I heard alot about this place. I have heard the good and the really bad. I went to check it out with my buddy since he lives so close to the place. I told him I didn't want to deal with idiots and fights after hearing about this place has alot of fights going on I am too old for that stuff but hell I went to check it out. As soon as I get inside a stabbing happens soon the bar shuts down because of it. Heck there goes myself ever wanting to going back to this place. I notice that the crowd was cool but the bouncers did look like wannabe UFC fighters. Made me laugh them bullying people around. Seriously people come here and take these 'tough guys' shit. It's a damn bar in Willow Glen not East San Jose.
Review Source:This is the second review I had to write. The owners at the den kept complaining about my review so it got taken down. Truth Hurts.
The Willow Den is a joke. The only hole in the wall "bar" that requires a dress code. Well only if your non-white..lol. I came here on my last birthday and was not allowed in. The clothes I was wearing were to baggy (actually custom tailored), so I was pretty much too sexy to be allowed in.
But hey, if your white you can get away with wearing sweats and pretty much anything you want. And this is def the spot for you.
Meanwhile, the bouncers are scrubbed out and for some reason they are all wannabe "mma fighters" occasionally seen practicing lame moves in the bar with people around...hahahaha...what a joke!
Also the drinks are all overpriced, and this place tends to hire all the ratchet girls that prob went to your high school. You know the dIrty ones everyone in school would get a turn on...they're here!
Seriously, go to the Goosetown down the street. Its a way nicer environment and they have no dress code and a better all around vibe. No egos or drama there, which seems to be an everyday scene at the Den. I live down the street so I see first hand how this bar is ruining the community around it. On any given night you'll see bouncers trying to fight the patrons, and people puking and leaving bottles/trash around the neighborhood.
The old biker gang that used to run this joint took better care of its patrons and neighborhood. So you can see the irony in that.
So pretty much dont come here!!! Spend your money somewhere else. And to all my people of color: GOOD LUCK!! Â Don't believe me go see for yourself!!
Best bar around! The female bartenders are hot! The bouncers are super nice and I feel safe every time I set foot in the door. People who are on here complaining about not being let in, I've seen some of you get turned away. And honestly wearing jeans 3x larger than your normal size is just ridiculous! Plus i've seen every ethnicity inside maybe you're just upset because you've been thrown out for doing something dumb? Dress to impress not to pickup Hoochies & you shouldn't have any issues!
I'll keep coming back! BEST BAR EVER!
OH! And they have a DJ that goes by the name DJ NOBLE, That dude spins some amazing beats!
Short review:
If you're looking for a great dive bar, this is it. Â The bartender is attentive. The beer is cheap ($4). And the shuffleboard is free. Â
More details:
Check in on yelp for a free drink for a lady. Â
Take time to check out all of the $1 bills decorating the ceiling. Â There are some interesting drawings. Â
Check out the old school cash register currently being used. Â
I had a great time at this bar on a Sunday afternoon. Â It was quiet, relaxed and fun.
As a regular i could tell you that this is a chill bar to be at if you're in san jose. clean dive, great drink prices, cool people, and good music. The staff is amazing! They are nice and efficient. Danny is the best bartender there!!! He mixes drinks with love and he's fast! FRIDAY nights are the best nights. If you're driving, be there before 11pm to find parking because that could be hard to find. better yet call a cab. Overall this place is legit.
Review Source:The music was great! The crowd was ok! The women were cute. Its a great place to go of you wanna be Racially profiled by bouncers/staff. The first time i  went i wasn't aloud in. Then the door guy came outside after me and told me it was ok. The 2nd time the door guy had me spin around, i guess he wanted to check out my jeans. He took a second before he decided to let me in.  I'm Latino so i noticed there were 4 or 5 Latinos there and 2 black guys. So if your interested in goin to this bar make sure you wear "skinny jeans"
Review Source:I've heard of this place for YEARS! Â I've heard it's divey, clientele can be strange...and yep, those two things were right. Â Here's the thing though: dive bars are kind of my favorite. Â I enjoy places where I can just wear some Converse, jeans and a hoodie and feel completely comfortable. Â It's definitely a lot larger inside than it looks, with a very large bar, and a sizable dance floor, there's even a juke box (but don't even try to be diabolical like Jon Mulaney and play the same song over and over, because it won't let you), and eventually there's a DJ. Â
They have shuffleboard and pool tables too.
However, the bathroom. Â It's ridiculous. Â Cleanish, but super skinny, you'll see what I mean if you go there.
I want to write this updated review while it's still fresh in my memory. Tonight, I was trying to enjoy a Sharks game when a short guy in a Giants hat and Hurley shirt decides to sit next to my smoking a cigar. Needless to say my Santa Clara sweater and Sharks scarf smelled like smoke afterwards. He then moved to a corner of the bar and me thinking that the bartender, or bouncer, or some employee would tell him that smoking indoors is not allowed... I would think the problem would be solved. How silly of me.
The bartender (Marissa/Clarissa?) brought him an ashtray, minutes later turned on the ceiling fan, and decided to be dance and be touched by him before I could even complain. Two ladies and another guy walked in, but sat in the other side of the bar because of the smoke.
As he continues to smoke, he asks the bartender if this was non-smoking bar. She said yes it's non-smoking. Yet she continues to let him smoke. From my previous visits here, I believe the guy who looked like (and most definitely is) the owner did NOTHING as this guy was smoking. Later on, a group of older people walked in who seemed important because the owner was introducing them to the bartender, but by that time, the guy stopped smoking. (How convenient.)
The smoker seemed to be a regular, but considering that there were other customers around, that shouldn't matter. It would be different if it was a bar where you can smoke inside, but:
1) the bartender/bouncer/owner knew it was a smoke-free zone, and
2) they didn't do anything about it.
Pool. Shuffle board. Beer. Shots. Whatever your poison is the Den has it. Great 'dive bar' in San Jose with the mix of locals, students, and whoever else wants a good time. The bar has two pool tables and a shuffle board that will provide entertainment for your group. All the bartenders are pretty nice and will give you a generous pour. Definitely a good place to hangout and have some fun. No parking so you'll have to venture across the street or into the neighborhood.
Review Source:I'll admit when we pulled up and were sitting in the car, I was thinking, ummmm.....nope! Â This place is all dark from outside and looks like a biker bar. Â It is located right next to a tattoo parlor. Â Hello? Â But we all gained some inner strength and walked inside wearing our blazers and cardigans. Â What can I say??? Â This place is interesting, it is dark, but filled with average people wearing hoodies. Â I liked their music, booty bumping songs.
Warning, my friend ordered a beer and she paid $5 and she said it tasted strange. Â So she ended up just not drinking it. Â You might be better off getting mixed drinks here, since their beer tap might be spoiled.
Omg, this bar is grimey!! It really is pretty gross. Its one of those places where you kick open the restroom door because you don't want to touch anything. I surprisingly had a good time though.
Maybe it was the hot bartender, the group I went with or because I just felt like a youngster at some basement college party. I'm not sure, but it wasn't too bad.
By far one of my favorite places in San Jose. Cheap drinks. Nice bartenders. Friendly bouncers. Quick service. Good music. What else do you need?
Parking can be difficult, but it's not impossible.
All in all, this is one of my favorite spots. It reminds me of the dive bars down in Southern California.
This place place freakin' SUCKS!
The sad thing is that I live right around the corner from this spot!
So on my boyfriend's birthday we (his friends, him & I) had decided that after dinner that we wanted to hang out, have a few beers & celebrate his birthday; so we thought the Willow Den would be a perfect spot. Nope, BAD IDEA!
The bouncer who was dressed super scrubbed out wouldn't allow my boyfriend to come in because his "pants were too baggy", are you kidding me?! That's the funniest thing I have ever heard because he was wearing FITTED corduroys, a black FITTED thermal, a peatcoat and really nice loafers!
I WAS PISSSSED! Because we had told our friends to meet us there and there was already 15 people parking up and getting ready to celebrate his Birthday. Overall, this place is a joke.
Ohh & let me add that this was a WEDNESDAY NIGHT, AND he allowed two WHITE guys with BAGGY CARGO SHORT and SNEAKERS in right after declining us. ROFL!!!
Then again, I should've seen that coming because if you noticed in the Yelp photos for this place, there's only pictures of WHITE PEOPLE. Don't get me wrong, I am not racist at all, but come on, lets be real.
Also, to the drunk sloppy "white washed" Asian girl that was groping on every guy in front of the bar and friends with the "security", can suck it!
Definitely not coming back!
Never going back there again. Â Way too crowded and too noisy. Â You have to shout in order to hear each other. Â Also, my friend got kicked out for no reason. Â He and my sister asked a bouncer if they could take the wood covering off a pool table to play, and the bouncer said it was okay. Â They proceeded to do so, then another bouncer said it wasn't okay and told my friend to leave (it seemed like the bouncer was trying to start trouble, especially since he'd only asked my friend to leave when my sister was also helping him take off the cover). Â My sister asked the bouncer what was going on, and the bouncer just stood there ignoring her, reeking terribly of weed. Â He shouldn't be allowed to work there. Â I don't want my money being spent to pay for an employee who's insecure and probably dropped out of high school.
Review Source:I actually saw Jose G.'s incident just a little while ago and my goodness!! A guy with sweats and and a dirty ass sweater got in and he couldn't get in. My jeans were probably a little big baggier and I got it! But, after seeing that discrimination I had no need to give them my money. Goosetown here we come!
Review Source:Last night I had the worst experience ever, I will never go in there again.
I ordered a drink and left a tip. Then later went back and bought another dink and left another tip, a while later I asked for a glass of water and the bartender went at  me about not leaving any tips. worst service ever and cant believe what has happened. I wouldnt recommend that bar to anyone
My boyfriend and I were at Willow Den in Willow Glen, San Jose for the birthday party of Live 105's morning show co-host, Menace. We got there pretty early (yay, parking spot on the street, super close to entrance), so we relaxed with some beers and watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The bar started to get packed and Live 105 showed up with some swag. They hooked me up with a Rep the Bay t-shirt, beer bottle openers and bumper stickers. Way cool.
Guinness and Lagunitas IPA were $4 each around 9pm. Around 11pm, the prices had increased to $5 each (different bartender). I thought that was a kind of weird, because they didn't have happy hour or drink specials, but I didn't question the bartender on the price change.
The Limousines were spinning a wicked set.
Compliments of Live 105, there was a photo booth. Unfortunately, the photo booth was out of order.
Bomb food truck stationed right outside.
Lots of dancing and hanging out. Lot of security walking around, looking out for trouble.
I got to meet Menace and he poured me a Jack and Coke. I also met some other really nice, special people. Great night.
Apparently it's challenging to find non-asshole bouncers in this area. I don't appreciate how one bouncer at Willow Glen treated my boyfriend, with disrespect and physical assault. My assumption is that having the title of bouncer makes one feel empowered, and with that comes an attitude of importance and, worse, cockiness. The way a situation was handled this weekend was terribly disturbing, yet this doesn't seem like the type of establishment that gives a shit about the way patrons are treated, given this employee's behavior. Total shame that Willow Den employs men like this guy, whose behavior gives them a HORRIBLE reputation.
Review Source:Ugh. Just hearing the words 'Willow Den' uttered in conversation makes my stomach churn. This place gets all kinds of nasty during 90s nights. From the killer DJs to the strong drinks, people make all kinds of bad decisions here. I'll bet there've been a few pregnancies as a direct result of the shenanigans here.
The only bummer is that parking is tough as it's street parking. Otherwise, Willow Den is the place to go if you're looking to get wild & make some poor life choices.
Not your typical dive bar, during the week day when it is not crowded it is awesome because no wait for the pool table and free dart board in the back...
It is seriously the UN of the boards, there are people of all size and ethnicity. Â There is usually an equal share of male and females, not like most bars.
The drinks are fairly priced and shots are quite large.
During the weekend, it does get crowded but on the bright side the music is on point. Â There were bumping 90s music on a Saturday. Â It does get a bit hot and it turns from a dive bard to a club on the weekends. Â However, there is not cover charge and there is a place to relax outside to cool down and to meet other people.
I'm writing this review as I'm sitting inside this bar. The owner, who I guess also moonlights as bartender, just served me a glass of water, drank from the glass, then threw a tantrum when asked for a new glass. I guess being that the place is packed, he feels untouchable but I thought if mentioned here (for those who might actually be offended when someone randomly disrespects you after dropping money on his establishment) you might think twice before supporting a d0&che like this guy.
The sad thing is, it was my first time here and I actually thought the spot was pretty cool before I was blatantly disrespected.
I am on a ROLL. A BAR ROLL. Seems like I go in waves, spurts, or debouchary spells.
Willow DEN is the quintessential DIVE bar. It's kitchy, nuff said.
Vynil on the wall, darts in the back, and plenty of pool tables to bust balls.
If you want to sit, you can rest assured you'll find a place for your tush.
If you want to watch sports, rest assured you'll find a TV. Â Not sure if what you wan't will be playing, but hey at least you have an option. Entertaining, I am sure. Â
Like other joints, you'll find dollars on the ceilings, but alas no peanuts. Â There is no band headlininig, but you will find a digital jukebox. Â The staff is patient and friendly.
Parking sucks, and lucky for you, there is a pizza and mexican joint within walking distance to cure your hangover. Word.
Tip- Bring your smart phone if you're a lady, check in via yelp, and you get buy one get one off drinks when you show them your phone.
My friend's girlfriend lives right around the corner so we come here when we wanna just hang out and be out but not spend too much. The Den is a local dive bar, something they have live bands but most of the time its a dee jay playing top 40 and some pretty wide range of music from alternative rock, pop, to hip hop and r&b. I like this place because first of all, they don't require you to be all dressy or snobby like santana row and there are no trouble makers like downtown san jose. You don't get the young kids at Downtown Campbell, what you get is a crowd very diverse chilled people who just wants to have a few drinks, shot some pool, listen to music and dance to a beat or two.
The place is not fancy, but the drinks are fairly priced. It is not expensive and people at the bar are pretty friendly, non of that pushing and shoving stuff. Ambiance is great, relax, like a laid back night. And the best part, there is no cover. It does get kind of crowded there and a little stuffy but it's really no biggie.
Overall, I'll recommend this place to those who just wants to be out and have a few drinks and not have to deal with trouble makers, snobby people, or young kids.
My friends and I came here for drinks one night, and she had to pull money out of the ATM. Â She attempted to pull $60 dollars out, but the machine seemed to freeze in the middle of the transaction. Â One of the bartenders working there told her the machine was broken and we should head over to the liquor store next door. Â My friend asked him if he would keep an eye on the machine, just in case it dispensed her money since the transaction was never canceled. Â While we were next door, he comes running over with the money and tells her that the ATM actually dispensed it. Â Automatic 5 stars for this establishment and their employees for such honesty and integrity since he could have easily pocketed it and we wouldn't have known. Â This has definitely made all of us fans of the Den.
But, besides that, this place is super chill to hang out at. Â Great place to watch some sports games, listen to live music and drink some beers. Â Definitely not overpriced or pretentious for Willow Glen.
I went to this place last night during Dancing on the Avenue with a couple of friends of mine. A lady friend of mine got a beer and tipped a dollar and the owner, "Hanz" was extremely rude to her because of that. When she came to me explaining what happened we were grabbed my security guards  being escorted out. One of the security guards was explaining to us that he had an obligation to kick us out because the owner forced him to. While passing the owner he began flipping us off and cursing at us.
I have to say, I have never been treated with such disrespect over nothing in my whole life. I was the designated driver that night and the only beer I had was the one my friend was getting for me. That being said, the two bartenders: Sam and Mena are awesome and great gals which is not what I can say for the owner, Hanz. I urge everyone to boycott this disrespectful womenizer of a "man."
Woulda gave it a hardy 5 stars until, after hangin out there for a few hours (buyin beers, Â fancy drinks with umbrellas, shots and playin pool = spending our hard earned moolah) my husband was asked to take off his hat as they don't allow hats.
Perhaps it was after a certain time, perhaps all the time, who knows. But, ummmmm... hi? Taking off a hat after wearing a hat all day on a Friday? Sorry friend. No. See ya. Not so important that we're gonna stay with hat hair.
No hats though? Seriously? At this place? No comprenday amigos... no comprenday... And by no comprenday, I mean lame. Relax folks, it's San Jose.
Ok, 1 star is being generous.
My friend's neighbor was DJing here on Saturday, so another one of her neighbors convinced us to go with him to support the guy. We get there, some random dude who was wasted walks up to my friend and 1st, tells her she has a nice rack, and 2nd, says to her "please tell me you have cocaine on you.."
Yaaa.. needless to say we didn't stay very long. The bar has 2 pool tables, which would have been cool if there was room to actually use them. The bar also has a stripper pole... yes, a stripper pole. Â Suuper classy..
Everyone crowded into the bar and hung out everywhere except the dance floor.. which I thought was interesting.
I definitely felt the need to shower after leaving this place.
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