Zazil — Restaurant in San Jose

Wow. I moved this from a 4 star to 1 star all because of how the evening manager acted tonight. We were having a nice celebration for my brother's 50th birthday. Omar, our server was very courteous and was trained well. He attended to us, brought drinks over to us quickly and always replaced the chips and salsa without even asking. This place seems to be hit or miss however. The last time we were here, the service was bad and the food was good. This time, the food was overly sour (the 3 enchiladas suiza dishes we ordered and the chicken quesadilla that my daughter ordered. Omar was kind enough to get us additional sauces, such as the mole poblano and some extra suiza since the dish was a little dry. My daughter received 3 small quesadillas. She ate one of them and then didn't like it and asked us to try a little bit to make sure that it was not just her that didn't like the taste. We all agreed. When we asked to have it replaced with just a plain quesadilla, Omar told us that he would still have to charge us since she ate half. I thought it was a little ridiculous but didn't want to ruin the evening and so I would talk to the manager afterwards. We surprised my brother and had the staff sing Happy Birthday and they brought out their usual Pinata and Churros as the dessert. When the bill came.....that is when things go a little strange. I saw that they charged us 50% for the 50% eaten quesadilla. I saw that they charged us $6.00 for chips and salsa (and we were never told that there would be a charge for this). I also saw that they charged $18.00 for the churro dessert, when we weren't told there would be a charge. If they would have given us a choice of dessert, we certainly would have chosen something else as 3 little pieces of churro isn't worth $18. I asked Omar to ask the manager to remove the quesadilla charge and he refused. The manager came over and said that their policy is to charge once the dish is consumed over a few bites. This was the most absurd thing I have ever heard of. My child didn't like the dish. My child ordered one dish and one dish only and there was no repetitive ordering, eating and returning the meal. This manager was such a rude person. The last time we ate here, he was extremely hospitable and attended to us often to make sure that the service was good. This time, not sure what happened but what lack of training for him to be so adamant about not refunding us the $11.50 for the half eaten quesadilla. I asked him why he charged me 50% of that item and he said well they determine how much is eaten and then charge for it. I personally thought my daughter ate only 48.25% and so I questioned him on how he measured the remaining leftover. I even told him to refund me that amount and I would be happy to give that amount as a tip on top of the standard 18% gratuity they already charged us. Oh by the way, the replacement cheese quesadilla was never touched and it was boxed up, so rather than taking it home, I told the manager since there is still 100% of the quesadilla remaining, I would like to return it, and that I would like 100% of the refund for it. I may have been a little snide about this, but it was to prove a point. At least he honored that. His attitude was so rude and unprofessional that we asked to speak to the owner or general manager. He refused to give me a name. He told me he would give me the number to call. All it was was the restaurant main number. Finally, I got it out of him and he said her name is Yerika. I plan to call her and explain what happened. But what pathetic behavior of the person that is supposed to be leading the staff. Omar apologized multiple times about what happened but this manager was totally unprofessional. The last time we eat here, that's for sure. AND YERIKA has still not called me. Still no call after all these...

High quality and very upscale Mexican cantina located on Santana Row, San Jose. Wonderful variety of meals, sides, cocktails, and others. Quality of food and presentation is top notch. We were really impressed by the cocktails and the way they cooked the carne asada. Price here is very high but probably worth it if you are looking for a more "fancy" Mexican restaurant experience.

[The Food] They have several food items on the menu, including Enchilada Suizas, Fajitas, Tacos and tostadas, soups, and many more. We noticed that the food is well prepared and the presentation makes the plates look beautiful. The taste is also wonderful. I was really impressed with the Fajitas, which had carne asada that was wonderfully charred and returned a smokey flavor to it. The enchiladas suizas (with chicken) were also really good (although I recommend using dark meat instead of chicken breast for these). Otherwise, the rice, beans, and chips were also a nice addition and really well prepared! The price for dishes are from 20 to 30 dollars each, so a bit pricey. High quality and delicious overall.

[Cocktails and Drinks] The drinks were really impressive, but also expensive at around 15 dollars each. However, the drinks were thoughtfully prepared and had great ingredients. I recommend the negroni if you like bitter drinks or the roasted jalapeno margarita if you feel like drinking margaritas. They're strong but not overpowering. I really enjoyed the drinks they had.

[The Location] The restaurant is also really impressive (they just went through a remodel). It's beautifully decorated with plenty of seating outside and inside. The bar is absolutely gorgeous as well. It's located on a corner in Sanatana Row. There is plenty of free parking nearby and it's easy to find. My only recommendation is the mens bathroom. The men's urinal can be easily seen from the street and tables outside when the door is open. While this doesn't bother me, there's a chance for some embarrassing moments here. Most likely just an overlooked design flaw. Other than that, what a beautiful restaurant, bar, and place to eat.

Overall, I totally recommend this restaurant and will absolutely be coming back for any "special" occasions of mine that I don't mind spending just a little bit more money...

Tips: If you want to carry on a conversation while dining here, I recommend getting a table on the sidewalk side (facing the theater) as it can get real loud.

The restaurant is located in the heart of Santana Row (next to the tequila bar) so you can imagine it can get wild here on weekend nights. If you are in for a wild dancing loud music scene, this is the place for you. The ambient fits to meet acquaintance or maybe you are on your first (or second) date. In case you are not vibing with your date, you can at least listen to the music and have a good time. Though the restaurant ambiance is lite, be prepared for a slow service and average food.

We came on a Saturday afternoon and sat on the sidewalk. Prior to this, we actually had to move to another table because it was too loud to hear the person across from you. We ordered Guacamole $16, Queso Fundido with Chorizo $19, Poke $20 and Octopus Ceviche $20.

Taste: Everything was very salty and heavily flavored. Besides that, the dishes were okay but not worth the value. Especially Guacamole at $16 yields about 4oz of servings, I'd say skip this if you can. The ice tea also came in a can bottle instead of fresh brew tea at $7 per bottle. Skip this as well. Our total tab came in at $135

Service is barely non-existent. Our table was missing a set of utensils and we asked 3 different team members and no one bought it for us. We stared at each other for a while until we got up and grabbed it from the hostess table. We also asked two different staff for chips and were also ignored. Water was never refilled and the Guacamole dish came last after an hour into our service. Luckily for good companies we were able to get through this 😊. From our observation, there are plenty of staff but many were standing around chatting and doing their own things. 🙄

Overall, I would meet up with a friend here for a drink to enjoy weeknights music and a lively scene. But if we are spending over $100+ on a meal, I would at least expect the staff to be willing to help you and not ignore your table for...