By Allison Raaum

Photo by Melissa Barnes

Salsa, we have thus established, is good. But live salsa is incredible. San Francisco's clubs may not compare with L.A.'s for sheer volume and grandeur, but the downside to the latter is you have to actually live in Los Angeles to make regular use of them. Meanwhile, up in the Bay Area you can find a salsa club with a band pretty much any night of the week, as evidenced by the following roundup. So put on your Sunday best – or less, because skin is good – and follow us out to the dance floor.

Proving that folks will leave the house on a Tuesday night if you give them a good enough reason, Glas Kat hosts one of San Francisco's most popular salsa nights, Ay Karamba. Perhaps it's the friendly atmosphere and mixed crowd. Perhaps it's the caliente dancers and great musical lineups. An elegant decor, 1,200 square feet of hardwood floor, and balcony landings from which to watch the scene lend the club an air of sophistication without detracting from the low-key hangout vibe. Salseros in training can partake in lessons prior to the evening's entertainment (beginner lesson 8 p.m.; advanced beginner and intermediate lessons 8:30 p.m.), which begins at 10 when the band starts up and doesn't stop until the band starts packing at 1 a.m. Glas Kat serves Asian fusion cuisine between 6 and 10 p.m., and if you spend $15 on dinner, the cover is $4. 520 Fourth St., S.F. Cover hovers around $8 (free for women arriving before 8:30 p.m.). (415) 495-6620, www.glaskat.com.

Waterfront bar Pier 23 Cafe is no stranger to live music and is nice enough to provide a hangout for salseros in search of an informal barroom atmosphere. Hot Salsa Nite on Wednesdays features an occasional lesson at 8:15 p.m., dinner (seafood, unsurprisingly, is the specialty) until 10 p.m., and a band from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Pier 23, Embarcadero, S.F. $5. (415) 362-5125, www.pier23cafe.com.

The Shattuck Down Low is one of the East Bay's most popular salsa haunts. The cozy underground space hosts bands on Wednesdays, with lessons beforehand (beginners 8-8:45 p.m.; intermediates 8:45-9:30 p.m.) included in the cover charge. The smallish, laid-back venue tends to pull in the students and is more informal than your average salsa club, making it the place to go when you don't feel like parting with your sneakers. Be advised, though, the Down Low is for salseros 21 and over. 2284 Shattuck, Berk. $10, $5 students. (510) 548-1159, www.shattuckdownlow.com.

Somewhat off the beaten track, Café Cocomo remains one of San Francisco's more well-known salsa clubs (it won Best Salsa Club in the Bay Guardian's 2004 Best of the Bay Readers' Poll). Its warm, friendly atmosphere appeals to a mixed crowd that includes novices, advanced dancers, and folks perhaps less interested in salsa and more interested in club-hopping. Bands set up Thursday night around 9:30 p.m., and Saturday night around 10 p.m., a wallet-friendly happy hour runs from 7 to 10 p.m., and a tropical dinner buffet can be found in the adjoining restaurant from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Although spacious, Café Cocomo can get crowded on Saturdays. Check out Thursdays for a more serious salsa crowd and room to maneuver on the floor. And come at 8 p.m. either night for a free hour-long lesson. 650 Indiana, S.F. Usually $10 Thurs., $15 Sat. (415) 824-6910, www.cafecocomo.com.

Valencia Street's Elbo Room features a sabroso Thursday night of live Afro-Cuban music on the second floor of the Prohibition-era joint. Salseros who require a beer or two before hitting the dance floor can get one there or downstairs – and will no doubt be happy to learn that the Elbo Room boasts San Francisco's longest happy hour, 5 to 9 p.m. Doors upstairs open at 9 p.m., and the band goes on about half an hour later. 647 Valencia, S.F. Usually $7-$8; couples half price before 10 p.m. (415) 552-7788, www.elbo.com.

Elegant Rasselas Jazz Club's Thursday-night Descarga is one of the best things to happen to salsa in San Francisco. A killer Afro-Cuban Latin jazz band plays 8 p.m. to midnight, and you can enjoy the music while sipping martinis in the folds of a plush couch or sit down for tasty Ethiopian food, served 6 to 10 p.m. Dancing is an impromptu undertaking at the moment, for those who can't sit still, but the owners hope to expand the proceedings into the large, brick-walled back bar, whose spacious hardwood floor would no doubt be much appreciated. 1534 Fillmore, S.F. Free. (415) 567-5010, www.rasselasjazzclub.com.

In La Estrellita Café, Oakland has its own little salsa star. Bands play Friday nights from 8:30 p.m. to midnight or so at the café-bar-club, whose decor includes a mural of las aztecas behind the bar alongside sports paraphernalia and light-up Gordon Biersch signs. La Estrellita has 150 different tequilas for sampling, and the long bar seats up to 30 folks. The dance floor at this little-known salsa spot is small and intimate and ringed with tables for those more interested in watching than in moving. "We keep it homey here," Estrellita owner Jose says. 446 E. 12th St., Oakl. Free. (510) 465-7188, www.laestrellitacafe.com.

The swank local emissary of a corporate chain, Jillian's, located on the ground floor of the Metreon, has recently entered the salsa stakes and now features a band about twice a month on Fridays, 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. It's pretty posh – hardwood floors, mural-lined walls, 10 pool tables, a pricey dinner menu – and that's reflected in the clientele. Still, the place pulls in a range of races and ages, and the cover includes an hour-long dance lesson at 9 p.m. 101 Fourth St., S.F. $10-$15. (415) 424-8809, www.jillians.com.

A little hidden treasure in Albany, Club Monteros features bands on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and attracts a diverse crowd, in terms of skill level and ethnicity. Frida Kahlo paintings, candles, and altars to la virgen adorn the walls, and the dance floor feels like an outdoor scene from a small Mexican beach town, with plants and a thatch-covered sitting area. Monteros makes artistic use of a massive space that once housed three stores, managing to come off as both classy and comfortable – it's definitely worth putting on your finest attire. Latin cuisine is served until midnight, and clubgoers can take free hour-long salsa lessons both nights at 8:30 p.m. 1106 Solano, Albany. $12 Fri., $13 Sat. (510) 524-1270, www.clubmonteros.com.

A spacious Mission District salsa club, Roccapulco has bands on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to around 1 a.m., a large dance floor, and a diverse clientele with stronger Latino representation than at many other S.F. clubs. If your energy (or your feet) should flag, you can make your way to either of two full bars, sample the Caribbean-infused Mexican cuisine, and claim one of the ample tables to sip tequila and rest between sets. Hour-long lessons with big-name instructors are included with the cover charge Fridays and Saturdays, starting at 8:30 p.m. 3140 Mission, S.F. $12 Fri., $15 Sat.; $10 before 10 p.m. (415) 648-6611, www.roccapulco.com.

Maiko's Dance Club in Berkeley has bands on Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The crowd is a mixed bunch, and Maiko's is a great neighborhood place to hone those salsa skills in a friendly, inclusive environment. The space used to double as a Japanese restaurant, and it still maintains the aura with its mirror-lined walls, buffed hardwood floors, corner plants, and flattering lighting. Maiko's bar doesn't serve hard alcohol, and those 18 and up are welcome with an ID; under 18, with a parent – something of a rarity in the salsa scene. An hour-long beginner dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. is included with the cover. 1629 San Pablo, Berk. $12, $10 students and, oddly, teachers, firefighters, and police officers. (510) 527-8226. www.salsadance.com/maiko.htm.

Appropriately named, the Ramp takes salseros down to the waterfront for Saturday-afternoon grooves between May and October (weather permitting), 4 to 8 p.m. The salsa season there is over now, but the exceptionally diverse, thirtysomething crowd, mouth-watering (and pricey) barbecue, and large patio make this a good place to keep in mind. Come early, as parking can be a challenge. 855 China Basin, S.F. $8. (415) 621-2378, www.ramprestaurant.com.

Waterfront club Jelly's Club Havana features a band Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. The small hardwood dance floor gets really packed, but folks can also spill onto the patio, where, between dances, you can munch on tasty Cuban barbecue for $8.50 from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Club Havana is a favorite among some of the city's most dedicated salseros. 295 China Basin, Pier 50, S.F. $8-$12. (415) 495-3099.

Mission Street's El Rio says it's "for Chiquitas, bananas, and mixed fruit," and that's pleasantly the case at its seasonal Salsa Sunday party, which sadly just came to a close for the year. March through mid-November, Sundays from 3 to 8 p.m., the club is packed to the brim with eager salseros, queer and straight, and a long line curves down the sidewalk (moving surprisingly steadily). The free barbecue starts at 3 p.m. (and doesn't last long), and a dance class starts at 3:15 p.m. As a band member of world-touring local group Los Compas recently said between sets, "There is no place in the world like El Rio." 3158 Mission, S.F. $8. (415) 282-3325, www.elriosf.com.