Friend's Tavern

Despite the loud and percussion-heavy Latin house music and teeming, elevated dance floor, this bar seems the most conducive to conversation, perhaps due to Friend’s distinct lack of huge wall-mounted televisions (a comon feature in gay bars in NYC) drawing the attention of the revelers. There’s a laid-back atmosphere here that cranks up the cruise factor at happy hour (daily 4-9pm) and is a refreshing alternative to Manhattan’s notoriously bitchy bar ‘tudes. The bartenders here are the brawnier, older versions of the tatted twinks at Friend's sister club Evolution.