Our Favorite Bars in SF & NY           

Click on a day to see listings of regular weekly and monthly things...

Mondays  -  Tuesdays  -  Wednesdays  -  Thursdays  -  Fridays  -   Saturdays  -  Sundays   ...or...

SAN FRANCISCO
NEW YORK
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Coming soon...
 
Mondays  -  Tuesdays  -  Wednesdays  -  Thursdays  -  Fridays  -   Saturdays  -  Sundays  

SAN FRANCISCO
NEW YORK
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M O N D A Y S

Wanted @ Q Bar
456 Castro Street
9PM, free

DJs Richie Panic and Danny Ruxspin bring their impressive indie rock record collections to this weekly kickoff for the youngsters and hardcore alcoholics. 7x7 named it the "Best Indie Rock DJ experience" in town, for what it's worth.

Psycho Babble @ Therapy
348 W. 52nd St
11PM, free

On Mondays in Hellsea, while all the employed and yuppier gays are watching Gossip Girl and turning in early, you can still find a draggy good time at this party hosted by Mimi Imfurst.

Manic Mondays @ Bar on Church
456 Castro Street
9PM, free

The crowd's grown a little younger and a touch more lesbian at the BOC's new location, but for fans of the 80s and extremely cheap drinks, this has become a destination.

Money Wheel @ Urge
33 Second Ave
10PM, free

There's a $500 jackpot in this drag show cum bingo game, hosted and DJ'd by Gusty Winds. The boards for playing cost $2, and you can win free drinks or up to a $500 jackpot for winning. You will, however, need to go up on stage... so there's that.

Do or Die Mondays @ The Mix
4086 18th Street
6-10PM, free

It's a brand new Gong Show-esque, variety show weekly, hosted by Joan Crawford-Texas and featuring contests in the categories of comedy, magic, drag, and music, with finalists competing for prizes on the 4th Monday of every month.

Industry Night @ Rockbar
185 Christopher Street
8PM, free

The newly opened rock-and-roll joint in the space formerly known as The Dugout is hosting a weekly gathering with an endless happy hour for all the dudes who serve the rest of the gay dudes around the city their drinks and low-carb entrees.
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T U E S D A Y S
Chaser @ The Endup
401 6th Street
9PM, $5


Host cunt Monistat always brings it at this new drag night, which tries (and often succeeds) to fill the gaping Tuesday hole left by the end of Trannyshack.

Gay Night @ The Box
189 Chrystie St
10PM

Guest DJs, burlesque, drag queens and arty performers, at this new-ish Tuesday destination on the LES.
Speakeasy @ Truck
1900 Folsom Street
10PM, password required


You'll need to get a password via the mailing list, or via some slutty friend you know who's on it. Try starting with the Truck Facebook page. Anyway it's dirty, there's a backroom, we'll say no more.

Beige @ B Bar
40 E 4th Street
10PM

It's always baffling when a party just lives on and on year after year and refuses to die. Beige has become a fashionista institution since its beginnings in the mid-90s, and you can still find pretty male models, stylists, their hags and hairstylists (including Rene Fris from Shear Genius at right) all there and drunk.
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W E D N E S D A Y S

Booty Call @ Q Bar
456 Castro Street
9PM, $3

It's pretty popular these days, so get in early or wait in line for your chance to dance to 90s & 00s electro, house, and dance-pop with hosts/DJs Joshua J and Juanita MORE! Get your new Facebook pic done in the back by Isaac, or just squeeze onto the dancefloor and sweat your face off.

Good Times @ Easternbloc
505 E 6th Street
10PM

It's a happening haven for fun faggots, and it's brought to you each week by cub DJ Josh Sparber, complete with a creative theme and lots of good tunes.

Mary Go-Round @ The Lookout
Noe & Market
9PM, $5

An intimate little drag show hosted by Pollo Del Mar, Cookie Dough and Suppositori Spelling that leans more toward chaos and clown college than it does toward realness and Celine Dion, but the glamazon Pollo and sloppy Miss Spelling never disappoint.

Big Gulp @ The Cock
29 Second Ave
11PM, $10

The Cock is still going strong, ten years hence, and it's dirtier than ever at this all-you-can-drink Wednesday grope fest.
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T H U R S D A Y S

Throwback Thursdays @ Q Bar
456 Castro Street
9PM - 2AM

Throw back some cheap booze at this all-night, 80s-n-90s-themed happy hour with drink specials and plenty of old school hip-hop and pop to fill the hours before bed, or until Tubesteak fills up around 12.

Denim Shorts @ The Phoenix
447 E 13th Street
10PM, free

A Martini and guest DJs bring you this rollicking night of rock, punk, and indie dance tunes along with $3 beers and a bevy of E. Village queers.

Tubesteak Connexxxion @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge
133 Turk Street
10PM, $4

DJ Bus Station John whips out his extensive, rare disco vinyl and spins for a young and soused crowd who typically don't fill the little dancefloor until around midnight. The drinks are cheap and strong and the boys are cheap and easy.

Campus Thursdays @ Splash
50 W 17th Street
Free if you get on this guy's list.

This is where to see and be seen among the twink and college set. They don't look kindly on trolls so try to be under 35 and look under 30.

Bourbon Boys @ Truck
1900 Folsom
9PM

Check it: Cheap Bulleit bourbon shots, fun music, and a cute young crowd. It's usually a pretty mellow night, but you never know when the bourbon's going to go to everyone's head at once.

Star Search @ Barracuda
275 W 22nd
11PM, free

Peppermint hosts this longstanding Chelsea institution with amateur and semi-amateur drag performances and tunes by DJ Keo Nozari. The winning tranny takes home $150...

Underwear Party @ The Powerhouse
1347 Folsom St
9PM, $5 donation

It's a drunken, slutty, SOMA shitshow, featuring a wet undies contest with a $100 prize.

Tease @ The Ritz
369 W. 46th Street
10PM

Complimentary clothes check and $1 well drinks should bring the sluttiest sluts out of the woodwork in Hellsea.
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F R I D A Y S
Boy Bar @ The Café
2369 Market Street
9PM, $5

If you're ever wondering where all the twinks are on a Friday night in Frisco, this is your answer. There are some hot go-gos, and everyone gets real drunk, and maybe if you're lucky they'll play something by this new singer called Lady Gaga.
Bloc Party @ EasternBloc
505 E 6th Street
10PM

This is one of our favorite gay bars in New York: the music's good, the crowd is usually pretty cool, and it's the kind of cute, happening, non-BnT booze fest Manhattan needs more of.
Fridays @ Truck
1900 Folsom
10PM, free

It's the neighborhood gay bar that's not really in a neighborhood, and Fridays are (sometimes) a crowded, come-as-you-are bonanza with revolving DJs and the like.
Fridays @ HK Lounge
409 W 39th St (and 6th)
10PM, free

It's an ever-changing gay mess at this Hellsea staple, but the space is nice, and you can always escape upstairs to drink or do your drugs.

Vers/Us @ The Lookout
3600 16th St
9PM, $2

Suppositori Spelling sloppily lords over this mash-up party, with DJs PartyBen and Jay-R. Also, they have cage dancers.
Le Freak @ Sugarland
221 N. 9th (Williamsburg)
10PM, $5

Guest DJs spin pop, hip-hop, disco and the like, and the twentysomethings from Manhattan and Brooklyn alike show up in droves because it feels almost underground at this long, narrow outpost surrounded by demolished buildings.
The Hot Boxxx Girls @ Aunt Charlie's
133 Turk Street
10PM

Get your dollar bills ready and get there early as Gina, Vicki and the girls pull out all the stops at this old-school dragztravaganza. $5
Booty Bump @ Vlada
331 W. 51st Street
10PM

Deep in the heart of Hellsea, there's always this Friday sip-and-twirl where the preppy boys will give you the once over and keep on talking to their friends. DJ Brenda Black keeps it real -- real pop-y that is.
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S A T U R D A Y S
 
CockFight @ Underground SF
(3rd Saturdays)

424 Haight
9PM, $6, free before 10PM

Culture Whores bring you this sluttly monthly featuring DJ Earworm, Matt Hite, a rotating band of trannies, and one very bad panda.

Saturday Nights @ The Metropolitan
559 Lorimer Street, Williamsburg
10PM

It's pretty much the Brooklyn scene, with a hip and casual crowd, a deck, alcohol, a jukebox and a fake fireplace. It's basically Cheers, without the straight people.
 
Sissy Fit @ Sub-Mission
(3rd Saturdays)

2183 Mission
10PM, $6

From the folks who brought you Trans Am (DJ Dirty Knees) comes this gathering for rock-n-roll faggots and their admirers, featuring beer specials and live performers.

QxBxRx @ Cake Shop
(1st or 2nd Saturdays)

152 Ludlow Street
10PM - $5 before 11, $8 after 

Go-gos, occasional bands, a hip crowd, and music from DJs Sir Loins, Go-Karff and A.Martini at this monthly LES party.
 
Industry @ Mighty
(3rd Saturdays)

119 Utah St.
9PM, $15 adv (from BODY in the Castro)
$25 at the door

This is the mainstay house music party in SF, with resident DJs David Knapp, Jamie J. Sanchez and Luke Johnstone.

Ticklyn @ Sugarland
221 N. 9th Street (Brooklyn)
8PM, $5

Brooklyn's dirty clubby queer bar serves up beats every Saturday at this two-year-old weekly with DJ Emjay, and this week's no exception.

 
Social Club @ The Lookout
Noe & Market
9PM, $4

Preppy homos, SoCal twinks, and visiting sugar daddies converge at this weekly clique-y booze-n-cruise, featuring pop and dance tracks spun by Lee Decker and Luke Fry.

Body Shot @ Therapy
348 W 52nd St
9PM

We don't like to compare SF and NY, because, well, they're different and no one wins. But this party with DJ James Palmer is the NY equivalent of Social Club in SF -- similar t-shirted crowd, similar tempo of tunes. It's just that here, it's more of a clique-fest and the boys are bit B&T on the weekends. Cute though.

Big Top @ Club 8
(last Saturday of the month)

1151 Folsom
9PM, $5 before 10:30, $8 after

It's a homo disco circus with DJs Joshua J, Juanita MORE!, go-go clown boys, and live drag. 

Club 57 @ Providence
311 West 57th Street
10PM, $10/$15, open bar til 11

If you dare, check out this new, big, midtown venture by Brandon Voss and Tony Fornabio of Rockit and Key Klub. DJ Lina will be upstairs with Richie Rich in their own lounge with DJ Mike Cruz spinning on the main floor.

Boot Lickin' @ Powerhouse
1347 Folsom
10PM

The promoters describe it as "the hottest Saturday night in SOMA." And you know what? We agree. Just don't forget to moisturize your nipples before heading over.

Rotating Events @ Santos Party House
100 Lafayette
midnight-ish

It might be Mistress Formika's F-word, it might be Peter Rauhofer's late-night house-music den Work. In any case, it's a cool and unique downtown space.

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S U N D A Y S
Beer Bust @ The Eagle
398 12th St
3PM - 6PM

Put your alcoholism to some good use for once: not only does $10 get you a bottomless cup in a sea of bottoms, but also The Eagle donates the proceeds to a different charity each week.
Vandam @ Greenhouse
150 Varick Street
10PM, free

Susanne Bartsch is liable to put a bullet in the head of this weekly any day now, but for the moment it remains one of the liveliest scenes in town. Young boys dancing on couches to pop tunes upstairs, and DJs spinning the odder stuff in the leaf-lined catacombs downstairs. Drinks are pricey, but yeah, it's free to get in.
Cocktailgate @ Truck
1900 Folsom
9PM-11ish

Spaz puts on a spas-tastic show, and even though some of the themes of these drag shows are a bit of a reach (Battlestar Gallactica, anyone?), she generally doesn't disappoint.

Alphabet Sundays @ Arrow
85 Avenue A (bet. 5th & 6th)
9PM

You know it's a twinky sort of affair when they offer $7 Long Islands as a special, but this East Village weekend-ender is a jumping little shindig with cheaper booze than at Vandam.

Honey Soundsystem @ Paradise Lounge
1501 Folsom
8PM - 2AM

It's one of the best little parties in all of SF, featuring a rotating cast of star DJs from around the country facing off with local collective Honey Soundsystem.
Beer Blast @ The Eagle
554 W 28th St (at 11th)
5PM - Midnight

Drink beer til you drop to your knees for the hottest wooly mammoths in the city. $10.
Fresh @ Ruby Skye
(Sundays of holiday weekends, check site)
420 Mason
6PM - Midnight, $25

San Francisco's big gay monthly tea feels a little tired to us, but it's still going strong on holiday weekends, especially for the gaysian mafia and the over-forty set.
747 @ Simyone Lounge
409 W 14th (Not 13th - new location)
8PM - 1AM

Just like HBO and Showtime, Josh Wood's been dependably filling the Sunday evening timeslot with his affairs for a couple years. Check out the latest with tunes by Lina and others.

Did we miss something? Info fucked up? Email us at editors@lefag.com.


The Le Fag List of Good Bars in SF & NY

SAN FRANCISCO
NEW YORK
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Aunt Charlie's Lounge
133 Turk Street (bet. Jones & Taylor)
San Francisco

This list must begin with our favorite dive in all of San Francisco, Aunt Charlie's, which is nestled in the dark, sweaty bosom of the Tenderloin, and where Chris the toothless bartender will be sure and fix you up with a cheap drink.
Best nights to go: Thursdays for Tubesteak, or weekends for the Hot Boxxx Girls' show.
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EasternBloc
505 E 6th Street
NYC

As we said above, this is one of our favorite hangs in New York: the music's good, the crowd is usually pretty cool, the video selections are awesome, and it's the kind of cute, happening, non-BnT booze fest Manhattan needs more of.
Best nights to go: Wednesdays after 11 for Good Times, and Fridays are usually pretty happening too.
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Blackbird
2124 Market Street (near Church)

The Castro environs have long needed a mellow lounge that could make a decent cocktail (outside the usual vodka-soda-cran repertoire, that is), and Blackbird is it. We especially recommend the Grape Drink.
Best nights to go: Any night will do, but happy hours and Fridays are especially busy.
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Barrage
401 W 47th Street

The bartenders and cocktailers are cute, and this Hell's Kitchen staple is always a good jumping off point, expecially with their 11PM happy hours.
Best nights to go: Every night features the late-night drink special, but Friday is jam packed with SpeciMen, and there's also a beer blast on Sundays.
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The Cafe
Market & 17th (at Castro)

It's a standby, especially for the under-25 set, and the recent makeover has made this the most spacious and sprawling club space in the Castro.
Best nights to go: Friday's Boy Bar usually features a number of tasty twink dancers wearing towels...

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Dtox
31 Second Ave
NYC

It's more loungey than most of its nearby counterparts, and it's a far cry from the grope-fest next door at The Cock.
Best nights to go: Thursdays with Sherry Vine, Friday's athletic-wear party, Saturday's Latin night or Sunday's Money Wheel madness with Gusty Winds.
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Deco Lounge
510 Larkin Street

Deep in the dark, drunken heart of the Tenderloin lies this little treasure. We wouldn't advise wandering in there any old night unless you want to feel sad, but there are often fun parties there on weekends.
Best nights to go: Saturdays occaisonally feature special DJ events, and Sundays are always an amateur strip contest hosted by Juanita Fajita.
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Excelsior
390 5th Ave, Park Slope


The neighborhood bar for the Park Slope gays. Mellow, easy, fun.
Best nights to go: Any night, though the suburban faggots tend not to come out in force until the weekends. Happy hour starts at 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
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The Edge
4149 18th Street

This is where the bears and the low-key neighborhood faggots go for cheap drinks, video games and easy pick-ups. Also, they have stallagtites growing behind the bar.
Best nights to go: Every day/night's the same. $3 Margaritas and $5 sweet teas daily.
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Metropolitan
559 Lorimer St.
Brooklyn

This is, like, the bar to go to in Williamsburg for the smart and silly fags alike. While Sugarland may have more DJ parties, Metropolitan has more  character and more boozy flooziness.
Best nights to go: Alternate Saturdays are 80s party Gag! and Thursdays are more disco-ish with Eugene Tambourine. But every weekend night is pretty happening after 11.
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Moby Dick
4049 18th Street
San Francisco

The floors in this place bear the stench of 30 years worth of booze and industrial cleaner, but it's an old standby especially for day-drinking and Friday happy hours. Crowd tends to be over 35, and the fish in the big tank die on the regular.
Best nights to go: Sundays during the day are pretty lively, and weekend nights, especially before 9, are typically jammed.
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The Phoenix
447 E 13th Street
NYC

One of the last holdouts of the once burgeoning gay scene in the East Village of the 90s, the Phoenix still plays host to bearded and intellectual gays of all stripes.
Best nights to go: There's a cheap drink special just about every night, but we like it there on Thursdays and Fridays best.
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Q Bar
456 Castro Street
San Francisco

The bar formerly known as The Bar got a cute facelift and lost some of the annoying Bridge-n-Tunnel-ish-ness that always characterized a Saturday night here.
Best nights to go: Mondays for Wanted, Wednesdays for Booty Call, and Sundays in the early evening.
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Suite
992 Amsterdam Ave
NYC

Easy-going Columbia gays hang out here, as well as Upper-Upper West Siders reluctant to leave the hood.
Best nights to go: Thursday for Ghetto Karaoke, Friday for Suite Idol, and Saturday for drag night with Sahara Davenport.
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The Stud
9th & Harrison
San Francisco

A veritable institution in these parts, The Stud has been a little less popular of late but is still a great space for drag shows and smaller parties with the perfect-sized dancefloor.
Best nights to go: Mondays for Tiara Sensation, Tuesdays for Bulb. Weekend parties haven't been taking hold here, but maybe soon.
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Vlada
331 W 51st Street
NYC

It's one of the two poles of the Planet of Hellsea (the other being Therapy), and the multi-level space has featured prominently in a great many drunken, faggoty dumbshows in its day.
Best nights to go: Thursdays for Bianca Del Rio and Fridays for Booty Bump with Brenda Black. Also, it's always a party there on Saturdays.
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