Pink

IS there any point in reviewing Pink after she’s all closed and gone. Probably not.
Still, i don’t like you!

I had a gig in San Francisco back in 2005 and my friends and I went to Pink after my DJ set at Levende Lounge. It was narrow, crowded, pumping sick beats, and full of house heads. I WAS HOME. We managed to find a spot along the endless bench that ran the length of the room to relax but soon found ourselves groovin’ on the tiny dance floor. I later met the manager who graciously bought us a round of drinks and the next thing I knew, we had closed it down!
I was fortunate enough to get to Pink this past December to see Halo & Luis Baro spin. This time, it was much bigger. In fact, it was twice as wide and twice as ‘Pink’ as it was when I saw it in 2005. The vibe and the music were exactly how I remembered and everyone was shakin’ their asses and had their hands in the air. I’m very sad to hear that it has closed down but a reliable source told me that the new venue will extend past the current bathrooms so, it will once again be twice as big the next time I see it. It just won’t be twice as Pink. *sigh*

Adieu, Pink! I spent many great nights here. Though the crowd was of variable size, the people who were dancing were always a blast. The snooty French bartenders poured excellent drinks, the bar had a huge display of fresh flowers, the music was ‘bangin’, and the bathrooms were relatively clean (for a small lil’ club). We’ll miss ya, Pink!
p. s., As we were leaving, the doorman said that Pink would be reopening under a new name in a few months. Let’s hope it’s true!

Well at first I was thinking «fabulous, another lightbulb-​indicated, low-​ceilinged, dimly lit hotbed of hipster flesh,» but Pink stands out.
For one thing, I get the feeling this place wouldn’t make me cringe in horror, either at the clientele or griminess, if someone accidentally turned on the lights. For a small, packed club, they had the circulation figured out, and that also nixed dubious odors.
Secondly, the DJ was amazing. I love heavy, globally influenced, beat-​infused hybrid house-​hip-​hop. I appreciated the diversity of clientele, it seemed in income, background, and age — all came together here to have a good time.
Drinks were good and mid-​level pricing ($ 8 average), and service at both bars (yes, TWO, in a very small space) was quick.
I’m sad Pink will not be open for much longer. Maybe I will make it out to the last dance.

So sad to hear Pink is closing, even though I rarely go anymore, it was comforting to know it was always there waiting whenever you wanted to feel like a semi-​vip or pick up on some hot, young Eurodude traveling through town that no one would ever find out you were with.
So many good times were had at Pink, especially back in the first years of its short life. Only at Pink could you hear the best DJs in the world rock your ass till 4 am for 10 bucks or less. Only at Pink could a nice suburban girl smoke pot with a real live Pimp without being murdered, abducted, or recruited. Pink is like one of those easy but hot chicks you think will always be there for you and just when you have completely taken her for granted, she disappears without explanation, leaving nothing but good raunchy memories. We will miss you Pink but I know that the local house heads must be scheming an even better venue for us all. Oh and thanks for being my 69^th review. ;)

I just got an e-​mail today that Pink’s closing this Saturday.
During my jaunt on the West Coast, Pink has been a real joy to experience and I’ve had a lot of fun times. Usually after last call when the population thins a bit.
Here’s a rose for you, Pink. It was fun while it lasted.

PINK SHOTS PLZ!
Usually come here when Hakobo/​fresco plays ~ the place smells amazing… there’s flowers everywhere! Couches line the entire wall all the way to the dance floor and the bar is long and pretty easy to access drinks :) And yes, there is another lounge/​bar area on the other side of the entrance… at first I thought it was a mirror? Then I stuck my hand through the divider… heh. There’s a big screen where the DJ stand is that projects trippy images… kinda fun to stare at: P The crowd is usually trendy and not all up in your space, which rulez.
Parking can be kind of scary… tho. =/

I came here after a good 7 hours of dancing and still wasn’t all danced off yet, so off to Pink we go!
Cover is decently cheap, 3 bucks, score!
The DJ is throwing down some nice beats, some kind of a house and pop music mashup. I dig it!
The crowd is pretty relaxed, it’s not too packed, but just enough people so that it’s not horribly hot inside, you have room to move around on the dance floor, and you don’t feel like you’re here by yourself. They are all busy having a good time too, so you don’t feel like there is this circle of people that is standing around watching you. I do like the feeling that I’m not being stared down when I’m out to have a good time.
I dance away for another 2 hours, and guzzle down lots of water. I leave with lots of energy still. That was fun!

I always get scared when I walk up to this place. Unless I know the party that’s going on, I fear that I’ll pay the cover and there will be nobody in there. You also can’t take a peek to see. I hate when they do that!
Nevertheless, my fears subside whenever I walk in. Even if it’s not poppin’ there’s some good music, good drinks and good dancers to entertain me all night. Apparently it’s also a nice place to go if you’re still rollin’ and need to burn off energy!
The only downside is that I get really hot, but it might just be because I always dance my feet off here. Luckily the bartenders never have a problem giving me plenty of water.

Have you ever been to a Victoria Secret store without the lingerie and super hot girls? Well that is pink in a nutshell. The music is usually good, although there is always some idiots roaming the dance floor trying to pick up an the drunkest girl in the place, good luck if you drank to much pink champagne :) If not you can have a fun time with your friends and even meet some cool peeps and dance to a some good beats from a variety of good house music djs from SF and beyond.
Although I don’t frequent Pink that often I have to tip my hat to Pink as they usually bring in some good tunes and a somewhat decent crowd.
Keep up the good work!

I’ll admit it. I am sometimes very «surface» and will judge a club by its décor alone. Such is the case with Pink and its not-​much-​to-​look-​at entry way that somehow opens up to a room that is tastefully done up in pink, lots of pink. It looked like a club where you would meet Barbie & Friends (or at least imagine that you were part of the group). I loved it immediately.
The music is house, house, and more house. Personally, I’m more Michael Jackson and Top 40s. Dancing to house music takes on a whole new level of moving ability, and I’m just not trained that way. Still, it was fun to see everyone else do their thing (and it did not prevent me from doing my thing).
By the bar, there is a row of cushioned seating along the wall. Be forewarned that you may need some help getting on the seats as they are made for Yao Ming’s height. I suspect that some guys hang out around this area for that very purpose. The people here are nice, and the girls don’t stare you down. The guys, although often trying to find a hookup, are respectful.
Best part, open until 4am! So you can go get your Top 40’s elsewhere first and still have enough time to make it back here.
You may or may not meet Barbie here, but you’ll sure enjoy partying at her playhouse.

HOUSE MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG. say what? HOUSE MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG.
Four on the Floor still gets me going. I have to admit that I am a big fan of the bastard child of disco. I go to this place and want to start Vogue-​ing like in that old Madonna Video but then I remember I’m straight and it’s better not to send mixed messages. Oh well. Guess I’ll save it for when I get out of the shower… «Ladies that were in the mood, Fellas that were in the groove. Don’t just stand there let’s get to it, strike a pose there’s nothing to it. VOGUE.»
Am I Gay Now?

A friend of a friend told me about a party she was promoting, so I came up here last night. Got in there around 10:30, so the girl coming with me got in free; I paid $ 10. No sign, but the bright pink light was a good indicator. Nice décor inside, and tremendously polite doorman (that was a real pleasure, actually, to have someone be, not simply «un-​rude» but outright «nice»!) Inside, the area around the first bar was quite full, but there was only one person on the dance floor.
Since I don’t drink and my date wasn’t drinking anything, we sat down at one of the tables to let things get a bit more active. Early on they seem to be open to anyone; later on they might become bottle-​service, though my date’s coats were fine. We chilled at the tables for a while, letting the club fill. (And I gave my date a massage, which garnered a few looks, haha!)
Eventually there were enough people dancing that we joined them. The DJs were playing house, which I was stoked over! But as the night went on, it never got very energetic, always stayed a bit too chill for my dancing preference. Seemed like it was about right for a lounge, but the dancefloor was pretty packed, so this wasn’t the right mix, I’d say.
We left around 1am, since both of us were a bit tired and the mix wasn’t really working for us.
A few other bits of info:
1) I think there was a coat check in the back; it was closed but slightly visible.
2) Later in the evening I realized that I think there are separate women & men’s bathrooms. Both are in the back of the club (near the DJ booth), with women’s down a short hall to 2 [seemingly] unisex bathrooms. The men’s are down a different hall to the left of the hall to the ladies’ room. Not sure there are actual toilets in there.
3) Crowd was cool. People were definitely a bit tipsy, but they apologized when they danced/​bumped into you, and everyone was open/​accepting of everyone else. Even the more eyebrow-​raise-​inducing people, including the girl doing the shuffle on the dancefloor the whole time, and the dude dancing without a shirt. Was nice that everyone was chill about it!
In short, I’ll definitely go check it out again. Oh, and if it’s relevant to you, it’s on the same block as a BART station, so at least getting _​there_​is easy.

Seriously, 5 stars. Here’s why:
1) The entrance. No line. Granted, it was still very early by going out standards, and the night to come was just a glimmer in Pink’s eye (get it, pink eye?), but it reminded me of the days of yore when I was relatively important (or knew someone who was) and always, ALWAYS, bypassed the line.
2) The drinkies. Vodka and I are not friends. We have grown further and further apart since the many nights I spent in the martini bar, sitting in a chair with high sides so I wouldn’t fall over. Vodka and I managed to have a truce since Absolut was on hand, free, for like an hour. Even with Red Bull, which shocked the hell out of me. I did go back to my trusted pal Tequila afterwards, which wasn’t the smartest idea. Oh well, it’s not like my middle name is brilliant or anything.
3) The décor. I’m a chick, I like pink in small doses.
4) The peeps. It could have been an overly grandiloquent crowd, stepping on my pretty little toes and giving me a dirty look because I want to go to the bar, but it was not. Nary an elbow in my way or evil eye to be found.
5) The night. I realize that it’s probably not reasonable to base a review of a location on the night as a whole, but I don’t care. I had a fabulous time, and that will make me look back on Pink fondly. Hotter than Hades at 2 a.m. in San Francisco? Must be something…

Okay so after a south bay elite event at the 151 Boutique Jon T. and I weren’t ready to call it a night so we gathered some folks together and headed up to SF to meet up with some folks at PINK.
So when we get there we were already buzzin from the free beverage at 151 so it was a good time. The special that night was $ 2 Fat Tires and so we pounded beers after beers.
So after a few poundings of fat tire (this is where it got interesting) we hit up the dance floor and as the crowd was mainly whites and asians it was a good mix. I then decide to grab another beer and ordered a couple of drinks for the homies. At the bar I met this girl who seemed pretty chill and she was looking all cute and stuff. I didn’t even need to introduce myself as I had forgotten to take my Unilocal name tag off from earliers event. We talked for a while and she noticed that I was holding two pints of beer. She suggested that I bring the beers over to my friends and later find her for a dance.
So I then go looking for my friends to give them their beers and drink up for a while. After a couple more drinks I decided to go and look for the girl I met at the bar. So for better vision I pull my glasses from my pocket and find them broken in half. The break happened at the bridge of the nose so there was no way I can still sport them. My friends laughed and demanded i put my glasses on for a picture and I did. So that was pretty hilarious.
So as I ventured to look for this girl without my glasses I carefully and slowly walked around groups of people looking for this girl. After a couple rounds I still couldnt find her until I saw two girls standing and I thought she was one of them. With the light being dark and my vision blurry I approach the two to talk to introduce myself. After hearing a response of a fobby but deep voice, i automatically thought ohh shit its a dude but with long hair. I had to call an audible to my game plan and acted like I knew the dude from school. It was good that they were Chinese foreign exchange students attending sfsu. So after a few chit chats about random stuff I bailed and thought nah leave it,
So to sum it up I never found her that night. Who knows if I woulda seen her with my glasses but oh well atleast I had fun.
1) The place was dark
2) $ 5 cover after 11
3) Good drink specials and good beer choices
4) Nice chill crowd
5) Dance Floor was a bit small but workable
6) Bathroom were clean when i went
So overall good fun time.

You know why Pink gets 5 stars? Because it smelled good when I walked in. And by «good» I do not simply mean the absence of that funky/B.O/weed/alcohol smell that accompanies most late night clubbing experiences in the Mission, but an actual fragrant aroma of perfume-​like goodness. It was like the club had been Febreezed especially for my arrival.
It was Saturday night and the place was crowded, but our group of 7 found a spot to pound back a few drinks and then we were able to carve out an area on a dance floor without too many issues. Sure we were encroaching the roped off tables for the VIP’s who never showed up, but who cares. The DJ played some good house/​dance tunes and kept the crowd moving and on the dance floor.
The only bad part about the night is when I was sitting on the VIP sofa at 2am fantasizing about my bed and pillow. and when they didn’t kick us out at 2am, I realized that Pink stayed open WAY past my bedtime and I was going to have to be a party pooper and tell the group good night.
Minus one star for Pink reminding me just how old I am.
Plus one star for me being able to wake up the next day before noon.

Came here this past Saturday night… kind of have mixed reviews about it. As it was the Saturday before Halloween, there were a good number of people in costume.
What I liked about Pink:
— Good music
— Nice (diverse) crowd
— Don’t know if it was just because they were decked out in costume, but above-​average, aesthetically pleasing women folks
— For the size of the place, there was plenty of bar space (two bars in fact) which made it fairly easy to get a drink throughout the night.
— Ease of street-​parking
What I did not like about Pink:
— No Jack (for my coke)… even though I went with Ketel-​Sodas that night. But no Jack!?!
— The wall essentially splitting the place in half (though it allowed for wall/​seating space) — basically splits the place in half.
— No Jack!?!
Overall, I did have a good time here… though there were a couple things that made me go, «eh?»… I liked it. Not «The Best Club/​Bar. Ever.» But definitely not on my «Do not return» list.

So first of all, I took 8 shots at work. Then I grabbed a burger at McDonald’s and my co-​workers and I killed a bottle of Moet @ Pinks. I know, classy right? Mickey Dee’s and cham-​pag-​née, can’t go wrong! Terribly wrong. I am one that cannot mix alcohols. I had 8 shots of sake @ work then I had the champagne, then I had a few shots of Belvedere. What the fuck was I thinking?!
I had to piss soooooooo badly. I ended up staring at the walls reading the cutesie lovey dovey signs all over the club like «Love» «Pink» blah blah blah. I felt like I was partying inside Victoria’s Secret minus Giselle Bundchen and Adriana Lima. I swear I was in line for 10 minutes and the line DID NOT MOVE. What the fuck were people doing in the bathrooms?! Snorting lines of coke? Having a quick fuck? I don’t know but whatever they were doing — I was jealous. They had a toilet in front of them and my bladder was SCREAMING. Thank you to the lovely lady in white who let me cut her in line before I urinated my own panties. which, coincidentally were from the Victoria’s Secret «Pink» collection…
The house music was decent, i’ve heard better at Ruby Skye. There were no cute guys for me to dance with. =(sadness. I still had my fun nonetheless and a big thank you to the bartender Danny. Thanks for the fatty shots and uhhh, thanks for not annihilating me for stealing your hat. You really did have pretty bad hat hair… *insert evil face here*
All in all, I liked this place. Susy approved.
Minus points for the fucking doorbell. What the hell was up with that?! We had to ring it, then some guy popped out and said «just a second» and made us wait. Uhm, okay…

This started out as a 3 star, but improved by the time I left. Arriving at Pink at 1 am, there was a bit of a line going on. (It was popping on Saturday night in the Mission.) With a $ 15 cover, I could hope this place would get better. And, if you know me, I love places with no dress code! Yay!
When we finally got to the front, it’s always nice to be greeted by a friendly bouncer. It starts your night off just right and I was happy going in. (Those thuggy ones just leave a bad taste in your mouth after you take your ID back.)
Pink was freakin’ crowded as hell! Damn, you could barely walk in and you can imagine, you can’t really dance much either. Sure, you have people left, right, and behind you bumping against you, and you can’t do much but just wiggle a bit.
With two bars and two sections, there’s much activity going on both sides of this club. And if you’re lucky enough to find an AC spot, it’s like heaven in this hot pit. It was a mixed crowd, young and old, across the board. If you can hear anything besides the music, you’ll catch some international flavor going on too. It’s a pretty fun crowd, generally all kick-​back and relaxed. It makes it a much more enjoying experience overall.
My unfortunate luck, I broke the seal and had to wait not once, but twice for the ladies’ room. Gosh, I hate waiting in those lines. With two restrooms, the line doesn’t move all that fast with all the bodies in this joint. (And why do girls have to go into THESE restrooms together? It really doesn’t make them go any faster. If anything, it seems like you tend to take longer ‘cuz you’re too busy chatting it up in there instead of doing your business and getting the freak out.)
The last hour I was there, that’s when my star opinion went up. The DJ was really spinning it out on the turntables and the music was pumping hard. When some space cleared up, I was able to dance freely and was getting into the fabulous music. They were definitely working the crowd. My DJ friend was loving their shit and it only seemed to get better as the night wore on. Sadly, I had to leave at 2:30 and was bopping my way out the door. It was a good night.
If they continue to have DJs like that who can spin some serious shit, I’ll be back! (Their website said it was Franky Boissy, Kwamey Drevon v. Fresno Boys.)
Parking wasn’t too difficult either, surprisingly enough. And we like places with ample free parking. There was also an ATM machine along the second bar.

Pink is the sort of establishment where a man will accidentally bump into you, apologize profusely and then take you to the bar, along with his on again/​off again boyfriend, and buy you both a round of drinks (which may or may not include the creatively named «Pink Panties» cocktail.)
Pink is the sort of establishment where straight guys and gay guys can party under one roof and you never hear either camp saying, «This place is so STRAIGHT/​This place is so GAY» (which, in my eyes, is quite an accomplishment in a city that despite its diversity can often still be defined in binary terms.)
Pink is the sort of establishment that can be visited any night of the week with the guarantee of excellent music.
Pink didn’t always have the doorbell outside or even the second room. Now Pink’s got DJ Raoul Kahn spinning regularly and I dare say this intimate venue is sexier than it’s ever been.