The Gotham Club

This place is brilliant, especially the bar tucked away inside of the scoreboard in right field. Great cocktails, bar snacks and a great view of both the game and the bay in climate controlled comfort! What’s not to like?
I attended a game with a friend and was blown away by the various areas of the club. Bowling alley, check! Also a billiards room along with several quiet rooms tucked away from the ballpark crowds to enjoy a quiet game with friends.
This place gives Take Me Out To The Ballpark a whole new meaning…

Got the honor to visit the Gotham Club, which is a semi-​exclusive club located on the suite level of AT&T Park. The entrance is behind a non-​descript door with only a small logo to let you know it was there. Beyond the door is a section of stand up video games and a pool table to the left, and a bar area and a two lane bowling alley to the right. Kind of like finding an Easter egg in the middle of the chaos of the ballpark. Nice place to go if you are looking to impress a client or maybe perhaps a run in with a current or former player.

Enter from the outside through security area into the Gotham Club and get one of their Rum Punches-​a great way to start any baseball game! The food is much better and healthier than at the stadium… after all, how many hot dogs can you eat?

Classy place to impress your guest. Thanks for a great time we enjoyed the visit. When was the last time someone put their heart and soul into making you a Ramos Fizz well we were dazzled by a young lady who we really enjoyed who made one that was over the top!

Great place to take in the ambiance of the game. I like to sit in the armchairs, sipping a drink while watching the game from the scoreboard. I love the history and getting to the park early just to walk around and watch batting practice from ON THE FIELD!!! The bar has friendly staff and excellent drinks. They didnt have a full awareness of all of their ingredients, but were very good at what they made.
The Restaurant, on the other hand… where do I begin.
Maybe it was just that the place is new, but the issues with our dinner were multiple:
1. Main course coming out before appetizers
2. VERY limited vegetarian options (1)
3. Sides were brought out as appetizers
4. staff standing around talking while we tried to get their attention on the restaurant floor
5. Main course coming out cold (meatloaf)
6. No offer for drink refills
7. When asking the waitress about the wine «I dont know, I dont really drink red wine»
8. After asking multiple times for water, I got up and walked to the wait station to refill my water. The wait staff moved out of my way, instead of offering to help refill or take the hint that we needed help. Not even an apology.
9. All of the dishes came out at seperate times.
10. The food wasnt even that good.
I honestly would not eat there again and I do not plan on it.

The GC is a semi-​private social club within AT&T Park — named for the original New York Gothams, later the Giants. Some call it a «secret club», but it’s not. With a website, mentions on TV, and mildly promoted — «secret» it is not. Semi-​private is better — you pay an initiation fee and an annual membership fee and it was originally by invitation only for Giants season ticket holders and corporate sponsors.
The GC is open 2 hours before the game and at other times for club events. It is a great place to have a drink before/​during/​after the game. Many there are true Giants fans and knowledgeable about the game. Yes, some are there for the scene, but most of the people seem pretty cool.
There are 2 main venues to the Club — the Clubhouse and the Game Room.
The Clubhouse is inside the brick arcade of right field and is the main location for club activities. It is a singular area made of multiple rooms — the bar area, the restaurant, and access to the Bullpen (stand in the warning track during batting practice).
The main area is the bar — a nice long area with wood paneled walls and baseball themed décor. One side — large windows with views of McCovey cove; the other side — see the field through the openings in the out of town scoreboard. The cove view is fabulous — in daytime the water sparkles, at night lights illuminate the boats and people. The field view is cool, not spectacular, looking through tinted glass and a thickly coated chain link fence. So while nice, it is not good for watching a game — but if it was a great view the area would be crowded all game long.
The Gameroom on the Club level is fun with the bowling alley, pool table, video games, and cool photos of old Giants. Great service, but very narrow with limited seating. It has views of King St, but not the field — so you watch the game on TV. So you bought a ticket to the game to bowl, play pool, and watch on TV?
SoI have found the Gameroom attracts members more interested in other stuff than baseball. A recent example: 2 men looking at the old Giants pictures there, one says «I love this, I am such a huge fan. That is Jeff ‘Hacksaw’ Leonard, one of my favorite players, called Hacksaw because he sawed through the bats like nobody’s business. That’s Bob Lurie, the Giants owner that tried to move them to Florida.»
Huh? Anybody catch what the «true fan» said?
— He was called ‘Hacman’ (not ‘Hacksaw’) because he liked to swing at the first pitch
— Lurie bought the Giants to PREVENT them from moving to Toronto and was selling the team when a group offered to buy and move them to Florida
— And to top it off — there is no picture of Jeffrey Leonard or Bob Lurie there
Back to the Clubhouse:
Between the bar & restaurant is an area open to the Cove with archways open to the field. You can sit and watch the game in the archway (thru the chain link fence) but the wind blows thru here, so it gets cold during night games.
The restaurant area has large windows overlooking the Cove but no view of the field — they have two large screens showing the game. More wood paneling, baseball memorabilia, and lots of framed posters/​ads/​programs from the Giants over the years.
The Clubhouse has 5 star service all the way w/​a great staff. The food is good, more upscale than the typical ballpark food. The cocktail/​spirits/​beer/​wine lists are also good. The menu was expanded a bit across the board this year with new items in all sections, including new spirits like Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
They hold a number of events during the year — some free, some additional cost. These range from opening day boat cruise and playoff viewing parties (I saw the Giants 2014 WS win here) to high end events like VIP access to concerts. They have a good variety of options for people to attend.
After these glowing statements why only 4-​stars? My main issues are:
— Prices — drink prices are typical ballpark prices — high. Beer is $ 11 or more (except the can of Hamms), wine is similar, and nice cocktail can run you over $ 15. That tab can run up pretty quickly.
— Lack of facilities — with close to 1000 members plus guests, the club gets crowded for special games. Yet with all those people, they only have 2 person mens/​womens rooms with no room inside, so the people waiting stand in the crowded hallway.
— Not open in off season — I understand why, and they do offer events throughout the year, but a club that is only open part of the year … If this were the only issue, they would be 5 stars.
In the end, obviously I like it — I joined.
Finally, this is a single business — some have created separate Unilocal listings for each area of the Clubhouse (even an entry for the bar). To me this is just plain Unilocal silliness. Would you create a separate entry for each of the rooms in The Cavalier (Bar/​Wine Stables/​Rail Car)? No, you review the restaurant and mention that it has several dining areas vs reviewing for each area of the business.

Based on the way I personally feel about coming to the ballpark, this place is a total waste of money. I wanna sit in stands, high five other fans, get on the jumbotron and sing «take me out to the ballgame» at the top of my lungs… not sip wine in a stuffy bar with a bunch of old dudes in suits and watch the game on TV. If I wanna watch the game on TV, I’ll do it on my couch. Yeah there are some perks… watch batting practice, some cool membership exclusive events… but not enough to justify the crazy membership fees. And with those fees, the food/​drinks should be free ($ 17 for a burger, outrageous even for a stadium) I guess if you have the money and wanna show it, this place is for you. Otherwise, forget this place, get the real Giants experience and sit in the stands and have fun with the rest of us.

Being a DIE hard A’s fan from the OTHER side of the Bay didn’t stop me from missing this unique opportunity to view a space rarely seen by the masses. Being a baseball fan in general made me fall in love with the history of the Gotham Club and its speakeasy feel. We went to pick up our company’s suite tickets and got a hell of a lot more than just the tickets! We were pampered with awesome drinks and some amazing food! We got on field access and got to tour parts of the park only seen by Gotham Club members. They serve Diet Coke, people!!! (It’s the small things that keep me happy!) if I had bills to blow, this would be something I’d blow it on. After all, I truly am a baseball fan. Ok, back to the other side of the Bay I go.

My Wife’s company held their Holiday Party at the Gotham Club last night, so I cannot really vouch for this place except for my experience with their staff for the private event. It was phenomenal. The atmosphere is amazing, there are plenty of seats, and you can see the field from anywhere in the bar area. The Bartenders were super-​accommodating, and it was open bar. They were able to handle multiple drink orders from multiple people, which is a real skill. I can’t wait to go back during a game, I just need to find someone who has access to let me in.

Finally, review #100. On this special occasion, I had to save this review specifically for AT&T Park’s Gotham Club. As a long tenured season ticket holder, I’ve always wondered how AT&T Park can further enhance my baseball experience up another notch, and the opening of Gotham Club for the 2014 season was just the answer. This place is like Disney’s Club 33, but for any person that truly appreciates baseball and it’s rich history. Gotham Club pays homage to its 1883 New York Gotham roots with that speak easy feel, hidden away from the general public and exclusive to it’s members and their guest.
First, the Game Room located on the suite level of the park. The front door is inconspicuous, looking like a janitor closet or electrical room with a small insignia marked GC1883. Once you walk in, the narrow hallways lead you two ways; one to the Billiards side, to shoot some pool on its beautiful custom made all black table. There are also a few classic arcade machines along the walls; Galaga, Donkey Kong, Pacman, and Golden Tee Golf. As classic as these games are, I do wish they installed better games that peaked my interest. Walk over across the other side of the hall to the bowling alley where there are two lanes available for play and a dart board tucked away in the corner.
My favorite area is the Clubhouse located right behind the actual scoreboard. Just like the suite level entrance the marina entrance is also indistinct, a fully stained glass door with the same insignia of GC 1883. After checking in at the front desk the fun begins. Before running upstairs to the Clubhouse, stop by the Bullpen. Any given game day, if you get to the ballpark early enough, you can catch batting practice in this area located in front of the scoreboard for both the Giants and opposing teams. Bring your glove and catch fly balls that come your way with the possibility of getting an autograph. In every sense of the way, every adult becomes a kid again with this experience. Once this area closes off for the game, this area becomes a viewing spot where you can actually catch the game on field level with a bar conveniently located close by.
After catching some batting practice, go upstairs to the Clubhouse for the bar area and restaurant. This is my favorite place to hangout before the game and relax while enjoying the views of McCovey Cove or the outfield. The chairs and couches are comfortable enough that you never want to get up, but who needs to get up when the service staff here are also warm and friendly. I’ve gotten to know a few of them that recognize me throughout the season and they greet and remember me every time I walk in. Drinks and food are pretty good here –I’d still rather order food at concessions– with the exception of being a little overpriced even for ballpark standards. One of the more interesting things about Gotham Club is that you can also catch the scoreboard staff changing score panels for active games going on around the league.
Gotham Club is truly a unique privilege and experience for any fan, I am glad that we have claim to something that’s one of a kind. I can’t wait for next season to see what else this park can do for its fans.

Now that the club behind the scoreboard is open, Gotham club is truly worthy of the 5 star review. Full restaurant?! Views of the whole field behind the scoreboard?! Pretty freaking cool.

Well what can I say. Had to come check it out on one of our games at the ballpark. Was really disappointed. If you’re a casual fan, then you might enjoy it since you’re not really here for the game anyway. For true baseball fans, this isnt for you. Really overrated and I dont know anyone that comes to a giants game to go bowling. Just another way to squeeze a buck out of the fans. Not worth it.