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Campbell
Boswell's
Hours: Daily noon-2am
Boswell's is the diveiest of all the bars in the Pruneyard, sporting mirrored beer signs and a giant moose head. The Gents used to play there before Smash Mouth took off, and it's where actor and standup comedian Kevin Pollak used to hang. Cover bands provide the bulk of the entertainment, playing Top 40 hits from multiple decades.
Hours: Daily Noon-2am
Dimly lit and sparsely decorated, Campbell Billiards may not score high on ambience, but sharks and guppies alike can find a pool table with their name on it. This place won't break the bank either--tables run $10 an hour for two people, $1.20 for each additional player. Mondays are ladies night, and Tuesdays are tournament night with a cash prize of $100-plus for first place. The hall is open to all ages but does serve beer. Fridays and Saturdays draw the most action.
Hours: Mon-Fri noon-2am, Sat-Sun 2pm-2am
This classic watering hole with the volcanic facade has gotten a major facelift thanks to longtime club promoter Sam Ramirez. No longer the dim and shabby old-school bar favored by locals and rockers, the new Cardiff resembles a swanky lounge--it's bright and modern, with sparkling tiles, elegant lighting, a backlit bar and a DJ station suspended by chains. Silicon Valley's fashionable crowd caught on quickly, designating this hip new lounge one of the trendiest spots in the South Bay, where people dance, sip cocktails and mingle freely.
Hours: Bar 6am (though it's usually empty until 11am) to 1am or 1:30am
Frilly on the outside, with frosted doors, green-felt walls and tan booths on the inside, Effie's is a comfortable neighborhood bar and restaurant that attracts a variety of professional people. Local real estate agents, mortgage brokers and the like return night after night for a cocktail or two and a turn at karaoke hosted Tue-Sat by Erica.
Hours: Daily 10am-1:30 am
In one form or another, the Garret's been hosting after-surfing or after-softball pizza parties since the '70s. Its newest incarnation sports a small but sociable bar kept cool by brick tiles and shuttered windows. The pizza's great, but it's the personality that draws the regulars.
Hours: Vary; doors for live shows usually open at 6:30pm
Most Fridays and Saturdays are reserved for melodrama and vaudeville theater, but other nights throughout the week--including most Thursdays and Sundays--the Gaslighter Theater hosts all-ages rock, metal, punk, ska and indie shows. It's one of the few remaining spaces for minors to catch live bands on a regular basis, attracting a mixed crowd of kids, parents and local-music lovers. This historic venue has a homey feel, and beer, wine and hot snacks are served at the bar.
Hours: Daily 11:30am-2am
Its mostly Irish staff gives Katie Bloom's a stamp of authenticity--furthered by a jukebox stocked with Shane MacGowan, the Cranberries, the Saw Doctors and the Chieftains. Food is served until 10pm, and big booths make an ideal place to socialize or watch sports on the big screen. While the hipoisie things bounce between Katie Bloom's and the new Cardiff Lounge on weekends, Leonard Webb brings out the older crowd for jazz night the first Saturday of every month. Wednesdays feature Brainteaser pub trivia and on Thursdays the dart team plays. The heated outdoor patio here is generally packed with people and pints.
Hours: Daily 11am-1:30am
The sole survivor from Campbell's 1970s partying heyday, Khartoum combines the friendly character of a neighborhood hangout with the stylish swank of a gracefully aging fern bar. Artfully backlit museum-quality stained glass mural panels wrap the room and depict scenes of rustic Morocco that shimmer particularly well after three drinks. Neon beer signs are a more recent addition.
Hours: Bar Sun-Wed 11am-midnight, Thu-Sat 11am-2am; lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-5pm; dinner Mon-Fri 5-10pm; afternoon tea Mon-Fri 2-4pm
With a suit of armor standing at the pub's entrance and British flags and crests decorating the multilevel space, stepping into the King's Head is like stepping inside the great hall of a small castle--and there's a perpetually festive air of revelry permeating the stone surroundings. Smokers hold court nightly on the outdoor patio. Food from the restaurant's menu of traditional British fare, with a generous number of vegetarian options, is served until 10pm.
Hours: Daily 11am-2am
What goes better with sports than all-American burgers, dogs or cheese steaks straight off the grill? Murphy's lives by any number of all-American maxims but this one primarily. Wall-to-wall sports memorabilia will make any Oakland A's or Raiders fan feel right at home.
Hours: 11am-2am
Never mind that the bartender is a Tampa fan, he still serves up a friendly Ankles in the Air at this pleasantly dim, low-key sports bar. They've got Tool right next to Erasure on the jukebox, and the assembly-size backroom has a dance floor where a DJ cuts it up on Fridays. There are darts, pinball machines, 75-cent pool and air hockey. They've even got their very own kitchen in the back serving standard yummy bar grub delivered to your stool so you don't have to miss a second of ESPN 1, 2 or 3 on the TVs behind the bar.
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat-Sun noon-2am
Come football season, the chaletlike interior of Rock Bottom echoes with the cheers and agonies of die-hard fans. Real agony can be drowned in one of 10 handcrafted beers on tap; every Thursday, the price of solace drops to $1 per beer.
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