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Mountain View Alberto's Nightclub 736 W. Dana St, Mtn. View 650.968.3007 Hours: Mon-Sat 7pm-2am, Sun 6pm-midnight Crowd Age: 21-40 Music: Latin rock, salsa, swing Decor: Swanky bar meets spacious dance studio Signature Drink: Corona Dancing: Yes Games/Amenities: No Poised for a summer-fresh renovation, the owner, Raúl, says this salsa-swing and upscale drinking hybrid will only get better. As it is, it's a great place to learn to dance or make others jealous with your sly, practiced moves. Alberto's serves the indispensable social service of teaching alcohol imbibers coordination, rhythm and metaphorical sex via salsa and swing. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: "A tiger--because we are very aggressive," says Raúl California Billiard Club 881 E. El Camino Real, Mtn. View 650.965.3100 Hours: Daily 11:30am-2am Crowd Age: 18 and up Music: Jukebox Decor: Upscale pool hall Signature Drink: Beer, wine, soft drinks Dancing: No Games/Amenities: Thirty-four pool tables, pinball and shoot-'em-up arcades games, foosball This is a serious place for pool (and foosball). And it's only getting seriouser. Proof of the seriousness phenomenon is in the prize money inflation. Tournaments used to bring in a couple hundred bucks for first prize, but the stakes are much higher just one year later. Now, winners can take in more than $1,000, even if they get less than first place. Pool costs $10 an hour for two, there's tavern-style food, and when you win you can do your victory dance on the giant eight-ball design in the carpet. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: An adorable poodle puppy. Owner, Sarah, just got one, and named it Rex. She's planning to hire it out as a comfort device for seniors. The Lime Light 228 Castro St, Mtn. View 650.903.4833 Hours: Sun 8pm-1am, Wed 9:45pm-2am, Thu-Sat 9:30pm-2am Crowd Age: 20s Music: Dance Decor: Schizophrenic rave warehouse Signature Drink: Liquid Cocaine (shot of Jagermeister, Goldschlager and 151) Dancing: Yes Games/Amenities: Unparalleled people-watching Club Limelight, formerly "The Lime Light," was adopted by new ownership in December of last year, and since then Mtn. View's pleasure palace has gotten a makeover. There are still three levels (or 17,000 square feet) of partying, with two dance formats, but now there are also cushy couches on which to rest your well-shaken butt, and new specialty nights. It's best to visit Limelight's website, www.clublimelight.com, to see which personality to put on before you go, because every night is different. The Soaked Sundays foam party, however, is a constant favorite. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A social animal Molly Magee's 241 Castro St, Mtn. View 650.961.0108 Hours: Daily 5pm-2am Crowd Age: 21-40 Music: DJ Decor: Irish Pub Signature Drink: Red Bull and Vodka Dancing: Does a camel hump? Games/Amenities: Pool tables, air hockey and video golf Molly Magee's middle name might be "Sound System," if there were an Irish way to put that. Magee's doesn't just have a great drinking pub name, it's also got a powerful bump in its trunk and a hefty crowd for flirting. If the hefty crowd gets too hefty, there's a heated outdoor patio for a quick escape. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: Lion Pockets Billiards 251 Castro St, Mtn. View 650.961.7744 Hours: Mon-Wed 5pm-midnight, Tue-Sat 5pm-2am, Sun closed Crowd Age: 21 and up Music: DJ Sat Decor: Industrial, social pool hall Signature Drink: Kamikaze Dancing: Yes Games/Amenities: Ten pool tables; full bar Check your Pockets--Mtn. View's self-proclaimed "smallest dance club ever" is about to change. But manager Alex won't say exactly how. Currently, this bilevel swanky establishment is more club than pool hall, and we suspect the changes afoot will make it even more clubby--which is good news if the words "bank shot" mean "financial establishment security camera" to you. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A panther, says Alex, "because it's dangerous, cool and exciting" St, Stephen's Green 223 Castro St, Mtn. View 650.964.9151 Hours: Daily 11am-1:30am Crowd Age: 20s-40s Music: Live music most weekends Decor: Pub, very Irish Signature Drink: Beer Dancing: Yes Games/Amenities: Darts, big-screen TVs. Yellow moons and pink diamonds! Dancing queen Molly Magee's evil twin is quite capable of shaking his own boot-ay, thank you. Live bands and DJ nights keep the party pumping, working up a good thirst for any of 26 beers on tap. The crowd feels more collegiate as the night goes on ... and on. Come St. Paddy's Day, the place is a sea of green. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A little leprechaun! What do you mean that's not an animal? Shoreline Billiards 1400 N. Shoreline Blvd, Mtn. View 650.964.0780 Hours: Daily 11:30am-2:30am Crowd Age: 18 and up (juniors have to be accompanied by a parent) Music: Jukebox Decor: Pool tables deluxe Signature Drink: Corona Dancing: No (victory dances only) Games/Amenities: Twenty-four pool tables, one billiard table, two snooker tables, five arcade games This traditional, laid-back pool hall is loaded with game tables and attracts a mixed clientele of guys and gals of various ages, ethnic backgrounds and playing proficiency. In other words, the slick pool sharp and the amateur shooter go at it side by side, the way it should be. Right around the corner from the Century 16 cineplex, it's a cool place to knock off a few hours while waiting to get into the latest blockbuster. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A shark--the nice kind The Sports Page 1431 Plymouth St, Mtn. View 650.961.1992 Hours: Daily 10am-2am Crowd Age: 21-50 Music: Live music Fri-Sun, karaoke Tuesday and Saturday nights Decor: Comfortable, old-style, come-as-you-are bar Signature Drink: Bocce Ball (vodka, amaretto, pineapple and orange juice), Long Island Ice Tea Dancing: Yes Games/Amenities: Beach volleyball all year, two pool tables, 10 video games, darts, pinball, coin-op basketball Talk about hidden amenities--the Sports Page sports its very own sand-filled volleyball court, plus lots of picnic-table seating on a heated outdoor patio. Friday-night happy hour brings out appropriately happy regulars, who say the bar pours generously. Add to that 24 beers on tap, a curtained photo booth, and the recipe for Spring Break-style shenanigans is complete. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A ferret--ferreting out the good times, that is Tied House 954 Villa St, Mtn. View 650.965.2739 Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am-midnight, Sun 11:30 am-10:30pm; Mon-Tue kitchen open until 10pm, Fri till 11pm and Sun till 9:30pm Crowd Age: 21-50 Music: Live bands Sat Decor: Warehouse chic Signature Drink: Cascade Amber (brewed in-house) Dancing: No Games/Amenities: No The "Tied" in Tied House has nothing to do with neckties--in fact, this brewpub is about as casual friendly as you can get. The name actually hearkens back to 18th-century England, when a pub was tied to one brewery and could only serve that brand of beer, as opposed to a free house, which was allowed to contract with other breweries. While the handcrafted ales here may be steeped in history, the California-cuisine-inspired menu is all modern gourmet. Popular live bands play Saturday nights, adding to the general din. If Your Bar Could Be Any Animal, What Would It Be?: A sleek Peregrine falcon Send a letter to the editor about this story . [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]