This being San Francisco, we have a lot of gay bars — and clubs where go-go boys dance in tiny underwear, and drag shows that straight women like to go to, etc. Increasingly, gay bars have become a place that straight people accompany their gay friends to, and there are plenty of gay-owned establishments in and around the Castro (Blackbird, Qbar, Lime to name a few) that play host to a consistently mixed crowd of lesbigay and straight clientele. So, today, some important words of advice for both male and female heterosexuals who find themselves in gay bars, either by accident or on purpose. more ›

By now many of you know about Allan Hough's now famous Berlin-style ping pong party called American Tripps. It is, in a word, spectacular. Loads of festive folks walk around a ping pong table and hit the ball, with those who fuck up the volley pulled from the round, until a winner is crowned. In addition to the ping pong playing, there will be foosball and skeeball tables. And, of course, a full bar. more ›

SFist's new "7 Scenes From Last Night" feature took a brief hiatus just as it began due to a head cold that wouldn't budge. But we're back. Here's what we did last night: RallyPad, an incubator for nonprofits in SOMA, had a Super Tuesday technology panel and party. Christine Pelosi, Fred Davis,Tom Serres, Tucker Eskew, and Chris Lehane were the guests of honor and talking heads. (Also, as you know, the big winner last night was Barack Obama Mitt Romney.) Here are seven shots snapped at last night's bash that, more or less, captured the essence of our night. more ›

Like a scene out of Sweet Charity, a 30-year-old woman was punched and robbed last night in the Mission after meeting what she thought was a nice man at a nightclub. SF Examiner breathlessly reports: "As they were walking, the faux Don Juan dipped his grubby mitts into the victim’s purse, police said. When she asked him what he was doing, he punched her in the face and ran off with the purse." The incident happened at Hidalgo Terrace and Dolores a little before 2:30 a.m. more ›

Penthouse, noted purveyor of labial entertainment, will bring "four-star dining" to San Francisco in early 2012 via the city's very own Penthouse Club & Steakhouse. While the exact space is not yet know, we're going to assume it's somewhere in North Beach (near the Hustler Club) or SOMA (what's up with Temple these days, anyway?). Huge Penthouse fans over at Grub Street have more: "They say the space is 15,000 square feet, and the new, clearly enormous club will feature gourmet dining, deluxe bottle service, state of the art light and sound systems, as well as — yep — topless dancers and appearances by Penthouse Pets. If you're the kind of gentlemen who thinks this sounds intriguing, you can sign up here for updates." more ›

Over the past year, the San Francisco Health Department has tirelessly worked to shutdown the scourge known as hookah lounges. For those not in the know, hookah lounges are a rite of passage for anyone new to the Bay Area. At these cesspools of moral bankruptcy, one can partake in smoking innocuous, flavored tobacco (which violates the indoor smoking ban) while ordering a side of dolmas or hummus and pita triangles. They're as bad as Hitler. more ›

On Monday, July 11, noted musicians will guest DJ at flour + water in the Mission. Let's see: Starting off on the decks next week will be Tim Carr. Screenings of his videos "Shake Your Caboose" and "Caved In" will also lightening up the evening, starting at 9:30 p.m. Tim will hand out signed copies of "Fame Whore," his debut single, featuring remixes by Phil Manley of Trans Am, Dancefloor Executives, and Never Knows. more ›

After serving the stoned and extremely tripped out for three decades, Haight Street's Red Vic will officially close forever on July 25, the movie theater's 31st birthday. It was the kind of place people love, despite never going (like bookstores and record shops!), and you can probably trip pretty hard if you lick the right armrest in there. more ›

We're hearing word that somebody drove a car into two pedestrians outside DNA Lounge after Trannyshack on Sunday night. One bystander at the scene told SFist that "[t]he driver just took off. Lots of sirens and ambulances. No idea what the victims' condition is or whether they caught the driver." We spoke to a DNA Lounge manager who told us that, as of Tuesday afternoon, they knew as much as we did. more ›

Although hope of saving it still clings to life -- just barely -- SoMa's Eagle Tavern closed over the weekend. "It marks the end of a month that saw a flurry of nostalgic Eagle pieces and a concerted effort from the community to try to keep it open," reports Inside Scoop's Paolo Lucchesi. "Alas, though there’s a possibility of rebirth down the line, SoMa’s 30-year-old gay bar is now closed." Through all the media attention, outcries from the leather community, help from the Board of Supervisors, and even rumors about the closure being "an inside job," the Eagle is closed. For now. (In the meantime, we highly recommend Lone Star's Sunday beer bust, if the mood should strike.) [SFGate, Ex] more ›

Two people were killed and four wounded early Monday morning outside Sweet Jimmie's near Jack London Square. The deadly shootings, it seems, were sparked by the bouncer refusing to admit several patrons. "Several men in a car pulled up to the club and tried to get into the club but were denied entry, authorities said. One of the men became angry, pulled out an assault rifle and opened fire," reports the Chronicle. more ›

Bay Area Reporter has some sad news: Eagle Tavern owner John Gardiner received an unlawful detainer lawsuit from property owner John Nikitopoulos today, 4/20. What does this mean for the troubled SoMa leather bar? Well, it could mean that the bar will close sooner rather than later. Or not. "I’ll know probably by the end of the day," Gardiner explained to the BAR. more ›

Starting on May 14, and the second Saturday of each month following, fetish venue Club Eight will host a club night dedicated to gingers and those who admire their fiery locks. It's called Red Meat, it's in SoMa, and your very own SFist editor (a thirtysomething survivor of crimson-infused follicles) will be there for the kickoff to give you a blow-by-blow account, if you will. (But probably only once as we get a bit squeamish around redhead fetishists. Sorry.) more ›

At what we thought would be the Eagle Taven's final beer bust yesterday, we were surprised to hear that, instead of 4/29, the SoMa leather bar's new tentative closing date would be at the end of May. Possibly later this year. An Eagle "official" announced the news on the patio stage, later confirmed to us by a frisky bartender. What does that mean for you? Well, you now have a few more beer busts to savor before the local institution closes its doors forever. (Eagle beer busts include, among other things, free BBQ, bottomless beer for a scant $10, the occasional public oral sex act, a sea of super friendly men, and all the second-hand marijuana smoke you can handle. Highly recommended.) more ›

Last night's meeting to discuss new security proposals for San Francisco nightclubs -- which would include ID scanning and face recording of patrons, among other things -- was postponed. Mayor Lee wanted "further analysis and study" before moving forward, reports The Examiner. While the odds of the city seeing each rule put into action are slim, that didn't stop privacy rights groups and members from voicing their concern. more ›

Later today, the San Francisco Entertainment Commission will consider adopting new security rules at nightclubs and onetime events in San Francisco. Among reasonable security measures, like sufficient exterior lighting, a few rules have caused a stir -- specifically, ID scanning and face recording. This has prompted PrivacyActivism, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, IP Justice, Beat the Chip, Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights, Patient Privacy Rights, and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee to publicly oppose [doc] the SF Entertainment Commission. The rules in question are: more ›

The Eagle -- 30-year-old SoMa gay bar noted worldwide for its Thursday Night Live concerts and spirited Beer Bust Sundays -- will shut operations down on Friday, 4/29. Although, according to a manager SFist spoke with Sunday night, several Eagle bar employees were in escrow to buy the venue, "the landlord changed his mind." On Monday, a community meeting will be held at the bar from 7 - 10 p.m. to discuss "strategies for fighting the Eagle's closure, as well as the ongoing crisis of loss of gay property ownership in San Francisco and the continuing erosion of our iconic gay bar scene." The venue is currently on the market. We'll update as events unfold. The Eagle, 398 - 12th Street (at Harrison) more ›

One of the city's best drunk diners (i.e., late-night greasy spoons in which you can get cheap food while tipsy) closed shop last week. According to Paolo Lucchesi at Inside Scoop, "Bagdad Cafe closed suddenly over the weekend with the turn of the calendar. Turns out the lease was up, and according to the departing folks at Bagdad Cafe, new tenants have already taken over." more ›

The Lower Haight's only true nightclub, Underground SF, is up for sale. In fact, the entire building can be yours for around $1.5 million. According to Haighteration, the owner is "looking to part with either the property, the business, or both." So, if you want to buy a nightclub and, say, change its name to something that isn't mentally-challenged (there's no logical reason to use "SF" in the name of an establishment that's already in San Francisco), check out this listing. more ›

Larry Mazzola Sr., leader of plumbers' union UA Local 38, has called for a boycott of former San Francisco politician Chris Daly's new bar, Buck Tavern. Why? Who knows. Some pointless shit that happened eons ago, presumably. In a lengthy article about the penis measuring contest, the Examiner reports: "Mazzola describes Daly as a longtime enemy of Local 38 and the Building Trades Council, and he said it would 'take endless pages' to tell of 'all of the problems our union has had with Daly.' " more ›

Joe Olivares Hernandez, 30, died yesterday after suffering a severe brain injury during one of two fights inside Temple Nightclub on Howard Street. "Hernandez was knocked unconscious, and a 26-year-old man was injured and hospitalized, in a fight at about 1:10 a.m." on Saturday, reports The Chronicle. "About 35 minutes later, three men got into another fight with two other men at the club, stabbing the victims with broken beer bottles." more ›

A source recently met with a Commercial Owner Association representative regarding plans for a Lucky Strike (a high-end bowling alley geared to replace the almost-shuttered Borders Books at Third and King Streets) to move in. Here are a few details, some of which include bouncers, additional security, $12 drinks, and a dress code requiring dress jackets for men. (Note: many of these points are based off Lucky Strikes in Los Angeles and are subject to change.) more ›

While plans for the SoMa Borders Books to evolve into bowling alley trudge on -- word has it Lucky Strike and Beacon apartment complex authorities will discuss the issue today -- we thought we'd give fair share to (reasonable?) reservations about the late-night venture. Because we're all about balance. more ›

Pier 50 dance club Jelly's, who played host to a fatal shooting last week, could become a thing of the past. After the city's Entertainment Commission had yanked the club's permit last week, the Port of San Francisco "sent the club's operators a 30-day notice terminating their lease and ordering them out by Aug. 18," notes SFGate. Jelly's, a nightclub specializing in Latin and DJ grooves, has been a port tenant since 1993. more ›

Here is part II of SFist's attempt to round up all the gay/queer/trans and ever-so lesbian happenings going down about town on Saturday. (Stay tuned for Sunday events!) And, as Jay mentioned in yesterday's Pride rundown, "for those of you who count some gays among your coworkers, please take it as a given that Monday will be a sick day, if they haven't asked for it off already." This is not a joke. Gays are useless on the Monday after Pride. And look here if you're still short on stuff to do tonight. (Photos above by Darwin Bell) more ›

There's more to the San Francisco queer scene than Harvey Milk, gay marriage kerfuffles, or exhausting penis-in-bottom jokes. Take, for example, the late '80s/'90s Valencia Street staple, Klubstitute. Harkening back to the club kid days, this popular, aggressively alternative gay club helped spawn Trannyshack, among other things. The DIY-ish club night, we're told, was a bastion of creative types, music, spinning and revelry that, to put it delicately, wallowed in the crystalline lifestyle. (Held at various locations throughout the city, one of its venue name's, The Crystal Pistol (now Range), left little to the imagination.) more ›

Last night, according to BCN (via SF Appeal) "a trade organization dedicated to serving the interests of nightclubs and other entertainment venues in San Francisco" kicked off their via a launch party. One of the association's goals is to "fill a void in the media and political dialogue surrounding entertainment issues." more ›

Ever since 26-year-old Blair Henderson was shot and killed near the intersection of Second and Minna Streets on Sunday, the media's assault on nightlife spiked to hysterical proportions. Again. more ›

Just before the city's arguably useless Entertainment Commission voted to close killer nightclub Suede for 30 days -- if you recall, a 20-year-old Richmond man was killed and four wounded in a February shootout outside the Fisherman' Wharf club -- the mayor said the commission should call it quits. "I think we can simply do without the Entertainment Commission. I don't see it adding real value," Newsom told The Chronicle. "I don't, at the end of the day, feel it's lived up to its purpose." more ›