Night Clubs, San Francisco

Liquid's resurrection is Pink, the brainchild of two French hipsters one of which is DJ Franky Boissy who spins Latin House and Deep, sexy house. The cool ambiance is heightened by rose scented candles lit for the entire evening lending it a rosy glow and perfuming the air in the process. French film is played in its two flat screen tvs. Brigitte Bardot never looked so good. Tres bien. Music is still Pink's main attraction. The best DJs who are either bay area-based or international ones spin on its decks. Fortunately, some of the best bay area DJs/producers who are also my friends spin there regularly. Pink closed its doors sadly in 2009. The same space is now called Som.

Dress Code: Get ready to dance "in the name of LOVE" (which is painted on its wall) in whatever cool attire you wish to sport. I went apres formal ball held at city hall once and didn't clash with the crowd at all.

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Alternative and grungy is the best way to describe Lucky 13. Very much a scene for the locals. No DJ, no dancing, no dress code, just your local watering hole complete with pool table and video games...alcohol of course! To enjoy the view, sit on the balcony and people watch (one of my favorite things to do!). Frequented by lesbians, bi, gay and straight people, it's a cool punk bar.

Dress Code: NONE! Go grungy, you'll fit in better!

The Peacock Lounge is one of the strangest clubs you will ever go to. It is, as Forrest Gump would say, like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're going to get!

The Peacock has no regular hours. It is available by rental only, so on Friday and Saturday nights it will usually be open. The cover charge, admission policies, and entertainment are all up to the folks renting it - and can range from a lineup of local rock bands to art openings to performance art to theater and everything in between. The only way to know is to show up.

Sometimes events there will be by invitation only, but if you explain that you're a tourist (and give them a little money), I'm sure they'd let you in. The bar is run by the owners, and is usually a low-budget affair - cans of beer in big ice tubs for $2. Last time I went they had liquor, but who knows now.

The great thing about the Peacock is that, whatever you see there, it will be the real San Francisco. You'll meet great people and see how the locals do things.

Dress Code: Again, up to the renters, but given the neighborhood, I would say none.

I like this space in SOMA near the Design Center since it is substantial, has high ceilings, good sound system and there are many booths in the women's rest room (lines are not crazy long if nature calls) great DJs spinning on certain nights and there's plenty of parking around. It's really a "get down and dance" type of place/crowd with good overhead visuals. I've gone there for Salted events when my DJ friends spin and to see my vocalist friend who sings at the same event occasionally. It's not high on the bling and snob factor so the vibe is very friendly and down-to-earth. I've gone there this year (2010) when Gui Boratto played in April.

Dress Code: Casual cool to apres black tie gala Armani or vintage Pucci with matching Luboutins to Burner crazy. it's San Francisco after all.

In the expansive downstairs area, the dance floor is usually packed with undulating bodies. A partition separates dance and bar areas, but on a good night one spills into the other. Upstairs, you'll find another dance floor with a large window overlooking the main room. Adjacent to the upstairs dance floor is a VIP Lounge populated by luscious youung things snuggling in low-slung couches while making eyes at each other and ordering exotic drinks.

Basically, we were looking to go out in downtown but didn't want to pay $20 to get in, which it seemed like all the big clubs there had. The Cellar was walking distance from our hotels, only cost $5 to get in, and was one of the funnest nights we've had. Their Friday night party has an 80's theme, and the crowd was DOWN to dance. They also had hip hop in the 2nd room, which was nicer looking but slightly smaller. It's usually pretty hard to find a place where the crowd and music appeases everyone in our group, but there were plenty of attractive (and surprisingly NOT snobby) people there, as well as having 2 different styles of music going on. I will be moving to SF in a few weeks and am definetely going to frequent this place -- it's laid back, friendly, and good to take groups because there really is something for everyone.

Dress Code: It was a friday when I went, and the girl on the phone said no hats or athletica apparel was allowed. Jeans and/or sneakers had to be dressed up with a nice shirt. I think the idea was just don't look like a slob.

This is the capital of Union Square nightlife!! The Starlight room is a dance club located at the top of the Sir Francis Drake hotel. From below, you can see a madhouse of strobe lights, colors and glitter from the disco ball...
The Room features live music and has a bar (nobody under 18 allowed...sorry kids!!)

Dress Code: Anything you want!!

Well before I went here I'd never heard of Harry Denton and his starlight room and although I still don't know who he is I'll certainly remember his name. The Nightclub is situated at the top of the Sir francis drake Hotel and the views alone are worth the cover charge(which if I remember right varied between10-20dollars depending on the night)

The Club is full of beautiful women and there is a live band which play a mix of music which is very very good. The prices for drinks aren't cheap but its to be expected. One thing which did surprise me was the door staff(bouncers) were really nice guys and were willing to have a laugh and joke with you while still remaining proffesional something british doormen need to learn.

Another surprising thing was the dancers. Totally out of the blue two gorgeus women started dancing on mini platforms with no more than underwear on. this was not a one off and we witnessed this on a few different nights. But I'd thoroughly recomend to anyone wanting a very nice out

Dress Code: well dressed. Shirt and shoes on the weekend

Vertigo is one of the newer neighborhood bars, but with a Trader Vic's type of vibe. The crowd is mixed (straight, gay, older, younger) and much friendlier than in most SF bars, the bartenders are attentive, and the DJs spin quite an eclectic mix of tunes. True to their tropical theme, many and varied exotic drinks are served. Try the Wicked Wahine or the Bora Bora Bomb!

Dress Code: Extremely casual.

Do you like it when people chain you to the bed? Do you like to be whipped? Then this is for you. Well, I've only been here once and that was and accident and a looooong story. It's not really my thing, but it may be yours. They play industrial/Goth music and have been voted the best theme club by the readers SF Weekly for the past five years, It's not a gay club... they call themselves a pansexual club. That means straight, gay, bi, trannies all show up at some point or another.

Dress Code: It's not require that you dress up in the black leather and carry a whip... but a lot of people do.
You also have to be 21 to get in, or so they say. The cover is 5 bucks before 23:00 and 7 after