“It’s like the new Hell’s Kitchen.”Ī Boxers bar has also popped up in Philadelphia, making the chain “multi-city.” “There’s quite a gay community up there,” Hynds said. This summer they are slated to open a fourth bar in Washington Heights, the area of Manhattan north of 155th Street. They draw their crowd and we draw our crowd.”īoxers has tested that theory and opened three Boxers bars across Manhattan, each of which has tapped into the neighborhood LGBTQ community: in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and the Upper East Side. “Once you walk a few blocks it’s kind of a different area. “Manhattan is such a big monster, and the gay community is so big and diverse and people want to go out in their neighborhood,” Hynds told Outsports recently. While some may have scratched their heads at two gay bars opening within just a few years and within a few blocks of one another, Boxers owner Rob Hynds has found there’s enough interest in gay bars - including sports-themed bars - to make every business owner happy. When Boxers first popped up in Manhattan, there was already a gay sports bar in the neighborhood: Gym Sports Bar, which opened in Chelsea in 2005. Yet Boxers, the gay sports bar that originally opened its first location on 20th Street in Chelsea, is now starting its 10th year, going stronger than ever, and spreading across New York City and beyond. Outsports will host its kickoff party for Outsports Pride on the gorgeous rooftop deck at Boxers HK on June 21.
