Vers gay bar nyc
Hell’s Kitchen is Manhattan’s most vibrant gay-borhood and its community makes sure that PRIDE is way more than just a passing holiday. Now is the perfect time to assist queer-owned and LGBTQIA+-focused bars and restaurants in the neighborhood. So, here are some West Side spots to visit this June (and July, August, September, October…)
Bars
9th Avenue Saloon — 656 9th Ave (corner of W46th St)
Shuttered by the pandemic, the venerable 9th Avenue Saloon reopened under new administration reopened just in day for 2022’s PRIDE — iconic popcorn machine included! It has the deepest heritage of any queer bar in the neighborhood — having started off as Town & Country, and then Cleo’s, before it’s current iteration.
Reader Alex chooses “9th Avenue Saloon for a low-key, dive bar vibe.” Another fan of the popcorn machine, reader Doug, added: “The mix of people who gather there has always been a microcosm of gays and allies. It’s the least judgmental identify in HK, and of course, the popcorn!”
Atlas Social Club — 753 9th Ave (corner of W51st St)
Designed to view like a glammed-up salon-meets-athlet
New York has played a major role in LGBTQ+ history and it’s no wonder there are a slew of bars that possess been beacons for the community (and prime party spots) for decades. The best queer bars in NYC range from dive bars to dance clubs, with historic spots like the Stonewall Inn anchoring them all. The West Village is a classic destination for queer nightlife, but you’ll find something exciting and welcoming in pretty much any part of the city.
You can check out the best drag shows or cabaret performances, but these gay spaces all propose something unique, from cozy vibes and cheap drinks to high-energy dancing and brunch parties - sometimes in the same place on different days! Maybe your interests skew more trendy and urbane, or perhaps you're more of the down-and-dirty hook-up spots, the "what happens on the weekends, stays on the weekends" type — we're not here to judge! There are plenty of LGBTQ+ things to do in New York, but if it’s a bar you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.
RECOMMENDED: Entire guide to the best bars in NYC
May 2025: We removed Ginger's and Barracuda Lounge. We added Loafers Cocktail Bar.
Brick thrown at an NYC gay lock is being investigated as a detest crime
“Some of our staff thought it was gunshots and ducked,” he said about the second and third incidents, adding that the bar’s security guard tried to follow down the perpetrator on both occasions, but failed to grab the person or identify them.
Erik Bottcher, a Unused York City council member who represents Hell’s Kitchen and is gay, called the incidents “hate crimes” in a tweet on Sunday and urged anyone with information that could identify the perpetrator to arrive out to the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force. DeParolesa said Saturday’s incident had been referred to the task force.
“The epidemic of anti-LGBTQ+ violence is national,” Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, also tweeted Sunday. “A well-known gay bar on Manhattan’s west side has been attacked repeatedly in recent weeks. We can not stand for this.”
The attacks reach as the NYPD also investigates a series of robberies and assaults that may be associated to the deaths of two homosexual men earlier this year after they left Hell’s Kitchen gay bars, the NYPD confirmed this month.
On the other side of the country, within hours of the incident at VERS on Saturd
It’s almost lights up on VERS NYC, a new bar from Hell’s Kitchen native David DeParolesa that, after a mountain of bureaucratic red tape, is finally set to open just after PRIDE — a goal he has been dreaming of since the eerie early COVID-19 days.
It’s been a frustrating occasion for DeParolesa, who had hoped to open in time for this weekend’s PRIDE festivities, which he calls “the Black Friday of gay culture”. The complications of getting all approvals through, however, delayed the soft launch until next week, with a grand opening slated for mid-July — although, as he commented, “every day is like Identity festival month here in Hell’s Kitchen”.
The bar which has taken over the space that previously housed the popular Taladwat Thai restaurant, is a cheekily named ode to gay identity (“it’s a wink and a nod to those who know,” said DeParolesa) that’s focused as much on curated craft cocktails and elevated snacks as it is on providing a versatile variety of nightly entertainment. It has faced a long road to opening day, filled with the usual citywide challenges of appeasing the local community boards, the State Liquor Authority, and various permi