Your big day rolls around only once a year, and you want to celebrate it in style. You’ve outgrown the novelty of doing shots at the local dive bar, but life’s too short to just sit this one out. So we rounded up seven places in San Francisco to mark the festive occasion. And guess what? Not one of them is a bar.
7 Unique Places to Celebrate Your Birthday in San Francisco
...and none of them include bars
•
Published Aug 22, 2016
Up Out
Indulge In A Chocolate Tasting
You love chocolate, and your birthday party merits lots of it. At Dandelion, you can reserve a private Chocolate 101 tasting for up to 12 guests. The two-hour session covers topics like types, history and the meaning of single origin. But here’s the important part: You and your friends will sample tons of homegrown treats. Yep, their famous drinking chocolate is included.
740 Valencia St.; 415-349-0942 or dandelionchocolate.com
SPiN
Show Off Your Backhand
Brand-new to San Francisco, Spin is the Susan Sarandon-owned Ping-Pong social club. It’s got two bars, a kitchen, a VIP lounge and 19 Ping-Pong tables where your friends can let you win all night. (Come on--it’s your birthday.) There are also different event packages depending on how big a bash you’re looking to host.
690 Folsom St.; 415-636-5995 or sanfrancisco.wearespin.com
Alamo Drafthouse
Catch A Midnight Movie
Birthday dinners are overrated. Get your meal and drinks served to you at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema while you swoon over Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey in a private screening of Bridget Jones’s Baby.
2550 Mission St.; 415-549-5959 or drafthouse.com
Decorate Your Own Birthday Cake
It’s a known fact: Cake just tastes better when you make it yourself. Send out the party invites and let Fullosophie take care of the rest. They’ll find the venue, decorate the space and hire the instructor. All you have to do is show up and prepare to be schooled in everything from piping techniques to creating “naked” cakes garnished with flowers and fruits. And yes, you get to eat the results.
fullosophie.com
Get Your Heart Rate Up
Repeat after us: You do not have to be 5 to jump your heart out on a bunch of indoor trampolines. The VIP package at House of Air gets you one to two hours of trampoline time in the private Air Force One room and access to Xbox 360 for all of your gaming needs. Plus, this kind of party counts as cardio for your entire birthday week.
926 Old Mason St.; 415-212-4197 or houseofair.com
Learn How To Use A Drill Press
Cake decorating too girlie for you? No problem. Book a private party at The Butterfly Joint, a super-hip woodworking studio where you can learn how to make everything from candle holders and cell-phone charging docks to bookshelves and coffee tables.
2640 Mission St.; 415-894-2685 or thebutterflyjoint.com
Charter A Boat
OK, we know you’re fabulous. So naturally, you deserve an equally swank soiree. Rent a boat through Boatbound’s pier-to-pier marketplace and bring the party to the bay. You’ll need to BYOB, but hiring a captain to sail you around is part of the package.
