55 South

The drinks are OK and the prices are fairly reasonable for downtown San Jose but If you step out for a smoke you have to wait in line again. They stamp your hand too. What’s the point of stamping your hand if:
A) they don’t even check the stamps
B) they don’t let you come back in
It’s a dumb system which should be fixed. It’s also small and very crowded. I wouldn’t recommend coming here with a group much larger than 3

Interesting, good music, and dim atmosphere is nice for lounging. I had the Moscow Mule and really liked the way it tasted. It was refreshing and it would of been perfect if it was served in a copper mug but I guess that’s just wishful thinking. Or actually I just wasn’t lucky enough to get that copper touch
I’m with my two best friends who happen to be white and for the rest of the night we noticed the only women coming in were Asian from that point on, however at least the men were pretty diverse. I was in a white girl sandwich in a sea of yellow fish. Probably a good spot for men with Yellow fever to come to. Cool, shout out to all the good looking Asian women who age so well and my two best friends :-)
Us being girls, we tried each other’s drinks and we they all tasted well-​made! Pretty crafty cocktails.
Our drinks:
French pear martini
Moscow mule
Rosalinda

Great place for drinks with friends. Need live music every weekend. My go to drinks are the Moscow Mule and Old Fashion. Tasty! Very friendly bar tenders as well

THe drinks were unique and tasted fantastic. I liked the feel of the bar. Th only thing I had an issue with was that when I was sitting at a table and I ordered drinks, when I paid with the waitress, she didn’t ask if I wanted to keep a tab open, she just never came back with my card. If she had asked prior, I would have said to close it out, but I had to hunt her down haha. She was pleasant though, jsut caught me off guard!

The Old Fashion… Is a true modern day gentleman’s drink! Sip it slow… Smell it… And enjoy it! @JimmyNguyen415

I was here for a music video release party and it was a pleasant experience.
The bartenders and waitresses were very friendly. There was an additional drink charged on my tab but the manager fixed it right away!
Thanks 55 South!

Jasmine was an amazing waitress. My BF and I came from Orange County and we stopped by this bar on Wednesday on a whim. I’m glad Jasmine was able to share her expertise of the area and show us other places to go while being humble about her residence at 55 South.

I used to go out to DTSJ a lot on the weekends when I was working in retail. Pissy customers, long hours and late shifts are a definite gateway to drinking whether its the weekday or weekend. 55 south has always been one of the bars I always had to stop by on my nights out because of the great selection and quality of drinks.
Ambiance: Dimly lit and very cramped which makes things exciting, fast paced and loud as a good bar should be. Nice hardwood floors, tables which give the bar a nice classy vibe to it.
Drinks: I’ve enjoyed all the drinks that I’ve ordered there from the moscow mules to the old fashioned’s. I can’t speak too much on their specialty cocktails since I’ve really only tried their «State of Grace» drink but all my friends who have ordered them said they were good..
Service: The bartenders here are friendly and helpful with any questions you have. I also like that they are able to serve their drinks quickly despite how busy it gets sometimes.
Overall experience: One of my favorite bars in SJ that I would recommend to anyone.

Extremely busy on the weekends.
Not really my thing and not really my favorite bar.
However, I do like to come on Sundays when they have live music and there are less people around.

I must admit I was on a quest, or a mission to find… pizza? Yes!!! Guess what? They DO NOT have that here which is find by me. One of my friends across the way at Cream mentioned this place to me…
So…what do I do? I set out looking for food walking across the street. then inside this place I see pretty Asian gal… should I go inside? Ok… do they serve food? Yes!!! Take a look at menu? Ok… order food? YES!!!
Caulifower soup. I’m just not so sure how the food was going to be, cause this is basically a bar. Another thing I wanted was a soda, and when it comes to ginger ale/​ginger beer I’m very picky. Fortunately my lovely server Thuy. pronounced Twee let me try a sample… and I was very impressed, so I ordered some.
While I was waiting for my food to come I just got a great vibe from this place, the workers, the atmosphere (which is pretty chill, and not to loud)…then, about five minutes later my food came… guess what? I saw the not skinny chef bring the food out. isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? The saying goes don’t trust a skinny chef. The soup was nice and hot (not spicey). WOW – I must admit I’m not one that goes to bars, hardly ever, I just wanted some food. THIS WAS THE BEST BAR FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD AND THE SOUP WAS AMAZING!!!
Thanks Thuy for refilling my soda and bringing me more bread/​knapkins. The soup really hit the spot! I needed that. If I remember correctly it was Benny that gave me the info of where I was so I could write a reveiw.
I also happened to meet Matt (one of the bartenders), and Jason, the one outside of this great spot. They close at 2am. They have been here for three years. There is also live music on Sundays starting at 9pm… finally…I did use the restroom… and the restroom passed my test of being clean… my only complaint if anything is that there is graffitti on the back of the door to the Men’s restroom, otherwise, enjoy this cool, chill place. Hopefully you’ll get the same great server I did. Enjoy!!!

They have the nicest bartenders!
I don’t drink but they were able to make me some yummy non alcoholic drinks! My tummy was happy.
This is a speakeasy type of bar, they have cool couches and a good list of mixology drinks. It’s a great place to just chill and catch up if you’re in Downtown. There’s parking lot right next to it, I think it was $ 6 to park there.

Came here for happy hour and later at night. There were very few people during happy hour. Ordered a cheese press and that was delicious!
It gets more crowded later at night. They’re known for their Moscow Mules which are pretty good, but personally just not my taste.

**GREAT CRAFT COCKTAILS IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE**
Arranged a last-​minute Happy Hour here.
Glad I did.
Happy Hour Monday through Saturday 4pm to 7pm.
PARKING
========
Street or parking lot for $ 5.
AMBIANCE
=========
Speakeasy, hipster feel.
Comfortable and friendly vibes.
Great cocktail menu.
Good mix of people (mostly work colleagues and friends).
FOOD
======
BEET SALAD — $ 5
This was good and it came with poached eggs! Winner.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
CAULIFLOWER SOUP — $ 5
A bit too thick and creamy for my personal taste.
I would suggest less cream and more broth.
RATING: ³⁄₅
DRINKS
=======
OLD FASHIONED (with Bourbon not Rye) — $ 10
Pretty darn good.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
PEAR MARTINI — $ 10
I should have just ordered a Vesper.
My palette does not allow for sweet drinks.
Refreshing, but Grey Goose Pear is too sweet for me.
RATING: 3.5÷5
SERVICE
=======
Our bartender was fast and efficient.
Made sure we had our food and drinks in a timely manner.
However, our table wasn’t cleaned (after finishing our food)
for awhile. No biggie, but I don’t like looking at leftover
cauliflower soup after an hour.
RATING: 3.5÷5
OVERALL
========
Great place for friends and group gatherings.
I definitely want to visit them for Tiki Tuesdays.
RECOMMEND for above-​average Happy Hours in DTSJ.

As usual, anytime I’m in a new city I like to try out specialty cocktail places! In San Jose, we chose to visit this place and also Paper Planes across the street. Both have slightly different vibes but I’m definitely leaning towards liking this place better because of the music and overall more of a Classic-​styled Signature Cocktail menu. It also wasn’t crazy crowded but everyone inside seemed to be having a great time either dancing or catching up with friends. Fun crowd. Also, coming from Vegas, where almost every large club plays EDM, I was really surprised and happy to walk in this place and hear a mix of mostly 2000s Hip Hop/R&B. Yeay! Big bonus was that their Signature Cocktails were only priced at $ 10 each! Score! Definitely different from the $ 15-​$ 18 that I’m used to!
I ordered the State of Grace first and then a Moscow mule. The boyfriend and his brothers ordered altogether a Pisco Sour, Sidecar, Old Fashioned, and a Negroni. I really enjoyed the State of Grace! It had Muddled Raspberries, Elderflower Liqueur, Orange/​Lime/​Lemon juice and Sparkling Wine. It was very refreshing from the citrus and sweet. Definitely would recommend getting this one. My Moscow Mule was a little bit too sweet and limey in my opinion, I thought it needed more of a ginger flavor. But I find that in most places outside of my favorite spot in Vegas makes them kind of like that: sweet and limey with barely any ginger flavor. Still really good though and at only $ 10, I’m definitely not complaining. As for the other drinks that my company got, I’m not really into Vermouth or Bourbon so I didn’t like them as much but that’s just because I’m more into Gin or Vodka based drinks but they all said they really liked them.
If I’m ever in San Jose again, this place would probably be my first stop! :)

Positives:
Great drinks. Poppin’ venue. Plenty of tables and lounge area. Music is loud enough.
Negatives:
Slightly sticky floor. Bartenders stingy for tips as in they may «accidentally» miscalculate the cost of the drink to include their tip with the price of the drink (pretty shady =/​). Shortage of restrooms equals long lines. Smaller venue compared to what’s available nearby.

If I could, I’d give 55 South a gillian stars :-)
Amazing drinks, cool vibe, great and sleek décor (without being too stiff or hipster). You can tell that they have great pride in their bar by how well maintained it is.
55 South has a vast selection of gin and whiskeys, with a few wines and beers. Do yourself a favor and come for the craft cocktails. They know how to REALLY make them here. Extensive cocktail menu (Moscow Mule «aka Gil Gil Mule», Old Fashion, French 75, State of Grace, Bramble, El Oso), but they can customize your drinks to your preference (as I know someone prefers their drinks strong with an alcohol forward, whereas I prefer my drinks with a lesser alcohol forward taste). The Moscow Mules are the real deal and served in a copper mug. They even make their own ginger syrup with real ginger and sugar for the mules (and the only bar I know of that does that). The Old fashions are also legit, with the big round ice ball (they’ve got the real ice ball maker, too).
I’ve been to 55 South on a number of occasions and always a good time. Whether it be a weeknight or weekend night, the drinks and service have always been on point.
They have also have a limited food menu, and am amazed at what the Chefs can do without a full kitchen. Here’s what I’ve tried:
— Macaroni and cheese — Hot cheese goodness! Excellent and must have!
— Burger — Very tender and juicy thanks to the slow cook process!
— Cheese press — (Amazing grilled cheese with Swiss, Smoked white, and Goat cheese along with Tomato and Basil). OMG, one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had. Truth!
— Chicken Marsala– This was surprisingly delicious, with a really nice savory sauce. Super tender juicy pieces of chicken and big mushrooms.
Bartenders (Brian, Link, J-​Tran to name a few) are super nice, friendly, and efficient. They definitely know how to make their drinks. You’ll occasionally see their bosses, Paul and Eric behind the bar, but they’ve left the drink making in most excellent hands,
Check out special events like the Tiki Tuesdays (last Tuesdays of the month during summer), Classic Mondays with Motown hits and all (every Monday).
Thanks Paul and Eric and your fantastic staff. You guys rock and keep up the excellent work!
Get your drink and food on by hitting up 55 South if you want the best craft cocktails, excellent bartenders, and a super cool vibe. I promise that they will take good care of you, and tell them that Gill C sent you!
Cheers! Salud!

Not as good as paper plane but they still have since selection of liqueur. Giving this place 3 stars because the cocktails are a little overpriced for what they are.
The vibe is very chill and mostly late 20s /​30s. The music seems to be on a never ending loop but it could be worse.
I’d give this place a try if it’s up your ally but it’s not a place is return to.