Every good gay bar, minus the guesswork.

Downtown / Olde Towne East edge · 49 Parsons Ave

A military-themed bar complex with a smoking patio and a regular crowd that leans bear and leather. A no-fuss stop most nights, and it hosts a big circuit-style party weekend during Pride.

Northalsted · 3702 N Halsted St

Leather bar with themed nights.

Andersonville · 4923 N Clark St

Beer garden and bear nights.

Church-Wellesley Village · 457 Church St

Toronto's leather and gear bar, with themed gear nights, a clothes check and a rooftop patio that's busy on summer evenings. Regulars are friendly to newcomers who just want to look around over a beer.

Church-Wellesley Village · 518a Church St

A cozy upstairs bar above O'Grady's that draws bears, otters and their admirers, with drag nights, speed dating and singles nights. A warm, low-pressure place to start the evening.

U Street · 639 Florida Ave NW

Bear bar with three dance floors and a rooftop.

U Street · 1357-B U St NW

The leather bar, opened January 2025.

Gayborhood · 206 S Quince St

Leather and bear nights.

Ansley · 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

Leather and bears; moved here in 2022.

Cheshire Bridge · 2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd

Foam parties and pup nights.

Chelsea · 554 W 28th St

Three floors of leather and denim with a roof deck. Sunday Beer Blast is the institution.

West Village · 114 Christopher St

Wood-paneled and gay-owned since 1972. Older, bearish, friendly.

Le Village, Sainte-Catherine Est · 1812 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est

A rambling bear and leather bar for men, open since the mid-1990s, with pool tables, karaoke early in the week, house DJs on weekends and patios on both Sainte-Catherine and Papineau.

Le Village, Sainte-Catherine Est · 1315 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est

An old-school leather, denim and bear bar with a dark, easygoing room, video screens and a terrace that fills on warm weekends. The dress code is part of the look but loosely enforced, so it's easy to walk in for happy hour.

Mill District / Downtown East · 515 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415

A leather and Levi bar that's friendlier than the name suggests. It has a heated, dog-friendly patio, weekend brunch and showtunes and trivia nights.

Downtown · 14 Pi Alley

Cheap basement dive.

Masonic Place, off Commercial St · 4-6 Masonic Place

A creaky old tavern with three rooms under one roof: the Little Bar downstairs for a quiet drink, the Macho Bar upstairs for the leather and denim guys, and the Big Room for dancing late. It's open year-round, so it's the reliable stop in the off-season too.

Commercial St, center of town · 247 Commercial St

A big complex with the Wave Bar, the Paramount for dancing, a cabaret room for drag and comedy, the Vault for the leather crowd, and an outdoor courtyard. New owners reopened the bars in stages in 2026 while the hotel rooms stay closed for renovation, so check what's running the night you go.

Marigny · 941 Elysian Fields Ave

The locals' leather and bear bar.

Maple Ave · 5740 Maple Ave

Leather and bears, two floors.

Wilton Manors · 2209 Wilton Dr

Bear and leather bar with a shop.

Fort Lauderdale · 1508 NE 4th Ave

Year-round leather hub.

Montrose · 715 Fairview St

Leather/Levi's bar with a shop.

Petronia St, behind the Duval bars · 504 Petronia St

Key West's leather bar, popular with bears and their admirers, with gear nights on weekends. It's darker and more low-key than the Duval bars, and it fills up late.

Downtown · 301 W 6th St

Bear-owned bar and grill.

Granary District / Harvey Milk Blvd · 251 W Harvey Milk Blvd

A cheap, friendly late-night bar with darts, pool and karaoke on Thursdays and Sundays. Monthly bear, leather and gear nights pull a crowd on Friday nights.

Zona Rosa, Calle Londres · Londres 182, Juárez

The city's bear bar, started by the BearMex community, with upbeat DJs and karaoke on Fridays. Busiest Thursday to Saturday after 10.

Fruit Loop / Twain · 495 E Twain Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169

A no-frills, open-all-hours dive where the leather and bear crowd mixes with locals over cheap drinks and pool. It's the friendliest place in town to show up at 4 a.m. in a harness or a T-shirt.

Warm Sands · 600 E Sunny Dunes Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92264

A dim, friendly leather and bear dive bar away from the downtown bustle. Weeknights have themed gear nights, and during Leather Pride its parking lot hosts the Dark Alley party.

North Park · North Park, San Diego, CA

The city's leather and Levi bar, in a dark, no-frills room. The Sunday afternoon barbecue is the easiest night for a first visit.

Silver Lake · 4219 Santa Monica Blvd

Bears and leather, big outdoor area, cash only.

Capitol Hill · 1533 13th Ave

Leather bar plus a dance floor.

Capitol Hill · 1413 14th Ave

No-frills bear bar.

Piedmont, North Portland · 835 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217

A laid-back leather bar with bear nights, karaoke and a free Sunday cookout. It draws locals more than tourists.

Castro · 440 Castro St

Cruisy, with Monday underwear night.

SoMa · 398 12th St

Leather landmark with a Sunday beer bust on the patio.

SoMa · 1347 Folsom St

Kinky cruise bar.

Soho, Wardour Street · 77 Wardour Street, London

A three-floor pub with a beer-drinking, blokey crowd and window seats for people-watching. There's a bear night on Thursdays, plus bingo and quiz nights during the week. In summer the crowd spills out onto the street.

Vauxhall · 349 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY

A no-frills bar and club with a leather-friendly crowd that welcomes everyone. Its Sunday Horse Meat Disco night has run for years. Late on weekends, closed Monday to Wednesday.