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Wish Bar in SoMa Has Permanently Closed

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I just got the unfortunate email from Andrea Minoo, owner of Wish Bar in SoMa, that the the nearly 20 year old lounge has officially closed.

This is a bad news day for SoMa considering we just reported that The Cake Gallery just down the street has also permanently closed.

While I was never a regular at Wish, I always had a blast time every time I went. Plus I had multiple friends who worked there over the years. Someone along the way described it perfectly when they said “Wish is for people in their 30s who used to be ravers and club kids in their 20s”. I wrote about what a great spot it was in my Weeknighter column for 7×7 back in 2012.

If you like dark bars, with House music, stiff drinks, and no cover, then you loved Wish. It’s real bummer this place is now gone.

There’s a GoFundMe to help tip the awesome bartenders one more time right here. And you can continue patronize their sister location Bond Bar and Lounge which is currently open with outdoor seating.

And here’s the official notice from Wish’s Facebook page:

From the bottom of a very heavy heart, I’m here to tell y’all that Wish will not reopen. Due to a combination of factors, and obviously Covid, we just can’t carry on.

The depth and breathe of Wish has always been the amazing music, staff and the guests’ love for WISH.
I can’t tell you how many times a bartender has told me someone wants to talk to the owner and when I anxiously approach, guests just want to convey their love for the bar, music and staff. They tell me they’ve been coming since they moved to SF, they met their significant other there, they had the best birthday party there, the list of awesome feedback is long.

In the almost 20 years, WISH has hosted some of the greatest House music djs on the planet. But the love and soul has always been our residents that were there weekly throwing down the best music in the city.

We all want to thank you for all the love you’ve given us over the years. I want to personally thank our staff and djs for being the best people that are all family now. I’ve never known a better group of humans before. With so much heart, love and care under one roof.

As with all bars, we’ve been closed since March. We’ve set up a Go Fund Me to help bartenders until bars start to reopen. Every little bit helps.

Please visit our sister bar, Bond Bar and Lounge in the Mission. And you might even see our bartenders there in the near future as we’ve just finished our Parklet and will be open! We need your support now more than ever. Bondbarsf.com
WISHing everyone safety until this once in a lifetime event passes.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.