Lesbian Bars Are Coming Back: 8 You Need to Visit

At their peak in the 1980s, there were hundreds of lesbian bars across the United States. By 2020, that number had fallen to fewer than two dozen. Then something shifted. Closures slowed. New spaces opened. The bars that survived found new generations of regulars. Here are eight worth knowing about.

Cubbyhole (West Village, New York City)

Cubbyhole at 281 W 12th Street is the most iconic lesbian bar in the country. It’s tiny, it’s divey, and the ceiling is covered in an ongoing accumulation of seasonal decorations and general beautiful chaos. Open since 1994, cash-only, packed on weekends, and genuinely friendly in the way that only a well-run neighborhood bar can be. Tuesday’s $3 margaritas are legendary. Happy hour runs Monday through Saturday until 7 PM. If you visit New York and skip this, you’ve made a mistake.

Henrietta Hudson (West Village, New York City)

Henrietta Hudson at 438 Hudson Street is the longest-running lesbian bar in the country, open since 1991. Owner Lisa Cannistraci built it (literally, with donated labor and boom boxes playing during construction) as a pillar of the community during the height of the AIDS crisis. The bar now calls itself a queer human bar built by lesbians, and the distinction matters. Pool tables during the week, dancing and burlesque on weekends. Come on a Thursday if you want to actually have a conversation.

Ginger’s Bar (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

Ginger’s at 363 5th Avenue in Park Slope is the third of NYC’s dedicated lesbian bars. It’s a neighborhood dive with regular DJs, a friendly regular crowd, and a back patio that becomes essential in summer. Less famous than Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson, which means it’s often less crowded. A genuinely good neighborhood bar that happens to be for us.

A League of Her Own (Adams Morgan, Washington DC)

A League of Her Own at 2319 18th Street NW in DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood is a sports-themed lesbian bar with a dance floor, regular events, and a strong sense of community. It shares a building with the gay sports bar Pitchers upstairs, under the same ownership, which means you can migrate between floors based on the vibe. One of fewer than 25 lesbian bars left in the entire United States. Support it.

The Wildrose (Capitol Hill, Seattle)

The Wildrose at 1021 East Pike Street in Capitol Hill is one of the oldest lesbian bars on the West Coast. It has a dance floor, regular DJ nights on Fridays and Saturdays, a pool table, and the kind of crowd that feels like a community rather than a bar full of strangers. Capitol Hill is Seattle’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood, and Wildrose is one of its anchors. If you’re in Seattle for more than a weekend, go more than once.

The Bush (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

A newer addition to the landscape, The Bush in Bushwick is part of a wave of queer women’s spaces that have opened in Brooklyn in the last few years. It’s less formal than the West Village institutions, more in the Bushwick mold of no-attitude, good music, and a crowd that’s genuinely happy to be there.

Girlfriend (Various Cities)

Girlfriend is a touring lesbian bar concept that pops up at venues in cities without permanent lesbian bars. Check their social media for the next stop near you.

Boyfriend Co-Op (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Boyfriend Co-Op on Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick is a coffee shop by day and a fully queer bar by night. The worker co-op model and explicitly leftist community space ethos make it something different from a standard bar. Open late on weekends. The girls are giving, the whole weekend.

Every bar on this list has survived because people showed up. Keep showing up. Tip your bartenders. Tell your friends. These places matter.