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    DNA Lounge

    3.2 (871 reviews)
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    Updated over 3 months ago

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    The Middle Aged Queers record release party at DNA Lounge (upstairs).
    Wolf H.

    The DNA Lounge has been a San Francisco venue since the mid-'80s known for its wild mix of live music, goth nights, burlesque, and late-night dance chaos. Originally, it was a leather bar called "Chaps" when it opened in 1985. It was bought by a Netscape techbro in 1999 and reopened in 2001 as the DNA Lounge. Since then, it has become something of a legend. Ok, enough history. I went to the DNA to catch a favorite local punk band. The Middle Aged Queers were having a record release party. This was being held in the upstairs room, which I had no idea existed. The upstairs has a small stage and room for maybe 50 people. It even has it's own full bar. Acoustics were pretty good with a real sound engineer keeping it that way. Nice and loud but without breaking your ear drums. The community of patrons hanging around outside smoking cigs and eating pizza was really chill. I made new friends who had come all the way from Sacramento for the show. Very friendly crowd that is typical of our local punk community at the shows. The staff were efficient and friendly. A rocking good bartender and friendly door staff. The pizza being served by the slice was "good enough" and reasonably priced. No complaints. Plenty of street parking on a Sunday night.

    Mortified event/ stage
    Annabelle R.

    This nightclub and event space turned out to be better than I expected. Attended the Mortified "Doomed Valentine's Day" show this past weekend. The line to get in went quickly with no problems or delays at security nor at the ticket counter to check in. Most of the seats for the event were reserved, though I came early enough to get a seat without paying the higher reserved seat ticket price. There were a few lounge/booth seats as well, and limited upstairs seating. The audio system and lighting were stellar here, clear and effective sound and stage lights for your viewing pleasure, and a practical layout, with bars on both levels. It never felt overcrowded or uncomfortable. A fun and casual atmosphere, lots of talent on stage and endless laughter from the audience throughout the evening. I loved the show, but the venue is part of what made it such a great experience.

    Dance floor and DJ
    Aylish T.

    I went for a special event (Gay Gaming Professionals) so I was grateful for free food and an amazing atmosphere provided by the event organizers & attendees. However, the actual venue isn't great. I liked the hidden lounges on the upper level and it's fun that they have an attached pizza place. But other than that... Definitely better suited for smaller crowds. The smoke machine on the upper level was so intense I literally could not see 6 inches in front of my face. So thick I was choking on the smoke. Drinks are standard overpriced SF fare but the most egregious is the cost of bag check. It's $5 per coat, $10 per bag regardless of size. I was expected to pay $25 for coat check, which is crazy. The cost check attendant was very nice but I was shocked at the cost. Also, the women's restroom only had 2 operational stalls and was rather dirty. I've been to some crazy warehouse gigs but the DNA Lounge presents itself as a nice modern club and doesn't deliver.

    Wrist where they were squeezing me and pinning down
    Jesus F.

    Went yesterday to the DNA lounge with a friend and my girlfriend, had a few drinks and they were not sitting well with me so I went to the bathroom to throw up and planned to leave once I was finished. After a while security goes into the bathroom and drags me out while I am still trying to throw up. As they're dragging me out I fall down near the exit and they drag me to the doorway scraping my elbow on floor leaving bruises. Once they get me out, there was six guards there, 3 pinning me down and 3 just watching. I tried to leave the venue but they were not letting me leave. My girlfriend tried to tell them that we were leaving and she would take me to the car but they were not letting me go instead they used more force whenever I tried to sit up, so I wouldn't throw up. They only agreed to let me go if my girlfriend would get the car and bring it back to the front of the venue. She went to get the car and in that time they were still pinning me down and talking amongst themselves "do you think she left him? Do you think she'll leave him? If she doesn't come let's call the cops?" My girlfriend came back and they finally let me go. I woke up with bruises on my wrist, elbows and neck pain from being pinned down and dragged down. A night out with girlfriend and friends ended with security guards on a power trip and treating me like a criminal. Update was just about get in the shower and once I took off my shirt I saw another bruise on my back and nail marks on my chest where they pinned me down

    Robert M.

    Great pizza, amazing drinks and staff, and you'll find the more edgy unusual performances there. It's a credit to San Francisco that this place is thriving.

    Jordyn B.

    This review has been a long time coming... oh boy. I've been going to DNA for about 6-7 years now, and it has surely gone downhill. The staff are just horrendous! Although I love everyone working at dna pizza (tasty) & at the ticket booths (super sweet) ... + the head of security as well being super dedicated and cool .. these other security guards are for sure on a power trip. I've had a friend of mine unfortunately s**ually harassed by a man , whilst his group of friends surrounded my group of girls and I , making us feel unsafe. He wouldn't stop touching her as she was clearly under the influence when all we wanted to do was sit down after dancing. How the security handled it? They kicked him out thankfully, but when everything was all said and done, we were also yelled at from a masculine presenting female security guard (who is new working there) to "move out of the fucking way" (waving her dirty rag towel at us) for her to clean a spill up at a table NEXT to us. We clearly weren't in her way but she has a tendency to redirect her anger onto the attendees. Not only that, at one other show she has screamed at me with a flashlight in my face saying "if I see you vaping one more time you're done here" -- how about you stop the men behind me from smoking that joint , huh? There were numerous amounts of people smoking inside (cigarettes, joints, vapes) but I guess she remembered my face and went for the jugular . Oh!! And not only that!! I was assaulted by a woman in their bathroom who broke the door down on my transgender girlfriend and I. I filed a police report the following morning. And? They told me without an officer actively there during the scene of the crime, they will refuse to give me security footage of that woman being there at the venue & being kicked out because of her hurting me. Even with an active police report , I still could not get the footage from them to help support my police report against this woman ... only having evidence of the wounds she's given me. This place used to be a safe space for me to dance and have fun with my friends, I come here at LEAST 2x a month since early 2017. I understand the vaping rule, I do, but you have your attendees vomiting, defecating, fighting allllll outside of the venue. What about them? Why not handle that? Then they are let back in?! You all handle things at this venue so horribly, it's shocking they are still up and running after COVID... I go to support my favorite local artists and gf to have a good time, but I have pure sheer anxiety just going to this venue alone. I never had this feeling towards DNA Lounge, ever. It sucks this all crumbled like a cookie.

    Ariana A.

    My experience at DNA Lounge was of being a performer for one of the themed nights, so my experience differs from a regular patron. I will just talk about what you can expect at the club. Parking: Right across the building is a Costco where after 8PM, you can purchase parking tickets for about $25. Free street parking is also available throughout the block. DNA is an average sized venue with the bar, dance floor, stage, and 2 VIP tables on the first floor. The second floor balcony also has a bar, VIP tables, and coat check. What's great about this place is that there is a pizza parlor, DNA Pizza, connected to the club, so of course I filled up on some pizza before getting a signature drink at the bar. Some events that DNA hosts, they are for all-ages, and others are 18+. The overall feel of the event I attended was very wholesome. I've been looking for a place that hosts pop themed nights, and their calendar lists upcoming One Direction nights, Taylor Swift nights, and more.

    Must be fully vaccinated and have proof of vaccination. QR code and/or physical copy only. Cannot be a picture of the physical card.

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    5 months ago

    Great high stage ... good lighting ... perfect size venue !!? Have never had a problem there !! Good sound ...decent food !!

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    1 year ago

    The DNA Lounge has been around forever. Excellent place to go with friends or to make new friends.

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    DNA Lounge Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - DNA Lounge

    What is their Camera Policy? Does the venue allow professional cameras inside for taking photos of the music events?

    not allowed without photo/media pass from venue given per event

    What is the dress code?

    Depends on the event. It's not a dressy place.

    Are there lockers?

    No, but there's a coat check.

    Is there a coat check?

    Yes, upstairs.

    When there's events like dec 14, are there cool rooms to dance in if you don't watch the show? is dec 14 18+?

    Yes Hubba Hubba is always 18+. No there's no rooms to dance in if you don't want to watch the show. It's a wonderful show, though.

    Can you pay cash or without a fee at the door? I see there's a $4 surcharge for buying online in advance

    Yes absolutely: however, tickets at the door are typically more expensive than tickets offered in advance online, so be sure to check which is a better deal.

    What's the deal with the water situation here? Do they not offer bottles of water?

    There are bottles of water for sale at each bar, or you can take advantage of the multiple free drinking fountains. In the upstairs room, "Above DNA," the fountain is located next to the bar. In the main room, there's a fountain directly outside of… Read more

    How do they differentiate 18-20 year-olds from 21+-year-olds here? Is it a different stamp for each or do only 21+ receive a stamp? How hard is it for an 18 year old to sneak booze?

    People usually drink booze out of the club, if under 21. If you’re planning on drinking and you’re “of age” they give you a bracelet so the bartenders know. They’re pretty good about it. You’ll get ID’d too.

    Is it 18+?

    Some events are 18 and over, some are 21 and over, some are all ages.

    View All 16 Questions

    Review Highlights - DNA Lounge

    I went for the first time for Death guild on Mondays, a sort of goth night with a lot of dance music.

    Mentioned in 36 reviews

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    Harlot

    Harlot

    3.0(950 reviews)
    1.4 miFinancial District, SoMa
    $$

    Harlot runs on the smaller end in terms of club sizes in SF. The place is very narrow, and given…read morehow many tables there are, I wouldn't really call it a dance club -- like you literally can't dance except for a small square space in front of the DJ. It's much better as a place to gather friends and drink. The music is overall pretty well-selected. It's not too mainstream, but also not too obscure where you're just questioning what's going on. You'll definitely want to be on your feet and feeling the beat.

    Originally had 5 stars but dropped down to 1 star after the disrespect the staff had with us. The…read morereviews are true, DO NOT go here during the evening time. Happy Hour is much better because the bouncer in the picture below is not present. Story: So my friend tells me their coworker is celebrating a birthday party here. I think, "great!" I come here for Happy Hour on Fridays and it will be a great time once again. It's about to be 1:00am and we're patiently waiting in line to get in. Harlot tells us there's a cover to get in but since a friend is having a birthday here and they have a table, we shouldn't have to pay. The bouncer tells us if the owner of the table comes out to collect us we can come in. After waiting for a while we just ask the bouncer if he can just check the table list for our names so that we don't have to wait for the friend. This is when the bouncer flips 180. He tells we not allowed in anymore and doesn't want to let us in. We think like you just promised us something else. He tells us we're being annoying and tells us to get out of the line. My friend gets real upset and asks why he changed it all up all of a sudden. This is when the bouncer picks up the rope dividers and starts pushing them towards us so that we move out of the line. We essentially don't move but the bouncer keeps edging closer with the ropes and it feels like he's trying to intimidate us with his height. Since we don't move bouncer puts his hands up to get us to move and makes contact with my friend. My friend flips out and doesn't understand what constitutes that kind of behavior from a bouncer. Look I understand that a bouncer's job is difficult having to deal with drunk people but I believe it's common courtesy to know not to put your hands on a customer. I'll take that your mad and frustrated any day but the fact that you have to resort to pushing an individual to get what you want is not ok. You originally had me at 5 stars but you are now down to 1 which has been rightfully deserved by the bouncer in the photo.

    Photos
    Harlot - Models on Table

    Models on Table

    Harlot
    Harlot

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    City Nights - Mortified event

    City Nights

    2.1(271 reviews)
    1.1 miSoMa
    $$

    Long gone are my teenage years of clubbing at the "18 and over" City Nights, but if anything can…read morebring me back to those days, it's Mortified. I attended the show at this alternate location in SF on Friday night, and had a blast as usual. The venue worked well for the event, for the most part. No balcony seating like the DNA Lounge (the usual spot for Mortified), but they had more bar height tables and chairs for couples on the side, and open seating both on the floor and along the back wall on a raised level of the main room. A small bar in the back corner too. Excellent lighting, and great view of the stage from anywhere. Technical difficulties occurred at multiple points of the event, related to the sound and screen display. They did short music clips in between readers' performances since there was no live band for this particular show. Sometimes the music volume would be excruciatingly loud, and at times the images were projected off the screen or were accidentally changed mid-performance. Can't speak of the nightclub atmosphere here, as it's been decades since I've experienced that. But based on my recent visit, I'd say the venue overall was decent for an event space, and even if not perfect, I still had a good time.

    If I could give this place zero stars I would. Guy at the door accused me and my friends of…read morebringing alcohol in when I literally just had a bottled soda. They were super super rude at the door and the music is all girly pop artists. I would love to hear some Bay Area rappers or even rap or r&b in general. They played Taylor swift? Who plays Taylor swift IN A CLUB?!

    Photos
    City Nights - Outside

    Outside

    City Nights - Lights above and screens (Mortified event)

    Lights above and screens (Mortified event)

    City Nights - Corporate event

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    Corporate event

    DNA Lounge - danceclubs - Updated May 2026

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