San Jose Improv

The first Improv comedy club had virtually nothing to do with comedy. Broadway producer Budd Friedman founded the now legendary franchise in 1963 as an intimate spot for performers to eat, drink coffee, and sing along to piano ditties after their shows. Soon after, the club’s first comedian, Dave Astor, performed on a whim to try out new material. The stand-up set was a hit and led to the venue’s eventual transformation into a full-blown comedy club. New York’s hottest comedians would do nearly anything to be featured on the Improv stage; for instance, it's rumored that Lily Tomlin hijacked a parked limousine in order to make a stunning entrance when first meeting Budd.

As part of the respected chain of Improv comedy clubs—where comedic heavyweights such as Andy Kaufman, Jay Leno, and Jerry Seinfeld first started working the stand-up circuit—San Jose Improv lives up to the reputation set by its preceding locations by hosting a full calendar of well-known comics and promising up-and-comers. Audience members can fuel laughter with pub grub such as buffalo wings and barbecue prime rib sandwiches, all while sipping a cocktail to avoid eye contact with the giant rubber chicken sitting at the next table.