My son just got home from a night out with his friends at Babylon. When he and his friend we leaving the so called security guards or bouncers called my son and accused him with sleeping with a man. His friend to his surprise was also been held against his will and accused of fighting. They were then told they have to pay R1000 have you ever heard of such a request. We own a club and our job is to charge young adults for sleeping with men. My son and his friends were out with family and friends that are aware of the two accusations. My so. Refused to pay and asked for footage. The guy said there is no footage. He then realized they could not get R1000 out of them they said they have to pay R200. So it seems there is a syndicate group extorting money out of young adults they seem to be new to the club. Please let me know if anyone else has experienced this I would like to open a case. My son has the proof of the withdrawal that the security from inside Babylon asked him to withdraw This wrong what happened and it is theft what happened. There are so many other things that happened. The Uber driver even warned my son and co that he hears so many weird stories! When he picks people up from Babylon.
Price per person
R 500+
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1
Parking space
Not sure
Parking
Not applicable

Had a really disappointing experience. This business shows no professionalism nor demonstrates any morals or ethics. They do not care about the well being of their patrons, the focus is clearly money driven. There was an altercation inside the venue where a man continuously pushed me with all his force, the bouncer was standing in front of us yet did nothing about this man. My partner confronted the man after the third time pushing me, to which the bouncer grabbed my partner and i aggressively and kicked us out. We tried to calmly speak to the bouncers outside, asked them to look at the camera footage as we did nothing wrong - to which they responded by shouting, swearing at us and pushing my partner multiple times. I then tried to speak to a bouncer who continued to forcefully push me in the chest , a 22 year old female, not showing any signs of threat. The bouncers are abusive and know nothing about diplomacy, clearly taking advantage of the “authority” they think they so highly have. Tried to speak to a “manager” to which he responded “I saw the camera footage, i see you did nothing wrong but it’s up to the bouncers.” Uhm last time i checked, a professional business does not leave bouncers with more authority than the manager. Babylon really needs to reconsider their staff and ethical conduct. It’s disgusting.

Rude bouncers, rude door staff, RUDE manager. Unbelievably bad experience. The booths are ridiculously expensive even though they are not private whatsoever and all regular customers who didn’t pay for the booth can just walk in and sit there too. Payed R1500 for a “booth”, which is actually just a small table that supposedly accommodates 8 people, which it would definitely not. Firstly nobody helped us find our booth, we asked staff where it was and we were told they don’t know Once we found the booth, I was told they actually booked out the booth I already payed for in advance to someone else on the night. Then I was made to feel like I was in the wrong, was asked to show proof of payment and proof of me booking the booth. I was then given the “R5000” booth for free, which is literally right next to the R1500 booth, all connected by 1 couch with a few separate tables. Pathetic “VIP” area, pathetic service. Unfortunately after our first time at Babylon, we will never be back.

Decided to go to this bar since it was only 6 minutes from where I was staying. When I arrived the line was VERY long and hectic. There was a man and a woman working the front door. The man was selectively letting people skip the line. There was no order at all in the line. So many people kept skipping that it increased the wait time for those of us who were patiently waiting. This club needs someone to monitor the middle and end of the line, not just the front. It was so unfair that groups of people were walking to the front of the line, skipping people, and getting away with it! Things like this can lead to conflict and tensions were DEFINITELY rising around me. I heard the man at the front tell a guy trying to skip that he can let him in but not his 6 friends that also wanted to skip the line. I’m from Florida and things like this lead to people getting jumped and unnecessary drama. Do better Babylon. Not impressed at all

I cannot stand the manager, Brandon. He is not fit to run a business and has absolutely no business-sense or expertise. He is unprofessional, childish, rude, standoffish, and dismissive. I lodged a claim of abuse against a bouncer with the manager, and Brandon, the so-called “manager”, dismissed me and attempted to reject my opinion and gaslight me into thinking that the bouncer, against whom my complaint was lodged, was not at fault. It did not work. When I refused to oblige in his misled and antediluvian opinion, he kicked me out of his club. He is a child. I will NEVER attend this club again. It is in the best interests of the shareholders to reconsider their manager. You do not want someone who dismisses clients’ abuse, complaints, or hurt. This is the most revolting service I have experienced in years.

Gay Bar? Sorry… No… Maybe Gay-Friendly It’s probably about the only upmarket bars in Joburg and they know it… and therefore, milk it for everything it’s worth. Entrance and drink prices verge on exploitative. The place is basically 80% straight on a good night, so don’t be fooled by the rainbows and “iconic drag” performers (iconic for what?). It’s just to lure you in and basically bankrupt you. The bartenders are/were adorable and friendly… HOWEVER, another example of how they have kind of dropped their “gay bar” status can be seen in the change from hunky male bartenders to pretty blonde bar ladies… Oh and it’s basically at 300% capacity on a Friday or Saturday (COVID who?). It’s so sad and I’m super sorry for anyone wanting a GAY night on the town in Joburg. Used to be great...

I had the worst experience with the manager. He is unprofessional, rude and wouldn't even let me voice my complaint before saying "I'm very busy so get to your point my staff did nothing wrong" Afterwards, I told him that I don't want to complain I just want to understand why the bouncers are so rude even though I had my ID and was well over age. He started yelling at me and told me to leave. I've been going to Babylon for 5 years and I will never go again - I hope that whoever hired this man is aware of the egotistic behavior involved in the way he treats customers. It's actually quite sad that a management position at a night club could blind you with such power, maybe a proper candidate should be considered.

Been here an few times and it's always awesome. Don't know what's changed there but it left a bad taste in my mouth .I felt so unwelcome & embarrassed bringing new ppl there .The bouncers& ladies at the door were VERY hostile towards us with ID issues ( we are in our mid 30's) zero logic or understanding and MAX hostility. Try Treat ppl with respect and hospitality. We were of no threat,early to the party and hadn't been drinking . Change your attitude and approach. I've literally changed this to 1 star . You guys have had the same review from numerous ppl!! Change the management!!!!!. 12/04/2022: And a copy -paste reply. Need I say more .

Waiting for Uber and my phone got Grabbed. Was running after the guy nobody helped. The security at the entrance just laughed. Went to the Security at Babylon and they said sorry it is not their place their security ends at the door. 4 other people the same story. The place is over crowed and if you place you drink on the bar and dance the moment you turn around your drink is gone and you have to order a new one. I have to say the manager and bounces was accommodating because I was furious. They really need to look into keeping their patrons safe inside and out. Needless to say I will never go back there.

First time here. paid a fortune for the booth, only to wait for an hour and witness my girlfriend being grabbed and yelled at by the manager, Seth, because she complained about being put in the wrong booth, as they overbooked ours. Seth threatened to kick my girlfriend out after she had to physically take his hand off of her, he kept trying to grab her and kept yelling at her. A little bit after, he apologized, but then threatened to kick her out again when she explained that she was sorry for being rude but she does not want to be grabbed by strangers. We won't be back.

keep an eye out on your bills guys! Bartenders are now charging you a service fee for every single round of drinks that you buy! It’s ridiculous. I find it extremely unfair that I must tip a bartender for every drink I buy. Quite honestly as a customer I am not obligated to pay such a service fee for every round of drinks. this is not fair to the consumers as your drinks are already so expensive especially after we also have to pay entrance ! R60 for two bottles of water and then a service fee on top of that? you must be joking

The concept is lovely and I can see how gay youth are attracted to the idea of this place but i must say how disappointing it kinda is to go there. - the alcohol is unnecessarily expensive. Like I understand clubs markup their prices but y’all mark it up insanelyyyy - the amount of people let in is kind of dangerous. You can barely move. Without giving 20 random people lap dances. - the crowd is too straight. - the music is a bit outdated. I’ve been here twice and the DJ played the same songs from 15 years ago, just in a different order.

Unfortunately, this space has been taken over by the straights. To be clear, there are gay ppl, mainly tourists and gay staff, but the overwhelming number of young girls, and their male partners, who trying to be different by going to a gay club, makes the gay clientele an after thought. The high cost of admission is also a deterrent for any level of diversity. Bottom line, if you are 27 and younger, give it a try, all other gays may be dissatisfied. O yeah, the music is outdated and disjointed.

Not a good place, apart from it being the only gay bar in JHB: a few times now that things have been stolen from my friends , so experienced pick pocket thieves lurking around! some of the bar staff are so arrogant and unfriendly, the other staff members are excellent. But the thing that put me off completely is that there was someone urinating by the bar, sis! I guess its not Babylon’s doing but I wont go back there! Please someone ! open a new gay bar!

Great bar. Really fun place to go have a joll at. The hot guys don’t hurt either Hahahaha. *Revision* went a second time and kinda disappointed. Noting really monumentally bad happened but just an all round uncomfortable experience. Between highly priced drinks, getting shoved around by rude drunk girls and (in my opinion) obscenely excessive entrance and staff that didn’t seem particularly friendly, I have to say I didn’t have an enjoyable time at all.

I love Babylon, my friends and I went there all the time, the bouncer is really friendly but the manager is not, since the new policy of being 19 and over it has been a struggle as two of us are 19 and one almost turning 19, we were turned away multiple times and when we spoke to the manager about the false advertisement as well he shouted at us and was quite rude, saying no exceptions even though many under 18s were allowed to pass through

In my most recent visit (Saturday, 08th October 22), there were way too many bachelorette parties at once and it was extremely overcrowded. However, the highlight of my negative experience that night was how deafeningly loud the music was - my entire group of 13 people all felt the same. Management needs to reconsider how many bachelorette parties they have at a time, and more importantly, how ear-splitting their music is.

I’d love to extend the love I have to the OG Babylon The Club in Centurion several years back but unfortunately it’s just not possible. This place is too small, the crowdedness can be incredibly overwhelming, to make matters worse you’ll likely pay an entrance fee and then still face the wrath of overcharged prices on their drinks. For what it’s worth I did have some great nights there but was very few and far between.

I was pickpocketed within 10 min of arriving, alerted security and they shrugged their shoulders and said nothing they can do. Multiple friends tell the same story as this. Service is slow, it's expensive, it's overcrowded for how small the place is. Having my phone stolen was the cherry on top.
Price per person
R 300–350
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 2

The lines were extremely long and service was slow they have a policy where if you are a student you get in for free but pay my student ID refused to give me the entrance for free and said she knows this person and it wasn't which is it was clearly not true and they made me pay full price
Price per person
R 150–200
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 2

If you over a certain age, long que , full club, can hardly get a drink at the bar or move to the bathroom. Bouncers asks for your ID when you are clearly over a certain age and chase you out the que if you don't have an ID. Then they make you apologies to the bouncer to allow you in after he shouts at you for not having your ID. Thanks for making us feel so welcome.

Upon my colleague's recommendation, I eagerly anticipated visiting the place, but it didn't meet my expectations. Despite the pricey drinks, the subpar music with terrible sound quality and the overwhelming presence of bouncers made dancing nearly impossible. The ticket lady is also rude.
Price per person
R 450–500
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 1

My friend tried to get in on the night of her 18th birthday and the bouncer at the door said that she couldn't go in while my other 19 year old friend (born in 2000) wasn't able to get in even though he knew his ID number off by heart. I would recommend that you learn your ID number off by heart and bring it with you or have a good quality picture

Some friends and I went to the neon nights event and we had such an amazing time! The DJ was absolutely amazing and when I asked if he could play something by Taylor Swift he had it up on the very next song! The DJ, the bartenders, the guys selling drinks - everyone was so nice and made our experience fantastic. We can't wait to visit again!

Went to Babylon for the first time last night and my squad and I had the most incredible time!!! The service was brilliant, the vibe was right and dancing was on point. We also felt very safe with the bouncers around, taking note of any unwanted attention and removing them from the club. So thank you all so much! ❤️

Wow after reading these bad reviews I'm two minded about ever going back to this club. I have a few friends down from Dubai and was looking forward to taking them to Babylon but after reading these bad reviews especially about the aggressive bouncers I have changed my mind. What a disappointment.

What an amazing place!!! Really had a blast. Friendly staff, great drinks prices, AMAZING Music and hot boys. Quite a few straight people which makes it difficult but at least they are hot as well so eye candy all night. One of the best gay clubs I've ever been in. Happy hour is a great joll too.

Meh! This place used to be my safe haven and now it's just a normal club, which is over capacity and filled with rude people who just push and shove their way through the crowd. Unenjoyable and not a place for me anymore. Hopefully a GAY club opens up in JHB soon as not going back to Babylon.

Where to start... Lost its identity in an effort to appeal to everyone. The non-LGBTQ women unfortunately are attracting the wrong crowd, making the place come off trashy. The place is packed to a point where there is pushing and shoving, drinks being spilt and some fights starting over that.

Very disappointed as I've been a loyal guest @babylon for many many years certain staff became use to they customers and attack them verbally and personally. I will never place my feet in that building again.
Price per person
R 150–200
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 4

No longer a gay club. Ticket lady is a raging C U Next Tuesday. But I love the bouncers, the waiting staff and the bar staff. Haven’t had a bad experience here yet. But someone should give the ticket lady a shag maybe she’ll lighten up xoxo
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

If you feel charitable and you wish to have your phone stolen this is the place to go - 2 phones stolen in the past 6 months;one inside the Club and one just outside the Club as my daughter was waiting for her Ueber. Not worthwhile supporting find a safer place to support!!!!

Easy, safe-ish location, good energy. Gay club, but everyone is welcome! Coat check at the door, 3 individual bathrooms (moderately clean during my visit.) friendly bartenders, the dance floor seemed relatively picked up as well. I’ll dance here again if I’m back in Joburg;)

Seems like a good place. It’s pretty popular. The bouncers are the worst part. A group of 11 found them unprofessional and they tend to manhandle people l. All in all has potential to be good under better management/ better security staff. More

Nice chilled vibe if you come early, very diverse absolutely love that. Oh you get free popcorn which is a sweet touch. Bartenders are nice, the vibe is lit and it gets packed really quickly but I high recommended popping in …

Had the time of my life at Babylon, it was such an awesome environment. Not to mention the great music and people! Love it guys, keep it up
Price per person
R 150–200
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

It was different to what I expected in a good way. It wasn't overcrowded in there and if you needed a break from dancing, most of the time there were open booths. I also enjoyed seeing all kinds of people just having a great time.

Wanted to celebrate my 18th there! Both their website and Instagram state no under 18s however at the door they said no under 19s! The bouncers were very rude and the false advertising was very disappointing!!!

Music is great. Bar service is fantastic. Unfortunately the crowd is too much. I think some crowd control measures are needed as you are unable to dance or move around and leads to an unpleasant experience.

It only matters who you know, if you know the owner/bar runner don’t worry about queuing, otherwise be prepared to wait for hours to get in and see multiple walk past you and get without any hassle.

Definitely one of the best gay bars I've been to internationally. Only thing is it can get overcrowded. Friendly staff. Cheap, strong, drinks. An amazing night in Joburg you won't soon forget. :)

A safe place for all shapes and sizes. Best place to come as you are and express yourself. Doesnt matter who you are or what your label is, everybody ends up satisfied after a night at Babs!

An epic evening was had here! Ordered the same drink twice and it was a different price... so who knows! Entrance fee was under r100 so that was great. Uv lights! So wear white! …

I have heard from a lot of people that cell phones are regularly stolen at these venues, you would think that the owners would install CCTV cameras to help catch criminals operating here.

Seriously disappointed. This was the only gay friendly space in Joburg. Now it’s just become a space for straight guys to hunt down straight girls. Wouldn’t recommend for gay guys.

Great place if you want to be surrounded by underage kids Also the bouncers are incredibly rude so if you’re used to more upmarket places you’ll be very disappointed …

Best club I've ever been too.. the music.. the vibez... the people. It's so gay and I love it...
Price per person
R 100–150
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

What’s good for the gander isn’t for the goose. Some people need physical ID but others get let in and the Sammy uses physical violence against women. It’s a no from me.

If you're black please don't go. Very white queer people friendly, not very black queer people friendly. Especially if you don't have any friends.☹️

Couldn't find a gay club so we ended up at Babylon bar where the music so loud you can't converse and so bad you can't dance! A waste of time ...

Nice place to be and friendly staff. I forgot my Jacket, the Coat check lady by the name of Maya she phoned me to come get it, l was touched

Disgusting service / they hire children to dj who think they can shout at people. Discriminatory behaviour against females. I am disgusted

Loved the experience Visited twice because of the lovely atmosphere It can be a bit safer but overall it's a great bar and night club

So many bad reviews of the place. Definitely not going again. Such a shame that there is a lack of any decent LGBT places to go out.

Wow what place , we just stepped in her for a minute but wow the videos and the dancer , a bit scary at first but good I music

Awesome club, great music (mostly edm) and great service from the bartenders. Just an awesome atmosphere to go clubbing

Babylon bar is the most popular LGBT bar/ dance club in Johannesburg with a variety of different types of customers.

It was a great experience being here, although for a gay club, there was quite a lot of straight people here. Eww.

Just a quick note about the pap for the summer and I was wondering what the next step is for the next two months

Definitely not a gay bar. But it was a really fun experience with great staff and music and cool entertainment.

By far the best bar/club In the country and it's LGBTQ friendly. Would definitely recommend to everyone I know.

Great music! Better than the club used to have years ago. Super packed and it looks like half the crowd is 16!

Be careful when paying for drinks. Guys that come around pouring selling shooters will charge you 100s extra

This is pretty much the only decent gay bar in Johannesburg. Staff are friendly and make you feel welcome.

Someone grabbed my throat for accidentally spilling his drink ,bouncers kicked me out for defending myself

Is there any chance that Babylons staff collects lost phones and items? Visited on the 26 March 2022

Great place just extremely expensive, but this is understandable being at an up market club.

Had such a blast! Josh was such an attentive host and made the night so much better.

My friends phone was stolen Twice in one week and security did nothing to help him.

This was definitely one of the most fun and care free places I have ever been too.

I miss this place so much. Literally my favorite bar in all of SA! …

Club legal, porem muitos heteros e musica ruim
Price per person
R 250–300

Not a pleasent experience or safe space for gay men anymore. I won't come back.

Good Atmosphere, great Bartenders, friendly service and overall good experience

Wow, what an amazing experience! :) Clean, cheap drinks and wonderful staff.

Good vibes good people, i have absolutely nothing negative to say <3

Met the cutest guys, I say damn girl couldn't sit for a week!!!!!

The bouncers are rude and something need to be done about em.

Got charged double for entrance for no reason, arrived at 10.

Been going their for years haven't had a bad day to this day

Way to expensive for drinks. Manager is rude Good music

Amazing hangout, would definitely recommend it. …

Great for a night out with your dancing shoes on.

Great music, great vibe and reasonable pricing

I turned 18 today and they would not let me in

Poes place.
Price per person
R 150–200

Overpriced :/
Price per person
R 500+

Useless pub. Keep away. People are jusy sad

Great gay club. Safe and always fun.

Kieran, hit the nail on the head :-(

Don't like the vibe. Pretentious

Keep your events inside please.

The manager has juandice

Good vibes, nice music.

Definitely a must go

Very nice and Safe

Had a great time!

Music is great.

An okay gay bar

Rocking parties