Launched in 2005, Eastern Bloc was a gritty, neon-lit dive in the East Village that quickly became one of Manhattan’s go-to gay bars. With Soviet-era kitsch on the walls, go-go boys on the bar, and a crowd that mixed locals, celebs, and party kids, it thrived for nearly 15 years as a wild, unpolished alternative to glossy Chelsea clubs. When it closed in 2019, the space gave way to Club Cumming, but Eastern Bloc’s legacy lives on as a symbol of East Village queer nightlife at its rawest and most playful.
