Menconi's
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat, Sun
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
181 reviews
San Jose, CA
"ZOMG, I just want to give this place a bad update review so people will stop coming here. It was WAAYYYY too packed the last time I came…" read more »
12 Reviews for Menconi's
I HAVE to review this place! Menconi's is responsible for the by far BEST bonding moments I've had with my friends.
If you're looking for a poppin place to go to now... this isn't it. If you have a big posse of friends that wanna get buzzed but don't want to do it at a place with a cover charge or at a place where you might run into people DO IT HERE!
I used to come here every Monday Night for OVERTIME w/ the Tyliah Productions family. This was back when Marie was the bartender, everyone was working their entry-level and retail jobs, and I was single :). We pulled off so much here. The boys would be face flat on the sidewalk outside from the drinks Marie would mix. My girls and I got even closer from all the hair-holding-backing (lack of vocab, I apologize). All in all we shared a lot of laughs here.
Another reason why it holds a special place in my heart is because this is where the magic happened between me and my BF now :). Whoever says a dance is just a dance is lying.... so much can happen. Then again, maybe it's just because we really did have that chemistry. Hehe... good times!
Come here with your friends with the mentality that you're just going to someone's house to kick it and you'll be fine. NO, you're not going to see any fine ass people that you can hook up with. It's not that kind of spot. Just come and lounge... simple as that!
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I didn't know this place until I went with a friend and am I''m glad I did.this place is a great place to come to. Man there is so much going on that you get lost man they are great with lots of good people to BS with. the night I went on Tuesday and they were doing Karaoke and man did they have good singers there. So went back on Sunday evening and they were doing karaoke again which was great again. SO I started going other nights like Monday,Wed., thru Sat. they have good Music for dancing to different DJ on different nights. What a place to go to have a hela good time. Drinks are at good prices,good bartenders that don't make you wait to get a drink and great talkers. Well Menconi's has got a new steady customer and thats me. try coming in and see for your self.
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First off, if you plan to charge anything, the bar will tack on a $2.00 service charge. Of course, this isn't brought up until the end of the evening, when you're closing out the tab. I immediately offered my drinking partner some cash so that he wouldn't be charged by the man. He graciously refused.
But... back to the bar itself. I have to say, I did all my Yelp-iligence and I had an idea of what I was heading into, but I must say that it wasn't that bad. Yes, it's a dive bar. Accept and release! Yes, the patrons are a little "edgy," but I was there during Monday Night Football, and the bartender invited me to the party being held there this Saturday, she let me know that they were serving beef stroganoff and corn, so my friend and I should help ourselves, AND the drinks were nicely poured. AND they carry top shelf vodkas for low, low prices. There was even a video machine with trivia games on it, so how could I not be happy here?
Odd thing, though. There's no inside door handle on the women's room door. I had to hang onto the lock "turn" (whatever that's called) and sort of bounce the door so I could get purchase, and then open the door.
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It was last Friday night and one of my girlfriends brought over three Liquid Cocaine shots for herself, Allan and me.
No chaser.
You know what happens when I don't have a chaser?
I took that shot like the champ I often times claim to be, and I thought all was well until my throat started to burn like a motherfucker, I began heaving and shaking, wiped my mouth ON THE BACK OF MY SLEEVE (i was wearing LIP GLOSS and it was a WHITE JACKET) and screamed,
"FUCK ME.... IN THE ASSHOLE!" (a-la the waxing scene in "40-Year-Old Virgin")
Mind you IT WAS NOT EVEN A CROWDED BAR. I waited for one of the pre-requisite thugs or hoodrats to make a comment or at least give me a dirty look or something.... A couple of patrons looked over briefly and went back to their conversations.
That was it.
Jesus Christ.... only in Union City.
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This was probably the ONLY bar in the Tri-City area (Fremont - Union City - Newark) that was "poppin'" back in 2000 until a group of immature suckas needed to embrace and prove their "manhood" and start shootin' innocent bystanders. Gotta love the wanna be gangstars claimin' rep and turf. GEEZUS. This aint ESO (EAST SIDE OAKLAND) ya'll!!!
I remember when folks from Vallejo, the city and even as far as San Jose wanted to kick it in the "Une" so they can bump to beats spun by the DJ and even sing a lil' karaoke, shoot billiards and mingle!
An old friend, Luzcille used to be the bartender there and she made the famous "LIQUID ECSTASY" -- damn that sipper is the bomb. Thanks to her -- I had the most craziest episodes of my life. LOL DRUNKASSS.
It has left me with good times and memories and met really down to earth folks here. *memories*
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I just went here for the first time last night to check it out with some friends. Its one of those bars that people seem to go to after a rough day at work or they just broke up with someone haha. The side where the pool tables are smells terrible. I had low expectations for this place and lo and behold its not that great. The place is smaller than I thought too. Its not downtown SF or SJ so what do you expect? I heard this place is crackin on the weekends so if I end up going there again my review may change. We'll see. At least they play good music.
This place is less than a 3 minute walk from my house, and it's a quaint little place to go when it's late and we want to grab a quick drink, or if we just want to stay local for the night.
Mondays are generally the best day to go, with Marie the bartender who really hooks it up for the regulars--on my second trip to this place she got us free drinks just because I had come back.
However it's tough to justify coming out here on a weeknight with work the next morning, and even harder to justify spending a weekend night here with so many other options north and south of here.
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This place stinks!
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Menconi's.. What can I say. .I agree.. back in the days.. Menconi's was crackin on thursdays.. like no joke! then yeah.. drama shmama.. you know how it goes.. but let me tell you.. it's my home away from home away from home.. haha my bf is a bar back/bartender on sundays and tuesdays.. it's not busy.. it's not hella crackin like back in the days.. but it's a fun place to be.. when you wanna be with good friends..listen to good music... & have good drinks for a good price.. for real tho. come visit.. it's okay.. there's nomore thugs.. haha
Aahhhh....the memories...
1997 - I was dragged by my Samoan/Filipino Friend to come out here for Karaoke night. Turned out the KJ was an old Family friend I haven't seen in YEARS! Then came the Wednesday nights....OUR Wednesday Nights....
1997-1998: Wednesday nights was the first of 2 legendary nights in my memory...This is where a group of about 80 people befriended each other and made Menconi's their spot on Wednesdays. Karaoke, Drunken good times, and all kinds of "hook-ups" ....
1998-2001: I was asked to take over for Mike (Karaoke Host on Wednesdays and Thursdays). Thursdays was a S L O W night...
Then, things picked up...I started mixing with his equipment (hip hop and house)...and wanted to liven up the place...THEN, I was reunited with some old friends! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Then THEY brought their friends, etc etc....10 people on a good THursday Night Turned in to 100+ people EVERY Thursday...THEN we started Menconislounge.com and posted all kinds of Digital photos of folks hangin out here!...THEN came the craziness...people from ALL OVER THE BAY were comin' here religiously on Thursday nights for about 3 years! If you came after 10:30pm, you were gonna park a mile or so from the spot (cuz the lots were full), and wait in line for 30 minutes to get in...man, it was a bar owner-outside-the-city's wet dream.
Then came the madness...Wannabe thugs and such started their unwanted appearance to the spot...angry haters get into fights, girls got into fights, just all kinds of fights...then came 2001 when dudes shot up the place once and another instance where my friend was shot and killed. I ended my tenure as their DJ after.
Now, this place is a friendly, chill spot with great evening bartenders. Drinks are poured heavy and the regulars are quite friendly. 2 pool tables, a rip-off stuffed animal catcher thingy, 2 electronic dart games, and DJ's on most nights. If you catch Bonnie (The Owner) she's a real sassy lady with nice, big ...brains...hahahahaha.... I miss frequenting this spot, but I've lost my time for frequenting any spots these days...
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I'm surprised no one has reviewed this place yet. I was first introduced to this place back in 2000 when I first moved to the bay area. One of my roommates and all his friends used to come here every Thursday night. At first I didn't really go because the whole idea of going out on a Thursday night was foreign to me. But then I switched jobs and thought I would go out just once to celebrate.
To my surprise this place was hopping. I mean it was packed from wall to wall. Everyone was happy and mingling, shots were being downed left and right, guys and girls were hooking up. It was just one big party right there in Union City. Who would have known? Certainly not me.
Well, needless to say I went in to work the next day with the worst hangover of my life thanks to Tha Funk who kept buying rounds of Patron shots. Little did I know then that I would go in to work in that same condition for the next month. Thankfully I got smart and learned how to set limits for myself before I was fired. It was tough to do in a place like Menconi's though, at least back then.
After some time things got a bit different. Not as many people were going there on Thursday nights. There were a few incidents that drove people away. I actaully stopped going on Thursday nights for a couple of years. Menconi's was never completely out of my life though.
Now so many years later I am finding myself stopping by "The Cone" more often. Not so much on Thursday nights anymore, although if you do go on Thursday nights you can be sure that Al will hook you up with some of the strongest drinks in the East Bay. I tend to stop by on Monday nights which is the night that Marie is working. She can pour drinks just as strong as Al but she also knows when to hold back when you need a break or if you just aren't into getting trashed with just two drinks. One thing that has always been consistent is that if you show up a few times the bartenders will get to know you and you'll be like family in no time.
This place is "Cheers" of Union City but more fun. Sure there are several older regulars who plant themselves at the bar every single night. But they wll be there on Monday/Thursday nights surrounded by the very young crowd drinking and dancing while the DJ spins hip hop beats.
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This place is quiet but I spent over $100 on a tab! Bring your close friends here, play pool, and maybe dance if your tune comes on. One day I wanted to roll up with at least a dozen people and they wanted to charge a $5 cover. I thought that was a big turn-off and made my local bar seem like it tried to be something it is not. I would like to go back, but my favorite bartender also left! Hope it's a live one for you if you go. -Matt
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