Washington, DC's best gay bars and clubs are located in and around Dupont and Logan Circles, Shaw/U-Street, and Adams Morgan, all within easy walking distance from one another. While many long time favorites like Cobalt and Town have closed, DC has seen an explosion of new gay bars in recent years. Read on to learn more about what's new and our favorite gay nightlife venues in the District.
Little Gay Pub in Logan Circle
Harvey Milk at LGP
We Love a Holiday Pour
Required Bathroom Selfie
Pride Decorations & Patio
Located at 11th and P in Logan Circle, Little Gay Pub is our favorite of the newer gay bars in DC. It’s an upscale venue serving excellent cocktails like espresso martinis and Hendricks Negronis. If you’re a wine drinker, they offer Jennifer Coolidge’s "holiday pour" as an upgrade. A selfie in the bathroom here is a must and continues to make the rounds on social media over a year after opening. They also have a huge, pet-friendly outdoor patio which we love.
Number Nine
Outdoor Seating
We also highly recommend Number Nine at 14th and P in Logan Circle for day drinking on their outdoor patio or during happy hour when they have incredible drink specials. This upscale video bar offers a variety of seating on two levels and entertainment upstairs from drag performances to RuPaul's Drag Race watch parties.
Trade Bar DC
Around the corner from Number Nine, queer bar Trade is a popular bar, dance club, and performance venue all wrapped into one. They also have a huge outdoor patio in back for socializing, including a small smoking area. We find the front bar is a great spot to meet people. It's totally unpretentious and always a good time but get here early to avoid the queue.
For a deep dive into the best gay bars and clubs in Washington, DC, join us as we take you to all of our favorites in this YouTube video. We highlight DC's gay nightlife in addition to some of the city's best restaurants and cocktail bars. We also take you to the best gay-friendly hotel in the heart of the gayborhood, The Dupont Circle Hotel. If you're planning a trip to Gay Washington, DC, it's a must see. Watch now.
Kiki and Dirty Goose
Back Patio at Kiki
Rooftop at Dirty Goose
Shakers
Back Patio at Shakers
Beer Blast at Uproar Lounge
Gay Dance Party at DC9
Bunker Club
Heading up to the Shaw/U-Street bar and club-heavy entertainment corridor, there are tons of options, including Kiki, Dirty Goose, Shakers, Uproar Lounge, Service Bar and DC9. We love all of these venues, but perhaps Kiki is our favorite of this group with at least 4 bars spread across two levels with plenty of outdoor space. The crowd here is always social and ready to party. Upstairs, you’ll find a dance floor with a cage that gets wilder as the night progresses.
Next door, the rooftop at Dirty Goose is a great place to relax and socialize with friends. The homage to the pop princess, Miss Britney Spears, in the back staircase is a worth a visit alone.
Around the corner, Shakers, the newest of the gay bars in DC, is growing in popularity. Weekend drag shows are high energy and draw huge crowds as does Sunday funday.
Speaking of Sunday, The Beer Blast at Uproar Lounge from 4-8pm is also insanely popular in spring and summer. Come early or you'll be stuck on the middle level at the bar waiting for space to open up on the roof. The crowd is decidedly more bear than twink, but you'll see all types here, and the vibe is very friendly.
For excellent cocktails, gay-friendly Service Bar is your best option in the Shaw/U-Street neighborhood. They recently won No. 33 on the list of 50 best bars in North America.
Finally, if your visit times with gay events at DC9, don't miss it! Hundreds of sexy, sweaty, and shirtless gay men from across the city come to dance the night away. Bunker is another newer gay nightclub on U Street, which is underground and gets pretty wild, especially for their underwear parties.
Duplex Diner in Adam's Morgan
Friday Night Drag Show
To round out our list of the best gay bars and clubs in DC, don't miss Duplex Diner in Adam's Morgan at 18th and U. Popular with locals and the drag community, they even have a specialty cocktail on the menu named for the current winner of the Miss Adam's Morgan Pageant. MAMP, as it's known, is a DC institution that showcases the outrageous creativity of amateur drag. In Adams Morgan, you'll also find gay sports bar Pitchers and A League of Her Own for the ladies.
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Travel Experiences – Discover authentic, unforgettable experiences and explore the world with Viator and Get Your Guide. We consistently use both of these tour providers in our travels, and they offer excellent customer service. Our featured adventure is a fascinating guided tour of the National Air & Space Museum. You can book this tour with Get Your Guide. We're also the face of much of their campaign which is super cool!
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Hi gorgeous, and welcome to our LGBTQ+ travel blog! We're Andy and Trai, a gay couple traveling the world with PRIDE 🌈 …and our rescue dog, Pattie!
After meeting in San Francisco in 2018 and later moving to Chicago, we decided to quit our jobs in 2021, sell everything, and become Two Gay Expats. For over two years, we explored the best of gay Mexico while waiting for our house, Casa Cangrejo, to be completed in Tulum. We got married at The Beach Tulum in 2020 and became Mexican permanent residents in 2022.
Today, we continue to travel around Mexico and the world to show you our favorite places. If you'd like to follow our adventures, subscribe on YouTube and join us on Instagram.
