Istanbul Gay Bars & Clubs

Istanbul gay nightlife guide; gay bars, gay clubs, discos, gay friendly cafe and pubs, meeting points in Istanbul listed with up-to-date addresses, descriptions, reviews, location maps and more

 

Gay Café & Bars in Istanbul

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Most of the bars listed below are open every day and are expected to be busier roughly between 9:00 pm and 2:00 am, although this may vary from venue to venue and from day to day. Prices in these bars are slightly cheaper than the nightclubs listed below, around 7 - 8 US dollars equivalent in Turkish liras for local drinks. They also do not require an entrance fee or cloakroom fees on weekend nights. Various shows, karaoke nights, and live music performances are organized on several nights during the week. Please check their social media pages to find out when and what kind of shows they offer, if that matters to you


Mor Kedi Cafe & Bar (20:00 - 01:00)
Istiklal Cad. Ipek Sokak 16, Kat 3, Daire 5 - Beyoğlu, Istanbul
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.

Ex Bar (17:00 - 02:00)
Istiklal Cad. Dernek Sk No:11, Kat 1, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
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Ex Bar opened in March 2025 and became one of the most popular pre-club venues in a short time. The bar is conveniently located on a side street parallel to Istiklal Avenue, situated on the first floor of a historic Beyoğlu building.

 Anason Bar (21:00 - 04:00)
Istiklal Cad. Imam Adnan Sk. No:10, Kat 3 Beyoğlu
Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Anason Bar, which opened in mid 2024, aims to serve as a meeting point for both the Turkish and international gay bear community. Located on the third floor of the building, access requires taking the elevator after ascending the stairs to the first floor.

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Gay Night Clubs in Istanbul

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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. Almost all gay nightclubs in Istanbul require an entrance fee on Saturday nights, and some on Friday nights. The price of a single drink is around $10 for local beverages and around $15 - 20 for imported drinks (such as Whiskey) and most cocktails. Entrance fees during weekends are around $15 - 20, normally including 1 local drink. 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

Make sure to check the social media pages of these nightclubs before visiting, as they may be closed on some midweek nights (Sun to Thrs)


Stay Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Sıraselviler Cad. No 35 / 2, Taksim, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
Click here for guest reviews, location map and more
Stay Club, which opened in 2020, relocated in April 2024 to a new address just a 3-4 minute walk from Taksim Square. Although it was initially intended to attract the bear community, it has been welcoming all types of gay men since it moved to this new location

Tekyön Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Sıraselviler Cad. No: 63/1, Taksim, Beyoğlu. Istanbul.
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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.

Love Dance Point (23:00 - 05:00)
Cumhuriyet Caddesi, No: 349 Harbiye, Sisli, Istanbul
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Love Club is situated just a 20-minute walk from Taksim Square in the highly LGBTQ-friendly Harbiye district, right on the main avenue, Saturday nights are the busiest, often featuring impressive performances. Look carefully if it's your first visit, as spotting the club's entrance at first glance might be a bit tricky.

Super Fabric (23:00 - 05:00)
Cumhuriyet Caddesi No: 42  Elmadağ, Istanbul
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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.

Cheeky Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Tarlabaşı Bulvarı, No: 32 Taksim, Istanbul.
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This outstanding after-hours nightclub is lively on Fridays and Saturdays. It typically doesn’t get crowded until after 2:00 AM, drawing LGBTQ+ patrons from other gay bars and clubs. Conveniently located near Taksim Square, it sits beneath a small building just before reaching Cartoon Hotel. Although there’s no visible sign, you’ll easily recognize it by its dark metallic façade and the security staff stationed at the entrance.

Pinokyo Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Büyük Parmakkapı Sk, No: 17, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
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Pinokyo is a gay night club located in the heart of Istanbul, just off Istiklal Avenue. Previously it was in the bar category but they changed style 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.

Bigudi Club (22:00 - 03:00 / 04:00)
 Bekar Sokak, No:23, Beyoğlu, Istanbul
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Bigudi is the first ever exclusively lesbian venue opened in Turkey. In recent years, the venue also welcomes a select number of gay men, though the majority of its clientele remains lesbian.

X-Large Club (23:00 - 05:00)
Atatürk Oto Sanayi Sit. 52.Sok. No:12/1, Maslak, Istanbul
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When X Large Club first opened in Beyoğlu in the late 2000s, it was predominantly a gay venue. Around 2013, it relocated to a larger venue approximately 15 km outside the city center. While it remains a gay-friendly space, its new location attracts many straight patrons.

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Meeting Points

Around Taksim Square, several venues serve as meeting spots for gay men during the daytime and early evenings. Many gay men visit these places before heading to bars and clubs, and some come here to connect with others. It’s important to note that the managers and staff at these venues may not be particularly LGBTQ-friendly. Additionally, you might encounter rent boys and notorious hustlers from the Taksim district in and around these locations, so exercise caution when meeting new people. Below, we’ve listed the most popular meeting points from recent years.

EspressoLab - Taksim (terrace floor)
Simit Sarayı - Taksim Square (upper floor)
Istiklal Shopping Mall (cafe & restaurant floor)
Burger King - Taksim

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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, as confirmed by their owners or recommended by gay men who have been to them.

  Do not expect a visible gay scene at these venues.

Şahika Upperground (S-l-g-Gf) -  Nevizade Sk. No:5, Beyoğlu
Ziba Pub (S-Gf) -  Tomtom, Akansu Sok. No:10, Beyoğlu
Urban Cafe & Rest (S-Gf) -  Kartal Sok. 6, Galatasaray, Beyoğlu
Street Pub (S-Gf) -  Mis Sk. No:19, Taksim, Beyoğlu.
Frankestayn Bookstore & Cafe (S-Gf) - L. Hendek Cad, Beyoğlu
Basement Cafe (S-Gf) -  Dalga Sk. No:20, Caferağa, Kadıköy
Karga Bar -  Kadife Sk. No:16, Caferağa, Kadıköy
Arka Oda -  Kadife Sk. No:18/A, Caferağa, Kadıköy
Salpa Bar (S-Gf) - Piri Çavuş Sk. No:3, Osmanağa, Kadıköy
Reset Bar (S-Gf) -  Sarraf Ali Sk, No: 31, Caferağa, Kadıköy
Böcek Cafe (S-Gf) -  Bademaltı Sk. 17/A, Moda, Kadıköy

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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.

Babil Hotel's Pub - No more a gay venue since late 2024
Rocinante Bar - Closed in January 2025. It might re-open elsewhere.
Chianti Bar - Closed in 2024. It might re-open elsewhere.
Chaplin Cafe - In August 2021 it was bought by the rival gay cafe, Mor Kedi
Durak Pub - Closed during Covid 19 period.
Club 17 - Closed during Covid 19 period.


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

Haspa Taksim,  Frappe Cafe, Ekoo Club, Shake-in Bar, Queen, Dejavu, Barbahce, Kutu Bar, Club 14 (Ceylan's), Machine, Club 12, 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, Rouge Bar, Elysion, Inside Cafe, Prive Club, OtherSide, Neo Club, Sugar Cafe, Yesil Bizans.


Attention: Constantly updated by the local Pink Guides representatives living in the major Turkish cities, Istanbulgay Com, serves as the most dependable resource you can find providing information on LGBTQ 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.

Click here for up-to-date Gay Map of Istanbul & Turkey.

ISTANBUL GAY TOURS

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