San Francisco's nightlife might be due for a fiery shake-up with the announcement of Dante's Inferno, a proposed nightclub and rooftop bar that aims to bring Caribbean flavors and live entertainment to Mint Hill. According to SFist, the venue will reside at 1815 Market Street, once home to the Peruvian eatery Destino.
The brains behind this spicy undertaking is Dante Buckley, who has intriguingly remarked, "There’s a lot of crossover between building video games and bars. It’s a world you get to create for people to come and enjoy. You’re thinking, how do you make it fun, how do you get people coming back?" Buckley told the SF Business Times via SFist. Combining his Jamaican heritage with his experience as a former video game designer, Buckley's concept involves a cocktail bar highlighting Jamaican rums and a menu packed with Caribbean dishes.
Details shared by the San Francisco Business Times tease a "habitable roof deck" over the 3,000-square-foot space, promising less than 50 seats in a lounge-style setup. Oakland-based firm Arcsine has provided renderings of this planned oasis, showcasing a pool table and dance floor to keep patrons engaged from sundown to sunrise.
What's more, Buckley aims to craft a milieu for guests to disconnect and revel in the company of others over a vibrant dance floor and communal events. "Covid has left San Francisco’s nightlife scene — not a powerhouse to begin with — feeling blue, but he said the connections forged in a night of good music and connecting with new people 'is what we all want deep down,'" Buckley explained to the San Francisco Business Times. To flesh out his vision, he's partnering with Borne LLC, led by former Back of the House Inc. operations manager Greg Nasser, to manage the food side of the venture.
Though initial plans mentioned a fall 2024 opening, the expected launch has been pushed back to the first half of 2025, with the project still getting its permits and waiting to start construction. Dante's Inferno looks to join the ranks of new establishments aiming to reinvigorate the city's nocturnal offerings, like Pink Swallow, heading to Harvey's space at Castro and 18th streets later this year.
