Carrie Nations, Mount Charley’s & More Fun Party Spots For Single People
The Peninsula refers to an area south of San Francisco that encompasses Stanford University, the hippie and surf community of Santa Cruz, techy San Jose, beautiful Capitola Beach, exclusive Los Gatos and exquisite Monterey and Carmel. This article focuses on Los Gatos.
This Upscale Bay Area Community Has It’s Share of Dive Bars, Plus Other Fun Spots For Single-Minded Regulars
A dive-ish dance bar is one of the most fun places in Los Gatos.
Walk the streets of downtown Los Gatos and it’s hard not to be impressed that the people who live here can actually afford all this stuff.
Party with them anyway. Start at The Black Watch, which makes one of the best “house” drinks you can find anywhere in a total dive setting. (It’s a kamikaze and comes regular or with cranberry.)
Then it’s Carrie Nations, a 20s and 30s mingling bar that’s packed from about 10-midnight with strong and frequent drinks for patrons. There’s nothing really distinctive about the place which accounts for its casual atmosphere and the throw-’em-back mentality of its patrons. Just about anyone out on a weekend in Los Gatos wanders into Carrie Nation’s.
Afterward, walk to Mountain Charley’s Saloon, a dive-ish dance bar that plays party music that’s the most fun place in town. Go up the stairs and to the right (the bar to the left is far less entertaining) and just feel the party feeling. There’s a dance floor and girls like to get up on the stage to show off their non-sober skills.
Another later-night option, on the far end of downtown, is C.B. Hannigan’s. It’s a down-home pub (that has a mix of regular patrons and those who wander down from Carrie Nation’s and the other spots. On St Patrick’s Day, it’s THE place to party in Los Gatos.
Number One Broadway has live music and is generally open later than the other places (in other words, they pull up the barstools at 2 instead of having the doors locked by that time).
For pure sports, Double D’s (it’s named afer the owners, guys) on the way outside of town is the place. The Los Gatos Brewing Company offers sports, as well, in a more modern, comfortable setting. Don’t overlook it for breakfast, either, which is served until 2 p.m.
One of the really nice things about going out in Los Gatos is that most of the bars are within a couple of blocks, easy walking distance. And those walks sometimes go by car dealerships for Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls Royce. What is NOT good about those who choose to drive is that the Los Gatos PD is out in force on weekend nights, so keep this in mind when contemplating that next round at the bar.
In addition to its lively nightlife, Los Gatos and the surrounding area has a number of festivals and other events that bring out the single people on warm weekend afternoons.
Los Gatos Bar Locations:
• Black Watch: 141 1/2 N. Santa Cruz Ave
• Carrie Nation’s: 8 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
• C.B. Hannigan’s, 208 Bachman Avenue
• Double D’s: 354 N. Santa Cruz Ave,
• Los Gatos Brewing Company: 130 N Santa Cruz Ave.
• Mountain Charley’s Saloon: 15 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
• Number One Broadway: 102 S. Santa Cruz Ave.
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