Best Gay Bars & Clubs in Brooklyn

On a Friday night the M train rattles overhead along Myrtle Avenue, bodega cats sleep in shop windows, and the queue outside a converted warehouse on Meserole Street is all glitter, harnesses and vintage denim. Brooklyn doesn't do gay bars the way Hell's Kitchen does. There's no single strip, and the scene here is queer in the broad sense: lesbian bars, dyke bars, co-op cafés, drag dives and warehouse dance floors, with crowds that mix gay men, trans and non-binary people and their friends. The heart of it has drifted east over twenty years, from Williamsburg to Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, with Park Slope's Fifth Avenue as the older, calmer outpost. 2026 has been a hard year, with two well-loved bars gone, but the scene is still wide, varied and very much alive.

Legal in one line: sex between men has been legal in New York since 1980, same-sex marriage since 2011, and state law bans discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity. The drinking age is 21, and New York City bars may serve until 4am.

The scene in brief

Think of Brooklyn's queer nightlife as four clusters. Williamsburg and East Williamsburg have the long-running Metropolitan and the big dance club 3 Dollar Bill. Bushwick, especially Myrtle Avenue and the streets off Wyckoff, has the densest run of small queer bars. Bed-Stuy has performance bars on Franklin Avenue. Park Slope, a world away in mood, has Good Judy and the lesbian bar Ginger's on Fifth Avenue. The first three are linked by the L and M trains; Park Slope is a separate trip.

Williamsburg & East Williamsburg

Metropolitan · 559 Lorimer Street

Open since 2002 and still trading, Metropolitan calls itself one of Brooklyn's original gay bars. It's a two-room dive with a pool table, two fireplaces for winter and a big backyard on two levels, a short walk from the Metropolitan Av/Lorimer St station (G and L). Its own site lists it as open every day from 15:00 to 04:00, 21 and over. The famous free Sunday barbecues run from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, with DJs and shows in the yard. Online reviews are mixed (some find it scruffy, others love exactly that), but it remains a fixture, and the crowd is a friendly mix of gay men, queer locals and their friends. Phone +1 718-599-4444.

3 Dollar Bill · 260 Meserole Street

Travel Gay calls it the largest gay bar in Brooklyn: a warehouse with a main room, a smaller room, two stages and an outdoor patio, plus a Mexican kitchen, Del Sur Cocina. This is where Brooklyn goes for big drag nights, dance parties and daytime events; many nights are ticketed, so check the calendar and buy ahead. Travel Gay lists it as open daily from 14:00 to 04:00. The nearest stops are Montrose Av and Morgan Av on the L.

9 Bob Note · 270 Meserole Street

A smaller space right beside 3 Dollar Bill, which some event listings treat as part of the same complex. It was hosting themed parties in October 2026. Hours vary by event, so check before you go.

ANIMAL · 307 Meeker Avenue

Opened in April 2024 on the Williamsburg–Greenpoint edge by Jim Morrison Hevert and Ashton Correa, ANIMAL bills itself as "a love letter to the energy of New York": a cocktail den with a red-lit dance floor and disco ball, a leafy outdoor bar, brunch and day drinking, and fetish and dance parties. GayCities notes a mixed crowd that includes bears and otters, mostly 30-plus. Phone +1 718-550-0280.

The Exley · Jackson Street

Hevert's other bar, a small, busy queer cocktail bar in Williamsburg with a popular front patio. Reviewers describe a slightly older crowd, mostly thirty-somethings, and Friday crowds, so come early or late.

Bushwick

Mood Ring · 1260 Myrtle Avenue

A woman-led, astrology-themed queer bar with zodiac cocktails, moody lighting and DJs, plus a back room that has hosted comedy, music and karaoke. Travel Gay lists it as opening at 18:00 daily, until 02:00 early in the week and 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Happyfun Hideaway · 1211 Myrtle Avenue

A tiki-tinged queer dive with tropical cocktails, eclectic decor, a backyard and film and fashion screenings. The Infatuation calls it a mixed queer dive; it's also where the community rallied with a benefit for Macri Park's staff in February 2026.

BOYFRIEND co-op café + bar · 1157 Myrtle Avenue

Opened in spring 2025, steps from the Myrtle–Broadway stop (J, M, Z), BOYFRIEND is a queer café by day and a bar by night, run as a multi-stakeholder co-operative: staff can become owners, and customers can buy memberships that include a free monthly coffee, event entry and a vote. A good daytime base and a gentler start to the evening.

The Bush · 333 Troutman Street

A dyke bar that opened in 2023, with a front bar, disco balls and a small dance floor at the back, DJs most nights and mixers and Martini Tuesdays. It gets crowded at weekends. Everyone is welcome, but it's a lesbian-centred space, so read the room.

Purgatory · 675 Central Avenue

A queer-owned bar and live-music space on the Bushwick–Ridgewood border, with an outdoor patio and an upstairs room for indie gigs, DIY performance and queer dance parties. Its calendar was full through November 2026. The crowd is young and mixed.

House of Yes · 2 Wyckoff Avenue

Not a gay bar but a club and performance space in a former ice warehouse, known for costumed, theatrical parties with aerialists and a strong queer following. Most nights are ticketed, and many have a dress code or theme; check the listing before you go.

Bed-Stuy

C'mon Everybody · 325 Franklin Avenue

A queer-owned bar on the Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill border, with a craft-cocktail front bar and a back room for indie bands, cabaret, drag, comedy and poetry, which turns into a dance floor at late-night weekend parties. It opens nightly from 17:00; back-room events are mostly ticketed.

All Night Skate · 54 Rockaway Avenue

A cocktail bar styled like a 1990s roller disco, though there's no rink: diner-style booths, retro arcade games, oldies on the jukebox and Mexican street food from Mr. Taco. It's a mixed, LGBTQ+-friendly bar rather than a gay bar, with drag and themed party nights. Listed as open until 02:00 most nights and 03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; wear your skates for a discount.

Singers

A Bed-Stuy bar that opened in summer 2022, with a candlelit interior, a backyard under a big tree and outdoor movie, karaoke and trivia nights. We couldn't confirm its 2026 programme, so check its social media before making the trip.

Park Slope

Good Judy · 563 Fifth Avenue

A two-floor gay bar at the south end of Fifth Avenue, opened during the pandemic in the space that was once Excelsior. Upstairs hosts drag, TV screenings and events; downstairs has booths, weekend DJs, piano karaoke and a garden at the back. Travel Gay lists it as open from 17:00 (15:00 on Sundays), until 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Ginger's Bar · 363 Fifth Avenue

Brooklyn's long-running lesbian bar, opened on St Patrick's Day 2000 by Sheila Frayne and now co-owned with Brendan Donohoe. It closed for 19 months during the pandemic, reopened in October 2021 and marked its 25th anniversary in 2025. It's a friendly Irish-style dive with a front bar, a pool table at the back and an enclosed patio, plus karaoke, DJ nights and drag king shows. The Infatuation reports it as cash only.

Also worth knowing

• Branded Saloon, 603 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights: a country-western bar with a back room for drag and open mics and a basement pool table. It was still running a Sunday drag brunch in September 2026.
• Loafers, 517 Court Street, Carroll Gardens: a gay cocktail lounge that opened in 2024, with Italian snacks, drag bingo and weekend DJs.
• Athena Keke's, 222 Greene Avenue, Clinton Hill: a queer-owned women's sports bar with a mostly sapphic crowd.

Closed or changed: The Rosemont (63 Montrose Avenue, East Williamsburg) shut abruptly at the end of August 2026 after nearly a decade, saying it would "likely not" reopen as a permanent space; a farewell party was being planned. Macri Park (462 Union Avenue, Williamsburg) closed suddenly in January 2026, with staff given no notice. Club Lambda BK on Grand Street is reported to have held its final party on 28 February 2026. The Holler (348 Franklin Avenue, Bed-Stuy) was reported closed in 2026, though some listings still show it, so confirm before going. Excelsior, Park Slope's old gay bar, is long gone; its last home at 563 Fifth Avenue is now Good Judy.



A night out, the Brooklyn way

Start late; Brooklyn doesn't really get going before 22:00. Have an early drink at BOYFRIEND or ANIMAL, work your way along Myrtle Avenue between Mood Ring and Happyfun Hideaway, then take the L to 3 Dollar Bill if there's a party you want, or to Metropolitan's backyard on a summer Sunday. Park Slope is better for a slower evening: Ginger's patio, then Good Judy upstairs. Fuel up the New York way: a chopped cheese (chopped beef, melted cheese and onions on a hero roll) from a bodega grill counter, or a slice of pizza on the way home. Brooklyn also claims the egg cream, a fizzy chocolate-milk soda with neither egg nor cream.

In daylight, pay respects at Marsha P. Johnson State Park on the Williamsburg waterfront, named after the Stonewall-era trans activist, and, if you're in Park Slope, the Lesbian Herstory Archives.

Practical tips

• Subway: the New York subway runs 24 hours a day. The L links Manhattan with Williamsburg and Bushwick, the G runs north–south through Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy and Park Slope's edge, and the elevated J/M/Z cross Bushwick. Tap a contactless card or phone at the gate (OMNY). After midnight, trains run far less often and weekend engineering works often reroute or suspend lines, so check the MTA app before you set off.
• Taxis: green Boro Taxis, yellow cabs, Uber and Lyft all work in Brooklyn. Between Bushwick and Park Slope late at night, a car is often quicker than two trains.
• ID: the drinking age is 21 and Brooklyn doors check ID for everyone, whatever your age. Overseas visitors should carry a passport; some bouncers are wary of foreign driving licences.
• Tipping: tipping is expected. The usual custom is a dollar or two per drink at the bar, or around 20% on a tab or table service. Tip drag performers in cash.
• Cash and cards: cards are taken almost everywhere, but carry some cash for tips, cover charges and the odd cash-only bar.
• Tickets: at 3 Dollar Bill, House of Yes, C'mon Everybody's back room and many parties, buy tickets online in advance; popular nights sell out.
• Health: NYC Health runs Sexual Health Clinics across the boroughs offering PEP and PrEP; check the city's website for current locations and hours.

Staying safe: Brooklyn is welcoming, but it's still a big city. Watch your drink, keep your phone out of reach on crowded platforms, avoid empty subway cars late at night, and take a car if you're heading somewhere unfamiliar after 2am. Hate crimes are rare but do happen, and New York treats them seriously: report any incident to the police (dial 911 in an emergency).



Pride in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Pride, a volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 1996, holds its Twilight Parade in mid-June, billed as the only evening Pride parade in the Northeast. In 2026 it marked the organisation's 30th anniversary on Saturday 13 June, running along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope from Lincoln Place to Eighth Street from 19:30, and the bars on Fifth Avenue filled up afterwards. Brooklyn Youth Pride, for ages 11 to 19, followed on Saturday 20 June at Industry City.

Across the river, the NYC Dyke March set off from Bryant Park on Saturday 27 June 2026, and the NYC Pride March stepped off at noon on Sunday 28 June from 26th Street and Fifth Avenue, past the Stonewall National Monument, with PrideFest in Greenwich Village the same day. Brooklyn's bars ran afterparties all weekend. Dates for 2027 had not been announced at the time of writing.

A few words of Brooklynese

• Bodega – the corner shop, open late, usually with a cat and a grill.
• Chopped cheese – the bodega sandwich of choice at 3am.
• Stoop – the front steps of a brownstone, Brooklyn's summer living room.
• On line – New Yorkers wait "on line", not "in line".
• The L – the train to Williamsburg and Bushwick, and the scene's lifeline.
• Deadass – seriously, for real ("deadass, I'm not going home yet").
• Schlep – a long, tiring trip (Park Slope to Bushwick at 3am is a schlep).

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Which gay bars should I visit in Brooklyn?

For a first night, Metropolitan in Williamsburg (open since 2002) and 3 Dollar Bill in East Williamsburg for dancing and drag. In Park Slope, Good Judy and the lesbian bar Ginger's sit on Fifth Avenue, and Bushwick has a cluster of queer bars along Myrtle Avenue, including Mood Ring, Happyfun Hideaway and BOYFRIEND.

Which Brooklyn gay bars have closed recently?

Macri Park in Williamsburg closed suddenly in January 2026, and The Rosemont in East Williamsburg announced in September 2026 that it had shut and would likely not reopen. Excelsior's last home on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope has been Good Judy since the pandemic years.

When is Brooklyn Pride?

In mid-June, ahead of the NYC Pride March. In 2026 the Brooklyn Pride Twilight Parade ran along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope on the evening of Saturday 13 June, marking the organisation's 30th anniversary. The Manhattan march followed on Sunday 28 June.

How do I get between Brooklyn's gay bars at night?

The New York subway runs 24 hours, and the L, G and M trains link Williamsburg and Bushwick, but late-night trains are less frequent and weekend works often reroute lines. Park Slope is a separate trip, so a taxi or ride-hailing app is often quicker after 1am.

What should I bring to a gay bar in Brooklyn?

Photo ID, because the drinking age in New York is 21 and doors check everyone; visitors should carry a passport. Tip the bartender, usually a dollar or two per drink, and bring some cash, as a few bars, including Ginger's, have been reported as cash only.

Part of the GayOut bars series. See the full gay Brooklyn guide for hotels, organisations and heritage sites.