The LGBT Guide to Washington, DC

A gay-friendly sports bar? Mais oui, with karaoke on Tuesdays, Smart Ass Trivia Night on Wednesdays, board games galore, and a roof patio; along with ten HD TVs and one giant screen for game days—in the more traditional, sports-bar sense of the word. Nellie’s, named after the owner’s great- and great-great-grandmother, has all the accoutrements of a regular sports bar (wings, nachos, burgers), along with a mixed crowd, a serious take on sports, and Latin-themed arepas and empanadas from the Venezualan co-owner.

Phase One has done its best to overcome its image of a rough-gurl hangout where fist-flying bar brawls were the norm, though you’re still most likely to find the place packed out when the Redskins game is projected on to a gigantic screen. The bar recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, no mean feat in a business where operations come and go with alarming regularity. Phase One now hosts occasional open mic events, jello wrestling and even the odd dance night. It also stands alone in presenting drag king shows.

Resurrected from the dead in 2009—it was closed to make way for construction of the ballpark—Ziegfields is now back to doing what it does best: regular, uproarious drag nights with hostesses Ella Fitzgerald and Destiny B. Childs. Nude male dancers perform Wednesday through Sunday nights after 9pm. Upstairs, Secrets has DJs and occasional amateur dance contests.

L’Enfant does its best to deliver decent French stalwarts, like boeuf bourguignon, at a reasonable price with reasonable speed. Dimly lit but welcoming and warm, it’s an ideal spot to spend a winter afternoon; in spring and summer, its outdoor patio gets lively.

Linda McAllister arrived in Washington expecting to find a plethora of lesbian bars, but instead encountered a rather barren nightlife scene. She opened Lace in late 2008, as a restaurant and lounge. The clientele is mostly (not entirely) African-American, and if your brother is straight, he’s welcome too. Decor is unmistakeably feminine, though.

Those familiar with the Eagle standard, set in clubs across the country, will know what to expect. DC’s version of the popular club offers the usual trappings—pool, pinball and a rock/industrial dance mix. However, what the unfamiliar might find most surprising is the lack of pretense and attitude among the bar’s patrons. A great, but dimly lit, club for those who love men in leather (or just the smell of them).

It’s very much a case of upstairs and downstairs at this place; upstairs is for dance and attracts a younger African-American crowd, while downstairs, where the actual fireplace is, attracts an older, racially mixed clientele. Some say its cliquey and seedy, others love it. In any case, it’s a DC fixture.

The Green Lantern still draws the same burly types that it always has, especially on Thursday nights when "shirtless men drink free". HUMP: Live Exotic Dancers on Wednesday and karaoke on Sunday and Monday nights add variety to the regular entertainment provided by pool tables, the dancefloor and video screens. There are special-event dance nights, too, but the real action is the cruising.

Bar staff move at lightning speed to serve customers in this tight space. Nightly happy-hour specials and singalongs on Mondays, not to mention occasional seasonal events (such as the annual Easter bonnet contest), keep the crowd entertained. Videos and pool tables are the main entertainment—aside from cruising, that is—as there’s no dancefloor.

MOVA is a smart, sleek cocktail bar (its cucumber ginger martini came top in a recent Washington Blade readers’ poll for best cocktail). DJs turn up the volume later in the evening, and weekly events include College Night on Thursdays, and the Curtain Call show tunes night on Saturdays.