Rooster Fish

I visited tonight with a few of my fellow law enforcement people (fed). No show, just regular guys out to shoot pool and have a few drinks. First the bartender shortchanged me - no not fifty cents, but $3.50. When questioned he said he had poured to top shelf drinks - one of which was not ordered. Later in the evening he watched some street person whom he acknowledged as his friend, drink from my drink and play with the contents. Of course one of my buddies saw this and immediately told me. Without further consideration I asked the bartender to replace the drink. He rudely pushed the compromised drink back to me and said "It is yours". When I identified myself and said I was very unhappy that he would think his friend drinking from and playing with the contents of my drink was a serious matter, he asked the bouncer to eject me and the only other person whom he knew was with me. I left without incident but I was traveling in an unmarked vehicle and recorded the license number of every car in the neighborhood. Only needed mind you, If it becomes necessary to depose the patrons in the bar. Don't go there, crooks and the staff lets unsavory people in to play and drink on your dime. Want a disease or feel dirty -- go there, otherwise stay away. BTW, the one star is the minimum. I would use a 1% if I could. Pros: Nearby MDR and Venice Cons: Total disregard for customer, short changing bartenders more

This is a typical quiet dive bar - a bit dark and dirty with cheap drinks. Nothing particularly special about it, but it serves its purpose. I went to Rooster Fish on a Friday night. The place was not crowded at all, which is fine with me. The problem was that the bartenders were obnoxiously rude. I made eye contact with one of the bartenders on duty, signaling that i wanted to order a few drinks. He nodded his head, and then proceeded to talk to his friend for the next five minutes before taking my order - completely ignoring me in the meantime. He rolled his eyes when i asked for a beer. I don't get it, what part about ordering a beer necessitates eye rolling? You'd think that at such a slow bar, the bartenders would be able to focus a little bit more on customer service. Anyway, my friends and I didn't bother staying for a second round. I'm not planning to return anytime soon. Pros: laid-back atmosphere Cons: rude bartenders more

We went to order our 3rd round of drinks . I ordered 2 drinks which came up to 16$ . I thought i had 20$ bill , but it ended up being a 10$ bill . I told the bartender what happened . He just took the money from my hand and said go get the money from the ATM ( which is like a 5 min walk ) and you can take the drinks . Then , i said i will come back and pay for the drinks as a whole . He refused to give my money back and started signalling the bouncer . The next day i called the the bar to complain , Basically , he stole money from me . He took 10$ from me and didnt give me anything for that . I cannot imagine worse customer service . more

The drinks were terrible, come on guys! The bartender was colder than the beer. There is nothing worse than that, so unfriendly, if you are reading this guys please lighten up! The parking lot? Please maybe 6 spaces, there is no parking and there is no valet. This is a male gay establishment with pictures of fully n**e* men on the wall. This is not a place for women straight or gay. Straight girls who take umbridge to this, go have yourself a lukewarm beer by a rude bartender and get back to me. The nice things? There is a patio out back where you can smoke and drink. The guy checking IDs was a doll! Would I come back? I might BUT only during daylight to have a margarita on Wednesdays when they are half price. Might being the operative word. They ONLY take cash and there is no ATM there, BTW... Cheers! Pros: the doorman, decent smoking patio Cons: crappy pool table, indifferent bartender, yucky drinks more

I went there a few nights ago for the first time. I was very suprised to find a gay bar in Venice. I have lived in LA for 10 years and never knew this place existed. I visited on a Saturday with a group of friends. I found the doorman to be sooooooo nice. And good looking. He told me all about the history of the place. I went there with straight freinds and we all had a good time, nothing riotous, but a good time. The bar and clientele were tame. Nothing over the top. No WEHO type of mentality was to be found. I would go back again if I were in the neighborhood. Continued success. Pros: Only Game in Venice Cons: Parking more

It's too bad that a rude bartender ruins an otherwise fun place to hang out. I went there for the first time last night - tipped the bartender all night for my drinks- then towards the end of the night I only had a five and a fifty dollar bill left so I paid him for my beer with the five. Immediately he makes a nasty comment about me being cheap. Don't go to Roosterfish if you expect friendly service. more

I live down the street from the bar so frequently go there. All of the guys are really nice and friendly and the atmosphere is laid back. The one thing that we can never figure out is why are the bartenders so nasty. I mean flat out rude. It is as if they are angry that there are customers in the bar. They will demean a customer for not leaving enough tip. Try giving good service guys - you might get better tips. Pros: Great crowd, cheap drinks Cons: rude bartenders, rude owners, slow service more

Friday is always the busiest night, drawing in everything from the WeHo crowd to Silverlake hipsters that dare to make there way west for one night. Saturdays are mostly locals, so get to know one! Sundays special is a $2.00 Bloody Mary!, & $2.00 Burgers and Hot dogs on the patio grill! Get's busy with the after beach crowd and did I mention they have the best Jukebox on the Westside...every thing from The LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk to Chaka Khan & Maria Carey. Best day of the year to come here is for the Abbott Kinney Festival Sept. 25, it's packed and crazy! Pros: Cheap Drinks, Great Jukebox, Smoking Patio Cons: Parking more

bartenders are terrible and will ruin your evening. i used go to here a lot. now i go once every 6 months. bartenders are consistently rude, arrogant, and nasty -- and never seem to get replaced. once, after buying drinks over several hours, i ran out of money...i asked for tap water and the bartender, who hit on me earlier in the night, wouldn't give me any...he complained that the bar wouldn't make any more money off me if he gave me tap water. my friends and i immediately walked out. another time (also friday), the other regular bartender complained about the tip ($2 for three drinks). so, we left after our first round of drinks. this used to be one of the few good gay bars in town. but now that there are other great options, so there's no need to spend time or money at roosterfish. Pros: good location Cons: rude bartenders, arrogant bartenders, nasty bartenders more

I have never been to a bar where girls were so blatantly discriminated against! The bartender flat out refused to serve me, then called me cheap for shorting the tip when I finally DID get served. What could be a really cool bar (and probably is if you're a boy) is ruined by the bartender with a chip on his shoulder. Boo. Pros: cheap drinks, eye candy, good music Cons: nasty bartender, nasty bartender, nasty bartender more

I luv a bartender who can surprise me with yummy drinks. Skeith and all the guys at THE 'Fish keep this place fun.... I would definately drive up from Orange County to visit this place again and again, keep up the great work guys! Pros: good drinks, inexpensive, nice & fun crowd Cons: street parking more

This is a pleasant change from the WeHo gay bar scene. Folks are friendly, actually engage in conversations and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The down home atmosphere, the backyard grilling on weekends and the nice low drink prices add to the appeal of the place. A great place to head to after an afternoon at the beach but also a good spot on a friday or saturday night if you want a pleasant change of pace. Pros: refreshingly unique, pool darts, reasonable prices Cons: small space, long drive more

I like this bar, but I'll never understand why the patio closes so early. Other places on Abbot Kinney are able to leave their patios open late: Joe's, Lilly's, Fabio (when it was still there). So why can't Roosterfish? Anyway, the drinks are really cheap. I don't think anything costs more than $5. The guys inside are nice and they're pretty much all gay, so single girls can go in and not be hit on constantly like down the street at the Circle Bar. Just don't take over the place and everything will be fine. Pros: cheap drinks Cons: parking more

Overall, I think the Roosterfish is a good bar. I just happen to disagree with name (wink, wink). The drinks are stong. As I recall they have daily drink specials so it won't cost you fortune to get a good buzz going. My only complaint is that the patio closes too early because they have to accomodate their neighbors. Afterward, smokers are stuck out in the boring alleyway. Wish they could keep the patio open longer. But the bartenders and crowd are usually laid back and very friendly, so this almost makes up for it. Pros: strong drinks, drink specials, pool table Cons: patio closes early more