OMG! I can't believe the Red Stag Lounge is still in existence but it appears to have branched out from cocktail lounge with a piano player to billiards and Karaoke. Â
I worked at Foreign Auto Parts, next door, in the 1960's and it used to be the locals spot to drop in after work. Â Mel was the bartender, and owner I assume, and it was a safe place for a single woman. Â I used to drop in by myself if my coworkers or friends didn't come in with me and Mel would nod with his head yes or no if it was OK. to accept a drink from a male patron. Â I usually only had two or three drinks at the max before taking the bus home. Â Really was an unwind place to have a drink after a hard days work.
Great staff. Karaoke every night with songs played between the singers. Good prices on drinks and the KJ's are super cool. They wipe the mic with wipes after each singer ! Awesome. Met a lot of cool people here. Never empty after 9:30 p.m. KJ Dean even helps sing along if you
need him. The bartendars belt out tunes and have great voices. Fun dive
Bar for sure.
I've been holding off on this review because I'm torn about this place, and was hoping that my annoyance from the bad experiences I've had there would subside so that I could be fair.
So, there's a lot of pros coming to the Red Stag. They have FREE karaoke every night (starts at 9:30, I believe), and the KJs are really cool. They won't take out your second or third song if you're not as good as they want you to be on your first, they let you put in as many songs as you like, especially if it's a slow night, and one will even YouTube versions of songs that he doesn't have for you. I've definitely been places where they have judgy or rude KJs, and it ruins the experience. So big points there.
Also, the bartender! The only one I've ever really met is the taller lady, long dark hair, usually wears pretty red lipstick. She is super sweet, fast with your drinks, and just an all-around awesome person. She helped me deal with a situation the first time I was there, and she makes a divey, kinda ghetto bar seem safe for a girl like me. More big points.
The regulars are generally pretty friendly, HOWEVER. I have had two instances where I was ACCOSTED. The first was because I parked my car next to a junky looking black car - before I had my first beer, this jerk was running around the bar screaming about how a "red truck" was parked too close to his car and how he couldn't get in. I do not drive a truck, but I went out and it was my car. So, this man's car was parked on my passenger side, and I had come to the bar ALONE, to meet friends. He runs up to his door, pretends to examine it, and then starts screaming that there was a dent. I explained to him that there was NO WAY I could have dented his hunk of junk, and suddenly, he "saw red paint" on his door! I became annoyed quickly, and whipped out my phone, asking if he wanted me to call the cops and end it. He immediately said no, but kept accusing me. Whatever, crazy old man. But it gets worse! He followed me back into the bar and SAT IN THE CORNER TALKING CRAP ABOUT ME AND POINTING AT ME. I finally mentioned it to awesome bartender lady, who got in his face and told him to quit. Other regulars of the bar did the same thing. He kept it up, but stayed far away from me.
The second encounter with a regular I had was even more bizarre. Strike one: through a misunderstanding, my friend thought he was before her on the list for pool. When said misunderstanding was brought to light, he apologized and stepped back. Crazy lady (who is probably in her 40's and SHOULD KNOW BETTER) started talking loudly about how he did it on purpose and how she doesn't like it when people try and cut her. Uh, okay crazy. Strike two: another friend of mine was singing an oldies song at karaoke. She starts SCREAMING: "DOES HE KNOW THIS SONG? I DON'T THINK HE DOES", and openly mocking him. Strike three: I see her whispering and gesturing at me. By this point, I am SO over her middle school behaviour, so I march up to her and tell her that if she's going to say rude things, she should be brave enough to say them to my face. And this is the hilarious/insane part: she then proceeds to accuse me of "taking a stinky a** sh*t" in the bathroom. Wait, what? I wasn't aware she was bathroom police. (I would also like to clarify that I did not take said bowel movement.) Crazy old broad follows this weird insult up with one about my shorts (I guess I'm not allowed to wear shorts at the Stag anymore?), and retreats to loudly talk about my shorts to another gal who I later met, and who was rolling her eyes at crazy old broad's insane antics. I didn't even ask for the bartender's help on this one, because I was just so thrown for a loop.
I'm both amused and baffled by these encounters, but if I'm going to get in a fight with an insane, moronic person every time, then it's just not worth it to go to the Stag anymore. I'll definitely give it a few more tries, as drinks are reasonable and it's close to my house, but if crazy old broad or defensive car man get in my face again, I'm done.
Friday night and the girls all want karaoke fun but no one really knows where to go.
i quick check on yelp and The Red Stag came up. We really did not want to go downtown but after awhile we decided to give it a shot! and we were all very glad that we <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdid.it&s=b8d96d110b0f7b35c8bd372140ca06026882e8441e26f76b22556a65a147dae0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://did.it</a> was hard to find the place and we went around the block 3 times until we found it.
A really divey sort of place but that is what we like.we all had a great time with the Karaoke and i played some pool with the guys as well. everyone knew to check in the the free drink. such a great deal. i think the KJ was smitten with my friend Jaylene!
Good thing Katrina was pregnant and did not drink because i was plastered and she had to drive me home.
Steps to breaking the ice w/any woman at Red Stag.
1) Step up to the bar & order a shot and a beer. Tip well.
2) Drink said shot and beer.
3) Make eye contact w/your object of affection.
4) Step up to the mic and be the first singer of the night. Tip your KJ well.
5) Walk up to said object of affection and begin a conversation.
Done. Safe travels, my friend.
I.LOVE.DIVE.BARS.
If you check in here on yelp, you get a free drink. thats right, 2 for 1. big big win for me.
Lots of regulars here, and as the night progresses, others trickle in.
For some reason, I had trouble finding it. its in the strip mall smack in the middle. drive by all the stores slowly if you're lost.
Karaoke on a friday night is cool, but minus points for the guy who sang "baby got back" and didn't know all the words. come on, really?
Came here a while ago since it was recommended by a friend. It might just be my inexperience in "dive bars," but this place has to be the most divey of all dive bars of all time, if that is a word. I ordered a Blue Moon, and was given one. Now I am a fairly optimistic person and try to see the glass as half full, but this glass was half EMPTY. I asked the bartender if she could top it off, as I figured she did a poor job of pouring my glass and just got a lot of head. I couldn't really understand what she was saying but the annotated version was that she thought I was going to put an orange slice in it and didn't want to overflow. I doubt a WHOLE orange would have the potential to overflow my cup, let alone one slice. She begrudgingly topped me off. We had our drinks and left. Quickly. Nuff said.
Review Source:The red stag is like the ugly friend of the group that you never want to take anywhere but once in a while, when all of your friends are busy you call them up and hang out...that's exactly how I feel about this place. It is definitely a hit or miss when it comes to this place. Since it is a karaoke bar and they have karaoke every single day its not like one day is better than another.
I've come here a few times with friends for drinks usually just 2 and then we get bored and we leave.
This karaoke bar has one of the best karaoke selections I've seen. The sound system is good and the karaoke dj was pretty cool. I've never seen so much broadway selections in one place. I was able to sing some songs from  Wicked, Rent, and Avenue Q.
The place is a bit small and can get crowded. If you want to sing lots of songs, the best time is to go around nine when the bar is practically empty.
Go somewhere else.
I ordered Bacardi Torched Cherry with Coke, however, the bartender had never heard of Cherry Bacardi. Yet, I feel that she could of informed me of her lack of  knowledge with alcohol in a more polite manner.
Other than a birthday party going on the place was dead, tiny, old, and expensive for the amount alcohol they put in the drinks.
You almost can't go wrong with cheap drinks and the Red Stag delivers very well. Â The atmosphere is friendly and the drinks well-made. Â The crowd is also very friendly so I think this joint is on par with other dives I've been to recently. Â I just can't find any fault with these places. Â After having to pay 2-3 times for a drink at a crowded club/lounge, Dives like the Stag are pretty damn refreshing. Â Definite recommend.
Review Source:The bartender was super cute and nice, and the price was just right. 2 dollar beers and 3 bucks for a well drink. Loved it...the crowd was a mix of hipster lesbians and older people. I don't live in San Jose but if I'm in that area I'd totally stop by for a few. The building itself is kinda small, and I'm not a huge fan of strip mall bars, that's the only reason that one star is deducted.
Review Source:The Red Stag... well what can I say. Good things of course, this is the local dive bar. Great place to go any night of the week.. the bartenders are awesome "SERIOUSLY" their very professional know their stuff and still manage to be cool plus prices are always right.
There is karaoke I think every night of the week and while at times that it's not always pleasant, it's not that bad either. There are a lot of regulars who can REALLY "and I mean for real's" sing. It's always surprising when you're having your drink rocking out and you look over and wow! Someone just rocked that song...
Located in a little strip mall there is always plenty of parking, there is a pool table and always a game going on.
A juke box too although someone is usually singing..
Everyone who comes in seems to be real down to earth and friendly and I know it's a bar so that tends to happen but what doesn't happen often is the drama that comes along with the bar scene.
I have never been there and had or seen any situations come up with negative vibes" it's a great place always worth a night out!
So I moved right around the corner and wanted to check out the close dive bars but I was totally disappointed.
1st of all I ordered a Cran and Vodka and she must have thought I had a bladder infection because that was all Cran. I asked her to make it stronger but she said she had to charge me more. UMMM one of the things I like about dive bars is the stronger cheaper drinks.
I mean I guess if your are into Karaoke then its suppose to be cool but yeah negitory.
Just didnt think the bartender was very cool and the drinks sucked. One guy really really really smelled bad but yeah still looking for a new local spot. hmmmmm!!!!
The Red Stag is a nice change of scene from your usual pretentious, ghetto, or crazy jam-packed bar. It is definitely one of those dive bars located in a random strip mall (the one with Slider's burgers in it) in between poshy Santana Row and ghetto Downtown San Jose.
I had an awesome Wednesday night here a while back. The bartender was such a sweetheart, had a great personality and let me tell you she could sing a note or too. When I normally attempt to sing Karaoke I normally chicken out or am on the 100th spot on the que list or something. That night I got to sing 4 songs! How cool is that! I sang everything from Lauryn Hill to Sixpence to Taylor Swift. The vibe there and the people there are definitely great.
That night I also saw a cute girl dressed up as a Zombie, she came in outta no where and sang this country song, she was also American Idol worthy. Oh yeah you can also buy lottery and scratchers here. I won 3 bucks, it was a good night!
So lately I have been doing a lot of Karaoke lately with friends. I have been looking for places that are not too packed so I can can actually have a chance to sing some songs. I have tried tried about 4 different places in the past couple months. There was kind of a weird crowd but everyone seemed to be having a good time.
I was able to sing about 5 songs, although three of them were duets. The DJ and Bartender were real friendly and I liked the fact that we didn't have to fill out cards for song requests. You basically just went of to the DJ and told him what you wanted to sing, so we just sat pretty close to him. I also liked the fact that the DJ wiped the Mike after every singer. nice touch.
There is a two drink minimum but I didn't really see it being enforced but I guess since we were buying drinks they didn't really care, the drinks were pretty inexpensive. I do like that they play songs between Singers, it kinda livens the place up a bit.
At the end me and my friends sang Bye Bye Bye by N'Sync which was a blast, I just kinda wish we had more room to move around in.
We all had a great time. My friend, who is trying to get comfortable singing Karaoke was able to sing two songs so that tells you that it is a pretty relaxed environment. You can sing wherever you want, since there doesn't really seem to be a stage. I do need more room though, I like to put on a show when I sing. Good Times!!!
I was here on 2 different occasions the first time was to scope out the place for a friends birthday. I was thinking about singing just a song just to test out the system.
The bartender came up to my girlfriend and I and said, "Need to buy a drink before we let you sing." Â Â Dude, I want to sing before I wet my pipes. Are you serious?
The place is small and when it's packed, it is hard to get to the end. There is no stage to sing either so you're just singing on an open floor.
Well, the next day my friends and I were going to go to our usual spot The Ringing Ten in Cupertino but instead we decided to meet up with my other buddies at the red stagg.  By then we had already ordered way past the minimum requirement and  my partner and I grabbed the mic and sang.
Here are the good and bad. .
1., I didn't like the mic because it seemed cheap and it had a dent on the end. Â What the hell happened to that mic?
2 Â The crowd was really friendly and for some reason Santa Claus was there. I am not lying, Santa Claus was really there playing pool and he was fierce!!
3. Â There's not that much room to move around. I've seen some crazy Karaoke Singers who run around and do a lot of entertaining.
4. The Bartender has a great voice. Â She actually approached my girlfriend and I and asked us to go to the Red Stagg and Sing.
5. I'm not a big drinker. I would much rather buy one drink and not worry about a second drink. Seriously, I will stay the whole night and sing.
6. The DJ actually cleaned off the mic before the next singer came up to the mic. Kudos for Hygiene!!!
7. The DJ played a song in between Karaoke singers. I'm there to sing as many songs as possible. I'd much rather the DJ go through the rotation and get to the next singer. I'm there to sing as many songs as I can for the night.
8. I noticed that if you sing the Bartender pours a  little more alcohol in your drink!!
Hell. Five-stars because it never fails... I come in her and have a shitton of fun.
Low-pressure, fun atmosphere, awesome bartender and the regulars. Yes, folks, this is karaoke fun the way I like it. A statue of a mermaid greets you as you enter, and it'll only get stranger from there. They have drink specials and a ladies' night (wouldn't it be helpful if I could remember what night that was?)
The KJ has a lot of music including newer hits. I love hearing the guy in the skinny tie do "Umbrella" the girl with the hair do "Midnight Train to Georgia," the one guy who does a really bad "Sex Machine" never misses with "Miss Jones" while the bartender amazes us with just about anything she sings.
Karaoke bar - cheap drinks - Stella on tap! Â FTW!
Went here with fellow Yelper Archie G. (not knowing he was a karaoke legend!) after the Beer Wars screening and after party at Roux in Santana Row. Â
The lounge is a classic dive bar - situated in a small strip mall close to Santana Row and Valley Fair. Â Easy to access, plenty of parking around.
Like most dive bars, this is longer than it is wide - the bar stretches back and widens into a game area with a pool tables, dart boards and a juke box. Â LCD TV's hang from the ceilings or walls - at least two of these are dedicated to the karaoke tunes and lyrics.
Had a beer (didn't try food) - bartender was very friendly and quick (though the bar was hardly crowded - it was close to 1 AM)
And then the Archie show started! Â Heard a couple of decent singers croon some slow melodies and then, it was rock-on time! Â And it was the full show - head-banging, air guitar - almost dancing on the tables! Â Loved it and the other bar patrons loved it as well! Â LOL - I've not had so much fun at a karaoke place where I wasn't even singing! Â Well done man!
As a previous poster mentions, the talent level of singers at this place seemed quite high - most took it seriously and put out good performances. Â If you're used to singing out of key, you best not try to sing here but please, don't let that stop you from going and enjoying the show - it's well worth it!
I'll be back here for sure - place is quite welcoming - you don't feel intimidated here despite some really "tough" looking people hanging out here - everyone's here to have fun - and I had a ton of fun!
~ 4 stars overall!
# 87
I was recently featured in the cover of the metro for my karaoke abilities. I was also featured in the article as "The Headliner." Due to space and formatting reasons, the Metro had to cut out a bits and pieces of the article.
Here is some of what the writer of the article, Colleen Watson, had to take out:
When I mentioned the Red Stag, he smiled and said, "The Red Stag, or the Stag as regulars call it, is where I practice some of my newer material. You know, the stuff where I may not know the lyrics that well or don't know how to adapt my voice to the song."
He then added:
"It's a tiny dive bar that can be a lot of fun. They have a huge song selection of well over 30,000 songs. Wednesdays are easily the best nights where you sing about twice, but there is a good, lively crowd to perform for. And other nights it can get kind of scary due to the some shady patrons, but you get to sing over and over again. And at times, the KJ and the bartenders get you drunk for free."
Clearly, this wasn't that greatest of material for her article. But it worked for this review.
I'd give the joint 3-stars based on the cheap drinks, nice bartenders, and the insane song selection. Unfortunately, nights other than Wednesday can be slow or full of guys doing rap songs. And the KJ can really screw up the rotation sometimes and as he tends to favor regulars. But whatever, he is a pretty nice guy and has been known to the buy the house shots (on slow nights). I guess it's a trade off.
I am adding 1 full star because of Danielle, who is one of the all time greatest bartenders. She is not full of herself, admits that she is poisoning you for tips, makes a drink the way you want it (weak or strong), and sings really well. She rocks this place to the 4-star category.
Oh yeah, the last time I was here they had my Metro article sitting out. I guess the Red Stag is claiming "Archie G." as their own.
Awesome.
Gri, gri, gri...is this the sound that crickets make?? Because I could have SWORN that's what I heard when I walked in there the other night.
I had been to this joint before and it was cool, loved that they had Karaoke so I thought I'd go back and take some friends with me. Boy was that a mistake. We walked in and it was like they were having a golf tournament or something, that's how quiet it was! No music, no loud drunk people, no karaoke, no nothing! I think I even saw a tumbleweed roll by, that's how dumb it was. Just a bunch of pervert pricks that were trying to take a frigging nap or something! WTF?! Liven up fellas, you'll sleep when you're dead!
I dunno, it was totally opposite of what I remember being like, perhaps I got there to early or something? Maybe they were just having an off night.
Not so creepy dive bar, what more could you as for?
Seriously, I never knew this was here. I only went because we did a vespa meetup one night here.
Place has pool tables, dart board, juke box, full bar, and tvs. The drinks were cheap and strong. The vibe was right. People weren't kicked out for using pool sticks as a stripper pole. Not too crowded either.
I think the night we went, there were also some Harley guys.
I'd go back again.
Well - Second visit to this place *much* better.. Thank you Yelper Jennifer L. for advising me to try Wednesday nights at a little later hour..
I guess the karaoke party starts later here.. after 10.. and a lot of the crowd.. more of a hip-youngish sort starts drifting in around 11.. Anyway on the Wednesday I visited.. the place exuded a kind of laid back friendly vibe.. sort of, uhm, *chill out* karaoke I would call it.. not a big rockin' out screaming crowd like in my regl'ar haunt.. and no stage where you can do your rock star posing (the patrons just take the wireless mic and sing from wherever in the bar they feel comfortable) but the crowd is friendly and encouraging enough. The KJ and bartender are friendly sorts. Among the regular singers are some with pretty strong pipes, but everybody seems to enjoy their turn..
I dunno how it gets even later in the evening.. I'm an old guy and need my beauty rest during the work week so I had to leave just around 11... just wish the action did not start so late.. but these bar vibes are delicate things.. you can't make them happen in the evening before they are ready to happen.. so this is just fine..
At least once in your life you will find the proverbial "hidden gem" or "diamond in the rough." Â You will find a place that no one knows about, but should. Â You will be conflicted on whether you should tell the world about your discovery or keep this place to yourself. Â As you can see, by posting this Yelp, I am letting the world know about the greatness of the Red Stag Lounge.
I have seen my fair share of places...dance clubs, pubs, sports bars, ultra lounges and etc.  I have trolled around downtown SJ, Santana Row, downtowns Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, blah blah blah...  But I have a weakeness for the karaoke bar.  I just love the concept of watching people sing (good or bad).  I used to be regular at the 7 Bamboo and never could find a place that resembles the place  I used to love...until now.
The Red Stag Lounge was purchased by the owners of the popular Almaden Lounge, which was shut down to make room for the largest Whole Foods west of the Mississippi. Â They made some improvements to establish this place from a divey neighborhood bar to a bonafide karaoke destination.
I first heard of "The Stag" from the unusual amount of press it recieved for such a small bar. Â I decided to bring my buddy along to a Tuesday night and was pleasantly surprised. Â The drinks are strong and reasonably priced and the environment is non-intimidating to a first-time karaoke singer. Â After I few drinks, I decided to come out of my self-imposed karaoke "retirement" Â and sing a few songs. Â I got some cheers and high-fives and even some characters who wanted to back me up in chorus!
After conversing with the night's bartender and bar back (Christina, Ester) and the KJ (Stan), I was further convinced this was a place I wanted to came back to.  The place had a true urban feel to it.  Alot of  bars and clubs try to create a "New York" or "San Francisco" vibe with little success, yet "The Stag" has this trait in spades.  The Stag is gritty yet inviting.  Walking in, I felt my coolness points go up, because I just didn't give a #$$%!  I just wanted my drink, listen to some people sing and hang out and have a good time.
Check it out. Â If you like it...cool. Â If you don't...too bad, you are missing out on one cool place to hang out at....
I LOVE THIS BAR. Â the same owners and most of the same staff from the late great almaden lounge. Â karaoke 7 nights a week, but i only go on wednesdays and saturdays when you get the awesomest kj/bartender duo, dean and danielle! Â the song choice is awesome, and it's easy to make friends. Â all my friends i hang out with at this bar i've met at the bar. Â it's a small place, so everyone basically knows each other, and most of the time you'll get to sing more than once.
Review Source:"If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Â
My intent is to give a karaoke review here, but I get the funny feeling that it's going to spill over toward the bar in general. Â Mind you, I've only been here the one time, so my review is based upon limited exposure.
A friend of mine has been bugging me to come to this spot with her - she LOVES it! Â She's relatively new to the karaoke scene, but had been bragging about the bar. Â Also, Weide Z. is a known figure and he gave a favorable review, so I had to give this the old college try.
I'll just say it. Â I didn't like it. Â Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the dive bar, but I just didn't enjoy the vibe here. Â Of course there were only like 7 people in the bar for the 3 hours we were there, and the karaoke guy that supposedly was to be there at 9, shows up and hour later. Â Yeah, drinks are OK, but anyone can do that. Â I dunno, just didn't feel it. Â Maybe I just need more experience here? Â Maybe.
If you're looking for a dive bar, yeah... BINGO. Â If you're a karaoke nut and heard that this is a cool spot?... Eh.
I'll give you this on the karaoke side: Â If there's a new song you're trying to perfect on your play list... (refer to opening quote).
I have always seen this bar for years in a strip mall on San Carlos. never thought anything of it... until the Vespa peeps announced they were gonna have a get together there... so we went!
Place is the typical dive bad.... long bar with stools.... looks as though all the regulars were there that night... pool table in the back and I believe darts... and a jukebox playing decent music. Drinks were not that expensive.... kick back atmosphere.... I didn't care to hear about the bartenders boyfriend drama while she was doing her make up BEHIND the bar... but hey... who am I to complain?
Cool place to kick back and have a couple of cheap drink with friends! I will be adding this place to my list of spots!! :o)
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