This place is a great find by my partner and we came here last night after a busy day of festivities. They have such an extensive space to play games and I didn't realize they also have food available here in addition to drinks. We got a sandwich, liquid death and a mocktail! The drinks were refreshing, however, the sandwich was not very good... We played friend sip for 15 minutes or so before transitioning to an improv game. This place is quite busy on a Saturday night and can house several groups of people! read more

Guildhouse - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

I've been here times innumerable. I was frequenting here back when it was still Forager, and then changed hands during Covid to what it is today. And after all this time, so little has been done to improve the space, so I have to slam you for your mismanagement of a great venue. Yes, you are creating space for so many niche hobbies. You're creating community for a crowd I resonate with. But goddamn, you're really shooting yourselves in the foot still. Problems that need to be addressed: 1. If you're booked for a private event, you NEED to declare it to the public. Don't make me walk up intending a night with friends, only to be turned away because you found a better way to make money. Like how hard is it to have an instagram, or a website with an events page (you DO, omfg, USE it) and warn folks. I would say only about half of the private bookings are declared currently; which is absolutely pathetic. Imagine how many people you're pissing off aside from me. How do you expect to cultivate customer loyalty this way? 2. Your restroom facilities..... it's like what you find in a derelict stadium from the 60s. My god. It's gross in there. A huge update is needed. But I guess you're holding out hope that facility can be booked by Hollywood for it's next horror-slasher scene. 3. Your bar program. Are you serious? The same cocktails and same EXACT beers on rotation since you first opened years ago. You're in the heart of the beer capital--SJ use to have 20+ breweries until COVID and Gen-X+Alpha killed it. With all these amazing local producers, you do nothing to support them and source beers that people would love to try. The lack of a bar program is abysmal. Forget missing out on pleasing your patrons with amazing choices. Think about how much money you could be making. I look at your space, the amount of traffic you're getting; and all I see is how you utterly dropped the ball. Talk to any restaurateur/entrepreneur, and they'll tell you how massively you're dumping potential profits. Amongst the various communities that frequent your joint, we all openly hate your bar, and wish it could be expanded: both in size to reduce lines during peak hours and more offerings 4. Acoustics. You've done very little to dampen echo in a building with nothing but hard surfaces. There's never truly a sense of comfort since our ears are constantly assaulted. While there are many other issues, these are the most critical that need to be corrected. The amount of people that I've brought here and met randomly always share the same conclusion: this place is cool, but it could be so much better. As courtesy and creating space for communities that need it, I'll remove this review if you at least address half the issues. We all like you. But just do BETTER. You don't even have to do it for us. Trust me, you'll make more money. read more

What an incredible place. I went on a random Tuesday while in town and there was still excitement. There was a tekken and 2XKO tournament happening, so i mostly stood around and watched that. But there were board games, consoles, and PCs to be used too! In the back they were having a big social deduction game and in the side area, plenty of groups playing card games and TTRPGs like D&D. I ordered a chicken parm sandwich and the Johnny Silverhand cocktail. They were pretty quick on the sandwich too. Everything came out delicious and i really enjoyed the drink. I look forward to the next time I'm in the area read more

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Nice space, good vibes, excellent service, very interesting cocktails and draft beer selection. I ended up trying a cocktail called soul caliber, which was smooth and tasty. Great place to come to mingle, party and play interesting games. read more

The space is enormous and full of activities. This is a great place to invite a group or maybe a village. You will find all sorts of board games, cocktails, and bar foods to satiate your appetite. The bartenders and servers are very attentive and keep the space clean. Highly recommend this spot if you are new in town or a local wanting to host a game night. read more

Guildhouse - pretzel - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

I came here with seven friends to play the last session of our 3-year D&D campaign. We wanted to go out with a celebration. This was a great place to do it! Loved being able to get food and drinks while we had our session, although you can also bring in outside food (which was great for my gluten-free friend). We sat at our own high top table, so we could focus on each other even amid a busy room. I noticed that one of the walls was filled with all kinds of board games, so I'd love to come back to play with friends again sometime. read more

Guildhouse is so much fun everytime that I go. It's enough up to the point where whenever I go, I never want to leave (even if I stick with one game for my entire visit). Great food too! read more

I didn't know this place existed until they started hosting Star Trek trivia night in September! It is 100% awesome. Lots of tables to play board games on, lots of PC's to play other games on. This is a nerd's paraside and I wish I had known about it sooner. They have food and drinks. The food is I believe all sandwiches and the avocado and turkey is fantastic. I do wish they had hamburgers though. The drinks menu is small but all game themed. Went there on Super Smash Bros night and it was PACKED last month. All in all, a business that will get my money. read more

It's a very spacious area for having fun with friends. Bar and snacks available were tasty. Service is prompt with making drinks and keeping the tables around tidy. Plenty of table top games to play and gaming systems to use. One of my top hangout spots in DTSJ read more

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Was at Guildhouse for a private function and it is a great space! Wide open clean site lines. I would definitely come back again. If anyone is looking for an event venue in San Jose, I'd say this is a great option. Parking was easy to find and pretty cheap. read more

An event space made for the gamer in us! TV set ups for Nintendo switch gaming, with devices ready for gaming. Plenty of PC rigs for high level gaming. Friendly staff with lots of accommodation! It's about $20 per hour to use the TVs if you want to connect your own controllers. Just keep in mind that the drink are a bit expensive & watered down/not strong. But I'll definitely be back for the games part. read more

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Very impressed with the space and drinks. Lots to do, so the fun board games, ample amount of tables and seating, and wide selection of drinks. I didn't order the food but I noticed they also sell food too! Keep in mind the kitchen closing time though. Super lively atmosphere and outgoing staff! I heard it's the only place that had soju on tap! I tried the Emerald Dream (melon soju) and Sarangbae (strawberry soju) cocktail. Each soju cocktail is $12 which is pretty cheap! Considering other bar places would sell almost $20. I liked the melon one a tad bit more. But both were very good and sweet. Easy to drink which can be dangerous.. My friend's Princess Peach looks like water but rest assured it had alcohol. I saw people come here in large groups, celebrating bdays, which makes it an ideal spot for overall social gathering. read more

Guildhouse - Princess peach // sarangbae - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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This is one of my favorite spots in downtown San Jose. Tonssssss of board games to choose from and have always had all the pieces. Great drinks and tasty food. You can come with just a couple people or a whole crew and have plenty of space. The environment is very relaxed and welcoming. Love coming here! read more

Guildhouse is a great spot if you want to hang out with friends or coworkers. We have held company bonding events here and they are always a hit. The atmosphere is lively and the games add a fun twist to the usual night out. Drinks are solid and the staff is friendly. Definitely recommend this place for a casual night of fun and games. read more

I'm writing this review specifically for their Hogwarts, Harry Potter event that was $45 per person. They advertised that there would be drinks, refreshments, games, etc and although that was technically true, it was a horribly cheap experience and pretty much everyone who went the same night as me were incredibly disappointed. The only positive was that my bf and I were able to bond with complete strangers over this event. It's so sad because were super excited and even came dressed up. The only reason I gave them 2 stars instead of 1 is because I feel bad. Literally that's the only reason. Also, heads up, I will use the word "cheap" in this review ten thousand times. First, although the employees were nice, they were just not very good actors. The whole performance came across as amateur, cringey, and often times annoying. There was a "wizard" character who would walk in randomly, say something, and walk out...but he was NEVER in "full character," it felt very much like they put a random college kid in costume and made him walk out randomly. Second, the games they wanted us to play made me roll my eyes. They wanted us to "battle" each other in groups of four by playing mario cart, then beer pong, then hacky sack or something like that, and then their version of rock, paper, scissors but it was such a tiny amount of space and just frankly really awkward. They also didn't allow us to stay at any station more than a few minutes because we were only allowed in the event space for 1.5 hours total. So we never really got into anything, "Wizard" pong didn't even require anyone to make it into a cup before moving forward, we just threw the ball once and got shoved to the next station which was one step away. The little craft stations they had set up was even WORSE. They had 3 stations when we were there, a station to write out your name in spell form...so it was literally scraps of paper and some markets. The second station was a "wand" making station but it wasn't even wands LOL it was freaking wooden sticks from Michaels or something. Like plant dowels. There wasn't even a point on them. They had acrylic paints, some hot glue guns, and feathers for the wand making station. The craft station wasn't used by ANYONE. They didn't even set it up properly for us but it was supposedly for you to make your own mandrake plant. I've seen better craft stations at children birthday parties. Third, the drinks and refreshments they offered us was a complete joke. The "refreshments" were literally pretzel sticks and milk duds in little dollar tree plastic containers. Freaking 20 sticks of pretzels per cup, one cup for the whole "house" aka a table of 8??? When I asked if there would be more food, the hostess said they'll bring us chocolate frogs later but they never did. They gave us 2 drinks, both alcoholic, as part of the event and 1 drink ticket to use at the bar. The drink at the bar was the only decent thing we had. The two drinks they gave us were disgusting. I just felt like this entire event was WASTEFUL AND CHEAP. The first drink was this pink drink that was straight alcohol and they gave you a shot of lemon juice to turn the alcohol into a different color and add glitter. Tasted nasty. The second drink was worse. It was a hot tea with alcohol, I don't know what it was called. I don't understand why they couldn't just serve us butterbeer? They had it on the menu? Everyone at our table complained about the drink taste to each other. Most people did NOT finish their drinks, esp the second one. Somehow the event felt rushed and yet a drag of time all at once. We did not attend the "graduation" nor did we find anything interesting about the "clues" they apparently hid around the room. read more

The five stars are only for their Free Tuesday night family and friends boardgaming nights. Every Tuesday night, everyone is allowed to join in on the boardgames provided there, or bring in a boardgame that they want to play. Coming here was worthwhile for boardgames which needed the larger groups of players to reach peak enjoyment. Also, joining into boardgames with neighborhood people who are not friends or family, allows for more ruthless competition, as well as playing against new people with unknown and unexpected playing styles. There were around 20 boardgamers in the smaller room, and about 30 more in the grand hall. Boardgames and card games were both underway when I visited. There might of been an RPG going on as well. read more

Can't believe I didn't find this place sooner!! Came here by chance one night with some friends and hubby discovered his new favorite cocktail - Nuka Cola and shots. Noticed lots of people playing board games while we were there, being board game lovers myself, came back again another day to play some games with friends. Bonus we managed to come here when they were doing a Fallout theme, they even have a list of challenges/missions you can try to complete, so fun. Very impressed with the nice music, selection of drinks and snacks, as well as board games. Will definitely come back for more game nights. read more

This is my go-to place whenever I want to go out with my girlfriend or group of friends. It's so spacious with plenty of tables and places to chill at. We typically go for the board games that are already provided, but sometimes we come to hang out and watch people play on the big screens. We don't drink but the mocktails one of the bartenders made us was fantastic! I profanely love the cookies here too. read more

Where do I begin? First off, this place is so cool to grab a drink and hang out. They have games, host all kind of tech events, and have a good cocktail and beer assortment (as well as mocktails). You probably don't think of this venue when you think of hosting a celebration of life, but that is exactly what we did. We were looking for a cool spot for people to hang out, share memories, and have drinks. This place exceeded every expectation. From the first time we met Johnny, the manager, he blew us away with his empathetic approach and ability to make things easy for us on a very difficult day. He and Kevin (the events guru) made the process seamless from booking to securing the details. The entire staff, bartender included, went above and beyond on the day of our event to make sure everyone was well taken care of. I can't thank their entire team for making a difficult day seem seamless. All of our guests loved the venue, and we all look forward to coming back! read more

Came for trivia, ate a pretzel. Order at the counter. Lots of seating, chill office space vibes. Ordered: Giant pretzel W mustard It's well located in the outskirts of downtown. Street parking. Video games Board games Come with friends. They are nice to patrons. read more

Guildhouse - Seating and gaming area - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

Great little spot with areas where you can host a group. Tiny bar but some beers, cocktails, and mocktails. The video games playing everywhere was really cool. And it's in the middle of downtown close to the climbing gym. read more

I stopped in here after working a convention nearby. I am from out of town. This place was so cool. I'm a great big nerd myself and I felt right at home. Console games to PC games to tabletop this place has everything. It's a huge open space with a big welcoming environment. If you're a geek or a nerd and you want to be social this is the place to go read more

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Amazing space with great drinks! This place is extremely unique and I would highly recommend it. It's a PC/Board Game cafe but with a bar! They have rentable consoles and PCs to game on with a lot of different party games, and a pretty sizable shelf with many different board games. I came with a party of 7 and we all got a lot of different drinks to try. I had The Gunslinger, which was on the stronger side but tasted great, I tried sips of all of my friends drinks, including: Haduken!, Emerald Dream, The Lych King, Pheonix Rising, and the Silver Surfer. I didn't think a single drink was bad, and my friends all agreed and raved about their drinks. I especially liked the Lych King, which was a Lychee Soju based cocktail. Compared to all the other bars in the area, these drinks were extremely generous both price and amount wise! Not much to say about this spot overall! Its super cool, super chill, and enormous space-wise with amazing drinks! Would highly recommend for groups looking to play some games or just hang out - I will definitely be returning and dragging friends along! Note - They occasionally host tournaments too - we went on a Friday night with a Rainbow 6 Siege tourney and the atmosphere was super hype! read more

Guildhouse - The Gunslinger! - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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This place was really fun on a Saturday night! The interior is HUGE and there's another room in the back that's also ridiculously large and has rows of gaming PCs that you can use. This place not only has an impressive collection of board games but also has a lot of TVs and couches set up where you can play console games with your friends. We saw folks playing Tekken, Street Fighter 6, Super Smash Brothers, and Mario Party. There are also giant screens on the wall that were constantly playing streamer videos (I think they might have been live? Not too sure). This place hosts gaming tournaments so check the events page to see what's going on. We were here for a friend's pre-wedding dinner and it was super chill and fun. Outside food is surprisingly allowed so our friends brought in giant party trays of tacos from an outside vendor and we had a great time sitting at the tables and eating. There was also a bar at the front where you could order drinks. I also saw some food items for sale too. I feel like this place is great to hang out with friends and play some games! It's very cool that it's not just board games. I rarely see video game lounges, and I've never seen a place combine both board games and video games! read more

Limited food options inside- sandwiches and some light snacks. There is usually a food truck outside with burgers and such. You can also bring your own food. Bathrooms - clean stalls in the women's in the back. Service - everyone has been friendly at bar and such. Parking - street parking. There are some paid lots but I usually get lucky after hours and just find a spot in the street nearby. Always a fun time here. They also have events for games and even paint nights! Check out the calendar for events! read more

Guildhouse - Busiest event I've been at! - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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My friends and I came to check this place out on a Friday night. The same night they were having an event (a DJ set). We didn't know that there were 2 halves, thankfully someone in line was able to direct us to the non-event half. Sadly, because of the event, the food and bar were closed. We were able to purchase drinks from the fridge, and they were quite affordable as far as drinks go, and they came with a free hour on the computer. The space available for boardgames was almost completely full. The person working the front desk was great at explaining how it works, and the computer stations were clean. There was also hand sanitizer available. I wanted to play marvel rivals, but it looks like it was the same date as a large update so it took about 40min of my hour to download the game. We did get another free hour, which was very nice, I'm not sure if there's a way to purchase more time at the computer, but we just asked the front desk. I would give 3 stars based on what was available during the event, but I think on any other given night, this would be a really cool place to hang out! read more

Cool place for gamers to hang out. They have a shelf full of boardgames or you can bring your own. It looks like you can rent consoles but we didn't do that this time around. Fun cocktails but limited food items. read more

A regular here and it's great! They have so many events and space. Sometimes it ma get really loud when there's an event happening. There's a quieter parlor on one side (where the PC's are) that's usually quieter. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The snacks are good (the pretzel is HUGE) and drinks are pretty unique. read more

Guildhouse - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

TLDR: Fun Vibes, great ambience and good service. Limited food options and not pet friendly We tried Guildhouse on a Saturday evening and this place was so much fun! We had our dog along so had to occupy the only outdoor table - but we're allowed to get our food, drinks and games to the table. read more

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Guildhouse is a gaming lounge in downtown San Jose. They have both PC games and traditional board games. I came here last night for a game night that one of my friends hosted. All in all, a neat space with a good bar! Fun place to spent a Saturday night. Bartenders were friendly. I wanted to play chess, so turns out you can "rent" it from them (leave your ID there). The closest parking is the convention center garage, which is $1 for 15 minutes. About a 5 minute walk from there down 1st Street. I am not really a gamer, but would return to Guildhouse if my friends hosted another game night. Overall, a fun concept for a gaming lounge! read more

Guildhouse - Bar area - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

$30 for the food pictured below. The owner served us and was incredibly accommodating! I ordered more than usual because most bars leave me wanting more. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that Guildhouse actually fills me up and I have hella leftovers. The place is hell spacious and can fit so many people in here. Since they host so many different gaming events, they're very used to gamers coming in and gaming the night away. Brisket House Pocket Tru Fru Strawberry Milk Chocolate Pretzels read more

Guildhouse - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

Fun spot for big crowds. Love that there's a big range of games (tabletop games all the way to modern PCs) for different folks.

My friends and I came here on a Friday evening, initially wanting to hang out, play games, eat and have a drink. We didn't end up playing games, but we had fun nonetheless! The space is pretty big with tables set up all over. Along the walls, there are gaming areas where you can rent to play different games like Mario Kart and the like. There is a lot of board games that you can grab to play at a table by the bar and food counter. Food & Drinks: They have a full bar with their own cocktail menu, but can make any drink that a standard bar can make. Their cocktail menu is pretty fun and the drinks are based off gamer related items. I had the soul caliber drink, which was absolutely delicious. It was one of the best drinks I've had in awhile. It basically tasted like good coffee. My friend and I also ordered the following food: Cheese Pizza Pocket Cauliflower Curry Pocket Tater Tots Ultimately, the food was okay. It was a good portion, but nothing to write home about. The tater tots could have been crispier. Since it was a Friday, there were also food trucks outside that you can order food from and bring in as well. Service: Service was standard for a bar. They had plenty of people working so the wait wasn't ever too bad. You order food and reserve games at the counter. You are given a buzzer, and you pick up your food at the same counter when the buzzer goes off. TL;DR - a cool space for gaming, drinking & eating. read more

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This spot is cool. Good drinks from the bartender and lots of game to play from board games to computer and PlayStation stuff. read more

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We were in the gaming room. Staff was really attentive to our party. I will be back as well as people in my party

Pretty cool place for this area. Friday night and this place is very large that it wasn't crowded. Lots of seats. Vibe is pretty chill. Bar is located at the entrance. Large selection of drinks. A small "cafe" next to the bar to order food. Small menu. Ordered tater tart and pretzel and both are bussin'. They have board games and large tvs. street parking. read more

I always love coming here with my friends, the soju cocktails are so good and they have plenty of seating. The bartenders are so nice as well and they have a ton of board games to choose from. If you want to play on their Switch, it's around $20 an hour! read more

Guildhouse - Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

I really love the idea of Guild House -- a board game café combined with a bar and restaurant is such a cool concept, and it's exactly the kind of place I want to spend time at. Unfortunately, during my visit, there were several issues that made the experience disappointing. Board games: Every game we played -- and we tried several -- was in poor condition. Cards were sticky, greasy, and felt unhygienic. It seemed like none of the sets had been cleaned or replaced in a very long time. For a place centered around gaming, this really took away from the fun. Bathrooms: I went to wash my hands multiple times throughout the evening, and each time, the soap dispensers were empty. Someone had even filled them with water, which is ineffective and frankly gross. With so many shared games and surfaces, basic hygiene should be a higher priority. Water and cups: The self-serve water station was another disappointment. The tap water itself looked bubbly and off, and the reusable cups had a strong chemical/bleach smell. When I asked about this, the staff member working (tall guy, with hair tied back) was dismissive and rude -- he even blamed me for "sniffing the cups" rather than addressing the concern. I asked multiple times for a disposable cup and was ignored each time, so I gave up on getting water altogether. Food & drinks: I ordered a beer (I think it was the 530) and a pretzel. The beer was fine, but the pretzel was extremely salty -- not in a tasty way, just unpleasant and hard to enjoy. Overall, I still like the concept of Guild House, and I think it has a lot of potential. But the combination of the described issues above made this visit frustrating. I hope management takes these issues seriously, because with better upkeep and attention to customer experience, this could be an amazing spot. read more

Amazing place to hang out and game! There are tournaments of people who are experts in esports. The food and snacks are fire. I ended up ordering a calzone, and it was substantially better than I expected. It had a mini salad to go with it that tasted great. 10$. They also serve tater tots and fries for about 7$. I enjoyed the flavor. However, there wasn't any marinara sauce with mine. It was mainly cheese, pepperoni, and bread. The service was good. The lady smiled and was happy to serve me. They also sell beer. The people are usually young, nerdy students who play video games more than they should. Tournaments like League of Legends, street fighter, super smash bros. And overwatch, to name a few. I watch them sometimes, but it's too geeky for me. A lot of alienware and razer blade computers and laptops are in the side room and upstairs area. It's a great place to hang out and enjoy some snacks. No arcade games, though. The other arcade uproar is across the street, but it's dead every time I go there. I played a few games there, but it is pricey compared to miniboss. The best part about this place is that it is huge. There are a ton of people and yet there is still alot of space to sit, game or stand. The atmosphere is nice and relaxing to me especially at night when everyone is out partying or walking around. It's also in a safe area without any loitering and crime. read more

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As a video game and board game fanatic, I absolutely LOVE the vibes at Guildhouse! Tried one of their drinks and it was a bit too sweet for me, but hey, I'm all about the vibes here! I went with two friends on a weekday late afternoon and there is a LOT of space and activities to do - it wasn't too crowded at this time either. We ended up renting an hour of Mario Party on the Switch at our own sofa/TV and it was so much fun! Eventually, more people came in (it was never overly crowded) and others would play Catan, various board games, play PC games, and more. Also, they host epic tournaments where people can compete for a cash prize! read more

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