Santa Clara Local Bars

Baltimore Bullet
1992 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.988.1482
With a name like the Baltimore Bullet you'd think that this would be a solid old school dive bar in Santa Clara, but for some unknown reason, the owners have put the kibosh on the karaoke nights—not that we miss the lung monkeys boozy renditions of "Friends in Low Places", okay maybe just a little—and have shortened the bar's hours. However, the Baltimore Bullet still serves some wicked drinks (a definite plus) to a slew of loyal regulars, but they close at nine (a definite minus), so we guess the best you can hope for at this local Santa Clara bar is to break even.

By-Th-Bucket
4565 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.248.6244
You'd be doing yourself and By-Th-Bucket in Santa Clara a huge disservice if you merely referred to it as a local sports bar because it is more of an old school bar and restaurant where you can always take in a game and always get taken care of. Also, the food at By-Th-Bucket is not your typical bar fare, their excellent seafood, pizzas and classic American cuisine go perfectly with their more than dangerous signature cocktails that never fail to please the gaggle of local Santa Clara bar regulars that frequent this restaurant or curious passersby that are intrigued by the grammatically challenged name.

The Claran
1251 Franklin Mall, Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.296.9558
Hands down one of the best local bars in Santa Clara is The Claran which takes all kinds into its' murky, bunker-like, booze filled depths and satisfies the need of a blue-collar dive bar for the neighborhood regulars and Santa Clara University students. Unlike other local bars in other university towns, The Claran's daytime loyalists don't flee when the students start rolling in after classes creating a great mix of young and old at this Santa Clara neighborhood bar. Also, The Claran has started to showcase local live music, which totally adds to the already potent recipe for good clean dive bar fun at this local favorite.

Hops Bar
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.988.8411
Located inside Santa Clara's Biltmore Hotel lays the microbrew oasis of Hops Bar, which fills the local bar niche for biz pros in search of some much needed and nearby relief after they've been cooped up in their labyrinthine cubicles all day. We stop on in to Hops Bar occasionally when we're on that side of Santa Clara because we totally enjoy the raised Vegas style lounge seating and, really, it has nothing to do with the extensive beer selection at this local bar.

The Hut
3200 The Alameda, Santa Clara, California
The other best local dive bar in Santa Clara is The Hut, which has been serving local regulars and Santa Clara University students plenty of cheap booze for years. During the school year The Hut gets packed, wall to wall, with drunk college students who go for the laid back party atmosphere and the stumbling proximity to their overpriced dorms and apartments of this local bar. When schools not in session, however, The Hut still gets rocking with a slew of Santa Clara regulars who call this neighborhood bar home—and, if you take endorsements, we drink here all the time whether there's drunk Santa Clara University coeds to ogle or not.

Martin's Lounge
1828 Main St., Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.243.7976
Martin's Lounge, we believe, is the only local Santa Clara bar that opens its' doors at the blessedly obscene hour of 6am and it has been serving the neighborhood for over 60 years, so something must be right about opening that early. Also, during exam times at nearby Santa Clara University, the students must be eternally thankful for the early hours at Martin's Lounge to calm those pre test jitters or for an after test celebration. Even when there are no students to fill the space at this local Santa Clara bar, Martin's Lounge teems with regulars searching for some after (or before) work liquid solace.

Woodham Lounge
4475 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, California; Tel. 408.296.9810
The Woodham Lounge in Santa Clara has plenty to keep its' neighborhood regulars busy, there's pool, darts, foosball and karaoke, but we frequently drink here for the same reason we drink at any local bar: cheap booze. Also, for all you drinking ladies out there looking for a Santa Clara local bar to change up your scene a bit, Mondays are ladies' night at the Woodham Lounge with drink specials reserved solely for the fairer sex.

—Santa Clara Bars and Clubs reviews by Ryan Osterbeck

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