Tremont Lounge, Columbus

About Tremont Lounge

Tremont Lounge is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in Columbus, serving the Brewery District as a gay bar since 1987 — though the building itself goes back generations, having opened as a steakhouse in the 1940s. A 2004 renovation added hardwood floors and the wide accordion-style front windows that open onto South High Street, while keeping the historic bar with its original black-and-white tiling intact. The reputation here is 'Cheers'-style: a neighborhood staple where the staff and longtime regulars trade first names and a newcomer gets folded in fast. The week stays low-key and dependable — karaoke on Wednesdays and Saturdays, drag shows on Thursdays and Sundays — and the private, heated back patio means the outdoor hang doesn't shut down when the weather turns. It's the easygoing, lived-in counterweight to the city's bigger club nights, and a good first stop for getting the temperature of gay Columbus outside the Short North.