The Best Gay Bars in West Hollywood

West Hollywood is one of America’s biggest gayborhoods. It’s packed with gay bars and gay clubs. West Hollywood - or WeHo - is the place to be if you want to party. It’s the world’s entertainment capital. Naturally, the nightlife is world-class.

You’ll see some of the most good looking guys in America bar hopping around West Hollywood. Prepare yourself for some serious eye candy. There are so many bars and clubs to choose from, including glitzy megaclubs and low key sports bars. This is our rundown of the best gay bars and clubs in WeHo. Read More: West Hollywood cultural highlights.

 

Gay bars and clubs in West Hollywood

 

 

The Abbey

 

The Abbey is the most famous gay bar in West Hollywood. By some measures, it’s the most famous gay bar in America. Spread out over multiple floors with four bars, a huge patio and a multi-tiered dancefloor, it’s a gay disco labyrinth. The Abbey is a WeHo institution. Every gay traveler needs to spend a night at The Abbey. It will be very busy at weekends.

When The Abbey opened in 1991, the West Hollywood gay bar scene was different. LGBT+ people were still coming out of the shadows. The bar scene was more discrete. It was all about basement dance floors and back alleys. The Abbey changed that with its sprawling outdoor area. It made the West Hollywood gay scene far more visible.

 

The Bayou

 

Much smaller than The Abbey, The Bayou is a good place to wet your whistle before the excess really begins. The Bayou has a happy hour stretching from 10:30pm to 12:30am, so you can have your fill without breaking the bank. The bar has a New Orleans, Mardi Gras theme.

West Hollywood gay bars can be dens of attitude, so to speak. This is plastic fantastic Tinseltown. With so many aspiring actors and botox casualties, it’s nice to find an attitude-free joint. This is it!

 

Fubar

 

Fubar is the more ‘alternative’ WeHo gay bar. This is a boozy and cruisey place to party. You’ll see a lot of shirtless, tattooed men oozing testosterone. Fubar is all about sex. Some of their themed nights include Booty Bump and B.F.D (Big Fat D---). Yeah, it’s that kinda joint.

 

Hi Tops

 

The wordplay is inevitable. Don’t just walk in looking for tops - they don’t have supremacy in numbers here. It’s a sports bar that first opened in San Francisco. Hi Tops has a laid back vibe. You’ll find sport on multiple TVs and people actually watching it. The owners described it as "A gay bar where you can bring your parents. It’s friendly and welcoming, not intimidating and cliquey.”

 

Flaming Saddles

 

Flaming Saddles is a New York import. It was considered to be something of a tourist attraction in the Big Apple. Did West Hollywood need another gay bar, especially one like Flaming Saddles? Turns out it did. Spread out over two floors, it’s a large space - you can get a seat even when it’s busy. You’ll see some impressive shows by scantily clad go go dancers - they do serious choreography.

 

Beaches WeHo

 

This bar is an homage to garish neon and pastel colours of 80s Miami, exemplified by Miami Vice. It has a restaurant and a lounge bar. You’re a long way from the ocean, but that doesn’t matter. The ceiling is decorated with hot men in scuba outfits. You can get brunch at Beaches between 12pm - 4pm.

 

GYM Sportsbar

 

The other gay sports bar in West Hollywood, GYM Sportsbar is worth checking out. It’s laidback and it has a masc for masc vibe. If you’d like to watch sport and shoot pool it’s a good choice. You can also do karaoke on some nights. It’s been going strong since 2009.

 

Revolver

 

Revolver is a video bar with go go dancers, good cocktails and a party atmosphere. It’s both a bar and a club - you can party the night away here. Revolver is open seven days a week and it claims to have the friendliest bar staff in West Hollywood. Happy hours runs from 5pm to 9pm Monday to Friday. It opens until 2am.