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Alex's 49er Inn
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
38 reviews for Alex's 49er Inn
Review Highlights
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Saralyn h.
San Jose, CA
I like this place. Yes, its true that its a total dive bar. You can find all sorts of people here but you cant beat the $2 drinks. And the karaoke really gets people hyped up lol but one thing I must say is its more of an older crowd.
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Review from Phil H.
San Jose, CA
This place is awesome...
If your suicidal, and everything in your life causes you dismay, put away your razor blades, come here and you will realize how great your life is.
It's like a snl sketch of what a dive bar should be.
The fun started when a 50 year old tooth missing prostitute ( i believe she was a female, but i have been wrong before) asked me if I wanted to have a good time. Well, being the type of person that never says no to a good time, I said shure and my friend and I sat down and started buying her beers and shots. This, in hindsight, was a terrible mistake. She called a girlfriend on a cell phone from 1994, honestly it wasn't a brick phone but pretty close. I couldn't believe it worked.
She went on to say how much fun we could have if I wanted to meet her out back or we could Go to her car if I was "interested". I mean all she wanted was thirty bucks. I did not go into what exactly a good time would consist of, but her toothless grin, stench of Bo, cigarette, alcohol, weed, dirt, and filth combined with an overtone of, could it be channel #5???? I managed enough inner strength to politely turn her down. Rather angrily, she picked up her beer, and left us, seemingly happy to move on to more interested, albeit, stranger, customers.
It went downhill from there.
Some dood musta won a lawsuit or something because he bought everyone a round of drinks. I tried to decline this. He however had no inclination of letting me off the hook and told me to drink a shot. Again I said no. He put the shot in my hand and and said " your drinking, buddy, or I'm kicking your ass". I said seriously?
At that point he stepped back, removed his artificial leg and threatened to beat me with his peg leg until I begged for mercy unless I drank up.
I was shocked, amazed, humored, and scared. I decided to drink up and restore harmony. After that he turned away, reattached his artificial limb and strolled out of the bar never to be seen again.
Wow huh?
I turned to my friend, was it like this every night? Was rod sear ing going to step out of the shadows and initiate us into the twilight zone?
Methinketh so.
This is probably due to the close proximity of the pink poodle. All the peeps come over and grab a few drinks between the girls. It really is awesome to witness.
So, give this place a chance, especially if your feeling sorry for yourself. My hunch is the prostitute will be there waiting for you, to have a good time, if only for laughs, she was worth it. -
Review from Vanessa B.
San Jose, CA
If you have low expectations for the night and looking for a good laugh, you have to come here. It's like a small condensed version of roadhouse. Walking into the joint, you hear bad/country drinking karaoke and the 50/60year old hookers screaming there lungs off. I came here for a preparty, but in those short minutes I left with hilarious memories that will definitely keep me in school. First, the drinks are dirt cheap, that means everyone is wasted. The people there? Its like late twenties and late 70s. Finding a spot to sit with a medium group is hard because its so packed and small. Once you there, your being attacked by drunk men and the older bar ladies to not talk or even look at there men. You definitely can spot the locals there since some people piratically look like they live there. I love dive bars, but i would never come back here again. Its terrible.
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Review from Julie B.
San Jose, CA
Cheap drinks. Sketchy location. There are better bars.
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Review from Michael Z.
Sunnyvale, CA
As previously stated Dive Bar Extrordinaire. Checked on A49r Inn with a bunch of my Dive Bar Thursday crew. True to their advertising, well drinks, bud and bud light were $2.00 fricken dollars! Sounded like trouble off the bat! Some chick and her man got into it in the back by the pool table and he made the mistake of trying to quiet her down and she whacked his ass. The windmilling ensued and he took some of the cotton ball punches before security intervened and sent them both packing no doubt for more trouble somewhere else. Karaoke was cool with some good singers and good song lists. One dude kept falling off his barstool and then trying to pick up on some of my DBT sisters. Don't think there were enough $2.00 drinks for him to get lucky but gotta appreciate the effort. Good attentive bartenders, pool table and surprisingly clean restrooms which were frequented often, did I say drinks were $2.00? Sketchy parking lot with couple homeless carts but for a cheap night of getting lit before heading across the street to the Pink Poodle, you can't "beat" Alex's Raider inn, I mean 49er inn. Cheers!
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Review from Bc L.
San Jose, CA
Let me tell you a story about how me and Alex's came to know and love each other.
after a frantic day of searching for ugly cat sweaters at Savers, I decide to stop in to Alex's with my partner in crime and celebrate our sweater victories.
$2 well and beer all day...every day... we started knocking back the drinks at 7:30pm... at about 9pm the karaoke shows up. Apparently we sing every song we can think of till around 11pm where we're so drunk that we fall asleep in the car waiting for our sober friends to come pick us up. They located us on opposite ends of the car without our pants on... none of us have any idea why we took our pants off...
Also, two different men asked me to come home and sleep with their wives, and he-who-shall-remain-anonymous exposed himself to a drunk Irishman who was later on escorted out of the bar via the police for groping a woman or two...
We immediately came back the next night.
This is not the bar for everyone, but if you want a night you wont remember and might regret, go here. -
Review from Brian B.
Livermore, CA
I'm a dive bar guy but this place took me too the tippy edge of what I'll call a 'dive' (compliment) pushing the needle towards 'our inevitable decline'.
Sign says 'Happy Hour every day'. And it is. Buds are $2 a bottle. I noticed I was the only one without one.
Sign says 'almost all Red Sox games are on TV' and there was some Sox stuff on display.
Sign says: No high heels behind the bar. The was new for me.
Many of the folks were near passed out in a fetal position spooning their Bud bottles clutching big handfuls of Lotto tickets, drooling advertisements for a 'get rich slow' approach to financial planning.
Interesting place. I won't be back. -
Review from Archie G.
San Jose, CA
For whatever reason, San Carlos Street in San Jose has it's fair share of dive bars. Sure, the infamous Coconut Willy's is gone, but the Red Stag, The Bears Cocktail Lounge, and Alex's 49er Inn pretty much make the dive bar strip that is San Carlos Street.
All of these joints feature cheap booze, an assortment of shady characters, and oddly enough, karaoke nights (with a good song selection and KJ). All these ingredients add up to a dish Archie G. wants to sample every now and then.
Overall, Alex's 49er Inn offers the best San Carlos Street dive bar experience. For starters, the booze is as cheap as it is going to get. They take pride in serving up cheap beer and well drinks. If the recession has got you down and you want to drink on the cheap, this is the place to go.
A drunk girl liked one of my karaoke performances so much that she wanted to buy me whatever I was drinking, which was Jack and (diet) Coke. And for $2.17, the bartender presented me with some a strong concotion of Old Crow and diet Coke. Victory!
The people are hilarious. One guy, with blond "Weird Al Yankovich" hair, told me my that my karaoke performance was super awesome and then, asked me if I smoked [insert your illegal drug of choice here] and if I wanted to smoke [insert your illegal drug of choice here] with him.
Puzzled, I looked at him and said, "Sure." He then looks at me and says, "Cool," and then adds, "Oh, by the way I just ran out. Do you have any?"
I guess the recession has him down. Damn.
Other great characters include: a group of 21-year old girls decked out in glittery club outfits, high heels, and big hoop earrings getting annoyed whenever the guy with approximately 12 teeth hits on them. Or maybe the 47-year old guy in sandals that swears he can pull any girl at the bar and then gets so mad when they turn him down he would take a shot of whiskey to calm himself down. I also enjoyed the old man that kept talking about the upcoming alien invasion. He was rad.
In the end, Alex's 49er Inn is a fun little dive bar that has cheap booze, karaoke, and lots of little wieners. And that was not a "Man Jose" joke. Seriousyly, they have a crockpot full of wieners in the joint.
Nice. -
Review from Weide Z.
San Jose, CA
At times when I get that battered washed-out-relic-from-the-Hippie-days feeling, which is perfectly appropriate in my case being as I am less than 12 months away from 60, here is one place I can go where it don't feel too out of place... that feeling. I can schlep in, settle onto a bar stool, order a cheap drink... and karaoke to a little working man's Joe Cocker, or Ray Charles, or Doors, and not feel quaint.. this is the perfect spot to do that.. It's the perfect music for this place.. and lots of fellow relics.. and also lots of younger folk who are just sort of into wallowing in some of that ol' battered-blue-collar-washed-out-Hippie-day-relic feeling, do just that.
And it's never too crowded here or never too empty.. certainly never too Hoitee-Toitee. Sometimes dancers from the Pink Poodle across the street drop in after their shift.. which manages to stimulate the libidos of us relics as much as stimulation is still possible.
This is also where, a few years ago, I received my most impolite, ethnically-offensive compliment to date.. after my usual killer-rendition of La Bamba.. .."Man, for a Chinaman, you sing those Mexican songs real good.." enthused a Mexican to my face.. but he was so sincere in saying it, I was not offended at all..
And really, other than the hostility and derisiveness with which it is sometimes uttered, is there anything *inherently* offensive about the term "Chinaman?" I mean the *Chinese* word for Chinese is "Zhong Guo ren," which literally translates as "Zhong Guo" = China and "ren" = man (you know.. "Chinaman") so what's the big deal? Besides I think being called "Chinaman" has a certain panache that being called "Chinese-American" lacks.. But as usual I digress.
Karaoke here Wednesday thru Saturday...Listed in: For Your Karaoke Fix...
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Review from Sarah S.
Seattle, WA
I asked for an "authentic San Jose experience" and this is what I got. I was apprehensive about the sketchy people that were lingering at the front door, and I raised my eyebrows multiple times at the clientele (most notable- the man in overalls and a hard hat who was desperately trying to "make eyes" at anyone and everyone- oh wait- or the awesomely awful karaoke singers who butchered two of my favorite songs), but overall, I suppose I appreciate the happy hour that is advertised to last 20 hours a day ($2 wells and $2 Budweiser) and I really liked the cushy arm rests that surround the giant tables. If I were to fall off my stool, I wouldn't bump my head!
Cash only, karaoke is Weds-Sat, great people-watching. -
Review from Joe S.
San Jose, CA
Are you people serious?
*shaking head*
This a pit of hell!
It smells like they sublet to bums who defecate on the floor.
Like I said before, the more and more I frequent places that the idiot, no taste having youngsters on this side, think is good, well I get angry with myself for falling for it repeatedly!!!
The reviewers on this site must have had horrible upbringing i just don't know what went wrong with the people who enjoy these sorry excuse for businesses.
They have the rudest old tired bartendress, I have ever encountered.
She also can not make a simple cocktail to save her life!
CASH only means what people? *ding ding* No paper trails!
Somehow four reviewers have voted they take credit cards.
THEY DON'T. It's CASH ONLY! -
Review from Julie R.
Campbell, CA
OK the drinks are cheap, the 5 kinds they carry. I will pay LOTS extra to drink where you don't need a cattle prod to keep the wierdos away from you. They get all horned up at the Pink Poodle and come over to Alex's looking for action. The Karaoke is unspeakably bad from all points from available songs to singers to sound. I hear they are getting a new guy for Sunday nights that is good, though. This is at night. In the day not too bad for a quick drink after shopping the thrift store. But they don't carry my drink, so I rarely go unless somebody I know works there so I drop in to say hi. Since they go through bartenders like underwear I am never obligated to go to say Hi often.
Skip it unless you are really broke. -
Review from Le Coquette Banane Q.
San Jose, CA
Well what can I say? This is the place where beezies be going when beezies be broke!
You can never go wrong here. Roll in with a 20 dollar bill and you're rolling like Donald Trump!
"Drinks on me!" Mmm hmm, got enough to buy you, your wingman and the person to the right and to the left of you a round of drinks.
Drinks are cheap and cold (just like my women) and the service is friendly.
All walks of life here people, that's the beauty of it!
Wanna sing? Get there early! You're gonna have to fight off some of the regulars but don't fret, you'll get your turn to be the next American Idol, in the mean time, buy yourself a $2.00 Bud light or maybe 2 or 3.
Sit back and enjoy the ride, this should be a San Jose Landmark! -
Review from Siobhan F.
Sunnyvale, CA
The diveiest of dives there is. It felt dirty, crammed, cheap, and a little sketchy. If you are desperate for a drink thats 2$, skip this place, buy a six pack of your favorite brew at a liquor store and go home instead. I honestly can't get over the atmosphere, seedy, so seedy. The people are seedy, the location is seedy.. I just.. man. No thank you.
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Review from Natasha S.
San Jose, CA
I'm still a FAN! Come here to simply hang and no need to dress to impress - come with a good attitude, a small, a couple bucks (cash) to spend on drinks.
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Review from ubu r.
Cumming, GA
Alex's still has $2 drinks, but other than that, it is no different than any other souless corporate dump. Alex maybe the biggest asshole in San Jose, and he fires one cool bartender after another with no more justification than, "it's time to make a change." He's like a small scale version of Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (or a low-rent Charles Foster Kane) who bullies his way through one good person after another. Bye John, Allen, and Annie, you deserve much better.
I'll still go there because I am a cheap, ammoral SOB, but the place is on the road to an ugly knife fight, or worse. The vibe the other night was awful, like the accumulated detius of so much bad karma. If you believe that Nemesis is a real force of justice, steeer clear of this place, Alex has certainly attracted the forces of retribution flying above his head, and they don't much care who happens to be nearbye when she drops down to exact what is due. Frankly, Alex, I'm only hanging around to be there when the winged goddess of payback comes for you. I'll be the one grinning.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/21/2009
As dive bars go, this is the top of the heap. $4 and I've got a bourbon and a Budweiser in hand.… Read more »
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5/21/2009
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Review from M-C R.
Oakland, CA
Calling this place an "Inn" makes about as much sense as calling a mortuary a fast food restaurant. It's just not true.
This place is about as dive as it gets, and it's cash only. So what's the draw? You can get drunk of $20. $2 beers. $2 well drinks. Karaoke. Nuff. Said. -
Review from Shannon Leigh P.
San Jose, CA
Alex's is the best bar in the South Bay! When you walk through that door... your family...and your stuck! We have Karaoke 4 nights a week and let me tell you that the entertainment is better than t.v.! Most of all... the bartenders ROCK!!!!! I should know because I am one of them!
Visit and come play!!!! Plus we pour the best drink in town! -
Review from Chris M.
El Paso, TX
This place might be the best drive bar in the world.
The asain bartenders, might even provide a happy ending if you're nice enough to em'! -
Review from Aaron K.
San Jose, CA
This is still a Great Bar to come down and do Karaoke at! One thing always stays the same Great Drink Prices and Great Karaoke Entertainment!!!!
Why Drink or Sing anywhere else??Listed in: My Karaoke Bars
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/28/2009
Come on down to Alexs 49er for the Best Drink Prices and Great Karaoke! 2 dollar Buds and Well… Read more »
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6/28/2009
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Review from Rebecca D.
San Francisco, CA
If you don't like dive bars this is definitely not the place to go, but it's the greatest place ever if you are a fan like I am. $2 dollar drinks, equals me very drunk and no hole in my wallet, can't go wrong with that. The bartenders are great, they are really friendly, pour well and keep up with all of us constantly asking for drinks. Besides the cheap drinks, they have karaoke, the kj does a great job going through the rotations and remembering what people like to sing. Oh and the locals in the bar are always super friendly and great to talk to! Hmm.. for the people who like it there is also a strip club across the street, can definitely make people's nights a little more entertaining.
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Review from jessie j.
Memphis, TN
where to get lit and sing karaoke before hitting up the pink poodle. it's not at all as sketchy as it used to be, seems actual 49er fans frequent the place now- i.e. white people who drink wine at a tailgate.
three stars because it is also a convenient place to get drunk before attempting to shop at "savers", except that it has resulted in me purchasing at least two ill fitting faux fur jackets and a pair of extremely used heels that upon sobering up i realized would probably give me some sort of staph infection.
*see uploaded photo of my dear friend in from NYC actually bringing the house down with his version of "losing my religion", that was highly enjoyable and i for the most part hate karaoke. -
Review from Cassandra T.
Santa Clara, CA
I never feel more classy than when I walk into Alex's. I don't want to offend anyone here, believe me, I love this place. It's just more authentically divey than any other place I've been to outside of Reno. In fact, I'd bet good money that Alex's 49er Inn was built in Reno some time during the Gold Rush. Most probably one of its patrons had to hurry up and skip town after knocking up the Sheriff's youngest daughter, Pinkie, and couldn't bear the thought of leaving his good ol' Inn behind. So he threw Pinkie over his shoulder and the Inn in his pocket and ran away to San Jose. Here he opened the Pink Poodle for his sweetheart to start making money and dropped off his beloved across the street - close enough to keep one eye on things.
I love the karaoke and there isn't a better place for novice performers to work out their routine while swigging on some Wild Turkey. They have pool tables to boot!!
If you ever need a little pick me up on a Tuesday morning or a joint to watch your friends embarrass themselves at in front of a crowd that couldn't care less, hit up Alex's. You'll have a helluva time.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention how strong they pour their drinks around there. Not only the shots, but the "not-akazees" and various other mixed drinks. Be prepared to git effed up 'round there! -
Review from Big Mama Kaboose ..
San Jose, CA
Oct 24, 2009
Alex is a jerk that got rid of the 3 best bartenders I've EVER come in contact with. Allon, John & Annie. I haven't been back since I heard the news and after reading the most recent reviews I won't. Sounds like bad news all around.
I can't wait to see where Allon ends up next so I can have a new place to play.
ZERO STARS IF I COULD -
Review from Spicy C.
San Jose, CA
A little too dark for me, but other's seem to like it
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Review from Yvonne C.
Alex's 49'er bar, home of the double shot , is the perfect spot to quench your thirst after you've had a long day of shopping for antiques or after you've hit up the thrift shops in San Jose's Antique Row. In terms of dive bars- this place is a 5 star joint. I've had many interesting conversations here at 6:00 A.M.
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Review from Jo V.
My new favorite dive bar. $2 budlight and well drinks everynight - they get 3 stars just for that. You walk into this place and you see allllll walks...and karaoke-plus one more star...HELLLLO. I love this dammm bar!
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Review from AnhThu D.
San Jose, CA
two stars for the two dollar drinks. they usually make them pretty strong for the price. This is the quintessential dive bar. Semi unsavory clientèle mixed with some twenty somethings looking for cheap drinks. The best way for me to describe it is that it smells like dirty vagina. cleaned with a dirtier vagina. it stinks in there and worse yet there have been stabbings and gang fights. ewww i might want to be drunk but i dont think i could be that drunk.
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Review from Jennifer E.
San Diego, CA
so perfectly janky! i love it!
we stumbled upon this place over the weekend and i was happily surprised. it kinda looks a bit dodgy but the crowd was really cool (very diverse). very friendly bartenders and REALLY cheap drinks!
the pool table was "out of order", booo! :(
but karaoke was up and running. yay! couldn't pass up the chance to sing the captain and tenelle.
maybe next time i'll try one of the 1$ hot dogs... or maybe not -
Review from Eugene E.
Daly City, CA
I was going to sleep in, but my convinced me to come out and check this place out, and I'm glad that I did. Right when you walk in, you feel like you have just walked into a saloon in old Las Vegas. 2$ shots, uber awesome people, and free karaoke. Then I saw this sign, "Happy hour, everyday, every hour." Who does that? There wasn't too many people there, but they make you feel like family once you step in. No need to dress up, jeans and a tee and you're fine. The bartenders were really nice, and when a good song comes on, everyone sings along. I had an AWESOME time!
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Review from danicka h.
San Jose, CA
This place is the granddaddy of dive bars in San Jose. Two dollar well drinks and buds and karaoke... what more could you want? The 9er is a step up from getting your early evening drink on at home and also a great place for a night cap before doing the shuffle of shame. Some of the regular denizens look like their nickname's could be "grizzles" but if you like freaky people watching you will be guaranteed a good time.
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Review from David c.
Sunnyvale, CA
the only good thing hear is that their beer is cheap during happy hour.
other than that, there are a bunch of creeps and drunks. saw the sharks game hear with my buddy marcos and we met a drug dealor named "mad mike." he was coo and told us a story about how he got jumped but then got his drugs back from the guy who beat him up.
and don't eat their dollar hamburgers either, they're frozen and come in a lil plastic baggy -
Review from Allison R.
Denver, CO
i LOVE alex's!! this bar has everything you need. karaoke, $2 well drinks, $2 beer, hot dogs, popcorn, pool table, great people, and fun all the time! it is definitely a dive bar, but it is the best dive bar around!! when you walk in, you see every type of person, but everyone gets along and everyone is super friendly. it's a great place.
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Review from Frank M.
San Jose, CA
For the high functioning alcoholic, it is essential you don't get caught drinking by workmates. With that in mind, what right-minded soul would venture into this (from the outside) unwelcoming hole in the wall in the middle of the day? That's right...only fellow inebriates. I love this place -- strong, cheap drinks, a knowing bartender who tolerates our addiction and a pool table at the back. I love the big stool tables....never seen anything like that before. You can skulk there and not even have to sit at the bar and have to chat to the frankly very scary clientele.
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Review from Jason S.
San Francisco, CA
fuck i love this place! where else can you get wasted and even buy a round for $20? if your extra brave try one of the dollar dogs. great bartenders and great karaoke make for an unbeatable dive.
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Review from diveking n.
San Jose, CA
officially king of dive bars after the bartender stabs a few customers.
can't imagine anyplace dive'er than this joint. Shootings next???
Why can't alex just have hot female bartenders like he use to?
An $8 an hour testerone driven gin slinger with a false sense of
empowerment thrown in with a bunch of gang bangers, is like
mixing Crown Royal with coke. Plain dumb.
At lease with $2 buds I can save up for a bullet proof vest.
$2 buds, bud lites and well drinks, makes this san jose's best dive bar. Most dive bars charge 3.50 for dom. beer, defeats the meaning of dive bar. Hot bartenders during the day, especially saturdays. Two of the hottest and cool bartenders in south bay. Some pathetic regulars think they own the joint. I try to avoid karaoke, since a cat in a chinese kitchen sounds better than some of the karaoke cowboys. -
Review from Lucia N.
Santa Clara, CA
Ok so me and my fiance went to this bar on saturday to check it out cuz we know a couple of people that go there in a weekly basis. My fiance was actually hesitant of going in and told me lets just go cuz there were some crazy looking guys talking outside loud but then they went inside and i said no lets see what this is about... So we went in and whoa lol it's like we came inside of a different world for us, lots of really unclassy people there, some looked like hillbillies and some like crackheads we were trippin out so i told him in a low voice, "lets just have a drink and then leave" so we had a drink the girl that worked in the bar was cool, she had that rockabilly look with cool tats then i guess the manager kinda nerdy business type of guy came in the bar, he was dressed nice, didn't seem like he belonged in there, maybe he was the owner i dunno, but we had our drinks and left, while i was drinking there was this crazy redneck looking at me from across the bar and it creeped me out, he had a cap and a flannel jacket, looks like them hunters u see in a scary movie or something lol. But yeah we just didn't understand why would our friends even like a low class joint like that. I don't mean to be stuck up or anything but that is really not my cup of tea. It was kind of a scary experience.
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Review from T M.
San Jose, CA
Shannon and Janelle are hotter than hot! Almost the entire staff is female, and most of the others give Shannon and Janelle a run for their money. This is a true neighborhood bar. Most of the Karaoke singers are not very talented, but this actually adds to the friendliness. You can truly be yourself here. Always safe, always friendly. Five stars.
