Known colloquially as Boston's "lesbian bar," Dani's Queer Bar opened on Boylston in 2024 in the former location of Pour House. It's the first brick-and-mortar venture for Thais Rocha, a founder of the ongoing Sapphic Nights event series in Boston, who wanted to create a permanent space for LGBTQ+ femmes (and their friends) to connect, create community—and let loose. The Back Bay haunt hosts frequent dance nights, mixers, drag performances, and more events, and also serves lunch and dinner daily.
The vibe: In the afternoon and early evening, Dani's is your everyday neighborhood pub that just so happens to be queer friendly. The space is awash in shades of pinks and purples, neon signage, and pop art showing women in various forms of embrace. A pretty rad-looking motorbike floats above the bar. Seating is plentiful at the bar and at tables in the front of house. The rear of the venue features a lounge that fills up pretty fast when party crowds start pouring in. It starts to get packed on weekends when the downstairs bar and dance floor open up for raucous dance parties in the basement, where DJs spin hip-hop, Top 40, Reggaeton, Afro Beats… the kind of music that makes you want to bump and grind. The basement is expansive, but the bar takes up most of the room. The dance floor is TINY, so be prepared for sweaty shoulder-to-shoulder, hair-in-your-face encounters.
The food: Dani's serves a classic pub menu from open until 11:30pm daily, with fries, wings, mozzarella sticks, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays 11am to 3pm. That menu comprises all your brunch essentials: avocado toast, chicken and waffles, omelets, Bloody Marys, mimosas…
The drink: This writer hasn't experienced the food, but I have had a couple cocktails there, and I'd give them a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Flavor profiles missed their mark; the drinks tasted weak and heavy on mixers. But this is more of a bar than a fancy cocktail joint. Bartenders are happy to make you whatever you want (my friend ordered an off-menu Paper Plane and was readily accommodated). Besides cocktails, there are nine beers on draft and 11 in cans, including a Dyke Lite, Dyke Saison, and a Dyke Gose Sour. The wine list includes four options, one of which is a Chardonnay made at the first Black-owned winery in Napa.
Time Out tip: Show up around 8pm on busy nights to avoid lines that can sometimes keep you waiting for up to 45 minutes. Grab a drink at the bar and watch as the crowd rolls in.