Centretown Pub

There are three floors with a different kind of vibe on each. I was there on a Friday and a Saturday and it wasn’t super packed, I easily found a seat. The staff were friendly and a couple bartenders made conversation. I didn’t find the crowd offensive at all. They sell michelob ultra on tap and in bottles which makes them awesome in my books.

I am honestly less a fan of the patrons in this pub than the actual place. I have yet to have a night where I am not presented with a larger, drunk, older man who does not understand the concept of consent (Not interested, not looking, no thank you, get your hands off me).
If you are under forty, remotely good looking, and unarmed I cannot stress enough that if you leave the main level you are taking a risk of being aggressively pursued (if you are looking for that, go right up to the third floor and wait three minutes). Even on busy nights, the main floor can get overly personal without permission.
Luckily, the doorman is fantastic at his job. Some of the other staff take «bitchy queen of the castle» to a whole new level. If you aren’t accustom to deescalating a situation perhaps you ought not work in a location where alcohol is served.
The location itself is a beautiful building with so much potential and easy to access from transit. There is a private parking lot across the road and more than enough street parking for most nights.
Perhaps I am just one of the people who did not get the users manual when entering this particular bar on how to have a good time. I’ve been to enough gay bars, sex positive clubs, and leather events (this is not a leather bar save for one night a month anyways) that I know what to expect. The patrons here continue to underwhelm me with their lack of social skills and ability to handle being told no thank you.

I went here with my super-​straight friend (not sure whether this qualifier is all that necessary, but I’m including it anyway so that readers are aware that this place is very welcoming of all sexual orientations). We had such a blast.
We went pretty early on a Saturday night — probably around 9pm — and there was still quite a large crowd already there. Lots of glam, lots of dressed up ladies, lots of wigs, lots of sassiness, lots of fun. Not the best selection of beers on tap, but can’t go wrong with Rolling Rock (says me, IDK if anyone else agrees).
We left before the dance floor was really bumping, but it was pretty packed and so was probably a guaranteed good time.

I was at a place that closed early one night, and the bartender wrote the name and address of Centretown Pub on a napkin, patted my head, and pointed me out the door with the instructions to hand this to the first taxi driver I found. Her parting words were, ‘you will like it there.’
Someone else mentioned that the crowd was strange, I can’t disagree with that at all. But to me, strange is the vibe upon which I thrive, so Centretown Pub was just what the doctor ordered. Before going inside, a couple approached me and started talking, quickly identifying me as an out of towner. We chatted for a bit, then they suggested that we go inside since it was cold as HELL in Ottawa that night. They went upstairs, I stayed downstairs to figure out the lay of the land, so to speak. Long story short, I never did make it past the first floor because the crowd was really cool, friendly, strange, and talkative!
In short, my kinda place. I’ll be back.

I was out with some friends on a friday night and we were itching to dance but far too early for Babylon. We decided to check out Centretown just to see how it was.
The first floor is all regulars so it seems, hanging and having a drink. We were too energized to sit around so we went upstairs where we heard music.
The crowd was… strange, it was a diverse mix of people from all walks of life sitting and getting ready to dance.
We grabbed a drink and head to the dance floor where we danced for probably 45 min? By the time we were ready for a break the dance floor had filled out a bit.
The music was okay, the drinks were okay, the one thing I did note is that I didn’t feel super safe leaving anything anywhere. Not to say I throw my purse in a corner and ignore it, but I certainly was really aware of the crowd. I couldn’t quite relax in the same way I normally do.
Anyway, all in all I think I’ll check it out again the next time it’s too cold to go to the market, and perhaps a little later at night too.

CP’s, as it’s commonly known, is geared more toward men and more mature patrons than the Lookout and the Edge.
This gay bar is a pub built inside an old Somerset Street home. The main level is used seven days a week and has the main bar along with a pool table and some seating. The patio behind the bar is popular in the summer and with the smoking crowd.
Though I’ve only been a couple of times, the music was decent at the upstairs bar and they sometimes pull in some drag queens. This place, however, is more notorious for their leather nights. I’ve never been but I’m sure it’s a lot of fun… if you’re into that sort of thing!
Beers and drinks are cheaper here than the other gay bars and the bartenders try to remember your drinks and they’re friendly.
I guess if we had a neighbourhood gay pub … this would certainly be it!

A good place to hangout on Saturday if you’re into olders (daddies and leather scene). A very small dance floor but the music is usually good. The Beer is cheap on Sunday from what I’ve heard. It’s good on Sunday too for happyhours. Again, it’s Ottawa so don’t get ur expectations too high, lol.