Happy PRIDE Month! Here, you’ll find a curated list of notable LGBTQ+ bars and restaurants to visit. What’s extra exciting is many of these establishments popped up after 2020. Your patronage would not only show support for the LGBTQ+ community, but also help keep new small businesses thriving in a tricky economy.
The Ruby Fruit
Los Angeles, CA
Website + Instagram
Lesbian bars were close to extinction a few years ago. But not anymore. A resurgence of lesbian bars has taken hold, including Silver Lake’s The Ruby Fruit. Opened by Mara Herbkersman and Emily Bielagus in February 2023, The Ruby Fruit is a colorful lesbian bar with a womxn-run kitchen. It is also a safe spot for gender nonconforming, non-binary, and transgendered individuals.
Mara and Emily were named Out Magazine’s Out100: The Most Impactful + Influential LGBTQ+ People of 2023, highlighting the importance of the lesbian bar resurgence.
Café Euphoria
Troy, New York
Website + Instagram
Cafe Euphoria is more than just a restaurant — It’s a worker-owned collaborative and a great place to support. Being a collaborative means it’s the employees who own and operate the business, ensuring fair wages and a positive work environment.
Cafe Euphoria’s menu caters to a wealth of dietary needs, featuring vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian options. Their mission, however, extends beyond serving great food. The staff/owners of Cafe Euphoria are passionate about social justice and creating a world where everyone feels welcome and supported. Their core values include transgender and gender non-conforming visibility, worker empowerment, food sustainability, and accessibility. Cafe Euphoria even offers a sliding scale pricing system, to make their food accessible to everyone.
Cafe Euphoria is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment, especially for the transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) community. They serve as a center for TGNC visibility and empowerment, offering support and resources.
Third Culture Bakery
Berkeley, CA
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Third Culture Bakery is a warm and welcoming bakery founded by chefs Sam Butarbutar and Wenter Shyu, who met and fell in love in Berkeley. Inspired by their own experiences as “Third Culture Kids” — growing up in a culture different from their parents’ — their bakery offers a unique blend of pastries that reflect their childhoods in Indonesia and Taiwan.
Third Culture Bakery values kindness, inclusivity, and giving back. Sam and Wenter believe in creating a space that feels like a chosen family, welcoming everyone who walks through the door. Their passion for their community is evident in their commitment to supporting local nonprofits and wellness initiatives (as well as the occasional bakery drag show). Next time you’re in Berkeley, stop in and indulge in a divine “mochi muffin.” They also offer nationwide shipping!
Femme Bar
Worcester, MA
Website + Instagram
Another newbie! Femme is a lesbian-owned bar and grill established in 2023. It serves as a welcoming and inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community in Worcester.
The idea for Femme arose from the co-owner’s realization of the dwindling number of lesbian bars in the United States. Inspired by positive experiences at other lesbian bars, they envisioned creating a similar space in Worcester where queer women could feel comfortable and be their authentic selves.
Femme Bar prioritizes the safety and comfort of lesbian, queer, and all LGBTQ+ individuals. While Femme Bar was founded by lesbians and centers on the experiences of queer women, “it is a Queer Human Space where the whole community can gather safely.”
Bent Inn & Pub
Las Vegas, NV
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The Bent Inn & Pub is the brainchild of longtime hoteliers Greg Kafka and Mark Hunter. When they began this adventure, their goal was to create a haven for the adult LGBTQ+ community: a place where guests feel welcome, embraced, and free to be themselves. And they have succeeded with their goal.
This vision sprouted from their travels while developing Escape Resort Palm Springs, their first foray into boutique hotels. Inspired by the positive aspects they encountered at welcoming gay resorts around the world, Kafka and Hunter prioritized fostering a fun and inclusive environment at Bent Inn.
The Bent Inn sets a new standard for the LGBTQ+ traveler experience in Las Vegas. Their staff are hired not only for their experience, but because they are the very embodiment of hospitality. The hotel’s design reflects a thoughtful blend of mid-century modern and industrial aesthetics.
Artistic flourishes pepper the space, from eye-catching murals to bespoke posters that nod to 1950s and 1960s gay pulp fiction. It also features a 24-hour bar to keep the party going. And feel free to bring all your friends; this hotel is “straight-friendly.”
Bubble Bath
Bubble Bath, by celebrity chef Tiffani Faison’s Big Heart Hospitality group, is a playfully unique destination for those looking to enjoy bubbly and creative bar snacks in a stylish setting. Opened in 2022, Bubble Bath pairs champagne and wine with hot dogs, freshly popped popcorn, and caviar.
Tiffani herself is a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, noting:
Visibility is the opposite of erasure. Over 650 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in 2023 alone. So, if you’re asking me why I’m out, visible, loud, and unabashedly queer, that’s why.”
Tiffani Faison
This four-time James Beard Award nominee and Top Chef champ serves on the Board of Directors for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs as well as on The Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth.
POP
Milwaukee, WI
Website + Instagram
POP is a new LGBTQ+ bar and restaurant located in Walker’s Point, offering a bright and airy atmosphere with a focus on entertainment and art.
POP offers creative cocktails alongside snacks during the week and brunch and other bites on the weekend. People who enjoy a unique spin will enjoy their cocktails and bites. For example, you could end your day with some Fire Fries and a Beyoncé cocktail slushie while curated LGBTQ+ videos play in the background.
POP offers special events such as the Women of Hip Hop Drag Brunch or Top Chef screenings. And true to their name, this establishment features vibrant colors and artists. Another unique part of this establishment is their general store. Where else can you find a bar that also sells leather cleaner, Axe Body Spray, or nail clippers?
Wallet Warriors
Pride is a vibrant celebration of LGBTQ+ identities and a chance for the community to come together, be visible, and feel empowered to live authentically. Have you visited any of these establishments? Leave your review in the comment section!
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