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Cinebar
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
231 reviews for Cinebar
Review Highlights
"Cheap drinks and fun & interesting people."
(in 28 reviews)
"Having a pool table is great for this place."
(in 38 reviews)
"johnny cash and a stormtrooper on the wall."
(in 9 reviews)
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231 reviews in English
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Review from Anjali V.
2/1/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Ah Cinebar! What can I say?
The bartenders pour H-e-a-v-y! One drink and you'll know what I'm talking about. This is also the first place I discovered the cheapest and most disgusting beer ever- Ham's lol. Cinebar is the bar you want to go to last because the drinks are cheap and they will most definitely push you over the line from buzzed to blitz. If that's what you're looking that is. Bartender's are nice too. It's a cash only establishment and close to the light rail for us occasional boozers.
It's a small dive bar that has no ventilation and is almost always packed with people. Think sardines in a can. It seems like you'll find quite an eclectic mix of people here. My only thing is when it gets really crowded in the summer.. and you end up with a few who don't shower... it ends up stinking like booty...and nobody wants to smell that when they are just trying to get their party on.
Overall, it definitely fits the bill for a dive bar and with the mix of people it feels like SJ truly. -
Review from C. G.
Santa Clara, CA
12/23/2011
Fiend Club on the walls? Rock 'n' roll on the stereo? The Matrix on the TV?
Done, done, and done.
Full of hot alt dudes. I wasn't creeped out by the bathroom (which, for me, is saying a lot). Drinks were strong and cheap. And a complete stranger bought a round for me and all four of my friends because I was "gravitationally fine".
Only downside is the bartenders are a little chilly(though I'm sure they warm up), and it's cash-only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
I left with a sudden understanding of why people become regulars at bars.
I want to go to there. -
Review from susan y.
Washington, DC
12/5/2011
I was visiting San Jose for work and needed a place to kill a little time. Cinebar was definitely worth checking out, especially if you're looking for something with more character than the standard chain restaurants nearby.
I enjoyed myself and enjoyed the prices. -
Review from Kenny P.
11/7/2011
Grungy dive bar that I somehow ended up going to three of four times on Thursdays this past summer. Very cheap drinks, cool old music, and a pool table in the back are some of the features. The crowds that come through here are pretty mixed, but we did eventually notice a few of the regulars that come around every week. Not my usual scene, but I like checking out new places nonetheless.
Just don't expect this to be your typical downtown yuppie bar. I got to play pool here with a stranger; and from what I remember I pulled out some pretty good shots from my rusty skills and actually won a game. Having a pool table is great for this place... because without it; it might just be the a little too boring for those looking to play. Not sure when I'll come around here again. -
Review from Tiffany S.
San Jose, CA
1/9/2012
this place is cool, it is truly a dive bar with a good mix of people. Although I have noticed the phrase "man-jose" more and more. I'll probably visit this place more often.
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Review from Lynn R.
San Jose, CA
1/3/2012
Ok, ok, a dive bar at its best. Love the xmas story leg lamp!
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Review from Cindy M.
San Jose, CA
1/20/2012
cheap drinks + good music + pool table = a night that your friends will have to remember for you
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Review from Karen T.
I'm never in San Jose, my friend who used to work there recommended this place. We came here to get a few drinks after the Black Keys concert and also to check out what kind of guys live in SJ haha. The place is a dive, very casual, and STIFF Cheap Drinks! The bartenders were busting their asses, the girls there were GHETTO!! The guys had balls unlike SF guys, they actually come up and directly talk to you if they are interested. Problem, well I might look 25 as one guy pointed out but I'm actually a lot older! haha. The crowd was a majority in their 20s! We had a few laughs watching a girl act a full then get kicked out, and the bartenders are cool beans!
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Review from Ringo M.
San Francisco, CA
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great place to get some beer. $2?!
I'm sold.
It does get a little crowded, so be forewarned. -
Review from Bella L.
San Jose, CA
12/17/2011
Rude staff. Shitty pool table.
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Review from Archana S.
San Jose, CA
9/25/2011
Cheap strong drinks....normally drink here before we go out to other bars :) like thr movie selection. I heard they might b closing....I hope not !!! They r hidden gem !
If only they got rid of the smell n stickyness I would give it 5 but then again that is a part of the charm of the place :D -
Review from Angelica C.
San Jose, CA
9/12/2011
I came here with a friend on a random Monday summer night, but I enjoyed myself!
The crowd was very friendly. Some woman was celebrating her birthday and was parading around in a boa and singing, it was so funny. They also have pool tables towards the back of the bar. The drinks were flavorful and served to us quickly.
Cinnebar would be a good first stop in downtown San Jose; you can hang out, get your [reasonably priced and potent] drinks, and continue wandering around. Sounds like a plan to me! -
Review from Brian D.
Monterey, CA
8/3/2011
I've come to become a regular at Cinebar. It's a great place if you want a quick beer after work or plan on staying. They are always playing great music, very diverse. From punk classics to oldies. Always a cool movie (with subtitles) on the two big screens they have set up.
Plus, $2 PBR on draft and Maker's Mark on the rocks for $6 in a huge glass. So whether you're just in for a quick, inexpensive drink, or meeting friends and coworkers, it's a great, all-American dive bar right downtown. Never a ghetto crowd like the rest of bars down here. It's pretty much all gauged ears, tattoos, and hipster beards. So even if that's not your scene, it makes great people watching! -
Review from Suefow S.
San Jose, CA
7/11/2011
If you like double/triple shot of liquor for the price of a single shot, this is the place to be.
I remember ordering 5-6 shots and a couple of beers and the tab was around $50, which is dirt cheap compare to other bars/clubs. This order would have cost me at least $80 at the other bars around the corner.
People are pretty friendly there. Cool spot to just chill with cheap drinks! -
Review from Jane S.
Berkeley, CA
8/8/2011
I'm on my way to visit San Jose today -- went to college there in the early 60s. There was a dive bar near campus where all the former Beatniks and soon-to-be Hippies met every Friday afternoon, to plan things like the farmworkers' strike or how to meet up with Joan Baez, or to discuss who assassinated Kennedy or what a jerk Joseph McCarthy was or meet with Prof. Pratt, the main liberal professor on campus at that time.
Could this be the same bar? The zenith of radical and artistic activity in backwater San Jose of the early 60s? I'm about to find out! -
Review from Julianna P.
Mountain View, CA
11/20/2011
Cheap drinks, non-pretentious, cool alt crowd.
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Review from Britt P.
San Jose, CA
7/21/2011
Oh, Cinebar.
Many a night out with my girls has started here. The place smells like pee, the bathrooms are a mess and the floor is sticky. But, I can't help loving this hole- too many memories, or lack thereof, have made me very fond of the place. Cinebar gets an extra point because I met my boyfriend here. Haha, never thought I'd date someone I met at a bar, especially a dive like Cinebar. The drinks are crazy cheap and the staff is friendly enough. I have never touched the thing, but there's a pool table in the back. TV is usually rocking a horror flick. The noise level is intense, so you're mostly yelling over others to be heard. It gets super crowded on the weekends. No doubt, I will always run into someone I know. -
Review from Apanduh B.
San Jose, CA
11/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love to place to death! Great drunken memories galore!! Cheap and strong drinks!
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Review from Christine P.
San Jose, CA
4/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great little dive bar. One of my favorite places downtown.
When I'm in the mood for a good (and inexpensive) time, I come here. Shot sizes are generous and cheap. Can't ask for anything more. -
Review from Celeste B.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 5/23/2011
Returned here after a 3 year sabbatical. Coolest spot in downtown.......hands down.
It was nice to see the bathroom has been cleaned up. It was a bit grimey before but now is totally usable.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/20/2007
The bathroom is kind of gnarly and there's a $10 minimum to pay with plastic...but other than that… Read more »
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Review from John C.
Saratoga, CA
5/28/2011
Cinebar is super random. I never know what I'm gonna get when I go in here. The drinks are cheap and strong, though, which is always a plus.
It's definitely a dive bar in the traditional sense. Seems to be a big hit with Sharks fans. On non-game nights, you can expect to find people chatting and playing pool while classic rock and old school hip hop plays. It attracts a lot of different types of people, but all of them are laid-back. It's worth checking out at the beginning of the night when you're priming the pump. -
Review from Mel P.
3/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I wasn't a huge fan of Cinebar. It's not as divey as some other dive joints but it was way too quiet and sober for a Saturday night.
The crowd was very much into watching the Sharks game on the two flat screen tv's and for a few minutes, it was so quiet, that I thought I was in a library. Snooze!
There is one small pool table, some funky decor (including the famous LEG LAMP from a Christmas Story), no cover charge and inexpensive drinks.
It's cash only on the weekends so be prepared with your moolah.
I don't think I'll be returning. -
Review from Kimberly C.
San Ramon, CA
4/4/2011
So, I may be the "outcast" here amongst the chill, social crowd..but
What other bar has a LEG LAMP?!?
Where else can you get cheap drinks before heading to Loft ? -
Review from Amber H.
San Jose, CA
4/11/2011 16 Check-ins Here
Ahh Cinebar... An old friend. I've been reading the reviews of my favorite bar and want to get a few things settled here.
First and foremost, it's a dive bar. If you don't like dive bars, don't go here! I hear a lot of snotty comments about the clientele's choice of dress and about it being too full of drunks. That's what a dive bar is guys, and that's why (certain) people like it. It's a non-judgmental environment with good drinks and for the most part, good people. We won't judge your Prada shoes if you don't judge our not giving a fuck about your Prada shoes. Ya dig?
Anyway...
This is a great place to sit and chill with your friends, listen to some great music, and drink (very) strong, well-priced drinks... SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHTS! On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights it is PACKED like housewife's suitcase to the Caribbean. Good luck getting a seat or a shot at a game of pool unless you plan on staying longer than an hour. I am of the crowd that does, and when you frequent here the bar tenders are sure to remember you and their pours become more generous as your face becomes more familiar. Shouts out to Chris (get an AMF or Tokyo Tea from this man!) and Mike (best Bloody Mary I've EVER had). All the bar tenders are good, though.
Bouncers are cool too. Just don't be a moron. Common sense.
During the day it's pretty chill (opens at 6am!) throughout the week, and gets busy at sundown. When I feel like spending money to drink (NO COVER!), this is always one of the first places I want to go. In the past few months they re-modeled the floors and the bathrooms. It has a mission district esque charm, with black walls and musicians, movie stars, etc painted stencil-style on the walls. Cool decorations behind the bar too. They keep it professional with out sacrificing charm. Highly recommended to people looking for a good time with good people. -
Review from Linda D.
8/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a little hole in the wall. Love the retro decorations and the plaque that's a rip of the SJ sharks that says "SJ Drunks" instead haha. They play rock music and they only accept cash. There's an older crowd and it's a pretty small space. The bartender messed up my friends snake bite and only took one dollar off when it tasted like straight shit. Some older guy told me my hair was pretty, and I left before he tried to hit on me foreals lmao.
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Review from Vanessa G.
Gilroy, CA
Updated - 8/4/2011
5 stars for the HOT bartenders/bouncers alone, yummm!!!
Listed in: NorCal w/ LOVE, BOMB Diggity, LoCal, Funky Ash' it, Bar baby!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/31/2011
I've had better....this place has potential but it's SMALL SMALL SMALL.
I don't think I've ever had… Read more »
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Review from Vivian D.
San Jose, CA
3/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pretty chill place and social. Drinks priced fairly. My friends and I both enjoyed the atmosphere.
There were TVs you can watch a movie and probably choose a movie from the pile of DVDs they have behind the bar, pool table and music you can select from. They were playing David Bowie, The Cure and stuff from the 80s. Nice wall art in the inside; very awesome.
Might look a little shady outside but it'll look down to earth in the inside. -
Review from Annie D.
3/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
This dive bar wasn't so bad, had a pool table in the back for you to play.
We were here on a weekday and it was cash only for drinks.
It was an OK spot to chill and have a few drinks, but not a place for anyone looking for a dance floor. I won't write this place off just yet, wasn't a bad spot. -
Review from Christina G.
San Jose, CA
9/26/2011
Love this place! Very kick back, chill kind of spot. One of my favorite dive bars. Drinks are always great too. I get AMF's when I'm looking for a cheap good time :)
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Review from Terence B.
San Jose, CA
6/15/2011
The bar to go if you want cheap drinks and do not feel like dancing or getting too crazy. Just a great place to hang out with friends and hang out.
Easy to knock back 4 or 5 beers for the price of 1 beer at a club or lounge. More bang for your buck! -
Review from Michelle C.
Belmont, CA
2/5/2011
No joke, this place smells like farts! Not sure why? Ton's of rocker guys and guys who don't need to worry about a dress code come here. They must just let it rip. I mean this place is cool, because it is non judgmental on their clientele. However, they need some fabreze up in this joint! Can I get an Amen?
I don't drink, so I was just joining my friends going here. But I hear this is a great place to get cheap drinks if your an alcoholic. This is not a place you can dance. Rumor has it you can get kicked out if you start dancing there? They have a pool table that is always occupied. Good luck if that is your agenda.
Love the art on the walls, super cool. So if you can handle cramped places and need to wet your whistle for a cheap price, for sure check out Cinebar. San Jose's pride dive bar. -
Review from Jacqueline N.
Morgan Hill, CA
9/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's a hole-in-the-wall bar. That doesn't mean it's a bad place, but small, kinda janky looking. There's a pool table in the back. bathrooms of course. Very small. Normally only stop in here for some drinks and then I leave to somewhere else.
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Review from Laura C.
Fremont, CA
4/16/2011
I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of downtown SJ. Having Cinebar makes it a little less of a drag to head to the area - at least I'll have cheap, non-watered down drinks to look forward to. Hopefully I'll get hammered enough to forget that I'm in downtown SJ.
This is a divey bar - a bit of a hole in the wall, drinks are cheap & strong, the place is small, and you'll have a random assortment of people. People are dressed fairly casual, so don't come all jazzed up unless you want to stick out like a semi-sore thumb. You walk in - the bar is on the left and a few tables & chairs are to your right. Towards the back is a pool table. The last few times I've been there it hasn't been packed like the dance floor at The Loft =O, but it's been reasonably crowded. I also happened to come here on an early Sunday evening, and there was surprisingly a decent crowd of people there. Probably all the SJSU kids.
As mentioned - drinks are solid (not watered down) and cheap. I've bought drinks ranging from $3 to $6. This probably isn't the best place to buy fu fu drinks like a pomegranate apple martini, unless you want to be laughed at by the bartender.
No cover, but the place is CASH ONLY.
Ideal downtown SJ plan - hit up Cinebar, get your liquor going, and then head right around the corner to The Loft (no cover) if you want to find a place to hang. This plan shouldn't break the bank too badly on a Friday or Saturday night. -
Review from Alex C.
Oakland, CA
3/12/2011
More like 4.5 stars.
Second stop of my barcrawl around the area.
This place is really cool. The outside screams divebar, and it is inside, only a lil bit different. Do you remember that one scene in Stars Wars, when Luke goes inside that bar in Tatooine and finds Han Solo? He's like, "where the hell am I?" It kind of felt like that to me except it was a pleasant feeling, and everyone here was human and nice, not some shady, weird-looking alien that eventually gets shanked or shot. This place had the most eclectic grouping of people: White, black, latino, asian, young, old, bikers, suits, milfs, yuppies, suicide girls, dwarf, twin to someone you know, the list goes on.
The world would be a better place with more bars like this.
Quick tips: cash only on weekends, pool table in the back. -
Review from Rick M.
San Jose, CA
9/25/2011
I like going to Cinebar, but the last time we went it was a horrible experience. We were a group of 8 and were looking to have a great time. My friend ordered a round of drinks and the bartender refused too make them until we showed her the money! I was like WTF is that. We gave her a crappy tip and left. Haven't been back since.
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Review from Phuong M.
San Francisco, CA
9/29/2010
The first time i came here, i vowed that it would also be my last. My friends and i stood in a small circle together talking and drinking. A very well dressed guy--tweed vest, hat, well-groomed--came up to us and was very handsy (in appropriate places, at least) and leaned on us a lot. He asked how we were and we were polite enough to not shove the drunkard on his ass.
15 minutes later we heard tell of a man who took a shit in a urinal. Surprisingly (unsurprisingly?) it was the well-dressed drunkard, and soon he was being carted out of the joint the way you see characters in old cartoons being carted out--shoved/carried by their collar and belt.
I vowed that to be my last time there, but my friends keep going back for some drunk reason. -
Review from Selina C.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
After being in clubs full of horny guys groping anything without a penis, sharing stuffed corners watching cliques try to out-snob each other, wondering how so much makeup isn't melting off women's faces... I think I've finally found my type of bar.
A coworker familiar with this hole in the wall brought me here on a to introduce me to a regular bar, as I was only familiar with the hookup enabling environments. He'd told me that it's a crazy place on the weekends, but I liked the feeling on a weekday night! Not too crowded, not too loud, and the customers were regulars just looking to meet people.
In terms of entertainment, they had a flat screen playing a Sharks game that night, and one of the nice bartenders was festively dressed in a jersey. Pretty good attendance of sports fans. A pool table in the back has a list going for people wanting to play. I saw a guy at a small table on his laptop... I guess this can be a working place also? And the prices were decent too!
I'd come back here again on a weekday, the people were very sweet! -
Review from Katrina v.
San Jose, CA
1/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place COULD be really cool, but... it's always crowded. Like, packed. Bartenders take their time. Regulars get much better service here. Cash only. Pool table if that's your thing. Plus side...it's less Fubu & Rocawear than other bars in Downtown SJ if you're tired of that scene.
As for the bathrooms....I don't even fux with that! -
Review from Marc C.
San Jose, CA
12/31/2010
First of all, what a dump! I can appreciate a good dive bar, but this one goes above and beyond just that. Its dark, dingy, and smells as bad as it looks. Even the glass they poured my drink in was iffy at best.
But beyond these obvious setbacks, the worst part of my experience has been the rude bartenders who are probably so used to dealing with their trashy regulars that they forgot some of us aren't used to being barked at.
On my second, and LAST visit to this cesspool the bartender looked at me as if I were an idiot for pulling out my credit card to pay for my drinks (God forbid I don't know its cash only!) So the jerk proceeds to complain aloud about me and snatch my credit card to hold as collateral while I get cash from the ATM. I come back and pay with cash, only to be further admonished by the bartender for not having cash in the first place (needless to say he got no tip). I left after telling the bartender to fix his attitude. Being that its 2010, this place should probably start accepting credit cards, but it certainly won't bother me if they don't since I will NEVER come back. -
Review from Cat N.
10/26/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Cinebar is the perfect dive bar:
1. the drinks are cheap, so there's never a need for happy hour; wells average $5, shots and beers $4
2. the crowd is not pretentious as others have written, but a mix of whoever passes by. I've never been bothered by a creep, and even if I did, that's not the bar's fault.
3. the decor and music is pretty unique, with murals of actors or famous movie scenes to keep in theme, and a movie or show displayed on one of the tvs.
4. never a cover
5. the location is convenient: it's just around the corner from Tres, Temple, etc.
I strongly recommend going to Cinebar if you just want to grab a drink or even pregame before going to the bigger clubs down the street.
Tips: I've once run into a sign that said cash only for the night, so it's best to be prepared in case this happens again sometime; parking isn't so bad down San Fernando by the cross street Alameda or on Fourth towards SJSU; Cinebar isn't easily missed, but just in case, it's next to PF Changs's
