Featured in Karma Magazine Fall 2002
by club editor ray hom
© 2002
The bartenders and waitresses are dressed to impress while the patrons, with their aggressively hip attitudes, are turning the bar into a place where everyone is having fun. This is the impression one gets when one first arrives at downtown San Jose’s most popular bar, Mission Ale House.
It is the people who make Mission Ale House so magnetic. A blonde bartender can make you stare while you wait for your drinks to be served by a brunette beauty. As you watch a young couple conversing across the room, knowing that they are exchanging numbers, you notice your dream date giving you a picture-perfect smile from across the bar.
It is said that the average patron at Mission Ale House is single and is in his or her early twenties, but as long as you’re ready to party, your age doesn’t matter. You can often find a young, upbeat crowd here because San Jose State University is within walking distance, which is why Mondays feature a college happy hour. With good-looking people, you’re bound to bump into someone who’s out to catch a potential mate. If a relationship is not what you are looking for, you’ll find an abundance of people looking for company for a weekend, but more likely, just for a night.
What makes this San Jose bar great is that it has a tamed rowdiness, an atmosphere where people can drink without the petty worries that accompany a night of partying. Devoid of the hassle of club restrictions, this bar offers a casual environment where people can feel free to “hook up”. Even if you are the shy type, this crowd is inclusive and makes sure you are a participant in the scene because not only is this a bar, it is a social event for everybody, every night here.
You’ve got to be talking to somebody when you’re at the Ale House or you will stick out like a party pooper among your more friendly peers. But if you’re not the talkative type, at least be a good listener. You’re bound to attain the precious contact info of the good-looking person that did a double-take earlier. But if you are still feeling unlucky, you can relax outside on the patio in the moonlight as you wait for that special someone to join you for a drink.
With 24 types of beer on tap, you can return many times without worrying about having the same drink as you had the night before. Of course, there are the pub food that keeps those hungry stomachs filled, such as the the one-third pound Mission burger, chicken and steak sandwiches, and appetizers to compliment your drinks.
The bar is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day of the week, 365 days a year. How much time do you have? Come to Mission Ale House and experience an unforgettable, young, and pleasurable environment. And if you come just for the eye-candy, it will be the sweetest bar you’ve ever visited.
