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Luck of the Draw: Under new ownership, still a great place to meet old friends King of Clubs 893 Leong Dr, Mountain View 650.968.6366 Hours: Wed-Sun 6pm-2am Crowd Age: Young, old and everything in between Music: Karaoke Thu and Sun 8pm-2am Decor: Flamingo, mermaid, pergo and historic booths (i.e., eclectic) Signature Drink: Purple Hooter Dancing: Yeah, baby! Latin with DJ Fri-Sat, jukebox with Top 40 all other times Games/Amenities: Video poker, electronic darts Tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood just across 101 from Moffett Field, the King of Clubs has worn several identities over the last few decades. These days, it's a gay-friendly (but not gay) bar, but for most of the years since it opened in 1959, it served as a popular watering hole for the boys from the Naval Air Station. After that, it did stints as a Latino bar, Samoan bar and biker bar. Walking in, it's hard not to notice the King of Club's unusual decorations. Behind the bar, there's a giant plastic flamingo wearing a tux--not to mention a glass mermaid that changes colors riding a clam. The new owners have freshened up the interior with new paint, new carpet and a new pergo dance floor that's home to Latin dancing with a DJ. They also installed another link to Mountain View's past: the booths from the Wagon Wheel, the legendary Western-themed bar on Middlefield Road where early tech titans made deals and traded ideas back in the Fairchild Semiconductor era. It's nice to know that although the Wagon Wheel closed in 2000, its brown booths live on just a few blocks away. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A flamingo, (tux optional) Send a letter to the editor about this story . [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]