Restaurant and Event Space on Polk Street, San Francisco.
about this space
Located at 1101 Polk Street in San Francisco, California, this 1,500-square-foot commercial space operates as a triple-deck restaurant. The property features 1,500 square feet of usable area and more than 1,000 square feet of storage space located underneath. The facility is suitable for gatherings of up to 75 people and is categorized for event, food, retail, and showroom use. The interior is equipped with a complete kitchen, a bar, a counter, and furniture. Essential facilities include a water closet and a bathroom. The space is wheelchair accessible and features a terrace. Retail support is provided by a dedicated stock room and a window display. This versatile property in the 94109 zip code offers a functional layout for various professional requirements, providing all necessary equipment to support operations within a restaurant and event setting. All factual information regarding the size and amenities is provided to assist in evaluating the facility's suitability for specific gathering or retail needs.
the fwv take
Take 1101 Polk Street for a hosted press day, launch dinner or cocktail reception rather than a walk-in temporary retail run, because the complete kitchen, fitted bar and counter arrive already installed and let you serve a full food and beverage programme to 75 guests without importing catering infrastructure or accepting a hotel venue's minimum spend.
What makes this address work for that format is the triple-deck configuration, which splits the guest journey vertically into a street-level arrival and bar floor with a Polk Street window display, a private upper deck for seated collection previews or founder interviews, and more than 1,000 square feet of storage directly beneath the 1,500 square foot main floor so crates, restock and staff kit never surface in front of press, with the terrace absorbing the room when it peaks.
Aesthetically it favours mid-scale contemporary labels with a warm, hospitality-led identity, denim and workwear, natural skincare and fragrance, ceramics, jewellery or food-adjacent lifestyle brands roughly three to eight years into trading, and we will say plainly that minimal luxury maisons wanting an evenly lit white cube should look at cleaner shells among our spaces in New York instead, since covering the existing bar and counter is a genuine build line rather than a styling detail.
In our experience San Francisco moves on shorter notice than the European markets, so eight to ten weeks is workable here, though September and the pre-holiday November window fill first and the alcohol licensing position is the item most likely to set your critical path, which is why we raise it in the first call and map it against our activation timeline before dates are held.
what's included
- wc
- handicap accessible
- bar
- bathroom
- complete kitchen
- counter
- furniture
- terrace
- stock room
- window display
package add-ons
make the space yours.
with our package add-ons you can make your chosen space move-in ready. from furniture and branding, to staffing and marketing — we've got you covered.
how to book this space
- 01
Check the shell and the dates
Review the gallery, 139 sqm floor plan and amenities for Restaurant and Event Space on Polk Street, San Francisco, then note the window you want in San Francisco. Fashion week dates book 6–10 weeks out.
- 02
Send the brief
Use the request panel on this page to send your dates, expected footfall and budget. Pricing on this space is quoted on request.
- 03
Get availability and a quote
We confirm availability with the operator and come back within 24 hours with the all-in cost: rent, staffing, permits and fit-out for San Francisco.
- 04
Lock the contract
Sign the short-term licence, pay the deposit and we register any permit or signage paperwork the address needs.
- 05
Build and open
Fit-out, install and staff the pop-up. Our production team handles delivery, install and the strike at the end of the run in San Francisco.
activation ideas
Press Day / Media Preview
This is the strongest format at 1101 Polk Street because the complete kitchen and fitted bar mean you can feed and pour for press without trucking in catering infrastructure or accepting a hotel minimum spend. Brands running press days in spaces like this typically hold the ground floor for arrivals and coffee, dress the upper deck with rails and a seated interview corner, and keep crates in the 1,000 plus square feet of storage below. Comfortable for 30 to 50 editors across a rolling four hour window.
Product Launch
The triple-deck layout works for a launch because you can separate the reveal moment from the drinks moment rather than fighting one crowded room. In practice the bar handles service on the arrival level while the upper deck holds the product installation, so guests move upward on a cue instead of queuing. Capacity is 75 across 139 sqm, and the terrace absorbs the peak. Budget for heaters if you are launching between October and April in San Francisco.
Influencer Event
Three distinct levels plus a terrace give creators four backdrop changes in one venue, which is why this format performs here better than in a single-room space. We would cap guest numbers around 40 for a content-led evening so each creator gets clean sightlines and bar access without crowding. The kitchen supports a food moment that photographs, and pairing the booking with influencer marketing keeps the invite list matched to actual reach rather than follower count.
Pop-Up Store and Retail Activation
Temporary retail works here because the address already carries the three things a short-term commercial space usually lacks: a Polk Street window display, a counter that becomes your till point, and a dedicated stock room. Footfall on this stretch is high, with 37 places inside 200 metres and 24 stores nearby. The honest constraint is the hospitality fit-out, so reskinning the bar and counter is a real build line, handled through production and build rather than improvised on site. Two to six week runs suit the location.
Sample Sale
This space is built for a sample sale in a way most 1,500 square foot units are not, because more than 1,000 square feet of understorage sits directly beneath the selling floor. Restock, packaging and staff kit stay off the guest level all day, and the stock room handles active pulls. Run the ground floor as till and fitting, the upper decks as density rails. A queue-managed 75 person capacity plus tap-ready point of sale and payments keeps throughput moving.
SS/AW Seasonal Showroom
Categorised for showroom use, and the vertical split is what makes it credible for a full season residency rather than a one-day presentation. Brands typically take the upper deck as the appointment floor with full size runs staged downstairs, leaving the street level open for coffee, look books and unscheduled walk-ins. Over four to six weeks the furniture and kitchen already in place remove most of the fit-out cost that a bare showroom rental would carry.
Buyer Appointments and Wholesale Previews
Seated buyer appointments run well here because the private upper deck gives you an enclosed collection preview room that a ground floor unit cannot offer. Plan for two to four buyers per slot with one sales lead each, not more, since the deck is intimate by design. The kitchen lets you host a working lunch between appointments, which materially improves West Coast attendance. Pair a three or four day wholesale appointment block with one evening press moment to justify the travel.
Brand Shoot and Content Day
What makes this work as a content studio specifically is variety within one call sheet: bar, counter, kitchen, three interior levels and an outdoor terrace, all reachable without a location move. A crew of eight to twelve works comfortably, with the storage level doubling as wardrobe, kit and lunch. Confirm natural light direction for your shoot month, because interior restaurant lighting will need supplementing for editorial work. Load-in is straightforward from Polk Street outside peak traffic.
Networking Event and Cocktail Reception
The bar, kitchen and terrace combination means you can host a standing reception for 75 without a single external supplier for food and beverage. Three decks help conversation rather than hindering it, since guests self-sort into levels instead of shouting across one room. In practice we position a host at the stair on each level so the upper decks fill early. Cable car stops on California Street sit five minutes away and a hotel is 200 metres out for visiting guests.
Workshop or Masterclass
A complete kitchen plus existing furniture makes this a functional workshop venue without hiring in tables, prep surfaces or wash facilities. We would run 16 to 24 participants seated on one deck, keeping the ground floor free for arrival, product display and takeaway sales at the counter. Fragrance, ceramics, skincare and food-adjacent brands get the most from this format here, and the stock room stores materials between sessions across a multi-day programme.
use cases
location
what's around
4 stores within 600 m, incl. Locals Barbershop, Tsering Youdon Jewlery, FedEx Office
brands nearby
- jewellery & watches
- 1
- beauty
- 3
- hotels
- 1
- cafés
- 6
- restaurants & bars
- 29
- other retail
- 20
- New India Bazar10 m
- Piroo10 m
- Locals Barbershop30 m
- Jackalope40 m
- Let it Bleed40 m
- Mesk Discount40 m
getting here & street life
nearest transit
- California Street & Polk Streettram399 m · 5 min
- California Street & Van Ness Avenuetram411 m · 5 min
- California Street & Larkin Streettram427 m · 5 min
- California Street & Hyde Streettram496 m · 6 min
- California Street & Leavenworth Streettram610 m · 8 min
- California Street & Jones Streettram726 m · 9 min
street activity
high footfall.
37 places within 200 m · 24 stores · 35 cafés and restaurants
- within 200 m
- 37
- within 400 m
- 60
- within 600 m
- 60
the neighbourhood
The Uptown Tenderloin Historic District is a historic district located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California, U.S.. It has 408 contributing buildings and covers roughly a 33-city block radius in downtown San Francisco. The Uptown Tenderloin Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2009, for architecture and social history.
- Divas Nightclub & Bar · 66 m
- Avalon Ballroom · 118 m
- Mantra-Rock Dance · 118 m
- Real World: Ex-Plosion · 127 m
- Edinburgh Castle Pub · 136 m
- Regency Center · 154 m
frequently asked
Yes, 1101 Polk Street is available for pop-up shops and temporary retail, and it is categorised for event, food, retail and showroom use. The 1,500 square foot triple-deck layout gives you a street-level arrival floor with a window display, a counter that works as a till point, and a dedicated stock room so product does not sit on the guest floor. Brands running temporary retail at this address typically hold the space for two to six weeks, which is long enough to build local awareness on Polk Street without carrying a full lease. If you want to see how it compares to other San Francisco options before you enquire, you can browse all spaces
who it suits
Brand Scale
This 139 sqm triple-deck space on Polk Street suits a brand with a 5 to 25 person team, roughly 2 to 8 years of trading, and an existing DTC base or a West Coast wholesale account list worth hosting in person. The reason is operational: 1,500 sqft split across three levels, plus over 1,000 sqft of storage underneath and a dedicated stock room, gives you a public floor, a private appointment area and deep back of house without renting a second site. A 75 person capacity handles a full guest list in one seating rather than staggered slots. Solo founders working from a single trunk of samples will pay for volume they cannot fill, and global houses running 300 plus guest press days with dedicated hospitality zones will find the floors too compartmentalised. If you are comparing this against multiple markets before committing, it is worth using our venue sourcing shortlist rather than judging the fit from photos alone.
Aesthetic Fit
Brands with a warm, textured, hospitality-led visual identity will read best here, because the space arrives as a functioning restaurant with a bar, counter, fitted furniture and a complete kitchen. That favours denim and workwear labels, outdoor and technical apparel, natural skincare and fragrance, ceramics and homeware, jewellery, and food-adjacent lifestyle brands that want the room to feel lived in rather than staged. The window display and Tenderloin Historic District setting support a neighbourhood, community-first tone. Where we see mismatches is when a minimal luxury brand needs a white cube with even gallery lighting and clean sightlines, because the existing bar, counter and three-level structure fight that language and a full cover-up build gets expensive fast. Brands committed to a hard-edged gallery look should budget properly for branded store design or look at a rawer shell instead.
Best Use Cases
First choice is a hosted press day or influencer event, since the bar, complete kitchen and terrace let you serve properly without importing catering infrastructure. Second is a launch party or cocktail reception, with 75 guest capacity and three decks allowing arrival, product and lounge zones to sit apart. Third is a pop-up shop or temporary retail space run over two to six weeks, supported by the window display, counter, stock room and wheelchair accessible entry. Fourth is a showroom presentation and wholesale appointment programme, using an upper deck for private collection previews while the ground floor stays open. Fifth is a sample sale, where the 1,000 plus sqft of understorage handles restock volume. Sixth is a content studio day or brand dinner, and seventh a networking event or team offsite. Retail-led formats here run better with trained hosts, which is where retail staffing earns its cost.
Budget Signal
Expect mid-market pricing for San Francisco, below Union Square, Hayes Valley and Fillmore retail on a per sqm basis, and well below what a comparable hotel event space in the Nob Hill or Van Ness corridor charges once food and beverage minimums are applied. The value argument is infrastructure: you are getting a licensed-style bar, a complete kitchen, furniture, a stock room, storage and a terrace already in place, so your build and hire spend drops sharply against a bare short-term commercial space. Compared with co-working venues you get street presence and a window; compared with shared pop-up formats you get exclusive use and control of the guest experience. Brands at this stage typically find the total activation cost lands lower than the headline suggests, and our budget calculator will show you where the savings actually sit.
- brand passportpersonalised recs from your homepage
- roi estimatorfootfall & revenue for this space
- budget calcrent · fit-out · staffing · press
free · no credit card · unlocks personalised recommendations