I've been practicing BJJ for five years and was looking for a good gym to join after I moved to SF. The community was so welcoming and friendly, and I love getting to train and roll with other women. The instruction is thoughtful, detail oriented, and builds on basic principles of movement. It has really helped me refine how I train and learn concepts. Each class includes plenty of time to drill and roll. The schedule has plenty of classes so it is easy to pop in throughout the week. If you're looking to join a gym or for a place to drop into, I can't recommend Empire enough.

Choosing a rating for this place is really difficult. In short, the people are great (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐). The physical space itself is in poor condition & operationally things seem a bit lost (⭐⭐). Prices listed at the end. I came in for the first class free trial, and didn't realize I was joining a cohort who had all already been training for ~6 weeks. The website didn't mention this. Even though we were out of place, there were two people (students or trainers, not sure) who were very accommodating to my partner & I, individually coaching us on some basic moves. This kind of saved the evening & we both had a lot of fun. Unfortunately the gym itself is VERY dirty, the front areas are cluttered with random things to the point that it is difficult just to get around. The changing rooms in the back are not cared for. There is what looks like several months of dust caked on in places. It's difficult to put your own things down since the storage cubby is full of random loose items.. Including a used electric shaver with hairs. There is an ammonia-like smell like a cat's litter box when you walk into the changing areas. The mat area is small so you have to be careful about bumping into each other. There is no ventilation, which is tough for doing this kind of exercise. It's hot & muggy. Good candidate for testing a CO2 monitor. Overall, I would love to go back if the space were clean, had ventilation, and website / course info more organized. As of August 2023: $170/month for 2 classes a week $200/month for 3 classes a week a flat $300 for 10 classes, to be redeemed whenever $220/month for unlimited classes

Serious place with nice people. Started training here in early-2022, looking for a good workout and found much more. The training is serious but Jake is incredibly knowledgeable and the higher belts are eager to help new folks. No matter your fitness or experience level, the training is fun, challenging and if you're gonna get put in a choke-hold, you won't find nicer people to teach you how to put the next guy in one!

Best place to train Jiu Jitsu. Coach Jake is super helpful and will always explain techniques in great detail, and their concepts behind them. Everyone in the gym is extremely friendly and will always help each other out.

Empire Jiu Jitsu is a really great place to train. The mats are always packed with good training partners and coach Jake is a fantastic instructor. All the moves are broken down clearly and concisely for beginners. Gi(beginners and advanced), No-Gi, and wrestling are all offered.

This is a great gym! High level instruction and great training partners with a brotherhood vibe. It has a good mix of serious competitors and weekend warriors. I highly recommend Jake and Empire Jiu-jitsu.

Has been a great place to train as a beginner. Jake will stop drills if people are performing them incorrectly and take time to make sure we are building a good base. The students are helpful and will let me know how I could be doing a movement better or be in a better position.

Fantastic place to train jiu jitsu with a strong community. Great for complete beginners, experts and everyone in between. You'll get top notch instruction, challenging rolls and an awesome workout if you come here.

Great gym overall. Instructor has an extremely technical approach and does a great job communicating specific details. Community and culture of the gym is very positive.

I have trained BJJ at many gyms around the world over the past 8 years, but without a doubt have never met anyone with the passion or enthusiasm that Jake has for the art. Whether your goal is competition or just recreation you will recieve world class instruction in all areas of Jiu Jitsu. The wrestling class on Tuesday taught by John is also an excellent class, with a key focus on using wrestling within the context of Jiu Jitsu which has helped me develop my game a lot! The people are great and there is a good mix of belts/weights across the gym for both men and women, which can be hard to find at other gyms! Everyone wants to help each other get better! The facility is excellent and cleanliness is taken very seriously. The gym is cleaned regularly and the mats are swept and sanitised after every single class. I can't reccomend it enough! Go train 🤙

No bowing to deceased Gracie’s who’s portraits adorn the walls. No calling upper belts sensei. If you got your blue belt from Renner’s online Gracie Jiu Jitsu University… you should probably not wear it here. The head instructor is the real deal and his game runs deep…but the students who train here are also 11/10. Simply put; this academy is an intense yet acquired taste…that once you get used to…. you won’t be able to live without. Cheers

Jake is an excellent teacher. No question about it. He tailors his instruction to different students' learning abilities and loves jiu jitsu. I joined Empire as a purple belt, and I noticed a dramatic improvement in my technique in training and performance in competition. Jake works very hard and cares a lot about his students. The Empire jiu jitsu team is an excellent group of men and women who enjoy working hard, but also appreciate each other as teammates. I look forward to going to practice every day because I get to improve myself alongside some great friends!

Great dojo, strong community and very cool must girls that trained here are superior belts. Honestly I feel very help instructed and told welcoming energy from empire community. Jake was great, it was very clear and easy learning techniques.