are always very entertaining & all the patrons are always welcoming. Overall great bar & great staff!
The owner of this bar is rude to it’s paying customers and the music is trash. It gets extremely hot upstairs at the main bar. After ordering some mimosas from one bar tender, we came back to the main bar to order more, this time the owner took my gfs order and charged her card then he lied and told her that they don’t serve mimosas and I told him that we had already bought some but he didn’t care and refused to give us mimosas. The really nice bartender who made our mimosas the first time came by and asked if I needed to order, I said can I get 2 mimosas and he started to make some, the owner then gets mad at me for asking a different employee and said “I’m the owner and you don’t have to ask anyone else because I already said no” after we had already paid. Idk what his problem was with us but my gf and I will not be coming back.
Crazy how inconsistent things are here - you MUST have cash . If you swipe your card be prepared to be randomly over charged . Won’t do split payments. I had enough for a 9$ fuzzy navel and kept saying my card wouldn’t accept it don’t know - boring music to the point I was doing work while sitting . Super hot and legit again boring music
This is my absolute favorite bar in Charlotte! Kolby and Jeff have created such an amazing place that I feel so comfortable coming into or bringing friends! Whether it’s karaoke or the drag show, you will definitely have a great time!!!!
I went saturday december 25th 2021 (as an ally), with my son, daughter and friends. I had never been to a " gay club" so to speak. I wanted to experience it at least once in my lifetime. I fully enjoyed myself , love, love , love the DJ Bryson Ryder. The vibe was alright, just wish people were more welcoming and accepting there. Not much interaction but focusing on theirselves of which is fine , YOU DO YOU but I feel yhere needs to be more interaction like strangers singing with strangers, dancing with somebody that dont know eachother...I follow you @bar at 316 on instagram. If i can get DJ Bryson Ryders handle , I would appreciate it..I love You all. Be safe, be careful, be kind, be loving anf lovable.