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Gay culture and club culture go hand in hand and Detroit is proud of both. Every June, Detroit hosts a weekend-long Motor City Pride Festival and parties all weekend at local gay and lesbian bars (before finally cooling down at a family picnic finale). For Detroit gay entertainment including go-go boys, GigGi’s gay bar is the place (and has been a perennial favorite in Detroit’s gay club scene for years). Pulling in crowds from beyond the local Motor City gay and lesbian community, Detroit’s Pronto bar doubles as a deli and brings in hungry hordes of every persuasion. The Backstreet Club is only open two nights a week and manages to stay in business, a testament to its popularity with Detroit’s gay revelers.
Adam's Apple
18931 W. Warren Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.240.8482
Devoid of loud, distracting dance club music, Adam's Apple, is a neighborhood gay bar that gets pretty packed on the weekends. It's a friendly place where conversation can flow as easily as the cocktails, not a quality of many gay bars, so new friends are easily made.
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Backstreet
15606 Joy Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.272.8959
Probably Detroit's most popular gay bar, Backstreet, is only open two nights out of the week, but on those two nights the place is packed full with people jumping to the high energy dance music. Backstreet has been a gay bar since the 70's and still manages to keep hip today.
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Club DG
10001 Hubbell, Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.273.8941
Check out the scene at one of Detroit's best gay and lesbian dance clubs. Awesome DJs pump out the beats across the large dance floor every weekend.
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Club Gold Coast
2971 E. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.366.6135
The good times roll at this club hot spot for the gay community featuring adult male entertainment, the hottest DJs and dancing nightly.
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Detroit Eagle
1501 Holden, Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.873.6969
A no attitude and very friendly bar, Detroit Eagle is one of the cities oldest gay leather bar, premium drinks flow and the DJs spin hits nightly, they're some of Detroit's best. Detroit Eagle also holds an annual leather pageant, we don't know the prizes, but the studded leather sash is probably enough.
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Gigi's
16920 W. Warren Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.584.6525
The best gay entertainment can be found at Gigi's, which has been doing it for years, everything from go-go boys to female impersonators light up the stage at this favorite of the gay community. Entertainment runs almost every night of the week and both men and women mingle with equal flair at this friendly establishment.
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Hayloft Saloon
8070 Greenfield Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.581.8913
Hands down the most welcoming gay bar in Detroit, the Hayloft Saloon, is a place where many in the gay scene start and end their night with some club hopping in between. The drinks are cheap and cool music choices make the Hayloft feel like your local neighborhood bar.
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La Dolce Vita
17546 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.865.0331
la Dolce Vita offers up a good menu for dinner, but the real treats here are on the dessert tray, it also host live entertainment five nights a week catering to the lighter gay club scene.
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Menjo's
928 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.863.2576
Thumping beats and a slamming dance floor make Menjo's a favorite for the gay community in Detroit. You can knock back a shot at the huge bar and take in Menjo's as a spectator sport or, if you've got the guts, try your moves on the dance floor under pulse pounding sounds.
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Pronto!
608 S. Washington, Royal Oak, Michigan; Tel. 248.544.7900
A stalwart of "best of" lists for years, Pronto!, serves not just Royal Oak's gay and lesbian community, but everybody. With outdoor dining and a full catering menu that features upscale deli fare, the high energy crowd is taken care of on all fronts.
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Pronto! Ferndale
344 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, Michigan; Tel. 248.414.7400
The folks that brought you Pronto! in Royal Oak have open a new venue just down the road in Ferndale that caters more toward the night side of life. A very gay friendly establishment, this club offers up DJs spinning house, old school and techno in a really cool lounge atmosphere, excellent food is also available.
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Rainbow Room
6640 E. 8 Mile Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.891.1020
If you're looking for a gay-lesbian-bisexual dance club that goes non-stop, Detroit's Rainbow Room is the premier place, revolving dance DJs mix with live music and special guests help create a unique dance experience.
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Regine's: The Club and Cafe
711 East McNichols, Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.865.9700
Catering to both the gay and lesbian black community, Regine's dance club boasts a huge venue with two pulsating dance floors in an upscale atmosphere.
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The Deck
14901 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.822.1991
The Deck gay bar has a wide selection of drinks and offers food on a great outdoor patio, billiard tables keep the fun going.
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The Male Box
3537 E. 7 Mile Rd., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.892.5420
As the no frills name suggests, The Male Box is a gay bar catering to men with DJs spinning a few nights out of the week.
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The R & R Saloon
7330 Michigan Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.849.2751
Cheap beer and a never ending weekend party has kept the R & R Saloon a mainstay of the Detroit gay bar scene. Although billed as a leather bar, you don't have to bust out the chaps to be welcome here, the beer is cheap, the drinks are good, there's food for the hungry and the dance floor rocks.
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Woodward Cocktail Bar
6426 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.872.3216
The Woodward Cocktail Bar is Detroit's oldest gay bar being in continual operation since the 50's, the atmosphere is very relaxed and everyone is welcome. You can toss back a drink and grab a quick burger, rumored to be the best in town, or shoot some pool while listening to one of the best jukebox selections of any bar, gay or otherwise.
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Zipper's Nightclub
6221 E. Davison, Detroit, Michigan; Tel. 313.892.8120
It's hard to find a well rounded and comfortable bar, let alone one that caters to the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, then throw in a dance club spinning house and hip-hop and you've got Zipper's Nightclub. Zipper's features resident DJs, two well-stocked bars, a slammin' dance floor and a game room with billiards, darts and pinball.
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—Detroit bar and club reviews by Ryan Osterbeck
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