Bar-Hopping in Santa Rosa

The delicious baked-potato fondue at Stark's Steakhouse. Photo by Andrew Collins

Although it’s the largest municipality in Sonoma County, the city of Santa Rosa doesn’t actually have any gay bars per se. One thing I’ve discovered, having ventured out to socialize and imbibe on various occasions here, however, is that the city doesn’t in any way lack for gay-welcoming nightspots. Numerous bars, lounges, restaurants, and coffeehouses in the city’s bustling downtown – especially around charming and historic Railroad Square – draw a significant GLBT presence. Here are two spots I strongly recommend.

For early-evening noshing and sipping, I’m partial to Stark’s Steakhouse, a rambling, warmly lighted restaurant with a huge stone fireplace and a long bar that packs ‘em in throughout the evening. Try visiting during Happy Hour (3 to 6 pm on weekdays), when several exceptionally tasty appetizers are yours for a song – just $1.50 for truffle fries or prime meatloaf sliders, and $3.50 for the decadently tasty potato skin fondue. Drink specials include $2 Beefeater martinis along with several other cocktails. At any time of the evening, Stark’s is a fine choice for sipping wine (there’s an excellent by-the-glass list) and people-watching.

Moonlit night at The Belvedere. Photo by Andrew Collins

It’s a short drive from downtown, but another quirky bar worth investigating is The Belvedere, a low-keyed bar set on the ground floor of a towering wood-frame Victorian house. Inside you’ll find pool tables, an air-hockey table, a rockin’ juke box, and a bar dispensing plenty of good brews on tap, well-mixed cocktails, and several wines by the glass. The kitchen also turns out a decent burger. The big attraction, however, is the enormous tree-shaded patio – it’s a lovely place to chit-chat with friends on a moonlit evening. The Belvedere’s crowd is a catch-all of greater Santa Rosa’s social scene – gays and straights, students and professionals, hipsters and lounge-lizards.