gentleM

I've had to revise my review because what I've experienced during my visits over the past few weeks has been anything but pleasant. December 12th (Friday) in particular prompted me to speak up. I'm not a regular there, so I can't say how often this happens, but to inform future guests, I'm sharing my impressions here: Twice now, they haven't had any Haan beer, which I find truly unacceptable in a bar. Furthermore, on my last visit, the women's restroom was only partially usable, and then it was covered in urine on the seat and floor. No one seemed to care. Another thing no one seems to care about is the safety of the guests. I've witnessed several times now that it takes quite a while for the waiter to remove unpleasant people. In a place that claims to be a safe space—which GentleM asserts—I expect the staff to take action to remove unwelcome guests as quickly as possible. It's not like they care about the safety of the guests. I haven't sung much myself and usually only go there for alcoholic drinks, but you can definitely tell the difference between the DJs. Even while smoking, you can hear what other guests think of what's going on, and I have to say that the young men who have hosted their Schlager/Après-Ski parties in the past didn't appeal to me either. Nice music, no doubt, but in my opinion, not appropriate for a gay bar. There was nothing particularly varied about the evenings. You could also tell that the young men weren't very attentive to managing the karaoke waiting list. It wasn't divided fairly, and I'm used to the DJ sorting everyone so that they could sing at least once. Regarding the value for money, I can only say that I find the drinks far too expensive for what they taste like. I enjoy vodka and energy drinks in bars, but the energy drink here just tastes awful, and charging €7.90 for it is frankly outrageous. It was also noticeable that the young men weren't very attentive to the karaoke waiting list. For anyone interested in karaoke, I strongly recommend finding out beforehand who the DJ is on the night you're planning to go, so you know whether it's worth your while or not. I also advise pre-drinking, as there's a chance the drinks won't taste good or the fridge won't have the beverage you want.

I went to karaoke yesterday. It's a nice event in principle, but does every song really have to be played for 10 minutes (and this is just my opinion) of awful Latin beat music? There's absolutely no variety in the music, and nobody wants to dance to it (and nobody did). Meanwhile, everyone waits forever for their turn, and as soon as there are more than 15 songs on the list, nobody dares to add anything else because they don't know if they want to put up with it for another two hours. For people with stage fright who need to spend an hour drinking to work up the courage, it's doubly bad. I think it's a really strange policy. Is the idea to make people stay longer and consume more? It's backfiring badly. Please decide whether it's supposed to be a karaoke event (maybe with a danceable track between songs when the list is empty) or a Latin beat party.

This was my fourth time going to karaoke in Dortmund, and I really like the bar. The atmosphere is very welcoming, and I found both the hosts and guests to be very open and friendly every night. Full marks from me for mindfulness and inclusion, just as I've come to expect from the queer community. The prices are reasonable, and the cocktails are made with care. The karaoke hosts all did a fantastic job with the technical aspects and supporting the singers. My only criticism (which is why I won't be bringing any more newcomers for the time being) is that three out of four hosts, despite a full waiting list, still included some very long filler songs between the singers' numbers. Newbies, who often only get around to signing up late, frequently miss out on a chance to sing.

Visit on Friday, December 12, 2025 Unfortunately, the karaoke night at Gentlem Dortmund was a huge disappointment. The karaoke DJ kept having the same people sing, while many other guests waited in line for a long time, sometimes in vain. It was particularly annoying that both the DJ himself and the bartender sang multiple times, even though numerous paying customers were patiently waiting their turn. While musical taste is subjective, the music selection that evening was very monotonous (downbeat music) and had a dampening effect rather than enhancing the atmosphere. A good party atmosphere simply didn't materialize, which was evident in the growing frustration of many guests. For the future, I would like to see a fairer and at least somewhat mixed waiting list, like the one I'm used to at my regular karaoke bar, so that different guests have the chance to sing and the same people aren't always given preferential treatment. In the future, I would like to see a fairer and at least somewhat mixed waiting list, as I know it from my usual karaoke bar, so that different guests get the chance to sing and the same people aren't always given preferential treatment. While musical taste is subjective, the music selection that evening was very monotonous (downbeat music) and had a detrimental effect. In its current form, unfortunately, it wasn't a successful karaoke evening.

Today (Friday, December 12, 2025) was simply incredibly disappointing. The DJ didn't care at all about giving everyone a chance to sing. Instead, he and the bartender kept taking turns singing, sometimes even multiple times in a row, while other guests hadn't had a single turn. Sorry, but other DJs do this much better. And the waiting was made even longer by simply playing several songs after someone's turn, leaving no one else to sing. Perhaps it's not such a smart move to have the staff sing on a karaoke night, rather than letting the guests, with no one else singing for three to five songs in between.

My experience at the bar was unfortunately extremely disappointing. I was there today and got the impression that the intended queer, safe space was completely undermined by the song selection and the team's reactions. When a song was played that many people, for good reason, find problematic, an announcement was made—it started strong, but then clearly lost its clarity and consistency. In the end, it seemed to me as if they were trying to please everyone rather than taking a clear stance. For a bar that sees itself as open, queer, and diverse, this situation was very irritating and disappointing for me personally. The atmosphere didn't feel like a safe or supportive space at all. I wouldn't recommend it.

Friendly bar with regular karaoke nights. A great place to go. The only downside: a "normal" track is always played between the karaoke songs. This disrupts the flow and unfortunately makes the wait unnecessarily long, sometimes very long. It's really not necessary – you can see well in advance when it's your turn. Other places manage it. Hence the one-star deduction.

Nice cafe-bar lounge and attentive staff

I've enjoyed going to your bar for years, but after Gersten, I won't set foot in it again. We're also considering whether to file a complaint due to the legal situation. Turner is working against this place, not for it. You should keep a closer eye on him before the place becomes really unpopular. I don't wish that for the owner; I liked him.