The cover · London

London

Soho to Vauxhall, one night at a time

Soho is the classic heart of queer London, with bars side by side around Old Compton Street, while Vauxhall, Dalston and Clapham each have a scene of their own. Expect historic pubs, drag cabaret, late-night clubs and queer bookshops.

Cover photo: Old Ship · Old Ship

Editor's picks

Six places to start in London

LGBTQ+ bars, clubs and queer places in London

78 places
  • Old Ship

    Old ShipBars

    25 Upper Mall, London W6 9TD, UK

  • Bar Soho

    Bar SohoBars

    23-25 Old Compton St, London W1D 5JL, UK

  • Village Soho

    Village SohoBars

    81 Wardour St, London W1D 6QD, UK

  • Duke of Wellington

    Duke of WellingtonBars

    77 Wardour St, London W1D 6QA, UK

  • The Kings Arms

    The Kings ArmsBars

    251 Tooley St, London SE1 2JX, UK

  • City of Quebec

    City of QuebecBars

    12 Old Quebec St, London W1H 7AF, UK

  • Comptons

    ComptonsBars

    51-53 Old Compton St, London W1D 6HN, UK

  • Freedom Bar

    Freedom BarBars

    60-66 Wardour St, London W1F 0TA, UK

  • The Yard Bar Soho

    The Yard Bar SohoBars

    57 Rupert St, London W1D 7PL, UK

  • Ye Olde Rose & Crown

    Ye Olde Rose & CrownBars

    Ye Olde Rose and Crown, 53 Hoe St, London E17 4SA, UK

  • Ku Bar

    Ku BarBars

    30 Lisle St, London WC2H 7BA, UK

  • Two Brewers

    Two BrewersBars

    114 Clapham High St, London SW4 7UJ, UK

  • Halfway To Heaven

    Halfway To HeavenBars

    7 Duncannon St, London WC2N 4JF, UK

  • The Star of Bethnal Green

    The Star of Bethnal GreenBars

    359 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E2 6LG, UK

  • Royal Vauxhall Tavern

    Royal Vauxhall TavernBars

    372 Kennington Ln, London SE11 5HY, UK

  • The Admiral Duncan - Soho

    The Admiral Duncan - SohoBars

    54 Old Compton St, London W1D 4UD, UK

  • Eagle London

    Eagle LondonBars

    349 Kennington Ln, London SE11 5QY, UK

  • Rupert Street Bar

    Rupert Street BarBars

    50 Rupert St, London W1D 6DR, UK

  • Retro Bar

    Retro BarBars

    2 George Ct, London WC2N 6HH, UK

  • CellarDoor

    CellarDoorBars

    Zero Aldwych, Wellington St, London WC2E 7DN, UK

  • The Queen Adelaide

    The Queen AdelaideBars

    483 Hackney Rd, Cambridge Heath, London E2 9ED, UK

  • Friendly Society

    Friendly SocietyBars

    79 Wardour St, London W1D 6QA, UK

  • ARCH Clapham

    ARCH ClaphamBars

    Arch 642, Voltaire Rd, London SW4 6DH, UK

  • Zodiac Bar, Club and Karaoke

    Zodiac Bar, Club and KaraokeBars

    119 Hampstead Rd, London NW1 3EE, UK

  • The Rising SE1

    The Rising SE1Bars

    98 Harper Rd, London SE1 6AQ, UK

  • La Camionera

    La CamioneraBars

    243 Well St, London E9 6RG, UK

  • The Cock Tavern

    The Cock TavernBars

    340 Kennington Rd, London SE11 4LD, UK

  • Central Station

    Central StationBars

    37 Wharfdale Rd., London N1 9SD, UK

  • Little Ku

    Little KuBars

    25 Frith St, London W1D 5LB, UK

  • The Divine

    The DivineBars

    33-35 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 8BJ, UK

  • Betty & Joan’s

    Betty & Joan’sBars

    9 Hewson Wy, Elephant Park, London SE17 1JS, UK

  • The Black Cap

    The Black CapBars

    171 Camden High St, London NW1 7JY, UK

  • The Nellie

    The NellieBars

    18 Ash Ave, London SE17 1GQ, UK

  • George and Dragon

    George and DragonBars

    240 St John St, London EC1V 4PH, UK

  • Circa

    CircaBars

    Frith Street 62, London, W1D 3JN

  • G-A-Y

    G-A-YBars

    Old Compton Street 30, London, W1D 4UR

  • Halfway II Heaven

    Halfway II HeavenBars

    Duncannon Street 7, London, WC2N 4JF

  • King William IV

    King William IVBars

    King William IV, 16 Harper Rd, London SE1 6AD, UK

  • King's Arms

    King's ArmsBars

    Poland Street 23, London, W1F 8QL

  • Teds Place

    Teds PlaceBars

    North End Road 305a, London, W14 9NS

  • The George & Dragon

    The George & DragonBars

    Blackheath Hill 2, London, SE10 8DE

  • The Honor Oak

    The Honor OakBars

    St Germans Road 1, SE23 1RH London

  • The Joiners Heart

    The Joiners HeartBars

    Bohemia Place, E8 1DU London

  • The Lord Tredegar

    The Lord TredegarBars

    Lichfield Road 50, E3 5AL London

  • The Thirsty Scholar

    The Thirsty ScholarBars

    London

  • The Walrus

    The WalrusBars

    Westminster Bridge Road 172, SE1 7RW London

  • The White Swan

    The White SwanClubs

    14 New Row, Greater, London WC2N 4LF, UK

  • FOLD

    FOLDClubs

    gillian house, Stephenson St, London E16 4SA, UK

  • Fire Nightclub

    Fire NightclubClubs

    39 Parry St, S Lambeth Rd, London SW8 1RT, UK

  • Dalston Superstore

    Dalston SuperstoreClubs

    117 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB, UK

  • She Soho

    She SohoClubs

    23a Old Compton St, London W1D 5JL, UK

  • Bethnal Green Working Men's Club

    Bethnal Green Working Men's ClubClubs

    42-46 Pollard Row, London E2 6NB, UK

  • Village 512

    Village 512Clubs

    512 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE, UK

  • VFDalston

    VFDalstonClubs

    66 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XB, UK

  • The White Swan

    The White SwanClubs

    Commercial Road 556, E14 7JD London

  • BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café

    BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery CaféCafés

    30C Warren St, London W1T 5NF, UK

  • Corner

    CornerCafés

    New Cross Road 117, SE14 5DJ London

  • Curators Coffee

    Curators CoffeeCafés

    Cullum Street 9A, EC3M 7JJ London

  • Gay's The Word

    Gay's The WordCommunity & culture

    66 Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AB, UK

  • The Queer Comedy Club

    The Queer Comedy ClubCommunity & culture

    9 Hewson Wy, London SE17 1JS, UK

  • Prowler Soho

    Prowler SohoCommunity & culture

    5-7 Brewer St, London W1F 0RF, UK

  • Anatomie Studio

    Anatomie StudioCommunity & culture

    Station Passage, SE15 2JR London

  • Barberette London

    Barberette LondonCommunity & culture

    Downs Road Studio 11, London, E5 8QJ

  • Clonezone

    ClonezoneCommunity & culture

    London, W1D 5JX

  • G-A-Y Late

    G-A-Y LateCommunity & culture

    Goslett Yard 5, London, WC2H 0EE

  • Kings Cross Steelers RFC

    Kings Cross Steelers RFCCommunity & culture

    Holland Road 71, London, E15 3BP

  • London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

    London LGBTQ+ Community CentreCommunity & culture

    Hopton Street 60-62, London, SE1 9JH

  • Pleasuredrome

    PleasuredromeCommunity & culture

    Cornwall Road Arch 24, London, SE1 8XE

  • Prowler Red

    Prowler RedCommunity & culture

    Old Compton Street 50, London

  • Queer Britain

    Queer BritainCommunity & culture

    Granary Square 2, London, N1C 4BH

  • QUEERCIRCLE

    QUEERCIRCLECommunity & culture

    Barton Yard 3, London, SE10 0BN

  • Regulation

    RegulationCommunity & culture

    Bateman Street 13a, London, W1D 3AF

  • The Common Press

    The Common PressCommunity & culture

    Bethnal Green Road 118, London, E2 6DG

  • HeavenClubs

    Villiers Street 10A, London, WC2N 6NG

  • at John the UnicornCafés

    at John the Unicorn, London SE15 4TL, UK

  • The Joiners ArmsCommunity & culture

  • The Locker RoomCommunity & culture

    Cleaver Street 6-8, London, SE11 4DP

  • VaultCommunity & culture

    Whitfield Street 139-143, London, W1T 5EN

Photos from Google Maps and the venues, credited on each photo. Independent listings. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the venues. Info can change, check before you go.

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London for LGBTQ+ visitors

Where is the gay area in London?

Soho is the classic heart of queer London, with bars side by side around Old Compton Street, while Vauxhall, Dalston and Clapham each have a scene of their own. Expect historic pubs, drag cabaret, late-night clubs and queer bookshops.

How can I meet LGBTQ+ people in London?

Go out to the places in this guide, join a local queer community group, or use Waimz™ to find dates, friends and LGBTQ+-friendly places nearby.

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