St James Gate a hidden gem in Belmont

Celebrating his 20th year this month, Mottern is the bar’s third owner in half a century. It opened in the 1970s as Stella Blue, briefly became the Belmont Brewery and adopted the name St. James Gate in the late 1980s, Mottern said.

Despite drawing 300 to 400 customers on a typical Friday or Saturday night, Mottern said people walk in nearly every day with a familiar refrain: “I’ve lived in Belmont my whole life — I had no idea this was here.”

“It’s so easy to miss when you’re driving by,” waitress Teresa Vollert said, who began working at the bar and restaurant last year. “It’s such an odd location. I wish more people knew about it because it’s such a great environment.”

Inside, St. James Gate evokes a 1950s speakeasy, with low lighting, dark wood and a ceiling lined with pressed metal tiles. Backlit shelves display more than 500 whiskeys and scotches — one of the largest collections in Northern California, Mottern said — while vintage photos and liquor ads cover the walls. With pool, darts and a stage anchoring the open floor, the bar draws steady crowds throughout the week for nightly events like live music, trivia, bingo and karaoke.

When he took over, Mottern saw potential for the bar’s underutilized backyard. Inspired by the curved shape of the outdoor bar and a large aquatic mural painted on the wall of the neighboring building, he slowly redesigned the space, leaning into his long-held dream of building a “tiki bar.”

An enclosed patio divided into five covered seating areas Mottern calls “lanais,” the space reflects a retro island theme rooted in American pop culture — a genre that emerged from postwar nostalgia and exoticized interpretations of Polynesia, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

Although outdoor heaters stand in for flaming torches, the rest of the backyard paradise sticks to a midcentury tiki-Americana aesthetic. Green foliage and palm fronds fill the corners between tables, thatched roofs hang over bamboo-paneled walls and string lights line the perimeter. Carved masks, faux parrots and other kitschy nods to tropical iconography complete the scene.

“There’s a lot to look at when you’re in there,” Mottern said. “It’s a feast for the eyes.”

The menu is just as layered as the space itself. In addition to bacon-wrapped jalapeño tater tots, nachos and freshly ground burgers, St. James Gate is adding teriyaki plates and loco moco this month. 

The eclectic contrast shows up in the crowd as well. On any given night, it might include whiskey collectors in their 60s, 20-somethings celebrating birthdays or longtime locals settling in for a blues set on the patio. Vollert said it’s one of very few places with an age range that truly stretches from 21 to 71. Minors can enjoy the restaurant until 8 p.m., she added.

“We might have an older crowd come in if there’s a band that they really like, and then the younger crowd for a party or for the DJ,” Vollert said. 

In addition to its diversity, Vollert said the bar’s emphasis on safety is one of the reasons she enjoys working there. With security staff and firm closing-time policies, she said she feels comfortable there as a woman.

That atmosphere is really important to Mottern, he said. When he bought the bar in 2005, it still carried remnants of its past as a biker hangout. But over the past 20 years, he’s gradually reshaped the space into something more welcoming and inclusive.

In the corner of the patio, a tree he planted that first year now towers above the roofline — perhaps the only clue from the outside of what’s taken root behind the bar.