The Gay Bar in
Gay (MI)

Very fun yooper bar where they have a famous phrase they say...." Hi can I push in your stool for you" .... they are a barrel of laughs I tell you!

Stopped in for a cold one while we were out on the trail.

Great group of regulars, had a loaf of the best bread I’ve ever had. Great visit

Im only here based on the viral video and i dont like how u say the bartemders arent rude or mean must be joking right?? You must not have seen the video. Frozen pizza ,chill, and hotdogs yall serve adults kids meals

Really cute Bar, great service and a delicious Bloody Mary. Happy Halloween and come on out for the live music!

Rode from Copper Harbor on sxs and stopped for a cocktail. My first time there and my last. The bartender seemed like we were a bother and wasn't friendly at all. I asked for a bloody mary but was told they don't have the stuff to make one. Smh What bar doesn't have bloody mary? It was the most unwelcome feeling I experienced. I will never go back or recommend them unless its under new management or new ownership.

Fun place, very fun workers who love to joke around, yet be attentive to their customers. Didn’t get to stay long unfortunately but loved my time there. Also love the Tshirts!! Good material with funny designs for only 18$ for Large!

The bar is in the very small town of Gay in the Upper Michigan penninsula. The bartender was very nice. He told us the history of the bar and town.. It's called the Gay Bar because the town is named for Joseph Gay, the director of a mining company during the mining boom of the early 1900's. Besides the usual drinks (and juice boxes and Jarritos soda for the kids), they serve sandwiches, pizza and snacks. The bar's claim to fame seems to be the large sign outside proclaiming its name, that people come to see and have their pictures taken in front of. While there, you can also check out the museum, housed in a former school building, that is located kitty-corner from the bar .

If you're doing a copper country cruise, this is a must stop. A classic community bar that's clearly been well loved for decades. To be perfectly clear, this isn't a swanky stop, it's a bit rough around the edges. That said, the service was great and the cocktails were surprisingly well crafted. Take a moment to look around the building at the historic photos and take in the t-shirts with a Rye twist on the name of the place.

Great place for a couple Alaskan bikers to stop off and grab some food. Beautiful ride out to it as well.

Was here during a weekday afternoon so it was pretty quiet. Loved getting out of the rain with a Moscow mule. Jokes aside it was a nice place. Looked like it used to be an old schoolhouse or church.

Had an awesome time! Quaid and Blake had tons of stories. No draft beer, only cans. Pizza was pretty good! We also snagged some local Gay Honey. Also, if you’re there when Blake is bartending, you can get some niiiiice cocktails. The shirts were absolutely hilarious. The review about “you might be welcome if you’re republican,” I get what you’re saying, but I’m a queer woman from downstate and I felt nothing but welcomed by the bar staff. (But also I don’t tend to go to UP bars and expect them to be politically aligned with me. I don’t talk about politics at bars lol.) I’d say it’s definitely worth a stop if you’re heading up to Copper Harbor!

Blake is so much fun you won’t stop laughing, so witty and knowledgeable of the area. Special touches to his drinks and they are all made with love. The rum old fashioned was top notch and made with homemade allspice. The atmosphere inside is just a great group of people ready to meet and mingle and laugh.

The greatest bar on Traverse Bay. Excellent and knowledgeable service. Food was truly just what I needed. All the local animals appear to saunter to this watering hole, which makes it fun and full of good conversation. This is the type of place you have to stop-by whether you're travelling through once, or it's the 100th time in the Keweenaw. Check it out. Blake was a stand-up dude.

We were so excited about this and left feeling very let down. The food was very overpriced and awful quality. The chicken wings were super dry and everything else was very “meh” in flavor. The drinks were overpriced as well…I’m talking $15 for a cocktail. You would think a place charging top dollar would go above and beyond to make sure you had a good experience. The employee forgot some of our food and drinks and was still a prick to us. We did not feel welcome the entire time.

This place reminded me of a VFW or something. Very eclectic folks. The owner/bartender (I’m assuming he’s the owner) was attentive. He sold us some local honey from his struggling bee hive but it was quite funny to read the labels. Apparently around 30 people live full time in gay MI. I’d highly recommend you support this business and community. The only thing I’d say could be better is they do not have tap beer. Very good can/bottle selection though but I’m a draft guy. Didn’t have their food but people were ordering food as well. Only one person running the place.

We got here 45 minutes before they opened and didn’t have time to wait. But got a photo op! Beautiful area

Popped in with some friends and were treated by Jennifer who was an absolute angel. The mixology here is top notch and the food was fresh and delicious. Definitely try the Blind Robin. Good people good vibes. I can't wait to come back.

This was such a let down! Went to get lunch August 3rd and were snapped at by one of the bartenders that only frozen pizzas could be ordered, but that another bartender had to take drink orders if we wanted drinks… ok... The second bartender could barely pour three sodas, and the two bartenders couldn’t stop complaining about how they would only serve pizzas and no one could order any other kind of food because there were too many people in the bar (maybe 15-20 max) and between two people they couldn’t manage food and drinks. After one table ordered several pizzas, they cranked the music so loud the remaining patrons, us included, left. We had a group of 11 who were more than willing to order food and drinks but the snark attitude made the wait not worth it at all. I wouldn’t recommend nor would I ever return.

Saw the mixed reviews and figured I’d try it for myself. It’s not a “must stop” as some others have stated unless youre after novelty or want a souvenir (will admit they have pretty good shirts); it’s just a small town bar. Bartender was friendly and effective but they don’t really have menus; I got a brew and an Italian hot dog which was pretty good considering it was microwaved (you can hear the thing running in the “kitchen”). Prices were fine but higher than they should be considering the value you’re getting. No tvs on or music playing, bit of an awkward vibe with just a few locals in there. No real complaints, it was completely mediocre and apart from the novelty of ~Gay~ there isn’t really a point imo I can see it being a nice stop for ORV riders as they sell beer and fuel but beyond that, meh. **cash only but they did have an atm

What seemed like would be a fun stop like Hell, Michigan turned out to be a bore. Went inside and it was completely dry -- no music, no talking, just a few locals sat at the bar -- and a single staff on duty who was very overworked. Food was just microwaved, the nachos still came in a bag, and the merchandise we were interested in was out of stock. Only lucky think was that a honeymooning group came in near the end of our visit and improved the atmosphere. Should also note that they're cash only.

Great drinks!!!! Unfortunately, on the day we went, the only menu options were pizza and fried foods.

Great Bloody Mary. It's not a mix it's made from scratch, and you can tell. Lots of flavor. Love my T-shirt. Fun place if I didn't have Bagel with me would have hung out and eaten. Great service.

Been coming here many years, mostly for the puns haha. Seriously, though, great bar run by great people. And for those looking for the finer things, cannot recommend the smoked Old Fashioned enough. Spent six years in Memphis and so many bottles of bourbon. That cocktail is something special. Best stop you'll ever realize you've been missing!!!

Small town bar with some funny shirts. Not very woke and gonna need to grow some tough skin if you are sensitive to dark humor. Nice little hole in the wall, but the bartender was not a very helpful guy to the girls in the group that had a few questions. He was more the tell me what you want and get it kinda guy.

It was a fun stop. Filled with locals. It’s a minimal menu of food/snacks, but a fun stop overall. Hotdogs, burgers, chips and cheese, and pizza are on the menu with a couple other things.

The Gay bar is very cool. The town doesn't have much left. But the bar had some old pictures of how it used to be. The Bartender was awesome. Made us feel at home and gave us directions for things in the area. Lots of souvenirs to choose from. We will definitely be back. P.s. if you walk past the big smoke stack in town there are ruins behind it. We walked around and took pictures. It was cool to see the ruins and then the old pictures.