Music & Nightlife - Lounges

Though most of San Jose's glitterati have moved on to Santana Row, the beautiful Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge is still going strong. On weekend nights, this hotspot has line of overdressed booty waiting to get inside to nosh on exotic cuisine, sip the latest designer fru fru cocktails and mingle in a snazzy setting that makes them feel very important. Graham Kimora still heads the top-notch drink slingers who have a knack for some of the coolest fiery flair you'll ever see.

For friends looking for a place to relax after the work week, Sabor Bar and Lounge's inviting atmosphere is a comfortable place to unwind. Serving traditional Spanish-style tapas until 1:30 am and specialty drinks like the blueberry mojito, Sabor tapas bar and lounge encourages friends to take a break and share each other's company and food. Warm mood lighting and plush velvet seats complete the décor, giving Sabor an intimate ambience fit for casual get-togethers and romantic dates. Sabor Bar and Lounge is located in San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose.

East and West come together in a stylish, red-tinted setting at Zen Lounge in Mountain View. This plush Bay Area nightclub boasts a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, an 800 square foot dance floor, two fully stocked bars and VIP areas that are considered among the best in the area by South Bay nightlife revelers. Zen Lounge also offers top-notch bottle service and special events regularly, and keeps the night going with the area’s best DJs.

Sleek white VIP areas glow under the black lights of downtown San Jose's hottest new nightclub, WET Nightclub. This club fails to disappoint when the need for upscale lounging hits, offering a stunning setting, multiple VIP areas and top-quality bottle service. DJs from all over the world pour out the best dancing beats, luring revelers to the see-through dance floors that look down onto gleaming coral atop black sand. Adding to the incredible ambiance are glowing aquariums with sharks and fish, waterfalls behind the bars and a stellar sound and lighting system.

Sports bar by day, San Jose Bar and Grill goes for gold at night, transforming into a spacious lounge busy enough to rival downtown San Jose's various nightclub offerings. Live DJs spin Thursday through Saturday nights, and drink specials and a late-night menu give patrons the energy and liquid courage to get up and get dancing. Private lounge tables and bottle service are available by reservation and ensure VIP guest-list service on busy weekend nights. With a casual nightclub atmosphere and ample seating, San Jose Bar and Grill on downtown's bustling Second Street is a comfortable place to kick back with old friends and even make a few new ones.

Dolled up in the style of an exotic fish tank, Tanq is a sleek new lounge in downtown San Jose. Subdued lighting and vibrant accents set a pretty stage, while skilled bartenders offer plenty of liquid accompaniment for any and all nightlife celebrations. Tanq San Jose is located on the ground floor of the Marriott, close to theaters, museums and the hottest local restaurants.

As sleek and stylish as the finest of Bay Area nightlife spots, Mosaic in downtown San Jose attracts a well-heeled crowd in search of expertly mixed cocktails and light fare. Lengthened happy hour prices give this San Jose lounge an appeal starting as early as 5pm and lasting until 7pm on most nights, and late night specials on Thursdays only make this hotspot more popular. Outside, a large patio doubles as an al fresco lounge with ample couch seating and bocce ball amid a grove of olive trees.

The Voodoo Lounge is a unique downtown San Jose dance club that shifts its style on any given night. Their diverse roster offers a multitude of vibes, including those that can appeal to low-key hipsters, rap superstars and even hardcore rockers. This two-story lounge has plenty of cushy seating in addition to a large dance floor and massive bar, and it's easy to get a great view of the stage from most areas.

The upstairs patio, outfitted with cushioned benches and private tables, and the fashionably spare indoor décor make this San Jose lounge a popular spot to relax, sip a glass of wine and eat an appetizer with friends. The Loft hosts free live jazz on Thursday nights and draws an eclectic crowd for dining, dancing and cocktails on weekends. With a fashionable atmosphere and well-dressed crowd, the Loft Bar and Bistro offers a little something for everybody in downtown San Jose.

The Club at Brandon's Restaurant in Milpitas is a favorite after-work watering hole for Silicon Valley professionals. Comfortable brown leather seats and rich, dark wood furnishings give The Club an air of class, plus the wide selection of single-malts and cognacs allow patrons to relax in style after a long day. Live local music every Thursday night is an added bonus of this elegant lounge.

The Bamboo Lounge and Island Grill located in the San Jose Clarion Hotel is a tropically themed restaurant and bar where hotel guests and the after work crowd can get a little island fix year round for far less than the cost of a plane ticket at the nearby San Jose International Airport. The Island Grill offers up cuisine inspired by tropical dishes that range from the Caribbean to the South Pacific hitting nearly every island group in between and this casual San Jose restaurant doesn't skimp on the portions while still being very wallet friendly.

As sleek and sophisticated as its set of patrons, Arcadia is a downtown San Jose restaurant boasting five-star cuisine that's well worth the elevated prices. During the day this upscale restaurant located inside the Marriott Hotel on San Carlos Street welcomes local execs wielding company credit cards and treating clients to high-end power lunches; dinnertime brings in those looking to indulge in (and impress with) everything from ahi tuna tartare to velvety cuts of Kobe beef. Arcadia also boasts a lounge where glammed-up crowds can be found sipping martinis, specialty cocktails and Macallan 18 on any given night.

Everyone loves to lounge at the beach, and the Smoke Tiki Lounge is an island oasis in the heart of the city. Hosting an array of local bands and DJs for live music, Smoke Tiki in San Jose is the ideal beach getaway for happy hour specials and lounging all night with friends. Call for reservations and performance schedules.

300 San Jose is a bowling alley that looks more like a disco with '50s ambiance and a dash of psychedelics. Light and video shows illuminate the 59-lane concourse, and a distinctly upscale style sets a stage for everyone, from groups of friends to corporate groups, to enjoy. If you're hungry, dig into something from the menu of what could only be called "designer pub grub" - think smokehouse BBQ burgers, portabella mushroom sandwiches and Thai spiced chicken wings. The bar is stocked with all the necessary brews and liquors, and the drink menu has everything from classic martinis to kamikaze shooters to giant bowl cocktails. Good times.

Located in the heart of downtown San Jose, A Perfect Finish offers a refined approach to the downtown nightlife scene. This chic wine bar boasts an ample selection of wines that includes everything from moderately priced local wines to expensive rare vintages. Wines at this San Jose lounge are available by the taste, the glass, the flight and the bottle. A Perfect Finish also features fine beers, as well as flights of scotch, rum, mescal and tequila. Accompanying the inebriants is a menu offering fine Italian and Spanish cheeses, meats and deserts.

From Wednesday to Sunday the Agenda Lounge hosts a plethora of local and international musical artists to entertain the serious dancers of San Jose. Free Salsa lessons on Wednesday at 8pm, Underground Hip-Hop on Thursday night, 70's Disco and Hip-Hop on Friday and Saturday nights and the longest running reggae party "Planet Reggae" every Sunday Night. Sign-up for their free Friday and Sunday night guest-list and add dancing to your weekend Agenda.

An upscale choice for nightlife revelers, A.P. Stump's is an elegant downtown San Jose restaurant offering exquisite steakhouse entrées and an outstanding wine list. The wine cellar is home to over 4,000 wines that are perfect for enjoying on their own or pairing with a meal. There is also a primo collection of scotches, cognacs and cordials at this posh downtown hangout, as well as a swanky lounge area where patrons can relax with a top shelf cocktail in hand or wait for their table.

Steeped in enough Vegas-style kitsch to make any Sin City dive lover proud, the Cardinal Lounge is the place where aging drinkers and San Jose State kids sit side by side, getting wasted on the cheap and belting out booze-soaked renditions of karaoke tunes. And how's this for convenience: since the Cardinal Lounge is located inside the all-night Cardinal Diner, patrons can get wasted, stumble into the diner, plant themselves in a cushy red vinyl booth and sober up with a quick greasy bite before heading home.

Club Max is a San Jose lounge with a lot of spunk, especially for a hotel bar. Located inside the Doubletree hotel, more than just hotel guests venture in to this surprisingly hopping nightlife spot to catch the game on the big screen, to hear DJs spinning R&B and house or to groove to live music. Weekends require fashionable attire, but weekdays welcome the casually clad post-work cocktail seekers who enjoy the strong drinks, awesome happy hour specials and nachos—yes, this place even rocks a happy hour nacho bar. It doesn't get cooler than that.

A genius combination of a posh setting, WiFi access and two plasma screens showing sports at low volumes makes the Fairmont Lounge the kind of place where well-heeled biz types can sip pre-dinner martinis and catch up on work for the next day without missing the action of their favorite team. Located in the lobby of the posh Fairmont Hotel, this sophisticated lounge satisfies refined patrons with an extensive selection of California wines by the glass, an array of single malts and light piano entertainment.

The Hedley Club in the Hotel De Anza is a posh hideaway that attracts a refined crowd of cocktail seekers. Their petit menu boasts Mediterranean influences, the approachable wine list is extensive enough to offer multiple pairing options and the list of custom cocktails is fantastic. This lounge in downtown San Jose features live music in the jazz and jazz-fusion veins on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bringing a hint of Zen to the downtown San Jose nightlife scene, Koji Sake Lounge is the place to go for unmatched sake selection in the South Bay. The candle lit lounge is accented with dark suede booths and downtempo music, while knowledgeable waitstaff is eager to make spot-on sake recommendations to perfectly accent the lounge's small plate fare. Tuesdays through Fridays, Koji also boasts happy hour specials, including $5 cocktails from the lounge's impressive of infused specialty drinks.

A newer addition to the San Jose nightlife scene, Motif is a stunning two-story venue with a full restaurant, two bars, two DJs and quite possibly the coolest piece of art we've ever seen in a bar: a suspended glass installation of 7,000 pieces of black obsidian by an artist from London. The avant garde interior is daringly modern and unique, with light tricks and cutting-edge goodies around every corner. While the wickedly artistic stylings would most certainly be appealing to bohemian types, this tragically snazzy place rocks the whole ultralounge thing a little to hard with prices that could leave even a doctor's bank account in the red.

With a selection of 450 vintages and weekly martini nights, Paolo's relaxed, upscale atmosphere draws a quiet crowd of wine lovers and fans of fine spirits. This San Jose lounge and restaurant's wine room offers views of Guadalupe River Park as well as Paolo's extensive cellar, and the heated outdoor patio is a favorite place to relax in summer months. Paolo's sommelier is happy to assist with a wine choice, or guide guests through the bar's selection of vintage port, grappa, cognac, single-malt scotch and cigars.

The Moorpark Hotel is earning a reputation for not only being a comfortable and accommodating place to stay in San Jose, but also for having a sophisticated bar scene at The Park Bar & Grill. Guests of the hotel and local patrons can share drinks, shoot pool or enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres. The best part about the The Park Bar & Grill is that guests staying in the rooms just have to be sober enough to push an elevator button to get safely into bed.

Seven's sleek, modern décor and stylish drink menu make it an appealing spot for a drink with a date. Friendly bartenders mix a combination of classic cocktails and signature twists and are happy to accommodate requests. With hip, comfortable décor, it's easy to skip hitting the restaurant's dining room and stay in this San Jose lounge for some small plates and another round of drinks.

Even for someone who isn't a Santana Row person, Sino is definitely a guilty pleasure. Draped in billowing crimson and layers of gossamer, the sexy, provocative and über chic Far East stylings offer a knockout setting for sampling house cocktails and the menu of Dim Sum and Chinese fusion cuisine. The lounge fills in nightly with patrons equally as sexy as their chosen digs, making this the kind of destination that you can't help but feel fabulous lounging in.

Half the people that wander in to South First Billiards never even bother to shoot pool. With a friendly barkeep that pours the drinks strong and an events calendar full of DJs, karaoke and live music, South First Billiards draws crowds transitioning from one venue to another into its cozy front lounge. Locals stop in to down a shot and shoot a game of darts in the back, and somehow there's always a familiar face leaning over one of the 29 pool tables in the back.

Temple Bar & Lounge's commitment to providing something different for the downtown scene is exactly what makes it so incredibly cool. Instead of offering the standard DJ entertainment on weekends, this chill cover-free nighttime destination welcomes crowds in to appreciate live music—usually in the jazz, blues or world music vein—with an accompaniment of stiff drinks and a stylish, downtempo setting. The only drawback is the tiny dance floor; but, come on - if it's really all about the dancing for you, then go to some typical DJ-run meat market where you can dance for the price of your dignity.

Located on swanky Santana Row, Hotel Valencia's V-Bar definitely acts the part - men loosen the ties on their expensive dress shirts after a day at the office and ladies are dressed to the nines sipping overpriced appletinis. Although it aims to attract a more mature crowd, nighttime at the V-Bar is filled with younger trend-a-holics spending their fresh-out-of-grad-school dough. Sadly, this place shuts down before midnight most nights; but the central Santana Row location means that there are plenty of other snazzy places within stumbling distance.