Dine-in bar

Customers can bring in take-out at Bartenders Union

THIRST QUENCHER Bartender Jayme Zeiler serves up some hospitality to customer Inga Alonzo. Photo: Bev Stenehjem
The fun factor in downtown Gilroy just got kicked up a notch with the opening of Bartenders Union, the newest business venture of Dustin Evanger (formerly the owner of The Hill Bar & Grill in Morgan Hill) and his three business partners. A ribbon-cutting was held Oct. 23.

“As former bartenders, we wanted to create a place where we would want to go hang out,” explained Evanger. So they built Bartenders Union, an urban chic, industrial décor bar with metal stools, aluminum corrugated ceiling, pendant light fixtures made out of whiskey bottles and walls paneled with reclaimed wood. “It is a comfortable hangout, for everybody—old, young and everything in between.”

Along with a full bar, there are 20 beers on tap and four in the bottle. When a keg is finished, it is replaced with something entirely new. Two red wines and two white wines are also available.

Be prepared to bring in your own nibbles or food as no food is served at this establishment. But there is plenty to do with two pool tables, two pinball machines, a jukebox and two big-screen TVs.

A mural entitled, Union Rules, takes up an entire wall and is meant to be as instructive as it is humorous with tongue-in-cheek rules such as “If you yell, whistle or waive money, you will only wait longer” and “The muddler is broken today.”

Happy Hour is Monday through Friday, 1–5 pm, with discounts on well drinks and bottled beer.

Bev Stenehjem
Latest posts by Bev Stenehjem (see all)
About Bev Stenehjem
Bev Stenehjem is a wine columnist for South Valley Magazine and is the author of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, Arcadia Publishing. Bev also promotes the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley association on Facebook and Twitter. Reach her at [email protected].