2 Best Bars in San Jose, The Bay Area

This sharply dressed speakeasy is one of the South Bay's gold standards for craft cocktails. Drinks are intricate without being fussy, and the bartenders are always quick to offer insight into what cocktails might fit your taste. The cozy, low-ceilinged space is filled with velvet curtains and plush booths, continuing the 1920s feeling.

This cocktail bar with a stunning brick-back bar easily competes with the best in the Bay Area. Cocktails are creative and compelling, frequently incorporating atypical ingredients like fenugreek, mango, sumac, and cumin in a gin-based ensemble. The short food menu revolving around spruced-up comfort food is less inventive than the cocktails but far more interesting than standard bar grub, with fun bites like Dungeness crab deviled eggs.