Sizzler — Restaurant in Santa Clara

I hope this is the right Sizzler (we went around 2 weeks ago). Although the Hamburger seem off ( I was expecting Prime Rib Burger to be good but it just taste off...maybe they ran out of burger and used frozen patties but somehow I did not like the burger). The reason I liked this place is my Dad suggest Salad Bar. The Salad Bar was so amazing I forgot about my burger ( Dad ate half even tho he ordered Salad Buffet). Fries were good tho. So the amazing thing about Salad Buffet is both Romaine and Spinach fresh...and real good dressings ( Balsamic for Spinach, and Caesar for Romaine...as well as other dressing to choose from). It is hard to find a buffet with good dressing and Sizzler had amazing Caesar dressing even tho I had just a little bit. It also has real cheese on side ( real parmesan or arregiano? and real blue cheese). I cannot eat much salad but I like to taste. It also had amazing taco bar. You get real taco shells ( crispy) and nacho chips ( fresh tortilla chips) so good. If they dont run out of taco meat ( they did but refill it quick) the taco meat to be honest taste better than my burger so I just had some of that. They also offer beans. I want to go back and make bean taco. You can also put sour cream, salsa. lettuce free of charge as part of salad bar. I also ate a little chickpea and peas to try to be healthy. I dont eat too much meat but do love to taste a little. The chickpea might have lack flavour but you should add salad dressing. They also have croutons plus other veggies ( I think I saw some beets). They also have soup as part of salad bar. Even tho i tried chicken noodle, maybe it was end of day since it got salty. I hope it was less salty earlier during the day...As soup dry out it become salt ( maybe lunch soup was better). They also had some type of tomato soup which tasted really good ( I tried it from Dad's bowl). So super fresh and great salad bar ( other veggies I did not see like carrots), includes soup if you get buffet plus dessert bar (soft serve & sprinkles) plus...

Last time I went, it was kind of a blast from the past. But a few things you remember from being a kid look different when you go back as an adult.

I used to go to Sizzler with my grandfather and his brothers. The specials and combos meant steak and potato and the salad bar, lots of old stories, my mom's cousins wrangling a few kids, and lots of hugs at the end as people headed off in different directions.

My grandfather was always the host, and most of the family did a good job picking an entree or combo that didn't break the bank, and in my memory at least, it seemed like the salad bar was an inexpensive add-on, so almost everyone got it. My people didn't do much fancy cooking at home, so variety was highly prized, and the bar for variety was pretty low. For white suburbia, getting spaghetti and tacos added some excitement.

In 2019, we have heart association guidelines about red meat and saturated fat, have seen a lot more kinds of salad, have access to dozens of authentic cuisines from all over the world, have learned the perils of the buffet, and in general, there are more competitive options for making tradeoffs for good, fast, cheap, not to mention atmosphere, decor, view, comfort.

My grown up view is that the pricing structure is a little manipulative, or at least was not consistent with my goal if getting both meat and a salad because the salad bar was about as much as an add-on as a meal.

I am also thinking about heathy choices in a more serious way, and the salad bar is a Trojan Horse wrt healthy choice. Between the iceberg lettuce and the creamy dressings and shredded cheese and canned fruit many of the item on the salad bar probably aren't very healthy.

Having said all this, I think there is a challenge for Sizzler to evolve with the times and I hope they'll find a way to do that because the place has a certain family appeal that is not always readily available at...

Apr 2024 Just as great as before. Excellent service and fantastic salad and desert bar!!!

Mar 2024 Today was great. The wonderful person at the desk was awesome said try the shrimp!!! We questioned asked aboud the shrimp, and after the employee said it was great about the menu, we ordered the salad, and they graciously gave us shrimp that were awesome. We loved them but when we ordered more, 6 more they were not good

We love this place but fix this place!!!

Apr 2023 We ordered 1 senior Shrimp dinner and a senior Tri-Tip Steak with 2 endless salad bars.

The salad vbar was a good as always. No gloves anymore. The shrimp were good but only 5 shrimp instead of the normal 6 shrimp. The Tri-Tip Steak was perfectly cooked medium rare and the flavor was excellent, but it was so tough than neither one of us could eat it, full of gristle, we left it on the table. The chocolate icecream machine was not working.

When I asked for a clean plate the waitress said I did not buy 2 salad bars. I have never been so humiliated. I showed her the receipt showing we ordered two salad bars, a copy of the one she took off our tray earlier. I think I know why she was so grumpy before I asked for my second plate. Customer relations should always come first!!!

2022 Very nice they have gloves for use at the salad bar and everyone was using gloves and wearing masks at the salad bar and at the desert bar. Exception service, friendly and helpful!!! Shrimp is always great. The salad bar is excellent.

Last week when we went, the gloves they provide were only large and I need extra large, hopefully they will restock a larger size again soon. Today they now have the X-Large gloves...