Lesbian and gay London - The Rough Guide to London - page 406

Two Brewers 114 Clapham High St, SW4 T 020
7819 9539, W the2brewers.com; ! Clapham
Common; map pp.310-311. Big, long-established and
popular south London pub, with nightly cabaret in the
front bar and a more cruisey dancefloor in the back that
stays open late. Sun-Thurs 4pm-2am, Fri & Sat
4pm-4am.

GAY MEN'S CAFÉS, BARS AND PUBS
SOHO
Comptons of Soho 51-53 Old Compton St, W1 T 020
3238 0163, W faucetinn.com/comptons; ! Leicester
Square; map p.100. This large, traditional-style pub attracts
a butch, cruising yet relaxed 25-plus crowd. Upstairs is more
chilled and draws younger folks. Mon-Thurs noon-
11.30pm, Fri & Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-10.30pm.
The King's Arms 23 Poland St, W1 T 020 7734 5907;
! Oxford Circus; map p.97. London's best-known and
perennially popular bear bar, with a traditional London pub
atmosphere. Head down on Sundays for the raucous
karaoke night. Mon-Thurs noon-11pm, Fri & Sat noon-
midnight, Sun noon-10.30pm.

LESBIAN CAFÉS, BARS AND PUBS
SOHO
Candy Bar 4 Carlisle St, WC2 T 020 7287 5041,
W candybarsoho.com; ! Tottenham Court Road; map
p.100. This Sapphic magnet has been in operation since
1996 and still has the same crucial, cruisey vibe that makes
it the hottest girl bar in central London - they even made a
TV show about it. Mon-Fri 3pm-3am, Sat 1pm-3am,
Sun 1pm-12.30am.
Star at Night 22 Great Chapel St, W1 T 020 7494 2488,
W thestaratnight.com; ! Tottenham Court Road; map
p.100. Comfortable mixed but female-led venue, popular
with a slightly older crowd who want somewhere to sit, a
decent glass of wine and good conversation. Tues-Sat
6-11.30pm.

27

COVENT GARDEN
Halfway 2 Heaven 7 Duncannon St, WC2 T 020 7484
0736, W halfway2heaven.net; ! Charing Cross; map
p.132. Friendly, traditional pub off Trafalgar Square,
featuring pub quizzes, karaoke and occasional cabaret.
Attracts a largely male crowd older than that in Soho.
Mon-Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-11pm.

SOUTH LONDON
Ì BarCode Vauxhall Arch 69, Albert Embankment,
SE11 T 020 7582 4180, W bar-code.co.uk; ! Vauxhall;
map pp.310-311. Cruisey gay men's bar in the heart of
Vauxhall's clubbing quarter, convenient for Area and Fire .
Look out for nu-disco night Tin Tin. Mon-Wed 4pm-1am,
Thurs 4pm-2am, Fri 4pm-5am, Sat 4pm-7am, Sun
5pm-1am.

NORTH LONDON
Ì Blush 8 Cazenove Rd, Stoke Newington, N16 T 020
7923 9202; bus #73 from ! King's Cross or Angel; map
p.291. Two floors of fun with quizzes, games nights and
lazy Sundays with roast dinners and the newspapers make
this local popular among lesbians. Tues-Sat 5pm-
midnight, Sun 1pm-midnight.

CLUBS
London's club nights tend to open up and shut down with surreal frequency, so do check location, times and prices online
before heading out. Places are listed by club name if this is well known and long lived, and by venue where there's a variety
of changing theme nights. Entry prices start at around £3-5, but are more often between £10 and £16 for all-nighters,
rising to around £35 or even £50 for special events like New Year's Eve extravaganzas. A shrinking number of places offer
student concessions; picking up a flyer may help you save a few quid instead, especially for venues with attached bars. Most
clubs open at around 11pm (although some don't get going until the small hours) and close between 3am and 6am, while
after-hours clubs provide somewhere to dance the next morning.

Madame Jojo's 8-10 Brewer St, W1 T 020 7734 3040,
W madamejojos.com; ! Piccadilly Circus; map p.100.
Lush, louche club offering cabaret and drag shows for o ce
girls, gay boys and those in between, plus a variety of
dance nights. Surrender your gender at Trannyshack on
Wednesdays. Opening hours vary so check the website,
but it is typically open until 3am.

MIXED CLUBS
Popstarz Moves venue every week W popstarz.org. The
original Friday-night indie club's still-winning formula of
alternative tunes, 1970s and 80s trash, cheap beer and no
attitude attracts a mixed, studenty crowd till late. Be sure
to print the web flyer.

SOHO
G-A-Y Late 5 Goslett Yard, WC2 T 020 7494 2756,
W g-a-y.co.uk; ! Tottenham Court Road; map p.100.
No-frills cheese and pop princesses at the late night sister
bar to G-A-Y , where you should grab a flyer for free entry.
Members only Sundays. Daily 11pm-3am.

COVENT GARDEN
Heaven Villiers St, WC2 T 020 7930 2020,
W heavennightclub-london.com; ! Charing Cross;
map p.132. Said to be the UK's most popular gay club, this
two thousand-capacity venue is now home to G-A-Y from