Slim’s

Slim’s is one of the good, small/​medium sized venues in SF. It’s not difficult to get a good spot. Mostly standing room. There are bars on the side and in the back.

Loved everything about this place. Performance, atmosphere and music were great. Bartender Stephen was awesome! I truly enjoyed myself. Thank you!

Do NOT get the dinner and a show.
Tonight I had the lamest experience in San Francisco for a music venue offering a prix fixe menu and a show. I’ve done a bunch at other venues and they’ve all been amazing.
We waited 45 minutes to get our first drink, an hour to get our salad appetizer, and nearly 1 and a half hours to get our entrée. When we did, the lasagne was cold, the steak was well done, and the vegetables were all literally burnt to a crisp.
The dinner was supposed to include dessert too and it never showed up.
Keep in mind all this happened in the context of trying to watch and enjoy a show. Never again Slim’s.

I went to see Portland Cello Project with a dinner ticket. Overall I’m not excited to come back again.
As a music venue, there are way too many obstructions, including those darn poles everyone talks about, as well as the railing upstairs in the balcony section. They really need to replace it with plexiglass. See my pic for upstairs view of the show.
As for their dinner, two of the three courses were fine, but the sundae was melted like soup. The timing of the courses coming out of the kitchen was random. And it was hard to know who was coming back to their table or not because some didn’t stay for dessert; I don’t blame them because the balcony’s far distance from the stage made for a boring viewing experience.
If this was the only concert venue in town then I’d call it wonderful. Unfortunately it’s competing with The Fillmore, amongst others. I’d throw Yoshi’s Oakland into the mix as an example of what dinner service during a show should be, but that would be asking too much because Yoshi’s is a full blown restaurant outside of being a concert venue.

My wife and I made our first trip to Slim’s to see Cody Jinks. We got tickets that included dinner and we were VERY pleased with both the seats and the food! It’s a small intimate place that was fun. Staff was great and very helpful. The sound was very good and not overly loud like some concerts. But hands down the best part was Cody Jinks! This guy is so talented, I hope he gets his day in the spotlight like he well deserves! We were lucky enough to meet Cody and get a CD autographed. Thank you so much to the young lady working there that helped make that happen. Cody kicked ass and I would definitely recommend Slim’s!

This is one of the most intimate venues I have been to. It’s all standing, but you can order food and sit up on the balcony although it’s far in the back. It is very cute inside with lots of charm. The exposed brick and dark chandeliers were to die for. The bar is super nice, but there aren’t a lot of seats. The only issue I had was the sound. There seemed to be issues with the speakers or something like that. I really loved this place though and I will be going a lot more.

I have lived in the Bay Area most of my life and have never visited this venue until a couple weeks ago, when I saw the Canadian singer Coeur de Pirate. Of course, the atmosphere of the place probably varies a lot based on the performer, but I found it to be a fun venue that was not too crowded.
We arrived just after the doors open and got really good spots near the front of the theater. It’s an intimate stage, so you can get within spitting distance of the band. I found the theater to be relatively clean and free of smoke. The drinks at the bar were not the cheapest, but they were about what you would expect for a concert venue. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would come back to see another show there.

One of the first concerts I’ve ever went and without my parents… when I FIRST got MY L’s *(or maybe I was sneaking out the house) was to see Hoobastank* through Live 105 and a promotion from and newly owned established Best Buy. Ha, that was years ago!
Nowadays, a place like Slims still holds the charm of attracting big names and even smaller ones. With such things as tribute bands, YouTube internet famed bands, and some up and coming artist, and shows in which have keep punk rock and rock and roll alive.
I have Been here and saw bands like Toro yo moi, Dashboard confessional, NEW FOUND Glory, and since such hip-​hop rappers as Q-​tip, Keak the sneak, the pack, and other bay area finds, this place has and upstairs loft for dinner, in fact when you buy a ticket, they even give you dinner options when buying!
The men’s bathroom inside has a slew of concert posters and even a shower curtain for privacy to use the bathroom. A small stage and some beams and rafters seperates you from the stage, where one might be tempted to jump on, but shouldn’t .
The thing I like about this place is that it is an all ages place. We seriously, have to keep places like this alive. Therefore the world and newer generations can find out such bands and changed their future. I took my nephew one time to a concert here when he was 17. It blew his mind, and I was forever the coolest thing since the opening of a best buy!

We’ve seen two shows at Slim’s relatively recently, and we’ve decided that we’re done with this venue. It’s a shame because I like the building, the staff, and the neighborhood. In fact, I like just about everything about Slim’s except the way my favorite artists sound when they play there.
Both shows suffered from lousy sound quality – so much so that we left the second concert early when the badly balanced sound actually started to hurt my ears. (This is the only concert I’ve left early in my life.)
We wanted to love you, Slim’s, and we gave you another shot after our first lousy experience. Now, we’re moving on.

Oh yes I saw Yuna Zarai here in November 2015 and I must say I had the best time ever. I ordered a package that includes food and it was worth it. Costed me $ 105 Singapore dollars and I never felt so alive. Houston and DFW has the House of Blues, we got Slim’s. The moment I stepped in this venue I instantly fall in love. In addition to the food I got, also bought a full bottle of champagne at such a low price. The lighting for this place is spectacular and the seats are really comfy. Before I heard of this place, there was Yoshi’s SF but it closed and this place is better. I felt like a prime minister here. They have VIP treatment that is worth the money you pay. A lot of concerts here are 21+ so there is a huge bang for my buck. The settings here are really elite and will knock the socks off anyone.

Intimate venue for cozy shows. Mostly more alternative acts rather than EDM, which is refreshing from time to time. You’ll get the opportunity to be less than ten feet away from the talent if you want! Ventilation is a struggle, and bathrooms are small so there can be a line.

Slim’s has been one of my favorite places to attend a show since my teenage years. Where do I start?
First of all, the layout is wonderful. Sure, there are those pesky poles that can obstruct your view from time to time, but those can be avoided quite easily. The bar runs along the edges of nearly a third of the venue space so there is rarely ever a lengthy line you’d have to wait if you wanted to grab a drink.
The stage is about as big as you’d expect from a venue of this size. The sound is generally excellent.
They recently went from a will call or mail-​only system to Eventbrite, so obtaining tickets is a much more flexible endeavor. Some may argue this only makes it easier for scalpers, but on the other hand it has made it infinitely more convenient for someone to obtain a face-​value ticket on stubhub on the night of a sold out show. So in that regard I welcome the change.
Now where this place really shines is the staff. The GAMH/Slim’s staff is the friendliest, most helpful concert venue staff in the bay area. Hands down. They are truly exceptional.

Incredible Line-​Up Of Very Diverse Acts
SITREP
I had a genuine scare that I was going to miss this night’s show when I got into the East Bay and then hit *standstill* traffic at Berkeley. In fact, it took longer to get from Berkeley to Slim’s than it did in the preceding lengthy driving-​segment from Sacramento to Berkeley.
But luckily I made to Slim’s in a nick of time before the first band kicked off, and I’m glad I did since I didn’t want to miss my buddies Felix & Billy and their band ECHO BLACK who were opening up with MXMS for the headliners BIRTHDAY MASSACRE and COMBICHRIST.
THE SETUP
Slim’s is an eclectic venue that does the general admission «standing-​only» area quite well. But they also do an open 2^nd Level Back-​Area Dinner Club — you could stay seated and enjoy the concert from this area the whole night if you so chose to.
But then, you’d miss out on getting smack up to the front of the stage (and perhaps even inadvertently get tossed about in one of the *MOSH PITS* that seems to sneak up on the crowd like an unsuspecting tsunami).
TONIGHT’S LINEUP!
* ECHO PARK — my buds Billy & Felix in Echo Park opened the night with their band and brought their full New York energy with great music (guitars!), a dazzling light show, and lots of gratuitous head-​banging! [Oh HELL YEAH!] ;)
* MXMS — Now this was the mystery band for me! While I knew a LOT about the other three (3) bands, I knew absolutely NOTHING about MXMS. And when we saw the quite, subdued duet stand on the stage amidst everyone else’s equipment, you had to wonder, «What are THEY going to bring to the table?»
But I gotta be honest — they were the best surprise of the whole night. I absolutely loved their set. It was such a LEFT TURN from the head-​banging awesomeness of the other 3 bands — a wonderful, sublime, lyrical left turn. [On iTunes and Facebook, they are actually categorized as «Funeral Pop». Haha!] They don’t even have a CD out yet, but I bought their 7-​inch Vinyl Single record I LOVED THEM THAT MUCH.
* BIRTHDAY MASSACRE — I have been following this band for eight (8) years and I absolutely love every song they put out and track the dramas of these kids’ lives, they are that much fun!
* COMBICHRIST — Probably the band in this line-​up I am MOST familiar with and have been tracking since their inception (2003) and that of lead-​singer Andy LaPlegua from his days in Icon of Coil (1997) and even before with Sector 9 (jesus, how far back is that?).
«AMENITIES»
*Assholes — you still get those douchebags who try to fight you into the front, jostling everyone around, pushing your date aside and causing a ruckus. Props to the security staff for ejecting these asshats.
*Mosh Pits — on the other hand, you can’t have a CombiChrist show without having mosh pit, and YES there was a fun one during their set! [*ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!*]
THE LOWDOWN
Slim’s still packs in the great bands with the fun crowds!
[P.S. I put on the survey asked during this review process «Quiet» when asked about noise level, because… who the HELL asks that sort of asinine question of a Rock venue? *Pfffft.* ]

Saw The Birthday Massacre here last night. I decided to buy dinner tickets since that is the only way they sell balcony seats. I like being on the balcony at small venues like this because you’re still close enough to the stage to get a good view but you don’t have to spend the whole time standing or be packed in like sardines on the floor. I’m too old to want to deal with that nonsense.
The food was decent, nothing special but not bad. I had sirloin steak with potatoes and vegetables with cheesecake for dessert. It’s a little dark in the club so it was actually kinda hard to see what we were eating.
Sitting on the balcony is cool other than the fact that there are these poles that obstruct your view somewhat. But the cool thing is that you can go back and forth from your seats to the floor as much as you want. So it’s the best of both worlds. I went down to the floor every once in a while to get pictures and then went back to my seat to relax and watch the show. Very cool.
The staff was all very nice. I wouldn’t hesitate to see another show at Slim’s.

I went to Slim’s to watch Vulfpeck perform. There were both pros and cons with the venue but overall it did what it was supposed to — have a good sound system for the music and a good bar that doesnt interfere with the audience.
First of all, the sound system was really commendable. I’ve been to plenty of pubs and similar venues that tend to focus on bass more than anything else and in doing so completely sabotage the quality of the other instruments. This place had its acoustics and systems in place.
Second, the bar setting was much friendlier than in similar places. The bartender did a good job of catering to everyone without losing her shit (unlike so many places). The only complaint I had with this was that there was a $ 20 minimum for using a card (thats kinda insane).
Third, the capacity at which they operated was simply the perfect amount. It wasn’t as crowded as a rave or concert floor. There was enough room to move and roam around but still packed enough to have a solid social atmosphere.
The only two issues I really had with the place were the credit card minimum and the quality of the food. I ordered a slice of Sausage & pepperoni pizza and it was among the most disgusting items of food (or anything else) I’ve ever consumed. I threw more than half of it away.
Overall, 4 out of 5.

For some reason, people have told me that they don’t like Slim’s at all. I mean, that’s their opinion… I just think it’s the wrong one LOL! I came here on 09/​08/​2015 to see Cult Of Luna on my birthday (Happy 26^th to me!) Slim’s has always been one of my favorite venues to go to because of how small it is. Depending on who you go to see, it can either be hella packed or not packed at all. This was actually the very first venue I went to when I was 16 to go watch a different band. But even then, I actually liked the venue. For the past 10 years, I’ve learned to appreciate this venue a lot because I know how some people can be to see their favorite band/​artist perform.
Granted, there’s actually not a lot of seating to be had in this place. There’s 3 small tables on the floor and there’s a VIP dinner area upstairs, but that costs extra I think. I’ve never been up there, so i can’t really say what it’s like up there, but it’s a good option if you want to sit down for the whole show or you just hate crowds.
Bathrooms are super clean, which is a surprise because some venues have gross bathrooms. Also, alcohol isn’t as pricey as other places are. I know some venues charge like $ 12 for a thing of beer, but this place is like $ 7 for beer. Not bad. Sound system is also great, it’s not distorted and it will only hurt your ears if you’re not used to the loudness.
Overall, I will always have a special place in my heart for Slim’s. All the bands I love seeing come here from time to time so it’s a good place for me :)

Love Slims. Probably watched over 20 shows here through high school and my adult life. In fact, the best show I saw here was way back in 2003-​04 when Thursday and Poison the Well played together. Absolutely RAW and amazing.
A local band played here (Scraping for Change) a few times and I have seen other acts here as well. Ample parking near Costco, a great waffle truck near by, and if you want, DNA lounge has a Pizza place inside their venue too.
Great times, all shows are All ages.
Decent price on bar food and drinks.
Small and intimate venue, you will find the best of SF here.

Theres no place to sit here unless you go upstairs in the eating area but this place rocks soo much who needs too sit right??? I’ve seen some rockin cover bands here and even went backstage and bobbed for apples and had some drinks with them, great people.
Ac/​dshe is always hot.
Generation swine is badass, I’ve seen soo many cover bands here.
First time I saw dirtnasty was at this place too.
y’know dirtnasty always is badass.
I’ve also seen bizzy bone, andre nickatina, and hopsin.
HOpsin did some bad ass skateboard tricks and was hella cool with his fans.
That guy knows how too appreciate his fans.
As I am sitting here drinking my bottle of Perrier I just wanna say thanks slims for all the good times.

This venue is alright. Sweet potato fries were good and the service was friendly, but the drinks were mediocre. A margarita should come with a salted rim and shouldn’t taste like vanilla.
Also, they should probably notify Unilocal that they don’t accept the check-​in offer.

We went for the recent Jukebox the Ghost concert and is mostly centered around the fact that we ordered the «Dinner and Show» package.
In my opinion, totally worth it! The food was pretty good, and I feel like you get your ~$ 20 out of it for the upgrade. Plus you get to sit down for all the acts. If you want to stand-​up and get close up, you can always head down to the ground floor during the headliner (which many people in the dinner loft did). Even better for us who stayed, as there was an unobstructed view to the stage, which me (I’m short) and my wife (she’s shorter) took advantage of.
This is going to sound a bit weird, but their ranch dressing is really good. It’s made in house, and if you get the dinner option, and they offer you a salad dressing. Go ranch. It’s all garlicky and delicious. Steak was a bit chewy, the fish and chips were a more solid option, although the lasagna looked good as well.
Table service was great. The waitresses were really nice and will keep you fed and boozed until the headliner goes up.
Jukebox the Ghost is also an amazing live show. Just had to put that here.

C’est vraiment un mauvais endroit pour voir un concert: les barmans grossiers, les boissons faibles, des piliers qui bloquent votre vue, et le son terrible.
Mais pour une salle de concert qui facilite seulement des centaines de gens, Slim’s réserve de grands noms. Ici j’ai vu Foo Fighters, Nitzer Ebb, etc Donc je né peux pas le boycotter, mais je me tapis quand un artiste que j’aime joue ici.
Si vous allez à un concert ici, vous n’avez pas besoin d’arriver trop tôt. Buvez ailleurs quelque part à l’avance, et apportez des boules quies.

Good music and good times lie here.
This medium-​sized venue is cozy yet spacious. You’ll enjoy what feels like an intimate performance with your favorite artists, but you’ll also be amazed at the multitude of people packed in the room. Despite being a small girl hidden in the crowd, I felt the lead singer could still see and sing directly to me.
Buying tickets and getting in was quick and simple. I paid $ 18 plus a $ 4 fee online for general admission, and you can just use your phone to get in at the door.
The bathrooms are small and dingy, but they’re not repulsive. With only two stalls, lines can get long.
Parking is mostly easy. If you can’t find street parking, Costco parking is available for a flat rate of $ 10 at night. Be sure to keep your valuables out of sight around this area.
I’ll definitely be back for more!