Alibi Lounge
Permanently Closed
Black-owned LGBTQ+ lounge with specialty cocktails
Black-owned LGBTQ+ lounge with specialty cocktails
"If you’re looking to get drinks at a Harlem bar with shirtless bartenders, drag performances, and Happy Hour specials, head to Alibi Lounge, one of New York City’s last remaining Black-owned gay bars. This upbeat spot sits proudly on a busy neighborhood corner with pride flags, velvet ropes, and a long red carpet where you should choreograph a grand entrance. They host regular parties, so we’d recommend coming here when you’re in the mood to get a little sloppy on a weeknight. " - rob anderson, matt clifton, nikko duren, neha talreja, bryan kim
"GoFundMe Donation, Any Amount Alibi Lounge is the first Black-owned, LGBTQIA+ bar in Harlem, and like so many queer community spaces around the city, they’re in danger of closing. As a gift this year, consider donating to their Covid GoFundMe campaign on behalf of someone you love. And, if you’re interested in supporting more of the city’s queer nightlife establishments, you can also check out the Lesbian Bar Project’s recent work as another gift idea." - hannah albertine
"If you’re looking to get drinks at a Harlem bar with shirtless bartenders, drag performances, and Happy Hour specials, head to Alibi Lounge. This upbeat spot sits proudly on a busy neighborhood corner with pride flags, velvet ropes, and a long red carpet where you should choreograph a grand entrance. Drink specials run until 8pm every night, and they also host drag shows every Tuesday till 10pm, so we’d recommend coming here when you’re in the mood to get a little sloppy on a weeknight. Alibi Lounge is one of New York City’s last remaining Black-owned gay bars, and over the last year, its owner has fought to keep the businesses afloat. After running a successful GoFundMe campaign, the community space will not only be able to keep its doors open, but Alibi Lounge will make also a $1000 donation to the Transgender Law Center in honor of everyone who donated." - Nikko Duren
"One of the city’s only Black-owned, LGBTQ bars, Alibi Lounge in Harlem is fighting to survive: owner Alexi Minko still needs to raise $12,000 to reach the $20,000 required to renew the bar’s five-year lease with landlord Mordy Getz before it expires on March 31. Since launching its GoFundMe in May 2020, Alibi has raised over $180,000 from 6,800 donors—donations Minko says have been essential to keeping the bar afloat—and Getz has granted multiple mid-pandemic rent breaks (forgiving several months, reducing rent by 30 percent in some months, and moving back the renewal deadline), even donating $500 to the fundraiser this week. Business has been better as the weather warmed, but the state pandemic curfew—forcing last orders at 10 p.m. and a full shutdown by 11 p.m.—has been particularly crippling because customers know Alibi as a late-night drinking establishment rather than a restaurant (people still think of it as a lounge or club and will show up at 9 p.m.). Minko is also repeatedly shooing customers away from banned bar seating and says the confusing state restrictions are the hardest part to navigate: “We shouldn’t have to go to GoFundMe,” he says, urging constructive, smart solutions to the pandemic problem; meanwhile a group of 46 New York restaurants and bars has filed a lawsuit seeking removal of the curfew." - Erika Adams
"Alibi is a local LGBTQ bar that is among the businesses with new outdoor dining setups as part of the Renaissance Pavilion project." - Tanay Warerkar
