Castro women's sports bar Rikki's (2223 Market Street) is opening pretty much on schedule, just in time for Pride Month.
After hosting several soft-opening events over the past week, Rikki's officially opens on Wednesday. A press conference was scheduled for Tuesday at 5:15 pm with Mayor Daniel Lurie scheduled to speak.
As Hoodline previously reported, the new sports bar celebrating women's sports will open in the space formerly occupied by Copas. Rikki's will be open Tuesday through Sunday from about 3:30 pm until 10 pm and until midnight on weekends.
Rikki's is co-founded and owned by Danielle Thoe and Sara Yergovich. Thoe and Yergovich met while playing soccer with the queer soccer club San Francisco Spikes.
Rikki's opens tomorrow at 2223 Market St. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Originally, Thoe and Yergovich had planned to open in May in time for the tipoff of the WNBA Golden State Valkyries' inaugural season, but told the SF Chronicle that "city hiccups" caused the delay.
"Demolition was a challenge, because the original construction was really well done, so some of the demolition took a little bit longer than we thought,” added Thoe. “Then getting inspections scheduled was a challenge; it took a little longer than we had hoped, but it all got done in the end.”
Rikki's is named after the late Rikki Streicher, the well-known political activist, LGBTQ leader, San Francisco bar owner (Maud's and Amelia's), and founder of the Federation of Gay Games.
Rikki's co-founders and owners Danielle Thoe (front left) and Sara Yergovich (front center). | Photo: Stonewall Sports/Instagram
Not exclusively a lesbian or queer woman's bar, Rikki's will be open to everyone while focusing its programming on women's sports. "Rikki's will be an inclusive place and anyone is welcome," said Thoe.
Professional, collegiate, or international women's sports will be on the screens on any given night. Games featuring local teams like the 49ers, Giants, and Warriors will also be available. "We want to prioritize women's sports, but not exclusively show them," explained Thoe.
Women's sports memorabilia on the wall at Rikki's. | Photo: Caroline Quinn/Instagram
Inside, the restaurant and bar spaces have been remodeled by interior designer Wendy Trotter with fresh paint, furniture, and memorabilia honoring women's sports. Rikki's offers sports enthusiasts 15 televisions to watch sporting events.
Rikki's food menu was developed by JD Voss, former owner of SoMa gastropub Jamber. Rikki's offers a full bar along with seven beers on tap. The full food and cocktail menus are below.
Cocktails ($16) are named after female and trans athletes, including tennis star and advocate Billie Jean King, Olympic gold medalist figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, and trans lucha libre wrestler Miss Gaviota (Wendy Martinez).
Photos: Molly DeCoudreaux/Rikki's
Ahead of opening, Yergovich and Thoe have hosted about a dozen women's sports watch parties around the city at venues like Standard Deviant, Richmond Republic, and Patriot House.
In order to open, Yergovich and Thoe were able to fundraise $425,000 through Wefunder, along with $390,000 in private investments.
Recently, women's sports bars have seen a surge in popularity across the country at places like The Sports Bra (Portland) and A Bar of Their Own (Minneapolis). Last week, The Sports Bra announced its expansion to Boston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Las Vegas.
Crowd inside Rikki's for a soft-opening event. | Photo: Stonewall Sports/Instagram
In opening Rikki's, Thoe tells Hoodline, "We wanted to open a women's sports bar to have a place to watch women's sports."
A large landscaping rock installed by Nomica in 2016 has remained throughout all the changes at the space. The rock stirred up a bit of controversy in 2019 and has since gained a cult following.
Earlier this year, Thoe and Yergovich told Hoodline they had "no design plans for the rock." However, they have since painted the rock violet in honor of the Valkyries.
Photos of the Zen Garden rock between 2018-2025. | Photos: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Rikki's will open just five doors away from popular gay sports bar Hi Tops, and nearby Bar49, Detour, and Lookout. Thoe and Yergovich see that as an advantage for the area. "It's exciting to have a collection of businesses that can support each other," said Thoe.
The space at 2223 Market has seen a great deal of turnover in the 13 years since neighborhood favorite 2223 Restaurant closed in 2012. Since then, it’s housed five restaurants, none lasting longer than a few years: Jake’s on Market, Pesce, Nomica, Izakaya Sushi Ran, and Copas.
