Shine

This place is skating by on a vibe and reputation established by its original owners. Somewhere around the end of 2011 the crew behind this once-​epic micro dance spot ducked out, and what’s left is a sad, bottle-​service-​fueled shell of its old, funky self.
Sort the reviews by date and you’ll see what I mean. If you want the kind of house and techno stylings that used to be on offer here, head over to Public Works or Project One instead.

verryyy small! Not much room for dancing its mostly a bar. The bathroom for unisex was also rly stinky! I dont know if id go back even tho bottle service was fun bc u can pour the drinks into each others mouths. It can get rly cramped and fights happen easier when theres no elbow room

Shine doesn’t have a slew of personality.
It’s not very big, and the interior is pretty meh.
Their bouncers — are never too personable.
They used to have a great photo-​booth that was always the highlight of an action filled night — but now it’s unfortunately gone.
But what Shine does have going for it is it’s Wednesday dub-​step. It never draws a huge crowd — but it’s a welcome place to dub it down during the week — and there is always plenty of room on the dance floor to move around and I’ve always been pretty impressed with the DJs.
Trust.

So here is my take on Shine.
It definitely is in no way shining out compared to all the lounges/​bars in SF I have attended.
& here are my reasons why I would not recommend this place to my friends.
1. The places looks run down from the outside (& smells like piss)
2. The bartenders suck at putting enough alcohol in the drinks.
3. Its filled with a bunch of guys who have NO STYLE what so ever.
4. The music is lame.
5. Now isn’t smoking only permitted outside?
6. I felt as if my car would get broken into while I was at Shine.
7. Crackheads & deadbeats chill right around the corner.
8. & did I say the crowd had no style?
Sorry SHINE, I don’t go out often but I don’t think I would ever come back.
FYI I don’t think this place should require a cover charge.
THANKS!

wow… no.
my girls and I were looking for a place to celebrate our annual triple birthday bash and this place was recommended by our friend. they spoke highly of the place and helped set us up with a VIP table, which is where the two stars go. other than that, this place is just not a good time.
first of all, it is TINY. I guess if you’re only going out with a couple of friends this could work, but if you’re trying to celebrate something here I would definitely not recommend it. Before half of our guests got there the place was so packed, sweaty, and stuffy. It took an extraordinarily long time to get drinks.
the DJ played hip hop at our request, but apparently this place is usually house/​electro. bleh.
as for the interior, it’s pretty plain and there just isn’t much going on aesthetically. the area by the bathrooms smelled like straight urine. the crowd aside from our party was a mix of mission hipsters and super creepy old men and ratchet females; at the end of the night a random girl there started a fight with the other birthday girl for absolutely no reason.
there are ton of better places in the city, avoid. I would be so pissed if I had paid cover to come in here after 11.

This is a fun lounge. My friend’s roommate rented out part of this place for her Superhero themed birthday party. The DJ even spun her favourite dubstep, happy hardcore and other dance music just for us. The crowd was pretty well mixed. Besides our party I spotted a lot of girls in really short dresses and stilettos and the boys had dress shirts on. I didn’t see them really enforcing the dress code though because I saw a lot of people in regular street clothes as well. There is no cover which is an added bonus so if you want to bring a small group of friends here to get their dance on, it’s worth seeking out. It gets crowded as the night progresses so plan accordingly.

I was here for a social event, and am disappointed with this venue because:
1. Drinks are watered down
2. Bartenders will only make eye contact with you if you are a hot girl with your boobs hanging out or a girl with a short skirt who is showing the «goodies».
3. The neighborhood is not all that safe-​when walking up to this place; it felt as if I was walking into some sort of a drug den. Some crazy guy outside of the door was trying to mug some other crazy guy.
My recommendations for the ladies who actually want to visit this place is to go to this venue in groups, and have mace (if you know self defense, then BONUS!).
4. Music sucks.

What happens when a bunch of SF party hounds get drunk and decides to drop their overwhelming tech jobs and open a bar?
You get a pretty nice place.
Laid back. Danceable but not a club. Drinkable but not a boozer. one-​way mirrors in the loo. Flickr-​posting photobooth.
All in all, a Pretty Good Thing. We like.

Shine, oh Shine, what happened to you? At the NuFunk Boutique last week, I barely recognized you.
It seems your new owners have not been kind. Gone are the cozy terraced booths, the glowing gold glass behind the bar, those chatty bartenders, that rarely-​a-​good-​idea photobooth, and the funky furry lanterns – not to mention the ceiling-​high mirror in the ladies’ room. And what did you get in return? A slideshow of unhappy, even menacing patrons marching past on the projector screen and $ 2 tacked on the drink prices?
You’re a shadow of your former self, and I don’t think I can stand to see you this way anymore. So farewell, old friend. I’ll miss you.

This is a place to come for cheap (ish for SF) drinks and with a large group of friends. I made the mistake of coming with just one friend, thinking we were going to dance. Wrong. The crowd is pretty diverse, from small cocktail dresses girls to large middle-​aged men who put water bottles in the back of shirt behind the neck while dancing (for reals).
The DJ played some …80s ish music mashed with house beats. It wasn’t un-​danceable, but I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable. We asked for some JUSTICE or Daft Punk, and the DJ said he didn’t know/didn’t have them. Huh?
The music paired with the type of crowd I saw, I wouldn’t come here again.

If you know me well, I love dancing! My dancing feet got me itching to get some footwork in after my friend Ben and Lester wanted to hit up SF for a night out on an Indian type of summer late into October?! Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!
Luckily, I didn’t say no, after I found out this place would rock out some hard steppin’ house beats, electro, a few trance hits here and there, and break beats if you’re the type to do some infamous footwork. Occasionally, the DJ will throw in some Top 40 hits but mash it up with house beats mixed in. Check out their local DJs, DJ Gunz and Ace Tatsu, DJ DRC, Voodoo Blu, DJ Kimani, Freeform vs. Dubalicious, and follow up on their events either on their website,
or
.
This isn’t your typical lounge or dive bar nor a nightclub if you feel like getting drunk. It’s a hidden gem that shouldn’t be tampered with. Trust me, I love finding great places in which nobody, I’m telling you NOBODY knows about! Their little bar hidden behind an unobtrusive door sitting in the heart of SOMA has dark red painted walls, hardwood floors, and sparse furnishings that makes this feel so secretive that I want to keep it under wraps. There’s a TV or large projector screen sitting next to the DJ booth with animated pictures and whatnot. Reminds me a bit like Cardiff in Campbell but with that extra «oomph» because it’s in SF!
They do carry a variety of cheap and good liquor sitting in the back of the bar but they mostly mix typical drinks that won’t break your budget. They have certain nights that carry happy hour specials! Surprisingly, they offer bottle service which is pretty nice. Not enough room to spare for a large party, but it works with what they have. Best time to show up is around 11pm when things start to pick up.
I’m glad I got to wiggle my booty and move my feet after awhile, but the crowd isn’t too easy on the eyes. I highly recommend to bring in a few good dancers to get the people to dance… literally know how to dance! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a diverse crowd, but there’s people here that should take a class in break dancing 101 or something.
Overall, I love the atmosphere this place carries. Awesome music, drinks, the crowd with their own flair of dance styles, and the nights when it’s either free cover or less than $ 5 cover charge! When I came here on a Friday night, $ 1 cover charge… ALL NIGHT with a stamp so you can have INs and OUTs anytime you please. How can you beat that?!
Would I be back? HELL YES! This place SHINEs in my book!

Shiny disco balls.
Right over the bar. Paired with modern lighting. Nicely done.
DJ spins house, progressive and a little from today. Decent sized dance floor considering the relatively small space. More intimate seating at the bar for chatting.
Gin and tonic was mixed just right. $ 7 was no deal, nor was it overpriced.
Perfectly A-​OK.

Shine isn’t bad.
I just think that everything could be better.

In a grubby space with quirky décor, sitting incognito right on Mission, reminiscent in some way of a speakeasy, Shine is a little civic center area dance lounge that attracts a diverse, fun crowd.
Entertainment varies from House/​Techno/​HipHop DJs to live bands, and the bar menu is fairly extensive and reasonably priced. The sound system is decent, and actually even a little impressive compared to what I was expecting.
People seem to consistently have a good time here, and while it won’t be impressive from a visual point of view to most, it has charm and it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something to do.

For all the guys out there that have a sense of rhythmn, and may not be the best dancers, this place is great. I can groove if I’m down with the music, and this place has some of the best nights for some hood house beats.
Come on a Freeform Dubalicious night, they bring some great tracks and the DJs are local favorites.
The bar is superb, awesomely courteous and won’t break your wallet if you bring a date.
My friends love to congregate here, it’s never too packed you can’t dance and it’s always crowded just enough to be crackling.
*drops the mic*

Heard DJ Dragn’fly was going to be at Shine, so made the effort to go to Wish on a Wed night.
I arrive at 9:40p and my friends (NO, LD) are still at Wish. So, I plopped down at the end of the bar and ordered a water with lemon slices. Bartender didn’t charge me and the couple (Tony & Hannah) sitting next to me began talking to me – even invited me to move with them to the couch area and shared her Trader Joe’s treats with me. They were so relaxed and friendly. Other people walked up to us. Vibe there is of an intimate house party. People are there to dance and mingle versus making a fashion statement or making out.
DJ Escobar was good and I especially liked the «scratching». He inspired people to dance and kept them on the dance floor. So, after getting up around 5a and working two jobs and being on my feet for hours, I danced quite hard for 90 min.
The wood floor looks new and feels good. I noticed someone spilled liquid on the floor between the bar and the dance floor and no one mopped it up. (Pet peeve — people dancing on the dance floor holding drinks in hand – why bother?)
Wish is located less than 2 blocks from Civic BART. Easy access. Just a pity that BART ends at midnight. Missed my chance to hear DragnFly.
Enjoyed the warm, unpretentious vibe and diverse crowd. I will return.

Pretty dope lil spot for drinks and music on a Saturday night. Came for the Mizumo music throwdown this past Saturday and wasn’t disappointed. The drinks were strong, the music wasn’t to loud or to quiet and it wasn’t to packed or to empty. Shit was just right like Goldilocks son!
Only thing that was weird was the bathroom situation. They have one of those two way mirrors so you can see out into the main area but apparently people can’t see in. Something about seeing someone just chillin right there lookin into that mirror while I’m trying to take a piss didn’t sit right with me. That and the lock is broken (it’s one of those single person bathrooms) so someone could just walk in on you as you’re tinklin. Fix that shit!

This is a great place to go if you want to run into every guy I’ve dated in SF over the past 10 years. Yes, 10 YEARS worth of boyfriends packed into one itty bitty space. That being said, they still get 4 stars from me.
Great music, decent drink prices, and all the burner booty you can shake a «Leave no Trace» bumper sticker at. Not really my type anymore, and it’s probably safer that way. If you are anything like me, you’ll show up tipsy, dance for a couple of hours, watch your friend’s shirt be ripped open by a stranger, and then fall asleep on a bench. What can I say? Being a princess is an exhausting job! And I probably drink too much.
This is a great alternative to the other places in the hood. I now entirely lack the patience for large venues. Grittier than Wish (but everything Wish used to be and more) but waaaay cleaner than DNA and the like, and with all the good dj talent a girl needs, this is the perfect compromise. Underground party feel without the threat of being closed down and kicked out. Just come on the early side. A lot of people want to crash in those booths and there are only a couple of them.

I didn’t even know this place existed before! It is in the middle of nowhere so there is plenty of parking. I was kind of annoyed the guy at the door wanted to charge me and my friend (who is also a girl) $ 10 since we came six minutes after 10:30p after I was told it was free if you had one of the only two tables they have available. The guy trying to charge us was pretty immature, «This is my party and I get to charge what I want» until some girl that worked there told him that was not true. Anyway, that was so annoying.
Other than that, this place reminds me of Cardiff in Campbell. Has a dance floor, but used for space where people are crammed in with a drink in one hand and trying to move to the beat (sort of). It’s like a standing room only bar. The staff/​bouncer are nice and the décor was pretty cool (furry circular japanese lanterns that turn diff colors, free photobooth, princess bathroom). The guy’s bathroom has a one-​way mirror that looks out to the club so beware!

I had a great time at Shine. Nice décor. The music was retro pop top 40. There was no disc jockey for the event I attended. The bartender mixed some strong drinks. Gotta love that free photo booth, I have to hunt for my pictures online. I am still trying to figure out the black box wall displays that a full of alcoholic beverages and mixers.
I wish I had gotten up the nerve to play the Wii Sports game. I did not do much dancing just drinking and conversation.
What is up with that bathroom with the mirror? Luckily us ladies did not get to see a show, the light bulb was burned out.

What a cool little lounge!
Last night was my first time coming to this spot. Its funny too because I know I’ve passed by this spot hundreds of times. Anyhow, I was really digging this joint last night. I love the photo booth, classic, and overall its a nice small venue to get some drinks, listen to musics, and hang out.
Not a bad spot at all. I’ll be back again.