Raven Bar

Vibe was great here, got in easily with a group of friends and they were checking in coats for free which was nice. The music was awesome as I love to dance but edm and all the mainstream stuff can get repetitive and boring. Had a great time here while I was visiting the bay!

Seriously amazing ! I love this place this is definitely a club I will go back into. Get there before 10 o’clock the line gets long and sometimes you can’t even get in.
The Music: did you played throwback from the 90s with the video to match and for people who are just there to hang and listen this is an amazing spot specially if you are between 25 to 30.
The bar: Sam is awesome. I wasn’t really sure what drink I wanted and he asked me my flavor profile. Sure enough he was able to meet my expectation of a perfect drink. I had whiskey with ginger and lemon on the rocks. Love it!
Ambiance: feel like a mix of young and Mid. This is your spot. Very divers and fun crowd. I really like the vibe in this club.
Restrooms in both floor. But once the second floor gets crowded, they will not let you back upstairs so be cautious if you leave. The bouncers a security was super nice though.
I had a really great time.

Oh man this is a great club!
They did have cover ($ 10) for a saturday night around 12am, but it was well worth it. It took us a little bit of waiting to get to the top floor, but when we got there it was crazy. The bar was not very crowded, so easy to get drinks. The floor was packed and everyone was in a great mood.
It wasn’t a gigantic place so that was a good thing since people used up most of the area and it felt lively. The DJ was awesome, he played a few 90s songs (Larger than Life) and the crowd went crazy.
The highlight was the lazers/​lights they had put up, its hard to describe so take a look at the attached photos/​videos!
I’d definitely go back to this place again!

Raven is SO RIDICULOUSLY FUN. I came on a Saturday night and they were playing 90s music, hit after hit (we’re talking Britney, a little Destiny’s Child, I think I even caught a Sisqo song). My voice was slightly hoarse the day after from singing along. If I were to give this place a rating for music and music only, they’d be getting 5 stars, HANDS DOWN.
Unfortunately there are a couple of downsides to Raven:
– BEWARE: phone thieves are rampant at this place! Two friends of mine have had their phones stolen straight out of their purses. Upstairs tends to get crowded so it’s easy to fall victim. I’d suggest holding your phone at all times or bringing a wristlet!
– SINGLE STALL BATHROOMS: Seeeeriouslyyyyyy? Picture a line of 10+ women waiting for one stall per level. ONE. STALL. The inefficiency of this, I just can’t handle it. Please fix this.
Overall, I would be willing to go to Raven again (the music they play is just tooo gooood) but I’d be weary of overdrinking. Hold your pee and watch your possessions, but have fun on the dance floor :)

Raven USED to be the spot. But after this experience, I probably won’t be coming back. They hold up the line, and the security will tell you 15−20mins to get in. That actually means 1hr.
The worst part is that they don’t tell you that once you pay $ 10cover, you have to wait for another line to go upstairs (only reason to go Raven is upstairs).
The stupid thing is Raven now hand out number tickets to go upstairs. WTF! Am I at a restaurant or at a customer service line??? At this point, I’m number 74 and the number says 34.
Raven you disappoint. I know of the head of security too. He used to be the bartender and everything was chill.
Won’t be coming back again unless my life depends on it.

Get yourself on the guest list so you don’t have to pay cover. Cover was like $ 10 so not bad regardless.
Went last Friday night and it was a good time! Got there a little before 11:00. We didn’t have to wait in line too long. Loved the 90s pop and hip hop. Everyone in our group was dancing and having a good time.
There was a wait to get upstairs but worth it. Fun times! Will definitely come again!

«Let’s go to Raven!» These 4 words instill me with fear and excitement, at the same time. Excitement? Because I’ve never had a bad time at Raven, and the music selection (90’s hiphop and R&B) makes it absolute paradise. Fear? Dreading the cramped dance floor, crazy drunkards, and impending hangover that will certainly hit the next morning.
Like many bar-​clubs in SF, the bar is on the bottom floor, and if you want to dance, you’ll go upstairs. It gets incredibly crowded later on in the night, and sometimes they don’t let you back up for a while if there are too many people… My only gripe.
You can reserve the back section of the bottom floor, which is awesome for parties of any sort. It probably would seat about 20 people, maybe 40 max standing.
**Tip**: Put your name on the guestlist if you know you’ll be there before 11! Otherwise you’ll have to pay $ 10 cover.

The atmosphere is great, bartender was very attentive and polite. The only down fall, THEY ARE WATERING DOWN THE ALCOHOL. I’m an avid whiskey drinker and Jameson straight up, is my absolute favorite drink, I have had it on the rocks multiple times, so believe me when I say it’s way to clear to me when you water it down. I’m not sure the bartender I had was aware of the situation or not, either way. It’s happening.
Update: I was replied to by what I presume was the owner; I’m sorry if my review was misleading, but I did in fact order my drink straight. (No ice for those who may not know). And just to make sure I wasn’t invalid on my thinking in regards to this, I had TWO others try it (who also drink whiskey on the regular) and they both agree that it did not taste like right. Like I said before the service and atmosphere was great. Maybe they have a bartender who is over pouring for friends and is trying to cover it up to fool the bed count. I spoke to the bartender in ab it and was poured another drink from a different bottle which tasted very different from the first, but still not like it should.

Very nice cozy lounge. Drinks were off the chain, literally exceeded expectations. Staff was nice and friendly and although the DJ present on a Monday night they still had some good music playing. I will definitely be back.

Fun spot for dancing especially if you’re trying to avoid EDM music (my #1 goal when I go out). They play the usual hip hop/​throwback stuff and you’ll definitely have a good night of dancing. The drinks are super wallet friendly as well. They have a back bar space that you can reserve for a private party which is great for birthday parties and such. Upstairs can get pretty crowded later into the night and there can be a line to go up, but I like that they keep the downstairs area fun too. The main bummer is that there isn’t much else around this bar if you wanted to hit up second spot. Also, they charge $ 10 cover (get on their online guest list to avoid it) which I think is a bit steep.

Oh Raven Bar, Oh Raven Bar. Have we both seen the best and the not so best times together…
Tired of the constant hiphop scene and itching to enter the decades of Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, N’sync, and today’s hits — Raven Bar is the place to be. Two floors with two different dj’s, allows you more music choices as you may prefer one floor over the other. With three different bars to order from, it is more likely that you will be served as soon as possible.
If you decide to come here, PUT YOUR NAME ON THE GUESTLIST. Only downfall for me is that you have to enter in full names of you and your guests. You can’t just pick and choose on the day of who you decide to bring. Because of this, I believe their guestlist fills up quite quickly. Be sure to come before 11pm to avoid paying $ 10 cover (which is fairly cheap in SF).
Shots are $ 9, mixed drinks I believe are $ 12. Staff, bartenders and bouncers are super friendly and nice!

I have mixed feelings about this place. Any place that plays 90s/hiphop/r&b and its music videos (!!) warrants an automatic approval from me. That coupled that with a relaxed dress code and a dance floor definitely make this my kind of place. BUT as always, there are downsides. Drinks are expensive (what’s new?), $ 10 cover after a certain time, there’s only two single stall bathrooms for women in this ENTIRE PLACE, and the top floor is typically jam packed, making it hard to dance. These downsides are fairly common across the board for all bars/​clubs so I guess these could be overlooked if I’m a) drunk or b) having a really good time.
However, bottle service is a different story. I came here recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday and we ordered bottle service. What I liked was that we could specify our group size beforehand and have them all added to the guest list. Not sure if we could add more, but we were able to add 20 people to our guest list. Mind you, that’s 20 people who could come and skip paying cover. Thought it was nice that they set up birthday signs around our table, gave the birthday girl a little birthday tiara and both birthday celebrants a couple vouchers for no cover. Those were pretty much the only things I ‘liked’ about bottle service.
The bottle service itself was pretty mediocre, and that’s me being polite. Our juice and soda carafes were empty fairly quick and were probably only refilled maybe twice the entire time we were there. It took forever to flag down someone to refill our drinks and even longer for them to come back with it. We killed our 2 bottles very early on in the night and decided to bite the bullet and purchase a 3^rd, but even that took a long time also. At one point, I even forked over $ 3 at the bar to buy soda because our runner was taking too long. Having 20+ people standing around waiting for the bottle, cups and juice/​soda is just unacceptable, especially when you’re paying money for it. The redeeming factor in all this though, is that these issues were brought up to management by the birthday celebrants and they were able to come up with a compromise.
Overall, just the music alone makes this a pretty good place. Just skip the bottle service unless you wanna spend your entire night waiting.

90s night on Saturday! Couldn’t think of a better music decade to get a bunch of 20 year olds pumped. Dancing is upstairs, mingling is downstairs. BUT don’t be fooled. If you have to go to the bathroom, wait in line at the upstairs bathroom because otherwise after 11:30ish there is a line downstairs to get upstairs and that’s just worse.
$ 10 cover (lame) but worth it every now any then.

This place is fun, yet pretty unforgettable. Drinks are good and prices are not too bad considering the location. Ravens plays 90’s music that will make you have nostalgia, and it’s always a good time since many of the songs you’ll be able to sing along to.
Overall, it gets super crowded, and there isn’t much space in there as it is. I think it is worth a visit, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time if you’re ok with many people in your space.
Pros: 3 stars
+nostalgic 90’s music you can sing to
+good drink selection
+not overpriced for a downtown lounge
Cons: –2 stars
+crowded/​packed due to small space
+only 1 bathroom per floor (per gender)

Lolz Raven Bar.
I love this place. Great music, good vibes, reasonable drinks, and friendly staff. So why the three stars?
It just gets SO CROWDED on weekend nights. Like unbearably, can barely with my 6’0 tall frame and pretty strong passive-​aggressive pushes get through the crowd and to the bathroom in less than ten minutes crowded. It’s hard to enjoy yourself no matter how good the music when there’s too many damn people.
I’ll be back, but I’ll probably complain about the crowds again. Comme ci, comme ça.

One of my favorite bars in SF with fairly priced drinks and great music!
Always remember to sign up for the Guest list in advance or else you’ll end up lining up for a little while and pay the 10 dollar cover! To differentiate the floors, the downstairs is more like a pre game and a little milder, while the upstairs is where all the partying happens! The upstairs is filled with lights and loud 90s music. Just beware of the sticky floors and how hot it can get up there. It also gets pretty packed by midnight so make sure you are already up there by 11 ish!
Overall, the bartenders and staff are super nice! One of the bartenders gave me a water before I left and I seriously thank her for stopping a potential terrible hang over! Even though the security can be a little strict sometimes, they are usually fair and just try to make sure the club doesn’t get too rowdy. Raven is seriously a guaranteed good night and would come here again in a heart beat!

Raven bar is a cute and intimate place to swing by and grab a drink. Happy hour goes until 8pm so it’s plenty of time. There are sections of couches for a perfect group environment and the drinks are quite tasty.
I was there for happy hour and specialty cocktails were $ 9. Beers are $ 5 and wines are $ 6 – 7. It’s not too bad for San Francisco. Basically this place is a nice place to chillax for a hit before hitting up another spot for the night.
There is absolutely no food tho– another reason to not stay long.

Love Raven! Great music every time I go, lots of throwbacks, plenty of space and options to move from front bar to dance floor to back bar to upstairs, good drinks and reasonably priced. Definitely has become a great go to spot for me and my group.

I hosted my birthday party at Raven and it was even better than I could have imagined. Great service, such friendly staff, amazing cocktails, and the music was on point for a Wednesday. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had!

Celebrated a birthday here with coworkers. The music was great (consisted of mostly 90’s hip hop and r&b) so needless to say, with a bunch of mid-​20-​somethings to early 30-​somethings, it turned into a karaōke sing-​along jam session!
The line moved very quickly, and since my friends were on the guest-​list (w/​bottle service) we were able to get in free of charge and they actually honored their guest list unlike many places that do the switcharoo at the door and make you pay with no legitimate reason.

This is a very nice and chill bar. We stopped by when we got lost looking for another bar. Sam the bartender was really great and suggested that we take a tour of anchor brewing which we did the next day and it was amazing! Definitely will come back again when I’m in town.

Drinks at this place were on point! There specialty cocktails are definitely something to rave about, happy hour prices are great, bartender Sam was super nice and attentive. Try the ginger drop it will have you buzzed before you even realize what happened. Love this place

I came here for a friend’s belated birthday last month. We got in around 9pm on a Saturday so we didn’t get hit with the $ 10 cover charge or wait in line. When you enter, there’s a bar immediately to the left and another as you walk deeper inside past some booths and tables. Right upstairs, there’s a free coat-​check which is nice (leave a tip!), and another bar, some booths/​tables, and then finally the dance floor.
The dance floor was a lot smaller than I had imagined. It didn’t bother me much, until around 12am when the second floor became incredibly and increasingly packed. The 90s throwback music was absolutely fantastic, but there was barely enough room to dance. One of my biggest pet peeves, however, was when people were just making conversation in the middle and not dancing. If you’re not going to dance, get off the dance floor or at least move to the side, please.
After reading Unilocal reviews, I got the Lychee Bliss for around $ 12 – 13. I’m known to get the infamous Asian glow after just a beer, so I was a little skeptical when I didn’t feel anything after downing the drink, which was admittedly delicious. Don’t know if it was watered down or if my tolerance is going up lol.
TLDR; the music was great, the drinks were delicious, and the staff was really nice. My only con would be that the dance floor was so crowded it was difficult to really dance toward the end of the night. Or maybe it was just a freakishly busy night, who knows.

I came here for my birthday with my friends and we all had a great time. The club gave me a complimentary drink too :) I loved their music because it was a mixture of the 90s to current hip hop/rap/R&B. I definitely would come back here!

Average bar based on my own preferences, but if the music appeals to you, then it’s worth checking out.
Pros:
— Friendly bartender
— Bar/​lounge balance is great! Dance floor on the 2^nd floor and bars on on both floors.
— Free coat check on the weekends! + tip of course
Neutral:
— Average prices — $ 12 per cocktail
Cons:
— Music hits one specific genre on Friday nights, which is the night I went: 90s hip hop. So if you’re not in your late twenties, then chances are that you aren’t going to be familiar with a lot of the music.

Had my bday here, nothing short of amazing in customer service.
David made sure all of our guests were taken care of and was incredibly professional and friendly in doing so.
Security was helpful bringing a bottle of water and napkins to a friend who couldn’t get in due to inebriation who was also bleeding after a fall.
Sam and Hannah took care of our table needs and were very friendly.
Jeff checked on us often to make sure everything was okay as well. They even got me a birthday card.
Natalie was very friendly in coat check!
Nothing bad about the night.

my girl and I ended up going to this place because our first option was closed for private event.
There was a long line outside the door but the wait wasn’t that long.$ 10 door.
They play old school 90s & 00s music– which I loved. the dance floor is quite small but not much people were dancing so it didnt bother me.
would love to go back

This place is okay. The upstairs can get really crowded quickly. There’s a bar upstairs and downstairs with one bathroom on each floor. I dunno why there’s only one bathroom since this place gets really packed.
The good thing about this place is that it’s fairly empty before 10pm and you don’t have to pay a cover until after 10pm. The bad news is if you get there after 10pm, the line is ridiculous. A word to the wise, don’t go outside after 10pm or you’ll get stuck in the line. Suck it up and stay inside.
My friend reserved a spot and bottle service that came with a bottle of Jameson and three types of sodas.
This was a good spot for Halloween. I’ve been here on other nights where it wasn’t wall to wall crowded and it was just okay. Bars like these aren’t really my scene though. I guess that means I’m getting old. Overall, three stars… not amazing but nothing to write home about either.

Not a bad place to dance to some old school hip hop! I love my EDM, but it’s hard to find a club/​bar that still plays those throwback jams! It takes me way back! Love my 90’s music haha.
The drinks here are definitely expensive (~$ 13), but they’re good and not watered down either. I love the Lychee Bliss. The bathrooms are pretty clean too.
It gets a little crowded upstairs on the dance floor, and it’s definitely a younger crowd. Overall, I had a good time here and would come back again if I’m not too sick of alcohol yet. (Not gonna lie, the AMF’s got me…)
Beware — $ 10 cover charge after 10 pm, unless you’re on the guest list.

THE POSITIVES:
(+) Raven is probably my favorite bar/​dance lounge on the weekends because THE MUSIC IS BOMB (dot) COM. I love the whole EDM scene sometimes but it’s all about the old school hip hop and this place is hands down the best when it comes to the throwback.
(+) Raven is super on point with their reservation system. The downstairs area is free for booking so if you’re planning on having a birthday party then I would recommend emailing them ²⁄₃ weeks ahead of time to get the area booked. You just need to buy your own drinks but it’s nice to have your own space. The upstairs space is reserved for bottle service so that’s a whole different story.
THE NEGATIVES:
(- — -) TIP /​WARNING/​BEWARE: I would give this place a ⁴⁄₅ star but bumping it down to 3 stars (the music saved it from 2 stars) because BEWARE OF PHONE THIEVES. I know it’s not the club’s fault but the crowd is super sketch most of the time. Two of my friends lost their phones this past weekend (and not because they were drunk or wasted but because someone straight up reached into their bags and stole their phones). We notified the securities and they said 6 other people also had their phones stolen that night… are you. freaking kidding me. So yes, bring a wristlet or hold onto your phone at all times!
(-) The crowd control also kind of sucks when it’s busy. There’s a $ 10 cover after 10pm and the RIDICULOUS wait to get upstairs can range from 10 – 30 minutes. If you’re planning on coming here around 12/​1pm, save the troubles and just hang out downstairs instead of wasting your time in line.

The Good:
* I like the choice of music, some current. with a mix of britney spears and nsync! YES!!! lol
The Bad:
* I had to pay for cover $ 10 lame
* and wait in line for 30 minutes
The Weird:
* I had to wait in another line to get upstairs 20 minutes

I really like Raven! Came here on a Thursday and there was no cover.
HUGE fan of the 90s music. Drinks here are super cheap (relatively). Very chill place for thirsty Thursday to just kick it with friends and DANCE!!!

Good place for some casual fun and showing off crazy moves on the dance floor. Like everyone else, I like the idea that they play Top 40 and a variety of hip-​hop to music from the 90s and old school stuff. The dress code isn’t extremely strict here which I like; I’ve seen guys with backpacks (they have hooks under the bar!) and t-​shirts that look like they just got off work to other guys in nice button ups; girls in a plain shirt and jeans to girls dolled up in heels and skirts. I’ve also experienced more fun with people here because the vibe isn’t meant to be super «clubby», and you can still have conversations with people around you. Go upstairs for some dance floor action!
The downside of this place is that it’s small. You’re bound to have lots of body-​body contact whether you like it or not by the dance floor or the bar. Great opportunity to make new friends right?! The drinks are about the same as a nightclub though; roughly $ 12 for any cocktail and about $ 7 for a beer on draft.
I’ve also noticed the high demand for this place has gone down a little bit which makes guest list easier to sign up on! Get in before 11PM for free entry otherwise it’s $ 10 after.

I cannot stop «raven» about Raven Bar!
PROS:
— No cover for entrance before 11:00 PM (with guest list)
— $ 10 cover for entrance after 10:00 PM (no guest list)
— GREAT dancing music: R&B, Hip Hop, 90s, Top 40s
— Music videos play on their huge TV screens
— Good drinks and friendly bartenders!
— Free coat check upstairs
— More of a laid back vibe
— Not a lot of creepers (hooray)
CONS:
— Dance floors (upstairs/​downstairs) can get crowded
Raven is the go-​to dance spot for me and my friends! We love dancing here and belting out into songs that we know (e.g. Nsync’s «Bye bye bye» or TLC’s «No Scrubs»)! You’ll definitely have a good time.

Raven is a dance bar and SO much fun. I also love that the management cares about keeping their clientele happy instead of squeezing money out of them, as evidenced by their easy to navigate website, clear guest list instructions, and attention toward their Unilocal page.
There’s a $ 10 cover that starts at 10:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can avoid it by signing the guest list on the website and arriving before 11:00. The crowd inside trends younger, which might be because the music is mostly 2000’s to present. I liked that it was mostly throwback hiphop and pop; most places to dance in the city focus on EDM. The crowd has been friendly and respectful every time I’ve been here — full, but no pushing or grabbing.
Drinks aren’t bad for SOMA. All in all, Raven is my friend group’s go-​to bar and is highly recommended.

Finally a bar that plays music you can actually dance to! After an unsuccessful night at Mighty, which just wasn’t our scene, we randomly picked Raven after seeing it on a couple top 10 lists. Since we had a pretty big group, we just decided to do bottle service since it would get us in with no cover and it just seemed more convenient. Maybe we’re just used to Chicago’s absurd prices, but the going rate for these bottles actually seemed reasonable. They gave us a table on the first floor.
As for the atmosphere, the DJ was throwin down 90s jams all night and the crowd was lovin it. There was some great energy on the dance floor upstairs and everyone was just having a good time. The only con was that it was super crowded everywhere you went. It was especially annoying since there was barely any private space in our area and people kept bumping into our table as they were passing by.
Overall, it’s pretty tough to pick places to go out at night based on Unilocal reviews, but if you’re looking for some Top 40 type dance music and don’t mind crowds, this is a pretty good spot to check out.

I came here for a birthday party, and it was awesome! I came before 10 PM (yes, super early) because we weren’t on guest list, and my friend didn’t want to pay $ 10 cover fee.
These are my observations:
— The bathroom is tiny. There’s one stall on the first floor and one upstairs.
— There are two floors, and we were on the second floor the whole time. Can’t comment on the first floor. I heard they closed off the second floor when it reached capacity. You need a wrist band to go up.
— Don’t need to buy bottle service to reserve a table (said birthday boy… he bought one later anyway).
— They have water dispensers on the side of the bar. No more asking the bartender for water! Great idea!
— FREE coat check on second floor. Leave a tip to be nice though. :)
— The bartenders were really nice too. :)
— They play 90’s hip hop/​pop music and even projected the music videos on a screen on the dance floor. Play that BSB song!
— Older crowd = yay! I think the crowd around mid-20’s instead of early 20’s.
Overall, great place to be at! It’s more laid back than a club, but not as much as a bar. I LIKE IT. 4.5 stars! Minus 0.5 stars for bathroom situation. :X