Alberto's Salsa Studio and Nightclub
736 W. Dana St, Mountain View; 650.968.3007
Alberto's Salsa Studio and Nightclub in Mountain View starts out most evenings with salsa or swing lessons so you can brush up on your skills before the DJs or live bands take the stage, the public not in need of lessons rolls in and the dance party really gets rolling. The sexy Latin beats and fiery Spanish rock make revelers from all over the Bay Area want to shake their stuff at Alberto's every Thursday through Sunday.
Buddha Lounge
251 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.965.7665
You can kick back and meditate over a few cocktails provided by the friendly bartenders at the Buddha Lounge at one of their two bars. The hip loungey vibe goes perfectly with the small, cozy space, and the tiny dance floor in the back comes complete with neon-lit cubes for ladies to dance on.
California Billiard Club
881 El Camino Real, Mountain View; 650.965.3100
With 30 pool tables and two English snooker tables, plus a variety of other distractions, the California Billiards Club is the place in Mountain View to play at being a hustler. There are usually tournaments with prize money happening every week, and although it does serve beer and wine for those of age, the California Billiards Club allows the 18-and-up crowd to step up to the tables and try to perfect their skills before booze inevitably enters the equation.
Cascal
400 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.940.9500
Completely decked out in the vibrant flavors and colors of Latin culture, Cascal in Mountain View fits the bill perfectly for an all-inclusive dance club, live-music venue and tapas-style restaurant. On Friday nights, Cascal turns its already hot scene up a notch when it hosts live flamenco jazz musicians.
Fred's Place
2534 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View; 650.940.9838
A Silicon Valley spot for 40 years, their motto is "Trends may come and go, but one thing hasn't changed, and that's us." A neighborhood landmark with lots of drink specials and games.
Kapp's Pizza Bar and Grill
191 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.961.1491
Sports fans—especially those from Cal—can relish in Kapp's Pizza Bar and Grill, because one of the founders, Joe Kapp, is a former Cal football coach and presided over the Bears during the infamous "play" against Stanford, so you can bet there's no Cardinal love here. But what is here is a great local sports bar that serves up some well-portioned down-home bar grub and cheap drinks within Kapp's memorabilia-laden walls.
King of Clubs
893 Leong Dr, Mountain View; 650.968.6366
Mountain View's premier gay and lesbian dance club, the King of Clubs doesn't just pull locals into its hedonistic depths, in fact revelers from all over the Bay Area head to the King of Clubs for some unhinged dancing and drinking fun. Three days a week (Sunday, Monday and Thursday) are anything but reserved for the wildest karaoke party around, while on Wednesdays and Fridays DJs spin a mix of '80s, electronica and house for the dancing throngs. On Saturdays, the King of Clubs hosts Mountain Views hottest gay dance party with "Salsa Fever."
Molly Magee's Irish Pub
241 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.961.0108
On-tap Irish beer flows at Molly Magee's as freely as the good times at this local bar fave. There's a pool table and TVs to provide distractions during the week, but those are completely kicked aside on the weekends when Molly Magee's gets to be a down-right raucous party scene.
Monte Carlo
241 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.998.1500
The Monte Carlo restaurant and nightclub is shooting for an upscale, older crowd to dine, drink and dance the night away in its gorgeous confines. The Monte Carlo's cuisine reflects the chef's culinary training and heritage in Europe through steaks and pastas done with flair. On the weekends, the Monte Carlo transforms into Mountain View's posh dance club with live music and DJs.
Office Bar
820 El Camino Real, Mountain View; 650.969.2098
Definitely on our dive bar crawl list—just the excuse factor of the name alone does it—the Office Bar has some quirky touches, like the lack of windows, so that prying eyes can't see in, and the time you've been camped on the bar stool gets blissfully blurred, or the full suit of armor standing guard over the liquor. Four nights a week, the Office Bar plays host to the local lung monkeys for some belt-it-out-loud karaoke.
St. Stephen's Green Irish Pub and Restaurant
223 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.964.9151
This local bar has the friendliest bartenders always quick with a joke or another shot to make you feel right at home, the grub is down-home Irish with all of your heart-stopping favorites, and there are even Irish dancing lessons offered. Also, St. Stephen's Green gets packed with the partying Mountain View bar masses bumpin' away on the dance floor to some decidedly un-Irish music.
Shoreline Billiards
1400 N. Shoreline Blvd #C-1, Mountain View; 650.964.0780
With 24 pool tables, two snooker tables, two free—yeah, free—dart lanes and video games, if you can't find anything to do at Shoreline Billiards, you just can't be pleased. But, heck, for the rest of us out here, Shoreline Billiards is a bar where we can indulge in sports that you actually get better at after a few beers, and this billiard bar maintains its equipment expertly so you know your missed shot on the eight ball isn't the fault of a crooked cue stick ... it's just you.
Sports Page
1431 Plymouth St, Mountain View; 650.961.1992
There are two things that the Sports Page does extremely well: the obvious one is being the local sports bar for any fan, and the other one is beer—well, we guess that could be obvious too. With 24 domestic and imported beers on tap featuring $10 pitchers, the Sports Page gets our vote for beer selection, and this local bar also hosts live music on the weekends for your dancing pleasure. There are a couple of pool tables for the stick lovers, a few video games and, be warned, on Tuesdays a slew of Mountain View lung monkeys invade the Sports Page for karaoke.
Tied House Café and Brewery
954 Villa St, Mountain View; 650.965.2739
The Tied House Café and Brewery takes full advantage of the microbrew craze and packages it with good food in a killer setting to keep the local bar crawlers and diners coming back. Usually they offer at least eight house beers on tap and one of 12 specialty brews that are dependent on the season—you have to swill some of the Spring Maibock which is the stuff of Mountain View bar legend—all of which you can enjoy inside or on the beer garden patio.
Ugly's
1313 El Camino Real, Mountain View; 650.965.8255
Our favorite dive bar in Mountain View, Ugly's, started by a couple of local girls, has all the amenities of your classic dive bar: Pabst on tap, cheap, strong drinks and plenty of attitude. The walls and bar are adorned with any and every kitschy thing you'd find at a garage sale, and Ugly's carries its 'tude over into weekly and holiday specials like the anti-Valentine's Day party that takes out its frustrations and penalizes you smug couple types or the 6/9 party on June 9, which should be self-explanatory.
Zucca Ristorante
186 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.864.9940
Like a culinary trip around the Mediterranean, Zucca Ristorante takes its customers through the different flavors of the region flawlessly. The bar sports a cocktail list filled with eclectic cocktails with a heavy focus on variations of the martini with hefty 5-ounce pours and the wine list boasts some treasures from around the Mediterranean most coming in at under $40 for a bottle.
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