It's a laid back bar. Cool decorations with a photo booth. Good place to stop for a bit before moving on to the next. Sometimes they have entertainment (girls dancing through hoops). Drinks are good at average price. read more

Found this place because of SantaCon. The layout seems small at first, but there is a downstairs. The downstairs portion isn't designed that great, just a simple open dance floor. The guy who was in charge (I guess) was EXTREMELY nice, so were the bouncers! CRAZY! It was fun, but we weren't there long. Don't know if it's reflective of the usual days it's open. They had a girl doing aerobatic moves on a hoop...so that was pretty cool. I would come back here again to see what the regular crowd is like. read more

Free photo booth. So that's how I spent my evening. Seriously, there's not much in bars for non-drinkers (this is amazing news, I know) but with a free photo booth where you can grab your pals and haul them in to snap a pic or two went a long way to beckoning me back to Monarch. Also, the copper bended pipes coming out of the double tuba fixture was something kinda special as well. Downstairs there was dancing and random projected old timey movies. Seems to be the thing now, and while I wasn't totally jamming on the downstairs vibe, it's probably much jammy-er when there are more bodies bouncing to the beat. A word to the wise. Or rather, unwise. The cops stopped a group of my cohorts on the way to the bar and told them not to turn down 6th. This little stretch of road ain't exactly "hang around in a dark alley" kind of neighborhood, so if you're feeling sketched by the whole thing it may be worth cabbing it. read more

Classy charming club + bar + mini performance love it. It's a classy, well-dressed, fashionable crowd here. People are friendly, hip, and very modern. Kind of reminded me of a Hunger Games fashion style minus the futuristic part. Cover charges are ridiculous though $20 Saturday night (for the dance floor. Nothing at the upstairs bar), but heard it is a fully functional bar downstairs. We sat upstairs at the counter, sipped some classy nice cocktails. Free water and self pour! The alcohol is generous, definitely dry and occasionally bitter. Not to mention the performance ring at the ceiling and right above the counter. Quite a neat setup. Perfect for people watching too. read more

Got here with a friend tonight. The music was PERFECT, just like I expect it to be, BUT I have to say that the bartender downstairs was absolutely disappointing in so many ways!! I work as a bartender in a nightclub with much more people asking for complicated cocktails. I asked for a Margarita, which takes 2 minutes to prepare (tequila+sour mix + triple sec). There was NO ONE at the bar and the bartender LITERALLY said that he wouldn't do the margarita because it took "too long" and it was "toooo much work" to make it. HELLO???!!! Can't you take 2 minutes, when there's absolutely NO ONE at the bar?! What kind of service is that? The guy upstairs ruled it, btw. He mixed a margarita without asking any further. Thanks for that. I'd give the place 5 stars, but I was really disappointed about the guy downstairs. read more

Monarch is amazing! This is what we have all been waiting for. The diversity of decor from the plush vintage bar upstairs to the luxe dark dance floor downstairs makes this place appeal to just about everyone. The drinks rock, the sound system is banging and the owners are rad. My new spot, I come here multiple times a week for a quick beer with friends or hours of endless dancing to some of the best DJs this city has to offer. Check it out, promise, you won't be disappointed! read more

Came here on a Friday after 5pm. Nice small lounge in the front bar area. Expensive drinks but the nice thing is that you won't have to wait long at all for a drink. Free photo booth and fresh popcorn. Service was great, ambiance was pretty cool. We didn't venture into the other areas besides the lounge so can't give a review for the entire place, but I would come back again. High end whiskey $18 Grey Goose vodka $12 Old Fashion $9 Beers $3 read more

Easily one of the most reliable and enjoyable clubs in SF for seeing DJs. It's a versatile space that attracts local and world-class talent, without a lot of the crappy elements of other clubs. If you want bottle service and to hear "Losing It", consider a different establishment. read more

Super rude staff and aggressive door guys. Horrible experience. Really disappointing after a long wait to attend.

This bar has been on a roll lately. It was host to the Pulp after-party and then Blow-up London's SF appearance. Don't let the small area upstairs fool you, this place has a really cool basement floor. Down there you'll find another full bar, small stage for a band, and rad looking speakers. Also, I thought the door guys were really friendly. When my girlfriend and I left early on a Tuesday night, they asked if we needed them to get us a cab. Considering it was an early week day night, it seemed a nice gesture. Hope this place keeps playing home to one-off club nights and maybe some up-and-coming ones. read more

Wowee! Fun club. Cool vibe and great sound system downstairs. Nice ambience and atmosphere with plenty of pretty people populating both upstairs and downstairs. I can't comment on drink prices or the $20 admission fee downstairs since my girlfriend and I were treated by a guy we were hanging out with (Sunil-thank you!) but I guess if they put that kind of money into the sound system, that explains why the steep entry fee. Either way, it was a fun place to see and be seen, plenty of good drinks to go around, nice people and vibe to the place. Bar tenders seemed attentive to our thirsty needs so no complaints from me! All thumbs up! I'll come back! read more

It's definitely one of the fun places in San Francisco to hang out on holiday nights! read more

Monarch - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here last night and it's a decent place. On the corner of 6th & Mission. There was no cover and there's a guestlist that you can add your name to on their website for free entry. We just walked in. Spent most of the time downstairs and was only there for maybe an hour? It was pretty empty when we first got there (right before 10pm), but in the next 30-45 minutes, it got pretty full. A mixed crowd in terms of style but also more casual and laid back. Some were dancing, others just standing around. The music was a mix of lounge/downtempo but then the DJ started playing a weird mix of hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s - and not really danceable stuff for most people. I'll dance to anything so I was having fun, but my friends that are more into hip hop and top 40 were not feeling it. So as a result, we left and went to another place. But overall, I liked the dance floor area. It's a decent size though there's limited seating and a stage. I'm not sure how hot or crowded it could get and how that would feel, but it wasn't bad when I was there. Parking in the area is okay though you might have to circle a little or park a little further away. Inside there's a coat check for $3. Would like to come back another time to get my groove on... read more

Yo man I've gotta give this place props for there bathrooms, hella clean and one even has a whole disco scene going on, these gender neutral bathrooms rock. The crowd inside is definitely different then you'd expect. The photobooth is cool, no one would go in with me tho, boo. The drinks are made really good, fare prices, and the bartenders are great. The vibe is great and the music really gets me pumped. read more

Monarch is the bastion of nightlife vibe and dance culture in SF. The crew keeps the vibe tight and beats rocking. DJ selection always on point with a variety of style nights to suit the most discerning nightlife culture tastes. Paired with The Great Northern and the Pawn Shop restaurant it's THE Sf trifecta. Never disappoints, as a local it's a go-too. As an out-of-towner it is the direct to the source experience of true San Francisco nightlife vibes. read more

We liked the sound and vibes there. Small but comfortable and intimate. The neighborhood around it is sketchy and scary at night but just get in and out and don't walk around there after clubbing. read more

Just picked up my cocktails from Monarch for the Vau de Vire Society's Mayday event and the paired cocktails to go are great! They only deliver to SF and maybe Oakland so we ordered for pick up, the driver/bartender Eric made a fresh batch of the Lavandula for me. The drinks he made are great and I'm super excited to be able to bring HOME these delicious cocktails from one of my favorite clubs in SF. Thank you so much Eric and Monarch for offering this service! read more

Monarch - What was included with our order - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

We went to monarch, had a guy wearing a blue button down tell us to wait outside for 10 min when we got to the business at 8:50pm. Got to the front desk when they allowed up inside at 9pm to then charge us at $25 cover. Two boys two girls $25 each over even though we got to the business before cover would be charged. Would never go here again. Nobody outside making a line, empty inside. Would never recommend this business again. read more

Club/bar 2 floors, 2 different atmospheres. A free photo booth. Not sure if it still works we couldn't get our pictures yet :( read more

Monarch - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

The Monarch itself was a fantastic night! Great music upstairs and downstairs. My issue was with Tad, who apparently is the owner. At 2am, in California there is a strict law of no more drinking. Tad approached me at 1:50am and told me I needed to finish my drink. I asked him, "do I have 5 minutes or 10 minutes to finish this?" To which his answer was under his breathe, "you're a f******* a******". Maybe he thought I was being sarcastic or maybe he was having a bad night. Either way, that's just not respectful. A stain on what was a great night in San Francisco! read more

I'm trying to figure out what to do about this place. I live a block away over by the federal building. It's so loud on Sunday nights that it keeps me awake. Last Sunday the music was playing after 2 am. They probably have a permit that allows them to play loud music but I struggle to imagine how San Francisco would ever permit this amount of noise. So I think the best answer is to start submitting noise complaints via the police non emergency line. If I get push back saying it's within their permit, I'll probably have to start addressing this via city hall. One way or another, monarch is going to have to STFU so I don't start yet another work week completely exhausted. read more

I paid $20 for the entrance then paid $15 for a drink. 3 minutes later staff took it back from Me saying I could get a refund, which they refused to get me after that. At the end of the day, I paid $35 for a club with bad music and horrible service. It is 5m from where I live but I'll never go back read more

Wouldn't visit this place again if my life depended on it. We read the it had god music and a downstairs where there was dancing. It had neither. The scary part is there was this lady there named Ginger, who seemed like a regular. She started talking to my friend and i right away and when she found out my friend was turning 21 and we're from Vegas, she promised us free drinks saying that she knew the owner. But we never got free drinks. Instead she started introducing us to different older men like she was pawning us off to them. One of them checked my friend out and hugged her tight and said "good job, got me a good one" and winked at her. To us it felt like she was trying to pimp us out. Needless to say, we left in a hurry when we figured out what she was doing. NEVER AGAIN. read more

So we came from NJ and we have NJ IDs. At the door security guy was checking those and declined our entrance because it seemed fake to him. So I asked him to check it with machine (like all the bars and clubs do it in NYC) he didn't have anything to scan it and started bending my gfs drivers license back and forth so he wanted to brake it! I literally forced him to give it back to us otherwise he could damage it and she wouldn't be able to fly back home next day! I mean..if you're so limited thinking go check the ID book so you know how it looks in different states. Just an idiot pretending to be powerful at the door. If he'd damaged my driver license I'd call the police right away. A man had to be charged in damaging a government issued document. read more

Checked out this dive bar when visiting San Fran. Nice vibe and laid back. Met some locals who were friendly and fun to chat with. read more

Monarch - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

The upstairs area is a mix of a lounge and a dance floor and they have an acrobat that puts on shows periodically, so it's a nice place to just stop in for a drink or do your thing on the dance floor if that's what you're into. Great ambiance and decor. Monarch is a crap-shoot when it comes to the crowd. Some nights it's packed and you can barely get a drink while others you can walk right up and order a well-made cocktail. On that note, the bar tenders KNOW what they're doing. On a less crowded night the bartender in the back , I can't recall his name (latino guy), made a non-menu drink after asking what flavor profiles I liked. The downstairs has an amazing sound system with a decent light setup. I've danced the night away to some great DJ's here. The only downside is it tends to get hot and steamy. Also, you'll be charged $20 to get in. read more

This is for Taco Tuesday happy hour only! The bar for drinks and the food area are in separate parts of the place so be sure to get your drinks first before sitting down for food on the other side. The margaritas were decent for the happy hour - not spectacular but good for the price. We enjoyed the carnitas and fish tacos especially on the happy hour food menu! It's a good way to fill up and have a couple drinks for a decent price in a fun atmosphere. I'll be back! read more

Monarch is one of my favorite clubs in San Francisco. They always bring in amazing underground acts and there's never any pretension. Add in great drinks and cool interior design and you have the recipe for a great venue. And they support the local (music) community every day. Truly one of the best spots to dance and have a great night. read more

TRAVELERS MUST READ: $20 cover fee, not bad, and the bouncer was super nice to us and let us grab a pizza and bring it back. They had the hoop dancer upstairs and electronic house music down stairs. We aren't from the area, so when we arrive via Lyft we were a little taken aback. There were a lot public drinking by people on the sidewalks and the city area was very run down. For traveler who don't usually come to SF this may not be the place for you. The downstairs seemed kind of like a disco with its occupants on something (weird dancing!). Overall, this place is cool if you can ignore the location. The bouncers and security were awesome about managing drunks and keeping it classy. But, it can be a culture shock. read more

Monarch is a pillar of the San Francisco nightlife scene. The vibe is always high, the staff are magicians, and the drinks are amazing. The VOID sound system in the basement is one of the most beautiful sounding club set ups in the United States and the talent that comes through to play on it are world class. You could not ask for a better place to spend your evening. read more

My 300th review goes to none other than the newest cool kid on the block. As I enter Monarch, I feel pretty fly due to the attention paid to my girls and I from the men at the door. "Hey, hey there beautiful ladies, so nice to see you, please come right in." Why thank you, I think I will. And then wait, what is this I hear flooding the room, Wolfmother, and Cheap Sunglasses no less?! Yes, yes I think I will sit and stay a while. Then there is a free photo booth due to the owners Bday, free print outs?! Don't mind if I do Monarch, don't mind at all. But wait, there's more! I grab a tequila concoction of sorts that tastes heavenly and plop my bum down on one of the nicely styled Victorian-esque plush couches. Then as I think I'm fairly satisfied and set on this early evening out, I look up to see this amazing acrobatic show by a woman spinning in a ring. Yow-sah! They obviously crossed their Ts and dotted their Is when working on the concept and the delivery for this place, yes, yes I would say they just about nailed it. Congrats guys, congrats indeed. read more

The Compliment Fairy will not compliment businesses that don't treat me right. I ordered a Jack Daniels and ginger ale, and also a soda for my DD. I was charged $8. Okay, I said, and gave the bartender my credit card. He said the minimum charge was $20. Okay, I said, I'm sure between the three of us there we would meet the minimum. Finished our first round of drinks. Ordered a second round of the same, plus one bottle of Anchor Steam. Said I was ready to close out my tab. Was presented with a tab for $44. Hmm, that didn't seem quite right, so I politely pointed out the error. Was asked what I had. Told the bartender: Two Jack and ginger ales, two plain 7-Ups, one bottle of Anchor Steam. It seems to me that the correct handling of this situation would have been to apologize for the error, and fix it. Instead, what I got from the bartender was, "By MY calculations, that seems right, but what do YOU think it should be?" Hmm. By MY calculations, if one Jack and ginger ale cost $8, then TWO Jack and ginger ales should cost $16. It was Saturday night so there was no happy hour pricing or anything like that. That leaves one bottle of beer unaccounted for. $44 - $16 = $28. By MY calculations, I don't think I should be paying TWENTY-EIGHT FREAKING DOLLARS FOR ONE FREAKING BOTTLE OF ANCHOR STEAM! I calmly asked how much the beer was. The bartender said it was $5. I calmly said that by MY calculations I owed $21. He put $21 on my card. I did not leave any tip. Mind you, that wasn't for the initial error; it was for implying I was either: a) stupid b) a liar c) a stupid liar Well, I'll tell you what: MY calculations made more sense even after I'd had two admittedly strong drinks. I'll tell you what else: by MY calculations, not coming back here again. If you do come here, I recommend that you pay with cash. They've proven to me that you really have to watch them. read more

Absolute best bar in the area, if not all of San Francisco!! Such a good vibe & the hospitality is unreal. Felt so welcomed and the good drinks + music made the night one to be unforgettable. read more

Skid Row (aka Sixth Street) just got some nocturnal splendor with the arrival of Monarch, a new nighttime destination that's a bar-on-top, club-on-bottom. I was skeptical of the location, having seen at least three other concepts fail in the same space over the years, but this time they might have hit on something just right. The upstairs bar is set against a beguiling wall art piece that resembles a monarch butterfly, or at least that was my interpretation. There are enough seats to allow for proper lounging as well, and if you're really bored you can continue walking in circles scoping the eye candy (especially on DJ nights). If you consider the other definition of monarch, then the name could allude to a slightly ego-driven entendre towards well-made cocktails and music reigning supreme. Then again, when I found out that Tadd Cortell (who opened Cav) is one of the guys behind this place, mixed in with Chris Smith (of Om Records fame), then it's entirely possible that the future thumping dance scene down below will truly rule. read more

This place has great Art Deco decor, a free photobooth, two upstairs bars with a small dance floor upstairs, and a larger dance floor and bar downstairs with a pretty great sound system. The staff is friendly, and this is a great place to wait for your table at the Pawn Shop next door. read more

Great crowd. They showed up to dance! Didn't see any creepers making anybody feel uncomfortable. Security was around but I didn't see them bothering anybody. Lights were OK, bartenders were great! It was a phone free dancefloor! It was great just seeing people dancing and not worrying about posting it! And The Juan Maclean and Amtrac brought it! read more

Pretty sweet bar. There's a dog wandering around, pretty cool music and occasionally you can catch an aerial act too. It's got a bit of a dive feel to it but not the type where actually divey people hang out. I had some scotch here and stood around a tall table to chat with some friends. There's plenty of room at the bar if you can nab a stool and there's even a few seating areas if you're lucky. Great for groups as small as two and as big as about 10. The walk here from my hotel in SOMA wasn't awesome but you can always grab an Uber or risk getting mugged. (Some friends were worried but it's really not too bad of an area. Just get off your darn phone and pay attention to your surroundings!) read more

I had absolutely the worst experience I have had with a bartender at the Monarch last night - Feb 5. Below is how the bartender (the woman at the front) poured out our drink and practically told us to get lost: I asked for a shot of rum for my partner and the bartender asked what kind, both me and my partner tried to answer this question at the same time. The bartender made the judgement that I was interrupting my partner too much and threatened to not serve me if I "interrupted him just one more time." After she poured the drink I said we were interested in two drinks, she asked "what drink do you want sweetie?" I found it distasteful to be called sweetie after being told to shut up. I asked for a vodka gimlet, gave her my cash, and asked her not to call me sweetie. She then grabbed the first drink she had made for us and poured it out and said we could ask another bartender to make our drinks. We left the bar. Who knows, she might have been having a bad night. But we all get stressed and we all have bad days and most of us don't take it out on random strangers. We literally exchanged 3 sentences and she decided I needed to be taught a lesson. It was gross and it kind of ruined our (until-then) happy night. read more

If you're looking for a stiffly shaken cocktail, there's no doubt that Monarch will likely be the butterfly you're after. It's got all the proper fixings of a dark bar gone fancy with their short list of house created concoctions. I particularly enjoyed the Negroni, a beverage that's sure to get you off your bar stool (whether intentionally or not). The only rule for this classic cocktail is blending only liquids with alcohol. With a cocktail sans a non-alcoholic mixer, it'll likely put hair on your otherwise unhairy chest. As for the rest of the cocktail menu, it's a handful of other potent items, so if you're searching for something respectable, this is the place. Sadly, the hoop that hangs over the bar and presumably features contortionist or swinging lassies was devoid of said sirens. Better luck next time! read more

I don't go to clubs much anymore, preferring instead the occasional lounge night with great cocktails and good friends. But Monarch is quintessentially San Francisco, and is simply amazing. Eclectic, edgy, artsy, and slightly weird - just perfect. And then there is Pooky. Named recently as one of the top Bartenders in the City by a number of online pubs and blogs, she is an absolute tornado behind a busy bar, but moreover an amazing Alchemist of all things intoxicating. Case in point...I read about her unique ability to size up a customer's whim with a couple of questions, and then mix the absolutely perfect & unique drink...so I said "Hi Pooky, I'm Max...I've read all about your amazing talents...I love Scotch..." and that's it. The tornado started spinning, and after a couple of pickled cherries, a crush of lemon and sprig of zest, I have a purplish cocktail....which absolutely blew me away (and knocked me on my ass). I can't even remember the name, but damn, it was good. And I rarely drink mixed drinks. Downstairs is a massive dance floor, and a DJ spinning great house music. Upstairs is the Bar and a cushy lounge area behind. It's not a huge place upstairs and initial impressions belie how big the dance floor actually is downstairs. Crowd is a bit older - not the crazy drunk 20 something Asian kids scene so common at Temple, Ruby Skye, etc... Monarch is perfect for a somewhat older (but young at heart) guy like me who still likes to live it up every so often and blow off steam. Cheers Pooky... read more