Rating: 
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and you love jazz, you undoubtedly know that Yoshi’s, long a fixture of the jazz scene in Oakland, opened a second club in the Fillmore area of San Francisco in late 2007.
The setup is gorgeous; soothing grays and wood predominate. It’s a fairly intimate club space — acoustically speaking, there probably isn’t a bad seat in the house. The sightlines are such that you have a clear view of the musicians from wherever you happen to be sitting.
However, for some people, simply being able to see the musicians is not enough. What if you want to be able to observe what kind of fingering the guitarist is using or if he or she using open strings, employing a volume knob, a whammy bar, or effects pedals? How about the pianist? Is he or she playing inside the piano, using a mallet, or playing the keyboard with his or her elbows?
If you want to be able to make out details like these, you’re probably better off reserving a seat before the show.
You see, unless you reserve a table, the seating at Yoshi’s San Francisco is first come, first served. It’s true that you are guaranteed a seat if you buy a ticket, but you may not get the seat you want.
At a recent concert, when I went into the club to check out the layout before they started letting in customers, I noticed that at least 50% of the seats had already been reserved. (You can tell because tags have been affixed to the backs of the chairs with the names of the patrons who have reserved them).
So how do you get a reserved seat? There are a number of ways. If you have dinner in the restaurant, your server will arrange reserved seating for you ($25 per person minimum food bill). If you’d rather drop by the club a little early and get a drink at the bar (minimum $15 bar tab per person), the bartender can arrange the same service for you. If you’d rather just go to the show, you can buy a ticket online and reserve a seat for an extra $8.50 surcharge.
But what if you get hungry or thirsty during the show? No problem. The club has an extensive bar menu featuring sushi, Asian themed snacks, cocktails, wine, spirits, and even desserts. You should probably be aware that there is a one drink/snack minimum in the club.
What a luxurious setting to see jazz in!
The crowd at the show I attended skewed 30 and older, not surprising considering the sophistication of the music and the opulence of the surroundings. Tickets tend to be in the $20 - $30 range for most national acts. Menu prices are moderately high, consistent with the classy vibe of the club.
Still, considering Yoshi’s immaculate presentation of the music, the intimacy of the club, and the overall ambiance, the prices are more than fair.
When I visited this time around, I was surprised by how much the neighborhood had changed. There are numerous businesses surrounding Yoshi’s these days: several restaurants, a hair salon and so forth. When I left Yoshi’s after the concert around 10 p.m., there was still plenty of foot traffic and the street was brightly lit.
There really isn’t any reason not to take full advantage of this wonderful cultural resource.
In the Bay Area, other than Yoshi’s, there aren’t any clubs that regularly feature well-known national and international jazz acts year round. My advice is to check out the Yoshi’s calendar on their website, and if you see a band you like, make a point of going. It’s well worth it, I promise.
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