This is a list of notable lesbian bars worldwide, including early prototypes and modern more inclusive spaces.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beaulah bar | Cape Town | South Africa | closed | originally founded as a lesbian bar, until it became a mixed crowd later [1] [2] [3] |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazona | Tel Aviv | Israel | 2020 | Only lesbian bar in the city [4] [5] [6] | |
Bigudi Club | Istanbul | Turkey | 2008 | First lesbian bar in Istanbul [7] [8] [9] [10] | |
Coup d'Etat | Beirut | Lebanon | 2006 | 2007 | The Middle East's first "openly" lesbian bar [11] [12] Closed in 2007 and opened again in 2018. |
2018 | |||||
Lesbos | Seoul | Korea | 1996 | Lesbos ( Korean: 레스보스), located in the Sinchon area of Seoul was opened in 1996 and is the first lesbian bar in South Korea. [13] [14] | |
L'Paradise | Hong Kong | China | 2000s (early) | One of two remaining lesbian bars in Hong Kong as of 2020 [15] | |
Goldfinger | Tokyo | Japan | 2000s (early) | "The most famous lesbian bar in all of Tokyo, maybe in one of the most famous in the world" [16] [17][ better source needed] [10] | |
Roxie's | Shanghai | China | 2014 | June 2024 | First lesbian bar in Shanghai [18] [10] [19] |
Virus | Hong Kong | China | 1997 | Hong Kong's first lesbian bar and as of 2020 one of only two remaining from as many as nine in the early 2000s [15] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cafébar Marianne | Berlin | Germany | 2008 | Also known as Mariannenbar. [20] | |
Candy Bar | London | England | 1996 | 2014 | [21] [22] |
Chez Moune | Paris | France | 1936 | [23][ better source needed] | |
Daniel's | Barcelona | Spain | 1975 | closed | One of the first lesbian bars in Spain and one of the first LGBTQ bars in Barcelona [24] [25] [26] |
Gateways Club | London | England | 1943 | 2014 | [27] |
La Gata | Frankfurt | Germany | 1971 | As of 2021 the only lesbian bar in Frankfurt [28] | |
New Moon | Paris | France | 1960s | 1980s | [29] [30] |
She Soho | London | England | 2014 | [31] |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A League of Her Own | Washington, D.C. | United States | 2018 | [32] [10] | |
A Little More | San Francisco, California | United States | 1980s | [33] [34] [35] [36] | |
Amelia's | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1978 | 1991 | [37] [38] [39] |
The Anxious Asp | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1958 | 1967 | [40] [41] |
Artist's Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1946 | 1949 | [40] [41] |
As You Are Bar | Washington, D.C. | United States | [42] [43] | ||
Babes of Carytown | Richmond, Virginia | United States | 1979 | [44] | |
Babiana Club Less | Mexico City | Mexico | 2013 | [45] [46][ better source needed] | |
BabyFace Disco | Montreal | Canada | 1960s (late) | First lesbian bar in Montreal [47] | |
Bachanal | Albany, California | United States | [48] [49] | ||
Beaded Bag | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
The Bond Street Bar | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1970s | 1980s | Location was also the site of a women's bar in the 1930s [50] [51] |
Blanco's | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1943 | mid-1950s | also known as Blanco's Tavern [40] [41] |
Blush & Blu | Denver, Colorado | United States | 2012 | [44] | |
Bum Bum Bar | Queens, New York City | United States | 1990s (early) | 2018 | [52] [53] |
Cafe Des Beaux Arts | New York City, New York | United States | 1911 | 1921 | One of the earliest "ladies bars" [54] [55] [56] |
Chances Bar | Houston, Texas | United States | 1994 | 2010 | |
Chez-Elle | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1965 | 1990 | Also known as Chez-L Lounge, opened by a former nun, it was Asbury Park's first "women's club" and a "groundbreaking lesbian nightclub" that was "part of a landmark court case in the 1960s" [50] [57] [58] [59] |
Chi-Chi Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1949 | 1956 | [40] [41] |
Clementina's Baybrick | South of Market, San Francisco, California | United States | 1982 | 1987 | also known as The Brick, The Bay Brick Inn [60] [61] |
Copper Lantern | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1955 | 1965 | [40] [41] |
Cubbyhole | West Village, New York City | United States | 1994 | [62] [63] | |
Doc Marie's | Portland, Oregon | United States | 2022 | ||
Driftwood | Hayward, California | United States | Also known as The Driftwood, and Driftwood Lounge [64] [49] | ||
Dorothy | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 2022 | ||
Egyptian Club | Portland, Oregon | United States | 1995 | 2010 | |
Eve's Hangout | Greenwich Village, New York City | United States | 1925 | 1926 | Also known as Eve Adams's Tearoom [65] [66] |
First Choice/The Night | Newark, New Jersey | United States | 1980s | [67] | |
Front | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
Ginger's Bar | Brooklyn, New York City | United States | 2000 | Also known as The G-Spot [68] [69] | |
The Grand Union | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1950s | [70] | |
Helene's | Roselle, New Jersey | United States | 1960s | [71] | |
Henrietta Hudson | West Village, New York City | United States | 1991 | [72] [63] [73] [74] | |
Herz | Mobile, Alabama | United States | 2019 | 2023 | [44] |
Jubilee | Oakland, California | United States | [75] [49] | ||
Kelly's Alamo Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | A police raid in 1956 and the arrest of 36 women on charges of "frequenting a house of ill repute" led the Daughters of Bilitis to publish a guide, "What To Do In Case of Arrest." [76] | ||
The Key West Hotel | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1981 | 1990 | "the 1980’s most popular club for New Jersey lesbians, and possibly the oldest lesbian venue of its kind on the East Coast" [77] "New Jersey’s largest and most happening lesbian club and hotel" [78] Formerly Owl and Pussycat [79] |
The Lexington Club | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1997 | 2015 | [80] [81] |
Magnolia | Montreal | Canada | 1990s | "One of the greats." [47] | |
Mary’s First and Last Chance | Oakland, California | United States | c. 1948 | 1956 | Closed in 1958 for "catering to lesbians", but the bar challenged the ruling in the State Supreme Court and won in 1959. [82] [83] |
Mary’s Tower | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1953 | 1967 | [40] |
Maud's | Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California | United States | 1966 | 1989 | [84] [85] [38] [39] |
Miss Smith's Tea Room | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1954 | 1960 | [40] [41] |
Mona's 440 Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1936 | 1950s | Sold in the mid-1950s to a former employee, and was renamed "Ann's 440 Club" and then no longer served as a lesbian bar. [86] [87] |
Mona’s Candle Light Room | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1948 | 1957 | Later it changed and became the Club Gala, the Jazz Workshop, Burp Hollow, and the Dixie Land Jazz. [40] |
Mother Bar | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 2023 | [88] [89] | |
My Sister's Room | Atlanta, Georgia | United States | 1996 | [90] | |
Ollie's | Oakland, California | United States | 1981 | 1991 | [49] [91] |
Our Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
Page 3 | Greenwich Village, New York, New York | United States | mid-1950s | mid-1960s | [92] |
The Palms | West Hollywood, California | United States | 1960s | 2013 | [93] |
Paper Doll | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1949 | 1961 | [40] [41] [94] |
The Pearl Bar | Houston, Texas | United States | 2013 | "only lesbian bar in the Bayou City, one of two in Texas and one of 16 in the nation" [95] [96] [97] [98] Profiled in a documentary by the Lesbian Bar Project. [99] [100] [101] | |
Peg's Place | Richmond District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1950s | 1988 | The site of a 1979 lesbophobic attack by off-duty members of the S.F.P.D. [102] [103] |
Phase One | Atlanta, Georgia | United States | 2010s | [104] [105] | |
Phase 1 | Washington, D.C. | United States | 1970 | 2016 | The oldest continually operating lesbian bar in the country when it closed. [106] |
Roselle Inn | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 1935 | Also known as Rose-El-Inn, one of the earliest lesbian bars. [54] Shut down by police in 1935. [107] [108] | |
Sappho's Tavern | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1950s | [70] | |
Scott’s Pit | San Francisco, California | United States | 1970 | 1984 | The first lesbian biker bar in San Francisco; home of brawls and poetry readings. [109] [110] [111] [112] |
The Silver Slipper | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1970s | [70] [113] | |
Sisters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | 2013 | [114] [115] | |
Slammers | Columbus, Ohio | United States | 1993 | [116] | |
Sue Ellen's | Dallas, Texas | United States | 1989 | [117] [118] | |
Tin Angel | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1953 | 1961 | [40] [41] |
Toasted Walnut | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | 2015 | 2021 | [119] [120] [121] [122] |
Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | late 1940s | 1955 | [40] [41] |
Walker's Pint | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | United States | 2001 | "Wisconsin's last lesbian bar" [123] [10] [124] [125] [126] [127] [128] | |
Wild Side West | Bernal Heights, San Francisco, California | United States | 1962 | [129] [130] [131] | |
The Wildrose | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1980s (early) | A long running lesbian bar on the West Coast. [132] [63] | |
XX+ | Washington, D.C. | United States | 2018 | closed | [133] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bach Bar | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Oldest lesbian bar in Buenos Aires [134] |
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link)
on the corner of Charles Street and Seventh Avenue
This is a list of notable lesbian bars worldwide, including early prototypes and modern more inclusive spaces.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beaulah bar | Cape Town | South Africa | closed | originally founded as a lesbian bar, until it became a mixed crowd later [1] [2] [3] |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazona | Tel Aviv | Israel | 2020 | Only lesbian bar in the city [4] [5] [6] | |
Bigudi Club | Istanbul | Turkey | 2008 | First lesbian bar in Istanbul [7] [8] [9] [10] | |
Coup d'Etat | Beirut | Lebanon | 2006 | 2007 | The Middle East's first "openly" lesbian bar [11] [12] Closed in 2007 and opened again in 2018. |
2018 | |||||
Lesbos | Seoul | Korea | 1996 | Lesbos ( Korean: 레스보스), located in the Sinchon area of Seoul was opened in 1996 and is the first lesbian bar in South Korea. [13] [14] | |
L'Paradise | Hong Kong | China | 2000s (early) | One of two remaining lesbian bars in Hong Kong as of 2020 [15] | |
Goldfinger | Tokyo | Japan | 2000s (early) | "The most famous lesbian bar in all of Tokyo, maybe in one of the most famous in the world" [16] [17][ better source needed] [10] | |
Roxie's | Shanghai | China | 2014 | June 2024 | First lesbian bar in Shanghai [18] [10] [19] |
Virus | Hong Kong | China | 1997 | Hong Kong's first lesbian bar and as of 2020 one of only two remaining from as many as nine in the early 2000s [15] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cafébar Marianne | Berlin | Germany | 2008 | Also known as Mariannenbar. [20] | |
Candy Bar | London | England | 1996 | 2014 | [21] [22] |
Chez Moune | Paris | France | 1936 | [23][ better source needed] | |
Daniel's | Barcelona | Spain | 1975 | closed | One of the first lesbian bars in Spain and one of the first LGBTQ bars in Barcelona [24] [25] [26] |
Gateways Club | London | England | 1943 | 2014 | [27] |
La Gata | Frankfurt | Germany | 1971 | As of 2021 the only lesbian bar in Frankfurt [28] | |
New Moon | Paris | France | 1960s | 1980s | [29] [30] |
She Soho | London | England | 2014 | [31] |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A League of Her Own | Washington, D.C. | United States | 2018 | [32] [10] | |
A Little More | San Francisco, California | United States | 1980s | [33] [34] [35] [36] | |
Amelia's | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1978 | 1991 | [37] [38] [39] |
The Anxious Asp | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1958 | 1967 | [40] [41] |
Artist's Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1946 | 1949 | [40] [41] |
As You Are Bar | Washington, D.C. | United States | [42] [43] | ||
Babes of Carytown | Richmond, Virginia | United States | 1979 | [44] | |
Babiana Club Less | Mexico City | Mexico | 2013 | [45] [46][ better source needed] | |
BabyFace Disco | Montreal | Canada | 1960s (late) | First lesbian bar in Montreal [47] | |
Bachanal | Albany, California | United States | [48] [49] | ||
Beaded Bag | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
The Bond Street Bar | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1970s | 1980s | Location was also the site of a women's bar in the 1930s [50] [51] |
Blanco's | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1943 | mid-1950s | also known as Blanco's Tavern [40] [41] |
Blush & Blu | Denver, Colorado | United States | 2012 | [44] | |
Bum Bum Bar | Queens, New York City | United States | 1990s (early) | 2018 | [52] [53] |
Cafe Des Beaux Arts | New York City, New York | United States | 1911 | 1921 | One of the earliest "ladies bars" [54] [55] [56] |
Chances Bar | Houston, Texas | United States | 1994 | 2010 | |
Chez-Elle | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1965 | 1990 | Also known as Chez-L Lounge, opened by a former nun, it was Asbury Park's first "women's club" and a "groundbreaking lesbian nightclub" that was "part of a landmark court case in the 1960s" [50] [57] [58] [59] |
Chi-Chi Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1949 | 1956 | [40] [41] |
Clementina's Baybrick | South of Market, San Francisco, California | United States | 1982 | 1987 | also known as The Brick, The Bay Brick Inn [60] [61] |
Copper Lantern | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1955 | 1965 | [40] [41] |
Cubbyhole | West Village, New York City | United States | 1994 | [62] [63] | |
Doc Marie's | Portland, Oregon | United States | 2022 | ||
Driftwood | Hayward, California | United States | Also known as The Driftwood, and Driftwood Lounge [64] [49] | ||
Dorothy | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 2022 | ||
Egyptian Club | Portland, Oregon | United States | 1995 | 2010 | |
Eve's Hangout | Greenwich Village, New York City | United States | 1925 | 1926 | Also known as Eve Adams's Tearoom [65] [66] |
First Choice/The Night | Newark, New Jersey | United States | 1980s | [67] | |
Front | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
Ginger's Bar | Brooklyn, New York City | United States | 2000 | Also known as The G-Spot [68] [69] | |
The Grand Union | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1950s | [70] | |
Helene's | Roselle, New Jersey | United States | 1960s | [71] | |
Henrietta Hudson | West Village, New York City | United States | 1991 | [72] [63] [73] [74] | |
Herz | Mobile, Alabama | United States | 2019 | 2023 | [44] |
Jubilee | Oakland, California | United States | [75] [49] | ||
Kelly's Alamo Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | A police raid in 1956 and the arrest of 36 women on charges of "frequenting a house of ill repute" led the Daughters of Bilitis to publish a guide, "What To Do In Case of Arrest." [76] | ||
The Key West Hotel | Asbury Park, New Jersey | United States | 1981 | 1990 | "the 1980’s most popular club for New Jersey lesbians, and possibly the oldest lesbian venue of its kind on the East Coast" [77] "New Jersey’s largest and most happening lesbian club and hotel" [78] Formerly Owl and Pussycat [79] |
The Lexington Club | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1997 | 2015 | [80] [81] |
Magnolia | Montreal | Canada | 1990s | "One of the greats." [47] | |
Mary’s First and Last Chance | Oakland, California | United States | c. 1948 | 1956 | Closed in 1958 for "catering to lesbians", but the bar challenged the ruling in the State Supreme Court and won in 1959. [82] [83] |
Mary’s Tower | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1953 | 1967 | [40] |
Maud's | Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California | United States | 1966 | 1989 | [84] [85] [38] [39] |
Miss Smith's Tea Room | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1954 | 1960 | [40] [41] |
Mona's 440 Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1936 | 1950s | Sold in the mid-1950s to a former employee, and was renamed "Ann's 440 Club" and then no longer served as a lesbian bar. [86] [87] |
Mona’s Candle Light Room | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1948 | 1957 | Later it changed and became the Club Gala, the Jazz Workshop, Burp Hollow, and the Dixie Land Jazz. [40] |
Mother Bar | Mission District, San Francisco, California | United States | 2023 | [88] [89] | |
My Sister's Room | Atlanta, Georgia | United States | 1996 | [90] | |
Ollie's | Oakland, California | United States | 1981 | 1991 | [49] [91] |
Our Club | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | [40] [41] | ||
Page 3 | Greenwich Village, New York, New York | United States | mid-1950s | mid-1960s | [92] |
The Palms | West Hollywood, California | United States | 1960s | 2013 | [93] |
Paper Doll | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1949 | 1961 | [40] [41] [94] |
The Pearl Bar | Houston, Texas | United States | 2013 | "only lesbian bar in the Bayou City, one of two in Texas and one of 16 in the nation" [95] [96] [97] [98] Profiled in a documentary by the Lesbian Bar Project. [99] [100] [101] | |
Peg's Place | Richmond District, San Francisco, California | United States | 1950s | 1988 | The site of a 1979 lesbophobic attack by off-duty members of the S.F.P.D. [102] [103] |
Phase One | Atlanta, Georgia | United States | 2010s | [104] [105] | |
Phase 1 | Washington, D.C. | United States | 1970 | 2016 | The oldest continually operating lesbian bar in the country when it closed. [106] |
Roselle Inn | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 1935 | Also known as Rose-El-Inn, one of the earliest lesbian bars. [54] Shut down by police in 1935. [107] [108] | |
Sappho's Tavern | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1950s | [70] | |
Scott’s Pit | San Francisco, California | United States | 1970 | 1984 | The first lesbian biker bar in San Francisco; home of brawls and poetry readings. [109] [110] [111] [112] |
The Silver Slipper | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1970s | [70] [113] | |
Sisters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | 2013 | [114] [115] | |
Slammers | Columbus, Ohio | United States | 1993 | [116] | |
Sue Ellen's | Dallas, Texas | United States | 1989 | [117] [118] | |
Tin Angel | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | 1953 | 1961 | [40] [41] |
Toasted Walnut | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | 2015 | 2021 | [119] [120] [121] [122] |
Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place | North Beach, San Francisco, California | United States | late 1940s | 1955 | [40] [41] |
Walker's Pint | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | United States | 2001 | "Wisconsin's last lesbian bar" [123] [10] [124] [125] [126] [127] [128] | |
Wild Side West | Bernal Heights, San Francisco, California | United States | 1962 | [129] [130] [131] | |
The Wildrose | Seattle, Washington | United States | 1980s (early) | A long running lesbian bar on the West Coast. [132] [63] | |
XX+ | Washington, D.C. | United States | 2018 | closed | [133] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (June 2023) |
Bar | City | Country | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bach Bar | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Oldest lesbian bar in Buenos Aires [134] |
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link)
on the corner of Charles Street and Seventh Avenue