From the outside, you would never know it’s a restaurant. A neon yellow sign against a matte black facade reads “Money Loaned.” The M and L flicker, trying to stay lit. Vintage objects, from miniature cable cars to sun-faded DVDs to a rotary phone, are on display in the windows. Inside, shelves are crowded. It looks like a pawn shop — and it was one for about 50 years. But after you pawn something to get inside, one of the most unique dinner experiences in San Francisco awaits, with an extra, NC-17-rated cabaret performance for those looking to stay past dinner.
“We want to keep San Francisco weird,” co-owner Michael Anthony Levitt told SFGATE in a phone interview. “So much of that was lost, especially after the pandemic. But at our little corner of Sixth and Mission, we try to bring it back.”
Located at 993 Mission St. in SF’s SoMa, the 7-year-old speakeasy the Pawn Shop is a restaurant that likes to party. Each time new guests arrive, everyone already eating dinner cheers them on and waiters spray bubbles from a bubble machine. On any given night, you might experience a conga line of 20 or more people dancing through the dining room. It’s the kind of place where spirited conversation and meeting your table neighbors is encouraged. Yes, there are Spanish tapas and craft cocktails amid an art deco-meets-Havana decor. But it’s the eccentricity of the atmosphere, one that hearkens back to the “anything goes vibe of old San Francisco,” as Levitt put it, that makes the Pawn Shop a night to remember.
The Pawn Shop is most fun when you go along with the schtick. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by the “pawn master.” They know the secret code to get you past the hidden door to your dinner table. To get in, I pawned a small cookbook, titled “Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved,” by Julia Turshen. I had two copies, after all…