The Cinebar

History

The Cinebar, at 69 E. San Fernando Street in the old Lawrence Hotel building, has been dated to 1928 and is often called one of downtown San Jose’s oldest bars. It survived redevelopment as a proud dive, with a jukebox, a disco ball, and a long-standing no-dancing rule. Owner Stacy Sutherland fought to keep it open through the 2020 shutdown. A fire in January 2021 gutted the building that housed the bar.