El Valenciano

There’s plenty of good and bad to say about this place, and the people who attend it regularly. If you’re the complaining type, there is no shortage of trash to talk. On the other hand, El V does have its virtues. There used to be much better venues for salsa in the Bay Area, but most have closed, or will be closed in the near future. Leaves El V as last soldier standing…

The infrastructure:
By SF standards, a medium size salsa club; by LA standards, extremely small. By anyone’s standards, the floor is filthy to the point of being nearly a health hazard; I severely doubt the dance floor has been washed/mopped in ages. I dance here regularly, and don’t recall the last time the floor was cleaned – maybe since it was repaired a couple years ago. Very sticky, especially when the dancers get sweaty; makes it difficult to spin or be spun. PLEASE INSTRUCT THE JANITORIAL STAFF TO CLEAN THE FLOOR – AT LEAST MONTHLY, FOR GOD’S SAKE!!! I don’t even understand why I have to ask.

The employed human element:
Except for the aforementioned janitorial failure, whether employed by the bar itself, or part of the social dance, including the DJ’s, all these people are generally friendly – I’ve never had any issue with any of them. Ricardo (the main bartender) is alert (usually), friendly, honest, and makes a good drink. Gabriel Romero and his team are friendly to the paying customers. Nice job guys!!

The music:
Good variety, especially since the DJ’s take some amount of pride in trying to play songs that are more obscure, and old-school salsa. Definitely focused toward the On2 dancer, but works fine with On1 as well. Cuban-style dancers will hate it though, that’s just how they roll (go to Lil Baobab down the street, you’ll like it better there). DJ’s throw in some bachata, and cha cha to keep it fresh; mercifully, I’ve almost never heard a Kizomba, or Merengue, or Reggaeton. Personally, this pleases me, but it obviously won’t please everyone.

And lastly, the dancers and the dancing:
It is true that El V consistently attracts some of the best salseros in the Bay Area (and the world). It is also true that most of these people have been dancing with each other for some years, and thus on average, have a higher salsa skill level than just about anywhere else in the Bay Area (and perhaps beyond). It is further true that many of these people seem to prefer to dance On2, and are extremely and overly impressed with themselves and their little clique-ish friends they’ve accumulated by dancing On2.

It is again true that the majority of these so-called On2 dancers don’t dance nearly as well as they have convinced themselves; if you observe them closely, many are actually On3, or On1, or On-nothing-at-all with any consistency (especially the leaders), because they don’t have sufficient sense of musical timing to be able to count to 2. Despite this glaring deficiency, there is an astonishing level of arrogance that is generally seen only at the high school level, among that “cool” group – if you know what I mean, and I think you do.

In short, 80% of these regular El V salseros only dance amongst themselves, and have no intention of mingling with outsiders, except perhaps if the outsider is clearly an advanced dancer. If you’re a new girl/follower in the crowd, you will only get asked to dance a few times during an average evening (unless you’re particularly attractive, then you’ll be swarmed regardless of your dance skill); if you’re a new guy/leader (especially if your dance skills are average or below), most likely you will only dance by yourself, or not at all, at least until you improve your dance skills substantially, which could be more than a year. If you don’t subscribe to the “guy/leader – girl/follower” model, that’s no problem in this crowd, assuming your dance skills are up to snuff. Otherwise, it’s heavy on the social rejection, with minimal politeness or concern for people’s inner feelings. That’s just life in the salsa dance proving grounds / battlefield – if you can’t handle it, don’t bother showing up.

If you want to enjoy your experience at El V, you either need to be an advanced dancer before you arrive, or willing and dedicated to put in the time and practice, and put up with the over-inflated egos, until you blend into the scene. It ain’t easy, but it can be done. And since there’s really no other club with better dancers in town, that’s your only choice for the time being. Good luck with it.

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Quickly overtook GlasKat as the #1 on2 social in the Bay. This is as close to NY as it gets although people from NY will know that the dancing is not anywhere near NY’s. Still a lot of fun especially later in the night when the beginning dancers leave and you don’t have to worry about people bumping into you. Once a very tight dance floor, the floor was recently expanded and renovated. The only complaint is that there is a noticeable gap between what used to be the new floor and what is now the expanded floor and you cannot dance on it without it causing some kind of disturbance to your dancing. Otherwise, it’s a fun place, with overall good quality dancers, although some I think may be better than they think they are and so some people complain that the crowd is somewhat clique-y and dancers from one dance group won”t dance with dancers from another dance group. I kind of see that but I have fun anyway. Also, sometimes way too much jazzy salsa is played and not enough gritty NY stuff. Followers have noted that the lighting may be a little too on the dark side so sometimes it’s hard to see the lead, especially with fast more advanced dancers and when it’s crowded. Still, best social nowadays.

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El V was supposed to be a summer social for 2010 and many people told us that the On 2 community was too small in the Bay Area to sustain a weekly event. 3 Years later we are still here and going stronger than ever. The level of dancing has risen dramatically in the Bay Area over the past few years, and it is a pleasure to see dancers come out and do their thing week in and week out. I understand that there will always be those who get intimidated or feel left out because the regular dancers tend to know each other and appear to only dance amongst themselves- however, new dancers should always make an effort mingle and work their way to the dance floor. We love having new dancers at our social, and I make it a point to always encourage the regulars to dance with everyone. We understand that we will never make everyone happy, but if you are serious about your dancing and you want to dance and listen to some of the best Salsa music anywhere, then El V is the place for you…

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I gotta say, El V is really the best weekly social in the Bay right now. It consistently attracts the best of Bay Area dancers, features almost exclusively great mambo music (with a few bachatas and cha cha cha’s here and there :)) and has a pretty cozy atmosphere.
It’s a great place to dance AND socialize. I don’t usually drink, but from what I’ve tried they make pretty good cocktails too.
I try to make it out here every week for my salsa fix. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!

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Premiere on2 social in the bay right now.

Majority of dancers are experienced on2 dancers.
Cosy space – not too empty or too crowded. Just right.
Dancer-friendly music – great tunes, short songs. There’s a rotation of DJ’s including DJ Hong, DJ 360 and others, so the music is always fresh.
Friendly, laid-back atmosphere.

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El V is the closest thing to a NY salsa spot. I always have fun when I go and in comparison to all other SF on2 salsa places, it is the only place in SF that you can go without having to cross your fingers. While other places are usually overpriced for what they offer(Hit or miss parties) With El V you always know you will have a good time.

I do agree with those who say that the DJ plays more Latin Jazz than Mambo, I wish that wasn’t the case, because more mambo would definitely take the party to another level. I understand that the DJ wants to experiment with new tracks that no one has heard before, but is hard to grasp how can one leave a real mambo party without hearing Lavoe, Canales, Ismael Rivera, Willie Rosario, Lebron Brothers, etc not being played even once.

I also agree that many dancers are snob and only like dancing with people from their own school, or people that they know. If you are new to the place you will most likely get rejected left and right, but you can’t get discouraged by this, keep asking until you find people who truly enjoy dancing with you, after that happens you don’t have to worry about the ‘stars’.

Even though the party has some little bad things, in comparison to all other SF salsa places, this is by far the best in the bay area, once you overcome the strangeness of being new in El Valenciano, you will truly appreciate how enjoyable the place is, it is just a matter of giving it a chance and going multiple times to form your judgement.

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This event has slowly become the “go to” event for on2/mambo dancers. A great mix of advanced and intermediate dancers and a very low-key atmosphere. DJ Hong is one of my fave Bay-Area DJ these days and he’s a fixture there.

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Mambo Romero Social, AKA El V. Is the best weekly salsa social to go dance with San Francisco Bay Area’s on 2 best dancers. Also, is the only place in SF Bay Area where real spinning (Salsa on Vinyls) takes place by Dj-360. I highly recommend it. 5 Starts!

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By far the best social (along with “Beat”) in SF BAY Area. This is a “weekly On2 heaven in San Francisco”. They finally fixed air conditioning and changed the floor this summer(2012).
Floor is still not perfect, but it was never a serious issue.

My only complain (and it is very subjective and biased, of course) is the music. While I absolutely love DJ Hong, the second DJ tends to play monotonous and uninspiring music. I find myself standing around, talking and having a drink, but not dancing the entire time while he spins (but this could be just me)

Overall – this a great place to be and dance. This social is guarantee not to disappoint – I give it 5 stars, and it is well deserved.

PS.
I feel like with closure of Cocomo, SF desperately needs another good weekly social over the weekend similar in style to El V. Unfortunately this is just a wish at the moment.

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The best weekly socials and place to dance on2! Wish I could go every Wednesday!! <3

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Favorite weekday hangout. Dj Hong kills it on a regular basis.

I had to knock off a half-star because the floor is now coming apart at the seams in one area (very unpleasant!), and it gets so friggin’ hot.

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Most of the reviews seems pretty old but I would agree with the most recent one from Dolly. There is plenty of things to complain about but also plenty to be happy with!
El Valenciano (aka EL V) is the regular Wednesday spot for dancers in SF, period.
Yes the dancers are the “Bay Area type”, meaning (for me at least): lots of men, girls are slightly too serious, people don’t smile a lot. They are not mean but not extra friendly either with people they don’t know.
The level of dancing varies from beginner to (lower) advanced.

BUT:
– The orrganizers are very friendly and open
– DJ Hong plays high quality music (if you are not a Cuban salsa dancer of course!)
– Caters to the on2 crowd but dancers on1 show up as well
– Dancers open up after some time, they are not as snobbish and arrogant as they might seem. It’s more of a stereotype that people apply to on2 dancers. If you think people are snobs then I am sure you will find 4-5 examples to confirm your ideas. But you might miss a lot of friendly ones!

Overall it is one of the parties not to miss if you want to dance in SF on Wednesdays. Go check it out and see it for yourself.

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Somehow quickly became a great salsa social for mostly on2 dancers. I docked a star since the floor is questionable and it’s always far for me to get to, as well as the fact that it ends early. 1 is a bit early. otherwise, it’s a safe bet to come here.

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Still hands down the BEST weekly social in the Bay Area! El V always has the best DJs, the best music and by far the best dancers! I get frustrated when people complain about how “snobby” the dancers are at El V. It is a medium sized event that attracts loads of regulars in an already small salsa community. The people that go to El V are there to dance, not hit on strangers. It is human nature to gravitate towards the people you already know you have a good dance connection with. If you are visiting and new to the scene just put yourself out there and I guarantee to people will respond positively. El V is the one place I consistently have an amazing time. The floors used to be a disaster but as of lately have been great. I am guessing it has more to do with the AC and more ventilation.

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DJ is ok – it’s mambo, so most mambo DJ’s play a lot of old stuff (and a lot of xylophone music – don’t know why) – talking 30-40 year old stuff, but the mambo crowd seems to like it. The quality of sound seems good, although it is not my preferred salsa – I like current/contemporary/”commercial” salsa. There’s an inner floor and an outer floor; I think both are wood, but the inner floor is where most like to dance. The dance space is maybe 30 by 20 feet, I’m just guessing – I don’t think it is large or even medium; I’d call it small, but it is much bigger than the usual neighborhood bar – maybe 3 times that size. The neighborhood seems like one of those changing neighborhoods – I certainly wouldn’t recommend young ladies walking outside alone at night, but since there seem to be a lot of upscale restaurants and bars open, you may be safer than if they weren’t there. Parking is a pain, and make sure you keep your valuables out of sight, but since the foot-traffic is high, you’re safer parking here than in some of the other low traffic areas. There are a lot of good dancers as well as beginners. The last time I took class, Gabriel was not there, and Victoria was teaching. I prefer male instructors because I feel that they’re generally better at leading and explaining the lead. I imagine he has more experience – but that’s just a guess, as it seems to be his dance company. The crowd can be clickish – others say snobbish – not as friendly as the crowds in studio socials, not as inconsiderate as many of the urban salsa crowds in a lot of other bars. I’m not that sure about the dynamic – but there certainly seems to be twice as many rejected offers to dance in the Mambo crowds. It is interesting because I find similar rejection-ratio in very urban salsa crowds, yet the Mambo crowds usually seem a little more upscale than the average salsa crowd. Anyway, you can get your mambo fix here.

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