11 Best LGBTQ-Friendly Bars in Tbilisi

The night doesn't end here so much as run out of hours. So Lucky is a cocktail bar on Shalva Dadiani in Sololaki, with pizza and side dishes coming out of the kitchen and, by its own description, a DJ on for the whole night. Its listing sets the terms plainly: come for the drinks, stay for the vibe, and maybe leave with a few new friends. Come here when the table has thinned to the 3 of you who aren't going home yet. Doors open at 7 PM, an hour later on Sunday, and stay open to 4 AM, 5 AM on Friday and Saturday.

Plenty of old town bars run on turnover. The Embassy runs on conversation: welcoming staff is its top review topic at 7 mentions, with chatting to the owner on 2 more. It's a cocktail and wine bar in the pedestrian centre by Sioni Cathedral and the Gabriadze Clock Tower, pouring hand-shaken classics, Georgian wine and draught beer. The entrance and the seating are wheelchair accessible, and it runs 5 PM to 1 AM, 2 AM at weekends. Come here when you've done the cathedral and the clock tower and want to sit somewhere the staff talk to you.

Kancellaria's listing states its position outright: LGBTQ+ friendly, a transgender safe space, dogs allowed, and solo dining marked as what it's popular for. Behind all that it's a natural wine bar on Pavle Ingorokva, flagged by Google for its wine list, with outdoor seating and food served at the bar. Limited seating and wine recommendations are both review topics here, so book ahead at weekends and let the staff choose for you. It opens at 4 PM and pours to 1 AM, 2 AM on Friday and Saturday, at 20 to 60 GEL a head.

Snappy is down a set of stairs, and reviewers keep reaching for the same things to describe what's at the bottom: brick vaults, a cellar, an old qvevri winery. The bar's own line for it is 19th-century charm crossed with modern energy. A local group of friends runs it and hosts like it, handing out tips on the city between rounds, and Levan, one of the owners, gets named again and again for the techno and house he plays. Come here when the night needs a start that isn't a restaurant table.

Glitch doesn't open its doors until 10 PM, which tells you most of what you need. The bar takes its name and its look from digital glitch aesthetics, by its own description, and builds the night on cocktails and music. It's on Vashlovani in the old town, and it holds 4.8 across 50 Google reviews. Come here when the plan has already fallen apart. Weeknights run to 4 AM and Friday and Saturday to 6 AM.

Queer friendly is the top thing reviewers mention here, on 9 counts, with gay bar on 3 and drag shows on 2, so nobody arriving has to read the room first. Its own description calls the place a safe space built on a jukebox anyone can load, 2000s pop most nights and a DJ playing disco every Saturday. It's one small room with a mezzanine, and cosy bar and late night both sit in its review topics. Entry is free, with face and age control at the door, from 8 PM.

Unholy opens on 2 nights a week and nobody has to guess which ones. Doors go at 11 PM on Friday and Saturday, the room runs to 6 AM, and Google files it under gay bar with no euphemism in sight. It's a small room on Bambis Rigi. One reviewer calls it the only gay dance club in town, and several more warn it can be near empty even at the weekend, so the night depends on who else turned up. Come here when you want to dance and you're prepared to make some of the atmosphere yourself.

Ploho is Russian for bad, and the bar's own description offers craft beer, a few cocktails, bad music and a bunch of people to talk to. Conversation is what it trades on, and the listing backs the pitch: LGBTQ+ friendly, a transgender safe space, a gender-neutral restroom, dogs allowed and outside food welcome. It's a small room on Amagleba with seating and food at the bar. Come here when you're new in town and don't want to drink alone. It runs 7 PM to 1 AM every day, takes no bookings, and Google puts a round here at 10 to 20 GEL.

Poddon's own description does the opposite of a sales pitch: this might not be your favourite bar, you might be feeling low, come anyway, and there are game consoles for that. It's a bar and kitchen at 23 Rustaveli, with bar games, a great beer selection and great cocktails all flagged on the listing, plus free Wi-Fi and a crowd marked LGBTQ+ friendly and a transgender safe space. Dogs are allowed and tables can be booked. Come here when the group can't agree on a plan. Doors at 4 PM, close at 2 AM, 3 AM on Friday and Saturday.

There are 2 rooms here running different music, and one is for smokers, which is why smoking room is a review topic on 5 mentions. Ambavi puts its own age at 10 years, identifies as women-owned, and carries live music among its listing highlights. Atmosphere is the thing people write about: 26 mentions in the review topics, against 12 for the music. The decor is doing the work. Come here when you want a room that looks like nowhere else you'll go that night, and pick your side by whether you smoke. It runs 7 PM to 2 AM, and to 4 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The drag queens are the billing here, and Success announces them by name. Its Instagram runs a programme most weeks: Oracle Nights once a month with 5 drag acts and a DJ set, a lipsync battle open to anyone who fancies a go, and a RuPaul's Drag Race UK screening from 11 PM with free entry. It's a gay bar on Vashlovani, open 8 PM to 3 AM Thursday to Sunday and dark the rest of the week. One reviewer credits the bouncer's selectiveness for keeping the place safe, and notes that some nights are closed events, so not every night is open to whoever turns up.