Every good gay bar, minus the guesswork.

Downtown / E Long St · 202 E Long St

A lesbian bar open since 1993 that also serves good pizza, and everyone is welcome. It's relaxed early on and busier on DJ and karaoke nights.

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.

Church-Wellesley Village · 489B Church St

A relaxed second-floor pub with pool tables, ping pong, karaoke, trivia nights and local live music on Fridays. Good for a beer and a game with friends when you don't feel like a dance floor.

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.

Logan Circle · 1410 14th St NW

Queer dive with a packed dance floor.

Logan Circle · 1435 P St NW

Trade's sister lounge.

Dupont · 1519 17th St NW

The classic: happy hour, drag and showtunes.

Church Street, Midtown · 1515 Church St, Nashville, TN 37203

A relaxed lounge next to Play with a food menu, trivia, bingo and showtunes Sundays. Have a drink and a bite here before heading next door, or go to the drag brunch it shares with Play.

East Nashville (Five Points) · 1400 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206

A long-standing queer bar with karaoke most nights, drag bingo and a weekend brunch. Everyone's welcome, and it's a fun night out with mixed groups of friends.

Wedgewood-Houston · 1249 Martin St

A no-frills dive with a loyal following, open since 2005. It moved to a new home in Wedgewood-Houston after losing its old lease in 2024.

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 · 4510 Manchester Ave

A cocktail lounge with a seated cabaret room that has drag most nights, plus pizza and a patio. The Sunday drag brunch sells out, so reserve ahead.

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.

Carondelet / S Broadway · 7109 S Broadway

A friendly far-south-side bar with drag, karaoke and bingo during the week and DJs on weekends. It suits a relaxed night out with locals more than a big club does.

Gayborhood · 1220 Locust St

No-frills local bar.

Gayborhood · 102 S 13th St

Cocktail bar, opened 2025.

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.

Baltimore Ave · 56 Baltimore Ave

A restaurant with an upstairs Treehouse Lounge that has a DJ on Fridays and a piano sing-along on Saturdays. It's a relaxed place for cocktails and showtunes with friends.

East Atlanta · 1287 Glenwood Ave SE

Legendary dive with karaoke.

Chelsea · 37 W 20th St (Flatiron)

The original gay sports bar. Hot bartenders, pizza, every game on.

Hell's Kitchen · 355 W 52nd St

Big room, younger crowd, drag every night around 11. 2-for-1 from 5–9.

Hell's Kitchen · 793 9th Ave

Country saloon where the bartenders dance on the bar. Pure fun.

Hell's Kitchen · 714 9th Ave

Queer-owned cocktail bar with a patio; piano Mondays.

Hell's Kitchen · 753 9th Ave

Brick and candlelight. The date bar.

West Village · 159 W 10th St

NYC's oldest gay bar, famous for its burgers. Cash only.

West Village · 8 Christopher St

Young, cheap and loud, with free drag every night.

West Village · 114 Christopher St

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

East Village · 447 E 13th St

Pool table, jukebox, karaoke Wednesdays. The neighborhood dive.

East Village · 93 2nd Ave

Late-night cruise bar, Wed–Sun 10 pm–4 am. No photos.

Harlem · 2256 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd

Cocktail lounge owned by a Black gay couple; open late on weekends.

Williamsburg · 559 Lorimer St

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

Greenpoint · 307 Meeker Ave

Upscale queer cocktail bar with a patio (opened 2024).

Le Village, Sainte-Catherine Est · 1218 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est

A neighbourhood karaoke bar with cheap drinks, a huge song list and a crowd that cheers everyone on. Weeknights mean a shorter wait for the mic.

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.

Loring Park · 19 W 15th St, Minneapolis, MN

One of the oldest gay bars in the country: a cash-only dive with pool tables and darts. It reopened in 2025 after a fire, and the regulars came right back.

South End · 26 Chandler St

LGBTQ-owned cocktail bar; good for dates.

Downtown · 14 Pi Alley

Cheap basement dive.

Commercial St, East End side · 269 Commercial St

A restaurant with a piano lounge where local singers and pianists perform almost every night in season. Good for an easy evening of dinner and showtunes, and it stays open through the off-season.

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.

French Quarter · 1239 Royal St

Old-school local dive.

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.

NE 6th Ave, Wilton Manors · 3073 NE 6th Ave, Wilton Manors, FL 33334

A country-western bar where you can learn to line dance or two-step, and the instructors are patient with beginners. There's karaoke too, and the crowd is mixed and welcoming.

Upper Duval St · 1125 Duval St

A guesthouse with bars around the pool and a cabaret room that brings in singers and drag performers. Go for a drink by the pool before a show, and look out for its Sunday tea dance during Fantasy Fest.

Simonton St, a block off Duval · 900 Simonton St

A cash-only dive with pool tables, a jukebox and karaoke every night from about 9:30, drawing locals, boat crews and drag queens. It's the place to go when you want cheap drinks and nobody taking themselves too seriously.

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.

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.

Downtown / 100 South · 69 W 100 S

A pink tiki bar across from the Salt Palace, with drag upstairs and a silent disco in the basement. The Saturday dinner drag show and Sunday drag brunch are worth booking.

Melrose District · 4343 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013

The friendly hub of the Melrose strip, with something every night: karaoke, trivia, drag shows and a Sunday drag brunch. On Saturday afternoons there's live piano karaoke.

Melrose District · 4129 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ

A relaxed bar known for karaoke and drag in its showroom. Some nights there's a Puerto Rican food truck parked outside.

Park Central · 3110 N Central Ave, Ste 175, Phoenix, AZ 85012

A polished bar with a show almost every night: drag, trivia, cabaret and karaoke. It's a good choice if you want entertainment without a big club.

Central Phoenix · 3702 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014

A small cocktail lounge and show bar with long hours and an all-day happy hour on Wednesdays. It hosts monthly drag revues and a Saturday afternoon happy hour.

Zona Rosa, Calle Florencia · Florencia 37-B, Juárez

One of Zona Rosa's longest-running gay bars, with drag, comedy and DJ sets, affordable drinks and lots of regulars in their 35-plus years. A comfortable place to settle in for the evening.

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.

Twain Ave · 501 E Twain Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89119

A 24-hour bar with no cover and a loyal local crowd. The weekly lineup has karaoke on Wednesday, a drag show on Thursday and DJs on weekends.

Flamingo Rd, near UNLV · 1487 E Flamingo Rd, Ste C, Las Vegas, NV 89119

A sports bar the locals love: open 24/7, with a grill, pool tables, trivia and 2-for-1 happy hour until 7pm. It's a good place to watch a game.

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.

Commercial Center / East Sahara · 953 E Sahara Ave #22B, Las Vegas, NV 89104

One of Vegas's longest-running gay bars, a laid-back 24-hour saloon in the Commercial Center with pool, darts, bingo, karaoke and Friday drag. It's a true locals' hangout far from the Strip.

Fruit Loop · 4640 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169

A 24/7 Fruit Loop video bar where music videos play on every screen and a long two-for-one happy hour runs most of the day. It's an easy pre-game a few steps from Piranha.

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.

Zona Romántica, Púlpito · Púlpito 142

A small, polished piano bar open since 2002, known for martinis and live piano and jazz with Latin and Broadway nights. Come after 10 p.m. when the music starts; the crowd is mixed and grown-up.

Zona Romántica, Rodolfo Gómez · Rodolfo Gómez 157

A friendly video bar just off Olas Altas with sing-along music videos, cheap beer at happy hour and an 11 p.m. drag show. Good for sunset-to-pre-club drinks.

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.

Arenas Road · 302 E Arenas Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262

The biggest room on Arenas, open from morning until 2am. Come for the long afternoon happy hour and ballgames on the screens, then stay as the dance floor fills up later.

Arenas Road · 315 E Arenas Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262

A low-key cocktail bar with a real kitchen and a deep whiskey list. There's no dance floor, so it's a good spot for dinner and conversation before a night on Arenas.

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 Palm Canyon · 2100 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262

A kitschy tiki bar with tropical drinks and drag shows. It's open later in the week, so plan a Friday or Saturday night.

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.

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.

WeHo · 8944 Santa Monica Blvd

The older-crowd classic with a pool table.

Silver Lake · 4356 W Sunset Blvd

Neighborhood bar with a back dance room.

DTLA · 245 S Main St

Historic, cash-only Latinx dive with drag.

Capitol Hill · 1221 E Madison St

Divey dance bar with a patio.

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.

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.

Buckman, inner Southeast · SE Morrison St (former Crush space), Portland, OR

A cheerful rainbow-themed bar in the old Crush space, with karaoke, trivia, drag and comedy nights. It's a relaxed east-side alternative to Old Town.

Castro · 401 Castro St

The historic glass-front corner bar; older, chatty crowd.

Castro · 4149 18th St

Strong drinks and theme parties.

Soho, Old Compton Street · 54 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4UD

A small, friendly pub where the crowd is mixed and the music runs to pop classics, with drag and cabaret on many nights. Good for an early drink before the street gets busy.

Soho, Old Compton Street · 51-53 Old Compton Street, London W1D 6HN

A traditional corner pub in the middle of Old Compton Street. The ground floor is busy and sociable, and upstairs is a calmer lounge. A good place to meet people after work.

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.

Zeedijk · Zeedijk 63, 1012 AS Amsterdam

A tiny brown café opened in 1927 and run today by a foundation named for the van Beeren family. Go in the early evening for a beer and a chat. It reopened in June 2025 after renovation.

Zeedijk · Zeedijk 20, Amsterdam

A friendly bar on Zeedijk with something on most nights: bingo on Tuesdays, trivia on Wednesdays, drag on Thursdays and DJs on weekends.

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.

Schöneberg, Motzstraße · Motzstraße 19, 10777 Berlin

A bar that has been part of the neighborhood since 1990, with several rooms, a friendly mix of locals and visitors, and pop hits from past decades. The Sunday disco nights and themed parties are when it's busiest.

Schöneberg, Motzstraße · Motzstraße 28, 10777 Berlin

A colorful cocktail bar with something on nearly every night: Schlager singalongs, karaoke-style star parties, and drag bingo on Wednesdays. On Sunday afternoons there's coffee with German pop.

Schöneberg, Motzstraße · Motzstraße 5, 10777 Berlin

A relaxed lounge bar right by Nollendorfplatz station, known for its fluffy walls and friendly staff. It works well for a date, a cocktail or a weekday after-work drink before you head on.