Great American Music Hall

Great venue overall. Not sure if anyone has mentioned it recently, but there is ample seating (100 or so chairs with about 40 tables). My Pregnant wife and I were quite early due to the gamh website saying very limited seating. We ordered the fish and chips ($ 13). We received 2 small pieces of fish, that appeared to be dipped in dollar tree pancake batter. Not too appetizing.

I just had my first experience here last night and I could not be more enchanted! The venue was small and personable but not cramped or inadequate. The bathrooms were stocked and clean, the staff was friendly and professional, and the bartender made great drinks. The food left something to be desired, but next time we will just eat beforehand. My boyfriend and I came to see Haley Reinhart, who absolutely killed it as did her openers. I wish I could come tonight for Missy Higgins but I don’t think our wallets will allow it! We will save up for next time though. New date night spot for sure!

This ia a review of the food. Chicken pizza n fafala. Pizza is a joke bits of chicken sausage taste like hot digs n cheese fried in a pan. FAFALA have no clue what they used. Both inedible n an embarrassment to San Francisco. Music was GREAT. Manager did give me a refund n two free drink tickets. Just saying.

I’m so honored to be writing my 1,000^th Unilocal review for Great American Music Hall. My first experience here was nothing short of MAGICAL. My friend had invited me to see Diamond Heights, The Belle Sounds, essence, and Travis Hays. The sheer culture of kindness and community that you feel when you step through the doors is incredible, mixed with the awe of how beautiful the venue is…
There are small table laid out on either side of the dance floor, so arrive early if you want to snatch one of those. There are also tables on the 2^nd floor (usually for dinner) though that was closed when I visited. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive throughout the evening. Props to all the staff here. The food was surprisingly tasty as well! I have never been to a music venue where I actually really liked the food and thought it was reasonably priced. I had the burger and fries, which were delicious.
There’s not a «terrible» seat in the house, unless you get stuck behind a pillar or tall person, so if you have the opportunity to visit GAMH for a performance, get on it! One of the best musical experiences I’ve ever had. Thank you GAMH and to all the bands for a wonderful evening.

This really is a gorgeous music hall. Think Fox Theatre in Oakland meets Swedish American Music Hall and you get this vintage music hall that houses guests all around and projects music throughout well.
Close views of the performer may be a little difficult if you aren’t closer to the front, as the room can get packed, but you can generally get a good view and seat all around.
Besides the ambiance, the amenities are great. In-​house bar at the back stocked well with friendly bartenders (love their selection of specialty cocktails!). Seated dining with staff ready to approach and serve you, grab you a drink or start a tab. They also offer dinner service upstairs, and more lounge-​y views from there. Another bar upstairs and more intimate seating. Restrooms are few and can get pretty long lines (ladies, go there during sets or right when the set ends if you don’t mind, haha).
Definitely an intimate music hall with good acoustics all-​around. Not the biggest music hall, and the dance floor almost looks like a ballroom dance floor, but it’s cozy and nice and a classic divey venue.
P. S. Surrounding area can feel a little sketch considering it’s by the Tenderloin, but there are lots of Asian Thai/​Vietnamese restaurants around that are a grrat quick bite pre or post-​concert!

Great venue with classic SF architecture, great sound, nice staff. I’ve seen about 3 dozen shows here and its always been fun. Be careful where you park in the surrounding neighborhood as break in’s are rampant in that part of town. (not their fault, but be aware) Prolly the only thing I find bad about this venue is the need for a bigger bar upstairs. It’s a bummer to have to wait in line up to 20+ mins for a drink during a concert. Other than that I will soooo be back!

Beautiful venue, amazing staff, great bar.
We had an awesome experience here seeing a killer band. We were on the guest list so we got to experience the staff a little bit more. And they rocked!
The venue is so beautiful. Small but open, and set up well with area placement.
Architecture is classic SF decadence. Don’t forget to snap some photos of the ceiling lol.
Drinks are awesome. Their cocktail program is huge, and prices are about par with a good SF bar.
Can’t wait to come back to this lovely venue!

This is my absolute favorite concert venue in San Francisco! If a band you like is playing here, don’t miss it.

The Great American Music Hall is one of San Francisco’s oldest nightclubs. GAMH takes you back to an earlier era with elaborate ceilings, marble columns and ornate balconies. As far as rock clubs go, GAMH is one of my favorite venues in the United States. It never disappoints. Beautiful, intimate, great sound and you can get up close to the performance.
Capacity: 600

A beautiful venue with pretty decent acoustics. If you get here early enough, you can get a balcony seat and people watch/​band watch/​secondhand MJ in comfort. We met some awesome people up on the balcony! It was a perfect spot to enjoy Jack Garratt with a 102 fever and bottomless OJs with 90% ice cubes from my very caring friend.
The menu looks decent, but the it’s absolutely diiiiisgusting. Cold and dry osso bucco, terrible fish and chips. The bar staff are slow, but friendly. The floor is packed with friendly fans who love to chat with everyone.

Great Venue. Dont park your car on Polk St. It will usually get broken into by desperate people. Park at Parking Garages with Security when going to this venue, its a lot safer and your car will stay intact 100%.

The venue is beautiful, I will start there. I had the pleasure of visiting for my first time for Prince’s after party last night, and since we were the first 10 in we had a lovely spot directly in front of His Purple Badness, which was a dream come true. The acoustics were incredible and the DJ was everything. I didn’t drink so I can’t speak on the price of drinks and/​or food, outside of my bottle of water being $ 5 (walmart water, I believe?) BUT I can speak on safety (or the lack thereof).
I have never felt so UNSAFE in a venue in my entire life. I flew from Hawaii, alone, to see Prince at the Oracle and attend the after party. Yet, because along with several other women in the venue, we danced we upset two large white men in the front. I bring up the race, because it is relevant to the story, IMO. After Prince’s first set break, they began being hyper aggressive, pushing us away from the stage, standing like pillars in the middle of the dance floor, menacing and threatening, so that if one of us bumped into them they could shove us again. It was violent. One woman was grabbed in her genitals while being shoved. All of the women were POC: a Chinese woman, 2 African American women, 1 afro-​Latina, 1 middle eastern, and a couple of Latinas. I repeatedly was told to «get my friends» and shoved violently for dancing. Keep in mind, I am visiting, and never have seen these women in my life. Because we were brown and dancing (on the dance floor, what nerve) we were assumed to be together, by the aggressor and security.
When I told security I felt unsafe, they threatened to kick us all out. I flew 2500 miles for a concert/​party and now if I ask for help in the venue, I GOTTA LEAVE TOO??? Even though 8 women were lodging the same complaint??? Eventually I left the front row in the middle of a performance of my favorite artist IN THE WORLD to go hide behind security. A couple of the ladies I was dancing with were pulled up on stage to dance, I think largely because even PRINCE realized there was a problem (I should have stayed, I know).
Anyway, its a lovely venue, deserving of 5 stars — in my Beyonce voice — «If I were a boy. However, unless I grow a penis, or security protects women in the space, I will never ever return. I am far too old and responsible to risk my life or safety for a party.

Beautiful theater; I’ve seen a few shows here and am always blown away by how pretty the architecture is. They have seating upstairs (where I assume the dinner seats are?), but you are really high up… and kind of just look like a creeper wishing you were down on the floor dancing. Don’t be the creeper. Be the dancer. (Life motto right there)
Easy street parking nearby (especially if you get there early), good sound, great floor to dance, Jameson was $ 8, good selection of beer, what’s not to like? This is a great place to see your favorite band. It is just a flat floor with a relatively low stage so wear your heels if you want a better view.

Love going to small venues for concerts and being able to see the artists perform up close. I’ve been to several of the small venues in the City, but never had the chance to see a performance at the historic Great American Music Hall. The interior of the building is beautiful with its ornate ceilings and balconies.
We were here for a soulful and powerful performance by Judith Hill. The balcony was not open this evening and tables were set up on the first floor. The first couple of rows in the middle of the floor were reserved for dinner ticket holders and the rest were general admission seating. They have waitress service for food and the bar. Service was friendly. Sound system was amazing.
Not that I’ve been the Great American Music Hall, I would rank it as one of better small venues in the City. So happy that I get to check it off my list. Oh, Judith Hill? She was amazing.

I came here for the first time with my boyfriend to watch We Were Promised Jetpacks, one of my favorite bands. I was super excited because I had never seen them before and their music made such a huge difference in my life. My boyfriend, being over 21, decided to get a beer and I took ONE sip of it just to see how it tasted. Next thing I know, a security staff came up to us and asked if I was over 21, which I wasn’t (go 20 yaaay…) and asked us to follow him outside. The security guy then made a dramatic scene embarrassing both my boyfriend and I, telling us that «it is illegal to drink under the age of 21» and put «X’s» on our hands so that we couldn’t reenter and concluded with «have a nice night.» And I tried to reason with everyone there that this was my favorite band and I was dying to see them and that I only took a sip of BEER. And nope, none of it worked. I am still traumatized from this event… at least they could have given me a warning and let me have enjoyed the night. Like please, all of yall working there totally didn’t drink any form of alcohol before you were 21. I still can’t believe this bullshit.

The sound here is seriously unmatched. Such an incredible, intimate venue.

Beautiful venue, reasonably price drinks, intimate stage area with tables that you can order food, but A HORRIBLE STAFF. It is a shame because this place could be my favorite music venue in sf but the staff is extremely rude and inappropriate. The employees working the front door were extremely unwelcoming and made snarky remarks about us drinking before coming to the hall. Then three people checked my id and ticket, got the stamp. The bartender and waitresses weren’t so mean. The worst part was one of the bouncers was pointing and snickering at me while I was waiting in line for the bathroom, then when I was leaving the bathroom the employee tried to stop me in the hall way as he was asking «how you doin» four times looking at me up and down. Gross. Then while the show was playing another employee came to our table and Id us again. What the hell?!

This is a great place for small concerts. The bar has a good variety, the stage is very well situated, and even the upstairs section is a very good spot to hang out. The name makes it sound like a much more majestic place, but it’s a very cool spot with mellow atmosphere when it needs to be an exciting one when the band is good enough. The area surrounding it isn’t the best but hey I’m not going there to hang outside

Really awesome venue, staff was friendly and so were the other guests!

This venue is awesome. There is 2 floors. The architecture is amazing. Its not too small and not too big. There is a parking lot across the street and it only charges $ 10 if you’re there for a concert.

I’ve been attending this venue since I was in high school (I’m currently 29). It never disappoints and is an awesome historic building built in 1907. I love every show I’ve been to here and never had any problems until last night when I was sitting up on the balcony which was my first time ever doing this in the many years I’ve frequented it. From the balcony I saw this one girl fighting with two other girls and it happened at different times of the night and the staff didn’t do anything to get involved until the show was over. Out of all of my years of going to shows this response was horrible. Not only did I see one of the girls with a bloody nose, but it distracted people around them from enjoying the band that was performing. If not one or all of them should have been asked to leave. Violence towards anyone is not okay.
Anyways other than that this venue is simply stunning. Parking is easy on the street if you get there early or there’s the AMC garage you can park in. I feel that area of the tenderloin actually seems a lot cleaner and less filled with shady people. It’s definitely not as scary as it used to be.
Just do yourself a favor and check it out even if you don’t know the band.

Went here for The Get Up Kids concert on Sept. 4^th and bought the dinner and a show tickets (basically, you pay something like $ 25 more for each ticket to get dinner and sit in the balcony).
I gave it 1 star because we got to sit at a concert, which is nice — but paid $ 50 to do so. But I only gave it one star because there was hair in our food. A big, long light brown hair that was deep fried right into the fish & chips (see pics). And the fish was soggy and only about ¹⁄₃ of the fries were crispy.
We also ordered the pizza, which was not like regular pizza (which the menu states), but it was so soggy that I think an easy bake oven could have cooked it better. It looked like marinara and artichokes thrown onto a sloppy, old English muffin. I couldn’t even finish one half.
Needless to say we didn’t get a to-​go box.

We got married in July 2015 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Wow — what an amazing venue! Beautifully and ornately decorated, from the moment you walk in, you can’t help but fall in love with it. We’re both from San Francisco, so the fact this venue is a historical landmark was really significant and meaningful to us.
It was absolutely perfect for our wedding. We wanted to have our ceremony and reception all in one place, so this venue was ideal for that. We got married on stage, which was great as each guest had an unobstructed view of the ceremony. During the procession, the venue staff were able to draw the curtains for each person/​couple walking down the aisle for a more dramatic effect. After the ceremony, the guests were invited to enjoy appetizers and cocktails on the lovely mezzanine level while the staff cleared the chairs downstairs and prepared for dinner service. This also provided the perfect space for our first dance and best persons’ speeches for when the guests returned downstairs.
Because we wanted a big party for our reception, we went with the open bar option and hired a live band, which really took advantage of this historic concert hall. The sound and lighting was absolutely perfect — people were able to dance, sing, and shout on the dance floor and others were able to socialize and mingle without having to strain their voices or ears. It was so much fun — if we had to do it all over again, we wouldn’t change a single thing.
All of this could not have happened with the help of Shana, the venue’s Events Manager. Over the past year, she worked with us to make she understood exactly what we wanted — she patiently covered every little detail about the ceremony and the reception, and she always did her best to be flexible with our requests. She even provided us recommendations and alternatives to help us stay on budget wherever possible. On the day of the wedding, she made sure that the entire venue staff worked seamlessly to ensure that the day went off without a hitch. We couldn’t be any happier!

GAMH is definitely one of my favorite venues in San Francisco.
I’ve been here many times for various concerts/​shows (Battle of the DJs, The Murder City Devils, Broad City, etc) and was here recently for a friend’s wedding.
From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but once you set foot into GAMH you will be blown away by it’s beauty. The interior details are incredible, lighting is perfect, and sound is always on point.
The second floor has a coat-​check area, additional seating, bathroom, and another bar. I prefer to sit along the balcony because you can see everything from up there. You can also order food/​snacks when seated upstairs. The food itself is pretty darn good.
For more information about the venue and it’s history, go to:
Definitely check it out if you’ve never been. You won’t be disappointed.

Definitely hop on those tickets if someone you like is playing at this venue!
I love this venue and have been lucky enough to see several of my favorite musicians on its stage. Acts I’ve seen include:
Coeur de Pirate
Bastille
BOY w/​Jeremy Messersmith
Augustana w/​Twin Forks
Such a beautiful interior with incredibly stunning detail. From the balcony to the stage to the ceiling, the entire place is amazing. Its smaller size makes for an intimate experience between the audience and performer. For a shorty like me (5 feet even, to be exact), I don’t mind being in the back (unless I LOVE the act too much I need to be in the front) because the place is small enough for me to still have a good view of the stage wherever I end up standing. The acoustics in this place are also pretty sweet.
They also have an area with tables and seats along the sides where you can sit, eat, and drink comfortably away from the crowd. The balcony also has more tables and seats, and still allows for a good, close view of the stage.
Definitely recommend the Music Hall Tri-​Color Nachos as a snack! It was enough to split between two people since the portions were pretty large. They also have a water dispenser next to the bar if you ever get thirsty.
There’s also a dinner option when you buy tickets for this place. I’ve never tried it, but you usually go inside before everyone else so you can eat, and probably get dibs on where you want to be during the show.
Lastly, they have coat check, which I always use. It’s no fun jamming to your favorite people with a bag and a jacket at hand, especially cause it gets hot with so many people in one room.

Love this little joint! Great décor, great acoustics, great history, meh location (unless you’re into the smell of urine and don’t mind being asked for money every ½ block unfortunately).
Drinks are reasonably priced for being a music venue, you can check your coat/​bag if you need to and it’s pretty clean. If it seems like it might be a bigger show, show up early because sometimes the line can get a little crazy (same with bathroom!) Bar has a $ 20 credit card minimum, so bring cash! (if not, there is an ATM but if has hefty fees)

Great music is the only reason.
Drinks were messed up and the cocktail waitress didn’t give a shit basically i had to parade myself to the bar to get my drinks right.
Then even later I had my drink on my table ¾ full and even covered it with a napkin as common bar courtesy you do not remove the drink!
Yup it was removed. They don’t know common courtesy. Wtf

Adore this place. Gorgeous inside, great acoustics, and the last show I went to here is easily in my top 5 favorite all time concerts.
Perfect size — fits a fair amount of people, without sacrificing that intimate small venue feeling.
Drinks are reasonably priced (for a music venue), there’s a coat check, and the bathrooms are a little cramped but fairly clean.
Tip: show up within an hour and a half of the time on your ticket to avoid getting stuck in line.

Could this place bee more aptly named? What a truly charming performance hall. Like a Goldilocks venue: neither too big, nor too small, but just right. Hanging with friends to catch live music here really lifted my mood. Acoustics are great.
The building has stood for more than a century, going up within a year after the 1906 earthquake. The Beaux-​Arts interior, beautiful gold carving of the balconies and other structural detail are stunning.
Plenty of bistro chairs and tables along the sides of the main floor, plus through-​out the upstairs. You can order food from a menu on every table. Lighting is great. You can see exactly what you’re drinking or eating– not often easy to view at other venues. Ladies’ facility downstairs is for one user at a time but plenty spacious.
The staff from ticket checkers to cocktail servers were memorable in that every single one was polite, friendly and nice. NO attitude. You know how it goes at divey venues and arenas– there’s usually ‘someone’. Not at Great American Music Hall. Altogether kool staff. I suppose that varies nightly though.
Dozens of eating establishments are within walking distance. GAMH is in Polk Gulch, kind of sort of bordering the infamous Tenderloin district. Watch out for bits of trash scattered about on the asphalt and next to the curb at many spots.
Street parking was not too hard to find, but maybe it depends on the time of night. Meters run daily until 6 p.m.

Have had the good fortune to come back to GAMH numerous times over the years to see phenomenal acts & enjoy some delish pub food. This latest visit had us seeing the delightful SUZANNE VEGA
We’ve selected their «Dinner & Show» tickets where the meals are pre-​selected as well as ordering off their regular menu & have to say we have been impressed
This latest go-​round had us ordering the following:
Mediterranean Bites for Sis — humus, falafel, pickled veggies: Sis said the falafel had a creamy-​richness to it & wasn’t the normal grainy, ground up chickpeas. She liked it but found it interesting. The abundance of pickled veggies was definitely to her liking & the humus had strong lemon notes (which I prob wouldn’t have liked but she liked a lot)
Black Bean Veggie Burger for the Mr: This seemed to be a homemade patty that was nice & large & just a bit creamy. Couldn’t really discern any other ingredients like corn kernels or mushrooms or peppers… although they may have been in there. He liked it & said he’d get it again
Nachos for the table — these are the staple of awesomeness here at GAMH. Tri-​colored chips & black beans w/​tons of melted cheese & sour cream & salsa. Even a half order is ginormous & it was a nice «starter» to our meal
I chose the Spicy Mac & Cheese — ginormous, nicely breadcrumb-​topped slab of mac & cheese sitting on top of diced jalapenos. Good cheesy flavor & the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Since this seemed to be more of the baked /​sliced variety as opposed to the saucy mix-​n-​stir variety, there were no stringy pulls however there was an abundance of cheese to be found & the flavor was great — definitely a winner!
Washed it all down w/​bottles of Woodchuck Cider, Lagunitas IPA & a glass of Minervois for a well-​rounded sampling of tastes & pairings. Music was awesome as usual, sound crisp & clear & it’s always a pleasure to come to GAMH!

A small and intimate music venue. The sound system is great and you’re up close and personal with the performance.
Only downside is being short, with the flat floor, a couple of tall guys in the front means it’s hard to see the stage.
The dinner with show options sounds like it maybe worth it as you could get balcony seating. Will be something to try in the future.

If you’re coming for a concert that’s likely to be sold out and pretty crowded, the dinner ticket is a nice way to go.
Don’t expect the best quality food or the fastest service, but at least you get your own section with the other dinner guests, can grab seats right along the railing upstairs, and get to people watch during the show without being jostled around the entire time.
We got there at 7:45pm for Heartless Bastards in order to be the first in the door at 8pm when they opened it to the dinner ticket holders — were pretty much the only ones in line and had our choice of seats upstairs when we went in. We sat along the railing to be able to peer at the stage while eating.
One weird note. my friend ended up opening a tab at the bar because the service in our section to get drinks was so slow. When he went to get his card at the end of the night, someone else had taken it by mistake! They did an announcement after the show ended which we didn’t think would do anything, but lo and behold his card got returned! They were about to comp our drink tab to make up, but it’s better that he did get his card back in the end.
~~DRINKS~~
* Dance Hall Queen — 3.5 stars
(Coruha Dark Rum, cherry herring liquor, orange juice and fresh squeezed lime, served over ice w/​a lime wedge and a cherry garnish)
Strong, tastes like an amaretto sour, but even sweeter.
~~STARTERS~~
* Salad — 3.5 stars
Fresh ingredients: spinach leaves, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, carrot. Enjoyable, pretty filling, nothing too special but good & simple.
~~SIGNATURE SANDWICHES~~
* The Great American Niman Ranch Burger — 3 stars
pic:
(spicy house sauce on a grilled bun. cheddar cheese add $ 1, bacon add $ 2. $ 14)
Not bad once again — what you’d expect out of burgers and fries. You do get a huge portion.
~~LARGE PLATES~~
* Kobe Pork Spare Ribs — 3 stars
pic:
(slow roasted and glazed in a house made cherry BBQ sauce. served with au gratin potatoes and grilled white asparagus. $ 25)
Flavor on the ribs was pretty good, savory + sweet. The meat was a little overcooked & dry if I’m being picky. The potatoes & asparagus were pretty oily.
* Steamed Basa — 3 stars
pic:
(fermented black bean sauce on Thai black rice and baby bok choy. $ 17)
Not the freshest fish in the world, the meat was a little soggy & soft, but flavor overall was good. The sauce was pretty thick — probably added a lot of corn starch or something. The bok choy was also pretty soggy.