Saturday trips to McDoogals

After not going out for a long time, I went to McDoogals on a weekday (Thursday) back in May. Decided to see what it was like on a weekend, if the vibe was any different. This review is based on two Saturday visits.

Getting There/Arrival: Right on Ft. Smallwood you can't miss it, (unlike other clubs outside of the city like Millstone and Showcase that are tricky to get to), but you can drive right past McDoogals if you're not paying attention because it is not well marked. Look for the green awning. Small parking lot in front and to the side, and a large, very dark parking lot in the back. Two wooden doors on the front but only the right one opens. It's BYOB and there's package stores very close by on Ft. Smallwood, the closest is just a block south if you need to stop and pick up your drink.

Club Layout: Main room has a large bar surrounding a stage that's pretty much at ground level. One pole in the middle, which is really small, so probably don't expect to see a lot of pole tricks, and there are busted-out lights where you can tell a spin move went wrong, lol. Barstools around the bar, quite a few booths around the outside so there's lots of seating. Two pool tables in front of the girls' changing room (which is really lit up and you can see right into), about 3-4 couches in a darker area (but still open) for dances, and two "VIP" rooms with a door that can close. In the corners there looked like there were two additional, very small stages but they were not being formally used, every so often a dancer would go over there and spin around or something. Lighting wasn't great at all, the stage area was pretty dim and far away so it wasn't great to see the girls, and I would have liked for the rest of the club to be darker. As @grandmoff and others have pointed out, the best place to be is on the side of the bar towards the bathrooms, it's where the girls get on/get off stage if you want to chat them up on the tip walk.