Boom Boom Room

Walked in waiting for Fat Tuesday music. Needed a drink. Ordered Arnold Palmer special. Yummy drink and reasonable. Tuesday is Jazz Night. Bring cash $20 minimum for cards! Great band Gamper Drums.

Boom Boom is quite the music space. Great drinks, nothing fancy ($8 beer pints) but unbeatable vibe.

I've been coming here for years. It's a fantastic room with killer sound. It's small and cozy and the vibe is incredible. They'll charge you at the door. Often special guests sit in from The Fillmore Theater across the street. The neighborhood is fine, Fillmore/Japan town. However, park in the garage but check the hours. The Japantown mall has awesome food options. Its often funk, groove, soul, NOLA. It's worth the cover. The caliber of musicians is super-high. Always a good time!

Memories of this place.... I would stop by on my way home from work if I took the limited. About to close out my tab and next thing I know, JL was flirting with the woman next to me. I said to the bartender, I'll have another!l What an amazing experience.

Super FUN venue, 5/5! If you love live Blues, you've got to make time to get in here. Gets going around 10pm, show up early for seating. If you have guests from out of town you absolutely have to take them here! Right up there with Chicago and New Orleans for live, local entertainment!

Love this venue! Great bartenders and sound engineers. Love to catch bands leaving the Filmore to play a set at the Boom Boom!!!

Saw Groove 8 here July 2 2023. The band was tight! It's a cozy, intimate venue with places to sit and a dance floor. (The bathroom needed attention, though)

Great music venue with full bar and kool cats!

Funk and dance music to shake ur butt always no matter what !!! Yes ! If ur thinking about it, Go!! Great times ! Great music !! Shake it !!!

Such a shame given the iconic history of the Boom Boom Room and John Lee Hooker. Used to be one of my favorite places in SF. Went on a Saturday night recently. It wasn't very crowded around 10pm and it took forever for the bartenders to notice us. They were busy having photos taken of themselves and talking to regulars. They were not very friendly and almost seemed annoyed to serve us. They have a $20 minimum if you use a credit card. The selection of liquor and beer is average. Nothing special. I noticed they refused to serve a guy a drink who was sotting next to me. And then kicked him and his friends out without giving them a refund for the online tickets they bought. Not sure what that was about. They didn't seem drunk, aggressive or causing problems. There so many other options in the city. I recommend going elsewhere. If it wasn't for the bars history and location I really don't see what value there is for giving them business. The worst bartenders I've ever seen! They seem entitled with a prejudice streak.

This is a buzzy dive bar featuring live music! The venue is exactly how you would expect based on the exterior, a bit grimy but a lotta fun! Spend a night here, but make sure you have cash and have an open mind!! We had a great time and would go away, parking can be tough, but right near japantown !

Thank you ,Thank you, Thank you! Boom Boom Room! I lost my wallet and left a message when i got home. First thing in the morning they left me know they found it! whew! so glad that i didn't have to stress for long. Thankfully all my money and cards were accounted for! Ive been coming here for years for the music, chill ambience, good peeps & consistently good drinks! You guys are awesome! Ps love our Bartender last Thurs & Fri

This bar came highly recommended as a good time from a dear friend, but my experience definitely didn't match up to the glowing words she shared, so either I hit this on an off night or we've got totally different taste, both of which are possible. We definitely arrived at the tailend of some sort of show/event. The chairs were set but the crowd was mingling in the middle of the floor and the stage was empty, so it felt a bit like we were intruding on someone else's party. We set up at the bar and it took a LONG time to get the lone bartender's attention. I wish I could say that was because he was busy slinging drinks, but in reality he was shooting the you know what with guests who appeared to be regulars, leaving us to wait. He walked by us a few times without even an acknowledgement, but when he did finally connect he was funny and friendly, if not a bit awkward, which I guess I kind of expected after settling into the vibe of this space. All in all, we stayed for one drink, and even that was too long of an experience for me. Maybe it's a weekend vibe or a pre-show spot, but eh, not the spot for me.

This place was just ok. Not sure if the vibe was off or it's just always like that, but my crew stayed for one drink and took off. This seems more like a weekend place for dancing or to listen to live music. There was a dance floor and a DJ playing music, but mostly everyone was spread out in their own groups; which didn't help the vibe. It did take forever for the bartender to serve us. So long, that at a point it felt on purpose? They did have a decent beer and specialty cocktail list, which was on the wall behind the bar. If you're heading to the Fillmore to catch a show, this could be a solid spot to pregame or night after the show.

I came to this establishment with a group of four on a Thursday night around 9 PM because one of the guys in the group wanted to see the show. We were able to walk right in without a cover and the place was pretty dead. However, the place did start to pick up more as the time passed by. The area is a bit smaller for a music venue and more on the divey side but the music performance was great! All in all, a low key, average venue but with good live music choice.

This was a fun, friends and small parties friendly experience that included some of the best funk/jazz I have heard in a long time. Bar service was friendly and attentive and the restrooms were clean--Not night club dirty/trashy. The cover kept the crowd engaged and not super transient. We will add this to our regular stops cause it was that fun!

long curly hair guy is the rudest bartender i've ever encountered. absolutely went off on me for politely asking for a larger size glass for my vodka soda. "DOES THIS LOOK F**KIN TALL ENOUGH TO YOU?" i'm sober.

Funny I never saw homeboy working the door again. I Walk by here daily. Funny shit. O

Boom boom room experience was great - fun environment and music - overall a good venue to just hang out ...

Fantastic seasoned jazz trio on Tuesdays early evening with no cover. Bartender with good service. Beautiful chill interior with cool lighting. Great trivia photos on the walls. Clean bathroom. A real treat.

I wish I could give negative stars due to the con man working the door. He told the couple in front of my wife and I that it was $20 per person. He then offered to let them in for $10 each. I was right behind them, hearing it all, and he proceeded to try the $20 crap on me. I told him I'd take the same deal as the couple in front of us were given. I gave him $50 cash. In the darkness inside, he gets money from the register and short changes me, thinking I won't see it. It's a bit odd that he'd need to get into the register, considering he is being handle cash by people in line. We had friends who were going to meet us later, but heard him pulling the same crap to people in line. I should have just turned around and left as they did. If I were the owner, I'd fire this little weasel immediately, and go through security footage to see how much of that he had done. If ownership knows about this, they shouldn't be surprised if businesses drops. This con artist will try that trick on the wrong person one day if he isn't fired, and he'll get what he deserves.

10:30pm on a Satuday... (10/7/23). NOBODY THERE. $20 cover per person. Not worth it. Go to anywhere else in Filmore district. I'd recommend Sheba Piano Lounge. Save your money here

Choice live music on Tuesday ruined with a pathetically lazy crooked bartender: Stubby, bearded, greasy, and glasses. 3 people in bar/lounge, I ordered a martini with a twist (my mistake)- simple right?- received shots of gin in a bar glass- no lemons he said, I'm guessing no shaker either. Too much work to make it cold, offered to add ice and then tried to charge $17. Time to leave. Been going here for decades, manager has lost control of Mr. Hooker's classic music spot for fans and musician's alike by hiring this lowlife.

Accidentally left my credit card there one night and went to pick it up the next morning. They charged $160 on my credit card to buy a Panera E-gift card.

6-16-2019...10p.m. First time here at the legendary BOOM BOOM ROOM... Went here for the 6th Year anniversary of R.O.T.C. Return Of The Cypher ya diigg!!! Along with this legendary venue there was Frisco Legends in the house... Most definitely a chill hip hop vibe here... Over all... ya haven't been...GO If ya been here before...GO BACK awesome vibe Real chill place

To say the bartending here is subpar would be paying the bartenders a compliment. My friend bought the first round, and service was slow and horrible. Bartender was obviously overwhelmed by the amount of people... No big deal. I bought the second round and closed out my tab because we didn't wanna wait 30 minutes for another drink. We ended up staying a little bit longer so I went back and ordered the third round for the group, then again opening my credit card, and closing out again. I have been around the block Mr. Bartender. As a matter of fact, I've been to the boom boom room at least 50 times each time with a reminder that the service is shit. However, your comment about me ordering drinks like an adult because you weren't satisfied that I kept on opening and closing my credit card shows me that not only are you unprofessional, but that you are trash. Your bartending is trash, your attitude is trash, thus, you are trash. It is obvious to me that you have no friends who are willing to pick up the tab for you sometimes. After spending $80 on cover charges and 3 to 4 rounds of drinks at 80 bucks per round, I would expect better service. I would expect a certain level of professionalism. And I would expect for you to do your job and shut your fucking mouth. I was never rude to you and tipped you properly on the first few rounds , however, when you decided you need to make your comment and tell me that I need to order drinks like an adult you got no tip and a pretty note to yourself on your receipt. Get out of the service industry because you're trash at it.

My friend and I wanted to listen to some good music and thought why not try Boom Boom Room. I bought the tickets online at their website which cost $15. When we arrived, there were 2 security guards who checked id's. We didn't have a problem. Once we entered, the place was so packed. We squeezed ourselves closer to the stage were the band was setting up. I'm not very tall. We stayed near the stayed and leaned on the wall. We went during St. Patrick's day. Lots of folks drinking. The band who was playing were pretty good. The lead singer was good and the band had a lot of energy. Love that the drummer gave in to everyone's request when they were yelling to take his shirt off. Kudos to the drummer. The place started to smell like weed so we left. There's a lot of energy in this place. Would I go again, hhmm.. maybe...

Dropped by around 915 on a Wednesday, and they were dead and closed. Either they're closed for good, or they suck. Either way, you'd probably do best to avoid this place. It's a microcosm of this decrepit city.

I love this spot! Some great local bands have perform here Hope they survive the pandemic! I'm rooting for ya;)

I was supposed to meet one of the guys playing jazz..I changed my mind about the date..but rather enjoyed the booze, the ambience and the overall vibe of the place..

I have seen some decent shows here but what I am trying to do is reach them about scheduling a private party and no phone on line works, don't see an email. No dice. No way to do it as far as I can tell. Nobody answers that phone number- just said mailbox full consistently

Great bands, good vibes, friendly staff. The reason it's not getting 5 stars is bc they have a $20 minimum for cards and don't take American Express. I mean c'mon guys, it's 2022 and we're in San Francisco!!

we went to see some great live music after a show at the warfield. the music was fantastic. the space is great for dancing if you want to. the doorman was super cool and friendly. the problem was at the bar. I've been in nightlife hospitality for over 20 years and i can tell you it was messy. it took forever to order some drinks, even tho the bar itself wasn't very crowded. after about 15 minutes of being ignored the bartender finally got my order, (which was only a double jam rocks and a double iced blanco for the wife) and he immediately disappeared and sent the owner over, who was completely obliterated drunk and rather hostile. had a hard time hearing and speaking. got the whiskey right but fumbled the tequila drink. so, that's my experience. do with it what you will...

Venues that let you groove till the thick of the evening - can be hard to come by. Boom Boom Room thrives on the late night crowd's energy. It hosts a diverse array of music throughout the week - primarily focusing on funk. It's been around for over 80 years and has borne witness to a slew of excellent jazz and blues. I've always had a solid time here and I have always felt at ease here. I adore their heavy lidded old school red curtain and that they're motivated to manifest more magical morning music in this majestic city. Trust.

We were looking forward to listening to James Brown funk but arrived at it was closed. Website and social media still advertised music. Went across town and nothing. Disappointed and won't be back.

For a long while I had no idea that John Lee Hooker lived not too far from me when he died. Little did know back then that he also owned the Boom Boom Room. Many years have passed and I've only gone recently. I've been watching a band called Vinyl out of Mill Valley that crank out out some awesome Funk/Latin/Reggae/Blues for a long while now. I knew they played here every once in a while and finally decided to take a stab at seeing them. The place is way smaller than I imagined. It is essentially a bar that happens to have a stage at the end. The crowd is crazy weird. Marina types, Burning Man types, hipsters, preppies, and old folks. It's all over the map. When the band came on it was standing room only and it was getting to be a pain to actually try and see the band. Luckily one of the booths opened up and when we sat at the angle we did, we could kind of see them. They played well on till 2.45am and it was kind of cool to see them in such a small space. Just a bit claustro if you know what I mean. Anways, the staff seem to work hard and if you can get past the sardine like packed crazy crowd it's not a bad place to see a band. 3.5 stars.

Doorman was chill. Hip hop event on sunday was enjoyable -- DJ was pretty talented and played a variety of old school beats and snippets of lyrical rap. However one bartender refused to give me a cup of water even when the place was not even close to full. Another bartender gave me one when I asked again later

Had a great time last weekend catching a live set by the funk band Collectivity. I found this spot to be very friendly (very cool doorman actually) and the drink prices were not too bad (not cheap but fair). Definitely plan to return next time I'm in town.

Someone needs to teach the meatheads at the door how to properly let someone in a venue. Very rude and on a power trip. Went with 5 friends and tried paying the cover and they said my $20 bill was fake. If I'm going with fake bills, trust me...it's not going to be a $20 bills. Nice venue though...this is not the US MINT, bruh cmon now

Sundays's Hip Hop Cypher is lively. The live performance starts at 10pm. Return of the Cypher.. .

Absolute prick at the door. Had I checked Yelp I would have known better. There is an overwhelming consensus on the matter. Perhaps, I'll get the boiler plate message from the owner that reads: __________ Hi [unhappy customer name here], We are sad to hear that you had an unpleasant experience here. I will send you a private message asap to discuss how we can resolve the issue. Best, The Boom Boom Room Team ______________ Or maybe he'll openly argue with some hostile reply as is his MO when a reviewer gets under his skin. Clearly he has no interest in changing the behavior or culture of his staff considering how persistent the problem is. He must benefit somehow. If you were wise enough to check the reviews before paying a cover, consider yourself lucky!

Love the music , no matter the days there's always something good. Owner is super fun and kind.

We were there on December 7th to see Eric MacFadden performance. First of all you have to wait forever for them to order a drink. The male bartender that night was extremely rude and combative. The guy rushes you to order drinks while there were not even that busy. The place itself is dirty and run down. We waited till 12:30-1 am and still McFadden didn't show up! Waste of $20 cover charge for this filthy place with poor music performance. Don't waste your money and time to go there.

Like so many night spots in The City, this place is a far cry from what it once was. Watered down drinks and atmosphere make the Boom Boom Room someplace that can be skipped altogether. The money grubbing bearded guy (posing as the owner)at the door smoked a cigarette in our faces while fumbling through my wife's purse and his neighborhood henchmen looked on, validating him. Inside did not get much better. Bojangles entertained the neighborhood newcomers until the geriatric, hobbyist, house band came on. We ordered drinks but got shots instead. Took them to the neck and bounced - deuces . Waste of time and money...

It ain't classy and you aren't going to get any fancy cocktails, but if you wanna put on a buzz and dance to some pretty good jazz you won't be disappointed. The band was cool and $10 isn't so bad to get in for live music...the crowd, well its NOT what you see at a Kenny G concert LOL. If your standards aren't that high you'll have fun.

This place is not worth the $25 entrance fee they charge for live music. They band tonight was mediocre at best. I've been to restaurants that offer free music better then what I heard tonight. It was very loud, but the speaker system they used clearly could not handle that kind of volume. The sound was cracking. Perhaps other bands they have here are better. It wasn't even music anymore; it was just noise.

Sick vibes and great performers, it's a lil pricy but hey it's in pac heights. Glad they were able to last thru the pandemic, this is a classic SF spot no doubt

Boom Boom Rooooom!! Just saying Boom Boom Room makes me feel happy. It's a cool venue, small so you don't feel like you're lost among the crowd, but big enough that you don't have to stand with a group you're trying to avoid. Drinks are standard with standard prices, the bouncer and bartenders are nice. I went a couple years back with a guy I was crushing on, and sadly made a fool of myself by making out on the dance floor. I mean, who cares, right? It's only now, seeing other youngsters do the same thing that makes me look back on those days and shake my head in disbelief that I could be so silly. I went to a show for my friend's band Solwave on Thursday and it was super fun. Hibbity Dibbity also played and they were cool too. I accidentally left my debit card there and my friends told me to just forget about it, as I guess some places charge a fee when you leave your card (?? is that a thing?) but when I went to pick it up on Saturday the bartender was super nice and sifted through the mass amount of other forgotten cards, happily handed it to me, and informed it was closed out, with a wink and a smile. I'm sure I'll be back soon, when there's a cool band playing, duh, and hopefully won't leave my card again.

(Look for my photo titled DO NOT TIP THIS BARTENDER!!) A friend of mine was hurt at this bar one evening and I took him to the emergency room. I did not close out my tab for obvious reasons. I went back to the Boom Boom Room the next night and this bartender refused to give me my credit card back. He said he was too busy and it has a tons of cards in the back. I waited 20+ minutes and during his slow time I asked if I can speak to someone else that can help me. His response again was he doesn't have time. During my wait, I noticed his disgusting bartending methods. I witnessed him handling cash then immediately made drinks touching the ice and fruit garnishes without washing his hands. Up close I noticed open cuts and dirty finger nails. If I were to guess, he is a plumber during the day. After 20+ minutes, I found a manager and asked if I can get my card. He walked right up to the cash register which this POS bartender was using and gave it to me. It didn't take him more than 15 seconds to find! This bartender basically went out of his way to not help me!! If you ever visit the Boom Boom Room and see this RICHARD working, 1. DO NOT TIP HIM 2. CLOSE YOUR TAB (even if you need to leave because of a medical emergency)

As much as I've always loved the Boom Boom room, I was disappointed that they showed their true colors at the Fillmore Jazz Festival this weekend. At most a two-count on the drinks (I was a bartender for many years. When we asked them to re do it or top it off they said, it tastes like that because it is so big. kind of insulting). That's like getting a $10 drink at Cat Club on a Thursday night before 10 PM. just wrong. To be fair, one bartender was nice enough to give my better half a top for both our drinks (but was immediately chastised by the other bartender). Disappointing after the amount of money we've spend here over the years. Not sure if I'll return after all these years. we'll see.

Boom Boom Room was definitely a pleasant surprise! A and I wanted to go see some live music a few Fridays back and we saw that Boom Boom Room was having a Funk show and decided to check it out. We bought tickets at the door which were $20 each. This was more expensive than online for that show (I believe it was $15) but with the processing fee, we only paid about $2 more. We probably came about 30 minutes after show was supposed to start and they had their DJ spinning a set. It wasn't too crowded at this point and we snagged a table to sit before the live music started. The place definitely started to fill up within 30 minutes of us being there with a pretty diverse, fun crowd. We had a few drinks which were pretty reasonably priced for a music venue. I believe my well drinks were $8 (and pretty strong) and A had some specialty beers that were around $6. BBR definitely had a decent selection of beers on top and some nice cans too. I never felt like we waited too long for service at the bar, even as the place became more and more full. We stayed for about 3-4 hours, and BBR was pretty full even through when we left at 1AM. Apparently this place sometimes stays open until 4! I definitely think we will be back as we both enjoyed our time. The music that night was great, the space was perfect for dancing and there were plenty of seats to rest. The bathrooms were clean (yay!) and the drinks weren't too bad. This area does get a bit dicey at night but nothing too bad, just use common sense.

Great space for a fun night! My friend from college was visiting from Austin and we meandered over to the boom boom room after drinks at Harry's Bar. The $15 cover was EXPENSIVE, but Topaz and Mudphonic band that played here last night was awesome! Funk/blues/jazz type groove. My friend ended up buying their CD. My cocktail wasn't super stiff but not watery either. Minus one star for the guy who was wildly dancing right in front of the singer. By "WILD", I mean, busting out a Richard Simmons aerobics move then switching to the electric slide, doing the wave and just plain having a seizure on the dance floor. I was waiting for him to do the worm dance but didn't. SO disappointed!

Staff is terrible, a venue that has great acts. Some places get cocky with their name and what the bar used to be, this is defiantly one of said places. Its a shame because the vibe of the music is always killer but beware of the people at the door, bartenders and well thats about all the staff the place needs. Other than that come for the music, I guess tip what you feel is best for the staff if you experience them.

Went last Friday night. Funk/Blues band was playing live. So many people dancing & having a blast. Was pretty lit. Drinks aren't crazily priced. It's a bit of a crapshoot though. There's a steep cover & it's hard to know if one likes the music from the sidewalk. ------------------------------------------------ Re: Zander, Awww. Thanks for commenting!! =) I think that's the thing... Often times for some it's a game time decision. Advanced planning for SF folks, whaaa? I kid, i kid. But.... I probably won't be reviewing your preview posts (plus not a really great indicator if a band is actually good or not) or checking out my admail outside your doorstep either.... =/

Drinking, dancing, and bartenders who have got your back. While the Boom Boom Room probably won't be a regular watering hole of mine, an evening of drinks here might almost always guarantee a fun time. We went to the Boom Boom Room following an event and were looking to continue a merry night of drinks and conversation. I think the night vaguely went like this: "Oh what's a Boom Boom Ale?" Glurp, glurp, glurp. Toast! Speech! Chatter, chatter, chatter. "Oh another Boom Boom ale?" Glurp, glurp, chatter, chatter, glurp, glurp. "Who bought more Boom Boom ale?" Glurp, glurp, chatter, chatter, glurp, glurp. "Oh I love this song!!!" Dance for your life. "Oh I need to go. Let me settle up my tab." Settle tab. "Oh I love this song!!!" Dance for your life again. "Man I'm thirsty again" Ordered another drink and paid with cash. Drunkenly told bartender to keep the change. Great bartender reminds me I gave him a twenty. "Thanks man. You're awesome!" I'm sure I will be back to the Boom Boom Room.

I can't believe I've never been here until a few weeks ago. Oh how I am missing out! We came on a Sunday evening and saw a fantastic band that I don't recall the name of. (Yah I know, shame on me.) The great thing about this place is the intimate atmosphere between the band and the crowd. While it was really busy, it wasn't hard to make our way to the front and dance with a huge fan blowing air in front of us. You know how you go to a club and it gets so hot and sweaty? Well that never happened here because of the huge fan. Big props to the management for having that for both the band and the crowd! If you haven't been here, GO. You won't be disappointed. Great people, great music and be ready to dance the night away.

Free music (most weekdays) cheap drinks, and a beautiful, life-loving vibe are what I think of when I think of the boom boom room. You've got to experience it for yourself to confirm it's up your ally, but every Bay Area resident should give the boom boom room a try atleast once. The fact that they don't accept backpacks definitely sucks, but I haven't seen the bad service others have referenced. The patrons are almost always kind, respectful, and there to have a groovy time. It'll an experience either way - give this place a shot!