Cape Town Gay Bars

Beefcakes is a spectacularly camp drag bar offering fierce queens and half-naked muscle marys. Designed as a homage to Miami’s South Beach in the 50s – think of Mae West travelling muscle man show.

Located in the heart of De Waterkant, this is a great place to have a gay night out in Cape Town. You can enjoy a gourmet burger and watch the show. Bitchy Bingo on Tuesdays is always fun.

Alexander Bar attracts a mixed crowd of gay and straight locals and tourists. It’s located at the edge of Cape Town’s gay village.

There is an antique rotary dial telephone system that allows you to chat with the other punters. Nice idea. There’s actually a bar in Bangkok that has the same feature.

The music is more jazz than pop so this is a good place to come if you don’t like Kylie and Ga Ga. A range of affordable craft beers are available along with cocktails and local wines.

You can also dial 9 to ring the bartender!

There’s a theatre upstairs where you’ll find theatre shows, comedy and poetry readings.

Manhattan is a gay cafe, restaurant, and bar in the heart of Cape Town’s gay district, De Waterkant. This is one of the longest-running gay establishments in town.

They serve good hangover food – lots of chips.

The terrace outside is good for people watching. Inside it’s spacious and it often gets busy.

Gay-friendly pizza parlour that turns into a bar at night. There’s a balcony overlooking Long Street in the gay area of De Waterkant’s Pink Block.

In the evening, the tables are pulled back and the DJ plays a range of music including classic rock.

Versatile is a men-only naked or semi-naked bar on Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Sundays and Tuesdays it’s open as a “normal” bar.

You can come here for some Berlin vibes and meet the kinky locals. Don’t forget to pack your chaps.

If you’re heading there on the kinky nights, you’ll need to abide by the dress code.