While San Francisco’s working on creating new outdoor pedestrian friendly zones that encourage people to linger and have a drink, its nightclub life continues on. And just like the city’s incredible diversity of neighborhoods, you’ll find a number of different ways to move to the beat, from salsa dancing to jamming at rock festivals at Golden Gate Park, and from jazz spots and hole-in-the-wall cellars to gay nightclubs in the Castro, unrolling your disco/retro moves at your favorite bar with a dance floor, or just nodding to your head to a nice DJ groove.
San Francisco’s long been the home of awesome music-making (from the Grateful Dead to Green Day to Tycho) and who among us that knows the city well hasn’t felt a bit of a rush when you hear that first line from Journey, “When the lights go down in the city”? Music inevitably leads to dancing, and we want to make sure you find a stellar, uplifting place to do it. Here’s our list of the best nightclubs in San Francisco.
San Francisco’s best nightclubs
1. Raven Bar
- Nightlife
- Clubs
- SoMa
- price 2 of 4
Photograph: Courtesy, Raven Bar
The DJs at Club Raven, Raven Bar’s weekly Friday and Saturday night dance parties, specialize in dancey, feel-good nostalgia—billing it as a “night of throwbacks with a few future throwbacks.” Two dance floors are laid out across the venue’s upper and lower levels, with resident video DJs Mark Andrus and Jorge Terez showcasing music videos upstairs
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2. Public Works
Photograph: Courtesy Public Works
Billed as a “community-minded nightclub and event space,” Public Works is an industrial-style Mission District nightclub that often partners with nonprofits and local acts. The crowd here is eclectic—anyone is welcome—and the venue hosts international DJs, underground artists and local musicians. Check out the sprung hardwood floors and Funktion-One sound system.
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3. DNA Lounge
- Clubs
- SoMa
- Recommended
Photograph: Shutterstock/Party People Studio
This sprawling SoMa lounge spans two stages, seven bars and four dance floors for your kinetic triumph. Here you’ll experience everything from burlesque dancers, live bands and experimental DJs spinning to… well, a lecture series. The attached restaurant and cafe called DNA Pizza is open late to fuel your clubbing.
4. Madrone Art Bar
- Alamo Square
Madrone isn’t a club every night. As its name suggests, the walls of this neighborhood bar on Divisadero Street showcase a wide variety of art, including paintings, mixed media, video and photography. That creative ethos spills over into the events, including Motown on Mondays and other dance parties on the tiny dance floor. We’re intrigued by the Live Model Tuesday Sketch (yep, sketch a live model while accompanied by Newman’s Cavalcade jazz-meets-mayhem). Sounds fun!
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5. Cat Club
- Nightlife
- Clubs
- SoMa
- Recommended
There’s a little something for everyone at the Cat Club located south of Market. Regular themed dance parties get people grooving to the music that most moves them—’80s pop and new wave, ’70s disco and funk, goth, hip-hop, Brit-pop and more. The unpretentious club has two dance floors, both with a wild assortment of light and video projections, as well as two full bars, a smoking alley, VIP booths and the go-go cage. It’s also the home of S&M theme night Bondage A Go-Go.
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