Partners

Friday nights are awesome and packed. 2 floors. Mix of drag show and dance party, gay and straight. Always fun and friendly with new faces every time I go and people of all ages. Great drinks and bartenders. Never a cover. Saturday night is hit or miss but always nice crowd too. Must try.

from the owner Dave and his husband, right down to the bartenders Paulie and Nick– hands down the GAYEST bar in Newhaven…

Went here on a Friday night in May with a colleague who was excited to see something different our of New Haven. It was actually a pretty fun time. After reading the reviews on here, I was surprised at how different my experience was when compared to the words here…
1) There was absolutely no cover when we arrived and there still was no cover when we left. I’m not sure if there isn’t a cover anymore or if we hit this place on a slightly slower night.
2) They accepted my credit card and started a tab without issue.
3) It is by no means rundown or a dive bar. I’ve seen dives and this place was busier, friendly, and really set us up for a night of meeting approachable individuals and socializing.
4) Very knowledgeable bartenders upstairs gave us a verbal tour around what there was to do and what there was to avoid in New Haven. We even learned some tips that would have otherwise left us a little in trouble later in the night.
5) It’s a gay bar and maybe some people didn’t realize that. I got to have my first encounter with drag queens (who were amazing) and a dude wearing very little clothing.
Partners left me with fun memories of an exciting night that was a big change for a boy from a town in Oklahoma.

Completely awful, awful customer service. I am shocked that a place like this can still be up and running with such rude employees. Safe to say I’m never going to this place again, and am going to try my best to save others from the pain and offense of having to interact with the owner (s) and staff.

I had so much fun here last night. The drag show was a blast, the music was good and the drinks were cheap. So it might not be the prettiest bar ever, the atmosphere was lively and the energy was high. If you’re looking for a more low key night they have a pool table and lounge area. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my weekend in New Haven.

Its okay. They have nice staff and a variety of drinks. They don’t accept Amex. But its mostly a gay bar, not so much as lesbians. They rent out the upstairs other events usually but you need to know ahead of time what events those are or you could end up not having enough money for the cover and/​or it being a private party your not invited to. But there isn’t really anything to make this place stand out from other bars other then it is a gay bar.

The customers were rather rude to us, and being from out of town I assumed gay bar meant lesbians were welcome. If it hadnt been from the friendly bartender we wouldve probably been burned on the stake. He was exceptionally friendly inviting and what bartenders should be like. We went on BOGO night for Malibu and Absolut had a few drinks and left. There were several guys entering leaving for a few minutes and returning multiple times. Not sure what thats about but it was a little strange.
I did have a guy in the street make an inappropriate comment to me while standing outside smoking. so I guess all of New Haven isnt so friendly.

This used to be my spot. An «at home» dive bar that you can dress up for or look like you just got out of class.
Until.. . I ordered a dirty martini. My top shelf vodka had FLAVOR… hmm this tells me that you’re refilling your bottles (and not even doing that right). Hoping that it was a glitch I went back a few times after this. Unfortunately I had similar experiences (as did my friends). The place has gotten really dirty and more of a homeless shelter than a bar.
I’m really disappointed as this used to be my «go to» no matter what day of the week. Now it smells like throw-​up and the drinks are not what you order.
If you looking for a local gay dive bar, walk the block and a half to 168 York street (i’m sad to have to write that)

Is this a bomb shelter or a bar? Because it looks like it from the outside — and doesn’t get much better when you make it inside. I can’t believe they even charge a cover to get in. They have alcohol and it’s queer. That’s it.

Hans and Mendez woke and found themselves to be victim to a vicious prank. Someone posing as Hans and Mendez on their favorite Linda McMahon fan page posted a public appearance of Hans and Mendez promoting vodka at Partner’s, New Haven premier gay bar. In outrage, Mendez snapped his ipad mini in half. «Now’s not the time for vodka; its hot toddy season!»
Like many bar-​goers in New Haven, Hans and Mendez had never stepped foot into Partners on Crown Street, which is arguably the most talked about, but least visited bar in New Haven. Their reasoning is not out of homophobia, but simply out of optimism. Sitting around with a bunch of dudes on week nights is to be expected, not anticipated.
Word reached Hans that this night Partners was hosting a Taco Party where free tacos were to be handed out and and several guest dj’s would be performing. The Taco Party was held on the second floor of Partner’s as if to keep the young men in girls pants out of the view of older men. There was a line for taco’s and the bloggers sampled the two offerings of black bean and an indescribable meat. The young lady serving the taco’s denied them being a home recipe and was perplexed as to their origin. She served them gracefully to the throngs of hungry people who milled about.
Their lack of writing equipment, which to a food bloggers is as crucial to his craft as a fork and knife (perhaps even more so since a pen can be used for an eating utensil in a pinch), left Hans and Mendez at a severe disadvantage. «The tacos taste like hot dogs,» Mendez said, reaching in his pocket for a pad and pen. «Pardon my French, but lightly salted roasted nuts, I forgot my pen in my other (leather) pants! I will never remember the finer points of this salsa cruda!»
In a tizzy Mendez’s left foot started to shake. Hans immediately spotted the nervous tick, he had seen it many times before. It came out during Mendez’s first attempt at the blogger bar exam, when McDonald’s changed four nuggets and fries from the number seven to the number three. The source of this condition can be dated back to when he and Hans had snuck into the «girls only» portion of «the talk» they received during a junior high gym class.
«I’m really n-​n-​n-​nervous,» he said. The twitch moved from his foot to his knee, his knee to his buttocks. Get me out of here!” Hans took Mendez by the waist and lead him past chatting people to a quiet area. Then the lights dimmed and D.J. had started to perform. A video artist in the corner flicked to life a projector. The images pulsated. Disorientated by the the flashing projector and the taco crumbs on his glasses, Hans realized he accidentally lead Mendez to the dance floor. Mendez opened his eyes, which were closed to prevent nausea brought upon by what looked like girls from his graduating high school class. «They’re just hipsters,» Hans said rubbing Mendez’s back which began to convulse. «They might look the same, but they aren’t.»
«No, she cut me in the lunch line, and that one, she tore apart my essay on duck sauce.» He soon fell to the ground, his entire body twitching in a syncopated ⁴⁄₄ time.
«Hey, that guys doing to monkey-​fish!» a man (?) shouted from the sidelines.
«No, its the New-​York-​Frankenstein-​Gorilla!» The speaker was quickly and loudly corrected by their partner that the the dance was called the New-​York-​Frankenstein-​Gorilla” named so due to the tenacity of…
As Mendez «danced» Hans found opportunity to sample more tacos. «I can see where he’s getting the hot dog flavor from,» Hans thought to himself. «If only I had a pen. I could write in blood, but I remember the last time that happened… a bar napkin…» He soon found himself leaving his friend and fellow blogger Mendez on the dance floor, who had become some what of a demi-​god/​court jester. He walked done the stairs from the dance/​taco party to the main room of Partners itself. The décor is bland and beat up. Nothing flashy, nothing «fabulous», or «fierce». The euro-​synth beat and «Absolute-​Pride» advertisements were the only factors which differentiated the barroom from any other dive in which men congregate. That and the dull colored paintings of men stroking

Went here on their goth night, Ulteria, which takes place on the second floor every first Saturday. The DJs were great; spinning awesome music. The bartenders were friendly and quick. Atmosphere was dark and red; appropriate for a goth night, ;-)

I went here on Ladies Night the, last Saturday of the month. It was surprisingly packed with ladies! So that alone earns it three stars. The layout is not the best and moving around the upstairs is a bit difficult when crowded but manageable. The music was also pretty good… more hip hop not so much trance music. It was tragically hot on the dance floor tho which is unfortunate.

No.
No to:
1. $ 5 cover. To get in HERE?!?
2. Well past his prime «dancer». Leave the glasses at home honey, oh and it’s time to retire the jock. Let’s think boxer-​briefs mmkay? Sometimes we need to hide things.
3. Tragic layout.
4. Outdated interior.
5. Dude knitting at the bar. You know fun times are ahead when…
6. Rancid bathroom. You can smell it across the bar.
7. Squandering their spot as one of the two gay bars around.
Sad. Seems gay nightlife is dying everywhere.

at this neighborhood gay spot, you’ll find a bar in the front room, a pool table in the back, and a separately-​cover-​charged dark room in the basement, which, in addition to offering its own regular shenanigans, hosts the periodic leather-​and-​levis krypt party. all in all, partners is a low-​key, any-​night-​of-​the-​week kind of place