Great drinks terrible Manager. The bartender made a mistake and charged my CC and extra $20. She said she was going to get the manager to fix it. As she explained to him what happened she suggested they just give me $20 cash to make up the difference. She scolded her and said no. His solve was To give me a piece of receipt paper with his name on it and deny it happened. When I tried to show him on my bank app that it had already showed up he said he didn't need to see it and walked away. I can't believe this guy is in charge of people or a restaurant. I frequent the Emeryville location and purposely fly in and out of SJC to visit this location and I've never seen anyone treat people the way this person treated me and his employee. read more

Trader Vics - Bill for 60.33. I added a tip, while the overcharge was a mistake she tried to fix it. The manager is just the worst. - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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Well...we were hungry and opted to go to one of the two sit down restaurants located in the San Jose airport that were near us. We had high hopes but sadly were disappointed. The food looks good but it was bland and had no flavor. The other part that was bothersome was there were fruit flies that came out with our food. Ewww. The food was overpriced but the only saving grace was the service. They were nice. read more

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Early morning flight out of San Jose Airport to Hawaii, Trader Vic's seemed like the place to imbibe in a tropical drink and breakfast. Our waiter was friendly, energetic and entertaining, served patrons in a timely manner in a fast paced restaurant. Our cocktails set the mood for our upcoming flight to Kona. Breakfast was delicious and served with plenty of time to reach our gate. Bar and table seating as well as takeout are available. read more

Trader Vics - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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Overall a good experience. I went on Sunday afternoon and they had one bartender and server to start so a little wait to order. read more

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WOW. i had no clue sjc had a trader vic's in the southwest terminal but guess who's always flying out of there now? the tututupo tiki drink was so delicious! maria was the BEST, most attentive and kind server. the bartender tonight - i didn't catch his name - was incredible. i'd gladly drink any tiki cocktail he's willing to make. the spam musing was incredible! read more

Trader Vics - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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They put pineapple juice in the Hawaiian macaroni salad, which is very disgusting and not authentic. Not coming back. read more

Trader Vics - Macaroni salad - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

Looking for an amazing place to eat breakfast at right before your flight? Check out Trader Vics. I ordered the smoked salmon toast with jalapeno artichoke spread and capers and it was absolutely delicious. It had a lot of flavor. They were very generous with the spread which is how I prefer it. It had quite the spicy kick to it with the jalapeno in the spread. I also ordered the keoke coffee, which was coffee with coffee liqueur and Brandy and it was so pleasantly mixed. It had just the right amount of alcohol to coffee. What a great way to wake up. There was a lot of seating and the ambiance was nice. Their service was incredibly friendly :) I would definitely come here again next time I'm here at San Jose airport. read more

Trader Vics - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

The last time I even saw Trader Vics was at the Ritz Carleton in Bahrain. Comparatively, I don't know what's less tropical, Manama or San Jose? Ludacris. Obviously, this place has great cocktails, and I went with both a Mai Tai and Kona Puffer (pictured), both checking in at $18.39. Silly. What I really came for was to watch the USC game on ABC, but alas, the nearly $50 bill apparently wasn't enough to support "Disney channels" on their Direct TV subscription. Unreal. $20 drinks while watching "VSU vs. BENE" just doesn't hit the same, whether in the Gulf or Silicon Valley... read more

Trader Vics - Kona Puffer - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

As I only had cocktails at the bar, I cannot comment on food. My 2 skinny margaritas were delicious. The added mint made for a surprisingly tasty cocktail. I arrived around 6 pm-ish on a Sunday and they started asking people to pick seating at one end of the bar only. People complained because of the TV's and sports games being more available on the other side. After our initial order we tried to get our servers attention several times. She replied with a "I heard you." At the time asking for our bill, I asked for water to go and she rolled her eyes but said sure. This, in my opinion, deserves a 5 out of 10 if not less. Just rude. read more

Trader Vics - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

It's the airport so keep that in mind. Pros: quick in/out. Food was good and nice presentation. See pics Cons: I know it's the airport, but $30 for some port and lettuce? If this is your only choice fine, but next time I'll keep walking. read more

Trader Vics - Pork bowl - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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AIRPORT FOOD - quite fancy airport food! Found Trader Vic's near my gate and they were playing the game !! Yayyy!! Say at the bar! Ordered a Mango Mai Tai!!! Was great. And then also ordered the Tuna Poke Bowl and the Pineapple cider! Poke Bowl was delicious and service was excellent ! Great addition to the San Jose Airport ! Come check it out !!! read more

Trader Vics - Trader Vics - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

Food, service and beverages were awesome. Wait staff was great. My only problem was the family that had a full size poodle with them. This was not a service dog, no vest. Come on I almost tripped over this dog twice going to the restroom. CA laws. Liability issues. read more

Service - when you can get it - reminds you this is an airport and the service staff is miserable, unfriendly and probably want to be anywhere but at this job. Can't tell you how the food was because never got any. Had to get up and leave without ever being served. read more

A solid pitstop for a relaxed lunch in SJC -- Trader Vic's has a great selection of tiki-themed drinks and a yummy food menu. As you can expect with any airport food, the prices were a smidge expensive (though cheaper than some other establishments) and so was the taste. The grilled cheese I got was unique and filling, though I wouldn't say it knocked my socks off. The service was really attentive and great! They checked up on you often, but without being intrusive, and were able to make recommendations based on what I'd like. I got to the terminal early, so it was a chill spot to pass an hour or so of time by myself and I didn't feel rushed at any point. read more

Trader Vics - Grilled Cheese - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

Good drinks, (surprisingly small rum selection for a 'tiki' bar) ok food, but a very limited menu. High prices. All to be expected for an airport concession. Staff are nice, but unfortunately the bartenders tend to spend far more time in the corner talking to each other than paying attention to customers. Still worth a visit, but sit at the bar or tables near the windows or expect a long wait before being noticed by the staff. read more

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If you are needing a well-made Tiki drink and also happen to be in the San Jose airport, don't miss Trader Vic's. The decor is nice though underwhelming compared to one of the original locations. The service is very good, and the Navy grog and zombie were made true to recipe. Worth a visit. read more

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What a cute place to find in an airport terminal. We actually stopped in because nothing else was open, but I'm glad we did! 1) Drinks - if you're on your way to start a vacation this seems like the perfect place to do it. It's a full tiki bar (in the airport!?) the cups that they serve drinks in are adorable, I didn't get anything to drink but they had a huge menu and when I looked around it seemed like many people were enjoying themselves. 2) Food - there are not a ton of options here but from what we selected the food was pretty good! I see some harsh reviews on the chicken katsu, but I think it's fair to lower your expectations (again we're in an airport terminal, not at a Hawaiian luau). I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Recommendations: Crab Artichoke Dip!! read more

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Rudeness must be a required skill to get a job here. Sign said seat yourself so we went in and sat down. After waiting 15 minutes with no one in sight to help us, we got up to move to a seat, which there were plenty open, closer to the bar to see if someone would help us. A server came around the corner and yelled at us saying "didn't you see the sign" we're closed to new tables. Go out and wait to be seated. I let him k ow that they put the sign up a good 10 minutes after we came in to sit at the first table. He rolled his eyes and ran to the back to hide. We left and won't return ever again. read more

The good news is you don't need to leave a tip, because the service is that bad 40 min for food cause they forgot to put the order in. Only got worse from there read more

The server/bartender was unacceptable. Reva- the person on duty- would not acknowledge the people ate the bar and just ignored get duties as a service employee. When you work at the airport you really need to be on top off it. read more

Why 1 star? Because this was the worst meal I've had in as long as I can remember. --- --- --- I think this poke bowl was the worst thing I ate in 2022. I might even include 2021 in that too. This is review #2,999 for me and it's only the 19th time I've given 1-star. Sadly, it is absolutely deserving of it. To be clear, I am reviewing the fast-casual version of Trader Vics. My colleague went to the sit-down side of the restaurant and said his was poke bowl was enjoyable. Had I known that there was a difference, I absolutely would have gone that route. But I didn't. And it was bad. Before I even got to the airport, I was thinking about how much a poke bowl would be the ideal lunch. I'd eaten pretty unhealthy meals over the last couple of days, and something light and refreshing like poke would definitely hit the spot. Initially, I planned on finding one in LA, where I was flying to, but once our flight was delayed 2+ hours, I was happy to check out Trader Vics, which had the highest reviews of any restaurant in SJC. I knew things were not looking good for this meal when I ordered the poke bowl, and, four seconds later, the woman handed me a pre-packaged poke bowl. But it was so much worse than I feared. It was dry. It had weird stuff in it. And it honestly did not taste like something I would confidently proclaim to be edible. It was not much different than what I would imagine it would taste like if I were to walk up to the plants in front of my house and just start eating things. I am sure the sit-down part of Trader Vic's would have been fine, but they have to fix what's horribly wrong with their pre-made poke bowls. read more

Trader Vics - Poke Bowl - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

This 5 star rating is for the drinks and the service. I've been here twice now, and both times the drinks were good. But this second time around, Ellen was our server and she made our experience delightful. She was so kind and helpful. I've ordered the maui tai, chi chi, potted parrot, and the coral reef. The coral reef was a non alcoholic blended drink. All of them were very good, considering they are from a tiki bar in an airport. If you're looking for a nice place to have a drink and relax before your delayed Southwest flight, this is the place! Maybe skip the food though. It's expensive and looks mediocre at best. read more

Trader Vics - Maui Tai and Chi Chi - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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Had a Chinese chicken salad which had no flavor for $22 ate the chicken. Very disappointed

I don't usually leave bad reviews. But the service was soooo bad, it needs to be called out. The restaurant was t crowded but still they had a line outside. The woman behind the bar yelled at the 2 guys in front of me to take two seats at the bar and then told a guy that was already there to live over to let them in. And there were plenty of 2 tops open next to the bar but they didn't seat anyone there. Another spot opened at the bar and I took it. The woman next to me had her credit card out and said "I hope you're not in a hurry, I've been waiting 10 minutes to get my check. And the guy that just left gave up without ordering." She was just sitting with her credit card waiting for someone to help her pay and leave. And it's an airport bar - so getting people in and out quickly is usually a priority. I ordered a drink and avocado toast, figuring that would be quick. The drink came relatively quickly. Then I waited for the food. After 22 minutes I flagged down a bartender/waiter to ask for my check. She asked me if I got my toast, I said No, she walked away and brought it over." In less than a minute. Clearly it was sitting there waiting for someone to bring it to me. C'mon - 22 minutes for toast. Another bar customer just gave up without ordering a drink after waiting 5-10 minutes. I'd generally give the waitstaff a break and assume there was some staffing or management issue. But they weren't even polite or helpful. The drink was fine. The toast was good too. But there servers were a failure. Sad the Trader Vics name is attached to this place. Hopefully they can improve. read more

What a delight to see a Trader Vic's at the airport. We got a few drinks and a bite to eat. Something cool they provide is a biodegradable straw made of Pasta! This airport restaurant with full bar is a nice relaxing place to stop in before a flight. It also has a great view. Staff was very friendly. Restaurant is very clean with the restrooms nearby. They have seats at the bar with a tv for viewing and regular tables on the floor along with handicap spaces. read more

Trader Vics - A very tasty Spam Musubi - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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Best airport food I've had. We got the kaula pork and the braised short rib plates and loved our dishes. Drink wise I got one of the keoke coffee cocktail, and my friend got the tiki puka puka. This place is pricier but seriously the best airport food I've had. read more

Trader Vics - Short rib plate. So delicious. Worth every penny. Tender braised ribs with a delicious glaze. Mac salad was ok. - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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Amazing and very helpful staff, quite a location in the airport and some good quality food can sum up Trader Vics outpost. A blazing quick stopover to order my food which happened to be the Tuna bowl and requested them to keep it in the refrigerator so that I could pick it up right before my boarding, to which Brianna ( who was working the shift) complied very happily ( very good customer service even though it being crowded and busy) Getting in and out was fast even though there was a bit of a line when I got in there. Boarding time was upon us and I rushed there to pick up the bowl and got back in time to board the flight. Settled in and the first bite from the bowl till the last were just amazing. The tuna was very nicely prepared and had nothing extra to it. The greens looked fresh and everything about the bowl oozed fresh and clean. I would definitely recommend them in case you happen to be at the airport catching your next flight, especially the Tuna bowl. For sure next time just like the last time!! read more

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High prices aside (is airport food after all) Trader Vics always leave me a nice impression when taking my flights from SJC. The service is always super friendly and attentive (making sure you know where to get your napkins and asking if you have enough cutlery. Their napa salad is truly delicious with fresh ingredients and that passion fruit dressing is amazing. The fruit cups are also very fresh. For me Trader Vics has the healthiest of options and it is the cleanest restaurant at that airport, with plenty of clean seats. read more

This is my favorite place to go to before my flight. I come about an hour and a half before boarding to enjoy a cocktail. Drinks about about $18 and they usually taste strong so it feels worth it. Sea dreams was new on the menu since the last time I visited so I tried it out and it was definitely more fruit forward than booze forward. I like that they added more food items to the menu because I usually have my flights early and don't have time to eat at home so I am happy they added more items so I don't have to make a stop anywhere else in the airport beforehand. Reva helped me out today at the bar. She was quick to greet me and get my order in and pleasant to talk to. Thank you Reva! I love the theme of the bar. This place sticks out from the rest of the airport. You really can't miss it. Sometimes this place can get packed where every table is filled and I have sat at the giant large tables with other solo flyers before. It's also nice to sit next to the window and watch the planes come and go. read more

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Trader Vics has finally landed in SJC (pun intended) and I've been fortunate enough to try it out a few times not that I've reverted to flying out of SJC (after getting vaccinated). LOGISTICS I'm going to have to be brutally honest on this one... the logistics of this place sucks. They haven't opened up their full seating capacity, so seating is very limited for the demand. You can wait in line for a seat at the bar or limited tables, but you may be waiting awhile since people tend to hang out at the bar for awhile with their laptops, etc. Honestly I would eye the situation before trying to commit to sit down service because you may be wasting your time before the flight starts. Technically you're allowed to take the cocktails togo - you can drink them around the airport, just not on the plane. However it's very confusing how to do this - they have a dedicated "stand up" area at the bar specifically for togo drinks. You still have to wait in line for this, since they can only accommodate 1 party at a time and said party has to stay and wait for their drink to arrive. The more confusing part is there's no signage on how this works - the line for waiting for a table/bar seat seems to be the same as the togo order drinks. At least until the host finally shows up to explain the situation. Really hope they add a sign somewhere on where to line up / go for togo order drinks so I don't feel like a jerk skipping ahead to order. SERVICE If you're not at the bar, service can vary greatly depending on the time of the day. Last time I sat at the bar they were quite nice about taking my order and requests for water. If I sat at the table it was non existent (I'd have to walk up to the bar) ... and togo drinks are difficult to order, as I described above. I also tend to wait a long time just to take a togo order, which is a bit difficult when I'm holding up my luggage, backpack, etc. I notice they only seem to have 3 people working here (at least since my last 3 visits) - 1 runner / host and 2 bartenders. I guess COVID keeps them from staffing more but the bartenders seem overworked and the host/runner seems all over the place. Hopefully the situation improves. DRINKS Now that we've gone through the terrible logistics and spotty service... let's talk about the good part, the drinks. So far we've tried the following: Chi Chi: It's a Pina Colada, what's not to like? Despite the sweetness, I could definitely taste the vodka and I enjoyed eating the fruit decor. Also fun to drink out of a fake coconut cup. Singapore Symphony: If you like fruity drinks... this is a great one! The alcohol was still felt despite the fruitiness. The pineapple and passion fruit tasted great and was not lost in the liquor. Only had this drink togo so can't speak for the presentation. Navy Grog: The presentation was lovely! It came with a rock candy stick that I think is for mixing? Or eating with the drink. Moderately strong, but a good flavor. Samoan Fog Cutter: This tasted terrible. Pass. I'm pretty sure the sherry wine ruined it (Scopion was similar, but didn't taste as bad)... tasted like some spoiled mai tai gone horribly wrong. Blech. Scorpion: Described to have a "whisper" of almonds... I couldn't taste it. In fact it tasted more like a very alcoholic orange juice more than anything else. A lot of citrus in this drink, but the rum/brandy really punch you. Not sure how this is any different from a strong mai tai though but the cup was cool. FOOD Overpriced - skip the food, seriously. I'd recommend eating elsewhere then coming here for drinks afterwards. OVERALL The drinks are expensive - there's no denying that. But you are paying for drinks at an airport... and if you're drinking at the bar, at least they are presented nicely. It was a nice change from sitting at the gate or having an overpriced beer/wine elsewhere. Personally I'd skip the togo drinks since they're just served in a plastic cup, and getting them is a little stressful. But if you're that desperate for alcohol before a family visit, vacation, or business trip... go right on ahead, I won't judge. read more

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I was waiting to be seated and when I asked for a table for one was told I could sit at the bar. I said that I would like a table and was told that he was behind and that I would have to wait for 10 to 15 minutes to sit down as he walked away from me saying he was under staffed. I understand being busy and under staffed but being rude and walking away is unacceptable. Needless to say, I left. read more

Want a good balanced drink and a real good buzz before the flight? Ask for the Dominic (GM) special, AKA on menu 'Tututupo Tiki', delicious and best bang for your buck. Min 3 shots of 151, and tastes fresh. Beware of potency, but great if you like that tropical vibe and a creeper. Not too sweet, just right. Cheers. read more

Stopped by for a quick "we're on vacation drink". Our flight to Hawaii was delayed so we went for it. The bartender recommended the puffer drink and said it was strong because there was 2 shots in it. So we had one of those to chase a few shots. It was good...sweet but good. The cup was fun and started off our trip for sure. The grilled cheese was good too! Fun atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

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The coffee is so tiny and so gross that it's actually sad. Just sit through the lines at the other stores this is so not worth it. read more

Trader Vics - Vic's Fix - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

We had wine and dine steaks dinner at Trader Vic"s Emmeryville CA a few times prior to pandemic. Re-visited last Friday for lunch and cocktails and enjoyed fantastic bay view dinning room, ordered 2 cocktails Vics Grog with light n dark rum rated 4 stars slightly watery because 1/3 ice added? Tasty best of whole meal were 2 appetizers coconut shrimps and Crispy Calarmari. Rated 4 stars, dessert creme Brulee was good served warm in Hello ceramic coconut bowl. Unfortunately 2 entrees came and we were shock and totally disappointed. The Beef n Reef was so salty/not edible and dried, tough chewy. They overcooked it, left dried up on stove top?!!! $39 over priced ,only beef dish on menu. My husband's Beef Hamburger at $24 had ultra thin patty which is worse than BIG MAC served in fast food??? They were rated 2 stars They have terrible limited choice lunch menu and outrageous $$$$?!!! Total bill came to $165/lunch for 2 people who wanted good meal for early birthday celebration!!! Base on food quality and service. This is no longer our go to restaurant in Emeryville Marina. East Bay foodies read more

Stopped here for lunch before a flight (instead of going to get burgers) and it was a good call. Food was really really flavorful, only wish there were more vegetables included in the meals. Really amazing drinks menu as well! I hadn't wanted to drink alcohol this bad in a while, haha. Actually drank here after over 2 years; I split a Bahia with my boyfriend. It was a pineapple juice and coconut something with rum. kinda wanted to chuh that entire thing in one gulp! So good! I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon Hawaiian Lunch Plate (Teriyaki Salmon with steamed rice, Hawaiian macaroni salad, sweet plantains and greens). Salmon was cooked perfectly, and that glaze was just amazing!! Perfect sweetness, and went so well with the rice too. The plantains were really nice too and not oily at all. Macaroni salad was just okay; it didn't go too well with everything else on the plate. Only downside here was there were barely any greens! Probably 10 small leaves (countable!) My boyfriend got the Ahi Tuna Bowl (it came with radish, carrots, edamame, a boiled egg, sushi rice, sesame seeds, greens, avo and some sauce). Sauce was on point got a poke bowl, and ahi was fresh as well. Overall it was good and flavors went well together. read more

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Best food on the trip!! - - - - - - - - Our daughter and I visited San Jose, CA, and the Bay area one mid-October weekend. We had a good time. After we got through security we had time for lunch. We hadn't seen Trader Vic's when we arrived but we are glad we saw it before we flew home. They have (non-alcoholic) No Tai Mai Tais... TASTY! We also enjoyed a Tuna Poke bowl... soy sesame chili dressing, sushi rice, greens, mango Daikon, edamame - YUM! All with a great view of the planes and runway. And good service. Thank you, Jasmin and the team at Trader Vic's, SJC! ----- ----- ----- read more

Rude server, condescending and acted super busy and loud, did not bring all entrees out at the same time, one was delayed by 10+ minutes

Wow! Their prices skyrocketed in 2022. They're taking advantage of the current inflation issues to gouge their customers. Still, the poke bowl was pretty great, and a nice food option for an airport. Menu pics are from April 2022. read more

Trader Vics - Poke bowl. Very nice presentation. - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California

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I had a delayed flight at SJC. I was traveling to PDX and had tickets for a comedy show that night. I had expected to be meeting a friend in Portland but they flaked. As such, I was hoping to meet someone who was going to Portland in the next few hours so I didn't need to go to the show alone. I was also really hungry. So, my goal was to find a full service bar at which I could eat. Enter Trader Vic's between gate 22 and 23. Full bar. Lots of people. Plenty of seating at the bar. I approached the host stand and was greeted by a gentlemen. I asked him "do you serve food?" He replied, "yes, we serve food. Let me grab you a menu." He grabbed a menu from behind the stand, and instead of letting me see it, he read it to me. Every dish (an assortment of wraps, bowls, and salads). The menu wasn't to my liking. But before I left hastily I wanted to ensure this wasn't my only option, in which case I would stay and eat. So I asked him, "are there any other bar/grill type places here at the airport?" He answered with a question, "are you drinking?" I replied, "probably not, might just eat at the bar." He then said, still not answering my question about other options, "our store across the street is better for you. Same food no bar." First of all, the menu sucked. I didn't want to be sent to their other store with the same food. Secondly, I wanted to eat at a bar. That was my entire purpose. The store across the hall was empty of people and arranged I a non social way, and was not full service. Not what I wanted at all. Assuming there were no other options, I told him "I'd actually prefer it here. I'd like to sit at the bar." He responded, "we have no seats at the bar. You'll need to eat at the other place. The menu is the same." He handed me a paper menu. There were at least 10 seats open at the bar, with plenty between the parties for safe social distancing. He was lying. I was effectively refused service. I ended up eating Smash Burger. read more

Trader Vics - Trader vic's logo and announcement for sjc location. - Tiki Bars Near Me - San Jose, California