Queridos Lounge Approved Over Neighbor Objections as Commission Greenlights Six Venues

San Francisco's Entertainment Commission unanimously approved six new entertainment permits in a single evening, expanding the city's nightlife footprint from Fisherman's Wharf to Treasure Island — but it was a Mission District restaurant and lounge that drew the night's sharpest debate, as four neighbors challenged outdoor amplified sound before the Commission approved the permit with added conditions.

• Queridos Lounge wins permit after neighbors push back on outdoor sound and late-night hours; Commission adds monthly event calendar and sound limits
• Treasure Island gets its first brick-and-mortar entertainment permit as Mersea is recognized for eight years of community service
• Nonprofit experimental music venue Roar Shack approved to fill vacant mid-Market space with pay-what-you-can performances
• Space karaoke lounge approved for 4 a.m. weekend hours at Fisherman's Wharf
• Meski comes into compliance after 16 months of entertainment without a permit — and zero neighbor complaints
• 81 Social Galerie suspension appeal deferred pending Comptroller hearing

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Outdoor Sound Clash on Mission Street

The Queridos Lounge application at 2575 Mission St. consumed more than 40 minutes of the Commission's time — by far the most of any item — and exposed a familiar fault line: how to permit nightlife in a dense residential corridor.

The basics: Leticia Luna, a veteran San Francisco restaurateur, applied for a Place of Entertainment permit with outdoor amplified sound for her family-run restaurant and cocktail lounge, which plans to feature DJs, live music, and drag brunch. Her daughter, Rocio Luna, represented the applicant.

Why it matters: The Commission received 12 letters of opposition — six before and six after the hearing deadline — all focused on outdoor amplified sound and hours extending to 2 a.m. Four neighbors spoke at the hearing, making this the only permit application to draw organized public opposition.

Where things stand: Bradley Dunn, who shares a wall with the venue, told commissioners the applicant initially described the project as a piano bar closing at 10 p.m. and has since expanded to 2 a.m. with dancing and drag shows. He said he was never notified of the hearing despite having provided a letter of support for the conditional use permit. Hieronymus Buicks of the 140-unit Vida apartment building across the street urged outright denial of the outdoor sound element, arguing that even low-level ambient music would carry into roughly 30 facing residential units. Claire, a resident of the nearby Theater Building, said she supports the business but asked that outdoor sound be limited to Thursday through Saturday and that decibel readings be taken on a quiet weeknight. Gabriel, who lives with Dunn, said the couple learned of the hearing only through a neighbor's WhatsApp group.

The other side: Rocio Luna responded that the venue has installed foam insulation and thick glass windows for soundproofing, and that the outdoor speaker is a single downward-facing unit under a canopy intended only for ambient sound. She offered to end weekday outdoor sound at 8 p.m.

President Ben Bleiman drew on his own experience operating bars to counsel the applicant on neighbor relations. "I've had 12 bars in the city and I've had neighbors in every single one of them," he said, urging direct phone contact and real-time sound testing with residents. He added that outdoor speaker issues rarely reach the Commission — "the most common thing is that somebody forgets to turn it off."

Vice President Cyn Wang encouraged the applicant to keep negotiating even after approval: "I would encourage you even once, assuming we approve this, with the hours continuing to negotiate with the neighbors."

Deputy Director Kaitlyn Azevedo corrected a staff recommendation error, noting that no specific sound limit had actually been set. She recommended directing staff to establish an internal limit under Municipal Police Code Article 29.

Decisions: The Commission approved 6-0, with two added conditions: Queridos must provide a monthly calendar of events to interested neighbors, and staff will set an internal sound limit under Article 29. Commissioner Maria Davis moved; Vice President Wang seconded. Commissioner Jordan Wilson was absent.

What's next: Staff will establish the sound limit. The monthly event calendar requirement gives neighbors an ongoing transparency mechanism — and a basis for future complaints if conditions are violated.

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Treasure Island's First Entertainment Permit

Mersea, the island restaurant at 699 Avenue of the Palms, became the first brick-and-mortar venue on Treasure Island to receive an entertainment permit — a milestone Deputy Director Azevedo flagged for the Commission: "Fun fact, this is our first brick-and-mortar permit on Treasure Island."

Why it matters: The permit recognizes an eight-year community institution on an island still building out its residential and commercial infrastructure. Owner MeeSun Boice described how Mersea stepped up during the pandemic: "We committed to the community. We did during and right after about 200 meals a week for a year for the residents. Free meals for the residents on Treasure Island."

Vice President Wang thanked the owners: "It really is an underserved community and you've built a really beautiful space and operation there."

The Limited Live Performance permit with outdoor entertainment and amplified sound passed 6-0.

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Nonprofit Music Collective Fills Vacant SoMa Space

Roar Shack, the performance venue of nonprofit experimental music group The Living Earth Show, was approved for a Place of Entertainment permit at 34 7th St. in SoMa.

Why it matters: The venue fills a formerly vacant bar space in the mid-Market corridor with an arts incubator model. Co-founder Travis Andrews told commissioners, "We've been an experimental music group since 2010. We've been a nonprofit since late 2017, and since 2024 we've been doing pay-what-you-can pop-up shows in and for San Franciscans at 34 7th Street." Andrews described 123 planned engagements and a Meyersound spatial audio system designed to contain sound within the space.

Vice President Wang was enthusiastic: "I've seen some of your programming and it's fantastic."

Approved 6-0.

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Meski: Compliance After 16 Months — and Zero Complaints

Meski, an Afro-Latin (Ethiopian-Dominican fusion) restaurant at 1000 Larkin St. in Lower Nob Hill, was approved to formalize DJ and jazz programming it has been hosting for 16 months without a permit.

Owner Guma Fassil described a warm reception from the neighborhood: "Many of the local businesses are some of our best customers. And in the SROs above us, some of the residents above us are also some of our most frequent customers."

President Bleiman praised the venue: "I think Meski is the gem. I think what you've done there is incredible. We don't have spaces like that in San Francisco for diverse crowds like that."

Approved 6-0.

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Minor Items

• Space (EC-1944): 15-room karaoke venue at 500 Beach St. in Fisherman's Wharf approved for entertainment and extended hours permits with weekend hours to 4 a.m. Applicant Edmond Chang of Bloom Vibe Inc. operates the K Box Karaoke brand. Approved 6-0.
• Next Door (EC-1961): North Beach bar at 570 Green St. approved for limited live performance with outdoor entertainment, leveraging the neighborhood's entertainment zone designation for comedy, DJs, and acoustic music. No opposition received. Approved 6-0.
• Folsom Foundry (EC-1954): Continued to a future hearing so the applicant can conduct additional community outreach before the Commission acts on the ownership-change permit. Approved 6-0.
• Incendio (EC-1957): Continued to a future hearing; applicant still awaiting landlord consent to apply for the permit. Approved 6-0.
• 81 Social Galerie (EC-1895): Appeal of Director-imposed limited suspension and related permit amendment at 81 Cedar St. both continued pending citation appeals at the Comptroller's office, expected between September and October.
• Meeting minutes from Aug. 4 approved 6-0.
• Senior Inspector Andrew Zverina reported 76 complaints since the last hearing with no enforcement actions. Vice President Wang flagged multiple complaints from the Regency Ballroom; Deputy Director Azevedo said the issue was traced to windows erroneously left open, which have since been closed.
• Commissioner comments: Commissioner Davis plugged community events including an overdose awareness event and a block party.