“There’s a lesbian wine bar opening in Silver Lake.” In early February, the east side queers were abuzz with the news of the fast-approaching debut of Ruby Fruit. One week after its opening, I asked my Hinge crush to accompany me to the sapphically-themed strip mall bar for some drinks and crudité. Even on a rainy weekday night in Los Angeles, the place was packed with a crowd of impossibly stylish queers. We snagged two seats at the bar and ordered white wine and a round of smoked beets with ricotta. The mirror behind the bar gave us a 360-degree view of the crowd, allowing us to engage in the two activities required of hard-hitting journalism: people-watching and eavesdropping.
For context, I’ve lived in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, and this is the first time in my tenure as a queer woman that I’ve ever heard of a lesbian bar opening. In Los Angeles, there is no shortage of nightlife spaces catering to queer men, but events for queer women are often relegated to one-off “L Word Trivia” bar events, the occasional “Gay Astrology” dance party, and, if you’re really desperate, lesbian kickball leagues. When I lived in Boston, I Googled “Lesbian Bars” and found that the third top result was simply a salad restaurant—the options are bleak, folks. To date, there are fewer than two dozen bars in the U.S. that are designated Lesbian/Sapphic spaces, and Ruby Fruit is the first full-time lesbian establishment in LA since the last one shuttered in 2017.
Ruby Fruit founders Mara Herbkersman and Emily Bielagus
Photo: Jesse Saler
Ruby Fruit founders Mara Herbkersman and Emily Bielagus—former employees of Eszett, the restaurant they converted to Ruby Fruit in under a month—saw an opportunity to create a space for not only lesbians but non-binary, gender-nonconforming, and trans members of the community. “This space will be built on fun, warmth, and empowerment… We’re here to fill a space that’s been lacking in Los Angeles, a space for people to call their own,” says Herbkersman.
After a few hours of snacking and people-watching, here is a list of the five things we loved most about our date at Ruby Fruit:
1. The Crowd
When I moved to Los Angeles, I had been gaslit by The L Word into thinking LA would be rife with cafés, bars, and events teeming with fashionable, 20-something lesbians—and the crowd at Ruby Fruit finally manifested that vision. Every type of queer was represented—from those who were “looking very Shane today” to the bookish Ms. Honey types. You can rest assured everyone there knew their astrological birth chart by heart. The staff behind the bar was warm and attentive. Even when they had to kick everyone out at 10 pm, they opted to turn the lights on and dance to an Indigo Girls song in lieu of the typical passive-aggressive last calls.
2. The Menu
With a kitchen helmed by long-standing former Eszett employees and run entirely by women, the menu offers shared plates cooked over charcoal alongside a diverse offering of natural wines. In addition to the wine menu that highlights small-production wineries, they feature house-crafted tonics, spritzes, non-alcoholic drinks, and both local and imported beers. The flavors are punchy and well-seasoned, with elevated takes on classic American snack food. My vegetarian companion did not opt for the $8 Danish street-style hot dog, but I will certainly be trying it upon my return.
3. Ass-forward Interior Decorating
The interior boasts a minimalist design and quirky details we’ve come to expect from sleek, scene-y establishments in LA. The layout is light and straightforward with open seating at the bar, tables, booths, and a counter in the middle for standing room. Small figurative sculptures of butts seemed to be a recurring motif in the paintings and decorative sculptures.
4. The Ethos
Named after the 1973 coming-of-age lesbian novel The Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, the bar’s ethos comes through in the thoughtful details. At its core, the founders wanted to create a safe space for not only other lesbians but all members of the queer community. This sentiment was strongly reiterated in the bathroom sign that assertively claimed, “No TERFs.” From the start, Ruby Fruit had a clear identity with its mission: to create “a safe space to just talk shit... like a Cheers, but for lesbians,” says Bielagus. While not everybody will “know your name” there, the place is dotted with cultural references that feel like inside jokes for members of the queer community. That takes me to my next point: the Indigo Girls-themed bathroom.
5. The Immersive Indigo Girls Bathroom
The bathroom had not one, but three framed posters of the Indigo Girls. The room is lit by a kitschy, floral lamp and a Santal candle, which added a kind of Lynchian flair to the red-painted room as Indigo Girls songs played full-blast on a loop. These details feel like an “iykyk” nod to the lesbian community, who, for a number of reasons, have put the Indigo Girls in the pantheon of sapphic iconography alongside Subarus, U-Hauls, and Cate Blanchett. Have I had “Closer to Fine” stuck in my head for the last 24 hours? Yes. But, I’m not mad about it.
Looking to visit Ruby Fruit yourself?
Where: 3510 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
When: Tuesday - Thursday; 5-10PM, Friday & Saturday; 5pm-11pm
Reservations: Walk-ins Only
Instagram: @therubyfruit