Powerhouse

Great Gay, Lesbian, and LGBTQ Bars in the San Francisco-Bay Area | Eater SF

"Easily San Francisco’s raunchiest gay bar, and one that keeps the tradition of SoMa cruising alive, Powerhouse is both a leather-friendly gay dive and host of many nightly themed parties that lean toward kink — there are wet underwear contests as well as smelly armpit contests, and much, much more. Weekends feature DJs and dancing on the back dancefloor, and this place has a smoking porch behind the dancefloor where just about anything goes. Famously, this place has a highly sexual mural frieze painted along a beam that runs down the center of the bar, which dates back to this place’s early days, and it’s still probably one of the least comfortable places to bring female friends. Drinks are fairly cheap here, especially compared to nearby spots like Oasis and the other 11th Street clubs, and these days the crowd tends to be a mix of young hip kids, fetish fans, drag queens, and the old guard." - Paolo Bicchieri