Ku Bar

The Vibe: The atmosphere is a perfect blend of modern and…read morecozy. The lighting is warm, and the background music is subtle enough to allow for easy conversation--ideal for a quiet dinner. The Food: I ordered the [Dish Name, e.g., Grilled Sea Bass]. It was cooked to perfection--moist on the inside with a crisp skin. The flavors were balanced, though the portion size was a bit smaller than expected for the price. The Service: The staff was attentive without being intrusive. You can tell they take pride in their work, which gives the place an authentic feel rather than a corporate, "robotic" vibe.

Really cool pub with lots of history. Bar staff was very friendly and explained lots about the pub.read more

1.8 mi•Vauxhall, Kennington, Oval, South Lambeth

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Inside the pub

Eagle London

3.9(16 reviews)

OK I admit I'm a stereotype, but I'm a gay dude who loves to dance in clubs with bangin' sound…read moresystems. This London gay club has just the right mixture of sexual undercurrent and outrageously good sound system. It is a gay cousin of the alien bar in the opening sequence of Star Wars, with a definitely one-of-a-kind vibe, and some characters that may or may not be human. It used to be much more in-your-face with the sex, but that's been toned down from NC-17 (bordering on X-rated) to R-rated...just the same, even now don't bring prudes here. Bizarrely enough, my straight work colleagues turned to me and said they wanted to go to an outrageously fun gay disco. So, I took them to this Vauxhall institution, and they let the female work colleagues in too, after I flirted with the bouncer. Before the night was over, they'd definitely had the aforementioned outrageous fun. The place really reminds me of another one-of-a-kind club with a sex theme dialed up to the max and a chest-vibrating sound system: Miami's E11even. The main differences are (1) this club is not 24 hours, 365 days a year like the Miami fraternal twin (opens 8PM and runs very late), and (2) there are boys wearing next to nothing gyrating, not girls. It's easy to find with GPS. Any London cabbie will know the place, and it's easy to get to by subway. For logistics, just remember the Tube closes down fairly early by large city standards, and the cabs get a huge spike in demand when the last train departs. Thank [insert deity here] that London let Uber resume operations. The neighborhood can be slightly edgy, especially late at night, but dodge the dark archways, etc., and you should be fine. If you're a cocktail fan, this place has a great bar. The real star of the show is the truly amazing sound system with laser lights, etc. Most nights have themes, and the night we went was Horse Meat Disco night, which despite the name seems to be generally just a fun dance party with cool lighting effects. Other nights are a little more themed by body type and clothing (bears, underwears, etc). Oh one important thing: with a name like Eagle London, you might expect this to be mostly leather guys and maybe a little seedy. Instead it's sort of a radical cross-section of gay Londoners and pretty spiffy decor. I recommend the place highly.

Fun and relaxed atmosphere. My husband and I were visiting from Los Angeles and we had a great time.read more

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Central Station

3.0(7 reviews)

1.5 mi•King's Cross

Central Station is not the classiest of establishments…read more I'm sure it has a very loyal, local clientèle, but I'm afraid I won't be back. In the area with a few hours to kill, The Mrs remembers - somewhere around here is one of the oldest gay bars. Central station. Not one to miss out on a dodgy gay bar, we Yelp it and start the trek. On the approach; our negative suspicions were proved right as we saw the well worn exterior of the pub. Taking a deep breath we ventured in. On first impressions it actually looked quite nice. Deep purple painted walls and trendy wall paper. A light and airy look. The Problems started when we ordered a drink at the bar. Drinks weren't cheap and I got what I believe to be the dirtiest pint ever had the displeasure of drinking. It just tasted foul, like the lines hadn't been cleaned, ever. Everywhere on the bar and tables seemed to already be wet. Even for 8pm on a Friday night the atmosphere was lifeless with just a scattering of lone men sitting around the place. Bar flies were a staple here. As standard, there was no lock on the ladies - which was another delight. Describing itself as a 'restaurant' even going so far as putting itself on TopTable I was sceptical. I'm afraid we didn't brave the food as the menu didn't look very appetising. Now there is a club downstairs, and a pool table lives out the back so I'm sure there are better nights to go there and when there are people I'm sure its a hoot. But. No. Just. No

This is a traditional old school gay bar, club ('Underground' in the basement) and budget hotel…read more Very welcoming, confident and uncompromising in its culture and identity. As a bar, it's not hip nor stylish but offers a welcome home to a variety of local community events embracing all aspects of queer and allied trade identities including regular socials for trans people, cross dressers and their admirers - if you're no comfortable with this then prepare to see your horses frightened! If you are then enjoy one of the warmest spaces in town. The hotel (perhaps more B&B) is clean but dated, with reasonable facilities and a can do attitude. They have a lovely little roof terrace and while hardly boutique, it does a great breakfast fry up and a proper cup of tea - a rare find in that big London these days.

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Classy establishment

New Bloomsbury Set

4.4(14 reviews)

1.0 mi•Bloomsbury

Oh yelpers... hidden stairwells, gays, cocktails... if you've been keeping up with my hot lists,…read moreyou know that this is the way to my 5-star affection. Be on the lookout for for the NBS sign, because we were absolutely baffled at first as to where this place actually exitsted (76 seems like a fairly straightforward number, but the entrance isn't off marchmount...) Great cosy little bar that suits the locals in the know. NBS has some well-crafted cocktails that packed quite a punch and a chilled out atmosphere. There's a couple of small little private caves with mini flatscreens and pillows if your group wants to be a bit away from the crowd, otherwise plop down on one of the cushy leather sofas and sip the night away. We were there on a Sunday night so it was pretty quiet, though we were told that it does pack up a bit more on prime nights. All in all, the NBS is a great little bar that delivers exactly what you would expect from this neighborhood.

It's 5pm, I'm starving and tired…read more Simon - What are you doing tonight? Eric - Damned if I know. You? Simon - Come out with my friends and I. Eric - Done. Two hours and an unappetising avocado and chicken pesto sandwich from Pret A Manger (that's a review for another time) later, I met my friend at The New Bloomsbury Set. There was a lovely blast wall of air-conditioning as soon as I walked down the stairs and entered the bar. It is small and minimalistic and comfortable. Those things don't always go hand in hand but Jez has pulled it off somehow and I thank him for it. If you take a look at the wall on your left as you enter you will see three little alcoves that look like they may have been storage space at one time. I didn't have a chance to ask but they've been gussied up as a nice little chill out space. Throw pillows and carpets make these little spaces nice and cosy but don't completely alienate you from the rest of the room. They have a full bar with a wonderful drink menu and plenty of beers to suit a number of tastes. It's a safe bet that you're in good hands unless you only drink odd things like 20 year aged mescal. I have a light hearted warning to pass on about the hall outside the bathrooms. There is a disco ball and coloured lighting so beware. A dance party might just break out. If you happen to be looking for a nice, intimate place to have a drink and relax then I highly recommend The New Bloomsbury Set.

A cosy welcoming entrance

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G-A-Y Bar

3.4(84 reviews)

0.1 mi•Bloomsbury

G-A-Y Bar has the tendency to the be the trashier option but we loved it very much as drinks are…read moreserved in plastic here still but the music is bumping and so are their crowds. This is great place to dance and enjoy new friends to dance with. Also this place was where Madonna performed 20 years ago and for that reason we will always make this place part of our evening.

Been a long time since I went to GAY. For nostalgia I thought I would pop in for one drink before…read moreheading home after seeing Priscilla at the Outer Net club (Highly recommend new night club under tottenham court road tube - Called Here @ outernet). It seems I managed to find the only Gay bar that is anti gay. The twink shop boy on the door starts to quiz me of when I last visited and refused to let "People like me in".... Darling I used to come here when Astoria was still a thing and before Jeremy Joseph even took over heaven. I hope grinder put's them out of business All I would say is stear clear there are better places to go. Ku Bar, Friendly Society & now Outernet. I had already been to those the night before hence trying GAY. Bit shocked to see so many other people have had a similar experience.

Leta go.

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Kings Arms

3.7(18 reviews)

0.4 mi•Soho

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....

This has been the best bar we have been to. Jack, Felipe, and Josh are the best! Not only great but…read moresuper attentive. The management has been amazing, Alan and Dane have been amazing with helping us with our drinks and customer service.

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Comptons

3.8(26 reviews)

0.1 mi•Soho

Comptons has been around for a long time, looks the same for years, and still manages to pack in…read morethe gay crowd especially in evenings and weekends. Don't let the crowds outside fool you thinking there's a long line to get in. They're just drinking and smoking in the designated sidewalk pub area. Downstairs can be smashing full of fun, but we enjoyed upstairs even more. It was a "little" more sedated and Cheers pub-like with lots of regulars. Drinks are reasonably priced, and doubles are encouraged. That's cool so we don't have to wait at the bar twice, especially since only one bartender upstairs was handling the whole floor.

Great bar in London…read more Came here for my first visit and came back again. This time is was during the week after work and there was a great crowd still. Bartenders are friendly and fast with drinks. Locals are pretty friendly to talk to as well.

Front of the bar

Interior

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Second floor bar

Friendly Society

4.0(61 reviews)

0.2 mi•Soho

Love this place. This is my go to every time we are in soho. The drinks are ok but it's nolstalgic…read morefor me. The owner is a doll and the decor is one of a kind. Come here for a drink to start your night and come back at the end of the night for a finisher. Please don't ever close!

Listen, if you're looking to dip your toe in the gay pool that is Soho, I think this subterranean…read morebar lounge is the ideal starting point. Embarrassingly Jamie W. and I had not really explored London's gay subculture before, and we saw images of this particular bar on YouTube. We thought this might be the spot to target. Turned out we were right because it was surprisingly quiet on a Sunday evening compared to a congested zoo like Compton's. The dimly lit space was decorated with a combination of Barbie kitsch and faux-floral delights. The bartender, a gentlemanly young man, was genuinely delightful, and immediately made us feel relaxed with his banter. Jamie ordered the £11 Sunset Cruise, a tantalizing mix of different rums, coconut, apricot liqueur, and pineapple juice (photo: https://yelp.to/ILAB8Cpofh). Tropical yet bold enough to raise Jamie's freak flag. He was a happy camper. I went rather predictably with the $12 Cosmopolitan just because I was searching for my inner Carrie Bradshaw (photo: https://yelp.to/ILAB8Cpofh). She's in there somewhere. It was good enough for us to hang in the bar for a good while. There were plenty of sitting areas where we could feel we could hold a semi-private conversation about whether we'd still do Ricky Martin at age 52. The answer was an unequivocal yes, but you knew that already, didn't you? Indeed it was a friendly society here. COCKTAILS - 4 stars...libations with unique stylings AMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...unique decorations in a uniquely underground setting SERVICE - the bartender had our best interests in mind TOTAL - friendly is the right descriptor RELATED - Exploring London? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx

Barbies on the ceiling

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Inside

The Cliff

5.0(1 review)

36.0 mi

I wish I could pack this pub up and transport it to London with me…read more Not sure how much of a 'scene' there was in Southend, through trawling the internet we found Hush bar and this place. Approaching we nearly turned around. Slightly out of the main shopping area this place looked like a dodgy local boozer with hanging baskets. Getting closer I spotted the dazzling lights of a disco ball and I knew we were in the right place. This place is awesome. Pool table, check. Clean, check. Good selection of booze, including a non-alcoholic beer for the Mrs, check. Cheesey tunes, check. Fabulous and friendly staff, check. Lesbians, check. I have to especially say to the guy behind the bar when we went who was an utter delight. Letting us know the places to go an be seen. Even remembering my order. Toto, we're not in London anymore.

0.2 mi•Strand, Covent Garden

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The Harp

4.4(151 reviews)

Great pub in the heart of London with a fantastic ale assortment, as well as cider and liquor. It…read morehas a traditional, local charm and when we visited on a Sunday night was packed by locals and visitors. Luckily we found some stool seating by the front and were able to enjoy some beers and take in the ambiance. There's an upstairs that is accessible by a very very narrow staircase which even has handles for support, all part of the fun lol!! Beer: We tried out the Guinness (great pouring process!), peroni, and a local ale which the bartender allowed me to sample. He was very helpful and walked me through the different ciders they had in stock and even how you could add fruit syrups to sweeten the flavor. What makes this place even more memorable was the helpfulness of the young guy bartending. He helped us plan how to get to Gatwick airport extremely early the next morning and we owe him a big one!

Typical London pub experience. No food except for crisps etc. Prompt and attentive bar service…read moreonly.