Cat Club

Been there done that. Trip down memory lane from when I was a young misanthrope and would hang out at the World Beat Center in SD. Watch tormented youngins perform modern dance to Souxsie and the Banshees and the Cure. Very nostalgic. Might go back and do the time warp again someday.

One of the best dance clubs in the Country for Industrial, Gothic, New Wave and 80s dance music. Tons of great events and open at least 5 nights a week. Always a good time! Good friendly crowd, both newcomers and regulars feel welcome and at home here. Friendly DJs and staff. Love having 2 dance floors to go between. Admission and drinks are reasonably priced and sometimes even free admission for early arrival. Building has older warehouse feel which I think is great for industrial and retro themed music. Usually neither overcrowded nor dead and usually short or no wait to get in. Not fancy but great place to relax and have fun with your friends dancing to great music without being overcharged for admission and/​or drinks.

A POS bouncer threatened to kick me out for dancing with some random girl. I was not being sexually aggressive or even making her uncomfortable (just casually dancing). The dude was just mad because it was either someone he liked or his gf. I’m fine with backing off but the way he approached the matter was f’n stupid. I would’ve clocked him if it wasn’t my bday party and I was with people. A huge insecure a/​hole.

been here before a few times love the dj and sound system

This club has changed. The general attitude now (for the better themed nights) is comparable to the recent influx of naïve and carless tech money. The cover fees seem to change at the drop of a hat, depending on how hot you are and what you are wearing. This isn’t studio 54. Nice try though.

The Cat Club is a great club with different type of events going on every evening. The bar in the front of the club takes cash and cards. There is a minimum of $ 20 for credit cards. At the back bar, they only take cash. It’s a little strange, but be prepared. They also have an ATM at the front to grab some cash. In the front and back rooms, they have video screens which are in use. A great place to dance.

One of my favorite dive bars/​clubs in SF. The crowd is always there to just have fun, no pretentious people. Love people watching here too.
Drinks are good, bartenders have always been friendly. Love the 2 separate dance floors with different music. Always a good time!

Cool hang out. Sorta divey bar/​club with dance music and gothic bohemian décor. Drinks okay, music good to dance to. Interesting crowd. I was there on gothic night so black is the color as well as goth style make up. Goth rock blaring away with even some old Cure tunes. All good. Small cover but I got comped even better. Two bars, one in front and the other in back.

Very strange policy where you are only allowed to tip bartenders a preset amount. I wanted to tip 20.00…their system said 5.85. Had to involve two staff members to increase the tip… only to be told I was slowing them down and watch another bartender get yelled at for making another «bartend by themselves.»
I was told we startup folks don’t tip so the nominal tips are to make sure they don’t get screwed.
5.85 is protection? 5.85 is an APPALLING tip on 40 bucks.
Stop embarrassing us, fellow tech folk. We have the money.

I used to be a regular here back in the days (2002 – 2007) I moved to LA so I stopped coming to Cat Club. I had so many great drunken nights here, There used to be this chubby biker looking older dude with a grey beard, he was always super sweet. I think he was the door bouncer at the time.

Waaaaaaaaaay better than Milk Bar!
So I wrote that tip when I was angry at the bouncers at the Milk Bar for yelling at me when I told them that their photo booth didn’t work. But that’s another review…
Cat Club is an 80’s bar. Enough said. Basically, one of the best nights of my life dancing! I danced with my mom and sister and had. a. blaaaast! It was awesome! Of course there’s a nice stage for your dancing moments when «Goodbye Horses» comes on. The people are really nice. I walked out with a pair of brand new flip-​flops. Had no idea where they came from!
Funny, I just looked to the right side of my screen and I see that my sister Pooja B. already beat me to reviewing this place!
I’m going to go every chance I get! But be careful… don’t leave your jacket unattended. My mom saw someone try and take her jacket. She may only be 5’0 but I’d be scared if she were coming at me…
Also, there is a wonderful hot dog lady that is waiting for you after you are done with your awesome night of dancing. Not many people can say that they danced with their mom to 80’s music until 2am, I’m proud to say that my sister and I can!
Side note: It is listed as «dance clubs, dive bars, and adult entertainment»…don’t get it twisted, I was just there for 80’s night people! But not gonna lie, I’m curious about their adult entertainment… juuuuust curious that’s all.

I went to Cat Club for their 80’s night on Thursdays. My friends and I showed up around 10pm and unfortunately there wasn’t a lot going on. However some people I was with went back around midnight and said there were more people, and a lot more dancing.
The drinks are a little pricey, and their coat check was $ 8.
On the bright side, the club has a fun environment and the people who show up are generally nice. However, I would rather walk down the block to Raven Bar for their 90’s night (probably because I can relate more to those throwbacks).

Any place called the Cat Club I will be a fan of. One of the best 80’s bars I have been to. Trust me I know 80’s bars. It’s one of my guilty pleasures… The icing on the cake they played Q Lassurus Goodbye Horses… Any Silence of the Lambs fan knows that is one of the greatest songs to one of the greatest movies of all time. The staff was super friendly the crowd was awesome. Can’t wait to visit the bay again to go back!!!

I love Thursday 80’s night. Brings me back to my High School days. Except now, I have more money, a car, better clothes and less acne.
It’s a great place to go to listen to songs you haven’t heard in literally decades. The bathrooms are yucky. The drinks are okay (but if you tip the bartender well and they remember you… the drinks get exponentially better).
The crowd is a mix of young and old (20s-​40s). With a few 50’s thrown in.
I always have a blast here and you won’t feel weird if you were to wear your Flock of Seagull hair style.
WARNING: Wednesday is BDSM Bondage-​a-​GoGo. It’s like Thursday 80’s night but throw in more spanking, flogging and a slightly more Gothy type crowd. Don’t get the nights confused unless you like to live a little dangerously.

Came here for BOOZE N BAEs! (Lesbian Club Night)
You walk into a bedroom size dance floor, then on your left a bar with a good size length. Across is some couches and chairs. Then you kept walking to the back were you enter another mid size bar and dance floor. DJ is spinning right in front of you!

This was my NYE ’15 savior. As all of you know NYE can be well over $ 100. Cat Club was charging $ 20 for pre sale tickets. The club was sold out, people were waiting to get in as we arrived, thank goodness we had our tickets!
I used to go to The Blank Club in San Joseduring my 20s. So going to an 80s club is not a big deal to me. It’s a lot of fun. So, in comparison, Cat Club is for sure the highest level you would expect from an SF 80s club. They have what seems like 2.5 rooms?
Dancing, you are more than welcome to give it a go and dancing above everyone else. You just have to figure out how to get on top of the blocks along the wall? Become that go-​go dancer you’ve always dreamed about being. The cage was occupied of course. There was a VIP section, which surprised me. I know EDM clubs are all into that, but I didn’t know they were here as well. Meh gotta make that extra dollar off people who want to pay to be special.
In the end, I’d go back here again, just to get my boogie on. Love dancing and the people are just so chill and artistic.

OMG THIS IS WHERE ALL THE NERDY THEATER KIDS COME FOR KARAOKE!!!
I went to Cat Club’s Tuesday karaōke night this week, and it was a truly magical experience. Everyone who worked there was so nice, but more importantly, there were no less than 20 pages of songs from showtunes (organized by show title for ease of searching), NOT TO MENTION THERE IS BOTH A CAGE AND A STAGE TO SING FROM.
It was recommended that I arrive as close to 9 as possible to maximize my singing time, which I did and would now recommend to others. I submitted my songs at like 9:15, and sang 2 before leaving at 11:30. Solid.
Can’t wait to go back!!!

The Cat Club is a coiled, purring tiger well worth your time and affection. Whether you’re «goth,» a big fan of dark new wave synth pop music or just like to dress mainly in black, you’ll find a home in this popular SoMa hangout.
I rolled in wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a light blue button-​down shirt and expected the music to grind to a halt and everyone to stare as soon as I stepped in the door. Not the case. Everyone continued about their business of dancing, drinking, laughing. I was there for an event organized by my friend Michelangelo and it was Depeche Mode night — one of my favorite bands of the 80’s. If they don’t care what I look like. I don’t care either. It’s all about love and acceptance.
I received a warm welcome from everyone, including one guy who told us it was really brave of us to come down. Brave wasn’t the word I was thinking of, but apparently there are a lot of people who shy away from places where transexuals are as commonplace as anyone else.
The back room is where the real fun takes place. The music is cranked high, the DJ is on point, the stage is full of half-​naked women (dressed in black, naturally) writhing to the electronic beats. I was impressed with how uninhibited the crowd was. Clearly, people were here to let loose.
If you are out clubbing and limiting your options to only those places where you think you’ll feel most at home, you are greatly limiting your horizons. Try the Cat Club for a good time with good music and good people.

A gritty club with a touch of elegance that includes lovely light fixtures, candelabras and gilded mirrors. The staff are never boring and have just the right amount of sass that I like.
If they would just fix that hole in the women’s bathroom so when I am drunk off of the strong drinks I don’t lose my heel in it!
I usually come here for Friday and Saturday nights. The DJs are terrific. I really enjoy the themed nights like Beetlejuice when everyone wears stripes or dresses like one of the characters in the movie and genre specific dedication nights.

Musique Dubstep, petite piste de danse, ambiance sympa mais pas de quoi beaucoup danser. Quartier peu fréquenté la nuit.
On peut trouver mieux dans SF plus vers le Nord de Market St…

FROM THE REARVIEW MIRROR
This update has been a lonnnnnng time in coming since several factors have hit the San Francisco Club Scene:
* SOMA IS DOWNSIZING
There are far far fewer venues then there once were: starting with the destruction of the King Street Garage, the Townsend and Big Heart City, the closing of Maritime Hall, the «removal» of venues from the Gothic-​Industrial scene such as City Lights, Glas Kat, The Mezzanine, and many more venues I’m too sad to count, it has come to reality that The Cat Club and the DNA Lounge are the two main anchors in the music traditions that I come to San Francisco for.
* CAT CLUB VARIETY SHOW
Now the club events I first came to SF for are now finding their home in the Cat Club: New Wave City on 3^rd Saturdays and Bondage-​A-​Go-​Go on Wednesdays.
However, like it was reigned supreme on Friday Nights with Assimilate «back in the day», Cat Club once again reigns supreme with it’s weekly Friday Night line-​ups. First Fridays is STRANGELOVE, 2^nd & 4^th Fridays is DARK SHADOWS, and 3^rd Fridays is WITCHING HOUR. So for me there is always a music & dance reason to be at Cat Club on a Friday night.
I just noticed that the Cat Club business profile shows me responsible for 1417 pictures at those moment. Wow. I think Cat Club must have the record for me for having taken the most pictures at any one venue!
THE LOWDOWN
Cat Club still reigns supreme in the Night Sky of San Francisco.