Balazo 18 Gallery

We went here to support our coworkers band and their CD release party. It was one of those warm SF evenings which meant that the inside of this space was like a sauna. There are no in and out privileges (unless you want to smoke a cigarette — wish I had a pack even though I don’t smoke cigarettes but I almost went across the street to buy a pack just so I could go outside) so you are stuck soaking up the heat, hanging in the attached room that everyone smokes in, or buying a drink at the makeshift bar that has only jugs of no-​name liquor: rum, vodka, and tequila, no whiskey: scotch, Canadian, Irish, or bourbon. To go with your low-​class liquor, you have a limited number of mixers that don’t take the edge off of that harsh shit. They do top it off with some fresh juice of lime but it just can’t save the $ 6 drink. Oh, and the sound is for shit too. Good times, good times…

It’s dark and grungy, but open late and never dull. I’ve ended up here few times for random events and always run into people I know. It’s not my favorite spot, but a great place to make a last stop after last call. I’ve also seen a punk band here and was impressed; I’m more of a Greygoose martini extra-​dry with olives up girl who prefers neo soul and hip –hop with the occassional alternative and rap collaboration, but can appreciate a change of scene– occassionally.
They do some fundraisers for really gret causes too.

Beware the first try — this place will smash your ideals. Better to look beyond the bare walls and small space in order to think of the potential this spot holds, especially for wannabe self trained singers like me ;).

The people who run Balazo Gallery are the some of the coolest, most accommodating you could ever meet. I remember back when it was this weird two-​story space near one of the Mission BART stations when I first saw the band I eventually joined. They moved to the location they are now, and I played my «last» show there (in quotes, because I ended up rejoining the band and having many more shows thereafter).
They make it really easy and stress-​free to book there. They have their booking guidelines clearly listed on their website and they follow that. They’re amazing. Even when things got rough.
Last year, I tried to book my birthday there and it was right when they had issues with some sort of permit and had to shut down. They kindly refunded my deposit.
I haven’t been back since they re-​opened since I didn’t find out about it until I stumbled upon their Unilocal review just now, but I’m glad they’re back. They’re a wonderful establishment for the dying DIY music scene in San Francisco.

It’s hard to review a place in which you are scared that what you write in the review (if the wrong people saw it) could get the venue/​art gallery shut down. That’s a lot to have on your conscious.
On the other hand, I hope to god they figure out a way to allow ins and outs if only to let people outside to smoke.
But, Balazo reminds me of some of my favorite places in SoCal to see shows. I hope they figure out how to keep under the radar enough to ensure their survival. Totally rad place that could be one of the best places to see shows in SF.

My personal punk haven in SF. Many a times I have seen a couple of my favorite local bands like La Plebe and Eskapo play here. Here, art music, political activism converge. This newer location doesn’t have the intimate feel of it’s previous location but it has the look and feel of 924 Gilman, where here, the venue is bigger, the people are more laid back and there’s a stocked bar.
The main floor and stage is huge, and the sound system is just a simple PA system, but it’s all you need. The mosh pits form and the circle pits swarm. You get crushed as you get closer to the stage at a La Plebe show. But no matter what, if you fall, you get picked up. A great feeling of camaraderie and brotherhood when you go to a show here.
When you want to get away from the Marshall Stacks, there walkthrough lounge and as you get closer to the bar, you walk through a door, and there it is. A cavernous room with art, a fully functional gallery with art to ponder at and provoke you. A stride away, you can order a can of Tecate or a mojito. It’s a great place to organize or see a show. The guy to talk to is Txuxtxo (pronounced Chu-​cho), who runs the place. Drinks are cheap and overall a great place to have a good time.

UPDATE: ummm… balazo is not closed. they just threw a new year’s party. don’t be fooled Unilocalers. go support local artists and see fun bands.
warningl this is a biased review because i know the people running the show at balazo.
once upon a time, balazo was only known to legitimate punk rockers and mexican bettie pages. we celebrated anything and everything there. i danced on a table ringing in the new year. avoided the many mosh pits that formed. and just sat smoking and drinking with my la plebe family. now somehow the marinas found out about it and are slumming it up in our precious hang. they dance like fools and annoy the bartenders. i would tell you marina jerks to stay away, but then again — your alcoholism is making juan money and i think the rest of us like the extortion. this would all be better if you cool, chill people with money showed up instead. i know you’re out there. so stop heading home after a concert and come drink some more tecates with us.
balazo was closed for a while due to renovations and permit issues but it’s now open again. the place is a little cleaner (having been renovated), but still trying to keep the punk rock feel. the bartenders are sweethearts (at least to me because i know and love anna and karla). upstairs is where the art hangs. the main room is where the shows are. and when ceci works the door she’s a ray of sunshine at 2am.

This place is certainly experiencing some growing pains, but it has a great future. The staff are all wonderful, they are very supportive of the community and music and arts scene. So many places in SF are trendy, lacqured and glamorus, Balazo is not one of those places. This place has a very underground atmosphere to it, it reminds me of the punk shows of my youth which were often in some kind of dive.
If you like a laid back atmosphere, inexpensive drinks, a great crowd to mingle with and friendly staff, then you will like it here. If you want a trendy, snooty yuppie club, you will be most miserable.

I remember when this place was a Chinese restaurant. It sucked.
As for the place now, it reminds me of Gilman St in Berkeley. Poorly decorated, shitty amenities, nasty bathrooms, poor sound… perfect conditions for a metal or punk show. I really dig the back bar with their cheap beer and fresh mint ready for a mojito.
The people running this place seem cool, although I’ve met many people who think different. Whatever. Until I get a bad experience from these folk, I will continue coming and playing here.

Get back! a first review for a SF joint– in the Mission no less. I attended the Jewish Film Festival Sneak Peak here tonight. The films were shorts, and that was a good thing. Of the six or seven only one could have kept me en-​rapt for longer than the ten or so minutes.
However/​whatever this review is about the space. It’s right next to Weird Fish.
Not a finished space –1
Only one restroom «Dingy and Gross» said my wife.-1
Second restroom was closed off –1
No marked exits –1
The only light in the back bar was provided by a red neon light «666» +2
This place would take a polish and be an apt venue for a rave or even some sort of visual or performing art but it was a lousy screening room.

I admit I am biased; I live right next door.
I get trashed out of my mind before even getting there, so every night I go to Dub Night, on Saturdays, I just dance and let my intoxicated state whisk me away. Events change randomly, though, so it may be something different on other Saturdays.
The art is pretty cool, pricey, but cool. The management is chill, and the people are laid back partiers. After the show, I just smoke, leaned up on the graffiti ravaged wall outside the establishment, and enjoy the night and life.

awesome place! i was there a month ago and it looked like they re-​vamped inside. The stage is a real stage now and the bar area in the back has some couches and such to sit down and relax. It’s a lot of fun when they have Metal shows there. My only complaint is that they have to close early so they don’t disturb neighbors so people have to be out of there by 1130ish-​midnight. Mojitos are A+ here!

Went for a private party. Looks like an abandoned chinese cafeteria because it is an abandoned chinese cafeteria minus the charm. For a gallery, seemed to be a general lack of art. Instead looked like a dumping ground for furniture found out in the rain in the Sunset. There is a bar in the back. Has the feeling of that movie From Dusk Til Dawn, without the benefit of a hot Salma Hayek dancing with a snake. Just the scary grimy vampire part.
I give it one star because I got completely hammered on a drink called the Evil Girl and had a good time none the less. And everyone in my party made it out alive.

Probably the most underground bar in the mission. Lots of punk/​experimental/​indie shows. Very grungy, cheap and relaxed as hell.