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.

Brewery District / S High St · 863 S High St

A piano bar and cocktail lounge in an old Victorian house with patio gazebos. Live piano on Thursday nights and karaoke on Wednesdays and Sundays make it an easy, unhurried evening.

Andersonville · 4923 N Clark St

Beer garden and bear nights.

Church-Wellesley Village · 467 Church St

The Village's busiest men's bar since 1989, with several rooms, drag shows, dancing and a patio, plus the club-style Sailor under the same roof. Weekend afternoons and late evenings are when it really fills up; closed Mondays.

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.

U Street · 639 Florida Ave NW

Bear bar with three dance floors and a rooftop.

East Nashville (Five Points) · 1105 Fatherland St, Nashville, TN 37206

This longtime Church Street favorite moved to East Nashville in 2022. It's now a stylish, TV-free cocktail bar with a patio, karaoke nights and drag, built for actual conversation.

SoBro · 237 Hermitage Ave, Nashville, TN 37210

A casual gay bar and grill near downtown with a full kitchen, a patio and a friendly local crowd. There's line dancing on Fridays plus drag and karaoke nights.

The Grove / Manchester Ave · 4112 Manchester Ave

The biggest room in the Grove, with a dance floor, a stage for drag and karaoke, and two patios. Good from happy hour on, and it stays open until 3am most nights.

The Grove / Chouteau Ave · 4054 Chouteau Ave

A low-key bar and grill just off the strip, with a roomy back patio, pool and food until late. Drag shows run several nights a week, so check the calendar.

Tower Grove South · 3503 S Spring Ave

A corner bar open since 1988, with a regulars' room up front and a cabaret room for weekend drag. It feels like a neighborhood local, and the patio is nice in summer.

Gayborhood · 254 S 12th St

Formerly Tabu: sports bar, dance floor, cabaret, roof deck.

Baltimore Ave · 57 Baltimore Ave

A bar and grill with a big outdoor deck that fills up right after the beach, plus DJ nights, themed parties and fundraisers. It never charges a cover, so it's an easy first stop.

Midtown · 227 10th St NE

The patio facing Piedmont Park; drag and karaoke.

Chelsea · 554 W 28th St

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

Hell's Kitchen · 735 9th Ave

The sports bar's Hell's Kitchen outpost, with a roof deck and weekday 2-for-1s.

Williamsburg · 559 Lorimer St

Fireplaces, a big patio and a 3–8 happy hour since 2002.

Le Village, Sainte-Catherine Est · 1115 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est

The drag house founded by Mado Lamotte, with shows almost every night in French and English and a street-front patio. Book a seat for a weekend show, or drop in for a weeknight improv or impersonation night.

Le Village, Sainte-Catherine Est · 1478 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est

A big multi-floor complex with a ground-floor pub, dance rooms and a summer rooftop with a pool and hot tub. Go on a summer afternoon for the terrace or on a Saturday night for dancing and drag.

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.

Le Village, Atateken · 1295 Rue Atateken

A long-running tavern with cheap drinks, karaoke and two summer patios, loved by a loyal local crowd. Good for a casual pint before heading down Sainte-Catherine.

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.

St. Paul, University Ave · 1415 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104

A queer soccer pub where you can watch a match with a friendly crowd. There's trivia and drag nights too, plus a back patio with food trucks and bocce.

West End, Commercial St · 161 Commercial St

The afternoon tea dance on the waterfront deck, starting around 4pm, is how a lot of people end their beach day, with a different theme on different days. It runs daily in summer and drops to weekends into the fall.

Carver St, just up from Commercial St · 9 Carver St

Two bars open onto the porch here: a low-key lounge with pool and games, and the Living Room, which has a piano and live singers in season. It's a friendly, unfussy spot for a drink before or after the clubs.

Bradford St at the Brass Key Guesthouse · 67 Bradford St

A small cocktail lounge inside the Brass Key, with a fireplace indoors and a courtyard with a firepit outside. Come for a well-made cocktail and actual conversation, usually from 5pm. It's seasonal, so call ahead late in the year.

Oak Lawn · 3923 Cedar Springs Rd

Busy, iconic, with a street patio.

Oak Lawn · 3903 Cedar Springs Rd

Lounge and patio.

Wilton Drive · 2283 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305

A relaxed pub with burgers, high-top tables and a back patio, open from morning. It's a good pick for a low-key drink or a bite before the clubs.

Montrose · 808 Pacific St

Young-professional crowd, big patio.

Montrose · 2312 Crocker St

Chill by day, DJs at night.

Duval St · 724 Duval St

A big compound with several bars, a back garden and a men-only pool, plus go-go dancers and video screens at night. It works for an afternoon pool hang and for a late party, especially on big event weekends.

Red River · 900 Red River St

Queer alternative crowd, live music, patio.

Capitol Hill · 629 E Colfax Ave

DJs, patio and drag bingo.

Capitol Hill · 504 E Colfax Ave

Neighborhood pub with brunch.

Downtown west / 600 West · 102 S 600 W

The city's oldest gay bar, a small brick dive with a big back patio, and Utah's first unionized bar. Go on a warm evening to sit outside with the regulars.

Harvey Milk Blvd (900 South) · 49 E 900 S

A queer-owned, trans-safe bar and kitchen with a dance floor, a runway stage for drag battles and a back patio where DJs play. Open Thursday to Sunday, and busiest late on weekends.

Melrose District · 727 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85013

A country-western bar open since 1984, with two-stepping, drag, karaoke and a big patio. It's home base for the Arizona Gay Rodeo, and it stays open until 4am on weekends.

Zona Rosa, Calle Amberes · Calle Amberes 1, Juárez

Three floors in one building: a cantina on the ground floor, a glass-walled karaoke bar upstairs and a rooftop looking toward Reforma. It's packed with a young crowd Thursday to Saturday, so come before 1 a.m. to avoid the list.

Zona Rosa, Calle Amberes · Calle Amberes 18, Juárez

A no-cover corner bar with a streetside patio that's more for chatting and people-watching than dancing, with drag or live singers on some nights. Opens mid-afternoon, so it works well for an early drink; check your tab before paying.

Zona Romántica, Lázaro Cárdenas · Lázaro Cárdenas 263

A three-level cocktail bar topped by a tropical rooftop garden, with pole and aerial acts on some nights and a long 2-for-1 happy hour. A good first stop before the dance clubs down the street.

Playa Los Muertos · Malecón 169

A beach club with a pool, sushi and cocktails on Los Muertos beach that hosts the big gay pool parties during Bear Week, Easter and Thanksgiving. On quieter days it's an easy place to spend an afternoon on a lounger with a drink.

Zona Romántica, Olas Altas · Olas Altas 439

A long-standing martini bar with a sidewalk patio on Olas Altas, perfect for watching the evening stroll go by. Relaxed and chatty, with a mix of locals and visitors of all ages.

Arenas Road · 224 E Arenas Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Palm Springs' first gay bar, open since 1991, and still the place to start an evening. It's a talk-to-your-neighbor kind of room with themed karaoke and live shows, and the regulars are friendly to newcomers.

Hillcrest · 308 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

A big, friendly bar and restaurant with a covered patio, open from breakfast until late. Go for weekend brunch or the weekly drag revue.

Hillcrest · 3845 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

A neighborhood dive with a long front bar and a back patio with a pool table. It's been here since 1981, with karaoke and game nights during the week.

Hillcrest · 1017 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103

A long-running video bar where music videos play over a small dance floor. There's a pool table and a back patio, plus a Latin dance party on Thursdays.

WeHo · 692 N Robertson Blvd

The gothic megabar (35 years in 2026). Skews tourist at night.

WeHo · 8865 Santa Monica Blvd

Cheap happy hour and a rooftop.

Capitol Hill · 1221 E Madison St

Divey dance bar with a patio.

NE Alberta · 827 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211

After 46 years downtown, Scandals moved into a yellow bungalow on Alberta in March 2026. Now it's more neighborhood hangout than party bar, with New Mexican plates, a patio, karaoke and live music.

Castro · 3600 16th St

Balcony over Market St; Saturday drag brunch.

SoMa · 398 12th St

Leather landmark with a Sunday beer bust on the patio.

West End, Lisle Street (Leicester Square) · 30 Lisle Street, London WC2H 7BA

A big bar on several floors that plays music videos and has one of the area's largest outdoor terraces. The basement club stays open late with DJs and karaoke. Easy to find if you've just arrived in the West End.

Spuistraat · Spuistraat 109, 1012 SV Amsterdam

A cocktail bar with prosecco on tap, snacks and a terrace, open since 2006. The crowd is relaxed and mixed in age. Weekly game, trash-pop and karaoke nights keep weeknights lively.