What makes a gay bar or club really great is a subjective thing. Is it big and booming, with multiple floors and world-class DJs? Is it a legendary venue that’s hosted big-name celebs or gay glitterati for decades? Or is it just a reliably raucous neighborhoodsy place where finding fun is inevitable?
This category takes a stab at finding out. There are thousands of truly amazing bars out there around our big gay planet… But these are among those that stand out; that just about any seasonsed gay traveler might know of, if not have visited. So cheers to that!
November 10, 2010 – UPDATE: Congratulations to The Abbey for winning the 2010 award for Best Gay Bar in the World. That’s two years in a row. Well done!
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The Abbey, West Hollywood, CA Last year’s champ. The Abbey started out as a cute coffeehouse and has blossomed into a big compound of supersized fabulousness where gay boys, lesbians, straight folks, Liz Taylor and everyone else hangs. |
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Club Mañana, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico The queen bee of Puerto Vallarta’s rollicking nightlife scene. The crowd is a great mix of locals, tourists, gays, lesbians, and fierce drag queens. And there’s a pool in the middle of it all! Jump in! |
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Roscoe’s, Chicago, IL Everyone from the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race to Adam Lambert has hit up this Boystown mainstay. And it’s big enough to accommodate them all, with six bars and a dance floor. |
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The Round-Up Saloon, Dallas, TX Instinct Magazine crowned it the “Best Galdanged Gay Bar in the U.S. of A.” and it’s hard to argue with the fun and full-on cowboy action that the Round-Up serves up nightly. For 30 years, this place has been delivering Dallas with a really big “D”—complete with two-stepping, a tequila bar, friendly staffers and more ten-gallon hats than you can possibly rest on your bedpost. Even Lady Gaga loves it! An American classic. |
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Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London, England It’s not just a bar or a pub, it’s London’s oldest gay venue—which just also happens to be a restaurant, performance space and veritable hub of queer coolness. From Duckie to the Dame Edna Experience, the classic RVT packs ’em in. |
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The Week, Rio, Sao Paulo & Florianopolis, Brazil Not content to only rock Sao Paulo, The Week had to spread out to Rio and more recently Florianopolis to continue its sexy domination of all things gay and Brazilian. Continually packed with the hottest bodies in the Southern hemisphere, The Week shows no signs of slowing down. |
We asked the nominees if they’d like to respond to their nomination, or tell you more about themselves. Here’s what we’ve heard so far!
From David Cooley, The Abbey Food and Bar Founder and President:
We are extremely proud of how The Abbey Food and Bar has evolved from a small coffee shop to the 16,000-square-foot space it is today. So much more than just a bar, The Abbey truly is a destination and a community touchstone – we have visitors from all over the world and from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome at The Abbey, and we’d be honored to be named Best Gay Bar in the World for the second year running.
From Brenden Chrisman, General Manager, Roscoe’s Tavern:
Roscoe’s is crazy excited to represent the wonderful city of Chicago in this competition. We thank all of our friends and customers whose love and support for the past 23 years has made us one of the cornerstones of Boystown. To those visiting, we look forward to welcoming you to fun filled nights of dancing, socializing, drag queens, karaoke, live music performances by some of the hottest dance and Billboard Top 40 artists, and our world famous daily pitcher specials!
Check out more of the 2010 TripOut Gay Travel Award nominees!
