Britannia Arms Turns 30

To expats from the United Kingdom who arrived in Silicon Valley in the 1970s to work in the burgeoning semiconductor industry, there were no pubs here like there were back home.

“English and Irish pubs all over the world are gathering places for expats—but only those with a relatively authentic atmosphere,” says expat David Hanafee.

After a spirited game of soccer—to them it’s called football—a beer is in order, but there was no proper pub to be found back then.

Tom Cauge Sr. wanted to change that when he opened Britannia Arms on De Anza Boulevard in 1981.

The Brit—a place that has that atmosphere Hanafee describes—was the first of its kind to open in the valley.

“Before this place opened, there was no place for expats to go after a football game,” Mike Fisher says. “This place was like a magnet.”

This week the pub celebrates 30 years in business, and as a thank-you to loyal customers, prices on Saturday will be rolled back to what they were the day the pub opened.

All week, Britannia Arms has celebrated with extended happy hours and special drink prices, said Tommy Cauge Jr., who runs the pub now that his father is retired.

When the elder Cauge opened the pub, he worked for Fairchild Semiconductor during the day, and at night he became the bartender. His then-wife, Mountain View native, Norma Cauge, handled the business during the day, and other family members pitched in as well.

“It truly was a family-run business,” says Tommy Jr.

From 4-8 pm. Saturday, draft pints of Guinness and Harp will be $2, and if you must drink American-style, a bottle of Budweiser will set you back a buck. Live music, tri-tip barbecue and other specials are also on the menu.

For the regular crowd that frequents Britannia Arms, the anniversary is much more than cheap prices.

“English bars are for community, football and friends,” Fisher says.

Fisher has been a pub regular for about 18 years, and his buddy, Neil Hughes, both are from the other side of the pond and are soccer players for the namesake team in the California International Soccer League.

So hungry for a pub such as Britannia Arms were their fellow countrymen that on the pub’s opening night, it drew one of the biggest names in the sport, George Best. He had once played for the San Jose Earthquakes but was better known for his time with Manchester United.

Best is “mentioned in the same sentences as immortals, such as (soccer stars) Pelé and (Diego) Maradona,” Hanafee says.

Best would sit at a corner table, play crosswords and drink Guinness, Hughes says. Best was the best man in at least two weddings of other regular customers and died in 2005 of complications related to alcoholism.

Britannia Arms opened other locations in the area—there are two San Jose locations—but the Cupertino location is the one known for being the only place in town before cable and satellite were staples in homes where you could watch World Cup Soccer.

“We were the first place in the South Bay to get live international soccer,” Cauge says. “We would have 250 people crammed in here at 6 a.m. (to watch a match), and nobody cared that it was that packed.”

Cauge is convinced the Brit is the birthplace of trivia nights, too.

“Nobody was doing (trivia) in the South Bay 18, 19 years ago,” he says.

American-born Steve Kraft, a 25-year regular who hosts Tuesday-night trivia at the pub says the success of the Brit goes beyond the old-time pub feel, good food and cold beer.

“It’s a fun, friendly spot. Everybody becomes your friend,” Kraft says.

Kind of like the TV show Cheers?

“Yeah, everybody knows your name here,” he says.