Eastern Bloc, New York, New York

I'm not sure if Eastern Bloc (505 E. 6th St.) is genuinely smaller than the other gay bars in the East Village, but it sure feels tiny, although not in a bad way (unless you're claustrophobic...). The super-dark, ultra-narrow space just off Avenue A is done up with decorative kitsch and happens to be the neighborhood bar of talented actor Alan Cumming - in fact, I had a brief but very nice chat with him here (he was clad in a leather kilt) not long ago. DJs here spin alt rock, there's reliably interesting beer on tap, and the bathroom walls are festooned with retro-camp magazine covers. Eastern Bloc is nearly always packed with erudite to artsy boys, yet it's every bit as cruisy as the more unabashedly sleazy meet-and-greets in the East Village. What's not to love?