Apartment 24 Club / Lounge

North Beach / Telegraph Hill, San Francisco –

Looking to create an island of sophistication within the sea of strip joints that line the surrounding blocks, owners designed Apartment 24 as their version of a rock star’s private pad. In this case, that means minimal décor throughout the small space – apparently rock stars don’t like clutter – with a sleek wooden bar, bare ceilings, and large mirrors set between trippy metallic wallpaper.

A realistic image of the San Francisco skyline backdrops the bar, with built-in lights that make the city appear to change from dusk to dawn throughout the evening. One thing that doesn’t change is the crowd, consistently made up of dapper young clubbers looking to be seen and college-aged revelers looking for an excuse to dress up.

A pair of VIP areas provides the bottle service set a place to relax, with low white couches surrounded by draping gold chains offering views of the cozy DJ-led dance floor, while a small catwalk attracts both sly voyeurs and boisterous birthday girls to shake their stuff after a few too many cocktails.

Promotional events often change weekly, but most include entry discounts or drink specials for guests who call ahead or drop in before 10pm – probably because by 11pm, it can be difficult to find space to dance, let alone sit down.

Combining luxury and sophistication with a little bit of thrift, Apartment 24 is definitely a party worth crashing.