Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in San Jose

My uncle introduced me to The Plant's Applebee's last week, and I had the nachos. We went back today and had the French onion soup and chicken quesadillas (talk about fusion cuisine, right?). Both visits, we were greeted right away and promptly seated. The first time, we waited only a few minutes while the hostess cleaned off our table.

For our first visit, we were waited on by Drew, who was super sweet and friendly. Today we had Jennifer, who was also nice and very attentive, keeping her eye on my iced tea and offering a refill before I had to ask. Both were very efficient waitresses.

The establishment, itself, is very family-friendly and clean. The ambience is nice for a family meal, a girls'-night out, or a first date. There's a bar in the center of the restaurant, a juke box, and televisions all around. Today's features were Emeril Lagasse (an infomercial, I think) and the Giants-Cubs. The good thing is neither the TVs nor the juke box is so loud that conversing with your tablemate is impossible.

As to my meals: The nachos, which I got with ground beef, came on a large plate, topped to the brim with meat, cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños (maybe other ingredients, but I can't recall). Sides of sour cream and salsa completed the dish, which I ordered as an entrée and not an appetizer, which I think it's supposed to be--only it's SO huge, it would have to be an appetizer for four. Today, however, I had the soup. I really enjoy French onion, and you can't find it in too many places. This is just right: mounds of cheese that's crisped on top, then onions in a savory broth. With a side dish, such as the quesadillas, it made a filling lunch. Of course, you can get it alone or with other sides, such as salad or chicken wings (buffalo, I think) or a number of other options.

Prices aren't bad, so this is an all-around good place for a meal. I've only been twice during lunch hours, so I can't say how packed they for dinner, but I'd say the food and atmosphere would make a wait worth...

Came here for the first time to celebrate a relative's birthday. We were super excited for the AYCE shrimp, boneless wings, and riblets. For a party of seven, they told us that our the wait would be an hour and a half. It ended up being around 30 minutes. Luckily we were able to explore the plaza to pass the time. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived, but I'm sure the wait just because they were understaffed.

We didn't catch his name, but our server was really friendly. Initially it took us a while to flag him down though.The food came out quickly considering how big our party was. It took us around an hour to finish. As we left, we saw a huge group come in. They looked like they were coming from a junior baseball game. I noticed there were a lot of families and kids in general eating at this location. On another note, I like how the walls were decorated with local sports teams and San Jose memorabilia.

I was not expecting Michelin-grade food at Applebee's. I enjoyed it for what it was: fried, saucy grub that's normal with American casual dining. Our big group allowed us to try one of everything. My favorite wings flavors were garlic parmesan and extra hot buffalo. The sauces were straightforward, like honey pepper is literally black pepper in honey. Despite its name, the extra hot buffalo seemed like regular buffalo doused in paprika powder.

The shrimp was nice and crispy. The riblets had a classic artificial smoke flavor. The fries were broad and fluffy. We went through three rounds of food each.

A few of us got alcohol. The drinks were big! The prices weren't bad either. I thought it was funny that they gave us the margarita with the shaker so we poured it ourselves.

All in all, this was a cool experience for a first-timer at Applebee's. I don't think the all-you-can-eat promotion is still going on, and I don't think I would go through it again anyway, but it was good just to try it. I'd come back and try their...

While the food was good and the service was prompt and attentive on my two successive visits to this location a week apart, both times there were minor hygiene disasters that leave me questioning the cleanliness of the location writ large. In addition, the placement of a large, flashing LED display right by the entry doorway and shining over several booths and tables is even more disruptive to the atmosphere than the painfully loud music.

On my first visit, upon being directed to our booth, we found the table still bearing crumpled straw wrappers, napkins, and the sticky stains of the previous diners. This was of only moderate concern, and we used some napkins to wipe down ourselves. Thankfully, this time, I did not use the restroom.

On my second visit, they were properly wiping down the booth ahead of us, visible from the check-in desk, and it was clean upon our arrival. However, the men's room was a horrifying mess. The entirety of the bathroom floor was sticky with an unidentifiable liquid, the handicapped stall toilet was stuffed with paper and sewage over the rim, and the non-handicapped stall door was two inches too tightly aligned making it impossible to fully close or lock. The stench was almost overpowering, to the point I almost wanted to immediately leave to find another place with another restroom.

Food-wise, the broccoli in the classic chicken broccoli Alfredo was slightly undercooked and the chicken very dry. The chocolate meltdown dessert came out with the chocolate part at room temperature, but the ice cream was cold and every other...