Oh man was this place fun. Went out with a mixed group and we all got crazy. Dancing was a blast, drinks were alright. the crowd was fun and I would definitely come back for more. read more

This was so fun! Went on a Friday night and it was popping. Music is a mix of EDM and hip hop. Cover is only $5 and drinks are strong. Coat check is $3/item. Overall it's pretty spacious and not so crowded you can't find a place to dance. Highly recommend this place! read more

This is probably the best gay bar for straight guys in the Castro. Going out in the Castro is always a little precarious when you've got straight guys in your group. If you're rolling with a mixed crowd, you need a place with a great ratio, fun music, flowing drinks, and a something-for-everyone vibe. The Cafe is just that. The bartenders are generous with the alcohol (but ask for the top-shelf, they sling the cheap stuff, and you'll hate yourself in the morning), and while it's fun on a Saturday night, it's almost more fun for their Sunday Funday afternoons. When you're all done with brunch, swing by here for 2-for-1 drinks and go-go dancers that are equal opportunity eye candy. The Cafe's mission seems to be to get you messed up and on the dance floor as fast as possible. They generally succeed. Go with a rowdy bunch and you'll have a blast! read more

BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS!! I've had 2 friends get their phones stolen at this place. They happened a year apart so its obviously an ongoing thing. Like another reviewer has mentioned if you search "phone" on this page you will see 9 people have also lost phones. And these are just the people that came and wrote a yelp review!!! Who knows how many more people have lost their phones here. Last night someone got the phone out of the zipped back pocket of her purse. Be careful here?... I say not worth trying it. read more

Imagine this... Two eyes meet, a finger points, the other hand grabs, and a girl smiles. Who me? Yes you, get up and SALSA! This was the exchange that happened between me, a boy, and his boyfriend. I embrace my roots whenever I can, but more so when I have fantastic dancers wanting to teach me new moves. Of all the various Castro HOT spots, THIS was the one that really had me jumping, thumping, and grooving. Gogo dancers, friendly staff, and lots of people. You will find it all here. If you are looking to dance, this is the spot. Gay bars rock, as long as you are comfortable and you have no issue with close proximity and people who may lack conceptual knowledge of personal space and boundaries. I mean, after all people, it is a dance club. Whatever your orientation, left or right, gay or straight , let loose! Trust me, the music will guide you and the people will enhance your experience. I paid a $5 buck cover, so don't expect your pretty face to always work at the door. read more

If you're a gay man, Boy Bar @ The Cafe on Friday is the place to be. It feels like the entire Castro crowd is in this bar. There are hot go go boys who love it when you tip them in their jockstraps. The vibe is cool with a hint of trashiness, which is perfect for the Castro! The place gets packed around midnight and the crowd is pretty good looking. Be prepared to dance the night away! The music is diverse, and the DJ should really just stick to top 40 pop because that's what the crowd wants. However, sometimes it's weird techno crap. In that case, just get another drink (or a shot) before you hit the dance floor. If you try to be at Boy Bar sober, you'll be sorry. Keep in mind that there is a $5 cover though, expensive compared to the other covers in the Castro but definitely reasonable. ~A read more

My wallet and phone were pick-pocketed here about a month ago by a guy on the dance floor. He had another friend distract while he grabbed the goods out of my pocket. Apparently this has happened to a number of other folks. I contacted Cafe about this repeatedly and all they did was work with Yelp! to get my original warning to others taken off their Yelp reviews. Awesome. read more

Who is the DJ sleeping with to keep that job? (Hes horrible). All 3 times I went he was on some "top 20 on the pop and dance charts" type music tip. To make matters worse he would play remixed techno versions of the same songs. I'm from Southern Cali so I don't know if that is the norm out there in the bay but wasnt feeling it at all. Probably will not be going back again. read more

One of my favorite clubs to shake my groove thing! Strong drinks, impeccable bathrooms, hip shakin' music....who can ask for more?! One can even catch some air from the interior patio right off the dance floor, which showcases a retractable roof with refreshing sky views! The Cafe has tons of hot boys that know how to cut up a rug on the dance floor and even better, their gay! It is refreshing to head out on the town with your girls without having grubby guys hit on you every second! Also, every third Saturday of the month is Delicious, the ladies night for all the butches and femmes of the Bay. I showed up last Saturday, not realizing, and had a grand booty-shaking time. Although, there was a group of ladies that kept busting my chops that I had "strait written all over" me! I don't what it was about, but it sure didn't stop this soul-train! I've been enjoying the Cafe since I was a small pup and now that I've blossomed into a full-blown bitch I enjoy it even more! read more

Came here just 12 hours ago for a friend's birthday! Let me begin this review by saying that every time I'm out in the Castro I always have an amazing time with my g&gfs. *NOTE: This place is CASH ONLY. So get some cash ahead of time or you can use the ATM they have inside (which is right next to a photo booth!) near one of the bars. It's Boy Bar every Friday night, with a $5 cover to get in. You walk up some stairs to get to the main dance floor and bar area. Coat check here is $3. g&gfs didn't get there until 11ish, with a casual/semi-dressed crowd to dance with. Music wasn't solely top 40s which was fabulous, go-go dancers were hot body eye candy, paid about $6-8 for strong drinks, shots served in test tubes from people walking around on the dance floor, no line for the girls bathroom (obviously, and YAY it's clean!), and just a drama-free fun night of dancing and drinking with friends + nice strangers who became new friends. I can go on. LOVED IT. Overall: 4. Great place to drink & dance with good company! read more

Great vibes!! This place is two stories. The top floor contains the bar, male Gogo dancers, and a bunch of boys standing around talking. The bottom floor is where the magic is.. The dance floor!! I went on a Friday night and enjoyed how it wasn't jammed packed. We weren't shoulder to shoulder, so there was plenty of room to dance without bumping into people :) Things to remember: - $5 cover charge on Fridays -cash only bar - 90% guys, %10 girls (usually come with their gay friend) - girls bathroom will have guys I def recommend this place during a night out in Castro :) read more

For some odd reason me and The Cafe have never clicked, and I can't quite put my finger on it. But some of things I don't like about it are: - Lack of variation in music. Yes, we all love Britney and Gaga, but this place puts it on rotate often, and there's no house or any other forms of music for people with different tastes to rock out to. - The quality of the people really vary from night to night. Sometimes it can be straight up trashy, but Fridays (known as "Boy Bar") attract the hottest, youngest crowd. - Drinks seem a bit sloppily made. Really though for, it comes down to the music being a little weird. It's the same every. single. weekend. I think they need a new DJ, one like they have at Q Bar. read more

I can't think of a better way to spend Friday night in SF than at... Boy Bar!!! Get out your $5 boys and boys, and $3 for coat check, because the night is on and there's men to stare at and judge, and hot ones to check out and ogle. It's a hard job but someone's gotta do it. The place was PACKED. We ran into other people from school!! And I went to school in Philadelphia. Drinks were strong. The men were topless. Music was bumpin'. A good night was had by all. My friends all took their shirts off and next thing I knew, I was topless too (with a bra). No one cared about me though. The thing with gay bars is that no one, absolutely no one, gives a shit about me, and that's a new experience. I felt like a hanger steak at a vegan convention. It's fun for dancing (if you can move without getting elbowed in the ear by someone else), and a few of the go go dancers were cute but all were really short. They looked great on stage though. I saw a guy who dances at The Abbey in W Hollywood just chillin here with his new boyfriend (he was not short). I can't believe I still recognized him with his clothes on! It's been a while since I was at a club this packed. There was hardly a place to stand without getting trampled by stampedes of men. Men flirting, checking each other out, drunk men, sober men, high men, giggling, hugging, grinding, sweating, squeezing past one another to the next best thing. The worst was the bathroom. Pretty much everyone used both the men and women's room interchangeably and there was NO WATER at the sink in the ladies' room. Can you imagine how nasty that is? No TP, no water, and the one faucet that was working earlier spurted scalding hot water that almost cooked me. I remember peeing and not having any TP, and wiping the pee off my puswanee with my HANDS, and then discovering that there was NO FUCKING WATER. What is this? Rural India? I ran into the men's room with my pee stained hands flopping in front and used their only running scalding spout, yelping with equal parts pain and relief the whole time. Fix the situation please! It's gotta be a serious health code violation of some sort. Just think of all the horny drunk dudes getting their cocks sucked and asses plugged behind the stalls and not even able to wash their hands or rinse their mouths afterwards. Yet still, I would return. Maybe with a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer next time. read more

I usually have a super fun time, but Sat June 22, 2013 I was humiliated. This review speaks to my experience this night, but not on the whole. I had a long and stressful week, which called for a night out with my girls. While dancing on the stage area, i was abrubtly stopped by security and was asked to present my I.d... being the only one on stage, the actions of the guard drew more attention than necessary. I was humiliated!!! Not only am I way over 21, but the flashlight n my face and the pop quiz of the content on my I.d. implied that something horrible was done on my part. Little did myself or others know, that security checking the I.d.'s is the norm. Many of my friends, and strangers asked me what happened and what I "did". Feeling very much singled out by the tackles guard, I left. He felt no empathy nor understanding to the fact that there were many other ways to go about an "id" check. what happened to innocent until proven guilty? I've been a bartender in various clubs for 6 years, I know the club scene very well, and I am extremely rule abiding, and understanding of policy. This "security guard" who called himself the manager, didn't give a care that I was humiliated by the intrusive and offensive way he went about his check. We left. All 10 of us, immediately. Game over. I still love café, and the music and cool people, but I hope someone who works there reads this review and encourages their security to use customer service, even if they are security. read more

I like this place, especially just for the drag show events. One star is for either for the security or the people that goes there. On 2/8/16 (Superbowl night), I only came just to watch the drag show which started at 10pm or so, I walk in alone, buy myself a drink, sitting by myself, after 30 minutes or so I see the police walk in. In my mind I was thinking something had happened, come to find out they're escorting just me outside. They was told that someone saw me wearing black latex, which I was & for reasons only. I only told them that I just wore them just to keep my hands clean, & that was it. They let me back in after that, & plus the fact I didn't even talk to anyone in there makes me mad just thinking about it. I felt so embarrassed, in the end I wont really know who falsify reported me. Ps: Dont get too comfortable in places like this, especially if your by yourself. read more

Post-remodel, The Cafe is no longer my go-to place to start the night. Better restrooms and more space were among the improvements, but man the new lighting scheme is depressing! The walls, furnishings, layout--it's all sterile! Not a good vibe going on here with the decor. The staff isn't particularly friendly (here's looking at you security), and the drinks aren't the best. I don't come here much anymore, and I actually preferred The Cafe pre-remodel. read more

The DJ on 7/31/15 was the worst. The end. Ps- everyone was not dancing for a reason. Learn to mix it up and balance between house and hip hop. If more than half are just standing around bouncing painfully out of pity, you should mix things up. The worst. read more

5 stars: the company is what makes it happen. Another PRIDE SF 2011 day. Came here during the afternoon with a couple of friends, met new ones and drank the afternoon away. Cabbing from Dolores Park to The Cafe was a hustle.. but once we got there, drinks! drinks! drinks! We owned the balcony that afternoon and just enjoyed ourselves listening to music, taking pictures, laughing and just making the most out of it. I've only been here a couple times during the day. It does seem dead but again, the right company makes it worthwhile. read more

The Cafe - BwIzzLe - Gay Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is always my last stop in the castro on a night of bar hopping or the only stop. I love coming here the music is great for any night that youre here. The one thing is that they dont take card however there is an atm in there. Also its really crowded! Bad for people who likes a little space for themselves but it being crowded is great sign you'll have fun! read more

I loved this place! I was actually at The Cafe last night for a yelp event and had a blast. Not only was there half naked studs dancing on the stage but they have many areas of the building with cool fresh San Francisco Air breezing through the place. There is nothing better then fresh air and wind in your hair when your hot from dancing. This club is huge, there were a bunch of different rooms, and I counted about three bars, there could have easily been more. You would never think that this club was there from the street becuase It looks like a run down broken door. I will definitely be back, next time with my gay boys, not my boy friend. read more

I decided I'd write a review about this place after they had crowd control ON LOCK for Pride... Everyone knows you can barely walk through the damn clubs during Pride, but this year The Cafe was much better at controlling the influx of homos. As far as the club itself is concerned, I love that there are MULTIPLE bars and a decent-sized dance floor; they really stepped their game up after the remodel a few years ago... There's a definite CLUB vibe upstairs with the decor and lighting. Drinks aren't THAT expensive, and bartenders seem to be uber friendly. The smoking area in the middle is kinda dope too. One of the top three clubs in the Castro, IMHO. Update: they don't have a smoking area in the middle anymore. Here's to thousands of cleaner homo lungs. read more

After getting mimosa wasted at Barracuda, we decided to head over here for some dancing. I don't remember much other than the following - CASH ONLY!!! Inexpensive Drinks Friendly Bartenders Clean Love the layout of this place read more

I come here in times of confusion and sadness, seeking guidance from the almighty. I close my eyes and listen to what God is saying. What?? Just dance? Okay! What?? Get hosed tonight? I already am! You're right God, how does he twist the dance. Wait, now where are my keys I think I've lost my phone. read more

went on a mission on the bart on a friday night just to get here, Lol. The crowd, everyone was really friendly. The venue was a good size, not too crowded, but not empty. The dancers all had great moves & nice bodies! Lol. The drinks are pretty cheap too! i was so surprised. maybe it was happy hour? 5$ for shots/mix drinks. Loved the bartender! most def would come bar hop here whenever im in sf! cons : cash only. there's an atm near the bar & there's a service fee for 2.50$ each time you pull out cash. i took money out twice that night. & on my bank statement they charged me $2.50 + $3.50 = $6. for service fee EACH TIME. WTF! -___- read more

Every time we're in Castro we hit up THE CAFE. It is defanatly one the biggest, funnest clubs/bar at Castro. They used to host a LESBIAN party once a month but that has stopped, but we don't mind attending other nights...mostly FRIDAYS and SAT. The drinks are cheap..they do run happy hour specials other nights of the week and also if you make it in before prime time on the weekends. Mondays they host DRAG QUEEN shows and Thursdays is LATIN night. Fun atmosphere and crowd, the staff is nice..DEF a good time for locals or people visiting. Friday and Saturday nights covers are $5 before 10...goes up after that. Also ask about the bracelets for unlimeted drink (some nights). read more

I feel like Boy Bar on Friday nights (http://www.yelp.com/biz/boy-bar-the-cafe-san-francisco#hrid:on9ppqx4y2qnnhRfPJ5KQA) is really the only reason I come here. Every other time has been lackluster. I really like their weird layout though, I feel like the space creates a bunch of well sized areas that flow really nice together so you can actually come here and stay the entire night without getting bored. That is, of course, if there is anyone there that night. Oh and if you're underage forget about it. My fake IDs never worked here, I pretty much had to wait to turn 21 to get in....pretty much. ;) read more

This seemed to be one of the happening Castro clubs on a Saturday night. We got there early, around 9:30 and it wasn't too crowded, which gave us a chance to explore a little and find the best bartender. By 11 the place was packed, and kept getting more and more packed (no pun intended, but hilarious regardless). There was a $5 cover charge last night, one of the queens from RuPaul's drag race was performing there that night, which was a fun unexpected event. They had a deal at the door, buy a wristband for $25 and get one free drink and half off drinks the rest of the night. Pretty sweet deal because our group just ended up giving our money to the couple that bought the wristbands and had half off drinks all night! This place has 2 bars, one on the lower dance floor and another upstairs by an unused pool table and the bathrooms. We found the upstairs bar was the better makers of fine cocktails. Our go-to girl was super nice, made em fast, and made em strong. She recommended a White Gummy Bear to one of us and we all ended up drinking them all night, deliciously sweet and alcoholic! The club is on the second floor of the building with giant windows looking down to Castro and the city on the dance floor. The music was awesome, sweet dance mixes to popular songs along with music videos on several screens around the club. There is also a raised sort of area on the dance floor where half naked dancers, both male and female, come up on every now and then. Eye candy is always a nice touch. That's also where RuPaul's drag queen performed her number. If you didn't want to brave the crowds of the bars, a girl was walking around with $2 shots, had a few of those and they were delicious! Ins and outs are cool with this place too if you needed some air or some smoke in your lungs. The Cafe is a fun place to party, gays and straights alike! read more

Love SUNDAY FUNDAYS! 3-9PM and Thursday best Nights to go. Sunday Free Hip-Hop great Drinks nice DJ. Security is friendly bartenders are mediocre friendly (that's for all the Nigbts of the Week) Thursdays is Latin Nite. HOT GOGO BOYS great Bodies But Lack Booty.. It's always been a problem of lacking booty of dancers in there. There for Cafe gets a Hot Chocolate 4 Stars from Me... read more

In a neighborhood that seems to pioneered the "alternative lifestyles" with no regard to what others think, The Cafe represents another attempt by Castro clubs to create a chic atmosphere that it defines as "not SF" chic, (LA Chic, Las Vegas Chic, NY Chic, etc...) I enjoyed the old Cafe and all of its ghetto-fabulousness. Cheap covers and cheap drinks meant for an always entertaining night. And while the decor may have changed to what one reviewer aptly described as an airport bathroom, The Cafe still, really, is a good place to go dancing and drink to make people more interesting (or attractive). The cover is $5 and the drink prices are average, but hey... they put tvs all around and the go-go boys are actually attractive. What's not to like? The format of the music is trending towards Badlands with an ever increasing number of remixed pop songs. But the dance floor is usually going strong so its all good. There are two bars at The Cafe, one main bar by the dance floor which is usually packed and a underutilized second bar up the small stairs in the direction of the bathrooms. If you're in a hurry to grab a drink, make the trek to this second bar for faster service. Overall, i'm a fan of the new Cafe. Airport fabulousness or not, it still is a club that you can enjoy meeting up with friends, drink, and remind yourself why "recession" only applies to non-alcoholic beverages. So turn that frown upside down and get your ass on the dance floor. read more

So this was my first time going to a gay, 21+ establishment since turning 21 in July. It was...underwhelming. Apparently the re-did the place, but seeing how I have nothing to compare it to, it was whatever. It's basically what I thought it would be - the same thing as the 18+ clubs, but less scary people, more older people and more alcohol. The music wasn't too terrible, but the transitions were kind of weird and people would kind of stop dancing in between songs... For my first gay bar/club experience I'll give it a C+/B- rating. Im not sure what the others are like...I'll let you guys know read more

I've only been here twice recently and those were Friday nights. I must have gone here once back in 2001 because it's a vaguely familiar place. Cover- $5, gets you a happy face stamp on your inner wrist Bar - cash only. A goose tonic cost $9. Hired dancers - very very very minimal clothing Crowd - straight, bi and gay. Attire - just about anything... read more

I really want to like this place. I don't think I was drunk enough for it... My beautiful boys payed for me and we went on some... latin night or something. I think as I walked up the stairs to the dance floor I was inner-twinned with at LEAST 3 groups' drama. Goddamnit someone get me an AMF! Down the drinks, tasty, but not enough alcohol (Can one say that about an AMF???)... 2 shots of patron after... I'm feeling ok. A little stuffy and hot but I'm dancing with beautiful brown latin gay men. Helloo. I turn and see a man kissing one of the go-go dancers. Aww so cu-...what?! Why is this man giving him an almost-blow job. Not drunk enough for this... One tokyo tea. Yes... thanks.. Wait where are my friends? Oh they're getting their mack on in the smoking area.. cool.. SO I find me some cuties to dance with. Blergh everyone is singing to this pop spanish song ... I dont know spanish.. (I'm such a disgrace to my country)... whatever I'll keep dancing. ... all in all a good 3 stars for the experience. I guess I'll give this place another chance... someday.. read more

You wanna dance and see drama unfolding? Have some drinks and meet cute boys and girls who may or may not be wearing thigh high boots and tighty whiteys? Welcome to a messy sassy fun night, compliments of The Cafe. Go early and avoid the crowds. You know the dance floor is going to be double parked after 11. read more

Those dancers!! I've never been so entertained at a dance club before. I saw a booty literally vibrate until I thought it was going to fall off. Drinks seemed decently priced. $5 beers and there are waiters walking around with $2 A&F shots. read more

Great music, great dancing, perfect vibes. Chadwick at the door was super nice and helpful. When I was a dollar short for the cover he said no problem and gave me the dollar I was short! Definitely coming back read more

When in Castro, do as the Castronians do...go to the gay club on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday night. and the rest of the days of the week. Tis a welcoming environment. I don't think that I've gone one night in Castro without making it to Cafe at some point. One of the most popular nightlife spots here because of the multiple bars and multiple places to dance. Large in square footage, and larger in life when it comes to bumping butts with the Castro regulars and the beats of the DJ. There are platforms everywhere with men dancing in next to nothing for atmospheric purposes. Barmen walking around with shots of sweet and sour who-knows-what-just-drink-it making life easier when you're in the middle of the dance floor, want a drink, but have not want to swerve through the masses to the bar. Convenience at it's finest. There is a coat check - because everyone ends up naked somehow at the end of the night, and an ATM since the bars are CASH ONLY. An extremely accommodating place to function. Oh, also, yes, cover on the popular nights, but well worth the $5-$10. Go to Castro, go to Cafe, grab a pizza after, and turn up at home. Sounds like a solid friday. read more

OK. So used to party at The Cafe every Tuesday back in the day. I hadn't been to The Cafe in about 3 years when a friend told me about 2 for 1 drinks ALL DAY on SUNDAYS! Ummmm did I hear 2 for 1 drinks are being sold all day long?!? So I rushed out of church (no judgement lol) threw on some tight clothes and caught Bart to the city. As soon as I got The Cafe there were 2 dudes passed out in the bushes across from the entrance. I paid my $2 entry fee and headed up stairs! OMG! It was off the @#$%& hook! The bartenders were prompt with mixing drink orders, not to mention they were extremely generous with the liquor portions. The next thing I knew I was shirtless and dancing with some drag queen (awesome). The DJ played a good mix of techno, hip hop, pop and salsa so everyone was satisfied. Then I realized that there is a grill onsite serving cheeseburgers, hotdogs, hotlinks, fries and other snacks for $2 each! ...I shamelessly ate not 2 but 3 burgers before heading back to the dance-floor to shake my ass some more! ...I now visit The Cafe 1 Sunday per month! LOL read more

Had a great time here. It was a nice fun crowd and a good mix of ethnicities and gay/straight. The cover charge was only $5 which was well worth it. We got to the club about 10:30 pm. The music was okay, nothing really danceable but around 12 am it got packed and that's when the hip hop / top 40 music started, loved it! Non-stop dancing after that, could barely move it was so crowded but it didn't matter because we were having so much fun. The dancers on the stage were really entertaining, especially the ones right out of the crowd. I didn't really drink much but I did have one of the watermelon jolly rancher shots which was super weak. It was only $2 so no big deal. The restrooms were good, real short wait and pretty clean for a packed club. No toilet seat covers though, not fun stumbling around tipsy in a small stall trying to fashion one out of toilet paper. With that being said I can't wait to go back! :) read more

Club is fun. The coat check is a mess. If you do choose to pay the $3 to check your coat be sure to get your own ticket (don't try to help them out and put multiple coats on one ticket) because at the end of the night they'll make you wait outside for your friend who has the ticket to get your coat. Not so fun when it's raining out....Also the line for the coat check is super long at the end of a night so you'll have to wait a bit. Other than that super disappointing experience, it's a fun place! read more

Such a cool place!! We saw a Selena performer live and she was amaaazing. Junior and Chadwick were very nice at the front door, Thanks to them we had a great night! Fun and cute place read more