Pride is a really fun time to go because everyone hangs out on the patio. The stage is a wraparound, which makes it more exciting because it’s a 360 view while the queens move around. “The patio is the best in the Gayborhood. “I love Phoenix Rising,” says local Victor Hernandez. feature a dart tournament, with a $5 buy-in, and the bar matches the pot. The stage sees two big drag show performances per week: Friday nights hold the Twisted Sisters Review, and Saturday nights are the Gender Bender Lipstick Review. Phoenix Rising features a full bar with liquor, beer, wine and a frozen drink machine.
I always said, 'I aim to be like a Cheers bar where everybody knows everybody.’ Plus, there’s an amazing patio out back,” Poos says. But the idea for a gay bar came together, and everything eventually fell into place. Initially, they wanted to buy the property to have a restaurant of their own. Poos and his husband George Siemens have owned and operated Phoenix Rising for over 10 years. “You crash and burn, but you got to get up and keep going. He has a tattoo of the phoenix on his arm. “I am a believer in the myth of the phoenix,” says Phoenix Rising bar owner Craig Poos.
