Headed to LA for the World Cup? Your nearest gay bar may not be in WeHo

To all the LGBTQ+ soccer fans and allies coming to L.A. for the World Cup this summer: first of all, welcome to Southern California!

Whether you’re coming from a big city with its own extensive network of LGBTQ+ establishments, or a smaller town with fewer (or no) bars, SoCal’s gay bars have a lot to offer you, and they’re just as diverse and spread out as the region itself.

West Hollywood is iconic, but getting there can be a journey. For instance, if you’re staying in the South Bay near SoFi Stadium, Long Beach may be easier to get to than WeHo. And if you’re looking for a place to watch the World Cup in WeHo, we have you covered there too.

Just so you know, this list gravitates toward divey spots and gay sports bars, so make sure to check if they’re cash only before you visit.

West Hollywood

Hi Tops

The sports-themed Hi Tops is surely going to be a fun place to grab a bite and a beer (or tequila soda) and watch any World Cup game. It’s a great crowd to watch big sporting events, but it’s also a destination for Tuesday trivia night. In addition to the West Hollywood location, there’s a bigger one in Los Feliz, about a 20 minute walk from Akbar.

8933 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

Trunks

This bar is welcoming to all sorts of people, with billiards, music that hits, and a great patio. If I’m going to WeHo, I’m almost definitely going to be making a stop here. (Did I mention the music hits?) It has a well-earned reputation for being a lot more laid-back than other bars in WeHo, though you’ll still want to watch your phone and belongings anywhere in the neighborhood.

8809 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

Mother Lode

This is another unpretentious WeHo gem. I’ve never run into anyone with a bad vibe or bad attitude here, and it’s another great place to meet locals and make conversation. The bartenders’ pours can also be very friendly, so keep that in mind if you’re getting mixed drinks.

8944 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

GYM Bar

This bar is already pretty sporty on an average day. WeHo sports leagues love it, so it’ll surely be a good spot to watch the World Cup. It also holds events on many weeknights, like karaoke or trivia night. If you’re paying attention to the street addresses, you’ll notice this is within a block of the other WeHo bars on the list, plus many others, which makes for a fun night.

8919 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood 

Central LA/Downtown/Eastside

Akbar

Akbar is one of our more well-known gay bars outside L.A., and rightly so. It’s one of the best gay bars I’ve been to anywhere. Akbar meets my extremely high standards for bar jukeboxes, which are even higher after the night I walked in here while Janet Jackson’s deep cut “Rock With U” was playing. Whether or not they have the World Cup on, you’ll probably talk to someone interesting here, maybe even someone famous (just be chill about it). Get here at 8 p.m. or earlier on weekends for your best chance at snagging some of the bar’s limited seating.

4356 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles

Precinct

If you ask around, a lot of locals call this their favorite place to go, especially on weekend nights. The second-floor space has a dance floor, bar area and a great smoker’s patio. I have so many good memories here, but a favorite is seeing RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Raja give a rare performance here and mention she lived in my neighborhood – and then follow that up by telling us to leave her alone if we see her in public. I still haven’t seen her around yet, but I will not be saying hi.

357 S Broadway, Los Angeles

Kiso

This is one of the newer bars on the list, but it’s the spiritual successor to the longstanding bar Redline, which I loved. For more background on the bar, see this KCRW feature.

107 4th St, Los Angeles

The New Jalisco Bar

The name of this bar isn’t lying to you: if you’ve been to divey gay bars in Mexico, it may very well remind you of them. New Jalisco, Kiso and Precinct are all within walking distance of each other, which makes for a holy trinity of DTLA gay barhopping.

245 Main St, Los Angeles

Redz Angelz

Boyle Heights’ Redz Angelz is the new iteration of Redz Bar, a historic bar for Chicana lesbians that’s the only establishment in this article to have a Wikipedia page. It’s still a space for queer Latinas and Latines, plus the broader LGBTQ+ community of Boyle Heights and East L.A. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch live music or a drag show here.

2218 1st St, Los Angeles

Pasadena/Northeast L.A.

Offbeat

Offbeat has some of my favorite watch parties in town for RuPaul’s Drag Race (a.k.a. the “gay Olympics”). You can also catch cool DJ sets and drag shows here, and it checks a lot of boxes, the two most important being its cheap drinks (for L.A.) and an outdoor patio. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re near Highland Park.

6316 York Blvd, Los Angeles

Boulevard

If you’re staying in the San Gabriel Valley, the welcoming, cheap Boulevard is tucked right next to the 210 Freeway in a more suburban part of Pasadena. It’s an SGV institution and a haven for LGBTQ+ people from nearby cities. You could easily pair it with a stop for snacks at H Mart or dinner at Din Tai Fung in Arcadia. Like some other bars on this list, it has nights and events for the trans community: Boulevard’s is on Tuesdays.

3199 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena

Long Beach

Watch Me! Sports Bar

While it’s technically not a lesbian bar, the owners, Emme Eddy and her wife Jax Diener, have made Watch Me! a safe space for queer women and anyone who wants to watch a WNBA game. If you're not looking to drink alcohol, it's also a full-service, all-ages restaurant with a dog-friendly patio. Diener told me the bar shows “95%” women’s sports, but they do hold watch parties for big men’s events like the World Cup and Super Bowl. That said, I have a hunch the bar will be even more fun during the 2027 Women’s World Cup owing to its connections in the L.A. women’s sports community. To learn more, read LAist's coverage of the bar and its opening.

6527 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach

The Falcon

I’ve never had a bad time here, though if you’re claustrophobic you might want to come here on the earlier side. It’s right on Broadway, the main drag for LGBTQ+ establishments in Long Beach, so it’s great for barhopping to places like Sweetwater Saloon or Long Beach’s many other quality gay bars that didn’t make this list. And if you’re looking for something clubbier or more spacious, try its sister location, the Falcon North.

1435 E Broadway, Long Beach (Falcon North: 2020 E Artesia Blvd, Long Beach)

Sweetwater Saloon

This bar caters mostly to queer women, but with the diversity of Long Beach being what it is, it’s also welcoming to anyone who wants to stop by. If you’re a pool shark, get ready to be challenged. And if your goal is to meet locals and get a flavor of Long Beach and SoCal’s LGBTQ+ community, this might be one of the best spots to go.

1201 E Broadway, Long Beach

San Fernando Valley

Bullet Bar

There are fewer and fewer gay bars in the San Fernando Valley – RIP the iconic country-themed watering hole Oil Can Harry’s – but Bullet Bar is still going strong. It attracts a lively crowd of predominantly gay men from across the Valley with its patio, pool table and drag shows. Like many bars on this list, check its calendar to see if any of their events strike your fancy.

10522 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood

Club Cobra

If you’re looking for something with a clubbier feel, Club Cobra is a great place to celebrate or dance away your frustration at your team losing. The club, which caters to the LGBTQ+ Latine community, has multiple floors with different vibes on each. It’s also just a few blocks from Bullet Bar if you want to make a night of it.

10937 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood