Thriller Social Club

"Head to the second floor of this sprawling SoMa bar to explore Grinchville, a green and grouchy holiday pop-up. Decorations in years past have included strings of colorful lights, a massive inflatable Grinch, and hoards of presents that dangle from the rafters, not to mention green sour apple-flavored cocktails and, of course, dozens of arcade games. Thriller Social Club hasn’t yet announced 2024 Grinchville dates, but stay tuned via Instagram." - Lauren Saria, Justine Jones

"If a pregame skeeball showdown sounds like the move, then head to Thriller Social Club, the arcade bar located about a half-mile from the stadium. In a two-story building, you’ll find multiple bars and spaces for your group to congregate — and while you might find a couple of arcade-style machines, most of the play here centers around midway-style carnival games (think ring toss, basketball shooting contests, and whack-a-mole). Food options also stick to the theme with burgers, pretzels, popcorn, and more." - Lauren Saria, Paolo Bicchieri

"Thriller Social Club in SoMa is what would happen if a carnival and a vintage arcade had a baby and bought the most expensive golf simulator in the world. So expect to feel overstimulated (in the best way) as soon as you walk in. Above the bar, you’ll see a disco ball and a giant clown head. Upstairs, an inflatable unicorn and taxidermied deer. The two-story bar is built for group hangs after a long week, Happy Hours, and dates where you can get unnecessarily competitive playing Skee-ball, Whac-A-Mole, and air hockey. They also have a food menu of things like wood-fired pizzas and burgers, since you’ll no doubt get hungry after breaking records on the punching machine. " - julia chen 1, will kamensky

"Sure, most locals reading this map would expect Thriller Social Club to make this list, given the plentiful number of activities available for patrons, but it is worth singing the praises of Thriller Social Club again for the folks in the back who don’t know. There are midway games, air hockey, Skee-Ball, a golf simulator, and more, as well as a selection of cocktails and food that will keep the group around when the game fever has run its course." - Dianne de Guzman

"Thriller Social Club in SoMa is what would happen if a carnival and a vintage arcade had a baby and bought the most expensive golf simulator in the world. So expect to feel overstimulated (in the best way) as soon as you walk in. Above the bar, you’ll see a disco ball and a giant clown head. Upstairs, an inflatable unicorn and taxidermied deer. The two-story bar is built for group hangs after a long week, Happy Hours, and dates where you can get unnecessarily competitive playing Skee-ball, Whac-A-Mole, and air hockey. They also have a food menu of things like wood-fired pizzas and burgers, since you’ll no doubt get hungry after breaking records on the punching machine." - Julia Chen