Moe’s Alley

Moe’s is generally a great place… love the outdoor lounge, the waitstaff is great and they have fantastic shows there.
However, the other night (Meters Experience), the sound was so loud it was unbearable. Most of the people near the front had to cover their ears in order to stay there. I love loud, immersive sound. But this was ear-​splitting, over-​the-​top, dangerous to peoples’ hearing sound. I Literally ran to the bar to get some ear plugs and was told they were $ 1. I had no money on me, but said I’d get a dollar. The woman at the bar, wouldn’t let me leave with the lousy earplugs! God forbid I didn’t come back with my dollar! What was I gonna do, run away with them? No, I was gonna run to my coat and scrape up some change, while wearing the earplugs, because my coat was up front and the sound was literally damaging my ears. As it was, I got the change and then got the ear plugs, but this really lowered my opinion of the place. When the music is that loud, ear plugs should be on the house. Other than that, the show was fun and the venue was great.

Lisa! Thanks for taking care of my friends and I on my birthday at Sambada! You rock! Such a good time. (:

I saw the meters experience at moes last night, it was so awesome! The sound engineer could not have done any better, the place was pumped so full of sound I almost couldn’t take it. Perfect

Went here for a Cumbia dub show this last weekend. It was my first time and I will be back. The staff is super professional and chill. I did not catch the doorman’s name however he was super cool. Carla is a cocktail server and very good at her job. Most places the service is at best ok but I was very pleased. The music was dope also.

Great venue. Sounds good, and consistently solid acts booked — including local bands. Lisa and Ashley are particularly great bartenders. Worthy visit for music fans.

I love this place. They always have great music. The smoking area outside is always fun to make friends. I’ve met many interesting people there.
The drink prices are pretty good. I’ve never thought, «WTF?» That’s always a good sign.

I’ve seen many great shows here. Small cozy venue with really good sound. The atmosphere is very laid back. The bartenders are nice and the bouncers don’t seem to be all steroided out like some nightclubs.

I am very dissapointed by how Moes Alley Staff handled a situation today. I got harassed by a guy, he pushed me really hard. They should have kicked him out of the venure, but they allowed him to be there, and simply asked me to get away from him. I was nervous and felt unsafe the rest of the time

Do not miss a show here you will regret it in the morning.
They book world class performers as well as local acts. Even though it isn’t located downtown it is easy to get to, easy to park, etc. Overall it has a great SC vibe and an outdoor patio w/​an extra bar and food too.

Bartenders are constantly moving but ready to take your order with a smile. This is not the place to when you finally get the bartender’s attention, figure out what you want or ask a million questions. The girls take no BS and it’s a fast-​paced dive bar on a busy night with a wide range of customers, but friendly, none the less. There’s a patio area outside as well. Be sure to catch a live show if you can, the acoustics are AMAZING. We saw The Nth Power, who were absolutely phenomenal. The entire band is as tight as a knot but their hallmark is their drummer and lead vocals… What a night. We had a great time at Moe’s. We’ll definitely be back!

Based purely on a ‘seeing the band and listening to music’ scale, this would be a ZERO star review. Was there for a popular jazzy-​fusion performer (Victor Wooten and band), the place was packed, like sardines-​standing-​on-​end-​tight, and the audience was so damn noisy that we didn’t hardly hear the show, never mind that it was electric loud. my wife has a bad knee, so we had to stay towards the back where there’s a few stools, this didn’t help one bit.
maybe for a ‘party band’ kind of group, with a 50% capacity crowd so there would be room for dancing, I’d give it more stars, but for sit-​down-​and-​listen kind of music, MOE’S BLOWS.
they get 2 stars for having a decent enough bar, some good beers on tap, reasonable price for decent mixed drinks.

Moe’s Alley has great acoustics for when you’re visiting to see a band. In fact, that’s the only time I have ever been to this place. I came once to see Prezident Brown, and most recently to see the California HoneyDrops. Both shows were a packed house, with just enough room to sway with a partner. It gets really hot in there with all the people, low ceilings and no fans don’t help the situation. Outdoor bar and «smoking» area is a nice relief from the mass of sweaty bodies everywhere inside.
Bartenders have always been attentive and helpful. There needs to be more bathroom stalls — typical bar setup. Feed you drinks, make you stand in line for hours to pee.

Moe’s is great i felt like i was at a friend’s house that happened to have live music in their backyard. My friends and i were there to see Mango Kingz/​Anuhea/​Rebel Souljahz. They all had great sets which made the night fly by.
The wide open doors to the patio helped the air circulate a lot so it was never extremely hot the way some places can get because the breeze was hitting just right.
One of our concerns on this Saturday was the fact that the 2^nd half of the Golden State Warrior game was going to be on at the same time as the show. We are talking GAME 7 type epicness and everyone i was with are big Warrior fans so when we found out the game was on the same time as the show we were quite bummed. Awesomely tho, Moe’s had one TV on at the bar showing the game for those of us who were in dire need of watching the game.
By the time my friends and i got to Moe’s Alley i had stopped drinking because i was the DD for the night so i figured i’d get a water/​soda at the bar. No big deal i never mind being the designated driver especially since we had to drive thru 17 to get back to San Jose at the end of the night. I wasn’t taking any chances. The bartender must have overheard my convo with my friends because he said my soda was on the house for being a safe designated driver. I mean i know it was only like a $ 2 soda but i thought that was very nice of him to do. Kudos for that Mr. Bartender!
I’d love to check out a show at Moe’s again in the future!

This place is fantastic. One of the only places in Santa Cruz where you can dance and not get creeped. Saw a brass band here and it was so much fun.

I love Moe’s! It feels more like you’re at a house party than it does a concert… Intimate and cozy! Been to a couple reggae concerts with my crew at this venue and it gets pretty live in here. No problems with the venue; the door guy was cool, bartenders were cool, and the acoustics are great. Just good vibes all around! A great place to come see up and coming artists before they blow up and go mainstream!
Only complaint is that the line for the women’s bathroom is always long because it only has two stalls.

Smooth jazz, good drinks, small venue with a great crowd, what more needs to be said about Moe’s Alley? Every band I head here was great.

Nice shows coming through here. Lots of dancing, which was awesome to see in a little spot. Drinks were dished up by 2 incredibly surly bartenders.
Also, the sound guy was a bit stressed out, dealing with the first group today but after the show started, he chilled out a bit.

My fiancé and I go here often for reggae music. There aren’t many places in the San Jose area that offer reggae music… and Moe’s Alley seems to always have at least one reggae band playing during the week.
You walk in, the bar is to the right and the «dance floor» is to the left. Sure, it’s pretty small, but I’ve never had any problems with it. There is a outside area connected to the club which I think it pretty cool. There are a couple tables out back to sit on and a couple bench areas. Great place to sit and talk (it can get a little warm inside if you’ve been drinking), smoke, and eat (sometimes they have a food vender or a limited service bar.)
We usually park across the street near the Toys R Us. I’ve never had any problems parking here.

In all the years that I lived in Santa Cruz I never been to Moe’s Alley up until last week. My friend and I went to watch Anuhea who is an awesome vocalist from Hawaii. This is a fun venue with a full bar. The staff is friendly including the security. Typically bouncers at other bars think they’re the s**t just because they can control who goes in and out.
This is a small venue that showcases independent and up and coming musicians. With that said tickets are typically very reasonable ranging anywhere from $ 10-​$ 15 per person. Because it’s a small venue the stage is quite small too, which is fine because you get to experience an up close and personal show.
Very convenient parking. You have to park your car across the street on the back portion of the lot of where Toys r’ Us is located. But it’s a small street and you can be at the bar within seconds of parking your car.
I guess the crowd varies depending on the act. At least when I was there the crowd is very cool and friendly. Talked to a lot of people there for the Anuhea show and everyone was so super friendly. I would love to go back and watch other shows there.

So Moe’s is cool n’ all, but what gives with starting the bands soooooooooooo late?
2 hours late, really? how the heck can anyone try to be there to catch the whole gig.
I know there are lots of stoners who can barely make it up off the couch to get there, maybe you are being polite for them or maybe it’s the scheduled run-​up-​the-​bar-​tab time?
Either way, pleez get a handle on it, I KNOW it’s not the band’s fault.
Moe’s is otherwise cool, nice lil patio, good beer decent prices, plenty of parking.