“The Quest Club” Birmingham, Alabama

Ratchet Level: High

Price: $7 (No Membership, +21, Cash Only)

Music: Pop, Hip-Hop

This is stop one on my summer road trip for club reviews. This review was done on a Friday night in June. After 7 hours on the road I checked into my hotel around 10pm. The plan was to sleep until around 1130 and arrive o the club around 12-1230 which are typically the peak outs of any club. I overslept, but it’s okay because apparently this club is 24 HOURS! I arrive around 3am and the party is still going very strong. On the outside it looks small, but it’s a nice sized establishment with their own parking lot. The cashier is outside in a booth attached to the club. I’m not sure what her problem was but she was extremely rude. I mention I was from out of town visiting. She asked if I had a membership because that determines the price and it’s cash only. I did not have a membership, but she didn’t offer anything for me to sign up. Instead she was rude, over it, and unwelcoming. Dealing with drunk people all night can be draining, but when you’re at a gay club this is the only outlet and sense of family for MANY people. She held my ID while I went inside to the ATM which was not working. When I informed her she gave me even more of an attitude. At that point I wanted to leave. But the security stepped in to help. He was an older white male gentleman in a security shirt. He was extremely nice, welcoming, and helpful. Even he could not get the machine to work. His solution was to open a tab and just receive cash from the bartender which worked. The first room I didn’t stay in. It had a bar with a popular bartender who was very social and nice as long as a pool table. The inside is a bit dated. Looks like wood with everything painted black. Nothing luxury or modern. I went to the back room where everyone was. They were having a kiki ball. It was very entertaining because I was unaware Alabama had a ballroom scene for voguing. This room had a bar, small dance floor, dirty restrooms, and seating. The crowd had the place hype. They were doing all the line dances and tiktok dances after the ball moment was over. Outback their was an area that appeared to have a foam party earlier or there were bubbles everywhere for cleaning. People were going there to cool off. Tonight was more about people watching. The crowd was extremely diverse in terms of race, gender, and sexual orientation. A few girls served looks but overall everyone was chill. The drink from the dance room wasn’t good. Overall I don’t see myself returning. The front experience wasn’t a good one. If anything I could pop in at a different time just to test the experience. I’m your favorite LBGTQ+ critic; Shamel Jones.