Alright, so let me preface this entry by saying I have never been to a Gay Bar before last night. I asked every one of my friends to go with me- and every one of them had some petty excuse for not coming. Finally I got one of my friends (a straight guy!) to come with me in exchange for free beer.
I wanted to go specifically to Roosterfish because I have walked the streets of Abbot Kinney about a trillion times and it took the first two hundred times of passing Roosterfish for me to even realize it was in fact a gay bar.
When we walked in the place was fairly empty. There were around ten men scattered throughout the bar in the different areas. I loved it right away. It’s dark, with a single bar that wraps from one room to the next. Men huddled either alone or in groups of two. Aside from the loud upbeat music that played, the patrons kept pretty quiet. I sat at the bar and ordered a Jack and Ginger from Gaetano, sparked up a little convo, and the fun began.
“Honey, I’ve worked here too long,” Gaetano says before he reveals he has been one of Roosterfish’s main bartenders for over eight years. The place has been an institution on the gay scene for over twenty-five years and caters to a dive bar crowd with its mellow vibes and laid back attitude.
The walls are laden with expressive artwork. Brace yourselves for the next few images. Apparently they depict something called “Furries,” which are used for role playing.
A man from Indiana, Justin, explained to me that he had recently purchased a rabbit “Furry” outfit and that his “peter pops out.” ….
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Yea. So there were some interesting characters. Justin was a HUGE fan of the band Morrisey. “At a time when I lost a lot of people in my life who meant a lot from me, the one thing I always had was my Morrisey album. When I turn it on, it’s angelic to me, like poetry,” Justin Explained.
There were also some people I met that were genuinely amazing people (well at least from what I could tell after talking for twenty minutes or so). They gave me boy/man advice! And told me to come back on Wednesdays for $3.00 margaritas all day and night long. Apparently Tuesdays are not their busiest nights, but Wednesdays bring in quite a crowd.
Overall, I was very impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the patrons in Roosterfish. If I can ever find anyone who wants to go with me, I will DEFINITELY go back.
1302 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291
