Venue 550

I attended an event here, and it took awhile to absorb all the awesome components of this space. It was hard to tell that this even existed from the outside, especially where they were checking in guests at the side of the building. The inside of Venue 550 looks like an entirely different country... something you would find in the movie Aladdin.This is an excellent venue for any event that requires high production like art or music shows. They have their own sound system, projection, and lighting. Lots of niches and caves for guests to sit, stand, and have their own conversations within small groups. The event I attended had several stations for food, alcohol, and video recording. There was no trouble with parts of the event getting too crowded and congested, which is why the unique floorplan of Venue 550 is great. The staff is top-notch too. I approached one of the staff members standing by the restrooms to ask about the venue. He was kind and helped me find the event manager Andrew. He could have easily had the "I'm just working here, leave me alone" attitude, but his service-oriented nature really contributed to the venue quality. The event manager Andrew was also walking around the event, so I approached him to ask for more information, which he emailed to me. I'm definitely considering having an event here in the near future! Or I'll just find another event happening here and attend that.

I highly recommend Venue 550 for corporate events. My company hosted a gaming press event here, and it was a great success. My team had gone around visiting and comparing venues, and this is definitely one of the more unique ones around with a great value. The owner and event manager know what they're doing, and although we hit a few bumps in the road getting a contract signed, the event itself came together phenomenally! There was the main floor where we had plenty of space to set up game kiosks and upstairs were a lot of cavernous alcoves that were perfect for media interviews. There are multiple projectors to show videos on the walls, which is great for presentations. They also have a holographic display set up, which is pretty unique, but unfortunately we did not utilize it so I can't speak to how well it works or looks. The event manager, Andrew, was extremely enthusiastic and attentive to our needs (it probably helped that he was also a gamer!). Even though we hadn't given any instructions in regards to lighting or music, he went ahead and put on some lights and music that really elevated the mood of the event. He also handled various last minute requests with patience and willingness. We booked Me So Hungry, a food truck that was Venue 550 recommended. The truck parked right outside the venue and food was brought in and set up on the bar, and it worked out wonderfully. I will say parking is kind of a pain, but that's San Francisco for you... The bathroom area is also co-ed, but each "stall" is walled off and quite private.

So maybe this is unfair, but I've honestly never had a less professional phone interaction so I felt the need to post this while it's still fresh. Please note this is...pretty much my first time reviewing something on Yelp in years--so clearly an impression was made.I'm trying to book a venue for a fundraiser. I've been contacting several places both over email and over the phone.There are two phone numbers listed on the Venue 550 site. I called the 510 number first (that's listed here on Yelp also), and the voicemail box was full, so I couldn't leave a message--a little frustrating when you're trying to contact a business.I called the second number listed (a 310 number) which is for Andrew, I believe, and left a voicemail. I have yet to hear from Andrew, but several hours after I called the 510 number I received--not a call back but--a text message saying "Hello. Who is this"?No introduction, no business-like demeanor. Just a slightly better version of "Who dis?"I responded with "My name is Chelsea. I was calling re: venue 550. This number was listed on the site. Your voicemail box is full." 3 hours later he responded saying he would call me about the venue the next day. He called the next day later in the afternoon. I was in a meeting and couldn't answer the call. Instead of leaving me a detailed voice message, he texted me "This is rick from venue 550 tryed to give you a call." YEP. "TRYED". Can't leave a message, can't even spell. I was so soured by the handling of this interaction, that I responded with "I think we're going to pursue other options. Thanks anyway."Honestly, we are still seeking a venue. Venue 550 seems like a really great spot, so I can't judge it based on an actual event, but this interaction was so grossly unprofessional that I would think twice before reaching out.

Friday night club party! Was so excited to come explore this new venue. UNIQUE FOR SURE. Interior decor is like a cave. Cave walls and openings and stairs on the side leading to small areas [for table/bottle service]. Plenty of bathrooms. No need to fight. haha!

This is a venue that you can rent for parties. We went for a company party and it was so much fun. There is a space for the bar, food and seating. My only complaint is when the DJ is on. people are crowded around the main room, which makes it super hard to access the bathrooms located behind the DJ. At least for the event we went to. I did notice that there was another DJ on the top floor, so you have your options. But we had a special guest that night, so he had to be seen.Such a unique space, I liked it a lot. Oh there are lights and projectors set up on the top. Speakers hooked up. This place is ready to go.

Had a really kool time here New Yearz Eve count down ya diggg...Brought in 2017 on one ya diggg...lots of V.I.P. seating not much other wise depending on the event..Nite Life Entertainment did pretty kool tho..

Went here on a Thursday night. Totally sketchy neighborhood with no security in front of or around the club. No secured parking. tons of homeless people all around club. Car Window got broken right in front of the Chinese restaurant just around the corner while it was still OPEN!?!?At least one other person from our party that night had their car broken into too. Don't go here unless you want your car broken into.

I threw a bday party here recently and had an absolutely awesome time. This is actually my first yelp review, specifically bc I wanted to write one for this place.Was looking for something really unique for a big bday party with about 200 people - I wanted it to be fun, memorable, and similar to house party in that guests could BYOB and stay later than the usual 2AM in SF bars (and just in general go kind of crazy). I had friends flying in from everywhere and wanted it to be special.We found Venue 500 and was lucky to get it early - they hadn't had many events (although they are definitely pro's who know what they are doing - the place is just newer). We found it online after looking at maybe 100 potential venues online and not finding the right fit or not being able to afford what we liked. We had a walk-through that same day and I told them on the spot I wanted it. They agreed to let the guests bring their own alcohol (we supplied some stuff too), let me make a crazy strong self-serve punch, and we brought in a keg. For the size of the party, they did insist we have 2 bartenders so guests basically handed their bottles over to them - but we laid that out in the invite and everything else was free. (Honestly it probably would have been insane dealing with 200 people serving themselves).The place itself is pretty wild - cement floor/walls, super high ceilings, chandeliers, top quality lights/fog/TVs, videos playing on the walls, insane AWESOME sound system, speakers (really). It's newly renovated so it's clean - including the brand new bathrooms. There is space for seating, a kitchen area, multiple bathrooms and a VIP area upstairs (which has two staircases to it). I can't tell you how many times during the party I was asked: - "HOW DID YOU FIND THIS PLACE?!" - "This is amazing!!! Do they shoot crazy movies here or something?!" - "What is this place and how did I not know about it?" - Etc, etc, etc.Rick, the owner, was really easy to work with and clearly knows what he's doing. He let us do a 2nd walk-through, and easily made himself available via phone or text throughout the months before the party. The team was really pleasant, nice to work with, and nice to my friends (including the security guys - they were great and 2 stayed late for us). The bartenders were also great (we tipped them up front so guests wouldn't have to tip to drink their own alcohol) - they let me behind the bar to make punch and whatnot - loved it. While I ran into a few small communication challenges - this was on me too. I thought we agreed to go until 3 or 4AM but at 2AM they were planning to shut down. The contract did say 2AM - I should have paid better attention to that. Rick drove to the venue personally to deal with it and talked to his staff about staying an extra hour. My friends got to stay until 3AM and everyone was incredibly pleasant about it. Our DJ also had a great experience - he just showed up with his laptop and plugged it in - and the photographer was given a space to store his stuff and everyone else helping with the party had a really good experience with these guys. If you want a big, fun, loud, crazy, and unique party that is easy to plan and really memorable for you + your friends - this is the place before everyone in town finds out about it and it blows up :)

Venue 550 is one of the most unique event spaces I have ever seen - converted from an antique store, this venue was absolutely incredible for our Halloween themed Wedding Reception/30th Birthday Party this past Sat. You can probably imagine that I wanted EVERYTHING to go perfectly - it's just not that often you get to celebrate so many awesome things in one night. You can probably guess from the 5 star rating that the team at Venue550 delivered a perfect evening!From the friendly and helpful Security team (thank you Kenny & Mario for chatting with me so much about swords!) to the fantastic bar manager Ray to Rick and Andrew putting everything together behind the scenes, this team knows how to turn their venue into an incredible night-club. They have great lighting options, video projection, and a awesome sound system. Our party of 140 fit comfortably in the venue, and there are areas for both dancing, group mingling and plenty of nooks with comfy seating for smaller groups to talk. They also have a fantastic VIP lounge that worked great for our wedding party. This is the most UNIQUE venue I've ever seen, and if you have an event that requires that special setting, you should take a look at Venue550.

I came here for a private party over the weekend and was impressed by the venue. Looks like an average warehouse club from the outside, but inside was like a Moroccan Oasis with the how the walls are designed to look like walls of an Arabic desert town. Spacious but with hidden nooks along the side that have bars and tables. Music was good as well. Not sure what a regular event night is like, but definitely a good place to rent for a private party.The GO-GO dancers are hot!