The Oasis is so much fun! Everyone who works there is very friendly and gracious. Cocktails are…read morecreatively mixed and served elegantly. They have some of the best shows, and the ambience of the club is perfect for theater, music, comedy and of course, DRAG! . I just saw Back In Business, San Francisco native Matthew Martin's amazing cascade of classic characters, from a 70's Susan Hayward to a classic Judy Garland! It was a very well done show. Matthew Martin is amazingly talented and funny. Costumes were on point- well done and easy to recognize the characters he seamlessly transformed into. Loved his witty rapport with the audience as Bette Davis or whatever form he shape-shifted into. I'm not sure which was my favorite, but Kate Hepburn (from Lion In Winter) and Peggy Lee were at the top of my list!

Always a fun and safe time. My friend really had to use the restroom and everywhere had an insane…read morecover for Folsom. Roberto and Tito were so great and made me and my friend feel very comfortable while we were waiting. We came later on in the evening and they were really kind and let us in right before last call. Great service, exciting, and very comfortable. Would highly recommend and will always be back.

Now, this is the place! Walked in, Jocelyn behind the bar, great music coming from the juke, and…read moreit's 10am! Haven't been to this bar for awhile but it's still a welcoming oasis on Polk St. Good vibes, fun conversations, and even a couple of pool tables to satisfy the "Hustler" in ya, so ahead and walk in through the swinging western style doors and Belly up to the bar boys (and gals) it's a nice ride at the Cinch!

Wish there were more gay bars like the cinch in SF. Always feels very welcoming, the bartenders are…read morepersonable, people are social. I live on opposite side of town but I try to come hang when I can.

My husband and I visited Power House on Saturday and, as always, had a fantastic experience. From…read morethe moment we arrive, everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming, creating an amazing atmosphere that makes us feel right at home. One of the highlights is the backroom, which is always a lot of fun and adds to the unique energy of the venue. We consistently have a great time whenever we visit, and the service is excellent every time. Power House is a place where we always enjoy ourselves, and we look forward to coming back again and again. Highly recommended!

This place is unbeatable especially on a Folsom St. party weekend. Lots of bar tenders & attentive…read morestaff; however, it took over 30 minutes to get my coat checked in. Too many out of towner's last night so I left before midnight as u could barely move an inch let alone dance or hook up. Will always go back any way but out of towner boys be warned u r on my turf!! Rude dickheads but also locals who know better.

I have yet to update my last review. A lot of things have changed but some of the former bartenders…read morestill remain. Matthew my old time favorite is still there and I'm always happy to see him. He is super fun to hang but also enjoy his delicious cocktails. Vinny is my new favorite, still looking forward to my smash brother game against him but lovely charming man. Excited to be back soon.

Very Nice gaybar in Castro, very friendly Staff and fair prices also lifemusic and gogodancersread more

Came here on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed! There was only one bartender working,…read moreand he was slinging drinks, which was especially impressive since he was making real cocktails. The menu had a good amount of specialty cocktails, plus they could make most other traditional drinks as well. Our group of 4 all ordered different drinks and really liked what we got. The space was on the smaller side, so we were a little cramped standing by the door, but it still had good vibes and fun music! Would definitely come back here if I found myself in the area and wanted a drink at a fun bar!

Wonderfully cozy neighborhood bar. There's a cute fireplace in the evenings and it's a nice mix of…read morenew and regulars. Great bartenders (shoutout to John!) who make great drinks and are very helpful with choosing a drink. It's a little bit off the main row of the bigger gay bars and clubs on Market, but worth going to for something more low key and neighborly

Absolute fun. Bartenders are so attentive and friendly. Totally enjoyed all the sexy duds. The…read moremusic was really bumping. Loved the oldies.

Horrivle bartender wouldn't serve me a drink because I asked too many questions, he should be…read morefired. They told me I'm straight and don't belong here gays only. I give this a zero review the shame I felt being straight was horrivle nobody talked to me and it was gross anybody rejected me. They r worse than I thought

i loved it i got Eiffel Towerrd in the bathroom 1000 recommendatied drinks were good amazing overallread more

I genuinely do not know whether this place is supposed to be a nightclub, a poorly supervised…read morebasement party, or a social experiment designed to test how much filth and bad music one person can tolerate before leaving. If you are coming here expecting a classy San Francisco night out, lower your expectations immediately. Then lower them again. The place was dirty, smelled absolutely awful, and had none of the polish you would expect from a supposedly established nightlife venue. There was no real premium bottle service experience, no impressive top shelf liquor presentation, and absolutely nothing about this place made me feel like I was somewhere upscale. And apparently personal boundaries are optional here, because I repeatedly turned around and saw people openly engaging in sexual activity. I came here to have a drink and dance, not accidentally attend an unsanitary live performance every time I looked in a different direction. The smell deserves its own paragraph. It was BAD. Not "nightclub at the end of the evening" bad. I mean the kind of smell that makes you question the ventilation system, the cleaning schedule, and every decision that brought you through the front door. I genuinely do not know how people stay inside long enough to dance without asking themselves, "What exactly am I breathing right now?" Speaking of dancing, that brings me to the DJ. What was that? The music was so painfully bad that at some point I became convinced someone was playing a prank on the entire building. Song after song, I kept waiting for the night to finally start. It never did. Whoever was controlling the music managed to take a room full of people who came out to party and create the musical atmosphere of a punishment. San Francisco has incredible nightlife. There is absolutely no reason to spend your night suffering through this. The bartender who helped me was actually very nice, so I will give him credit. He was probably the highlight of the entire experience. Security, on the other hand, was another story. The attitude and overall experience only made the place feel even more unpleasant. Between the horrible smell, questionable cleanliness, lack of an upscale bottle service experience, bizarre atmosphere, and DJ set that felt like an act of revenge against music itself, I left wondering why I had not gone literally anywhere else. If your idea of nightlife is elegance, great drinks, good music, and an environment where you can enjoy yourself without witnessing things you never asked to see, do yourself a favor and choose another venue. There are too many great places in San Francisco to voluntarily spend your night here. One star for the bartender. The rest of the place needs prayer, bleach, ventilation, and a new DJ.

I have really loved coming here, but over time I feel like it's kind of lost its spark. I took a…read morebreak from going and noticed that the room where the DJ used to be has these decorations from the ceilings that seem out of place. I hope they'll remove them, honestly. I wanted to write a review after visiting Gossip Grill in San Diego because it was so lively there. I think it's less busy here now, but don't know exactly why or if I'm just imagining it. I love playing at the pool table when it's only two bucks and have had a lot of fun playing with other people who I'm just meeting for the first time. I think I would give this place another star if the music were more consistent. It's subjective to me, but I didn't enjoy the DJs that were playing EDM music/mixes. I've been here many times, but of all the bars I've been to in the past, which I'll say is not many or too often, the music was not great here. Regardless, the past two or three times I've brought friends here, I really actually had a really great time. It wasn't super crowded and I had the breathing room and space to talk with my friends and fiancé more. The bathrooms were easy to access. Amazingly, even when it's slow, they'll have dancers up on the bar, which is always cool to see. I saw a Meetup group that was here recently, if you're interested in finding them to check the bar out with.

I went for kpop night and it was LIT! Tickets were $15 cash at the door or $10 online (didn't know…read moreif we were going or not so didn't get them early, unfortunately). We went a little early so we didn't see much movement until around 11 or so. Drinks were a little expensive at around $20 each (tip included) but were tasty and the bartenders were so friendly and fun. Music was great, though the music variety was a little lacking. Though it was kpop night I thought I heard the same artist throughout the whole night. I didn't try the food, though there was an instant ramen bar and boba. My favorite part was the decor, which was very tasteful. I felt safe there and loved the drag show. I saw there was a 90's-00's pop night so I'll definitely hit it up again!

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

IS THIS A PHONE STEALING FACTORY OR A CLUB???? LMAO. I haven't been here since pre-COVID, and…read morehonestly 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!

I was visiting solo from Hawai'i this past weekend and wanted to find something fun to do on Friday…read morenight. The Stud was hosting Yala Papa: The Gay Latin x Middle Eastern Masquerade Party. Seemed like what I was looking for but I can sometimes have anxiety about going to bars or clubs by myself, especially in an unfamiliar city or unfamiliar location. I reached out to the event's organizers and was really touched and impressed by the personal, thorough response they provided. Friendly, helpful, affirming. More than I would typically expect from an informal email asking a bar about a party. We exchanged a few emails (I had many questions!) and all replies were pleasant and helpful - above and beyond, honestly - and made me feel comfortable and welcome. My anxiety dissipated and I was able to get myself to the event. Once there, I found the staff at the door and at the bar equally friendly, welcoming and helpful. Loved the bar, loved the music, loved the masquerade, loved the belly dance belt! I had an amazing time that night, even though I was solo, and experienced nothing but fun. A really amazing crew. I will recommend The Stud to anyone who asks for SF bar suggestions. And I will be back on my next visit. Thank you for your kindness and warmth.

The Stud is back. It was hard to miss at its old location at the corner of 9th and Harrison because…read morethat's where everybody turned right to drive through the city. But its doors shuttered in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Now it's back relocated to the space that I fondly remember as Julie's Supper Club. It's still a good size space with multiple rooms, a second bar, and a patio. I came by early in the evening during their soft opening phase. There wasn't any prominent signage, and I just walked in to see just a handful of customers at the bar. I got a smoothly spiky $11 Tequila Sunrise which I took with me as I walked the space (photo: https://yelp.to/J-XZJEOVHj). They were still setting up, and I was having flashbacks to the fabulous drag shows they used to hold, in particular, Trannyshack hosted by the late, great Heklina. I still remember a classic Judy-Barbra duet that had me in tears. I look forward to seeing more shows here. Refreshingly, it's run by a cooperative which is probably why it survives today. DRINKS - 4 stars...a nice pour AMBIANCE - 5 stars...spacious enough for appropriate cavorting SERVICE - 5 stars...everybody's so happy to be here TOTAL - 5 stars...The Stud is BACK! RELATED - Exploring western SoMa? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2H0vGTV