Gay Bars in London

The Duke of Wellington is a friendly Soho gay pub on Wardour Street that leans more pub than club. It is a steady option for pints, conversation and a less frantic pace than some of the nearby late-night venues.

Village Soho is one of Soho’s longest-running LGBTQI+ venues and mixes bar, cocktail lounge and club energy on Wardour Street. It is best known for resident DJs, go-go boys and a reliable happy-hour crowd.

A bar built into a railway arch on Voltaire Road in Clapham, drawing a predominantly male crowd from the local neighbourhood and beyond.

A multi-floor bar near King's Cross drawing a predominantly male crowd, with a reputation as one of the more established spots in that part of north London.

Circa Soho is a compact Frith Street LGBTQ+ bar known for happy hour, karaoke and a younger late-night crowd. It works well as a pre-club spot in central Soho, especially on weekends when trading appears to extend later than the base website copy suggests.

A long-running gay pub just off Oxford Street in Marble Arch, drawing a predominantly male crowd of regulars and after-work drinkers.

Comptons is one of the classic institutions of gay Soho, operating from a Victorian former hotel on Old Compton Street. It remains a dependable pub stop for pints, people-watching and a mostly male crowd in the middle of the strip.

Dalston Superstore is one of East London’s defining queer venues, combining bar, kitchen and club programming with a more mixed and alternative crowd than Soho. Its current schedule spans drag brunch, karaoke, film nights, club nights and community-led events.

A queer women's bar and social space on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch, drawing a predominantly female and non-binary crowd to one of east London's busier stretches.

A leather and fetish bar on Kennington Lane in south London, drawing a predominantly male crowd with a strong interest in gear, bears, and the harder end of the dress code.

Freedom is a polished Soho bar-and-club split between a cocktail bar upstairs and a basement club downstairs. It is especially known for Kinky Kabaret on Mondays and late-night disco-leaning Thursdays.

A Soho basement bar on Wardour Street with a camp, kitsch interior that sets it apart from the more polished venues nearby.

A pub-style bar just off Trafalgar Square in the heart of the West End, drawing a predominantly male crowd of regulars, tourists, and after-work drinkers.

Ku Bar is one of central London’s established LGBTQ+ nightlife brands, centred on Lisle Street near Leicester Square. It is known for cocktails, drag, DJs and a late-night crowd, with adjacent venues including Little Ku and Klub.

A compact bar on Frith Street in Soho, part of the Ku Bar group, drawing a predominantly male crowd to one of the smaller venues on the strip.

A small, unpretentious bar tucked down a side alley just off the Strand in Charing Cross, drawing a mixed crowd of regulars and visitors who want a drink without the theatre of Soho.

A well-established bar on Rupert Street in Soho, drawing a predominantly male crowd in the heart of London's gay village.

A bar for women and their friends on Old Compton Street, sitting in the middle of Soho's main strip and drawing a predominantly female crowd in an area where that is still relatively rare.

The Admiral Duncan is a historic Old Compton Street pub that still works as one of Soho’s most recognisable LGBTQ+ bars. Its weekly rhythm is built around live entertainment, with regular cabaret and karaoke nights rather than all-out clubbing.

A neighbourhood pub in Bethnal Green serving a local crowd that has made it one of East London's quieter alternatives to the main strip.

A bar in Elephant and Castle's Harper Road, The Rising SE1 serves the local community in a part of south London that has historically had few dedicated venues of its own.

The Yard is one of Soho’s best-looking drinking spots, hidden behind gates off Rupert Street with a courtyard terrace and loft bar above. It works well for dates, first drinks and a slower-paced stop between the busier Soho venues.

A bar, club, and karaoke venue on Hampstead Road in Euston, drawing a mixed crowd looking for a relaxed night out with a bit of everything.