Music & Nightlife - Gay Bars

The oldest gay bar in Santa Clara County, A Tinker's Damn is probably also the busiest. From the outside, this neighborhood joint may look like the seediest dive of all dives (it certainly doesn't help that it's adjacent to a sex shop - or does it?), but inside it has a certain charm with plenty of heavy-handed drinks and a constant supply of friendly patrons. While the jukebox gets a steady workout during the day and early evening, DJs keep the floor packed with mixed age crowd of well-manicured guys who dance with each other in shirtless glory nearly every night. Friday and Saturday nights, TD's lounge, bar, outdoor patio and dance floor are almost wall-to-wall all the way up until the sad reality of last call sends revelers looking for an afterparty.

One of the nation's first lesbian nightclubs, the Savoy has been holding down the fort for South Bay girls for over 30 years. Hot bartenders, pool tables and an age-diverse crowd of women seeking women make this a hot hangout for dancing, jumping in on Wednesday night karaoke or just throwing back a few beers most nights of the week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the doors sadly close at 9pm - but don't worry, ladies, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays rock the 2am closing schedule.

Awesome drink specials, a lively yet casual atmosphere and great music make Brix a great choice in the San Jose bar scene. With two outdoor patios, a huge interior and drool-worthy gogo dancers, this GLBT-centric bar is rapidly gaining popularity even among hetero folks for a seemingly endless supply of good times and cool events, such as Wii Party nights and Wednesday night Bar Trivia. A total bonus is that there's some major eye candy here - but, for the most part, unless you're of the same sex as your bar-booty candidate, you probably shouldn't bother.

Attracting partiers from all over the Bay Area, King of Clubs is Mountain View's premier gay and lesbian dance club. Though it's off the beaten path and a little tricky to find, it's well worth the effort for revelers who want to engage in some unhinged dancing and drinking fun. Four nights of the week host some of the most entertaining karaoke around, while Saturday nights welcome all dancers infected with Latin fever.

In the days of yore, Lido was a pretty popular gay club, but when it changed to become both a Vietnamese nightclub and Mexican dive bar, no one told the drag queens. So, what we have now is something you have to see to believe: a well-heeled Vietnamese dance club upstairs, a Mexican dive bar downstairs and a random collection of dolled-up, multicultural drag queens that flock in for karaoke when the mood strikes and give it all some serious spunk. The upstairs portion books some of the best Vietnamese live music acts in San Jose, and downstairs has a solid collection of working-class regulars who sip cold beers and listen to banda.

Mac's Club is a laid-back gay bar in the heart of San Jose, loved by gays, gay-friendly straights and everyone in between. Tucked away on Post Street, Mac's Club caters to a small crowd of regulars on most nights, but also functions as a pre-party spot for drinkers wanting to sip cheap cocktails before heading to nightclubs with larger dance floors. Although the tiny spot gets crowded on busy nights, friendly bartenders and a mellow atmosphere make the hidden, no-cover bar a favorite stop for happy hour rounds.

In response to a desperate need for cool gay bars in San Jose, Splash opened up with all the rainbow-friendly excellence that any place needs to become the leading venue for GLBT awesomeness. With two dance floors, two bars, a killer patio and DJs who truly know their shit, this place packs in Thursday through Sunday with lively crowds who dance the night away and down drink after delicious drink. Splash also has a better than average happy hour which carries on 'til a blessed 10pm.