Horrific crowd. Repugnant bartenders. Attitude so thick you can cut it with a knife. I've been out of the closet for 40 years and I have never had a worse experience. Although they make the drinks far too strong for my tastes, they simply can't make the drinks strong enough to drown out the character of those characters. And if that wasn't enough, the shock on my face as one of the bartenders let Cole L. (see her review as well as mine) drink at the bar. She was only 19. She was born in 2004. How could it have come to this, after all: Leon's of Baltimore: With potential origins in the 1890s and documented LGBTQ+ service since 1957, it has a strong claim to near-continuous operation for over 60 years. However, details about its early years remain unclear. Julius': Opened in 1935 and has functioned primarily as a gay bar since the 1950s. However, it faced brief closures due to legal challenges and renovations, technically breaking the chain of continuous operation. White Horse Tavern: Opened in 1673 and has served diverse clientele throughout its history. While it became a haven for LGBTQ+ individuals during discriminatory times, it wasn't exclusively a gay bar throughout its entire existence, raising questions about continuous operation in the specific context of serving the LGBTQ+ community.
Knickers Brown
Alcohol is like a girl who is popular, in a logging camp, because she is the only girl within 75 miles. (OK, so maybe I am just jealous.)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Cole Lavine
Went out for drinks with a friend on October 12 and couldn't believe how little the bartender, Sven, cared. A customer knocked over a glass and it shattered onto the floor. He made no effort to clean up the broken glass despite multiple patrons asking him to. He kept saying "I'll get it after my shift." It was hardly midnight and he was just going to let a safety hazard sit there for another 2 hours. Someone could have easily gotten hurt. That's just not acceptable
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Cole L.
Went out for drinks with a friend on October 12 and couldn't believe how little the bartender, Sven, cared. A customer knocked over a glass and it shattered onto the floor. He made no effort to clean up the broken glass despite multiple patrons asking him to. He kept saying "I'll get it after my shift." It was hardly midnight and he was just going to let a safety hazard sit there for another 2 hours. Someone could have easily gotten hurt. That's just not acceptable
Kunaal Verma
Fantastic bar and staff, I would recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the neighborhood!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Respect Honor
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jack Wellington
This is the go-to dive bar for any members of the LGBTQ community. It’s always a fun and relaxed time coming here with a group of friends. Everyone is always really nice and you can strike up a conversation easily with most patrons at the bars - there’s one in the front and another in the back. I enjoy the music that plays here, the front bar normally plays current pop hits while the back bar is playing classic gay anthems. There is also some really fun karaoke nights hosted here if you are into that. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is just looking to go out and have a nice chill time sitting at a bar and chatting it up with friends and locals, it’s definitely not something along the lines of an Eagle per say.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
King King
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Taylor Daisy
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
A truly magical place where you can ask for, and get, a pint glass of dirty martini.
Kelly Blount “Kelz”
When we go to Leon we go there to enjoy ourselves to relax enjoy the shows and socialize with the other guests it is a peaceful atmosphere when people generally get along with each other
Trevor H.
A night to relax with a close friend moved here for some drinks and continued conversation. My husband was off at a wedding so I decided to come downtown for some drinks with a close friend. I've been to tons of local LGBT bars in Baltimore and DC but have not visited Leon's until now. We walked in around 8pm to about 50% capacity in the main bar. My friend had been there many many times and walked us on the backside of the bar against the wall. Great spot to sit, talk, and people watch together. Bartender was kind. Ordered Gin & Tonic. VERY strong pour. Similar to how pours are in The Castro in San Francisco. I'd say 80% Gin, 20% Tonic. Not complaining. Not the best selection though for some of the liquors. You can see their liquors in the middle of the bar. I asked for Hendrick's Gin, the best they could do was Bombay or Tanq., mayyybe Beefeater. Loads of Pinnacle options... not the prettiest sights lol. Overall though, for three to four hours of hanging out, chatting, and relaxing, a couple drinks in for less than $20, I was down! Had a good time. Would love to come back on an event night or just when there are generally more people to liven up the bar a little more.
Leonie N.
Great prices on drinks. Wish they had more selections and offered some type of food options. Can't wait til they're back to operating at full capacity and hosting events, I'd love a drunk karaoke with the gays
Horrific crowd. Repugnant bartenders. Attitude so thick you can cut it with a knife. I've been out of the closet for 40 years and I have never had a worse experience. Although they make the drinks far too strong for my tastes, they simply can't make the drinks strong enough to drown out the character of those characters. And if that wasn't enough, the shock on my face as one of the bartenders let Cole L. (see her review as well as mine) drink at the bar. She was only 19. She was born in 2004. How could it have come to this, after all: Leon's of Baltimore: With potential origins in the 1890s and documented LGBTQ+ service since 1957, it has a strong claim to near-continuous operation for over 60 years. However, details about its early years remain unclear. Julius': Opened in 1935 and has functioned primarily as a gay bar since the 1950s. However, it faced brief closures due to legal challenges and renovations, technically breaking the chain of continuous operation. White Horse Tavern: Opened in 1673 and has served diverse clientele throughout its history. While it became a haven for LGBTQ+ individuals during discriminatory times, it wasn't exclusively a gay bar throughout its entire existence, raising questions about continuous operation in the specific context of serving the LGBTQ+ community.
Alcohol is like a girl who is popular, in a logging camp, because she is the only girl within 75 miles. (OK, so maybe I am just jealous.)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Went out for drinks with a friend on October 12 and couldn't believe how little the bartender, Sven, cared. A customer knocked over a glass and it shattered onto the floor. He made no effort to clean up the broken glass despite multiple patrons asking him to. He kept saying "I'll get it after my shift." It was hardly midnight and he was just going to let a safety hazard sit there for another 2 hours. Someone could have easily gotten hurt. That's just not acceptable
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Went out for drinks with a friend on October 12 and couldn't believe how little the bartender, Sven, cared. A customer knocked over a glass and it shattered onto the floor. He made no effort to clean up the broken glass despite multiple patrons asking him to. He kept saying "I'll get it after my shift." It was hardly midnight and he was just going to let a safety hazard sit there for another 2 hours. Someone could have easily gotten hurt. That's just not acceptable
Fantastic bar and staff, I would recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the neighborhood!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is the go-to dive bar for any members of the LGBTQ community. It’s always a fun and relaxed time coming here with a group of friends. Everyone is always really nice and you can strike up a conversation easily with most patrons at the bars - there’s one in the front and another in the back. I enjoy the music that plays here, the front bar normally plays current pop hits while the back bar is playing classic gay anthems. There is also some really fun karaoke nights hosted here if you are into that. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is just looking to go out and have a nice chill time sitting at a bar and chatting it up with friends and locals, it’s definitely not something along the lines of an Eagle per say.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This place is going to hell. The staff is getting drunk at work. The security guard can not stop flirting with customers or threatening to hurt people. The bathrooms are dirty and full of mice and flies. I will be contacting the City of Baltimore concerning this bar. When ever someone ask for the manager the tall white guy or the security guard they are ALWAYS rude. I heard that the security guard is going yo court for putting his hands on some one. Just last night I witnessed him talking rudeness about another customer to customers. This is poor business. My friends come here when we are in town to by drinks and spending over 200 dollars in one night apiece and it’s 6 of us. This is not acceptable. The city of Baltimore will learn about this. I will also be reporting the security actions to the state governors office and security licenses professionalism board as well. I am contacting a friend to gather his information when I return to the bar today.
It’s great here, great bar, great music
Restaurantji Recommends
Great Bar.......
A truly magical place where you can ask for, and get, a pint glass of dirty martini.
When we go to Leon we go there to enjoy ourselves to relax enjoy the shows and socialize with the other guests it is a peaceful atmosphere when people generally get along with each other
A night to relax with a close friend moved here for some drinks and continued conversation. My husband was off at a wedding so I decided to come downtown for some drinks with a close friend. I've been to tons of local LGBT bars in Baltimore and DC but have not visited Leon's until now. We walked in around 8pm to about 50% capacity in the main bar. My friend had been there many many times and walked us on the backside of the bar against the wall. Great spot to sit, talk, and people watch together. Bartender was kind. Ordered Gin & Tonic. VERY strong pour. Similar to how pours are in The Castro in San Francisco. I'd say 80% Gin, 20% Tonic. Not complaining. Not the best selection though for some of the liquors. You can see their liquors in the middle of the bar. I asked for Hendrick's Gin, the best they could do was Bombay or Tanq., mayyybe Beefeater. Loads of Pinnacle options... not the prettiest sights lol. Overall though, for three to four hours of hanging out, chatting, and relaxing, a couple drinks in for less than $20, I was down! Had a good time. Would love to come back on an event night or just when there are generally more people to liven up the bar a little more.
Great prices on drinks. Wish they had more selections and offered some type of food options. Can't wait til they're back to operating at full capacity and hosting events, I'd love a drunk karaoke with the gays