Very Nice Gaybar in Castro, fair prices and very friendly Staff, Mixed public from sf and visitors read more

Badlands - Bar - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

IS THIS A PHONE STEALING FACTORY OR A CLUB???? LMAO. I haven't been here since pre-COVID, and honestly I had a great experience until my phone and wallet were stolen. On Pride weekend. Wow. Badlands is either willfully ignorant of this rampant issue or potentially complicit -_- I get that there's always been a bit of a seedy grungy vibe, but the insane amount of pickpocketing at this location is just absurd. All this security and surveillance for WHAAATTTTT PROS: - Cheap and decent drinks - Throwback music + Top 40s always - Staff are super friendly but now IDK if that's a front to lower your defenses - Security line goes pretty fast considering how packed it was CONS: - Not ventilated at all. It's HUMID and the mirrors are fogging up with steam - Need to take a photo before entry for "protection" but this is baffling considering our current administration and LGBTQ safety overall - Very grimy... I hoped they'd improve this since reopening - WELL, the glaring pickpocketing issue lol. The DJ halfheartedly mentioned to watch out for pickpockets mid-set, but by the end of the night, EVERY OTHER GROUP we passed by had someone saying something like "my phone/wallet's gone!", easily 20+ people. Meanwhile, the staff is roughly pushing everyone out with complete disregard to the panic Thankfully I'm able to replace everything with little inconvenience and wasn't too stressed in the moment, but now seeing the other reviews how this has been a regular occurrence for them for years (and targeting women/femmes also...), this is ridiculous. I went to the Sac Badlands for years and nothing like this has ever happened. If you want to risk coming here, present as male or use a phone tether I guess! read more

Great music and drinks. There's a dance floor. Service is excellent. Music slaps here! Great vibes! Highly recommend with my most respectful regards. read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came on a Saturday night for some fun and vibes. The music is nice to sing along to since they play some well-known tracks. Good variety too between pop and hip hop. Cover was $20, and drinks run ~ $20 as well. I'm not sure how controlled entry / exit is, but around midnight it was fairly cramped, think body to body with everyone... The disco ball and fans were also super dusty - when's the last time these were cleaned?! Ventilation here is also pretty bad, and that includes smoke collecting on the inside. It was overall a hot and steamy experience, but not in *that* way... read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The name says it all... we went Saturday night. Super packed - line waiting to get in. Cover charge is $20 ?! Fine. Got in, stood by the bar and ordered drinks, everytime we turn around our drinks are gone. Either the bartenders were super "efficient" or some other customers stealing drinks.... read more

I've stopped by the new, renovated Badlands a few times since they reopened in October. Since I visited early in the evening. I was struck by how empty it was compared to the likes of 440 Castro and Midnight Sun, both teeming with customers at the same time. I wondered if it had anything to do with the bar's checkered history. It had been closed for three years due to COVID-19 but prior to that, was a leading Castro bar for 45 years, in particular, as a video dance bar. Yeah, undulating shirtless to Duran Duran was definitely not me. However, the controversy back then was related to allegations of racial discrimination. Since ownership is still the same, there may be lingering ill feelings. However, there appears to be an ongoing shift in ownership, not 100% but hopefully an improvement. It looks like they spent a few shekels on the big dance floor in the back. The Happy Hour deal here is "Buy one, get the second for $1". Not quite 2-4-1 but close enough and certainly potent with $11 Tequila Sunrises (photo: https://yelp.to/VpV_4bGenA). The bartenders have been different with each visit, but they've all been good guys. DRINKS - 4 stars...best at Happy Hour and potent enough AMBIANCE - 4 stars...good job on the renovation SERVICE - 4 stars...Adrian, Carl, and Braeden were all fine TOTAL - 4 stars...recovery from its checkered history hopefully will give way to a more popular gathering spot RELATED - Exploring the Castro? Here's my collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2HrpFPC read more

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Great music, strong drinks and they play the music videos on the floor! What isn't a girl to love?!

I have been here three times. All three times, the girls I have been with have had their purses opened and phones stolen. Management does not care. There is clearly a recurring issue that the employees do not care about. If you are going to come here leave your phones at home. The club has so much potential but it's completely ruined by not being a safe space for women read more

I've never once had a bad experience here!!! The bartenders are always sooooooo nice and so attentive, the bouncers are on top of it, the vibe is so high energy and welcoming, and the cocktails are always sooooooo fun and amazing!!!! I always come back no matter what other bars or clubs I end up going to, Badlands is just always a vibe! Whether it's just for drinks or for dancing I always bring friends here if they're new to the area, and my local friends and I come here as often as we can! Great place to hang out for chats and amazing cocktails in the early evening, great place for dancing in the late night hours! read more

Badlands - Love their buy one drink get another for $1 deal!!!! - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Awesome video bar with screens all over and no cover except Friday and Saturday. Good vibe and great music. Buy one get one free happy hour from 4-8pm and Wednesday nights are half off drinks if you're in underwear. Tuesday is latin night with drag show at 11pm. The bartenders are friendly and hot! read more

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I've been going to this place since 2001. I went last night, and again noticed that space needs a lot of attention on the cleanness . All the mirrors so dirty . All the windows needs cleaning as well. The fans too. Its interior would benefit hugely if it could get painted. The paint job on the doors and wall are the end. I have a very detail oriented cleaning/ organizing business. I could definitely collaborate there to help improve it's appearance. My people would do all the things that their cleaning crew is not doing. Much light, peace and love . read more

Went to this club recently -- the staff was super friendly and the drinks were actually really good. Atmosphere was lively and we had a decent time... until I realized my phone and wallet had been stolen. Really disappointing that something like this happened. I get that clubs can get busy, but security should be tighter, and there should be more awareness around pickpocketing. If you're planning to go, just make sure to keep your belongings secure. Don't let your guard down, even if you're having fun. A good night can turn sour really quickly. The place called "Badlands" and I actually got a bad landing! read more

OH-THE Castro BADLANDS?! Say less. You meant the legendary SF dive where the floor's sticky, the gays are unhinged, and the pop girlies scream through the speakers at 1:30 a.m. in their final form?? BABE, I'm gagged. I was over here building you a cinematic dystopia when you were talking about the gay mecca itself. read more

Something really needs to be done to protect people in this place! My iPhone was stolen right from my bag last night...and we found out that so many others were targeted too. After coming on here to look at reviews I can see that this happens ALL THE TIME!!! Especially to women. Really awful as it's a horrible experience and truly devastating when this happens to you. Put your phone in an internal zipped pocket and literally never get it out. There's definitely regular pickpockets or something fishy going on here... read more

Not a bad bar at all. It is actually one of the busier club/bar mix ups that competes (and supercedes) Beaux. Every night I come here before 10pm to get my $5 dollar stamp and then go back to The Mix to mingle and make friends and them come back here around 11:30pm to dance with new friends. Just be watchful, the people can be a little dodgy (less so than Beaux). I have seen people get their purses stolen on the dance floor, so pack light and just be careful. Pretty ok atmosphere, can get a little wild than most bars sometimes and is really packed on weekends but its definetly a good time, one you just have to be ready for. Will always come back here so long as they keep the enterance the way it is. Def a fan favorite and growing buisness in Castro. Thanks, Badlands! read more

Badlands, is the one of the must goes if you visit the Castro for the gay bars. Definitely recommend starting here, because the drinks are the cheapest, there's plenty of seating, and bathrooms. Great place to drink, hang, or dance. The space is exceptionally large and has a great layout depending on what you want to do, drink, dance, or talk. It's one of the few gay bars that also has a dance floor where you can have a conversation. The only knock on badlands is that it can draw in a bit less demure crowd at times, but it's cheap and I enjoy the less pretentious crowd anyways. Music is very classic gay, with new gay music, and very straight forward without a ton of remixes, so if you like pop songs as they are, you'd like badlands. read more

BEWARE OF THEFT AND PICKPOCKETING... I truly believe the entire bar is aware, and it's a part of their bigger sting operation. How is it possible they can check bags at the front, check IDs with proper machines, take transactions, all while saying they can't stop or check people's bags as they are leaving? The bouncers were rude asf and uncooperative. This night, they managed to steal 8-9 phones in total, including some wallets and a passport. This bar needs to be reported IMMEDIATELY TO SFPD. read more

Phone was stolen from my pocket. Not a safe environment for anyone. The manager proceeded to blame me for not being attentive of my property, although I wouldn't have noticed it missing if I wasn't attentive. I tracked my phone as it was leaving the Castro and it pinged in LA the next day. They nor the security make any effort to create a safe environment for their patrons. read more

I want to share that yesterday afternoon (August 28, 2025) I had a very upsetting and aggressive experience with the bartender who was on duty at that time. Around 4:30 p.m., I went with three colleagues to show them the place, since I had visited before and the service had been excellent. Unfortunately, one of my friends drank too much and at first she was sick in the restroom, then later near a trash bin by the men's restroom. I approached the bartender and politely asked for a bag while trying to help my friend. At no point did she make a mess outside or damage any area of the bar. I was trying to manage the situation patiently because I didn't want us to leave right away, but my friend was taking her time. We weren't disturbing anyone in fact, there were maybe only 7 people in the bar. Suddenly, the bartender came over in a rude and aggressive manner, telling us we had to leave immediately, and that if we didn't, he would call the police. His tone was loud, disrespectful, and confrontational. As the only man in the group, I couldn't just abandon my friend, who is a woman and clearly needed help. I asked the bartender for a little more time, but he became even more hostile. Eventually, I managed to get her outside and sit her on the sidewalk. One of the bar's customers came out to help us and even apologized for the bartender's behavior, even though he had nothing to do with it, which shows he too felt uncomfortable about the lack of empathy. I leave this review hoping that the staff at this place especially the bartender who was working yesterday can be taught to have a bit more empathy. While my friend is an adult woman who made a mistake by drinking more than she should, things like this can happen to anyone. And in moments like these, empathy and respect are crucial especially toward women, who are often the most vulnerable in these situations. Respect and understanding are among the most important values a human being can have read more

Shake your tail feathers any night of the week! Our group made it there on a Sunday evening and enjoyed dancing and drinking to the poppiest tunes! read more

I used to love this place because the vibes and music are great, and there's a good amount of space. But last week I had my phone and cards pickpocketed from my purse. When I asked the bouncer if anyone returned it, he said "no, there's already been 3 phones stolen tonight." What!!! Then he hurried us out because it was closing time. Neither him nor the bartender took my information. read more

Doesn't look any different than it did 10 years ago and we weren't even able to get on the dance floor. Bathrooms still stink but they somehow feel the need to charge $15 cover. That's the most expensive cover at the Castro. I can't. Definitely not worth it. Save your money and eat tacos at the corner of Chevron instead. read more

Bearded bouncer denied us entry because we wouldn't let him take pictures of us on his personal phone, even though we were willing to show two forms of government ID in case he had any doubts, but it clearly wasn't about that. It was so pervy and creepy and we will never go back here. We went to The Edge for some great music and dancing and to Twin Peaks Tavern for a lovely lounge moment. read more

Badlands - Bearded bouncer who demands to take pictures of you on his personal phone so you can come in to a bar. - Dance Clubs Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've gotten my phone stolen here twice in the past month. NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN. Both of my phones pinged in china and are being sold in the black market, this bar has an inside job going on. Ladies don't come here it's not safe! Ive contacted the authorities. read more

Get there early! Line was long over the weekend but a fun place to dance. If you get a chance get two drinks to avoid the wait.... lol!

We came here for a 49'ers event the place was clean and organized we socialized a bit the niners won! Bar staff were friendly & the drag queens were entertaining and pretty. Oh Music was good in between plays read more

I don't go out very often for cocktails. When I do it's usually with friends. I went out recently in the afternoon on Friday or Saturday I believe it was. The had nicest bartender there. I think his name was Karl. He was polite, happy and talkative. It made my day when he asked " how is your day going?" He didn't use the word Sir, thank goodness. Sir makes me feel old. Thanks for people like Karl working in Castro read more

Beware of pickpockets. I had my wallet stolen out of my purse as I was talking to a friend. I thought I locked all of my cards last night, but I guess I forgot one of them. I got hit with a ton of fraudulent transactions from someone trying to buy several $100 Target gift cards in Richmond. Don't live there. Don't have any friends that do. Overall awful experience. read more

I love badlands so much, but some of the bouncers are super fucking sketchy. After waiting in line for 15 minutes they said the only way my two girl friends could get in was if they took photos of them but they didn't take a photo of me or other people in front of us read more

This place takes photos of customers' drivers licenses for what? sell to who? Dirty place... it stinks and inside the bathrooms there is excessive drug consumption and not to mention the employees who stay in the bathrooms touching customers' private parts without permission and when they refuse to let them touch them... they call the security guard and say that the customer is causing problems... I saw this happen three times in the same night... besides being very rude to the Latin people at the entrance... disgusting place... I really don't recommend it... the best places in the Castro are Club Beaux and The café... I definitely recommend these. ZERO STARS FOR THIS PLACE. read more

Music and employees. New dj the music is not fun and the employees very very very, need new dj

Tonight was a weird experience and certainly not a queer one which is obviously out of pocket for the Castro. First, there's one bathroom for men and then another bathroom for men and women. Understandably this is a gay man bar and it doesn't cater to the other queer counterparts or queer women whatsoever. Anyways, waiting in line with my gf to go pee and then at 1:50am they start kicking people out viscously. The security guard was so abrupt, so rude, extremely pushy and quite obviously straight. It's not even 2am and I'm getting bumped in the chest by some hetero dude while I'm telling him I'm just waiting for my gf to go P. He's like, straight this way straight this way keep moving and physically pushing me with his body and hands. I understand the need to clear the space and here's my feedback: Hiring straight staff for body guards. Really? You can't recruit well enough to get queer people to police your queer clientele? Also you don't have a female dedicated bathroom? The lesbians or female presenting people or those that just want to sit to pee, there's not a dedicated space for them. Get with the times. The Castro will soon be a shared space for all gays and not just a dude Mecca. The Castro has long been a haven for cocks, and soon they will rightfully have to give up SOME of their space to other queer individuals especially lesbians. Literally every other bar does this, but Badlands is still stuck in the olden days. And their security is straight as hell and rude as fuck. I'm in highschool all over again. Never seen that at a bar in SF until tonight. Won't be returning and I'll spend my money elsewhere until Badlands wakes the F up. For example, I was at Beaux earlier and all their staff including their bouncers were queer and hospitality was present. Badlands is weird and slimely, def better places to spend your gay $ instead of putting it in the pockets of straight a holes. read more

****PUT A DAMN FAN IN THERE FOR CIRCULATION**** Was there this past weekend, it was hot and there was no air conditioning or fan to circulate some of the air. Also, the drinks are charged differently from each bartender which is weird. The cover charge scam!!!! Roughly around 10 the cover charge is $10, then the cover charge around 11pm is $15 and then around midnight it's $20. You can clearly see the 2 different prices on each paper. Not even Weho charges for regular nights. The gay scene in SF is getting ridiculous with the cover charges. read more

have you read that bar's past history? The bar's owner had instructed the door man to ask black men entering the bar to open their wallets to prove they had money and there was a separate set of admission policies for black and white people. And that's the REAL Castro. read more

We ended up here twice on the Saturday night of our stay in San Fran. We came here earlier in the evening, and then as other bars seemed to be dying out we returned as we'd already paid the cover and had the stamp to get back in. This place has a well-stocked bar and a fun dance area with some unique lighting built into the walls along with video screens. Our biggest issue was that they didn't call last call, we went to the bar and ordered drinks, and before we could even get 2 gulps from them, the bouncer and security staff started loudly ordering everyone out for the night and pushing everyone toward the door. They weren't offering plastic "to go" cups or any way for patrons to take drinks with them, so our only option was to quickly gulp down the nearly full drinks we'd just ordered moments before the ugly lights came on. Not good. read more

Laid back Saturday late afternoon. Local wateringhole where neighborhood Gay patrons gather. Full service bar manned by a fun, friendly, loopy, dark ginger bartender welcomed us in a warm, gay manner. The back of the club has a dance floor that also acts as a performance space. One of the few Gay bars in the Castro which was once known as "Boys' Town. Come out & support a Gay space where you can meet others in real time, face to face interaction. read more

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This club has always been seedy but tonight was another level. I was waiting for my ride and a man came over from the parking lot across the street claiming to be my uber driver, though I had not ordered an uber. He was trying to convince me to come to the parking lot with him and I yelled at him to go away. The badlands bouncer watched all of this happen and did nothing. I reported this to the bouncer after it happened because I was worried about it happening to other people, and the bouncer told me there was nothing he could do. This club clearly does not care about what happens to its patrons. Besides this incident, I've had friends get pick pocketed in this club multiple times. And the music is trash - all pop from 15 years ago with terrible transitions. Just all around a terrible spot, if you're looking for a gay club in sf you're better off at toad hall or oasis. read more

I haven't gone out to a gay club in awhile, I think the last time was 6 years ago and I totalled my friends car driving back home from weho because the front tire popped on the freeway and it spun out. The speedometer wasn't working so I wasn't too sure how fast I was driving either. Anyways, it was super full inside for a Sunday night, probably cuz presidents day was the next day. They hand you a flyer before you go inside warning you that people will jack your phones, hellooo were in the city everyone . The floor is extra sticky here not sure from what, its super humid and everyone's dancing. They play a really fun mix of upbeat top 40s etc. It gets really raunchy in here so be prepared, there may or may not be people doing lines in the toilet. I always have tons of fun in gay clubs because I feel so much safer, how sad. Great place to come and dance!! read more

For LGBTQIA+/discreet patrons, they will take your photo at the door without permission or consent. Please be aware.

I'm so glad that she is back in business! Before Grindr, there was Badlands. In fact forget Grindr! Get yourself down to Badlands. I'm an okay looking guy. But in my three hours of hanging out here, a cute guy gave me his number without me asking and two other guys wanted to take me home. This place is awesome. When I first came out of the closet after college, this was the place to be. I have so many great memories of Badlands and I took her for granted. Never again! I will try to support this place as much as I can. I came here tonight (Friday) and the two for one was in effect (you buy one drink and the other one is free). The pour was strong and the bartender was lovely and flirtatious. He said I was pretty. I made sure to tip him generously. The dance floor was cleaned up and the wall by the dance floor has been updated, in fact Badlands is much cleaner than I remember. read more