San Diego - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Hillcrest is San Diego's gay neighborhood. The giant Pride flag at University Avenue and Normal Street marks its center, and most bars, restaurants and support services are within walking distance. North Park borders it to the east.

The first stop for information is the San Diego LGBT Community Center on Centre Street. It offers counseling, HIV and STI testing, PrEP navigation, housing help and crisis support. Youth between 10 and 24 have their own centers in Hillcrest and South Bay. Project TRANS serves trans and nonbinary people, and separate programs exist for seniors, for Latinx people and for Black LGBTQ people.

For food, Crest Cafe on Robinson Avenue is LGBTQ-owned and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gossip Grill on University Avenue is a women-led restaurant and bar with drag shows and a mostly lesbian crowd. Baja Betty's serves Mexican food and weekend brunch. Urban Mo's Bar & Grill is a bar and restaurant with drag brunches and Drag Race screenings.

Among the bars, The Brass Rail on Fifth Avenue has the longest history and is considered the city's first gay bar; today it is a dance and cocktail bar. Flicks, a video bar with a patio, pool table and karaoke, sits next to Rich's, the largest gay dance club, on University Avenue. Number One Fifth Avenue is a neighborhood bar with a patio and pool tables. The leather crowd heads to North Park, where the San Diego Eagle on North Park Way and Pecs on University Avenue hold leather and bear nights.

Club San Diego on Fourth Avenue is the city's only gay bathhouse. It has operated for more than four decades, has a steam room, dry sauna, jacuzzi and private rooms, and was remodeled after a fire.