Madarae Lounge
This new boutique lounge in San Francisco recently opened with a big weekend lineup and we were there to check it out.
Always on the hunt for new venues with amazing talent including DJs and live music, we knew we had to visit Madarae to see what the hype was about.
It reminds me a bit of Barbarossa which is located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and one of our favorite boujji places to visit.
The bartenders/staff were all on point, mixing up amazing cocktails, and handling coat checks and door duties, and while it's a smaller space the decor makes up for the size. Your eyes are drawn to the many screens around the space and even on the ceilings. Seating is ample but you'll need a reservation or VIP access to actually take a seat somewhere during your visit.
I wasn't throughouly impressed with the DJ, Thomas Gold which is #89 in the world right now. It felt like a lot of scheduled tracks that didn't meet the vibe of the club. Also the crowd wasn't what I expected, it was a mix of young women wearing short skirts and heels and older men. The dress code was meant to be enforced with no tennis shoes, athletic wear or hats but there were plenty of people looking like they came straight from golf or an afternoon of casual activities which was a little disappointing.
ABOUT MADARAE
Situated on Minna Street, the original Harlot drew it’s inspiration from local legend; San Francisco alleys named after famous Barbary Coast harlots. This latest incarnation of an SF institution delves deeper into the legend and the history of this special place at 46 Minna Street.
The Barbary Coast days were not only known for dance halls, concert saloons, seedy dive bars, and brothels but also violence and mayhem, mostly at the hands of male gangs such as the Regulators and the Sydney Ducks. To counter exploitation and abuse one such scrappy lady of the evening organized her fellow harlots into their own gang that supported and helped each other, both clandestinely and openly, which drew the ire of those who enjoyed the status quo. This secret sisterhood needed it’s own gathering place away from the prying eyes of the police and gangs alike so they bought a printing & paper building south of Market, transforming the abandoned warehouse space at the back into their private hideout. This space became not only a safe respite from the world outside but a multi-cultural social space that soon hosted gatherings of like-minded sisters; artists & musicians, writers & poets, rebels & seditionaries. All watched over and led by the tough as nails original harlot, Minna.
Over the decades the space went through various iterations, serving as a leftist HQ & printing press, a sake bootlegging operation & speakeasy during prohibition, post-war illegal jazz club, even a pirate radio station from the Summer of Love through Punk and Hip-hop eras. But throughout the space’s many lives it remained a vital, dynamic gathering place. It’s leadership passed from one female entrepreneur to another, carrying on its traditions and hospitality to the creative underground. Now it’s colorful past is celebrated and reimagined as a future secret clubhouse inviting those
creators & dreamers lucky enough to discover it.
Welcome to MADARAE.