The name is a clue, but only part of the story. Quilles (bowling in French) does happen at Bar NDQ's two lanes, though by late evening those same lanes are just as likely to be a stage for a band or a backdrop for a drag night.

Little Italy's reliable good-time dive runs on cheap drinks, cheap food, and a crowd that comes back so often the bartenders know their order by heart. The LGBTQ+ community has long claimed it as its own, and the bar leans into that with bi-monthly lesbian speed dating, DJ sets ranging from funk to goth, and the occasional RuPaul screening to keep the calendar full.

Find a stool at the bar, or disappear into the turquoise side room. Either way, the pints keep coming.