by Tiffany H. on My friends love margartias so I came here to get them their fix. The drinks were okay. A little weaker than we usually like our drinks, especially after shelling out 10+ dollars. The decor is fun and they have food but I haven't had any of it. Tables are hard to come by when you're not eating but the people working there are usually pretty nice when they aren't that busy. I must warn women, the bathroom in this place is kinda creepy. Most of the lighting is red and in the stall there is a little nook that has another chair in it as if someone was sitting there watching. Maybe I'm paranoid but it did freak me out a little.
by Antwan Kostrzewa on Despite the presumed pretentiousness I actually like this place. This was a difficult review, I'd actually give it a 3.5 stars, but I'm a glass half full kinda guy. Location: Good location, downtown. Tons of restaurants nearby, nice place to grab a drink after work since it's right in the Financial District. And if you're that kind of person, you can walk to North Beach. Space: Beautiful decor. Really classy and more New York than LA, which I like. There is lounging area, a smoking area and a dance space downstairs. What more could you ask for. Ambiance: The people that frequent this establishment is one star deduction. One night I went there everyone was douchey, unfriendly and pushy. Another night I went, the clientele was 90% asian and all dressed the same, same attitude, and with absolutely NO diversity whatsoever. At a nightclub, I NEED diversity, and I'm not talking about ethnicity, I'm talking about a collective eclectic environment. one in which people are dressed uniquely and have unique personalities. This clientele here is way to homogenous and gentrified for my taste. The music downstairs, however, was GREAT. Actually, the best music I've heard at a straight club, yet. The dancing space is a bit too cluttered, but it worked out. Service: This is where the place loses half a star. There was a server there, named NIkki, who was completely atrocious. Rude, vicious, nasty character and quite unsightly. She was a snob, did not know one of the places' own cocktails (or any cocktail for that matter) and seemed a bit air-headed. The reason I will not deduct a full star is for the older gentleman bartender. He has real talent in mixology, was polite and a perfectionist. Food/Drink: Again, one of it's stronger points. If you're like most San Franciscans and just like wine and beer, then don't spend your hard earned money here; there are plenty of dive bars all over the city. But if you like good cocktails with perfection and creativity, this is a good place to drink. They ARE expensive, but that's what you get when they serve you a Cosmopolitan with actual Cointreau instead of Triple Sec. Absolutely fabulous drinks, but be prepared to have near $100 knocked out of your bank account. Overall: Great drinks, great music, great decor, weird service, weird people, nice place, looooong review. Enjoy!
by Calvin Lacrue on One of the reasons why I like Suite 181 is it reminds me of the clubs back home in LA. That's good...and bad...but mostly just a familiar environment to me. I mean, after all these years living in the Bay Area, I still think it's so bizarre that women wear jeans when they go out clubbing??? Suite 181 is filled with people who understand that when one goes out dancing, one dresses up (jeans is dressing down people!), preferably revealing a fair amount of skin in the process. ;) Due to the aforementioned standard skimpier dress code, the eye candy is noticeable at Suite 181. The decor is also more sexy and "clubby" unlike the many other venues that try to look like a mere hang-out lounge. I like the split dance floors although sometimes I can't tell the difference between the music they are spinning in the two main rooms. Downstairs they used to let girls jump up on the raised bars to dance, but these days that seems like a no-no. I'm guessing a few too many drunk women fell off and ruined it for everyone else! So if you want to go shake your money-maker on a weekend night, Suite 181 is a fun destination! Just make sure you get on the guestlist so that you aren't charged the pesky cover fee. Oh, and the male:female ratio is pretty decent so everyone should have a good time looking around here. :)
