There’s this Liberal Old Bartender Lady that works night shift on weekends that has been watching me like a hawk every time I go there. I always go to Brownstone alone ( unless I meet some friends there ) I like to dance alone and with other people, but today March 30th 2024 for their Easter party, the lady working at the bar screamed at me telling me I can’t dance at the bar when others are dancing at the bar. I went outside crying after that and decided I’m no longer in a mode for partying and went home early. Now I’m a regular at this bar and always been dancing around but whenever she here working she’s watching me the whole like I did something wrong. I’ve never done anything wrong. In fact st Patrick’s day weekend 2024, I was there and came with a small fan, and others had fans too. And was using it and that bartender didn’t like it. Would watch me evertime I use it. What is up with this lady, why can’t she just let me have a good time just like everyone else.
Kev Shaye
Great atmosphere, a fun
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Smith
Great local gay bar real mix of young and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John B
This place used to be a nice bar to hang out. There used to be manly men bartending, a place where the bear community could feel comfortable. It’s not that place anymore. I see a liquor license change if ownership and I hope the new owner makes changes. I’m a bar manager and when I sit here I can’t even watch, because the place must be run by a blind person. Clearly no one cares. All the bartenders are female yet this is a gay bar that has bear parties?? The service is terrible. No designated service bar spot for guests to get a drink. The bartender is overwhelmed yet has a “bar-back” girl to stand there looking like a stripper and open a liquor bottle when needed lol. The logical thing to do would be have two experienced bartenders back there so you could actually get a drink when you finally squeeze into a spot at the bar. The bottled beer is piss warm and the draft is foam that the bartenders pour down the drain. There is no POS system so be prepared to wait 25 min to pay your tab. Then comes the bathrooms. Two single person bathrooms. Again, logic would put 2 toilets with stalls in one bathroom and a men’s urinal room in the other. You literally stand in line for 15 min to use the bathroom in a tiny bar lol. The 5-6 “regulars” are extremely obnoxious. The worst is a guy apparently named Mario that they over-serve and I guess people pretend to like him because he buys them drinks. They yell out, scream, push in front of other guests, sing obnoxiously loud, etc and again no one cares because there is no form of management or ownership in the place. What I wouldn’t give to bring back Neptune’s the last good Harrisburg bar. Hopefully someone experienced is the new owner of the bar.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
Devan Smith
I heard great things about this place and was so excited to visit but ended up disappointed. I got a double vodka coke that I watched "vodka" be poured into but didn't have the slightest taste to it (stone cold sober btw.) I got another shot and poured it into my drink and only then was able to taste/smell a slight whiff of alcohol.Whatever, I ordered a white claw to get a standard pour. It was room temperature out of the cooler ? message received, I'm not welcome and will never come back.
Michael
LOVE this place! The bartenders are amazing and everyone is very friendly. Highly recommend stopping in for a drink or three lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Derrick D.
Visited Harrisburg for the first time. The staff was friendly and cocktails were good. Most everyone was welcoming, but you know there is always that one a@@ hole.
Fabio C.
Laid back chilled bar with regular customers and a good DJ every now and then spinning awesome beats
Bobby A.
The long negative review is obviously from a bitter person. The brownstone is the best gay hangout in Harrisburg. Has been nonsmoking for three years. Friendly and welcoming to all. Great events! Typical bar food but does the job in a pinch. Check out the hilarious menu on the bar. Brownstone is the crazy gay hangout.
Jody B
Did not get food hence no score on that. This place has history and good people, drinks are top notch, welcoming of everyone. have a jack with a side of sass, (10 bucks plus just the tip) like lemonade in the heat on their porch.
Loser bar. Loser bartenders. This bar is what happens when even the gay's lose respect for you. Pretty sad to see these young "Child-Adults", ignorant at best, try to manage a crowd of people. Out of the small handful of mostly regrettable times that I bothered to patronize this "establishment" there were two very distinct and memorable occasions where a complete stranger offered me hard drugs. i.e. Ad Errol, Meth, the big H, and various pills, etc. Being offered something like this isn't entirely unusual for a bar, but I was a complete stranger and this happened TWICE to me in THIS bar. I knew fairly soon after from asking around, that this is not altogether unheard of or even unusual here. I'll take that as just another great reason NOT to go here ever again.Another great reason NOT to go here is this: I sat at the end of the bar with my husband of ten years and had ONE beer. While I drank my beer I watched this well dressed, very personable young black gentlemen order a shot from a very young, very ignorant bartender. He got his shot alright, but it was only a very small sliver of liquid in the bottom of the glass. It was the smallest shot I've ever seen. The patron who ordered the shot looked at me with absolute astonishment in his face and a look of "Oh, I get it....you only want certain types here"...I could see it all over the bartenders face. Clearly he did not want this guy in the bar because the very next patron was a white kid who ordered a shot and he got a FULL shot glass of alcohol. FULL and the black kid saw it and I SAW IT TOO. This was clearly a case of blatant discrimination. We finished our beers and continued to watch the "goings on". We sat there for about ten to fifteen minutes, hadn't ordered any additional drinks for ourselves whatsoever, and this "child/adult" came over to us after getting the "nod" from this other odd looking "man/woman" who gave him the word to get rid of us. Presumably because we were TOO OLD! He walked right over to us and stated clearly "We can no longer serve you alcohol, I'm sorry". FIRST of all, I didn't order another beer. Secondly, we were not drunk, we had only this one beer. There was no reason given, only the look on his ugly face was definitely one of "YOU are TOO old to be in my bar, so just GET OUT". Clearly a "policy" was emerging here. These are children pretending they know how to be adults. This "bar' is a sad embarrassment to the gay community at large. Everything the gay community across this country and around the world has fought against is everything this bar seems to stand for. The generations that came before these ignorant losers took over paid more than their share in gold and blood to try to secure a place at the table in this country of great bounty. And every person who gave of their time, talent and coin to support our "cause" should feel 100% BETRAYED by BROWNSTONE!There was a time in the not so distant past that the gay community had many, many bars in most major cities, around the world. These bars were a solace, a refuge, a place to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that you are amongst friends and compatriots in this cruel world that hosts so much discrimination and exclusion. Then came the mass extinction of gay bars. Here is how it went:1. We had lots of great gay bars, one for every kink and fetish known.2. Gay people fought for acceptance and recognition; We Are People Too!3. Many years have elapsed and people get more "comfortable" with "the gays" More public exposure over time equals a more receptive audience to "equality". THIS WAS HARD TO ACHIEVE!!! PEOPLE DIED!!! 4. The "straights" had lots of gay friends and it was "FUN" to have a gay friend for a very long time. It was almost a FAD and completely "cool". This is likely what YOU grew up with...if you're under 30; Utter acceptance, and you had to do NOTHING to gai
Jonnathan Figueroa
Allways friendly, people here make you feel like family. Service is over the best ? Love this place ? Bartender Nick is the BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!
Raymond Vollmond
This is one of the best place I have ever been. Nick is amazing, very attentive, cordial and amazing. He is the best! I am visiting from Florida and I can't wait to go back! Like I said, NICK is the best!
Enoc G.
I've been coming to Harrisburg, PA for many years now to visit one of my best friends, and Brownstone is always the first spot to hit. I just love the atmosphere here since it is the closest to NYC's. However, last Friday 4/7/23, we went in as usual and it was packed with people and a really vibrant atmosphere. We sat at the bar and I asked for a vodka with cranberry and my friend for a beer. We stayed for about an hour. As soon as I tasted my drink it was nothing but cranberry so, as a former bartender in NYC who knows the struggles of working behind the bar, I politely asked if I could please get a little bit more of vodka in my drink. Little did I know I was going offend or hurt the female bartender's giant ego. She said the reason I didn't taste the vodka was because of the cranberry (never heard of this before) and that she'd bet there were 2 1/2 shots in there. At the same time, she kicked out two other costumers (for no obvious reason, personally) and started to shout things at each other . I continued to talk to my friend and tried to do eye contact and smile at her because I felt bad I made her upset and because I think I am a nice person and my intention was never to get her rattled up. She never looked at me in the face throughout the entire time I stayed. We finished our drinks and my friend thanked her and she replied nicely to him. I also got up and nicely thanked her, but she didn't even look at me and just replied with a "yup" to me. I am so sorry for disrespecting you by asking for what I think my drink was worth paying for. This place is a very a nice place, please don't ruin it. All of this happened within an hour! So unfortunate.
Terry Neubaum
This place was absolutely nauseating!??Hadn’t been here in years but wow we really miss the old Brownstone after experiencing this one.
There’s this Liberal Old Bartender Lady that works night shift on weekends that has been watching me like a hawk every time I go there. I always go to Brownstone alone ( unless I meet some friends there ) I like to dance alone and with other people, but today March 30th 2024 for their Easter party, the lady working at the bar screamed at me telling me I can’t dance at the bar when others are dancing at the bar. I went outside crying after that and decided I’m no longer in a mode for partying and went home early. Now I’m a regular at this bar and always been dancing around but whenever she here working she’s watching me the whole like I did something wrong. I’ve never done anything wrong. In fact st Patrick’s day weekend 2024, I was there and came with a small fan, and others had fans too. And was using it and that bartender didn’t like it. Would watch me evertime I use it. What is up with this lady, why can’t she just let me have a good time just like everyone else.
Great atmosphere, a fun
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great local gay bar real mix of young and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place used to be a nice bar to hang out. There used to be manly men bartending, a place where the bear community could feel comfortable. It’s not that place anymore. I see a liquor license change if ownership and I hope the new owner makes changes. I’m a bar manager and when I sit here I can’t even watch, because the place must be run by a blind person. Clearly no one cares. All the bartenders are female yet this is a gay bar that has bear parties?? The service is terrible. No designated service bar spot for guests to get a drink. The bartender is overwhelmed yet has a “bar-back” girl to stand there looking like a stripper and open a liquor bottle when needed lol. The logical thing to do would be have two experienced bartenders back there so you could actually get a drink when you finally squeeze into a spot at the bar. The bottled beer is piss warm and the draft is foam that the bartenders pour down the drain. There is no POS system so be prepared to wait 25 min to pay your tab. Then comes the bathrooms. Two single person bathrooms. Again, logic would put 2 toilets with stalls in one bathroom and a men’s urinal room in the other. You literally stand in line for 15 min to use the bathroom in a tiny bar lol. The 5-6 “regulars” are extremely obnoxious. The worst is a guy apparently named Mario that they over-serve and I guess people pretend to like him because he buys them drinks. They yell out, scream, push in front of other guests, sing obnoxiously loud, etc and again no one cares because there is no form of management or ownership in the place. What I wouldn’t give to bring back Neptune’s the last good Harrisburg bar. Hopefully someone experienced is the new owner of the bar.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
I heard great things about this place and was so excited to visit but ended up disappointed. I got a double vodka coke that I watched "vodka" be poured into but didn't have the slightest taste to it (stone cold sober btw.) I got another shot and poured it into my drink and only then was able to taste/smell a slight whiff of alcohol.Whatever, I ordered a white claw to get a standard pour. It was room temperature out of the cooler ? message received, I'm not welcome and will never come back.
LOVE this place! The bartenders are amazing and everyone is very friendly. Highly recommend stopping in for a drink or three lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Visited Harrisburg for the first time. The staff was friendly and cocktails were good. Most everyone was welcoming, but you know there is always that one a@@ hole.
Laid back chilled bar with regular customers and a good DJ every now and then spinning awesome beats
The long negative review is obviously from a bitter person. The brownstone is the best gay hangout in Harrisburg. Has been nonsmoking for three years. Friendly and welcoming to all. Great events! Typical bar food but does the job in a pinch. Check out the hilarious menu on the bar. Brownstone is the crazy gay hangout.
Did not get food hence no score on that. This place has history and good people, drinks are top notch, welcoming of everyone. have a jack with a side of sass, (10 bucks plus just the tip) like lemonade in the heat on their porch.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Loser bar. Loser bartenders. This bar is what happens when even the gay's lose respect for you. Pretty sad to see these young "Child-Adults", ignorant at best, try to manage a crowd of people. Out of the small handful of mostly regrettable times that I bothered to patronize this "establishment" there were two very distinct and memorable occasions where a complete stranger offered me hard drugs. i.e. Ad Errol, Meth, the big H, and various pills, etc. Being offered something like this isn't entirely unusual for a bar, but I was a complete stranger and this happened TWICE to me in THIS bar. I knew fairly soon after from asking around, that this is not altogether unheard of or even unusual here. I'll take that as just another great reason NOT to go here ever again.Another great reason NOT to go here is this: I sat at the end of the bar with my husband of ten years and had ONE beer. While I drank my beer I watched this well dressed, very personable young black gentlemen order a shot from a very young, very ignorant bartender. He got his shot alright, but it was only a very small sliver of liquid in the bottom of the glass. It was the smallest shot I've ever seen. The patron who ordered the shot looked at me with absolute astonishment in his face and a look of "Oh, I get it....you only want certain types here"...I could see it all over the bartenders face. Clearly he did not want this guy in the bar because the very next patron was a white kid who ordered a shot and he got a FULL shot glass of alcohol. FULL and the black kid saw it and I SAW IT TOO. This was clearly a case of blatant discrimination. We finished our beers and continued to watch the "goings on". We sat there for about ten to fifteen minutes, hadn't ordered any additional drinks for ourselves whatsoever, and this "child/adult" came over to us after getting the "nod" from this other odd looking "man/woman" who gave him the word to get rid of us. Presumably because we were TOO OLD! He walked right over to us and stated clearly "We can no longer serve you alcohol, I'm sorry". FIRST of all, I didn't order another beer. Secondly, we were not drunk, we had only this one beer. There was no reason given, only the look on his ugly face was definitely one of "YOU are TOO old to be in my bar, so just GET OUT". Clearly a "policy" was emerging here. These are children pretending they know how to be adults. This "bar' is a sad embarrassment to the gay community at large. Everything the gay community across this country and around the world has fought against is everything this bar seems to stand for. The generations that came before these ignorant losers took over paid more than their share in gold and blood to try to secure a place at the table in this country of great bounty. And every person who gave of their time, talent and coin to support our "cause" should feel 100% BETRAYED by BROWNSTONE!There was a time in the not so distant past that the gay community had many, many bars in most major cities, around the world. These bars were a solace, a refuge, a place to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that you are amongst friends and compatriots in this cruel world that hosts so much discrimination and exclusion. Then came the mass extinction of gay bars. Here is how it went:1. We had lots of great gay bars, one for every kink and fetish known.2. Gay people fought for acceptance and recognition; We Are People Too!3. Many years have elapsed and people get more "comfortable" with "the gays" More public exposure over time equals a more receptive audience to "equality". THIS WAS HARD TO ACHIEVE!!! PEOPLE DIED!!! 4. The "straights" had lots of gay friends and it was "FUN" to have a gay friend for a very long time. It was almost a FAD and completely "cool". This is likely what YOU grew up with...if you're under 30; Utter acceptance, and you had to do NOTHING to gai
Allways friendly, people here make you feel like family. Service is over the best ? Love this place ? Bartender Nick is the BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!
This is one of the best place I have ever been. Nick is amazing, very attentive, cordial and amazing. He is the best! I am visiting from Florida and I can't wait to go back! Like I said, NICK is the best!
I've been coming to Harrisburg, PA for many years now to visit one of my best friends, and Brownstone is always the first spot to hit. I just love the atmosphere here since it is the closest to NYC's. However, last Friday 4/7/23, we went in as usual and it was packed with people and a really vibrant atmosphere. We sat at the bar and I asked for a vodka with cranberry and my friend for a beer. We stayed for about an hour. As soon as I tasted my drink it was nothing but cranberry so, as a former bartender in NYC who knows the struggles of working behind the bar, I politely asked if I could please get a little bit more of vodka in my drink. Little did I know I was going offend or hurt the female bartender's giant ego. She said the reason I didn't taste the vodka was because of the cranberry (never heard of this before) and that she'd bet there were 2 1/2 shots in there. At the same time, she kicked out two other costumers (for no obvious reason, personally) and started to shout things at each other . I continued to talk to my friend and tried to do eye contact and smile at her because I felt bad I made her upset and because I think I am a nice person and my intention was never to get her rattled up. She never looked at me in the face throughout the entire time I stayed. We finished our drinks and my friend thanked her and she replied nicely to him. I also got up and nicely thanked her, but she didn't even look at me and just replied with a "yup" to me. I am so sorry for disrespecting you by asking for what I think my drink was worth paying for. This place is a very a nice place, please don't ruin it. All of this happened within an hour! So unfortunate.
This place was absolutely nauseating!??Hadn’t been here in years but wow we really miss the old Brownstone after experiencing this one.