Our Favorite Bars in SF & NY | Back to Dorothy Is Dead
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NEW YORK |
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M O N D A Y S |
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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 @ Therapy348 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. |
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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 @ Urge33 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. |
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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 @ Rockbar185 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 |
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 Chaser @ The Endup401 6th Street 9PM, $5
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 Gay Night @ The Box189 Chrystie St 10PM Guest DJs, burlesque, drag queens and arty performers, at this new-ish Tuesday destination on the LES. |
 Speakeasy @ Truck1900 Folsom Street 10PM, password required
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 Beige @ B Bar40 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 |
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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 @ Easternbloc505 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. |
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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 Cock29 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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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. |
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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. |
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... |
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It's a drunken, slutty, SOMA shitshow, featuring a wet undies contest with a $100 prize. |
 Tease @ The Ritz369 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 |
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 Boy Bar @ The Café2369 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 @ EasternBloc505 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 @ Truck1900 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 Lounge409 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 Lookout3600 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 @ Sugarland221 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's133 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 @ Vlada331 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 Metropolitan559 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. |
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 LookoutNoe & 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 @ Therapy348 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. |
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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' @ Powerhouse1347 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. |
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 Eagle398 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 @ Greenhouse150 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 @ Truck1900 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. |
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 Honey Soundsystem @ Paradise Lounge1501 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 Eagle554 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 Lounge409 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 Lounge133 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. ___________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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... __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
| 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. __________________________________________________________ |
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. __________________________________________________________ |
