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When it comes to dancing, you can find some at a couple of spots (and the “White Ho”) on a regular basis, but big dance clubs are now a thing of the past. Meanwhile, Polk Street, where an explosion of gay bars began in the mid-1960s and continued through the 1990s, has only one sole survivor from that era, The Cinch. Two neighborhoods where gay nightlife thrived in the 1970s, the Castro and SoMa, are still home to the majority of San Francisco gay bars, and Oakland is home to what is likely the longest continuously operating gay bar in the country, The White Horse, which officially opened in 1933 at the end of Prohibition. for the disco dance party.While longtime queer spaces may be disappearing in San Francisco and other cities, queer people in most of America, including in the Bay Area, understand that actual, physical social spaces are still vital to the culture. The walls of the long, narrow space are plastered with NSFW reading material from the 70s. Smack dab in the middle of the Tenderloin sits a piece of Old-School San Francisco and a digital detox: Aunt Charlie’s Lounge does not allow cell phones. Leather, mohawks, chains, and chaps: With event names like “Junk” and “Pulled Out of the Closet,” let’s just say this spot is NOT for prudes. Hole In the Wall Saloon is great when you want a quiet dive-go on Thursdays, take off your shirt, get a deal on your drink. Hole In the Wall Saloon ( 1369 Folsom St.)Ĭhains and motorcycle hardware decorate this SoMa pub, run by gay bikers.
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On Sundays, they throw a backyard BBQ-show up in the early afternoon for all-you-can-drink specials.Īnother highlight of SoMa, the Lone Star Saloon is equal parts hipsters and bears-the sort of low-key spot where you’ll probably make friends with both the bartenders and the folks sitting by your side. The Eagle is a go-to for the LBGTQ crowd that attends San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair (the biggest fetish convention on the planet). Housed in a former bathhouse, this SoMa nightclub features weekly cabaret shows and live DJ dance parties. What it lacks in gritty charm, Oasis makes up for in space and a sparkly stage. In the event it’s Saturday and you’re craving drag, try Oasis. You’ll see local queens cover everything from Robyn and Whitney Houston to Bjork and Marilyn Manson. Go Tuesday nights for the Sing Your Life karaoke party. This bar has been home to creative outsiders since the late 60s when folks like John Waters frequented it. While the clean-cut crowd stays in the Castro, the rest of San Francisco’s queer scene congregates in SoMa, where you’ll find The Stud and a mix of hairy chests, jean jackets, off-duty drag queens, and working drag queens. Their backyard is one of the best outdoors spaces to drink in town and home to many of the most frequented gay parties in San Francisco, including Mango for the ladies and Hard French for the guys. Over in the Mission District, El Rio has created a safe space for folks of any ID-gay men, lesbians, radical punks, and just about everyone else. If you don’t know what that means, consider Hi Tops Sports Bar a good place to get familiarized. This might be the most likely place to meet guys in San Francisco who have “Masc4Masc” in their dating app profile. So you want to meet a one-night acquaintance and dance to Britney Spears at 1 a.m.? Order your Uber to Toad Hall in the heart of the Castro-regular drag events, karaoke nights, and dance competitions make this bar the place to be when you need to let loose. It’s an iconic spot (with an iconic sign) that attracts gay guys of all ages. In 1972, Twin Peaks Tavern, next-door to the famous Castro theater, bucked that trend and catered to the out and proud.
CASTRO GAY BARS SAN FRANCISCO WINDOWS
The Castro’s classicsīack in the 70s, gay bars in town blacked out their windows so that pedestrians couldn’t see in and gay patrons could drink in privacy. Whether you’re looking for drag that slays, somewhere to watch “the game,” or just a nice dive to let your hair down among San Franciscans of the homosexual persuasion, here are the best gay bars to visit in the gayest little city in the world (written by a very biased gay dude in San Francisco).