Bike Stop, Philadelphia

About Bike Stop

The Bike Stop has been Philadelphia's leather and fetish bar since 1982, tucked onto narrow Quince Street a half-block off the Gayborhood's main drag. The motorcycle hung over the first-floor bar gave the place its name, and four floors still give the night somewhere to go: a main bar with a darker climate, a second-floor sports bar, a top-floor dance floor with its own smaller bar, and a basement dungeon with a seedier edge. It's built for the leather, bear and kink communities but stays welcoming to anyone who walks in curious. The vibe is no-frills and unpretentious, the opposite of a polished cocktail lounge, and it remains the city's main address for leather culture and the events that come with it. The building itself dates to 1914, and recent work has uncovered original brick arches and plaster from its earlier life. For travelers looking for Philadelphia's kink scene rather than its dance clubs, this is the one to find.