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111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-974-1719
http://www.111minnagallery.com An art gallery/nightclub/bar, this place shows films, hosts DJs, gets people drunk -- all in a sleek (read: Make sure you dress up) atmosphere where pretty people come to play.
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12 Galaxies
2565 Mission (at 22nd St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
http://www.12galaxies.com One of the few places left in the Mission District to see live music, it's the perfect two-floor venue to catch rock shows, innovative cabaret, burlesque, fashion, art, and DJ nights.
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222 Club
222 Hyde (at Turk)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-440-0222
http://www.222club.net This cozy yet charming club is hidden in the heart of the Tenderloin. In addition to its stellar lineup of DJs and club nights, the locale serves up booze and tasty bar food on the cheap. An irresistible place in an unappealing part of town to bring a date, unwind after work, or escape from that crackhead chasing you down Hyde Street.
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26 Mix
3024 Mission (at 26th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-826-7378
For when you want to lounge and for when you want to dance, 26 Mix has the best of both worlds. Its bar/lounge area thrives as a colorful spot to chill, while the dance floor and back room help release any pent-up energy.
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330 Ritch
330 Ritch (at Townsend)
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-541-9574
http://www.popscene-sf.com The former apex of the early '90s acid-jazz scene is now home to the long-running indie-pop weekly "Popscene" as well as salsa and hip-hop nights. Delicious food, dancing, and pool make this dark alley hideaway a hip hangout for the city's young and fabulous.
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440 Castro
440 Castro (at Market)
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-621-8732
http://www.the440.com It's a leather/bear/rough-trade kind of place for the older and manly kind of gay -- one of the last standing relics of the Castro's bygone days. Its Thursday weekly "CDXL," however, has the too-cool kids tearing the place apart to mash-up and disco beats.
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924 Gilman
924 Gilman (at Ninth St.)
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-524-8180
http://www.924gilman.org Dirty, covered by years of spray-painted graffiti, and home to every all-ages freak in the East Bay if youre looking for the epicenter of Bay Area punk, this is it. The 924 Gilman Street Project (aka Gilman Street or simply Gilman) was started by righteously fanatical punk zine Maximumrocknroll, so you know there wont even be a whiff of corporate rock to be found onstage here.
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Abbey Tavern
4100 Geary (at Fifth Ave.)
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-221-7767
http://www.abbeytavern-sf.com This Irish sports bar in the Inner Richmond features live DJs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. A mixture of pop, rock, ’80s, and dance music caters to a mostly collegiate crowd.
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The Ambassador
673 Geary (at Leavenworth)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-563-8192
http://www.ambassador415.com Monday to Saturday 6 p.m.-2 a.m.
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Amber
718 14th St. (at Church)
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-626-7827
The inviting, down-to-earth vibe of this place attracts local restaurant/bar workers to unofficial '80s, honky-tonk, and punk rock nights. Enjoy a Sidecar or an Amber Cocktail in the lounge-y barroom, which -- shhh! -- is one of the few spots in the city where you can still smoke.
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Amnesia
853 Valencia (at 20th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-970-0012
http://www.amnesiathebar.com Dark red, hypnotic light helps this tiny bar live up to its name, and its tall stage features everything from 20s-themed nights and rock to big-band jazz and experimental electronica.
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Amoeba Music
1855 Haight (at Stanyan)
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-831-1200
http://www.amoebamusic.com Come hear a band you should probably know about amidst thousands of CDs you should probably own at Amoeba's regular in-store concerts. A head-scratching variety of genres offers an awesome cross-section of today's music. Sound quality may suffer, but hey, such is indie rock.
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Ana Mandara
891 Beach
San Francisco, CA 94109
415-771-6800
http://www.anamandara.com
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Annie's Social Club
917 Folsom (at Fifth St.)
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-974-1585
http://www.anniessocialclub.com With more red and black accents than a deck of cards, Annie's is a surprisingly clean and colorful hotbed of punk rock. People can debate until dawn whether or not the venue — which lived previous lives as the Covered Wagon (a grubby hardcore saloon) and the Cherry Bar (a debauched lesbian sweatbox) — was better in earlier incarnations, but one fact remains indisputable: If you crave underground punk and heavy metal, Annie's holds a central position in the current San Francisco pantheon. As if that weren't enough, the photo booth, pool table, and "Punk Rock 'n' Schlock" karaoke den offer extra distractions between bands.
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Anú
43 Sixth St. (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-543-3505
http://www.anu-bar.com Low lighting, lounge seating, and the freshest electronica DJs rank Anú as a bona fide hot spot, despite its somewhat seedy location. Just be sure to try the bartenders' favorite cocktail, the Pink Bird.
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AsiaSF
201 Ninth St. (at Howard)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-255-2742
http://www.asiasf.com Although DJs at AsiaSF draw from a booming mix of R&B, house, salsa, and pop while the chefs serve up tasty treats, it's the "gender illusionists" -- the cross-dressing waitstaff -- who rank this inclusive, friendly restaurant as a swanky gay and lesbian hangout.
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Atlas Cafe
3049 20th St. (at Alabama)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-648-1047
http://www.atlascafe.net On Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons live music takes over this neighborhood coffee and herbivore-friendly sandwich shop, filling the place (and the inviting patio area) with a rotating array of the sounds of Americana, from blues to ragtime.
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The Attic
3336 24th St. (at Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-643-3376
The grittiness of your favorite dive bar and the sounds of your favorite DJ combine to create a great Mission District spot that transcends all trends.
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Aunt Charlie's Lounge
133 Turk (at Taylor)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-441-2922
http://www.auntcharlieslounge.com Boys, girls -- what's the diff? Guys become gals as part of Aunt Charlie's "Hot Boxx Girls" lip-sync show every Friday and Saturday night. Plus, "Tubesteak" is a favorite among the younger, insouciant crowd.
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Azul
1 Tilman (at Sutter)
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-362-9750
http://www.azul-sf.com Whether the music is Latin jazz or beat-bottom DJs, weekends transform Azul from weekday laid-back lounge to swank hot spot.