Aqui Blossom Valley — Restaurant in San Jose

I'ma be honest; the food here isn't all that great most of the time. Sometimes one of their daily/weekly/seasonal specials is good, and I am always ready to be pleasantly surprised, but there is no reason why a quesadilla needs pumpkin seeds. No reason. Jesus didn't die for THAT. Food aside, the real reason you can find me in here almost weekly, is them drinks! YES! The swirl is everything you heard it was, and more. Their other drinks are well made too, like their martinis and my other favorite, the Strawberry Lemonade, but them swirls though.... These drinks are a 'one and done' or a 'two and true', in regards to their alcohol content. If you can get through the 3rd one without catching a buzz, you have bigger problems you need to worry about. The service is great too. The bartenders are friendly and chatty, the folks working the registers are nice and patient, and the busing staff is ready to swoop in and clean any plate or dish that looks even remotely ready to go.

I love this place! The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because of the weird,...

We made a trip back to my hometown and stopped by for the first time in well over 2 years. Was happy to see them still thriving because Aqui is a great place to eat and drink. The staff are still friendly as we always remembered them to be, and the food/drinks were excellent.

My wife was looking forward to a crab cake salad only to find out it had been swapped for a wild shrimp cake salad. She said it was still very good, the fried cake not being too heavy and complementing the fresh greens/corn/mango perfectly. I had the adobo chicken fajitas and it was the classic I remembered it to be. The adobo sauce they use is super good, and there's just something about being able to build your own tacos with the ratios you like (pile up the meat for me). I had an Aloha Mai Tai swirl for the first time and didn't regret it. It's probably going to be a regular choice for me...

Disappointing Experience – Stick to Other Locations

I rarely go out to eat, but after a long day, I decided to treat myself to Aquis. I arrived around 8:15 PM on a Monday evening. The setup is simple: you order at the counter, get a buzzer, and pick up your own food. For the prices they charge, you’d expect at least some level of service, but there was little to none—except for the bartender, who was actually pretty cool.

When our food arrived (blackened salmon for me and a wet burrito for my friend), the presentation was almost laughable. My salmon was overly buttery and lacked flavor, while my friend compared his burrito to middle school cafeteria food. After trying it with the chips, I had to admit—he wasn’t wrong.

The only redeeming part of this location is the swirls. Overall, a major letdown. I’ll be sticking to the Campbell or Willow Glen Aquis...