San Jose Improv

Reviews

• LS

  Lisa Sullivan

  Jan 1, 2026
  2.0
  Won’t be back. Went to see the New Year’s Eve show last night. It was a complete disaster. We have attended NYE shows at the improv in the past and thought it would be fun to take a group. The only decor was a plastic bead necklace on the table?!? Drinks are never great so wasn’t expecting more. Food was decent and quick service was the only saving grace. The act was Alberto Robles. He showed up with 20 min of mediocre material for an hour time slot. He attempted to slide his way through the rest of his time by carrying on conversation with drunken crowd members and looking at his watch every 2 min for the countdown which was 35 min away. Painful. This is the best act they could come up with for NYE? So not worth the ticket.
• JJ

  JCruz

  Dec 31, 2025
  4.0
  I've been here a few times through the years. Some comedians are good while others not so much. But it's definitely a good place with really good workers. I've had issues with credit card payments and receiving VIP tickets but they managed to solve the issues. It's best to email them because they never respond when you call them. Food is ok since they premake it before you order it so it comes out fast. And ice cream was good but the brownie was harder than I thought. Overall give this a place a try. If you arrive early, you sit closer but you will be across 2 other strangers and that can be a plus or negative side. We went last time and the guy next to us kept coughing and had to clear his nose a lot so we left and sat on top. Workers are the real highlight because they where very friendly and helpful.
• FF

  Frenz “Frenzster” Faller

  Dec 31, 2025
  5.0
  It's the first time I've attended a comedy show and it's located here. I came in very early so I've decided to walk around and enjoy the view. The staff we're really nice in assisting everyone with they're food and sitting arrangement. I haven't tried the food but they look amazing. I had the chance to meet the 2 of the performers and they're really great.
• VP

  Vicky P

  Dec 19, 2025
  5.0
  Went to see the later show of Jake Johnson's -both the early and late show were sold out. I've been to the Improv several times now and must say that the service fluctuates quite a bit. First few times the service was great, but last night is sucked big time. We had food come out waaaay before our drinks (and when they came out, 2 of them we're wrong), didn't get utensils (but got tons of napkins!). Should mention we were in the VIP section. The service was far below what it should have been/what it's been before. Listening to Jake made up for the venues shortcomings. I'd post photos but we weren't allowed to take any.
• SK

  S K

  Dec 14, 2025
  1.0
  San Jose Improv – Atrocious, Degrading, and Completely Unprofessional This place should not be called a comedy club. It should be called the Jailhouse. I am furious about how my group—especially my close friend, a highly respected infectious disease specialist—was treated at the San Jose Improv. What was supposed to be an enjoyable night out turned into one of the most degrading, hostile, and shockingly mismanaged experiences I’ve ever had at a live venue. I invited my best friend and her husband to the 7:00 pm show last night. As required, we dutifully ordered the mandatory two items per person before the show began. Their cold food arrived. I ordered hot food items—which were fully paid for—but never came. After a reasonable wait, my friend (who was seated on the aisle) politely asked about the missing food. What followed was staggering rudeness from multiple staff members. The repeated excuse was that they were “serving 500 people.” If you cannot handle the crowd size, do not mandate food purchases. My friend had to leave his seat three separate times to follow up. On the third attempt, he calmly asked if he could wait while they checked so he could finally get a clear answer. Instead, he was told—aggressively and in no uncertain terms—to go back to his seat, with a clear implication that security would be called because he was supposedly being “aggressive.” This was not an aggressive man. This was a calm, professional medical doctor who literally saves lives, being treated like a criminal for asking about food he had already paid for. The way this was handled was dehumanizing and humiliating. The food finally arrived at 8:20 pm—ten minutes before the show ended. But wait. It gets worse. Because the food arrived so late, I didn’t have time to finish it. As I was leaving, I was stopped and told I could not leave with their $1 plastic tray from the Dollar store. No takeout box was offered. Instead, I was forced to stand there like a child and finish my food. But wait. It gets worse. We went downstairs and asked to speak to a manager. Multiple staff members approached us demanding to know why. When I declined to repeatedly explain the situation, we were met with comments like: “Fine, then you can wait.” Hostile. Dismissive. Unacceptable. But wait. It gets worse. When the so-called “manager” finally appeared—after an extended wait—he put his finger in my face and said, “YOU, follow me.” He then marched us outside the building as if we were being removed for misconduct and said, “What do you want me to do about it?” Are you kidding me? Somehow they must have managed to “lose” my portion of the order, even though it was part of the same order and paid for at the same time. This is where basic customer service should have kicked in. The normal, reasonable response would have been a simple apology and a refund. Instead, staff chose confrontation, excuses, and humiliation. This place is an absolute joke. I have never encountered such miserable, aggressive, and disrespectful staff at any entertainment venue in my life. For comparison: we’ve attended shows at San Francisco Improv and San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, where the staff are consistently friendly, professional, and genuinely happy to help. Go there instead. I will be forwarding this experience to the comedian we saw and to others so they are aware of how audiences are treated at this venue and do not book their shows here. Judging by the other reviews, we are far from the only ones who have experienced this unacceptable behavior. Save your money. Save your dignity. Go somewhere else. ⭐️ Zero stars if that were an option.

Frequently Asked Questions About San Jose Improv