BULLDOGS HAS BEEN around for eons as a popular urban gay hangout. So here's my question: Where does all the money go?

When you step into the Midtown bar, you immediately notice the grungy, albeit grooving, milieu and the dowdy decor. You also spot the elevated dance floor with disco lights at full throttle and people — from professionals to hunks with pecs the size of melons to 'hood dwellers in played-out Pumas — sipping, chilling and cruising. While it usually attracts mostly men, Bulldogs is starting to see more women, gay and straight.

David Graves/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Bulldogs, at 893 Peachtree, is a popular gay hangout known for its strong drinks, social atmosphere and infectious beats.
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SCENE: The patio out back is always jumping, with spades players shuffling, smokers hacking and social butterflies making their rounds. Inside, though, the singular long bathroom gets terribly filthy and stinky, and cups, bottles and trash litter the counters all around the place.

The hub — a destination for middle-age barflies, a mere stop for young hipsters hustling later to the next spot — has three things going for it: Cocktails rock you like a hurricane, pool games are always lively and intense, and any DJ who cranks classic house like the Nightcrawlers' "Push the Feeling" next to Usher, OutKast and Britney gets my approval.

While weekdays are more laid-back, almost like a thugged-out "Cheers," Fridays and Saturdays see an onslaught of partyers. The line creeps outside along Peachtree, and the tiny dance floor gets crammed fast. Stiff drinks flow and the vibe gets festive early in the night. Besides a guy annoyingly waving his flashlight, shooing folks near exits like an elementary-school hall monitor, the staff is quite friendly.

FIGHT NIGHTS: Bulldogs has had its share of brawls, too. One Wednesday altercation involved two drunken souls whose beer, bottles and self-respect flung around wildly for what seemed like eternity. Security? That guy with the flashlight was nowhere to be found and the general manager stayed behind the bar counting money.

But if the hangout used a little more of that money for a quick makeover — expansion is, like, way overdue — plus a full-time cleanup guy and better, reliable security, then Bulldogs could really be funky, in a good way. Besides, comfort and cleanliness, is that too much to ask?

PARKING: Ample paid parking in two adjacent lots, usually $3-$7.

• THE 411: Cover $3-$5, 4 p.m.-3 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 4 p.m.-midnight Sunday. Fried fish, chicken, sandwiches served part of the week on patio. 893 Peachtree St. 404-872-3025.

— David Graves