Best gay bars in portland oregon

11 Wine Bars for Every Kind of Vibe

Portland’s lgbtq+ bars are more than just hangouts. Most of the city’s dozen-plus gender non-conforming bars opened in eras hostile to the gender non-conforming community. The city’s oldest surviving bars were havens in an openly homophobic era, while its newest venues join a chorus of voices against an increasingly transphobic national climate. The entire LGBTQ+ group should, in the optimal bars, feel safe and free to let loose, have fun, and maybe nibble on something tasty, on menu or off.

Not all queer gatherings have a permanent abode, so we’ve assembled a rundown of the city’s robust scene of recurring pop-up parties alongside our favorite brick-and-mortar establishments. From leather bars to kingly dens to lesbian parties to trans cabaret revues to Portland’s “gay Cheers,” there’s always somewhere where everyone’s glad you came.

Jump to: Upbeat Clubs / Low-Key Venues / Strip Clubs / Recurring Lgbtq+ Parties

Upbeat Clubs

CC Slaughters

Est. 1981 | old town

Though technically on the outskirts of Old Town’s Entertainment District, CC’s is very much at the center of the queer downtown Portland scene. Part cocktail prevent and part dance club, it’s an approacha

Portland Gay Bars

Portland has a multitude of gay venues for you to travel, all offering something a little bit different. The urban area has a prominent feminist and queer woman scene, which is focussed on the Hawthorne District with its trendy bars and coffee shops. Meanwhile the Burnside Triangle has always been a hangout spot for local queer people of all identities and is the place of LGBTQ+ nightlife that caters to everyone. As you explore the urban area you can seize a drag display, grab a craft cocktail, or simply dance the blackout away in one of the many clubs.

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Gay Portland

Bare Bones Cafe & Bar

Food

Bare Bones a bar on one side and a cafe on the other. Both areas welcome families, students and crowds of local gays who knows this is a sheltered space. The block has a casual atmosphere and excellent music, while both areas have access to patio seating, and a game room with pool tables, pinball, and all your other favourites. A occupied bar serves fantastic drinks along with a delicious menu featuring an all-day breakfast and accepted brunch.

Darcelle XV

Drag

Darcelle is the oldest drag club in the country, whose namesake holds the world record

LGBTQ+ Nightlife

A bartender makes sparks at Local Lounge.

You'll discover plenty of LGBTQ+-friendly places to check in when the heat goes down in Portland.

3 min read

Note: This section was produced in collaboration with ProudQueer.com, formerly famous as PQ Monthly.

Portland has no shortage of LGBTQ-owned and queer-friendly bars and clubs. Whether you’re looking for a protected space to adore a relaxing evening with friends, a high-energy dance party or a kingly show, Portland delivers.

North Portland

Florida Room is both queer-friendly and dog-friendly. Enjoy a drink with your favorite two-legged and four-legged friends on one of their two patios.

Eagle Portland is Portland’s leather bar and dwelling base for the Oregon Bears. Guests who wear a leather harness, vest, chaps, or complete drag with “significant effort,” get in free on Friday or Saturday nights.

Downtown and The Pearl District

Scandalscalls itself, “Portland’s Gay ‘Cheers.'” The relaxed vibe makes it a fantastic place to date with friends, or meet new ones. During warmer months, grab a seat outside and survey the summer crowd cruise by.

There are two all-male strip clubs in Portland. Silverado, locat

[Find the Mercury's Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.]

The Silverado is obviously and stridently a gay exclude. Rainbow tassels line the kitchen, attractive men in snug underwear sling drinks, and posters of shirtless guys adorn the walls. Also, after nine at bedtime male strippers perform in the Silverado’s basement.

The Silverado was established over four decades ago and today is one of Portland’s longest-standing gay bars. It’s now in its third or fourth location, depending on how you count.

“It started as Flossie’s, which was up on Burnside where the Fred Meyer is now,” says Trevor Wion, the Silverado’s bar manager of nearly 25 years. He says that Flossie’s was “the same as what we are now, which is a very queer bar, but much quieter. I don’t reflect they started having dancers until ’87.”

According to Wion, sometime in the early ’90s the owner of Flossie’s surprised everyone by announcing that the bar was suddenly moving to what is now Harvey Milk Street.

“Everyone picked something up. There was a procession of bar stools, records, and bottles of liquor. Everyone just carried everything, and that’s when they opened up down at Stark Stre