Powerhouse

I've been here 3 times now and each time has been amazing. The crowd is so good and it's been busy each time which makes the atmosphere fantastic. I was served fast and the drinks are well priced. Now, the outside patio... I love it!! Slightly cramped during particularly busy periods but people tend to move so no worries. I will visit Powerhouse on every trip to San Francisco! Very happy Brit!

I never write reviews, but I had such an uncomfortable experience with a bartender at the Powerhouse cash bar at Folsom earlier today that it’s been eating at me all evening—and after telling the story to friends and hearing their reactions, I feel like I need to share. My partner and I had one beer at the festival, which we bought here. Near closing, we went back for a second. After waiting in line, the bartender’s very first words to us were: "I can only serve you water." I asked if they were out of alcohol, and he smirked and laughed: "No, but I’m only going to serve you water." When I pressed him on what was going on, he just repeated the same thing while chuckling. We were confused and asked if we had offended him somehow, or if this was supposed to be some kind of prank. His response was: "I won’t serve alcohol to people under the influence." This was said to two sober people who had patiently waited in line—while others around us were visibly drunk and stumbling. For context, no one at this bar was being ID-checked either. At that point, it was obvious this young bartender had some personal issue with us, and instead of being upfront, he decided to mock us and waste our time. It came across as petty at best and prejudiced at worst. To put it lightly: whoever this bartender was, he was rude and unprofessional. The whole encounter left us frustrated and soured the rest of our night. We won’t be going back, and I honestly just want to know what was really going through his head, because it was such a bizarre and unnecessary way to treat customers.

Always a fun time and a very diverse crowd including young and old gay and straight, men and women, and all possible races. This is by far my favorite gay bar ever

One of the best bars in San Francisco and one of the only queer bars that you can actually barhop! Hole in the wall is on the same block - best of both worlds. Oh and I painted a mural on their backdoor on Dore Alley 🙂

Best bar for drag!!! Drinks are strong the people are fun. Monday night Moster show is the SO MUCH FUN. we love Mary Vice

Great bartenders who knew how to service a crowd. Eight of us came to check it out Folsom weekend. The boys had a fantastic time dancing and "playing" around.

Powerhouse is a West SoMa staple when it comes to nightlife of the neighborhood. There is both regular theme nights and new events and parties. I highly recommend Thursday nights as well as the week of Pride to be here.