Information about gay bars and clubs in Istanbul

Istanbul Gay Bar


Istanbul gay bars, gay clubs, discos, gay friendly cafe bars in Istanbul listed with up-to-date addresses, descriptions, visitor reviews, location maps and more

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Gay Café & Bars in Istanbul


Most of the venues listed below are open every day and are expected to be more busy roughly between 9:00 pm and 2:00 am, although this may vary for each venue and from day to day. The prices in these bars are slightly cheaper compared to the nightclubs listed below, and they do not usually require entrance or cloakroom fees. They organize various shows, karaoke nights, and live music performances on several nights during the week. Please check their social media pages to find out when and what kind of shows they are offering, if that matters.


Mor Kedi Cafe & Bar (20:00 - 01:00)
Address: Istiklal Cad. Ipek Sokak 16, Kat 3, Daire 5 - Beyoglu, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
More Kedi is one of Istanbul's longest-standing gay café bars. It tends to get busy earlier than other gay bars, with patrons usually arriving from 6pm and staying until around midnight. The clientele consists of young queers, gay men and bear guys, but people of all ages are welcome.

Rocinante Bar (20:00 - 02:00)
Address: Ogut Sokak, No:6, Kat 2 (2nd floor), Beyoglu, Istanbul.
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
It is located on the second floor of a typical historical Beyoğlu building on a back street that runs parallel to the renowned Istiklal Avenue. They offer live music and other modest shows on different days of the week.

Chianti Bar (20:00 - 02:00)
Address: Kameriye Sokak, No:10/A, Nevizade, Beyoglu, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
This cozy gay cafe and bar opens early in the day, but it is usually more crowded in the late evening and around midnight. In the early 2020s, it moved to a new location in the popular nightlife quarter, Nevizade.

Babel Park Pub (20:00 - 20:00 / 04:00)
Address Sht. Pilot Mahmut Nedim Sokagi, No:3,Fatih, Istanbul
Website Click here for location map on Google Maps
Unlike all the other gay bars in Istanbul, this pub & restaurant is situated in a distinct district called Aksaray, approximately 5 kilometers away from Taksim. It’s tucked beneath the Babil Park Hotel and has served as a gathering spot for the Turkish gay bear community since 2018. Another distinction from Taksim bars is that this establishment exudes a distinctly local atmosphere, and they exclusively feature live performances of traditional Turkish songs. For tourists, visiting this place would be quite interesting due to its unique ambiance.



Gay Night Clubs in Istanbul.



Most of the gay nightclubs listed under this category are busy after midnight. Although they might open their doors as early as 10p.m, there won't be many clients before midnight. Without exception, the music is loud in all of these after-midnight clubs, playing a mixture of Turkish and Western pop music in turns. Most gay nightclubs in Istanbul require an entrance fee on Saturday nights, and some on Friday nights. However, you can get one complimentary local drink with your entrance ticket. Typically, there are several security personnel waiting at the door of each gay club to stop unsolicited visitors and take care of the cloakrooms. During the winter season, clients are expected to leave their large bags, jackets, and coats at the cloakrooms and pay for some kind of compulsory tip when they leave.

Attention Check out the social media pages of these night clubs before going, because they might be closed during some midweek nights (Sun-Thrs)


Stay Club (22:00 - 05:00)
Address: Siraselviler Cad. No 35 / 2, Taksim, Beyoglu, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Stay Club, which especially welcomes the bear community, opened in 2020, relocated to a new address in April 2024, around 3-4 minutes walking distance from Taksim Square. The club is on the basement floor of the building.

Tekyon Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Siraselviler Caddesi, No: 63/1, Beyoglu. Istanbul.
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
The most popular gay club in Istanbul since the early 2000s, even though it has moved to different addresses several times. The venue is fairly big for the capacity of gay nightlife in Istanbul, so it might not be very busy during the weekdays, but it is almost always very, very busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

Super Fabric (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Cumhuriyet Caddesi No: 42  Elmadag, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Opened in late October 2014 SuperFabric club usually charge entrance fee on Friday and Saturday nights. It is located at some 10 minutes walking distance to the north of Taksim Square somewhere on Cumhuriyet Caddesi avenue that goes towards Harbiye / Sisli districts, roughly across from Konak Hotel.

Love Dance Point  (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Cumhuriyet Caddesi, No: 349 Harbiye, Sisli, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Love Club is located in the Harbiye quarter, on the main avenue, about 20 minutes walking distance from Taksim Square. Saturday night is the busiest night and they might be featuring some good shows. If it is your first time visiting, it might be hard to notice the entrance of the club at first sight. It might also be closed during weekdays. So, please visit the club's page for detailed location information and check their social media pages to make sure they will be open when you get there.

Cheeky Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Tarlabasi Bulvari, No: 32 Taksim, Istanbul.
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
This exceptional after-hours nightclub is busy on Fridays and Saturdays. It usually doesn’t get crowded before 2:00 am, attracting LGBT people after all other gay bars and clubs close down. It is located very close to Taksim Square, under the small building before you get to Cartoon Hotel. They do not have a visible signboard, but you will recognize it easily from its dark metallic facade and security guys waiting in front of it.

Pinokyo Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Buyuk Parmakkapi Sk, No:17, Beyoglu, Istanbul.
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Pinokyo is located in the heart of Istanbul, just off Istiklal Avenue. Previously it was in the bar category but they changed style after moving this terrace floor in the same building and now they are busy after midnight as other night clubs. Before visiting, we recommend checking out the reviews on the venue’s page to get a better idea of what to expect.

X-Large ClubPricy (23:00 - 05:00)
Address: Ataturk Oto Sanayi Sit. 52.Sok. No:12/1, Maslak, Istanbul
Web: Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
When X Large Club was first opened in Beyoglu, Kallavi Sok in late 2000's and it was overwhelmingly gay. What made the club very popular was the quality of the stage shows for that time. Around 2013 X Large moved to a bigger venue somewhat 15 km outside the city center. It is still a gay friendly venue but it also has many straight people in their new place.


 

Gay Friendly Venues

Despite the numerous venues in Istanbul where LGBT individuals can feel at ease, the following establishments are particularly recognized for being gay-friendly.

Gay Friendly: Street Pub (S-Gf) -  Mis Sk. No:19, Taksim, Beyoğlu.
Gay Friendly: Babel Cafe & Restaurant - Turnacıbaşı Cd. No:56, Beyoğlu
Gay Friendly: Mecra Bar (S-Gf) - Dumlupinar Sk No:5, Kadıköy
Gay Friendly: Salpa Vegan Bar (S-Gf) - Piri Çavuş Sk. No:3, Kadıköy
Gay Friendly: Bocek Cafe (S-Gf) -  Moda Cad, Bademaltı Sk. 17/A,Kadıköy


 

Recently Closed

Following venues have been closed-down completely for various reasons. We are listing them just to let people know because they might still being listed on other gay guides and even on Google maps sometimes.

Closed Chaplin Cafe - In August 2021 it was bought by the rival gay cafe, Mor Kedi
Closed Durak Pub - Closed during Covid 19 period.
Closed Club 17 - Closed during Covid 19 period.
Closed Haspa Club - They moved to Bodrum in 2019

Following bars and clubs have been closed-down many years ago:

Yesil Bizans, Queen, Dejavu, Barbahce, Kutu Bar, Club 14 (Ceylan's), Machine, Club 12, Shake-in Bar, Degirmen Pub, Ajda Club, Secret Club, Exit Club, Purple Club, Gabile Club, Hot Point (TT'S) Cafe, B Club, Bubble, Pincur's Cafe, Tantana Bar, Altenatif Club, Oz Club, Club 99, Hans Bar, Telve, Club Barisik. Rouge Bar, Elysion, Inside Cafe, Prive Club, OtherSide, Frappe Cafe, Ekoo Club, Neo Club, Sugar Cafe


Attention : Attention: Constantly updated by the local Pink Guides representatives living in the major Turkish cities, Turkeygay.Net, serves as the most dependable resource you can find providing information on LGBT venues and gay-friendly events in Turkey. However, it’s important to acknowledge that there might be occasional discrepancies in the provided information, as we may not have captured all recent changes. Please use the details provided with this in mind. Additionally, please be aware that many of the venues listed on the website lack official owner approval and they all are not gay or gay-friendly places necessarily.

ListClick here for up-to-date Gay Map of Istanbul & Turkey.
ListClick here for private tours to discover Istanbul's gay night life.
ListClick here for detailed information about public transportation in Istanbul.
 

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