She Soho

A cavernous but bright lesbian underworld located in the separate-entrance basement of Frith St guy bar Ku Soho, opened late January 2014 following the demise of Soho's maverick all-gal Candy Bar, whose final years were spent in the domain of Ku Bar/Klub mogul Gary Henshaw, who now oversees She Soho. This drinks-and-dancing haven (for "women, non-binary folk and their guests") features a well-stocked bar — including house shots, though just the one cocktail (Aperol Spritz) — and a dance space that's a bit of a squeeze (not a bad thing). Plus a chillout-cum-VIP area for more intimate moments. The space had a makeover in July 2017, to industrial-rustic effect, with a bleached wood look and a corrugated vaulted ceiling. Festive distractions include weekly karaoke. DJs rule Friday to Sunday. Men are allowed in as accessories, though this is far more likely on a Thursday than on the buzzier Friday and Saturday nights, when the 200-woman capacity often reaches its limit. The bar, which is London's "only women-priority venue", is reached via Old Compton Street, adjacent to Bar Soho and opposite G-A-Y [see entry], previously home of post-7pm basement bar Girls Go Down. One could argue that the rather steep descent to She Soho recalls the staircase leading down to Britain's most iconic lesbian lair, The Gateways (1943–85), previously located at 239 King's Rd on the corner of Bramerton St in Chelsea.