After downing a Carrie Bradshaw-style cocktail at the chill subterranean Friendly Society (review:…read morehttps://yelp.to/4zJuovAN4J), Jamie W. and I were way too intimidated to face the manly crowd in front of Compton's. We went in the opposite direction on Rupert Street and found this inviting courtyard bar. It's marketed as a gay bar but... The clientele was more mixed than gay. Hey, it wasn't a big deal to us. Especially as we sauntered to the bar bathed in pink and royal blue dayglow. Boys bellying up to the bar. Oh yeah, we home. The print was really small in their comprehensive cocktail menu, but that didn't stop us from ordering more libations. Stop judging us. Jamie went for the £12.50 Margarita, and I continued my Cosmopolitan streak with their £12 one (photo: https://yelp.to/RsyQWeRD5R). We went back into the courtyard to find a table. The leafy terrace and strings of white light were quite inviting, and we ended up hanging out in this sanctuary until they closed at 11PM. Cool. DRINKS - 4 stars...they did the trick AMBIANCE - 5 stars...the courtyard was loverly SERVICE - 4 stars...efficient bartender TOTAL - 4 stars...a nice way to end our first night in London RELATED - Exploring London? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx

I had a drink here before going out with some friends. They played some great music and the…read morebartenders were really friendly. It gets dull quickly especially right before they close so be prepared to watch for open seats or stand, which is not the worse so you can dance a bit to the great playlist.

I liked this place on a week day, not too crowded and nice music. We could chat and have a few…read moredrinks. But on a Friday evening it was too much people for me and you could barely sit down, yet it was empty downstairs on the dance floor.

Ehhg. My friend…read moresaid this was the new HOT spot in as far as the gay scene goes so a group of us hop foot it here after a birthday meal for a beer and a boogie on a Friday evening. As we approached we were told there was going to be a £3 entry fee, which for a regular pub with no entertainment on annoys me but hey ho here we go. But we all got stamped with GLORY on our wrists and were let in for free. Now I'm too young to ever have experienced the more underground gay bars of yesteryear - but this place felt reminiscent of those times. For 11pm on a Friday there was no way the bar needed to be that HOT. I mean, difficult to breathe kind of HOT. And yet remarkably everyone still had their shirts on! The bar itself is small and crammed, but the staff were nice and friendly and the booze reasonably priced. The whole place is very dark, with a small cabaret stage area with the compulsory silver backdrop. It all felt a bit dated, terrible (and not ironically camp) music, sauna type hot with a keep your clothes on rule and just BLEH. No I'm not the lesbian spoil sport - I love a good sausage bar with a good atmosphere, but I'm afraid the only Glory in this bar may be in the holes in the bathroom.

I'm so sorry to do this to you guys but you just let me down. This place is a Jekyll and Hyde…read morevenue, posing as a cafe/restaurant by day and a gay bar by night. Now I haven't yet been at night, partly due to the scary looking queues that is permanently fixed outside the door and also because I just haven't had the time. Now from a cafe poit of view this place fails, the kitchen staff couldn't deal with more that 5 covers at once and told a friend of mine that they weren't taking orders for half an hour. When I ordered my food it came and was lovely but it did take 45 minutes to fry an egg, literally! So DS, I will be back, I will try you again, I just won't have such high expectations. It's a shame, you're bar is cool and your staff were lovely.

So I won't lie, I was slightly blurry when I went here on Friday but I don't think that's just…read morebecause of the alcohol. The place itself is a blur of noise, colour and people - not that this is a bad thing, it's just what sticks out in my mind. There was a barman that was an absolute dream - sadly I can't remember his name but he had the most amazing afro and he really was a diamond. Quick service, super friendly and he made me laugh, A LOT! I must say the music in this place was on point (for me anyway) - track after track of sing-a-long hits including Ella Henderson, Ghost - a sing along staple for me. I absolutely loved it and danced along until late late in the morning. My only negative is the toilets and the stairs up/downstairs - beware the stairs, they're really rather steep and slippy with alcohol. I have a cracking bruise after a stumble so watch your step. Also, the toilets are unisex, rather messy and constantly busy which was slightly frustrating. To note - this is a gay bar so if you're not into eccentricities I wouldn't recommend this venue. For me however, I loved it!

As an American tourist I was looking forward to seeing gay nightlife in London. My friend and I…read morewalked up to the security guard and was immediately met with a barrage of weird questions like "have you been here before". " when was the last time?" Yada yada. Then we were told that we were being denied entry since it was locals only that evening . What the actual F***. This place discriminates even towards gay men. Very disappointed I urge you to take your business elsewhere

Hilarious Monday night queen, Mrs Moore. Will be coming back as often as possible on my trip…read more If you can't handle the heat stay out of the fire!

KU is a corner bar that sits smack in the middle of the gayborhood. The first floor is the "bar"…read morewith a jovial and packed pub atmosphere. Upstairs is more lounge-like with plush couch seats around cocktail tables. We liked upstairs but could only find stools at the bar. It was fun to observe the bartenders pouring drinks. We found the bartenders don't serve the customers directly and they don't have cash registers. So you don't really chat with the bartenders or tip them. Instead orders are placed via roaming servers who handle the cashless transactions. This was a first for me in a gay bar setting. The world is changing. Upstairs music was current. Volume was not too loud (surprising for a Friday night) so we could converse without shouting. Clientele was a great mix, showing the diversity of LGBTQ+ London. We like that and will come back again.

Love KU!!!!! Always have the best time! Best staff! Yummy drinks and a good vibe. Would highly…read morerecommend!!! And again the whole staff is lovely and Awesome!!!

Obviously the perfect place to pop to after an evening of drinks at Bar, there are always people…read moredancing. It's fun, the bar staff are lovely, and has been one of my favourite haunts since I was 18. £1.70 drinks Sunday-Thursday? £2 entry or free with a flyer from Bar? Fabulously fun people? YES PLEASE!

Came here 7th Jan - early hours of 8th Jan 2023 after partying in SHE Bar in Soho all night with my…read moreGF, which is a lesbian bar. We had the wristbands still on. When SHE eventually closed we headed to G-A-Y late as we were kissing in the street and weird men started approaching us outside the bar (this is why gay bars are important). It was my first night being openly out in public and I was nervous and didn't want to have to police my behavior around straight men for safety reasons. There was no queue at G-A-Y Late and when we approached the door staff, we were asked if we are members, I've had this problem before and this is what they say to you when they don't believe you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I explained that a membership card isn't required (as someone who knows how this works, they also like to say 'regulars only') this didn't go down well with the male door staff and we were told we weren't coming in. My GF said we had friends inside, we were told to stand to one side to call them to prove it. They weren't picking up. We tried again and were told to go and eat something and come back, neither of us were drunk. We'd had maybe 3-4 drinks. I've also seen this used against people who do this and are then refused entry still after eating, so I knew they were just trying to get rid of me. We decided to go in and pay since we were being discriminated against for no reason at all, after paying I was then taken outside and told I was trespassing despite the fact they couldn't give either of us a solid reason for not being allowed inside. I said if that's true I want a refund, I was refused this too. We were then told sternly we weren't coming in, I began filming the staff because I wanted to make a formal complaint and needed to film the evidence, as I've never had this much trouble with any clubs or bars. We were just wanting a night out in a safe space and this was taken from us. I wasn't screaming or shouting, I was calmly trying to speak to the staff. I was clearly upset though they really didn't seem to care, in fact they seemed amused. One of the male door staff staff told me I was now barred from G-A-Y Late, but again didn't tell me why. He just asked me if it was worth it and screamed at me to call the police, I hadn't even mentioned the police. Eventually a female door staff member came out, unsure if she was a team leader or security manager but again she didn't take a second to ask me what happened she just told me that she doesn't know why we weren't allowed in but that we were trespasses and can't come in. We were told to go to the 24/7 casino? I'm sorry but this isn't safe for queer people. I'm not sure what they wanted us to do, we were literally kissing outside the venue but still told we can't come in? I don't expect they understand what LGBTQ+ looks like in 2023, but they need to leave their assumptions behind and the staff need to take on sensitivity training, most of them didn't look queer themselves and judging by their attitude were likely not part of the community. This place will honesty use absolutely any excuse to discriminate people who just want a good night in a safe space. It's safe to say I left completely distraught and in tears, it's not easy coming to terms with your sexuality and I've always came to gay bars/queer spaces hoping to feel accepted and without judgement and usually do. This is the only gay bar branch that I've had trouble with and judging by the reviews and comments on social media/tik tok etc I'm not an isolated incident. How I was treated was so hurtful and demeaning that I'm never coming back. This isn't a space that's suitable for queer folks, if you don't look a certain way you can't come inside. Please save your money and time and go elsewhere, nobody should have to worry about getting in somewhere because of how they look. It goes completely against the queer community of love yourself as you are. I've attached pictures of all the staff who I interacted with, hopefully G-A-Y Late will do something though my hopes aren't particularly high. Please do better.

A smaller and more low key bar compared to others that we've been too. The crowd seemed to be…read moremellow when we walked in. It wasn't that big in the main area and the bar was right there when you walked in. They asked if we were having our drinks inside or outside. Assuming it was for either a glass cup or plastic cup. Music was decent. I feel like this place is more of somewhere you go to if you want to actually have a conversation with someone. It's a bit more calm, during the time we arrive. I'm sure it does get wild later in the evening. Of course restroom are downstairs just like all the other bars that we've visited. Drinks were affordable which makes it a plus. The only thing that was a major turn off, the freakin back door. It would constantly slammed whenever anyone opens it. There's something loose or needed to be adjusted. The whole time all I could think about was someone's hand was going to get slammed. Bestie that, it's a chill fun place.

Duke of Wellington is a fun place and the bartenders know everything to do in the area. I would…read moreactually say to start here with your evening and make your way around the streets for the evening. It is a great easy to enjoy bar area complete with bar tables that reminded me of Duplex in New York City. The only thing missing is a piano.

I am reminded of one of my favorite stickers "Every bar is a gay bar." Yay! Only 10 meters from our…read moreAirbnb...pleasant environment, fun music...nice tables. Came in for a glass of wine. Will sneak back in when the parents arrive.... ;)

Have been here several times - though this time a new member of staff made the choice to…read morespecifically pick me out and decide to flex their power. About 15 guys were crowded around the bar, some of them even sat on stools right at the bar. I was there with a friend, and were also stood at the bar. A gentlemen asked if he could get to the bar, and I happily moved out of his way. This new staff member then called me *back* to the bar after I'd made space by stepping away, and told me to make room for other people - completely ignoring the 15 or so other guys standing around, and literally *seated* at the bar. It felt as though I was being personally picked on; not only had I *already* moved out of the way, but I was the only one to have bothered to move for this new gentlemen. I've been here plenty of times before, but I'm not sure if I feel particularly safe with this new staff member working there, he seemed to zero in on me, and decide to abuse his power to call me back, only to send me away from the bar I'd *already* moved away from....