The 5 Star is my favorite bar in town. Whenever I'm out on the Santa Crawl, Wine Walk, etc, we always seem to end up here. It just a nice relaxed place where everyone can feel comfortable, whether me as straight girl, my bi girlfriends, crossdressing guyfriends, straight boyfriends, or my transgender pals.
It's not crowded most of the time, only on Saturday nights or when there's a bar crawl or something going on. Being Reno has so many artist types, they've been spotlighting art in different themes each month, so there's always something new to check out, my fave was the cupcake paintings, but the fetish stuff was pretty cool.
There's a front area with a stage, two stripper poles (that get a lot of use some nights), and room for dancing. The area narrows for the bar (there's a cage across from the bar that's fun to dance in) then opens up again in the back where there's a pool table, the bathrooms, and a nice little secondary bar called the backdoor service bar (only open at certain times).
It has a nice location too, right along the riverwalk so it's easy to take a stroll along the river then pop in for a drink--or few ;-) The bartenders and security are all awesome. It's super fun to just sit and chat, sipping whatever concoction they've made up. The 5 Star just seems to have it all, a cool place to hang out during the day and a hopping place on the weekend.
It's quite sad that this establishment which would be quite nice if not for  the rude trash that are the "bouncers". Firstly I would like to say that the bartenders were nice and being from Manhattan the bar was better than expected though certainly not of big city quality. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worst when my friend asked for a place to find "bud". Immediately without any clarification of what he was referring to was swept up in an unwarranted almost cinematic event which resulted in him being 86ed from the bar. As I was completely sober I approached the bouncer(s) inquiring about what was so wrong about using his first amendment right in a question. I was replied to in a matter similar to that of ill bread vulgar teenage response, complete with profanity and name calling. I did not retort in this matter rather maintaining an even tone and trying to understands the reasoning for this overreaction. When I made my first valid point I was told by the power hungry swine whom I believe Is called "Danielle" that she " doesn't give a fuck what my fucking stupid opinion is" immediately I was shocked as I did not realize that this young lady was not schooled in the subtle nuances of the differences between argument and debate. After I stated that my friend meant no harm however was shocked by the treatment he received I was told I too was no longer welcome and additionally "86ed" for having " a negative attitude". At this point the 10 young professionals and myself all left agreeing that this was not the type of establishment anyone gay or straight should be associated with due to an insatiable need for power amongst the " bouncers" or people who are not attractive or personable enough to be accrual bartenders.  If you are from a big city like LA, NYC, or SF. I suggest you don't waste your time with this one it's an absolute joke and the culture is much less sophisticated as I learned after my brief  encounter. Stay classy Reno.. At least try.
Review Source:We stopped in here Friday night on our own self designed pub crawl, based mostly on other yelper's reviews. We found it to be a laid back place to grab a couple of cold beers. While we're not of the same persuasion as the regular crowd, it was still an interesting visit, full of energy and people watching opportunities. I don't know about the one negative post below claiming that this wasn't a "real" gay bar. Now granted, I don't have much gay bar experience, but seeing the two dudes spooning one another while standing at the bar, was certainly gay enough for me. Not knocking them mind you, I knew what it was going in. The dress code for many seemed to be a combo funk/grunge, which they seemed to pull off. There were some fashion surprises, at least to me. Until that night, I had no clue that fuscia colored jeans were even available for men. Interesting as that was, if I were to give a gay fashion award, it would have to go to the guy wearing the "Tea Bag" tee-shirt. Across the top of his shirt read "I've been tea bagged", then running down his shirt was a list of ten or twelve locations. I simply had no idea that there were so many locations a young dude would choose to drink tea. Would we go back? I suppose we might, if we were wandering around downtown and felt we needed a shot of gayness.
Review Source:The head of security, Danielle, is very friendly and fun to chat with. Their bartenders are also friendly and entertaining. The drinks are reasonably priced. The crowd was well mixed with both female and male both gay and straight. They have a pool table and DJ on weekends. Only place I came all three days I was in town and will definitely be back the next time I'm in town.
Review Source:The 5 Star is just totally gorge! Well the place it's self isn't the prettiest but the vibe is:)
This place can get ANY straight man to dance and make any woman feel beautiful. The people that come here come to have a good time, dance and mingle. Never a bad time.
Only flaw is the bathroom sitch. How dare they not let my gf come inside with me! haha
Loves it.
Oh and it has not just 1 but 2 stripper poles!
first off, if you are looking for a true gay bar this is not the place. No  parking, Located in a bad area full of panhandlers and homeless people. Drinks are overpriced.  This bar is filled with adolecent imature twinks and straight girls and their "I am not gay" boyfriends and Old Chicken Queens. The weekend doorman is an arrogant jerk. the DJ sucks(probably 'cause he/she used to be the janitor) and the bar is "manned" by mostly butch women. So if your a gay man looking for a place to meet other men, go somewhere else. Yet another formerly gay owned bar taken over by the hetero money grabbing machine.
Review Source:It's a dirty dive of a gay bar, with horrible drinks, somewhat surly rough looking staff and some saucy "art" on the walls. Â They've recently tried to dress it up a little, adding a stage area with stripper poles. Â For the longest time 5star was my "safe" place to dance, but the gays have started to grope as well (or maybe they are just clever straight guys that assure you "It's okay! Â I'm gay!!!" while they try to slip their hands up your skirt and grind on you.) Â haha.
Still, fun times. Friendly diverse people. Â You'll go home reeking of smoke, but have some tales to tell.
First off, this is the only late night bar your going to want to go to on the weekends. Yes its traditionally a gay bar, but has a very diverse mixed crowd and is open to anyone.... so long as you are.
Great dancing, sarcastic fun bartenders, gaming, stiff drinks, and the only place you'll be able to hit up at 2 am and still have the party going strong.... a cage and stripper poles on the dance floor... seriously what more could you want?
Only con's is that it can be so crowded at times that drinks take awhile to get, and the bathrooms can have a line.... although they added a new bathroom recently that has helped out a bunch. I've never noticed the smoke in there but I'm not as sensitive as some other people so just be aware that smoking is allowed.
This place is like 1/3 of a block from my front door. They make a MEAN BITCHIN' LONG BEACH and to taste even. I don't like them sweet and they made me one of the most perfect I've ever tasted.
Seems to be a lot of lesbians on Friday but I talked to some (hetero) married chick all night. NO it wasn't that kind of night. But mannnnnn, i think after looking at my pants I walked home on my knees.
Fun place.
Gets really smoky, the dance floor is super tiny and get HOT but they've added some fan. There's a lot of fun people and people are what make the place.
This is definitely a nicer dive bar. They have music, dancing, pool tables and of course the bar. I've never been charged cover, so I'm pretty sure there's not one.
It is a gay bar, so if you have issues with that, well, we wouldn't like to see you there either. Oh, and they have a cage, which can cause all sorts of interesting things to happen.
Lines for the bathrooms are long so be prepared.
Props for showing "Bones" on the televisions at this bar. Â It's not the obvious choice (what with all the Bravo shows, etc.) but I've always felt it had a few gay-ish characters.
This place gets three stars simply for being a gay bar in Reno. Â It gave my queer ass a place to drink and bounce while in town for a brief visit. Â But come on, Reno, can't you do better?
I miss San Francisco. I miss the Castro, especially, so when my friends were like, "Let's go to 5 Star! It's a gay bar", I was out the door and waiting in the car before they could make a movement.
Obviously, the music is good. They have a cage you can dance in, a dance floor, and even pool tables!
Last night after a wine tasting my friend Kristen and I come here to just have a drink and hang out. They have VIDEO POKER on the BAR! We put a dollar in and play the 5cent poker deals, and I'm having a full blown conversation while getting plastered and typing away on the touchscreen like it's a keyboard, lightning fast. It's not a casino, so you don't have to worry about...it being a casino. And the drinks during happy hour are 2 dollars! That kind of thing is exciting for someone who is easily excitable.
Warning, though: the bartender pours a stiff drink, so don't burn bridges because you'll need them to pick you up that night and hold your hair back.
So we're from out of town and heard that this place had a cage that bears dance in. Â Upon hearing that, we of course had to check it out. Â The bartender told me they don't hire people to dance in it, it's pretty much whoever gets drunk enough to get in there is the night's entertainment. Â So I was kind of let down.
Review Source:This is a good hole-in-the-wall bar that most of the gays end up at sooner or later. Not too Twinkie, not too geriatric or Beary, not too much drug use, although enough to provide some people to laugh at.
With a long busy bar, pool tables, a dance floor, a dramatic curtained stage for occasional drag shows, and a tranny DJ to boot make this a solid hang out.
Drinks are cheap and strong. Â For a good social mix, it's best from 10pm-2am. During that time it goes from relaxed and fun, to energetic pub dancing, back and forth all night. Â There's usually a few straight young artsy folk from the bar next door, too. Â
Sometimes, although not frequently, it can get pretty seedy.  Messy trannies and methmaticians sort of randomly swoop in  The DJ is fairly competent, if a little scary. But don't request a song without a tip. Bitch'll cut ya.
The best place we found to dance in Reno, and amazingly, it had no cover! As Bill L. says, we totally fell in love with the DJ. We were so down with her choices (and her receptiveness to our many requests) on Friday night, that we came back on Saturday. We went in hoping that she'd play some Missy for us, and she's evidently a mind reader. Awesome.
Review Source:This place has the best DJ! Â Everything she plays is a hit. You will find it's impossible to wait for a crappy song to go to the bathroom or get a drink during. She played Lil Kim, Gaga, Britney, Luda, Salt n Pepa, Missy, Biggie, and not crappy remixed versions - just the pure unadulterated versions that everyone loves. Go here for a great dance party!
The space is great too. The dance floor doesn't feel too crowded. And the drinks were good and reasonably priced. The bathrooms are single serve, and the lines were never too long. It was also really easy stumbling distance to our hotel.
I rated this 5 stars, b/c in Reno, in my opinion, this was as good as it could get. Â WE actually started here...a little bit about my group, 2 men (partners) from Minneapolis, MN, 1 femme from Los Angeles and myself, the last femme from Austin, TX. Â The drinks were fun, the people got even more fun and the music was mostly like some 80's, 90's, some hip hop and then a couple of top 40 thrown in here and there. Â We actually started here and then left thinking we could 'up the ante' by finding something more fun but you know what? We came back. Â We danced...met some really fun people and drank way too much, which in my book equates to a really good time. Â Have fun out there! Â
P.S. They don't accept American Express. :)
Me and my sis just got back from Reno, a trip for her 30th birthday. Â We made it into this bar on Saturday at about 1 pm. Â We were walking to the river and were planning on going at night, but decided what the hell let's check it out. Â We were in heaven. Â The bartender made my sis a fruity number that was delicious, then 3 other patrons decided to follow suit and have one too. Â Then we started drinking Blue Hawaiians (we googled the recipe for him) and instantly he put it on the specials board at a discounted rate. Â There are a couple of best parts about this place. They have hookahs! Â They introduced us the the best shisha ever, the bartender was very knowledgable about Hookahing. Â They had all you can drink beer on Sunday for $10; I don't think they realize how much beer I can put down. Â
My only complaint was that on Saturday evening we started getting ignored; it was kind of strange because the bartender was so attentive up until that point. Â The wine walk started and people were getting ready to protest at city hall for Prop 8; but still no excuse to ignore your loyal customers that happen to tip really good and play amazing music on the juke box (ha ha I know that is up for discussion).
Had one of the gayest moments of my life here when I sat there, drinking a Manhattan, spying on some trannys and all of a sudden, I hear a Whitney song. Followed by a Vengaboyz song. Followed by that song that goes "All around the world/la la la la la la" that they used to play on 92.7 Energ non stop a few years ago.
It's hard to outgay my life. Kudos, 5 Star Saloon. I will be back to frolic in your booths.
This is my favorite gay bar in Reno. It's only crowded Saturday nights before 11pm, then everyone heads over to Tronix from there. So if you don't like crowded bars, go any other day. The drinks are really good, and the bartenders are always friendly. They even like to offer me interesting drinks that they come up with. I've experiemented with so many drinks here and I'd say you have to try a 'come fuck me'.
There is mostly an older crowd here, but if you like a low key, laid-back place to shoot some pool and grab some drinks, this is the place to do it.
PS Parking sucks.
My friends and I in Reno for a 3-day weekend, looking for a cool scene decided to step into the Five Star Saloon. Â This place has a nice location in downtown Reno, a short walk from the "main" hotels(Harrah's, Silver Legacy, Circus Circus, etc.). Â
As soon as you walk in there's a dance floor with a live DJ, which is awesome. Â Pool tables in the back and a pseudo cage off to the side. Â The folks who work here are super friendly and all around great. Â The bartender was dressed like the construction worker from the village people(Awesome!) and was the honest to goodness voice twin of Richard Simmons(Awkward).
The drinks left something to be desired, as the shooters weren't very potent and the Jack and Coke was basically Jack on the rocks. Â Needless to say I mostly stuck to what they had on tap, which was a paltry three selections(Bud Light, some Rainbow thing, and my choice Fat Tire).
Another thing that struck me as odd is that this place was pretty much empty on Saturday night of Labor Day weekend... Â Not that it would have helped me much since I'm not oriented to their typical clientele if you catch my drift... Â
All in all this seems like a decent place to hang, entertaining at the very least. Â Just be sure to stick to the beer...
We came here on a Saturday night where there weren't many people. Â You walk in and it's very much a dive bar. Â They're open 24 hours and hand out free condoms with "play safe, play hard" on their white board. Â In the front there is a stage and an area where you can dance. Â The bar is on the right side of the room and across from the bar is a faux cage. Â Basically, it's a round platform with bars going all around the platform. Â Further back you'll see 2 pool tables and the bathroom hall. Â
Drinks are well priced at about 5$ per drink. Â We had a shooter which was $5.50 each and a jack n coke for $5. Â The jack n coke was seriously all jack and maybe 2 splashes of coke. Â They don't joke around when they serve you here. Â The crowd seemed a little older than my group so maybe about 30's to 40's. Â
My favorite part of the night was when these 2 guys got into a fight. Â Sadly, not a fist fight or anything but one guy bitch slapped the other guy. Â Not sure what it was all about but the guy that got slapped had made a move on the other guy. Â It was just fun to watch as they were yelling at each other and shoving each other. Â
The other good thing is that the guys weren't all creepy, trying to come up to you and talk to you and touch you. Â Although, i did catch a few guys checking me out but it was harmless. Â Besides, i'd like to think that they are getting a treat when looking at me. Â Just my presence should be a treat. Â And this was my conceited moment of the day. Â
I think it's a pretty cool place to be. Â Not sure if the crowd gets any larger but I'd be curious to see how it is on a busier night.
why wouldn't you give five stars for a five star establishment?!!!
after me and my cheer mates were done being the grand marshalls in the Reno Pride 2008 parade, we all cleaned up and headed to five-star.
honestly...we had a BLAST.
the DragJay played anything you wanted, as long as you tipped her. Â the service was great and quick, AND they accepted atm cards. Â AND the drinks weren't overpriced. they also had a cigarette machine for all you smoke fiends. it's pretty spacious with a couple pool tables, the bathrooms were clean, and there was a nice dancing cage in the middle of the place....no i didn't use it....a lot.
cheers to this place!
Alright, so I have only been to this bar one time. It was our last stop at the very end of October's wine walk. We started the wine walk at 2pm and hit 20 other places before walking into the Five Star Saloon at 5 o clock. We were pretty much drunk when we walked in.
There was 3 guys and 3 girls in our party and we walked in, sat at the bar, and ordered some shots. The bartender was wearing a wig and lipstick and had a great sense of humor.
The shooters left something to be desired... But everyone who worked there was so friendly and personable that it kind of made up for it. Basically we were having such a good time, it didn't matter what we were drinking.
After several shots my girlfriends and I ended up dancing in the cage, and then next thing I know...it's 7:30 and 2 friends are in the bathroom throwing up, I have misplaced my wine glass and my sweatshirt. People are missing out of our party... The whole thing fell apart. But despite what happened after everyone drank themselves retarded, we definitely had a great time at the Five Star Saloon!
Okay. Next time I'm in Reno I'll be spending my Sunday afternoon here taking shots and then dozing by the river and then back to the saloon for more shots and then back to the river and so forth.....
I'm not sure how crazy it gets during the night, especially on the weekends, and perhaps i'd like a small glimpse into that for but only moment...but Sunday afternoons, that's where it's at.
Every time I go to Reno, I make it a habit to stop here for a couple of drinks at this lil gay bar.
This isn't your over crowded, trendy, over priced bars you see in the City, but rather a locals bar where the people are there to have a few drinks, listen to the juke box, play some pool , and make any outside feel like you've been coming here for years. Also, the crowd tends to be on the older side, but they do have hip hop nights, and drag shows. Bar itself  does need some work done to it, there doesn't seem to be any dcor to it. (plastic lawn chairs and a go-go cage next to each other) But, it does have a very warm and inviting atmosphere.
The night I was there I was having cosmos on the rocks. They use Skyy Vodka as their well vodka, and they do their job! That night I had some beads that I got from the Harrah's, and people were doing many things to get some. I had some people buying me drinks, and I even had women flash me for some beads!
The bar staff is very friendly, and they do a very good job to keep you with a full drink. The staff was even looking for me the next day according to my friends that went, by name I might add, but I was passed out in my room. Oh well, I will stop by again to say hi to Matt on my next weekend up in Reno.
My stars say it all 5 stars for the 5 Star Saloon. Â Granted its a gay bar, but the service, friendliness, hospitality these bar tenders give is great. Â Every time I go up to Reno I have to stop here at least one night. Â Well this past weekend I stopped twice. Â Its never the same bar tender when I go up but its always the same service. Â If you like your drinks strong then this is a good place. Â Our bar tender this weekend was Matt and he was a doll. Â Me and my friend had Cosmos and Long Islands. Â Let me tell you these where the best Long Islands I have ever had. Â I was highly impressed. Â Not over powered by any of the four liquors and not to sour from the sweet and sour and not to dark from the soda. Â It was perfect and it showed from the tip I left Matt. (no not in that way people, get your mind out the gutter). Â
This place does need a face lift but after a few times coming here you don't even notice the decor. Â Actually its not bad of a whole in the wall, really its not. Â The night we where there they had the exorcist playing on the TVs while listening to Hip Hop music in the back ground. Â This is my best choice of a bar outside of a casino.
You know how sometimes you plan to go to a bar, but when you get there, it's all jam-packed and people are spilling out onto the sidewalk and you can tell it will be a suffocating sweaty mess in there? Â And someone goes, "What do you think," and someone else goes, "Ehhh, it looks crowded," and then somebody says, "Or there's that bar right over there"? Â Well, that's how we ended up going to the Five Star Saloon after not going to the Green Room.
Compared to the Green Room, the Five Star was mercifully empty - about a dozen people were there on a Friday at 1:00 am. Â The building is large and kind of oddly shaped, and they've made some interesting decor decisions: on the side of the room opposite the bar, a couch is plunked down in the middle of a wall and floor paved with stones, and the bay windows in front are blacked out and separated from the bar by gauzy, colorful curtains. Â The dance floor has mirrored walls, candleabra-style sconces, and what I can only describe as a disco chandelier - a mirrored, geometric thing with several satellite disco balls around it. Â Did I mention that it's a gay bar?
The bar is pretty spacious, and they have a TV playing movies on one side. Â In the back is a pool room with a few tables. Â The bathrooms are unisex - two one-seaters - and are surprisingly clean and well-lit, so even girls may powder their noses without fear. Â There's a jukebox with an okay selection of songs, but for some reason it takes leisurely 30-second pauses between songs, which can really kill your dancing mood while you wait for whatever's up next. Â
Most of our group was drinking beer, but when I attempted to order a vodka cran, the bartender insisted on making me a pomegranate martini - it was really strong, but tart-sweet, and worth trying if you're into martinis. Â I wouldn't say the clientele was super-hott, but then, they'd probably say the same of me. Â
This is one of those sleepy little joints that you and your large group can pretty much take over, and feel like you've rented the place out just for yourselves. Â It's quiet enough to sit and talk at the bar, but still fun and loud on the dance floor. Â Only the slightly bizarre decor and the occasional hint of jankiness (e.g., plastic patio chairs for table seating) keep me from giving the Five Star five stars.
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