Club Dakota

RIP Dakota. Thanks for all the amazing dance nights, humor, drama, awkwardness, drinks, and memories.
DJ AD you were spot on 90% of the time.
Ladies Night will always live in SC.

I went here once with a guy friend on a Saturday night and I really enjoyed it. I felt like it had a very comfortable atmosphere where you could just cut loose. The big downside of the night was that the music was cheesy. I guess it added to the comfort/​fun level, but it wasn’t very hot. Still, I liked this place enough that I’ll probably come back. It was late and we did not pay a cover, but my friend was wearing a Sgt Peppers outfit and I was dressed equally oddly… could it have helped? I don’t really know how clubs work, but it’s worth a try.

We came here for a bachelorette. Unbenounced to us, it was a gay bar. We didn’t care though, the gay/​straight ratio was good enough for us to stay and just have some fun dancing to awesome dance toons. Upside, no nasty dudes trying to freak us. Only downside was that the bartender was a little slow for my liking.

I have been going here for 8 years. Without the Dakota we gay girls would have nowhere decent to go in Santa Cruz. I looked at some of the reviews and I am a local and I do go here often and I have paid and I have not paid a cover. I think it just depends if there is a cover that night. I have also always been carded. I appreciate that they don’t accept passports or regulars without ID.
The bartenders are awesome. DJ AD kicks ass! I went on an afternoon with my partner and they had no problem making her a bloody mary without the set up to do so late in the day. She said it was great.
I know on weekends that this place does gets crowded and with tourists and college students depending on what time of the year it is. However my fav. night is Lady’s night on Weds.
If you are ever in Santa Cruz for gay pride, this is the club you will want to visit.

Depending on your mood or taste, Dakota has it to offer. Do you want a nice quiet drink with friends? Come any night before 9pm and it’s (somewhat) quiet and not crowded. Are you wanting to dance and see a packed room? Go on Saturday night and don’t show up until 11. As many people have said, if you want to dance without a creepy guy rubbing all over you, this is the place to go! While to some people, the bouncers seem mean, if a douchebag starts rubbing on you, the bouncers are more than happy to show them the way to the door.
As for the cover, if you get there before 10 there is no cover. I know some people bitch about the «locals» not paying cover, but it’s a courtesty for people who go once or twice a week for YEARS. They know who their loyal customers are, and treat them that way.

This was an okay bar.
Maybe I’ve been more exposed to gay in many other different cities, and I respect the fact that gay translates differently everywhere.
So yesterday night I needed to get out of San Jose and decided to go see my one and only Mily in Santa Cruz.
All in all it was okay, it was Thirsty Thursdays so we got some cheap beer and the music didn’t cue up to late (which is bad for a bar, a gay bar especially because there should be music blaring… all the time).
I’m going to give it another try too, it was Thursday one and two we left at about 11pm. Who knows…

The little gem of Santa Cruz I say, honestly! I’m not gay but when my best friend and I went I was jealous I wasn’t! Great music, best place in Santa Cruz to dance without worrying of being grabbed on my creeps! Fun, fun! For a girls night out it;s perfect!

If you’re in Santa Cruz and want to dance, this is the place to go. End of story.
Also, the bathrooms are clean here!

I love the Dakota. Its the best place in town for a Big Gay Cocktail (BGC). We go early and enjoy it the most when we are the only queers in the place. Stephen is always fun to chat with, and does a great drag show (or so I’ve heard). I think he has the hots for the Doctor (because the Doctor is a big tipper) but I’d share with him.
The busiest I’ve seen it was the day of Santa Cruz Pride. It’s like Christmas!
They had these post-​pride Jello Shots were the most fun since… well… the pre-​pride Jello Shots!
All in all, I’ve never had a bad time, but I like my clubs empty and my bartenders fabulous!

I despise the Dakota because the bouncers are racist. They wouldn’t let my friend in because he wasn’t an American citizen (he’s a citizen of Costa Rica). Apparently passports don’t count as an acceptable form of ID in bars run by homoelitists. I love lesbians, but not these lesbians.

I have some super fond memories of the Dakota. This place is pretty much an «are you or someone you know down with the bartenders or folks at the door.» That pretty much determines if you pay cover or not, and if your drinks are heavy on the alcohol or not. Great variety of music is played: top 40, 80s, electronic, a lil bit of this and that all in one night… AD has been around for years here in SC and she is good about giving the crowd what they want, and keeping energy levels high. Nights are often a hit or miss. sometimes there will be tons of folks… other times there will be two people at the bar and four dancing on the floor. Limited amount of seating. but when my friends and I go there it is not to sit but to dance. Bathrooms can get gross. I warned you a head of time.

We were on a weekend getaway to Santa Cruz and walked into this place on a Friday night ~9pm. Didn’t know it was a gay bar but figured it out as the night progressed. I liked that there was no cover. The drinks were ~$ 6. Music was good. The place was casual. It was about 65% gay/​lesbian and 35% straight. Had a good time.

I’ve been to the Dakota several times now. I’m a straight woman, but it’s really fun to go to this place because A) I can’t stand dancing with dorky straight guys B) I love dancing with my woman friends. I don’t dance at all in straight places because I find that nothing kills my lust for a man faster than seeing him jerk around like a spastic chicken. The Dakota feels like a safe place to go alone and there is just enough sexual vibe coming off some of the ladies toward me to make me feel pretty. Also, Heather, the bouncer is very hot. If Ashton Kutcher were a woman he would be Heather.
I demoted the Dakota a star because on New Years Eve I accidently left without my jacket after last call and they wouldn’t let me back in to grab it even though I told them I was walking home.
And the Dakota loses yet another star. I really want to like this place. I have good friends who are regulars. James the bartender rocks. But every time I go in someone makes me feel like dirt. This time I went in with a bunch of friends and the petty bureaucrat at the door i.d.s me. Ok, it’s his job. BUT I am 44 years old (even if I look yeaaaars younger) and I lost my wallet. He refused to budge. So I’m standing there with a bunch of regulars that know me, a bartender that knows me and will vouch for me and he gives me that «I’m sorry if I made you feel bad, but I can’t let you in without an I.D.» He was finally guilt tripped into letting me in. But this was just a typical example of someone who has no real power and used the little power he has like a cudgel.

Ahh yes, the Dakota. The Dakota in Santa Cruz has played one of the most prominent roles in the development of my post-​21 life. There was one summer where I literally went every weekend, sometimes twice. It didn’t matter if I had to work the next day — I still went, drank till I was dizzy and danced until I almost keeled over. I’ve met some awesome people there and had some great times with close friends. Because it’s a gay bar, dancing is so much more fun, because it’s less likely that some sleazoid guy will come up behind me and rub his pelvis against my unassuming backside. Regardless of whether you are gay or straight, you can still have the best time here. I am technically heterosexual, and I’ve always felt welcome. In the end, my memories created there will always remain, and I think it’s a great establishment for the city of Santa Cruz.

For those who can’t get enough of salsa dancing during the weekend, Dakota club offers free salsa dancing on Mondays.
Although the floor isn’t a smooth wooden floor for dance shoes, it doesn’t stop the locals from getting their salsa fix on. Mondays are fairly quiet for dancing. Dancing begins at 9:30 and ends at around 12:00am.
Admission: Free all night. This review was provided by J Smooth Salsa.