Club entertainment in San Francisco
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A
440 Castro
The most happening bar on the street, 440 Castro (aka Daddy’s) draws bearded 30-something dudes in tight T-shirts, and an odd mix of Peter Pans for Monday’s underwear night.
reviewed
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B
Ruby Skye
The city’s premier-name nightclub occupies a vintage theater reminiscent of classic NY clubs, with reserveable balcony boxes above the floor. The who’s-who of the world’s DJs play here – think Danny Tenaglia, Dimitri from Paris, Christopher Lawrence and Paul Van Dyk. The very-mainstream crowd sometimes gets messy (hence the gruff security), but when your fave DJ’s playing, who cares? The Funktion-One sound system is state-of-the-art. Ruby Skye is sometimes open Thursday and Sunday (check the website).
reviewed
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C
Temple
The city’s greenest club is a restaurant before 10pm, when it turns into a nightclub, serving drinks in biodegradable cups. The sleek-looking, all-white upstairs room has huge Thai statuary and slick stone floors; downstairs are two smaller rooms with midsized dance floors that get packed. Occasional big-name DJs spin the gamut from house to trance to techno; Fridays are consistently good for house. It’s $5 before 11pm if you’re on the guestlist. Check the website for weeknight openings. Dress hot.
reviewed
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D
Harlot
Back when SoMa was the stomping ground of sailors, alleys were named for working girls, to whom Harlot pays homage. Velvet curtains glow purple under intense red lighting, rendering the brick-walled space a sort of goth-erotic-chic vampire’s den. Before 9pm it’s a lounge, after 9pm it’s a club. The killer sound system pumps house on Thursdays and indie-rock on Wednesdays – our fave nights. Weekends get suburban, but everyone cuts loose, so who cares? Dress funky to get past doormen.
reviewed
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E
Chaps II
Chaps II promises what its eponymous 1970s predecessor delivered: leather, kink, gear and cruising. Black walls, vintage-’70s leather-porn posters and red lighting provide sexy visuals, but the place rarely fills. SF needs a hard-cruise bar in these days of online hook-ups, but will men really leave their keyboards? We remain hopeful. Best between 9pm and midnight, Thursday to Saturday, after which everyone goes to Powerhouse.
reviewed
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F
Vessel
The crowd looks sharp at Vessel, a midsized subterranean club-lounge with kick-ass sound and mesmerizing lighting, which, because of its affiliation with Cielo in NYC, sometimes books big-name DJs (think Louie Vega). We prefer the more-local Wednesday to Thursday scene over the sometimes-suburban weekend crowd, which takes longer to get its drink on and dance. And hallelujah for polite bouncers. Get on the list.
reviewed
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G
Paradise Lounge
The stalwart Paradise is good on Fridays and Saturdays when you’re wandering around 11th St undecided about where to go, but a recent remodel rendered it like a soap-opera set-designer’s vision of what a club should be – by the time you arrive, we hope it’s beat up. Sound is good on both dance floors, and the upstairs-downstairs layout is fun for running around. Verify Sunday opening times online.
reviewed
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H
Rickshaw Stop
Finally a club where 18-to-21-year-olds can (sometimes) get in for the high-school prom they wish they’d attended. Other nights the shabby-at-the-edges, nothing-fancy space and its changing lineup appeals to alterna-20-somethings. Friday it’s Blowup, big with the electro-indie crowd, when 18-and-over kids feature their hottest looks. Check the website for one-off shows and other parties.
reviewed
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I
Supperclub
Supperclub titilates with the promise of ooh-la-la exotic – beds line the all-white dance floor – but whether it delivers depends on that night’s crowd of snappily dressed, straight 20-to-40-somethings, who arrive after 10pm when the restaurant becomes a club. Best nights are the quarterly Suppervision, a pan-sexual bash when the beds actually get good use.
reviewed
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J
Fluid Ultra Lounge
If you're curious to know just what is meant by 'ultra lounge,' swing on by. This SoMa club dazzles with a light-up floor and designer chairs and couches that seem to require expensive clothing for anyone thinking of sitting on them. The allure seems to work on 30-something professionals. Gracious service helps slightly overpriced drinks go down easy.
reviewed
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K
Dolce
This is honey-pie heaven for the successful and slavishly fashionable. It's colorful, modern and expensive-looking, but if the smell of money doesn't excite you, the booty shakin' here ought to do the trick. Guys, unbutton those shirts a bit; girls, be prepared to flash some belly button. Get here early on weekends to avoid waiting in line.
reviewed
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L
Cafe Cocomo
Hundreds fill the dance floor on Thursday and Saturday nights, when big bands play muy caliente Cocomo, a cavernous space with a mezzanine overlooking the dance-floor action and a big patio garden outside. Mondays are quieter, when there’s no band, but those who come dance hard. Lessons precede parties.
reviewed
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M
Club Six
Bi-level Club Six defines casual cool, with lumpy sofas and worn hardwood floors. Weekly parties delve into hip-hop, house, world and dancehall reggae, drawing a mixed crowd with an up-for-anything attitude. Hang in the street level lounge or dive into the thick of it on the basement dance floor.
reviewed
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N
Qbar
Baby 20-somethings pack shoulder-to-shoulder to shout over ear-splitting pop and dance on a tiny dance floor. Occasional go-go boys add spice; smokers pack the front room. Wednesday’s Booty Call is a staple. ‘Too many girls!’ declare old-timers, who stay far away.
reviewed
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O
Hole in the Wall
When the Hole moved from 8th St in 2008, it lost its legendary filthiness because it would otherwise have lost its license. It still has the best sex-poster-art in SF (but now it’s behind Plexiglass) and remains ground zero for weirdos (in a good-ish way).
reviewed
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P
Club Havana at Jelly’s
Come to this club down on the docks for live-band salsa on Sundays. But be warned: if you can’t salsa, you’ll be snubbed on Jelly’s crowded floor. Console yourself with Cuban barbecue and mojitos on the bay-front patio.
reviewed
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Q
Cinch
The last of the old-guard Polk St bars is best on Friday nights, when Anna Conda hosts Charlie Horse, the every-mess-was-there drag party. Pool, pinball and free popcorn lure locals from surrounding ’hoods other nights. Smokers patio.
reviewed
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R
DNA Lounge
SF's mega-club hosts live bands and big-name DJs. Second and fourth Saturdays bring Bootie, the kick-ass original mashup party; Mondays mean Goth Death Guild, with free tea service.
reviewed
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S
Qoöl
SF’s coolest weekly dance party is a Wednesday-evening techno happy hour, with a progressive theme, inside a huge window-lined art gallery. It’s been going strong for over a decade, and never fails to attract the cool cats.
reviewed
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T
Chilidog Disco
If anybody’s out on a Tuesday night, chances are they’re at super-cool Chilidog, a disco-house party for hedonistic, arty gay boys and gals, hosted by oh-so-sexy DJ Stanley.
reviewed
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U
Honey Soundsystem
Kick-ass dance party - from obscure disco b-sides to German techno.
reviewed
