Gay & Lesbian

Central Station
Though Central Station is primarily a gay bar, the Tuesday night event Bar Wotever (6pm-midnight) has always attracted its fair share of lesbians, particularly drag kings, who complement the gender-bending boys. The atmosphere is arty and flamboyant, but unpretentious. On stage, there is ‘talent’ of varying degrees – poetry readings, comedy, singing… wotever.
Central Station, 37 Wharfdale Road, N1 9SD (7278 3294/www.centralstation.co.uk). Kings Cross tube/rail. Open noon-2am Mon-Wed; noon-3am Thur; noon-4am Fri; 1pm-4am Sat; 1pm-2am Sun.

Blush
Stoke Newington has long been associated with sapphism, and this cosy, two-storey bar is a lesbian local. Though recently refurbished with spiffy purple accents and bold flock wallpaper, Blush is still renowned for its great beer garden. The free jukebox and pool table also remain. There are themed nights throughout the week: games (Tuesday), quiz (Wednesday), karaoke (Friday) and music quiz (Sunday), plus the occasional DJ. The Sunday roasts are a great hangover cure.
Blush, 8 Cazenove Road, N16 6BD (7923 9202/www.blushbar.co.uk). Stoke Newington rail/73, 149, 243 bus. Open 5pm-midnight Tue-Sat; 1pm-midnight Sun. Feature continues

Drill Hall
If you want to mingle with the lesbian arty crowd, the Drill Hall is crawling with women who are theatrically inclined, plus general culture vultures and studenty types. Note: the bar is attached to the Drill Hall theatre, and is only open on performance nights.
Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, WC1E 7EX (7307 5060/www.drillhall.co.uk). Goodge Street tube. Open 6-11pm daily (performance nights).

Enclave
A new and sophisticated Soho offering, the Enclave is a chic, girl-friendly bar characterised by dim coloured lighting, slick purple decor and table service for its extensive cocktail and wine list. But the small downstairs club has really put Enclave on the lesbian radar with its monthly women’s nights Play – where lesbian DJ du jour Sandra D plays a mix of R&B and indie alongside Lil’ Jo – and Code, which plays house music to a packed crowd. Expect professional women, thirtysomethings and designer dykes.
Enclave, 25-27 Brewer Street, W1F 0RR (7434 2911/www.enclavesoho.com). Piccadilly Circus tube. Open 5pm-1am Mon-Thur; 5pm-3am Fri, Sat. Credit MC, V.

First Out
By day a relaxed vegetarian café, at night First Out morphs into a buzzing pre-club watering hole. The busiest night is Girl Friday, when female DJs warm up clubbers in the basement bar. It’s quieter on the main floor, where a mixed crowd tucks into reasonably priced quiches, homemade soups, pies and jacket potatoes. If you’re not a party girl, this long-standing lesbian haunt is also just a good place to grab a beer or coffee with friends, or chill out while reading scene magazines or perusing flyers.
First Out, 52 St Giles High Street, WC2H 8LH (7240 8042/www.firstoutcafebar.com). Tottenham Court Road tube. Open 10am-11pm Mon-Sat; 11am-10.30pm Sun.

Friendly Society
The futuristic decor alone makes the Friendly Society worth a visit. And though the bar is hidden in a basement on a dark alley, the designers have cheered things up with mirror balls, violet lighting and a sky blue ceiling; the kitschy decorative touches prevent the modern space from feeling too clinical. The bar attracts a healthy mix of women and men, media luvvies and the odd celeb, especially when DJs visit on Fridays and Saturdays.
Basement, 79 Wardour Street, W1D 6QB (7434 3805). Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube. Open 4-11pm Mon-Sat; 4-10.30pm Sun.

Ghetto
This edgy late bar/club has done the impossible, and brought gay boys and girls together, though with all the dressing up that goes on, it’s hard to tell exactly who is what. Every night is different – music varies between indie, electro and pop – but Miss-Shapes, the women’s night on Thursday, mixes several genres to giddy effect. The vibe is ‘girls just wanna have fun’, and the crowd here is young, ranging from indie kids to club kids.
Ghetto, 58 Old Street, EC1V 9AJ (7287 3726/www.ghetto-london.co.uk). Old Street tube/rail. Open/admission phone or check website.

Girls Go Down
Soho’s Girls Go Down has become the forgotten bar of the lesbian scene. Most women over the age of 20 can’t stand the place. And no wonder: G-A-Y’s sister space is not a very appealing place: it’s cramped and hidden in the basement of the popular men’s bar – en route to the toilets, no less. The dim lighting, multiple video screens and pumping music (mainly pop, R&B and chart tunes) are not conducive to conversation. Still, the cheap drinks attract a studenty crowd, there’s a flirty atmosphere and the bar staff are friendly.
Girls Go Down, G-A-Y Bar, 30 Old Compton Street, W1D 4UR (7494 2756/www.g-a-y.co.uk). Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road tube. Open 7pm-midnight daily.

Glass Bar
It’s hard to find this Tardis-like bar. Even though it is parked on the pavement in front of Euston station, it resembles a historic stone monument, not a lesbian watering hole. There are no windows: women gain entrance by knocking on a large wooden door. In fact, this is a private members’ bar, but anyone can join, as long as they’re female (in flesh or spirit) and pay £1. Inside, the vibe is loungey: comfortable sofas, high ceilings, art on the walls and a slick glass bar backed by coloured lights. Although it’s a great date and conversation bar, there is entertainment too: Vaudevixens burlesque night (on the fourth Friday of the month), Systematic (a pop trash club night on the third Saturday of the month), performance art every Friday and bi-monthly film nights.
Glass Bar, West Lodge, 190 Euston Road, NW1 2EF (7388 9555/www.theglassbar.org.uk). Euston tube/rail. Open 4pm-11pm Mon, Tue; 4pm-midnight Wed-Fri.

Green
For lesbians in fashionable Islington, the choice of gay bars has always been limited. Not many wanted to spend their evenings in the traditional boy bar Edward VI. Then along came the Green, with its Soho swagger: plush decor, cocktails and a sophisticated crowd. Recently refurbished, it now boasts a contemporary aesthetic that still manages to feel warm and cosy, with plenty of sofa seating. The layout is still narrow, and can get a bit congested on weekends – when there are DJs – but you might just bump into a pretty girl; around 20 per cent of the crowd comprises women, most of them older, local professionals. There is a good snack menu, plus a few mains and weekend brunch.
Green, 74 Upper Street, N1 0NY (7226 8895). Angel tube. Open 5pm-midnight Mon-Thur; noon-2am Fri, Sat; noon-midnight Sun.

KW4 (King William IV)
Formerly known as the King William IV, this traditional Hampstead pub has long been a favourite of gay men, owing to its proximity to Hampstead Heath. But lesbians like it too, especially during the summer, when they stop in after a dip in the women’s bathing pond on the heath. Food is served, including a Sunday roast.
KW4, 77 Hampstead High Street, NW3 1RE (7435 5747/www.kw4.co.uk). Hampstead tube/Hampstead Heath rail. Open 11am-11pm Mon-Thur; 11am-midnight Thur-Sun.

Oak Bar
A hub for north London lesbians, the Oak Bar is a big and unpretentious queer boozer with a couple of great club nights for women. There’s Lower the Tone, a kitsch mixed party held on the last Friday of the month, and Oysters, a women’s R&B night on the third Saturday. The rest of the time, a vaguely alternative crowd gathers here to drink beer, cocktails or shooters, or to play pool. There’s outside seating in the summer too.
Oak Bar, 79 Green Lanes, N16 9BU (7354 2791). Manor House tube/73, 141, 341 bus. Open 5pm-midnight Mon-Wed; 5pm-1am Thur; 5pm-3am Fri, Sat; 4pm-midnight Sun.

Retro Bar
Sister in spirit to the bohemian Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the Retro Bar is the queen of the alternative gay scene for central London. It’s hidden down a quaint little alley, so it has a best-kept secret feel. Inside, the ambience is cosy and eccentric, with a jukebox that spins alternative and 1980s music. Although it always draws a mixed crowd, the busiest nights for girls are Monday and Wednesday, when women drop by while waiting for the doors to open at nearby Heaven. The upstairs bar is a great place to chat or have a date – it’s a bit quieter – while the ground-floor pub offers a range of themed nights, including a poptastic music quiz (Tuesdays) and karaoke (Wednesday).
Retro Bar, 2 George Court, off Strand, WC2N 6HH (7839 8760). Charing Cross tube/rail. Open noon-11pm Mon-Fri;
5-11pm Sat; 5-10.30pm Sun.

Star at Night
Like many a gay or lesbian, the Star at Night leads a double life. By day, it’s an old greasy spoon, but on a weekend evening – poof! – it is transformed into a lesbian cocktail bar with table service. The retro decor is vintage mom-and-pop Italian (it’s been in the same family since 1933 ) and incorporates red and white checked tablecloths and pre-1950s signs on the walls. After the caff crowd leaves, thirtysomething females gather for a gossip and a cocktail; the occasional DJ or live jazz act makes an appearance in the cosy cellar space.
22 Great Chapel Street, W1F 8FR (7494 2488/www.thestaratnight.com). Tottenham Court Road tube. Open 6pm-midnight Tue-Sat.

Trash Palace
The new Trash Palace promises a loungey aesthetic, and the young, mixed crowd will likely stay the same as in its former Soho home: everyone from slackers and goths to club kids in all their finery.
Trash Palace, 58 Old Street, EC1V 9AJ (7287 3726/www.trashpalace.co.uk). Old Street tube/rail. Open 5pm-1am Mon-Thur; 5pm-3.30am Fri; 5pm-4am Sat; 5pm-12.30am Sun. Admission £3 after 11pm Fri, Sat.