Sam Smith reviews the burgers at their favorite gay bar in New York City
Smith says gay bars and burgers are two of their favorite things, which is why they love Julius’ Bar in NYC.
Mark
It may well have escaped your notice that singer Sam Smith has an alternative Instagram account besides their main feed.
@samserved is dedicated to food. Smith use it to highlight their favorite dishes and culinary adventures. A new video Smith posted over the weekend has proved particularly viral. It finds Smith singing the praises of Julius’ in New York City, their adopted home.
“I feel like a lucky piggy today, ’cause I’m gonna take you to my favorite gay bar in the whole entire world. Do you know why it’s my favorite? Because they make burgers: burgers and gay bars, my two favorite things in the world,” Smith says, heading to Julius’.
“It’s one of the most incredible gay bars I think I’ve ever been to in my life,” says Smith. “It’s right around the corner from the iconic Stonewall Inn.”
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Besides the “incredible history”, it also serves “frosty lagers and big, juicy, gay burgers.”
“So many incredible nights in this place”
Smith goes on to praise the bar’s authenticity and sense of history. They note the way people have carved their names into the bar over the decades.
“Where I’m from, most of the gay bars are about sticky floors and dancing, which is super fun. But this feels like a proper kind of family-run, soulful place for queer people to congregate and share food.
“Since moving to New York, this place has become such a sanctuary for me. I actually did a show here with Alicia Keys, but I also just had so many incredible nights in this place. Just sitting, having a martini with friends, sharing memories over food and laughter. It just makes me very proud to be a queer piggy.”
Smith goes on to praise the “perfect burger”, which they say takes them back to the burgers their family would cook on the barbecue when they were a child.
“It’s simple. There’s absolutely no fuss in this. You really can’t taste it when food is made with love. And this one’s made with pride.”
Watch below.
Smith is not the only celebrity to love Julius’. Last year, actor Ben Whishaw, another Brit, also said it was his preferred hangout in New York.
“You can always get a chair at Julius,” Whishaw told The Guardian. “If that existed in London, it would just be rammed the whole time, wouldn’t it?”
The history of Julius’ Bar
Julius’, located at 159 West 10th Street, is one of New York City’s oldest continuously operating gay bars. The building dates to 1826, and the bar itself has operated since 1864, originally serving as a bohemian gathering spot. It gained the ‘Julius’ name around 1930.
It became a well-known hangout for queer people in the 1950s, although it was not exclusively gay at the time.
Julius’ became pivotal to gay rights history on April 21, 1966, when it hosted the “Sip-In” protest. Members of the Mattachine Society, an early gay rights organization, publicly announced they were gay and requested service.
At the time, New York State Liquor Authority regulations allowed bars to refuse service to “disorderly” patrons, which establishments used to justify discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers.
The men had requested service at two other bars earlier in the day and been served. However, at Julius, when the bartender refused to serve them, covering their glasses with his hand, the moment was captured by photographers. This act of civil disobedience challenged discriminatory policies and helped pave the way for legal changes, occurring three years before the Stonewall Riots.
In April, the bar marked the 60th anniversary of the sip-in. It recreated the iconic photo of that protest, including one of the men who featured in the original picture: Randy Wicker. Swipe the Instagram post below.
More of Sam’s reviews
Check out @samserved for more restaurant recommendations from Smith. This includes eateries in San Francisco, London and Tokyo.
Related
NYC’s Julius Bar marks 60 years since the famous “sip-in protest” in iconic fashion
Men asking for a drink in a bar in 1966 made New York City history.rnActor Ben Whishaw reveals his favorite New York City gay bar
We delve into the history of Whishaw’s favorite, artsy, NYC gay bar.
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