Willow Den Public House — Restaurant in San Jose

This place seemed to have all the components of a really fantastic dive bar, in terms of inside and outside atmosphere pool tables darts ping pong giant Jenga and all sorts of eclectic art adorning the walls and ceiling. There are plenty of TVs and places to sit, in both the center of things or off to the side more discreetly. There is quite a lot of square footage to this place, I'm guessing ideally run with 75 - 200 patrons at given time for target conditions. And it's set up to allow 3 bartenders to work work in optimal conditions with a few borax and servers for support staff. I was very much enjoying myself with the first bartender who helped me named Carly I think. She was attractive and had a very welcoming and pleasant demeanor. She made an effort to chat in passing despite her being the only bartender at the time. The bartender who came in around 7:00 p.m. was the only reason I would take Stars away from this place, as he had a negative attitude from the moment he walked in, and he continued to dish out bad vibes for a half an hour or so until I was irritated enough to get up and leave. He was clearly a veteran bartender and talked about it not worth being his time to be there almost from the start. In the food and beverage industry it's so important for front of house staff to check whatever personal baggage they have at the door and to come in with a customer service driven focus. For all I know this place is a phenomenal business most of the time, but as in my personal experience, mainly do too the easily fixable staff attitude thing I have to give this place a mediocre score. I will definitely try it one more time in the near future and may come back and edit this review depending upon...

Great dive hangout. Plenty of character and charm for a "hole-in-the-wall" joint. From the dollar bills tacked to the walls behind the bar, pillars, and ceiling, to the vinyl album covers of cheesy 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s bands and artists that are plastered all over the walls and even in the bathrooms, to the quaint and cozy stage where patrons get the chance to bare their souls by performing their "Go-To" songs on KARAOKE night, and up-and-coming musicians in local BANDS PERFORM their favorite covers, as well as the original songs they've written that they hope will be heard on the radio someday, but the number of ways to keep you entertained doesn't stop there... this fun little pub boasts a couple of POOL TABLES and even a PING-PONG TABLE... so if you have a pocket full of quarters or just a couple of bucks, but you're half-decent shot, then you might just have a chance to pay to play once, go on a winning streak, and let the challengers pay for you to beat them the whole night. And yes, you read that correctly. They actually have a Ping-Pong Table that you can play for FREE!!! However, if you want to actually enjoy playing your table tennis games, I highly recommend bringing your own paddle and balls because the bar's are not only old and only half functional, but they were also the cheapest and lowest quality paddles to begin with... just saying. All in all, this is a fun little place that is usually filled with a very diverse demographic from all walks of life. Everyone is usually friendly and the bartenders are cool... it's no wonder why it's the locals'...

So I’m driving Lyft / Uber and basically get people home same, ‘cause it’s my job. I end up doing a drop off nearby around 2:30 am and realize that it’s going to be dead for a while since it’s after bar rush but I look on Google Maps and it says that this place is open 24 hours. So I decide to check it out and drive over. There’s people inside at the bar so I open the door to go in and a couple of guys, evidently employees holler at me “HEY, WHAT ARE YOH DOING?!” I pause at the door,next t knowing what to say because obviously they don’t want me there, but I hate being bullied, which is what it feels like. They continue with their rude dismissal adding “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? THE BAR IS CLOSED!!”, so I start walking out but I turn to the first guy and say “Hey, learn some manners!” There’s a further unpleasant exchange, and I add “ you can say, “sorry, the bar is closed” instead of “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” When a business is closed and it’s not evident that it is, that’s not an excuse to be rude to potential customers. Definitely...