Supperclub San Francisco: Superbly Supine

So a pole dancer, a massage therapist, a chef, and a DJ walk into a bar…and they start working. That’s it. There’s no joke. They’re all part of the staff at Supperclub San Francisco, because here there are no lines between performance, dining, wellness, and clubbing. From the cute drag emcee who welcomed us, to the delicious strawberry shortcake that ended the evening, Supperclub was three hours of pure entertainment. Did I mention that all of this fun was had from the comfort of a platform bed?

Reviews can be a formulaic function of the type of place being reviewed – restaurant, nightclub, theater, spa, etc. But since Supperclub occupies the nexus of all of these establishments, those rules simply don’t apply. So where do I begin? Supperclub is a lot of things, but I dare posit that it is foremost a cabaret – so let’s begin there. There were no fewer than four crowd-pleasing performances that ranged from the classical to the irreverent to the death-defying. I don’t know how often opera, pole dancing, aerial silks, and a performance piece featuring the Virgin of Guadalupe and her AC-powered vibrator appear on the same billing, but everything goes (and goes well) at Supperclub.

The four performance pieces were paralleled by a four-course, fixed menu. But, before the first course arrived I enjoyed a Nocturnal Emission (though I think it’s called something else when you’re awake). The bartender mixed this yummy cocktail of bourbon, triple sec, and bitters a few glorious minutes before our server brought over the first course – tomato bisque with crème fraiche. This was followed by perfectly seared scallops and kale, then grilled lamb chops, and finally that strawberry shortcake. I was fully prepared to accept a meal whose quality might be a little compromised by the scope of the overall theater-restaurant-club-spa effort, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was fantastic!

And finally, there’s the space itself, which is just as much an actor in the evening’s entertainment as the bartenders, drag queens, and singers. It is at once a stage set, a circus big top, a movie theater, a dance floor, and a bedroom retreat. Instead of being shown to your table, you and your party are asked if you’re ready to “go to bed.” The comfy, mattress-topped platform serves as your dining chair, your theater seats, and if you’re up for it, even your massage table. The open, two-story space is a modern venue painted white, but the soft, colored lighting keeps it warm and cozy.

With such a grand concept, Supperclub could have easily become a gimmick that tried to deliver a lot but didn’t execute well on anything. I’ve seen good plays accompanied by rubbery chicken at dinner theaters, and I’ve had great cocktails in the presence of bad singing at piano bars. Supperclub, however, is a triple threat (maybe even quadruple) that redefines the multisensory dining and entertainment experience.

Supperclub San Francisco (there are restaurants in Amsterdam, London, Istanbul, and Los Angeles) is a great spot for couples or a close, small group of four (larger parties may find that the setup makes conversation difficult). Few things are more intimate than hanging out in bed, and nothing’s more indulgent than enjoying food and performance as you recline atop crisp, high thread-count sheets. So lay back and enjoy. This is certainly the best time you’ll have in bed with your clothes on.