Queer artistic expression thrives at Oasis, a club and cabaret theater in SoMa. Opened in a former gay bathhouse in 2015 by San Francisco drag legends Heklina and D’Arcy Drollinger, the 8,000-foot space comes alive each weekend with a myriad of amazing performances, including ever-popular interpretations of classic TV shows like Sex and the City, The Golden Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For drag purists, it is Oasis’ weekly Saturday revue, Mother, that really kills. The comic, electric show is different each time, with the Queens taking on everything from Disney princesses to pop stars.
San Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ scene is major, partly owed to its history (the city was home to the country's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk), and sustained by its thriving queer community. Of course, the epicenter of it all is San Francisco’s Castro District, which buzzes 24/7 with restaurants, bars, drag shows and more, but there’s great things to do all over the city (and in Oakland) too.
Whether you are looking for a friendly lesbian bar (Jolene's in the Mission, #3 on our list), an epic queer Sunday beer bust (#8, SF Eagle), a balls-to-the-wall Latinx dance party (#11, Club 21) or a drag show dripping with talent (#1, Oasis), we've narrowed down the options to the best of the best. SF truly has it all. Here are the best gay bars in San Francisco and Oakland right now.
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This guide was written by Bay-Area based writer Clara Hogan. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.