<![CDATA[Comedy Oakland! The Best Things In Life Are Funny. - Blog]]>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:24:33 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Comedy Clubs in San Francisco Bay Area - an objective comparison]]>Tue, 09 Jan 2018 01:57:00 GMThttps://www.comedyoakland.com/blog/comedy-clubs-in-san-francisco-bay-area-an-objective-comparisonLooking for a Comedy Club in San Francisco Bay Area? Here’s an objective look at all 8 comedy clubs spread across the San Francisco Bay Area.

But first, a quick note to acknowledge that comedy is very highly subjective. So often I have seen one person laugh uncontrollably while their companion wonders why. So when someone publishes a list of best comedians or best comedy clubs, I take it with a boulder of salt. There are lots of websites publishing lists of Top 10 Comedy Clubs in the Bay Area, counting them down from 10 to 1, on subjective descriptions and details. Since I haven’t seen any objective comparison, I decided to provide one myself. Let me know in the comments below what you think of this attempt to objectively compare all the Comedy Clubs in San Francisco Bay Area.
​Another quick note, here’s the criteria used to determine which club gets listed - club has multiple shows every week and has been in business for multiple years. So, some performance venues with guest comedy producers, or non-regular shows, don't get a mention. Did I miss a club? Please let me know in the comments below.

* All information gathered from publicly available details on the comedy club website ​
​** Listed in alphabetical order

1. CHEAPER THAN THERAPY

Website: www.cttcomedy.com
Cheaper Than Therapy in San Francisco
Photo credit: Cheaper Than Therapy
​Venue Info: ​Have the best Bay Area comedians fill your prescription for comedy at Cheaper Than Therapy. You'll get a healthy dose of laughs every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at San Francisco's historic Shelton Theater. In the heart of Union Square, Cheaper Than Therapy is convenient to get to, whether you live in the Bay Area or are just visiting. Each show features comedians Eloisa Bravo, Scott Simpson, and Jon Allen. A rotating selection of Bay Area comedians and visiting comics also grace the stage.

​# of shows every week: 6 (1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $20 plus $2.03 ticket fees

Food & drinks: No drink minimum. Full bar available.

Age policy: Ages 18+

Parking: Street parking is free but hard to find. Find paid parking here.

Public Transport: 1/2 mile from Powell St BART

Address: 533 Sutter St, San Francisco CA 94102

2. COBB's COMEDY CLUB

Website: www.cobbscomedyclub.com
Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco
Photo credit: Cobb's Comedy Club
​Venue Info: ​Cobb's Comedy Club has presented the finest comedy talent in the industry since its founding in 1982. Located in San Francisco's famous North Beach, Cobb's offers a taste of old San Francisco and the city's ever-changing nightlife. Cobb's Comedy Club's 400 seat venue offers a full dinner menu and full-service bar. Headliners who perform at Cobb's Comedy Club are regular guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman. Many have their own comedy specials on Comedy Central and HBO and can be seen starring in movies and on television. Acts we've featured at the club include: Dana Carvey, Dave Chappelle, Dave Attell, Russell Peters, Jo Koy, Anjelah Johnson, Bill Burr, Louis CK and more...

​# of shows every week: 7 (1 Wed, 1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $17 - $22 plus $5 - $7 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 2 drink minimum per person, Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: All shows are 18 & over with valid photo ID.

Parking: Street parking is free but hard to find. Find paid parking here.

Public Transport: Just take an Uber

Address: 915 Columbus Ave, San Francisco CA 94133

3. COMEDY OAKLAND

Website: www.comedyoakland.com
Comedy Oakland Comedy Club in Oakland
Photo credit: pixelchazer.com
​Venue Info: COMEDY OAKLAND, winner of 2016 & 2018 "Best Place for Comedy" - East Bay Express Reader's Poll, features up-and-coming comedians alongside industry pros. Our comedians have featured on TV, radio, comedy festivals, late night talk shows, won competitions, and have performed on every habitable continent! Comedy Oakland is located inside Spice Monkey Restaurant and Bar, upstairs in the loft. Spice Monkey features casual dining with globally inspired comfort food, local craft beer and uniquely designed cocktails. We have no drink minimums, no ticket transaction fees, no tolls, and no parking headaches. Just great food and comedy!

​# of shows every week: 5 (1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat)

Ticket prices: $15 - $25. No ticket transaction fees.

Food & drinks: No minimums. Full dinner and drinks menu with table service available. Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: Ages 18+ recommended

Parking: Free street parking

Public Transport: 2 blocks from 19th St BART

Address: 1628 Webster St, Oakland CA 94612

4. IMPROV COMEDY CLUB

Website: sanjose.improv.com
Improv Comedy Club San Jose
Photo credit: Improv Comedy Club
​Venue Info: The World Famous Improv is where many of today's stars were born and continue to shine.
​
​# of shows every week: 5-7 (1 Wed, 1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $15 - $25 plus $4 - $5 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 2 item minimum. Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: Ages 18+ with Photo ID

Parking: There are several parking lots located in the vicinity of our club. You can also find street parking. Please note that the San Jose Improv does not validate any parking.

Public Transport: Just take an Uber

Address: 62 S 2nd St, San Jose CA 95113

5. PUNCH LINE COMEDY CLUB

Website: www.punchlinecomedyclub.com
Punch Line Comedy Club in San Francisco
Photo credit: Punch Line Comedy Club
​Venue Info: Jokes can be told anywhere, but the Punch Line's dedication to the craft of comedy and the intimate setting it creates for performers and audiences, helped us become the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle's readers' choices for Best Comedy Club.

​# of shows every week: 8 (1 Tue, 1 Wed, 1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $13.50 - $35 plus $5 - $9 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 2 drink minimum per person, Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: All shows are 18 & over with valid photo ID.

Parking: We are located in an area with ample street parking.

Public Transport: 1/2 mile from Embarcadero BART

Address: 444 Battery St, San Francisco CA 94111

6. ROOSTER T FEATHERS COMEDY CLUB

Website: www.roostertfeathers.com
Rooster T Feathers Comedy Club in Sunnyvale
Photo credit: Rooster T Feathers
​Venue Info: For over 30 years Rooster T. Feathers has brought the nation‘s best comics to the Sunnyvale stage. Stars of today such as Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, and Drew Carey have entertained thousands of Rooster‘s crowds. Today, Roosters is the host to national comics as seen on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central. Not a cavernous hall or stuffy theater, Roosters offers an intimate setting where you can enjoy the funniest entertainers, live and up close, the way stand-up comedy was intended.
​
​# of shows every week: 6 (1 Wed, 1 Thu, 1 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $15 - $23 plus $1.50 - $2.50 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 2 item minimum. Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: Ages 21+ with Photo ID

Parking: Parking lot

Public Transport: 1 mile from Sunnyvale Caltrain Station

Address: 157 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

7. THE SETUP

Website: www.setupcomedy.com
The Setup in San Francisco
Photo credit: The Setup
​Venue Info: The Setup is a unique brand of entertainment. We run speakeasy style shows in venues with rich histories. In San Francisco we have storytelling and stand up comedy nights in the Ales Unlimited Beer Basement. It used to be the green room for the famed Black Hawk jazz club. Miles Davis snorted coke here. Storytelling is every Thursday and stand-up is every Friday and Saturday.

​# of shows every week: 4 (1 Thu, 1 Fri, 2 Sat)

Ticket prices: $15 plus $2 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 1 drink minimum. Draft & Bottle List

Age policy: Ages 21+ with Photo ID

Parking: There is no parking at the venue, but there are many public parking garages close by. The closest one is Golden Gate Parking.

Public Transport: 3 blocks from Civic Center BART

Address: 222 Hyde St, San Francisco CA 94102

8. TOMMY T'S COMEDY CLUB

Website: www.tommyts.com/pleasanton/
Tommy Ts Comedy Club in Pleasanton
​Venue Info: Tommy T's features nationally know comedians from around the United States, along with the fastest rising stars bringing great entertainment to northern California.

​# of shows every week: 8 (1 Tue, 1 Wed, 1 Thu, 2 Fri, 2 Sat, 1 Sun)

Ticket prices: $10 - $65 plus $4 - $5 ticket fees

Food & drinks: 2 item minimum. Food & Drinks Menu

Age policy: Ages 21+ with Photo ID

Parking: Parking lot

Public Transport: 1/2 mile from Pleasanton BART

Address: 5104 Hopyard Rd, Pleasanton CA 94588

​To summarize, it is almost impossible to objectively determine 1 single comedy club as the best. You may enjoy a night at a club, return and be disappointed. Some nights are magical, some are tragical. But when a club has been running multiple shows every week for multiple years, it is doing it right, and you can’t go wrong. Go ahead, try it out, live stand-up comedy is an experience that cannot be replicated on YouTube, Netflix, or Television.
]]><![CDATA[Why Comedy Oakland is one of the Best Comedy Clubs in San Francisco Bay Area]]>Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:27:54 GMThttps://www.comedyoakland.com/blog/why-comedy-oakland-is-one-of-the-best-comedy-clubs-in-san-francisco-bay-areaSan Francisco has a rich history of comedy. The early years saw comedians like Robin Williams & Dana Carvey performing regularly at Holy City Zoo. Lenny Bruce dished out his edgy stuff at The Purple Onion. Over the decades comedy clubs started springing (and disappearing) from the city and its surrounding areas. Some simply shut down (The Green Room at Fisherman’s Wharf), while some couldn’t find their footing in the city (Hollys Comedy Club on Van Ness).
Punch Line Comedy Club, Cobb's Comedy Club, Improv Comedy Club, Tommy Ts Comedy Club, Rooster T Feathers Comedy Club
(From top-left to bottom-right) Punch Line & Cobb's in San Francisco, San Jose Improv, Tommy Ts in Pleasanton, & Rooster T Feathers in Sunnyvale.
​Today there are five regular full-time comedy clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area – Punch Line & Cobb’s in San Francisco, Improv in San Jose, Tommy T’s in Pleasanton, and  Rooster T Feathers in Sunnyvale. They have the traditional opener-feature-headliner format occupying the weekend runs (Thu-Sun) and local comics showcased on week nights (Tue / Wed).The Bay Area also has venues that host comedy nights along with other arts and entertainment, and the usual bars and cafes that host a weekly or monthly comedy show / open mic.

Comedy Oakland hosts 5 shows every week – 1 on Thursdays, 2 on Fridays & 2 on Saturdays. The shows feature a mix of working comics that perform regularly at comedy clubs and theaters around the United States and internationally, accompanied by up-and-comers. 
Comedian Jeff Applebaum at Comedy Oakland
Comedian Jeff Applebaum (Late Late Show with Craig Fergusson) at Comedy Oakland
What differentiates Comedy Oakland from other comedy clubs is our high-quality food and drinks. Spice Monkey Restaurant & Bar, which houses Comedy Oakland upstairs, serves mouthwatering globally inspired cuisine with fresh ingredients cooked daily in our kitchen. The delicious food is complemented with a full bar serving cocktails and craft beer. Check out the menu here. We believe in serving quality food, drinks, and comedy which is why we don't enforce the 2 item minimums like other big clubs. But you’ll be missing out if you don’t try it all!  ​
Comedy Oakland is a comedian owned, comedian run, comedy business. When you arrive at our club, instead of security or staff you will interact with comedians who will check you in and seat you at your tables. After the show, the comedians are accessible to talk and snap selfies.
Additionally, unlike other venues, there are  no ticket transaction fees. What you see is what you pay. Check out why people think we are one of the best comedy shows on Yelp, Google, & Facebook.
If no ticket fees isn’t reason enough, there’s also free parking around the block. The street meters go off at 6pm and free parking is easily available within a block or two. If you like to avoid the hassles of parking, bridge tolls and traffic jams, we are also 2 blocks away from 19th St BART station. 

​So, the next time you Google for the best comedy clubs in SF, remember to check out Comedy Oakland. 
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