Santa Fe may be the most popular gay destination in New Mexico, but it tends to draw a relatively couples-oriented, romantic crowd - not too many singles seeking out nightlife options. Similarly, many of the gays and lesbian who live in Santa Fe are over 35 and in relationships. For this reason, Santa Fe has never supported a full-time, dedicated gay bar for any long period of time. But having said this, the city has almost always had at least one mainstream bar with a substantially gay following, and virtually all of its downtown hangouts have tended to welcome both gays and lesbian in with the rest of the mix.
If gay nightlife is important to you, and you're visiting in Santa Fe, you can always make the trip down the road to Albuquerque, where you'll find several fun gay bars and clubs.
On the south side of town, just off I-25, one nightlife option many visitors might not think of is the Silver Starlight Cabaret at RainbowVision Properties, the GLBT retirement community that opened here in 2005. At the center of this 13-acre residential community is a clubhouse, with the cabaret inside, and it's open to both residents and the general public. The bar tends to be most popular earlier in the evening, and it's a great spot to meet other gay Santa Fe locals. Silver Starlight has become so popular that Out Magazine ranked it in fall 2007 as one of the Greatest Gay Bars in the World.
Downtown Santa Fe's one mainstream nightspot that used to court a sizeable gay following was Swig, but the former owners sold it, and it has since become a decidedly less gay-popular, more dining-driven 32 Stairs and Fusion Lounge (135 W. Palace Ave., 505-955-0400), which underwent a massive renovation in February 2007. This sleek, futuristic space has several lounges and a downstairs dance floor. Again, it's still a perfectly enjoyable spot for dancing and socializing, especially on weekends, but the gay presence is now hit or miss.
Elsewhere in town, among the several mainstream bars you'll find here, a few are especially charming and fun as well as being quite welcoming of gay visitors. Will you likely see other gay folks at any of these places? Maybe - maybe not. But you're apt to have a good time, if all you're looking for is a warm and inviting place for a cocktail. These establishments include El Farol, a historic Spanish tapas restaurant and live-music bar on art-gallery-lined Canyon Road; the Staab House, a swank lounge inside the snazzy La Posada de Santa Fe Resort; the Artist Pub, a old-world bar and grill inside the venerable Hotel St. Francis; Vanessie Restaurant and Piano Bar, a gay-popular piano cabaret attached to a very good steakhouse; and the see-and-be-seen Dragon Room, a favorite gathering spot at the esteemed Pink Adobe Restaurant.
A reader wrote to me in October 2007 recommending a relatively new downtown Santa Fe bar called The Matador (at the corner of San Francisco and Galisteo Sts.). It's getting a reputation as being one of Santa Fe's more gay-friendly hangouts, especially on Wednesday nights. It's just off the Plaza, close to many of Santa Fe's top restaurants.
Other great bets include the rollicking Cowgirl (319 S. Guadalupe St., 505-982-2565), a rambling barbecue and New Mexican food restaurant and bar with live music most nights and a charming patio; and Harry's Roadhouse (Old Las Vegas Hwy., 1 mi south of the Old Pecos Trail, 505-989-4629), a hugely popular locals' hangout on the southeastern outskirts of town, where you'll find outstanding and affordable food, super margaritas, and an eclectic, fun-loving crowd.
