Weddingbee

I could help except the inexpensive part…every place we went in SF was crazy expensive for drinks. Try chowhound.com SF board. They’ll have ideas.

I second Amelie- great wine and food, typical SF prices. Or I have been to a couple birthday parties at Solstice- with a bar/food minimum they will reserve the small room for you. And their small plates are just great! I have a few others that I might recommend- but on a Sat night the crowd may not be what you are going for.

Ohhhh how about the Bubble Lounge? I can’t remember the address. I want to say North Beach but I can’t remember…

I would not recommend Bubble lounge for this type of event because, on a weekend, it will be super super super crowded inside, almost elbow to elbow. The dance floor is like underground, so it gets super stuffy with no air circulation because there are no doors to crack open or any air conditioning going on, and again, its the weekend it will be super crowded on the dance floor. The dance floor is not very big or wide, its just long stretched.

the plus side to Bubble Lounge i guess is no entry charge, variety music on the dance floor, there are sofa seating available, and a serving bar on the dance floor area.

The Red Room (For some reason I thought it was Redwood Room) is super expensive. It’s crazy expensive for the quality as well. Very “cool” though.

I know the perfect place. Go to Le Colonial in Nob Hill they serve California/Vietnamese food and its close to Union Square. It’s a 3-4 star restaurant but they have an awesome bar upstairs after dinner. It’s big enough to have a dancefloor, dj, tables and food service but it wont be too busy that you’ll need to scream to talk to someone.

For those who want to party more, walk down the street and visit a couple of hipster places, Bourban & Branch, RYE, SWIG, Red Room at the Clift etc…

I agree with washK, RYE and SWIG, are both great. Bourban a& Branch is a speakeasy and you need reservations. It is also expensive. You might want to try the Sugar Cafe ( also in Nob Hill/Union Square area) which serves food, but I am not sure how late. They have a great back room that is a lounge and can accommodate large groups. Someone else mentioned the Cigar Bar. This place is perfect for large groups. They will let you bring in food, but they don’t serve any.
I don’t think Le Colonial serves food as late as you would need them to, and it is quite crowded on weekends. More of a club scene late night. I like Amelie, but it might be too small. One place I haven’t heard mentioned yet is in North Beach off Broadway called Rosewood that has a back room/patio perfect for private parties. I am sure they would let you bring in snacks if you wanted.

Hope this helps!

Boy do I have a lot of ideas for you! I lived in SF for 8.5 years and have been to almost every bar. I now live just over the bridge, but I still work in the city. Anyway- Try the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel. Very fun, awesome food, can accommodate your group. etc. etc. Next I like Vertigo or Lush Lounge on Polk st. Bit more of a seedy neighborhood, but really fun bar and amazing cocktails. Also check out the big foot lounge or the buccaneer on polk street. Lots of good eats on Polk and less touristy. E-mail me for more if you want!

bubble lounge is really loud on weekend nights - it sounds like a college bar but it’s filled with twentysomething working people. it’s a decent place to hang out, but

le colonial has fun music to dance to (pretty much anything that’s popular will be played), but it can be VERY crowded, VERY loud, and hot (but fun, very fun!). it’s not intimate at all when there’s that many people there, but the bathrooms are kept clean and the drinks are decently strong and not any more expensive than other upscale places in san francisco.

i’m not sure how much time you’ve spent in san francisco, but le colonial (and depending on where you are in nob hill) is very close to the tenderloin and there can be shady characters roaming around at night (actually, even in the daytime). just be mindful of your surroundings when venturing south of geary and south of market street when west of union square, and you’ll have a good time.

SF and inexpensive in Nob Hill are kind of hard to find. There’s a kewl bar called Bourbon and Branches, you need a password to get in. The drinks are expensive though. Have you tried searching on Yelp! You should be able to find what you’re looking for. Hope the search goes well!

Thanks for all your suggestions! I should note that we listed inexpensive as a preference but know that is really all relative. We just don’t want to be paying above average for the city.

Keep the great suggestions coming!

It’s the Redwood Room at the Clift, not the Red Room, and while it’s gorgeous and completely swank, it’s one of the most expensive places in the city to buy a drink. “The Red Room” is a different bar — dive bar — on Sutter.

I think where you should go really, really, really depends on where your hotel is. You don’t want to have to ask everyone to cab over to North Beach or the Mission, for example. The Cigar Bar on Montgomery (near Jackson Square) does serve food, and has a nice private room at the back that can be reserved — but remember, a lot of people are going to be smoking cigars there, so if cigar smoke bugs you, you’re going to be unhappy (the main space is open-air but the private room is not). Also, it’s not within walking distance of anything but the financial district. Tosca would be good but it’s in North Beach.

Bourbon & Branch is great (though also very expensive), but you have to have a reservation, and it would be tough to get a reservation there for 20+ people (or however many you’re going to have).

Top of the Mark has a cover on Friday and Saturday nights, but that’s because they usually have great live jazz bands to dance to as well. View is great; food is eh.

Tonga Room will probably also have a cover on a Friday or Saturday night. I love it — it’s COMPLETELY cheezy and the opposite of hip, but still everyone has a great time.

Amelie and Lush are good ideas. I also love the Hemlock, and it has pool tables and usually has live bands in the back. Definitely a divier place. And I doubt they serve any food. I’d also recommend Red Devil Lounge on Polk. They often have good music.

What are your cross streets for the hotel? I don’t know of any hotels in Russian Hill, so I’m assuming you’re in Nob Hill proper.

[...] Pinot Noir and I will be joining our friends and family for an informal after party gathering somewhere in San Francisco. I originally planned to wear my actual wedding dress for the get together. After all, I will only [...]