Part of the Gay New York City Guide — bars, events & things to do.
New York City, New York
The only gay bar on the Upper East Side, with drag and karaoke
The Toolbox is the Upper East Side's neighborhood gay bar, holding down a stretch of Second Avenue near 90th Street since the 1990s — a rarity in a city where most of the gay scene clusters in the West Village, Hell's Kitchen, and Brooklyn. It's a two-floor dive that's gay-owned and run with no cover and no pretense: pool table, jukebox, and video games upstairs, a lounge with TVs down below. Programming fills most nights of the week — karaoke, trivia, weekend drag shows, charity bingo, plus seasonal blowouts for Halloween, Pride, and New Year's. The crowd skews neighborhood regulars over downtown scene-chasers, the kind of room where the bartender clocks your usual by the second visit. If you're staying uptown and don't feel like trekking to Hell's Kitchen, this is your spot.
Have feedback on this description? Let us knowDrag brunches, circuit nights & every party worth knowing in New York City — in your inbox every week.
$40
$39
$65
$29
$193
$30
$49
$15
Experiences powered by Viator
Get the full experience — check in, follow this venue, and connect with the community.
From the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement to one of the biggest Pride marches on Earth, here's your insider guide to queer New York City.
Robbie S.
Bottomless mimosas, lip-syncs between courses, and a queen in your face by noon — here's where to do drag brunch in New York, and which day to book.
Robbie S.
From Pieces' game-show drag to Club Cumming's nightly cabaret and Brooklyn's warehouse parties, here's where to see drag in New York — and which night to go.
Robbie S.
Chelsea was the capital of gay New York in the '90s and 2000s. Here's what the neighborhood is now — leather bars, the High Line, and the classic scene that stuck around.
Robbie S.
Halloween is Gay Christmas, and nobody does it bigger than New York — the Village Parade down Sixth Avenue, House of Yes in full costume, and a week of queer parties. Here's the plan.
Robbie S.
New York doesn't have one gayborhood — it has a whole map of them. Here's what Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, the West Village, Brooklyn and Queens are each known for, and where to stay.
Robbie S.
