Discover This Fun Gem For Dinner in Atlantic City

Byrdcage is Atlantic City's LGBT+ friendly bar and restaurant. They stress that the establishment is open to all and welcomes everyone.

With an invitation from the owners and a reservation, my wife and I set off for a dinner at the Byrdcage the other night.

She was excited to try something new. Honestly, even though I had sampled some of their food - and loved it- I was a little apprehensive. (Apprehensive for my admittedly stereotypical fears: Straight guy going into gay bar.)

I'm happy to admit right off the bat that any fears or uneasiness that I felt were gone as soon as we walked up to the establishment.  There was music playing outside on the patio, and there was definitely a fun vibe. (Mostly 70s and 80s music - some disco - it was a lot of the music I grew up with.

I think I expected to walk in and see rainbows and flags everywhere. (Not that there's anything wrong with it.) That was not the case. It was just a friendly, nice, welcoming atmosphere. The staff was very fun, friendly, and welcoming too. They were great.

(Sidebar - my wife caught me a few times clapping and moving in my chair to the music. Me! Lol)

As I mentioned, I previously had the chance to sample the food from the Byrdcage - and I enjoyed it.

Now, here we were, sitting down to dinner, and I had some good anticipation happening for the food.

Cutting to the chase: everything was exceptional!

We started with appetizers, including the Byrdcage's version of bruschetta. The tomatoes were warm, and we really enjoyed it. We also tried the Bang-Cock Chicken, served with a little Korean BBQ sauce, and it was excellent. The most surprisingly good dish was the bacon-wrapped dates, served with a fantastic honey horseradish sauce. (On the menu, it's called "Forbidden Fruit.") First of all, before having them, I didn't know what dates tasted like. Hey, they're good!

Secondly, they should bottle and sell the sauce - I'd buy it by the pint!

I ordered the crab cake. It came with a delicious mustard-based sauce. Very good!

The big surprise, for me at least, was the pork chop which my wife ordered with Korean BBQ sauce and a salsa of pineapple and jalapeno. Wow! It was incredible. I've never ordered a pork chop in a restaurant, but I would certainly order this! The meat was so tender, and the sauce and salsa made the dish. While everything was delicious, this was the best.

Even though we were full, we had to order desserts. We tried the Cheesecake Darling and the Sugar Daddy Brulee.

Again, both outstanding. We finished the crème brûlée -- fighting each other for the last creamy goodness at the bottom of the bowl, and we ended up taking half the cheesecake home for later.

We weren't there late enough for the upstairs dance party, but we did check out the area and snapped some photos.

It looked fun, so there might be a night when this guy shows up with his dancing shoes! (Well, I don't think I actually own dancing shoes, but you get the idea.)

I am glad that we went. It opened my eyes to a very fun, welcoming place - and a place with some great food and drink.

Thanks to the owners and crew for making us feel welcome. We're already discussing our return visit to the Byrdcage!

Check out their menu here.