Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in San Jose

Chili's is ALWAYS a great place to go for good food. Last week, I went twice to the one off Almaden, and each time was a pleasure.

Our waiter on my first visit, Kenny, was VERY sweet. The poor thing did his best to see to each of his tables WHILE playing busboy! I guess this restaurant is experiencing the same thing most businesses are right now in a lack of employees, so I think the waiters were having to do double duty that night (and cover more tables than usual). So it did take time for Kenny to get to us for refills, but that wasn’t his fault, and he was super apologetic when he finally returned. But there was no cause for that because low staffing isn't his fault (or the restaurant's, really, because they have a Hiring sign right outside the door).

Anyhow, about the food! I hadn't been to Chili's in years, so I opted for the chicken fajita platter. And it was as good as I remembered. My uncle and cousin were with me, and my uncle had never seen the platters before and was super impressed, even saying he would have to remember to get that the next time. My uncle had his favorite Turkey Club sandwich, and my cousin loves the Loaded Potato Soup. But word of warning: The fajita platter is HUGE! Either come with an appetite or expect to take half of it home. You get 3 to 4 tortillas, chicken (or steak or shrimp or a combo of 2 or 3), black beans, rice, and the typical fajita vegetables of grilled onions and bell peppers. PLUS you get a separate tray of condiments (salsa, pica de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, & guacamole). It really is a FILLING meal and SO good!

My last visit was with a friend from high school whom I hadn't seen since graduation (and, no, you don't get to learn how long ago THAT was 😉). I decided to try the Quesadilla Salad, and, WOW, was THAT filling! I had to take half of it home. I didn't catch our waiter's name for this visit, but when I asked for a box, he asked if I wanted to take the chips home, too, so I said sure. Next thing I know, he's brought a FRESH portion of chips in a bag AND a big batch of FRESH salsa in a to-go lidded bowl! That was super sweet of him, and I absolutely enjoyed my chips and salsa for multiple days after. (And the bag they give has an instruction sticker saying you can microwave the chips right in the bag! Talk about convenient!)

So, yes, I wholeheartedly recommend Chili's and this one in particular. I haven't been disappointed yet. (Except, of course, they play soccer games on the overhead TVs, and I'm a proud American--I don't go in for soccer AT ALL (😁--don't get all touchy & offended, I’m only teasing...sort of). Give me baseball, football, basketball, or hockey. Heck, even golf will do! (I've come to enjoy watching golf on TV, which I never thought would be the case.) Just not soccer. Or reality shows. PLEASE, no "reality" shows! 😄)

Bottom line: Chili's is a "must-try" if you've never gone and an absolute "will-return" if you have. Their food is always so good that you won't be disappointed, and the menu is so diverse that they're sure to have something for everyone. And though I haven't had any since returning to the restaurant, I used to enjoy their margaritas. Straight or frozen, they really were excellent. And, of course, the atmosphere is fun and laid-back. Lots of people talking and laughing, music in the background, and the TVs for those who want to keep up on their team's latest...

First off I would like to start off explaining that my wife and I have tried six times at this location. Every time we come there I explain on the two for 25 deal they allow an appetizer my wife and I always order the Texas cheese fries without Chives because I’m allergic to Chives and most forms of onion. Every time we go there we have to send our food back because they do not listen. Tonight is the last straw we sat there after calling ahead telling me that there was no wait we sat there for 20 minutes waiting for someone to seat us. After our server had finally communicated with us after we got our table we asked We asked for two waters a Coca-Cola. Our incorrect onion topped chive topped Fry’s showed up 10 minutes before our silverware and Our water. At this point I asked for a manager. The server said that she would go ahead and get them. At this point she proceeded to serve the rest of the tables showed up 10 minutes and 45 minutes after us. Do not go to this location if this is a corporate location this is the worst experience I’ve ever in my life experience from a chilies. I will never go back there again and they’re lucky that they don’t experience a lawsuit for Bringing someone food with ingredients they explicitly told that they had an allergic reaction to. As far as I’m concerned they tried to kill me tonight that’s how I look at it. Do not I repeat do not go to this location. This is just the issues with the food. During our time of having to wait for our water and Coca-Cola I had to use the restroom. The toilet was covered in human feces And there was no paper towels nor soap to wash your hands. This makes me think how could the employees wash their hands clean if there’s nothing to wipe their hands or soap up their hands from. This is unacceptable. Two hours of my life was wasted for no food in the worst service I’ve ever...

Went here for dinner around 7pm and was told it'll be a 15min wait but we waited longer. After 25 min of waiting we asked about the wait time and was advised a little longer. We was then offered to go sit at the bar. Went and sat at the bar and the bar tender was very helpful and fast. He got us water and took our order. We made a mistake and decided to go sit at the table in the bar area. We became invisible to the server who was supposed to get our table. He walked passed us 15 times and never asked if we wanted to refill our drinks or asked if we needed anything. When our appetizer came out, we had to ask the girl who brought out our appetizer for utensils and napkins. We also asked about our coupon for free chips and salsa and she said she didn't know. She only came back with utensils but no napkins. 15 min later our entree came and we asked for napkin. The guy who brought out our food got us the napkins. We had to go back to the bartender and ask for refill on our drinks. Our food was so dry. I got the three special fajitas and it was as dry as the desert. The steak was so dry it was actually crispy. The chicken was as dry as sand. The shrimp was burnt. I waited for the server so I can tell him about my food but I was ignored. After 15 min of being ignored I gave up. Went to the bar tender and told him we were invisible to our server so can we get to go boxes. He got us to go boxes. As much as I refuse to pay I knew it'll waste more of my time if I said anything. I gave the food to my dog when I got home. Will not be going back...