Vessel

Worst club I have ever been too. They would rather leave the table empty than get $ 500 per table. I have never been to a bar that they turn down hot girls and money.

Very small and intimate venue, but great DJ’s!
This club is located near Union Square right behind the Nike store. I recommend parking in the parking garage in Union Square.
Bring a debit card or cash if you plan on buying drinks at the bar. There’s a $ 20 minimum charge on credit cards.
There’s no where to sit, unless you get bottle service. There’s a small smoking section outside, but you have to go upstairs.
The bartenders and staff are very friendly. :)

My only pro about Vessel is that the crowd was very diverse
Only go here if you want to see a specific DJ because
* This venue is TINY, if you aren’t feelin’ the music, the crowded dance floor will make you feel claustrophobic and gross
* Guys: Girls = 20:1. The bathrooms clearly reflect this! There was a HUGE line for men’s restrooms.
(Plus, the whole bathroom set up is weird. It looks like a hallway where the left stalls are for men and the right stalls are for the women)

Great sound system and competent staff. An awesome place to catch your favorite DJ.
The only negative is general admission is a joke. Literally sardines with no where to turn. Can’t imagine the amount of spilled drinks on your nice threads or dress.
Bottom line is table service is the ONLY way to go — period.
If you are wondering about the people. Keep in mind it is SF and I only mentioned the music as my reason to come to Vessel.

Okay I am bumping up a star because Deric finally got back to me, about 10 – 12 days after I sent a thank you email for not being a help at all. He told me he had the flu and was unable to respond to my email… uh okay, bro. Anyways the thing that matters is that I got my refund finally and that the mistake was corrected… after 2 months. He didn’t ever even apologize for calling me a liar basically but whatever, just so glad this is behind me.
I would only come back to Vessel if there was some crazy bomb DJ playing here. I would still avoid this place as much as I could.

Recently went with a group of friends. What a mistake.
The venue is located underground and it is very small. I thought that for the size it was going to get packed. It was full for about 30 minutes but at around 12:30 there was probably about 50 people inside at the most. The crowd inside was not what we expected. People wearing t-​shirts and cut off jean shorts. The bar that we went to the night before turned people away if they had t-​shirts. We would expect better from a club. And yes there are people in their 40s inside.
The drinks were not very good either. The cranberry vodka that my friend had was pretty much just cranberry juice. No vodka. We didn’t get any more drinks after that.
They had 2 different DJ’s when we were inside. The first 2 were horrible. They had no good music and their transitions between songs were some of the worst that I have heard. They FINALLY get off at midnight and the guy that went on was decent at best. A couple of good songs that we couldn’t enjoy due to the people that were shuffling constantly bumping into us. We started to throw elbows after a while.
This is the first time that I go to a club and I didn’t get searched. No one did. All I could think off was the possibility of getting shot or stabbed. I’ve paid less money to get in to better clubs. Save your money and go somewhere else.

I LOVED the music in there, just made me want to dance as soon as I entered. I do not know why no one was dancing though! :(
However, the $ 20 minimum for credit cards was somewhat annoying. I would have ended up spending more money if they did not have that restriction.
Other reviewers were complaining about the guards, but I thought they were nice — one of them asked me if I left my jacket inside when I was leaving.

NO, NO, NO, JUST NO.
Came here for my birthday on ¹¹⁄₁₅ and I’m not kidding, we used the bathroom and left. It was a Saturday night at 11ish and it was EMPTY. I should have just stayed out when I saw a group of ladies about 60 entering in cocktail attire (me in my club dress with cutouts everywhere –_​-​) The crowd inside was the oddest mix ever! Some young Asians and then some very old grannies and then some middle aged peeps. like what kind of atmosphere is this!!! You might as well have toddlers running around! Also, the DJ this night was playing some techno electro magnetic fields kind of mixture… I don’t like EDM but I can at least dance to decent versions of it.
Basically, expensive drinks, no one on dance floor, weird blend of crowd — if any crowd at all.
Bouncers were nice though! But then again, I always get along with bouncers so I’m biased.

Vessel isn’t my favorite club in SF, but I won’t be disappointed about heading there for a night out.
One of the reasons I’ll be coming back is that they consistently book good talent here. The acts tends to lean towards progressive, trance, and tech house, but it feels like every couple of months I see someone on the lineup that makes me excited to head to Vessel for a night of dancing.
The music and production are also on point here. The sound system is mostly directed towards the central dance floor, so if you’re around the edges some of the highs get cut out. However, if you’re in the central dance floor area everything is nice and well balanced. The lighting setup is also interesting and well done, although their stock projections are a little bit weird and janky. Nonetheless, Vessel still does lighting better than most small clubs.
The crowd is a bit more LA than SF, as you’ll find plenty of people with the standard club uniform of button down, jeans, and dress shoes. That being said, I’ve went in sneakers and a t-​shirt a number of times and had no issues. Also, the crowd was very heavily male; that might have been because of the night I went, but it was definitely very noticable.
Vessel won’t be replacing Audio as my go to club for a night out, but it will continue to be a fun change of pace every once and a while. Oh, and they generally, have free guest list before 11, so that’s always a win.

–1 star (go to starlight better bouncer and service, one block away)!!!
First of all we (10 guys and me 1 girl) were trying to go in to the club at 00:30 (midnight) yesterday 11÷16÷14 (Saturday). the guy in the entrance was totally racist!!! I asked him if he could let me go in for free and the 7 guys paid $ 20 entrance, and he said nooooo! So I asked him if he could call Sasha the DJ since my phone was no baterry and he sarcastic said it’s impossible. So I naturally tried to take a picture of him to put a review on Unilocal and he told the security guard to kick me out o. O!!! Omg!!! than I told my self yes, this is crazy! And yes thank you but I will not go in for whatever reason. This is so crazy! He is so unprofessional and not kinda at all!!! He would make this bussiness go down for sure! He have no kindness and can’t make business!!! So sorry for the owner but if this guy in the attached picture is in the door don’t go in the club! Not even for free. Its not worth!!! go to better club!

Guess people here don’t like music. And people. And fun.
Waste of time, don’t approach this place!

One of the worst clubs to go. Sad music sad crowd. Would not recommend
Don’t waste your time going there. There are better places in SF

Been here twice and seen both nights, unfortunately last night I was involved in one, this place really needs new management, and security that will pay attention rather than check out girls. This place is a joke…

When my fiancé and I were in SF we wanted to hit a club and came across this place. She likes edm and dancing so I found this spot. Didn’t know what to expect… bought the ticket, took the ride.
Hook n sling was spinning. We bought advanced tickets for less than 15 bucks a pop. After predrinking at Wish and Bergerac we made it over around 10:45 or 11 to find a line around the corner. Place was poppin already!
Waited about 5 minutes in line before a bouncer hollered «Anyone with presales follow me!» What a relief, I was impatient and don’t like my girl to wait in line. We quickly checked our coat, and headed to the bar.
The bar area gets a little cramped is one of my only complaints. Drinks are pricey, but so what? If you are complaining about the price of drinks at a club, just stay home and have a beer on the couch. One of the bartenders was smokin’ too. so it’s worth it.
The only real and major complaint I had was the size of the dancefloor. Way too small! People were bumpin into us right and left. Not sure if it is always that crowded or we picked a busy night. The vip bottle service areas are to the right and left of the dancefloor and stage and those areas are super spacious. Maybe get rid of one of the two areas? Anyway, we ended up dancing in one of the walkways towards the back of the club most of the time because there was some space to move around back there. Security finally moved us along though haha. We tried to boogie in the back part of the dancefloor the rest of time. Overall, we had a blast. Don’t know if we would come here regularly if we lived here, but was definitely fun for the night.

Never ever ever ever pay for this place.
I was on guestlist trying to get in for free before 11, but of course the line wrapped around the block and by the time I got to the door, it was 11:12.
Of course I tried to talk my way out of it, but the doorman shot me down and quite rudely, saying «THE GUESTLIST HAS CLOSED FOR A LONG TIME NOW. IT’S ALREADY 11:15. IT’S REALLY CROWDED IN THERE AND WE’RE ABOUT TO RAISE THE COVER TO $ 30.»
His attitude should have been a sign for me to go home, but for some reason, my bullheaded self sucked it up and paid the $ 20 cover.
The space is VERY small, especially for someone who’s used to LA clubs. There was an area of the bar that literally smelled like someone shat himself. I was not alone in this sentiment, as I overheard other patrons complaining loudly about it. After getting away from the smell, I ended up with a whole shot of tequila running down my leg within a few minutes of hanging out at the bar, thanks to a really drunk girl.
On the dance floor, you’re packed like sardines. So much so that another girl stabbed my foot with her stiletto heel. Ouchie.
I WANTED TO LIKE YOU, VESSEL. I really did :\
You have such great DJs and such pretty lights. But you want to charge me $ 20 for a place with no room to dance and smelly sweaty people. I just can’t.

I came here on July 4^th for a Sondra Productions event that was having Maor Levi as the guest DJ. The staff at Vessel was very accommodating to Sondra’s involvement and were very professional in handling in hosting the event. Even when we left our credit card after closing time and came back, we didn’t encounter the resistance or shouting like we had at other clubs. The bouncer was quick to ask us how he could help us be on our way. That alone bumped my three-​star rating to a four, because as any customer knows, service can make or break an experience.
The club itself was small and cramped. My only one and major complaint is the nearly absent flow of air. It gets so hot and stuffy so fast, you start seeing girls retreat to the bathroom just to breathe. Bathroom stall navigation gets tricky but by the end of the night, you start seeing girls stumble into men’s stalls and vice versa.
There’s a sweet spot for a draft of air. In the very front of the VIP area closest to the DJ set, there is a nice flow of cool air that some of us gathered around. I stayed there the whole night and didn’t budge. The bouncers don’t seem to care that people invade the VIP area for seating towards the end of the night and they were also actively cleaning up.

This is a club. Don’t go here if you aren’t interested in loud music and slightly over priced drinks — an environment like this also comes with a bevy of weirdos and guys wearing too much cologne.
That said, I like the venue. Great place for DJs. There are a ton of tables if bottle service is your thing, and they are designed to be danced upon. The general space is fairly limited, but I think just the right space to give it a crowded feeling without having to try too hard.
Most impressed with the bar tenders. They were super quick, professional, and liberal in their pours. Rock on. Extra star just for them.
The bathrooms are interesting in that there are about eight stalls, guys on the left girls on the right… not much privacy, but it gets the job done.

I got to try out Vessel last Friday night, and I have to say I had a great time because of a particular dude I met there that night. :)
The club itself is pretty small (but still pretty cool), and DJs that night played awesomely especially Dj Kepik! Great great set!
They immediately kick everyone out by the time the clock striked 2:00am. Nonetheless, I still had a fun time.
Parking is going to be pretty tough so we just ended up parking in a garage which is really nearby the club entrance.

Near downtown SF, this club is super spacious and has amazing light and sound production. Though I only came here once to watch my home boy spin for the night, I would definitely return. Our group got bottle service and the experience was nothing less than spectacular. Our host was great and was always around to refill our drinks and even brought out free bottles of champagne.
As for the table service areas, they are roped off and allow for plenty of dancing on top of the tables and couches. Overall, if you’re looking for a place to host a VIP bottle service type of event (birthday, bachelor/​ette, etc.) then this club will definitely make sure you are celebrating your special night in style.

Birthday Celebration Party Central!
SITREP
My co-​worker (an awesome trainee) Tim and a bunch of fellow colleagues celebrated his birthday at Vessel. What made this a bit more special is that several of his family members showed up to celebrate as well.
It was also nice for a change to come enjoy a club experience in the Union Square hood without having to always go to Ruby Skye, though I enjoy that venue just as much.
SETUP
We had a V.I.P. table location and so I mention that right up front since I know that will factor into my specific experience differently from most people who just show up at the door to dance and listen to the DJ.
SERVICE & DRINKING
The busser who was working our table kept the munchies and the bottles of Vodka and Tequila coming, as well as a selection of mixers including Cranberry juice, Orange juice, and plenty of cut limes.
MUSIC & DANCING
I can see why a V.I.P. table location is an ideal way to experience this club because if you are NOT in the V.I.P section, you really have no place to escape the moments when the music gets too loud on the dance floor. And I could also see that for a lot of friends who did show-​up, and not have the same access we did in the V.I.P. section, their experience was a bit less stellar than ours.
Still, whether in the V.I.P. section, or out on the dance floor, the beats were hap’nin and I really enjoyed dancing with my buddy’s aunt, so no complaints from me!
THE LOWDOWN
Vessel is an awesome club experience.