My wife and I live on Canada’s West Coast, and we recently embarked on a mission—a pilgrimage, if you will—to visit as many lesbian bars as we could along the U.S. West Coast between Portland and San Diego.
Why lesbian bars? If you’re sapphically inclined, you probably know that there are very few of these spaces left in the world. According to the Lesbian Bar Project, there are currently only 33 left in the United States. Luckily, new sapphic bars open every year. These are sacred places; although gay bars can be welcoming and fun spaces for queer women, they’re not designed for us. As a local, you might feel immediately surrounded by your chosen family the moment you walk through the door (plus your ex, her ex and the entire local softball team). As an out-of-town visitor like me (a cis, non-disabled white woman), there’s something about an intentionally sapphic space that creates the feeling of being home and connected to community.
Visiting lesbian bars can feel a little like a (sexy) adventure in conservation to protect an endangered species. But luckily, they’re not going anywhere. Because there are so few left in the world, people do treat them as destinations and come a long way to visit them and find community. Most of these spaces explicitly state that they’re for everyone, so even if you don’t have the honour of identifying as a lesbian, consider stopping in, spending some money and staying a while.
Were there other things we had on our road trip to-do list? Of course! But West Coast lesbian bars were a top priority. Although there are nine such bars on the West Coast, we had to skip over a few of them because we were travelling with our little dog and covering a lot of distance. Here are our top five from Oregon to California and what we loved about them. Plus shoutouts to the rest of the West Coast sapphic stops.
Portland, Oregon
The Sports Bra (2512 NE Broadway, Portland). This is the go-to spot in Portland to watch women’s sports. In fact, this place is known for being the first bar in the United States to exclusively play women’s sports. With a strong focus on community, they often fundraise for local organizations, and are sometimes open during off hours as a gathering place to watch major sporting events. We were lucky enough to roll into Portland during Portland Pride (which happens annually in late July), so we got to hit up the bar during its Pride Block Party, which involved taking over the parking lot next door with booths and games. Basketball shoot-off, anyone? DJs were spinning tunes that had the crowd dancing, and all sorts of sports were playing on the TVs inside. The bar itself is decorated with—what else?—sports paraphernalia, including the pièce de résistance, a bejewelled basketball net. If there are no women’s sports playing on TV, no problem: they turn off the TVs. The kitchen, which serves burgers, sandwiches and nibbles, is open late Wednesday to Sunday.
Doc Marie’s (203 SE Grand Ave, Portland). With a neon “Going Down?” sign to guide you to the basement level of the bar, along with the sexy artwork adorning the walls, you immediately know you’re in a seriously sapphic space. It’s also named after a trailblazer in women’s and workers’ rights in Portland (Marie Equi became a doctor in 1903). Despite being multi-level, this is an accessible space; we saw a few folks on crutches making use of the elevator, so we know that Portland queers don’t mess around. For visitors who are feeling spicy, the bar hosts Queer Salsa nights on Wednesdays. The kitchen, which stays open until last call, serves burgers, tacos and sandwiches.
San Francisco, California
Jolene’s Bar and Restaurant (2700 16th St., San Francisco). My wife visited Jolene’s solo—for research purposes, of course. Her findings? Great vibes, great DJs, great wallpaper featuring diverse and beautiful booties and bosoms. The weekly U-Haul party was full of welcoming and wonderful community. In addition to the Friday dance parties, Jolene’s hosts queer pool tournaments, karaoke, Latinx parties, singles’ happy hours and more—definitely something for everyone. Single Lesbian Happy Hour: Childless Cat Lady edition, anyone? If it weren’t offensive to both my dog and my wife, I’d say, yes, please! Open late, including the kitchen, though they get up on Sunday before serving a brunch buffet at noon.
Los Angeles, California
The Ruby Fruit (3510 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles). Although it didn’t exactly fit with our road-trip rhythm, we couldn’t drive through Los Angeles, the home of The L Word, without stopping at a lesbian bar. How could we pass up the opportunity to experience a little drama for ourselves? For better or worse (worse if you live life like a soap opera), Silver Lake’s Ruby Fruit was no drama and all magic. A self-proclaimed “strip mall wine bar,” this great little spot exceeded our expectations. The food and wine were tasty, but the service stood out. Multiple staff members came out to chat with us about our trip and give us tips for our next stop. We sat outside, because we had our pup with us, but we took turns checking out the sleek, romantically lit interior. Named after a classic 1973 lesbian novel by Rita Mae Brown, this truly feels like a space created with sapphics in mind. Need proof? The Cruising Board, covered with Post-it notes from thirsty queers seeking love or whatever, takes patrons back to the days of dating ads. For folks not so into the nighttime bar scene, the Ruby Fruit facilitates Tuesday/Thursday coworking for queers during the day. They also host weekly trans-led, trans-centred parties.
San Diego, California
Gossip Grill (1220 University Ave, San Diego). Located in San Diego’s vibrant Hillcrest gaybourhood, this indoor/outdoor space is about as lesbionic as a bar can get. They allow dogs most of the time (just take a look at the rules posted outside), and the drink menu is cliterally full of innuendo. If you’re as lucky as we were, you might get an actual Nip Slip from the bartender if you order one. One side of the bar is a relaxed patio/lounge area, complete with swings around a fire pit, and the other is a dance floor. They host all your classic queer bar nights: trivia, dance parties, drag bingo, drag brunch and even a regular drag king night. Hungry? Yes, they have a comprehensive food menu, but go on a Monday to enjoy their all-you-can-eat spaghetti night.
Bonus: The rest of the West
Seattle, Washington
Wildrose Bar (1021 E. Pike St., Seattle). On our recent road trip, we didn’t have time to stop by this Capitol Hill lesbian mainstay, which opened in 1984. Washington State was a blur through our car window. But we’ve been before and found it casual and comfortable. It’s always a reliably fun time, and worth a visit. They’ve been known to host a stage at Seattle Pride (held annually each June).
San Francisco, California
Scarlet Fox Wine Bar (1690 Hayes St., San Francisco). This wine-and-cheese place in NOPA just opened in 2023.
Wild Side West (424 Cortland Ave., San Francisco). This women-run institution, in operation since 1962, has pool tables and a garden.
Los Angeles
Honey’s at Star Love (1532 N Western Ave, Los Angeles). Opened in 2023, the same year as Ruby Fruit, Honey’s helped bring L.A.’s lesbian bar count from zero to two.
