Comedy Gold in San Francisco

Much like myself, this club is renowned for its intimacy. But it still attracts huge names like Lewis Black and Dave Chappelle (who recently performed several legendary marathon sets). It’s a place to find both local fool’s gold and highly-polished nuggets of comedy.

An idiosyncratic loungey North Beach club that tends to attract lesser-known local comedians, but on occasion brings in a Zach Galifianakis or two. Anyway, it’s worth going here at least once, because the atmosphere’s as quirky as its name.

Just like real college, the Comedy College is a good excuse to laugh and get drunk. They allow BYOB, so you can enjoy drinks at Safeway prices. There’s no “two drink minimum” unless you’re an alcoholic and enforce one upon yourself. The best bet is Saturday’s Naked Comedy: $12 for a lineup of amateurs and a headliner.

This the largest comedy venue in San Francisco, and it definitely attracts the biggest names. Comedy becomes more impersonal and way more expensive at this scale, but that’s the price you have to pay if you find D.L. Hughley funny.

Since space is so constrained in San Francisco, you end up with places like this: part laundromat, part cafe. Improbably, they even have a comedy night every Thursday. Expect everything from established locals to unintelligible amateurs to fresh clean sheets.

On Tuesday nights, Annie’s Social Club hosts a Comedy Speakeasy. It’s a relaxed ambiance, and the material is often delightfully underdeveloped. Afterward you can probably expect to drink some cheap beer with the comedians.

Mondays are your comedy nights in this classy retro dive bar. The quality of the comics is rangy, but since there’s no admission charge, you can use the money you’ll save toward a few Bloody Marys and/or Spa Collins, their specialty cocktail. Suddenly now all the comedians become funny.

For some improvised hilarity, BATS has weekend offerings. Theater nerds will find each offering an absolute delight. The rest of us may also slap our knees once or twice.