Jelly’s

This old latin music nightclub was a popular spot for a few corporate events, it CLOSED 2 months ago. Nice patio during warm weather. They were evicted by the port of SF, the lease was terminated and they lost their business permit after a patron was shot dead during a brawl in July. A similar murder happened back in 2008.

Wow. This is sad. I tried looking everywhere online for Jelly’s, with absolutely nothing coming up except for here on Unilocal.I have been busy during the last 6 months, and had been sort of out of touch with this situation, but, I had heard of Jelly’s being closed down because of the incident occurring there during the summer this year.
I understand how the City’s govt. might feel about having something negative like this happening, and to fear for the public’s safety. But, I truly think this might have to do more with real estate.
S.F. is all prime real estate. There have been other violent incidents occuring at other clubs at other parts of the City. But, for something like this to happen out at China Basin/S.F. Waterfront? Oh no. This area is turning into a crown jewel for the City. It is scary to have a shooting out there, as anywhere. But, Jelly’s is located in prime ATT Ballpark country.
The City could do so much with this location. (Ka-​Ching!) The City has been more tolerant of other clubs where shootings have occurred, and not pulled the plug on these places as fast as the action they had taken on Jelly’s.
If this incident didn’t occur, I’m sure Jelly’s would be still up and running. But, for how long? I do think that the City used the shooting to put Jelly’s out of business so that this spot could be used for something else.
This is sad, because, like everyone else that has written something nice on here about their experiences at Jelly’s, mine, too, was this:
Jelly’s was one of the best salsa clubs in the City. I had gone to see my saxophone teacher play out there with his band once upon a time (his band was always going out there to play on Sundays in the 90’s), and I had one of the best times ever going to a salsa club! The location, the food, the building… you couldn’t ask for a better place to go out solo, or with a date. Especially with a date.
(Sniff) :-(Waay too bad. I was hoping that something positive in favor of Jelly’s proprietors had occurred. Tsk. :_(

I’m not too sure about the politics behind it but apparently tonight is the last night of Jelly’s. This place is an institution in San Francisco and I can’t believe it is closing! We had such a blast salsa dancing on the pier
They also had the best tasting mojitos I’ve ever had in the good ol’ US of A. Perfect amount of mint and rum. They were so good that they are probably effecting the quality of this review but isn’t that what mojitos are all about?!
I’m sad that this place is closing, mostly because everyone here seemed to be having a really great time! The location was really ideal and the staff was a complete blast. I think I even saw a few of them on the dancefloor! Shhh… don’t tell the boss… oh wait.

Finally got a chance to go here… lovely, lovely spot, and last Sunday the weather was PERFECT in San Francisco to go. Clear, sunny and warm! Went with the bf… we decided to share the salmon entrée… got rice, beans, chips, and a HUGE piece of Salmon, waaaay too big for one person! So we were sharing it and were quite happy… drinks and all were a bit expensive as other people were saying, probably best to just stick to beer. Live band started at about 6:30 or so, dancing crowd was great! Saw a lot of the regulars that I usually see in clubs around San Francisco… (mostly guys there to pick up girls, really!) The vibe is great and it’s a fantastic place to dance. I will definitely be back again.

Photographed a wedding reception here this week and was very impressed. First off the bat… LOTS OF FREE PARKING, RIGHT IN FRONT (A RARITY in the city).
The staff were all very friendly, the location was great, nice setting on th waterfront. I’m so glad the newlyweds picked this place!
I was extremely thankful to a waiter named Stephen (or Steven?) (who I’m not entirely clear on if he works there at Jelly’s or was a caterer for the wedding reception) but he asked if I wanted him to make me a plate a food. When you are the photographer at an event, you just plain do not get a chance to eat. And for me… I always feel a little funny about eating in front of the people who hired you. Even if the people who hired you say «go ahead and help yourself» (which the couple at this reception DID say)… somehow I just can’t bring myself to do it. I always feel like, as soon as I put something in my mouth, someone is going to notice that the photographer who’s busy chowing down is missing the perfect shot of _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​ (fill in the blank)…
Well, this dude Steve actually made me a plate of food TO GO. That was like, the most considerate gesture ever. If I were a waiter or caterer, I don’t think it would ever even occur to me that the photographer might get hungry. So I was really grateful for that.
Again — about the club — really great setting. I’d never heard of this place but will be sure to return in the future, when I can feel a little more relaxed about having an appetizer or a beer :).

What a fun club to chill at on a Sunday. Perfect as my last stop before ending my trip in California. The view is great from the outside, even at night with all the lights and ships. The bartender made the only good «sex on the beach» I had in California. The crowd was mixed, with many people seeming to be more inexperienced then at other salsa clubs, but there was still a few of those people who knew this was the spot to be at and made their appearance here dancing great. Cover was affordable and so were drinks. The live band here sounded great as well. Like other Unilocalers mentioned free parking is great, something that other clubs should try and incorporate as well. A really chill and fun spot, love it.

When it gets cold instead of picturing a tropical beach somewhere (since I have really NEVER been on vacation) I think of summer afternoons dancing at Jelly’s. Eating Cuban barbeque, having a few drinks, and dancing until the sun sets.
It is crowded though so the last time I came I was pregnant and didn’t go back. Had to stick to venues that could accomodate my growing belly, my son didn’t enjoy elbows to his head in utero. But next summer? It’s on. Save me a spot in line at the bathroom, ladies…

Ah, Jelly’s… I cannot stress how much fun you are on a Sunday. SUCH a great crowd, and it seems like a pretty good girl: guy ratio (I think I was only sitting for one song during the 4 hours I was there the last time). People are really friendly, and it’s a pretty good mix of dancers so don’t be too scurred if you’re just starting out. It’s also salsa during the sunset because of the earlier hours, and that’s hard to beat!
Drink recommendation: the mojito! Very delish though a tad sweet, the mint is usually quite fresh and the drink is a great choice for a warm day.
Dress code: pretty mixed as it is a Sunday afternoon/​evening. A few are seriously dressed to impress, but denim is relatively plentiful. Don’t wear your brand-​spanking new leather-​soled dance shoes if you’re planning on dancing outside, however; the pavement takes no prisoners.
I want to give this a higher rating, but sadly it would violate my only-​one-​bathroom-​stall-​in-​an-​alcohol-​establishmen­t-​equals-​one-​less-​star rule; visit the facilities early, ladies!

I wish I’d had more time on the Sunday afternoon I was in the area on business. Jelly’s is on what seems to be a road with few neighbors by the water near the ballpark. There’s plenty of parking, and the place was already packed. It’s hard to find these kinds of places, and while there was a cover, I feel like it was worth it.
The setting is great! Salsa on the outside patio by the water? Nice! The music was being played by someone who actually knew something about salsa, which was nice for a change. People seemed to be having a good time, and they were pretty friendly, considering I was alone. Worth a return visit!

I went to Jelly’s for the first time recently before the 3^rd game of the Giants vs. Dodgers game. The only time I would ever go here would probably be before a game when I park in the lot.
Chill place. The music at 11 am didn’t match the vibe, it was some R&B slow songs. But the place was clean, my drink came fast, and the patio was nice and sunny. A great place to grab a brew before the game.

Another company holiday party another review!
Jelly’s is close to SoMA and they have a great back patio (not a dive patio and with a great view of the bay). Unfortunately we couldn’t really take advantage of the back patio due to the fact that it’s winter, but I’ve got it on my list of places to come back to when the weather is better (maybe next Sept?).
The bar area is small and I hear they have great dancing on Fridays and Saturdays. For the party we had a live band but there wasn’t much dancing so I can’t comment on what it’s like normally.
The food was just okay. We had a lot of hors d’ouevres and nothing really stood out. I did notice they were walking around with tempura battered «cauliflower» that was really broccoli. They put on a buffet for the party but it was almost all portable meat (meatballs, scallops, etc) and it didnt’ work so well. The food was more like an afterthought.
The one thing they did really well was dessert. Almond cakes were scrumptious. I think I ate more of those than anything else.
Bar was okay. The bartenders were attentive. Mixed drinks weren’t that great though so I would stick to beer, wine or simple tonics.
Bike Parking: impossible!