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Civic Center / Tenderloin, San Francisco, CA

Civic Center / Tenderloin, San Francisco, CA

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Rumor has it the name “Tenderloin” harkens back to the turn of the century, when local cops who patrolled the area received enough hazard pay to afford a choice steak. The city’s first major brothel opened here in 1899, and the present day finds city officials still bemoaning the unmistakable crowds of streetwalkers, drug dealers, and homeless camps.

Looking past the obvious grunge, however, visitors will discover that the Tenderloin and adjoining Civic Center are also one of the last holdouts in San Francisco’s rapid-fire gentrification.

On the food front, a strong Southeast Asian contingent ensures access to a number of authentic, and very cheap, restaurants for hungry visitors on a budget, while dive lovers enjoy a wealth of dingy dens – one even devoted specifically to transvestites – especially along Geary and Larkin Streets.

Yuppies haven’t been kept entirely at bay, however, as the area has also witnessed a surge of higher-end mixology spots and a smattering of swanky lounges for the hipster and high-society set, while prominent live theaters straddle the neighborhood’s boundary with Downtown.

For those less interested in Broadway-caliber productions at the Geary or Curran, the historic Great American Music Hall is often described by music lovers as the greatest concert venue in the city, and the long-standing Mitchell Brothers Theatre consistently ranks as home to the prettiest female strippers in town.

Walking alone through the Tenderloin is still not recommended, especially at night, but sampling its myriad nightlife options certainly is.

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What to Do in Civic Center / Tenderloin

Great American Music Hall

Alternative Music / Balcony

Party Earth Review Arguably the fanciest den of prostitution in town when it was built in 1907, these days the building that houses the Great American Music Hall hosts performers who are (usually) fully ... more

859 O'Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

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CHAMBERS eat + drink

Asian Food / Blouses / DJ / Dinner

Party Earth Review A genre-bending combination of lounge, poolside hotel bar, and high-end restaurant, CHAMBERS eat + drink is where haughty foodies, loud yuppies, and purposefully dorky hipsters all ... more

Phoenix Hotel
601 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

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Wilson and Wilson Private Detective Agency

20s / 30s / Cocktail Lovers

Reviewed by Jaclyn W.

"Usually detectives are the individuals you call upon for missing persons. In this case, it's the detective agency that is missing. Attached to a sis ..." more

505 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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The Warfield

All Ages / All Types / ATM / Casual

Party Earth Review It began life in the 1920s as a vaudeville theater, and though comedians and other live acts still perform at The Warfield, it is best known as an iconic music venue that has played ... more

982 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Jones

Ambient / Brunch / Cash Only

Reviewed by Jaclyn W.

"This place is great. Decent brunch and decent drinks. I recommend coming here with a huge group on a nice day. Although there is dance music playin ..." more

620 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Hemlock Tavern

30s / ATM / Acoustic / Affluent / Bar

Party Earth Review Situated on a popular stretch of Polk Street well-trod by barhoppers, Hemlock Tavern hosts bands, DJs, and Happy Hours every night. A large walk-around bar serves lots of PBR to the ... more

1131 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

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Bourbon & Branch

30s / 40s / Affluent / Ambient / Bar

Party Earth Review The word “speakeasy” may be bantered about a lot, but Bourbon & Branch has the distinction of operating in a location that actually was one – in the form of ... more

501 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Pandora Karaoke & Bar

30s / After Work / Ambient Jazz

Party Earth Review There’s no shortage of karaoke dive bars in San Francisco, but for those who want bottle service to go with their power ballads or sushi to supplement their show tunes, it doesn’t get ... more

177 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Brenda's French Soul Food

20s / 30s / 40s / Ambient Jazz / Jazz

Party Earth Review Seven days a week, come rain or come shine, long lines of patient patrons form outside Brenda’s French Soul Food, waiting for their names to finally be crossed off the chalkboard and ... more

652 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Rye

30s / 40s / Blazers / Casual / Couples

Rye - Cocktail Bar | Lounge in San Francisco.

Party Earth Review Tucked near the border of affluent Nob Hill and the decidedly non-affluent Tenderloin, Rye is a cozy cocktail lounge with a name alluding to whiskey but a menu far more generous to ... more

688 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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724Hookah

Casual / Chill / Conversational

Reviewed by Keaghan T.

"Went here for a birthday shindig with a few heads after scoping out hookah joints. We initially arrived as a party of two, and they wanted to charge u ..." more

724 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

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Tradition

30s / 40s / Ambient / Bar / Blazers

Party Earth Review An old-school cocktail den intended to celebrate the American bar, Tradition walks the line between a private tavern for SF’s coolest clientele and an in-vogue saloon for those who ... more

441 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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