How we choose LGBTQ-owned restaurants in NYC
Two of the best LGBTQ-owned restaurants in NYC right now are Ursula in Bed-Stuy, a queer-owned New Mexican spot famous for breakfast burritos, and Maite in Bushwick, sapphic-owned with Colombian and European small plates. Below are more queer-owned restaurants, cafes and bars, plus long-time community favorites like the burger at Julius'.
New York has thousands of restaurants that are perfectly happy to seat two men on a date. This page is narrower: places owned by LGBTQ+ people, according to a named source, and places the community has adopted over years. Where we say 'queer-owned', 'lesbian-owned' or 'trans-owned', that description comes from a published 2026 listing or from The Infatuation, which includes Ursula in its guide to queer-owned restaurants in NYC.
It is a short list on purpose. Restaurants open and close fast here, and the old version of this site kept recommending places that had shut. We would rather give you fifteen that are definitely open than fifty that might be. Bars with no food are on our bars and lounges page.
LGBTQ-owned restaurants in NYC
Ursula
New Mexican breakfast burritos
A queer-owned New Mexican cafe that started as a Crown Heights takeout window in 2020 and grew into a counter-seat restaurant in Bed-Stuy. The breakfast burritos are the reason: scrambled eggs, hash browns and fillings like chorizo with red chile, ordered smothered if you have nowhere to be. The Infatuation calls it one of its favorite brunch spots, so reserve for weekends.
Maite
Date-night small plates
A sapphic-owned farm-to-table restaurant and bar where Colombian and European cooking meet on a seasonal menu, with natural wine and cocktails. It is built for sharing plates, and it has doubled as a community room for comedy nights and women's sports screenings. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m., Sunday from noon; walk-ins are welcome.
The Marshal
Wood-fired, farm-to-table
Farm-to-table cooking from gay chef Charlie Marshall, wood-fired pizza included. It is the grown-up dinner option in a neighborhood better known for happy hours, and an easy walk to the theaters.
Athena Keke's
Cuñapés and women's sport
A queer-owned women's sports bar that takes its food seriously: the snacks are Bolivian-inspired, and the cuñapés, warm, chewy cheese breads, are the thing to order. Wash them down with the Bodega Sammie, a savoury pepperoncini martini that also comes in a tiny size. Good for a Liberty game or a first date.
Queer-owned cafes, bakeries and daytime hangouts
For the hours before anyone is drinking.
Boyfriend Co-op
Coffee by day, cocktails by night
A worker-owned queer cafe that opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays (10 on weekends) for coffee and baked goods, then turns into a cocktail bar at night. Events are free. It is the easiest place in Brooklyn to spend a whole day without spending much.
Hive Mind Books
Books and coffee
A queer woman-owned bookstore and coffee shop with open mics, art workshops and a monthly queer book club. Closed Mondays. Buy a paperback, order a coffee, eavesdrop.
Gladys Books & Wine
Bookstore cafe and wine bar
Tiffany Dockery's Black lesbian-owned bookstore cafe, open from 10 a.m., with a wine bar that takes over later in the day. Two floors, so there is usually a seat.
L'imprimerie
Bread and pastries
A queer-owned bakery and a Bushwick morning ritual. Go for bread and pastry early, before the good things sell out.
Aura Coffee
Lattes and a patio
A lesbian-owned cafe on the Prospect Heights and Crown Heights border, full of plants, with a patio out back. A good stop before the Brooklyn Museum or a lap of Prospect Park.
In Manhattan, The Center at 208 West 13th Street has a coffee shop of its own, and the Bureau of General Services Queer Division bookstore is upstairs in Room 210, open Wednesday to Sunday afternoons. It is the natural meeting point in the West Village. More bookshops are on our sapphic NYC page and the bookshelf.
Date-night restaurants and bars in NYC
First date: wine and an exit strategy
Saint James Libations in Bushwick (269 Stanhope St) is a Black queer women-owned wine bar, open Wednesday to Sunday from 6 p.m., with vinyl nights and readings to talk about. Gladys Books & Wine gives you shelves to browse if conversation stalls.
Third date: share plates at Maite
Order more than you think you need. The plates are small and the room is close.
Brunch date: Ursula
Counter seats facing the open kitchen, mezcal cocktails if it is going well.
Before a show: Hell's Kitchen
The Marshal for a proper dinner. Kashkaval Garden is a relaxed Mediterranean option nearby with a reputation as a queer-friendly room. Then walk to the theaters.
A cocktail somewhere calm
Someday Bar on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill is a women-owned cocktail bar with community events. In Queens, Kween in Astoria is a relaxed cocktail room and Upstairs Cocktail Bar in Jackson Heights pours strong, unfussy drinks.
Brunch and drag brunch in NYC
For a food-first brunch, Ursula is the one to book, and Maite opens at noon on Sundays. Boyfriend Co-op and Hive Mind Books cover the coffee-and-pastry version.
Drag brunch is its own genre: a set menu, a two-drink mindset and a queen with a microphone. Line-ups, prices and seating times change month to month, so we keep them in one place. See drag shows in NYC for the venues currently running brunches and how to book. Two rules apply everywhere: reserve ahead for weekends, and bring cash to tip the performers.
Bar food and late-night bites
Kitchens we can vouch for inside the bars themselves.
Julius'
The burger
The oldest gay bar in the city, where activists staged the 1966 Sip-In, and still the home of a no-frills, properly juicy burger cooked on a grill in the middle of the room. Cash only. Eat here before or after anything on Christopher Street.
Branded Saloon
Burgers and a patio
A country-themed queer bar with booths, a small performance space and a sidewalk patio, serving burgers and quesadillas. It is walkable from Barclays Center, which makes it a post-game plan.
The Woods
Backyard food on party night
Home of the Wednesday Misster party, with a food window in the backyard. A recent write-up priced quesadillas from about $10 and burgers at about $15, with non-alcoholic drinks from about $6. Dinner and dancing without changing venue.
In Hell's Kitchen, VERS is a cocktail bar with a food menu and a sing-along piano, and Red Eye NY serves coffee as well as drinks across two floors. At Wilka's Sports Bar on the Bowery there are snacks to go with the game. Classic all-night diners are not listed here because we could not confirm their current hours. Where to go dancing afterward is on nightlife.
Sober-friendly and alcohol-free spots
Misfits Kava Bar
A bar night without alcohol
A queer Latina-owned bar with no alcohol at all: kava and other root and herb drinks, board games and community events. It opens at 2 p.m. and runs to midnight, or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, so it works as a real night out.
Beyond that, think daytime: Boyfriend Co-op is a coffee shop until evening, Hive Mind and Gladys are bookstores first, and The Center hosts free community events, from salsa classes to zine fairs. If you want movement rather than a menu, most of the leagues on our sports page are a sober-friendly way to meet people. For health services and support, see essentials.
Where to eat and drink, neighborhood by neighborhood
| Neighborhood | Eat | Coffee or daytime | Drink with food |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Village, Manhattan | Julius' burger | The Center's coffee shop and bookstore | Julius' |
| Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan | The Marshal; Kashkaval Garden | Red Eye NY | VERS |
| Bowery, Manhattan | Snacks at Wilka's | Wilka's Sports Bar | |
| Bushwick, Brooklyn | Maite | Boyfriend Co-op; Hive Mind Books; L'imprimerie | Saint James Libations; Misfits Kava Bar (alcohol-free) |
| Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn | Ursula | Gladys Books & Wine | Gladys Books & Wine |
| Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn | Athena Keke's; Branded Saloon | Aura Coffee | Athena Keke's |
| Williamsburg, Brooklyn | Backyard food at The Woods | The Woods | |
| Boerum Hill, Brooklyn | Someday Bar | ||
| Astoria and Jackson Heights, Queens | Kween; Upstairs Cocktail Bar |
Jackson Heights and Astoria are two of the best places to eat in the whole city, queer-owned or not, and the bars there are worth building an evening around. We do not yet have verified LGBTQ-owned restaurant picks for the Bronx, Harlem or Staten Island. If you run one, or love one, tell us.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best LGBTQ-owned restaurants in NYC?
Ursula in Bed-Stuy (queer-owned, New Mexican, famous for breakfast burritos) and Maite in Bushwick (sapphic-owned, Colombian and European small plates) are two reliable picks in 2026. In Hell's Kitchen, The Marshal is run by gay chef Charlie Marshall.
Where is the best drag brunch in NYC?
The best drag brunch changes with the lineup, so check our drag shows guide for the venues currently running brunches. Wherever you go, book ahead for weekends and bring cash for tips.
Are there queer-owned coffee shops in NYC?
Yes, NYC has several queer-owned coffee shops: Boyfriend Co-op (worker-owned) and Hive Mind Books are in Bushwick, Gladys Books & Wine is in Bed-Stuy, and Aura Coffee, which is lesbian-owned, is on the Prospect Heights and Crown Heights border. L'imprimerie in Bushwick is a queer-owned bakery.
Where can sober LGBTQ+ people go out in NYC?
Misfits Kava Bar in Bushwick is alcohol-free and open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Boyfriend Co-op is a cafe by day, the queer bookstores hold evening events, and The Center in the West Village hosts free community events.
Which gay bars in NYC serve food?
Julius' in the West Village is known for its burger and is cash only. Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights serves burgers and quesadillas, Athena Keke's in Clinton Hill has Bolivian-inspired snacks, and The Woods in Williamsburg has a backyard food window.
Is Big Gay Ice Cream still open in NYC?
No, Big Gay Ice Cream's South Street Seaport shop is permanently closed, and we could not confirm any other New York location operating in 2026, so it is not listed here.
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