Backstreet Café (Hartford Connecticut Gay Bar/80s and 90s)

Backstreet Café – Hartford, CT (1984–1990s)

When Gary Berchard opened Backstreet Café in 1984, Hartford gained more than just another bar — it gained a pulse.

Operating through the 1980s and 1990s, Backstreet Café quickly became one of the city’s most prominent gay bars and dance clubs. It drew a younger crowd — college students, first-time bar-goers, new arrivals to the city — people looking not just for a drink, but for each other.