London has lost a lot of gay bars in the last decade. What is left is mostly concentrated in Soho (Old Compton Street and surrounds) and Vauxhall (club-heavy, late-night). Both areas are worth your time for different reasons.


A note on timing: Soho bars are genuinely good from early evening but the crowd peaks around 9–11pm on weekends before people move on. Vauxhall clubs do not start properly until midnight or later. Plan accordingly rather than arriving at Vauxhall at 10pm and wondering why it is empty.

Soho

Old Compton Street is walkable and busy from early evening. The bars here are older, mixed in crowd, and better for actually talking to people. They close around midnight. Good for a first night, a casual Thursday, or whenever you want drinking without a plan.

    Vauxhall

    Vauxhall is not really bar territory — it is club territory. The venues here run specific nights rather than open-all-week operations. Check what is on before you go. Most run on Friday and Saturday, some Thursday. The crowd skews younger and more circuit-oriented than Soho. Entry is typically £15–25.

    East London

    Dalston, Hackney, and Bethnal Green have a cluster of queer-friendly bars and venues that attract a younger, more DIY crowd. Less polished than Soho, less intense than Vauxhall. If you are spending more than a long weekend in London, these are worth exploring. Ask at a Soho bar what is on and people will tell you.

    Tips

    • Avoid Old Compton Street on Saturday night if you dislike crowds. It gets genuinely packed and the bars are slow.
    • Vauxhall requires more planning but the nights, when you hit the right one, are better than anything Soho offers after midnight.
    • Drinks in London gay bars run £8–12. Some happy hour deals run until 8 or 9pm — worth asking.
    • Most venues are card-only now. Clubs sometimes have cash-only entry desks — bring a small amount just in case.

Back to the main guide: Gay London Guide.