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AJI Bar & Robata

4.1 (71 reviews)
Open • 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
Updated 1 month ago
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AJI Bar & Robata Photos

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AJI BAR & ROBATA ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - AJI Bar & Robata

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Sunil R.

AJI Bar & Robata was the best part of the Signia stay. The food was genuinely good...we tried the potstickers, wagyu sliders, and sushi, and everything was flavorful and nicely presented. The Japanese-Peruvian flavors and robata-style menu make it more interesting than a typical hotel restaurant.

Passion Fruit pisco sour drink, steak frites and Ahi California roll.
Monica H.

First time there and the service was fantastic, our waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly. Food and drink were great but pricey. Ambiance was excellent

Leana A.

Cool vibes & good food. We had a sushi roll & appetizers & enjoyed them esp the Bao Buns. Cocktails were delicious too.

Lucas K.

I was staying at the Sigma Hotel in San Jose, and I was told to go to the bar called AJI bar and robata and try their Smoked Old Fashioned. I decided I would as this is my favorite cocktail. I've had a lot of great ones, some mediocre ones, and unfortunately some bad ones. This was truly sublime! This Smoked Old Fashioned was made with Legent bourbon, amaro averna, an orange, and angostura bitters. This was perhaps the best Old Fashioned I've ever had. I did try this both smoked and unsmoked. I will say I liked the smoked one better. It was a perfect balance of flavors, just the right amount of bourbon, and a surprise ingredient of amaro averna. During my stay at the Sigma Hotel, I think I had five of these and was never disappointed. But one can't survive on bourbon alone. I did need a snack. I went with the Bao Buns. This is made with gochujang bbq fried chicken, aji verde, pickled cucumber, and toasted sesame seeds. These tasted outstanding! This bar has great ambience. There are TVs on the wall, but they don't take away from the elegance of this bar. The service here was outstanding as well. The bartenders even spending some time talking with me about their Smoked Old Fashioned. Whether you live in San Jose, or are visiting, do yourself a favor and head over to the Sigma Hotel. Walk inside and go straight until you hit the AJI bar and robata. Sit down and order a Smoked Old Fashioned. You will not be disappointed.

Menu
Breanna T.

I was here for thanksgiving and we got to choose 2 things off the menu. I got the steak and sushi. Both were pretty tasty! The fries were really good. The service was really slow but I think it was because it was the holiday it was a lot of people there. The holiday decor looked really good as well! So we also had the free dessert and it was molded!!!! Do not recommend

Once they correct the order but not the flavor
Natalia B.

Warning DO NOT order the chicken tortilla soup , so gross, super thick and no flavor whatsoever, to be honest the worst I have ever had plus the service at that point turned out to be so rude and seem like didn't care of my comment about the soup! First I asked for tortilla chips on the side which was ignored , then called the server and asked to please take it off my bill because was to thick he said that's how it's serve and he was going to get me another one with the chips on the side , which he did but nothing helped the disgusting flavor (well no flavor at all) So if you come over here I am warning you DO NOT order the chicken tortilla soup Omg Have to add more , ceviche : they called leche de Tigre , well nothing to do with that , it's all sweet , no a regular ceviche for sure , yeh don't order that either

Veronica P.

Found this place via yelp for another birthday dinner with friends. Based on the reviews, it caught my eye as it was located in the Signia by Hilton in Downtown SJ. The photos showed the decor, lighting etc, and the fact that this was a 5 min drive from my apartment, I immediately chose this place. What surprised me was that this "restaurant" is actually a lounge area combined with a lobby. I enjoyed this place as the atmosphere has a more sophisticated and modern feel, but also a stylish yet relaxed environment. It was nice but kind of surprising as the vibe of people were mixed, both dressy and casual. A note to make is that this place does not make reservations anymore. It does get busy during the weekend, especially at night, but they are open and accepts walk-ins. The food was appetizing, but the portions are small for the price. Whether it's sushi, tacos, or other dishes, you can easily rack up a bill if you're really hungry. What contributes to my 3-star rating was our server's oversight. When we asked about the Wagyu sliders, she mistakenly took it as an order without confirming with us first. For my meal, I tried the King Prawn roll, which was decent but didn't make up for the other issues. The drinks, however, were the highlight. I had the Lychee martini, which struck a nice balance between sweetness and alcohol-- HELLA GOOD. Don't think I'd come back, but it is a nice social area and a great place for photos, especially the bathroom lol

Lamb Chops & Wagyu Sliders
Stephanie L.

I had won a gift certificate here, so I brought my whole family to check this place out! First of all, the hotel is classy and beautiful. Whatever scent they put throughout the hotel, it smells great the moment you enter inside. It seems like this is a popular hotel since there was a lot of guests coming in & out, which is convenient since it's located in downtown. For our food, I ordered the wagyu sliders, angus beef skewers, lamp chops, and teriyaki salmon. As for drinks, I got the tsurai and the nazca lines cocktail. Looks wise, the food seems to be on a smaller side, but since this isn't an actual restaurant rather than a drink/snack/talk environment, I get it. Regardless, all of the food we ordered was delicious especially that wagyu sliders. We shared amongst four people and we had to order another one because it was that good. Honestly, after eating a few dishes, it was a good portion amount. We felt extremely full after, and the drinks were good as well. My family will definitely come back for that wagyu sliders though.

Bao
Le T.

For this location being in a hotel, the food and drinks were really good. The restaurant is situated in the middle of the lobby area of the Signia by Hilton Hotel. Parking is not easy so expect to pay for parking nearby. The sushi was surprisingly very tasty and the rice in the sushi wasn't too sweet which is good. The potstickers were my favorite. They were very well steamed and had a nice sauce on top. The bao had almost like a sauced chicken tender which was new to me. However the veggies in the bao made it taste moist and flavorful. The drinks were really well made. The colors in the drinks were so pretty! One even had a bubble on it. The lychee martini however was my favorite! The service was friendly however it did take a while for the drinks to come out.

Murasaki Empress
Elizabeth T.

So this hotel is gorgeous! It has some good bones. But...there are tells of stress and wearing down throughout. I feel like the bar and restaurant is the same way. The food was pretty good. Overpriced but it is a hotel. Their happy hour was decent. The staff were over worked and over run. Nice but busy. The food was good but it took awhile. Recommendations: truffle fries (omg), salmon tartar tacos (in a fried wonton wrapper). Delish. The drinks? They shined. There was a lychee martini and it was, well, amazing. The food and drinks are like the bones of the hotel: amazing. But clearly there are stress points all around. Overall awesome but I wish there was more support for the staff. So if you want to feel swanky and have a drink, this is the place.

Gingle All the Way: gin, st germaine, cranberry juice, lime juice ($18)
Elena N.

Date: Thursday, December 21st, 2023 Time: around 5:45pm for about 1.25 hours Meal: Dinner / Drinks and Snacks for 2 people How: Walked in and sat at the bar A friend and I were heading to the Sharks game. Decided to drop by Signia beforehand for a quick drink. (I also had a credit I wanted to spend.) We fully intended on only having a drink at the lobby bar. Found out it was actually the restaurant Aji, so in addition to a round of drinks, we decided to grab a few dishes. *Potstickers: lemongrass chicken, aji amarillo, ginger citrus miso sauce ($18) *Chicken Wings: yuzu kosho honey glaze, chilli flakes, lime ($18) *Shishito Peppers: lime & salt grilled shishito, jalapeño yogurt, roasted garlic streusel ($12) *Gingle All the Way: gin, st germaine, cranberry juice, lime juice ($18) *Whiskey Wonderland: Jameson, angostura bitters, orange, house-made cinnamon simple syrup ($20) First off, our server / bartender Eric was wonderful! Attentive without being overly so. I asked for easy on the syrup in the winter wonderland and he was happy to oblige. Even tho the cocktail wasn't really my jam (I'm more of a spirit forward kind of girl), I wanted to try something from their holiday menu. The gin drink was fine if you prefer a lighter mix. The food was pretty good. A little pricey, but that's to be expected from a hotel restaurant / bar / lounge. The pot stickers / gyoza were the best out of the three. Good meat to wrapper ratio. The sauces, peppers, etc, paired well. The wings were cooked nicely, but too sweet for my palate. I asked for a bunch of hot sauce to balance it out. The shishitos unfortunately were drowning in sauce, so you don't really get to experience the flavor / texture of a nice blistered pepper. The ambiance is less restaurant and more bar / lounge which was fine with me. A little swanky, but I enjoyed the atmosphere. We were able to have a conversation and catch up without music blasting in the background. Definitely more my vibe in my old age. If you have the mid tier Hilton CC, this is a nice spot to spend your quarterly credit as food and drinks are charged under the hotel name. Recommend if in downtown for a quick round. Will probably be back to try their classic cocktails.

Angus skewers
Lily Y.

Food 10/10 Service 9/10 Ambiance 10/10 Came here on a Friday night, wasn't busy but we had reservations anyways. Love the classy lounge atmosphere, great for kickbacks with friends or love ones. The cocktails are delicious and pretty. Try the old fashion with less syrup- very good and strong. Can't go wrong with any dishes on the menu. Save room for dessert, try the matcha cheesecake, it's so good! It's at the Signa Hilton, so you can stroll downtown after your meal. Enjoy it!

Holiday Cocktails (from left to right): Jingle (whiskey base), and Santa's Helper (coffee, kaluha, tequila and baileys)
Ratna J.

This place is more of a lounge setting in the middle of the hotel than a restaurant setting. To get the waiter's attention it's best to sit at the bar and order your drinks/food. Otherwise, if you sit on one of the couches, you will have a hard time getting a hold of any of them. That being said, we love the cocktails and the appetizers here. They have their holiday cocktails around this time of year (Santa's Helper and the Tsurai with 2 shots of vodka is my favorite). It's strong and flavorful which is the right combination you want to have if you want to get your money's worth in cocktails. We ordered the potsticker and the wagyu sliders to pair with our drinks. I love the wagyu sliders, I think they cooked it really well (9/10). For the potstickers, the sauce is really good, but I found the potstickers themselves to be a bit dry. It seemed like they used frozen potstickers, in my opinion. For that, I have to give it a 7/10. I'll be back for the cocktails for sure.

a view of a bar and lounge area

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6 months ago

We came here total of 3 girls. Drinks really good, food was delicious and nice presentation. Love the ambience. Would come back again.

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2 years ago

Excellent service best French fries in the world! The sliders wer also amazing fast friendly and accommodating service .

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1 year ago

I tried their Dragon Roll and it was really good, so good I ordered a second roll. Sushi was fresh and tasty. Staff was friendly too.

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Ask the Community - AJI Bar & Robata

How late do you serve food?

AJI Bar and Robata offers dining service daily until 11 p.m.

Do they take reservations?

AJI Bar and Robata has open seating. We offer private dining options for special occasions. If you're interested in learning more, please call (408) 998-1900 and ask to speak to our private dining sales team. We open at 4:00 PM every day. See you… 

View All 4 Questions

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