Locals herald El Rio for its storied LGBTQ+ roots, iconic weekend dance parties, and of course, the drinks. Now, it’s in the running to receive national recognition — for none of those perks.
In fact, the reason for a potential national award can be found past the bar, around the corner, and near the toilets.
Yep, you heard that right: El Rio is a finalist in the 2023 America’s Best Restroom contest, an annual event sponsored by Cintas, the Ohio-based cleaning supplier that clearly values the importance of an immaculate lavatory.
“What makes a great bathroom? I don’t know,” said Jasmine Johnson, the bar manager at El Rio. On Wednesday, Johnson shared her thoughts on the contest while pulling drafts for early-bird regulars, who began arriving at 5 p.m. sharp. “I just know that ours looks great.”
Johnson, whose 10-year anniversary at the establishment is steadily approaching, said that when the bar decided to renovate its bathrooms in March 2023, it was definitely not for a national award.
“We have huge parties here over the weekend. That means there’s a lot of people that need to use the bathroom, so we had to remodel,” she said. The bar raised more than $9,000 towards the renovation, saying the construction would cost a quarter-million dollars.
She added that TEF, the San Francisco-based design company that spearheaded the remodeling process, submitted El Rio for the award. Though you could have fooled her on who made the contest entry: “Every single person that goes in that restroom says something about how nice it is.”
“Nice” is an understatement. Walking through a bar with black floors and covered in tasteful graffiti-marked walls, patrons find themselves leaving a dive bar and entering a completely new space.
“It’s pretty wild,” said Sean Grange, a longtime El Rio customer and musician for its events. “It definitely feels like walking into a portal; it transports you somewhere else.”
Grange remembers when the new commodes were just storage rooms for El Rio performers, a place to keep instruments and other band equipment.
“We had to create more space,” Johnson said. “We moved the DJ booth up, made some changes to the floor, and hence the bathrooms came about.”
Grange said that he’s been coming to El Rio for 15 years, so his first time seeing the new restrooms was one to remember. He turned the corner and saw one of the restrooms radiating deep canary yellows, a rounded backlit mirror glistening over black undulating textiles.
The ADA-accessible, funky bumblebee-esque restroom is one of two in the spotlight for Cintas’ award. The other restroom, an adjacent two-staller, presents like a Polaroid camera brought to life: Bright yellow, sunset orange and blush stripes curve around yet another rounded backlit mirror, which hangs over a modern basin sink.
Grange said that while it was a surprise to hear about the contest, it did make total sense after the fact. “That’s the thing,” he said. “Everyone goes to the bathroom.”
Rincon, who is based in Seattle, Washington, was not surprised by the restroom contest. She knows of Instagram pages made specifically for aesthetically unique bathrooms, and expects that El Rio’s may have one of their own in no time.
Grange agreed. “I have a feeling that if it opens up more, it will end up with its own social media presence and everything.”
If El Rio’s restrooms win Cintas’ award, the bar will have more than just a lifetime of bathroom-bragging rights. Cintas also promises a $2,500 reward in products and services.
Cintas will make its final selection based on the following criteria: Cleanliness, visual appeal, functionality, and unique design elements. There are 10 finalists, and the winner will be announced Sept. 11.
Johnson said that the people at TEF have affectionate names for the two restrooms — the ADA-accessible john embodies the firm’s vision of a “Tokyo-subway vibe,” whereas the rainbow two-staller aims to emulate a “‘70’s retro vibe.”
Grange and Rincon refer to the ADA restroom as the “Grace Jones bathroom”, due to the portrait of Jones that hangs on the door.
“It’s very cohesive. It seems like it was made around Grace Jones,” said Rincon.
Above one of the toilets in the two-stall bathroom, a portrait veers crookedly, turned down a few slight degrees to the right. Johnson takes the observation in stride. When asked if the orientation was intentional, she doesn’t miss a beat. “Hey, nothing in this bar is straight.”
“Dances, music, drag queens,” are three words Johnson uses to describe El Rio. Now, a fourth descriptor may be lingering on the horizon: America’s best bathroom.
love the story but would have appreciated it if you’d include the address!
Most excellent bar, love the back patio, but haven’t visited in a jillion years. They still shucking up free oysters on Fridays?
The only really queer thing here is:
A “Quarter of a million dollars” for a restroom upgrade?