The Hawk

New in Town

Heres the view from a relatively new Clevelander (grad student from Charlotte NC): Several friends told me how good the Hawk is. Went with a couple of guys one night during the workweek and the regulars were friendly enough. Not too exciting. The bartender was a short old guy who liked to make silly jokes. Not a very cool hangout. Gave it another chance on the weekend by myself as my friends like to dance and I just wanted a place to chill. Wow! What a change. The OK regulars were gone and the place was full of trashy white guys and scary looking black homeless people. Quite a few women. Were they lesbians- I dunno. Didn't care to find out. Here's some good news for you: the straight bar next door ("Now That's Class") was a riot! Bartenders were cool, crowd was fun. If you're gay but straight acting and don't care about getting laid, check out "Class" and forget the Hawk. As a music fan, Class was great, live bands were playing and had a lot of fun. Hawk looks like an old skool eighties post-AIDS dump. Can't believe they still make gay bars like this anymore. Way to go Cleveland!

Puked in my mouth

fat old guys, queeny bottoms, and social misfits fill up this place. Unless you adore Kesha, Britney, Lady Gaga and other crappy music blaring at you all night long, you won't have fun here.

Rough trade

Yeah, its not your older brother's gay bar, more like your father's, back in the pre-Stonewall days. Full of dirty old men, the occasional trans person, plus the required twinks and beards, the Hawk is truly a blast from the sordid past, before dance clubs, shiny people, and the cool kidz became out and proud. The Hawk, though, really attracts a rougher, although not necessarily tougher, crowd than Cocktails or Man's World. Whereas the Cocktails and Man's World crowds tend to run toward rent boyz and confused straight/bi-curious types, the Hawk is definitely gay. Instead of Abercrombie or Hollister types, like at Hush or Bottoms Up or Twist, the Hawk feature leathermen tired of the "leather" bars, horny old dudes, horny young dudes in search of old dudes, and every variety of bear, cub, otter, and other out-of-shape hairy dudes you can think of. Not many black guys come here, but when they do, most of the whites tend to leave. More tough guy attitude than actual fights, although white trash guys sometimes throw punches to everyone's entertainment. If you have the stomach, or the horniness for good old fashioned American trash, then stop at the Hawk. Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays are usually the best.

The hawk is a great place!

I don't get any of the bad reviews, it's a bar! it's not a sissy bar, or a twink bar, it's a neighborhood bar! it's not flashy and fancy and it's not filthy like some of these idiots say it is.... it's a guys bar! filthy and nasty is mans world, cocktails and stallion and that includes the people who go there. A lot of people are regulars at the hawk, get to know them, it's not cruisy and young and not for pretentious types. once you get to know some of the people it's a blast to be there and same goes for getting to know the bartenders... so dont knock the bar cuz no one talked to you or the potty was not clean or a bartender was rude ( which means you were rude) and dont knock the atmosphere, its a local regulars bar and if you act like you just came from bounce or twist then you wont fit in. its casual and people are themselves! it's a bar not a palace!

Skip it!

Weird people, bad music, screaming beards. Is this what Cleveland wants in a community bar? Like i said, skip it.