As nearly everyone knows, the West Village has one of the largest gay communities on the planet, so it should come as no surprise to find many stores, restaurants, bars, and clubs catering to the gay population. At 531 Hudson Street, with its signature red bicycle, is Rubyfruit Bar and Grill, a longstanding lesbian establishment. In addition to the bar, Rubyfruit has a mellow, cozy, candle-lit romantic downstairs dining room. Upstairs, there is a parlor with skylights. Click here for more photos.

The name Rubyfruit is based on one of the first lesbian coming of age novels, Rubyfruit Jungle (1973), by Rita Mae Brown, known for its explicit lesbianism. Rita Mae herself has been seen here, as have other Sapphic stars such as Martina and Melissa.

By the way, this photograph was taken September 16 – I had been waiting to do this posting until their website was operational and I could provide a link to it. However, since the site has yet to work, and not knowing when and if they will get it up and running, I decided to go ahead…

Update: Rubyfruit Bar and Grill has since closed.