Asqew Grill

So sad that they closed shop. Had the pear and steak salad and loved it! I was happy to see one at Coleman Plaza, but then that closed up too! So sad. Good concept, poor execution?

I was in downtown and I came here to eat lunch the other day and saw it was closed. What a disappointment. This place was solid.
I was a big fan of their fish skewers, but the chicken ones were great options as well. And the side dish of rice was usually very tasty.
Sure, it was a bit pricey, but if you order two skewers you could easily share a meal with a friend. And if you needed a little more food, you could order a cheap side or appetizer to help fill you up.
It seems like the Coleman Avenue location closed down too.
The recession strikes again!

It’s a good place for lunch; the food comes quick and they have a decent variety of salads and skewers. It seems to be one of the healthier places to eat around downtown as well. My favorite is the Southwestern w/​Santa Fe chicken salad. It also looks like their veggie options were actually thought out and not just put there to appease vegetarian customers.
The best part: If you are a San Jose city employee, you get 20% of your check! (At least for lunch). YAY!

this place is awesome.
i had the balsamic beef tenderloin which came w/​mashed potatoes.
the beef is big and thick and juicy and perfect.
seriously, it’s definitely a good place to come to for a simple yet delicious meal.
my boyfriend got the lime chicken which was extra good too.
I’ve also had tofu. this place accommodates meat eaters and vegetarians which is awesome. since back in the day i got the tofu which was delicious. the salad that came with it had walnuts and some sweet stuff. i believe it was the mixed greens salad.
we also had the half artichoke appetizer which was really good too
i can’t really describe this place other than GOOD.
ps. the service was great too. helpful and welcoming.

I always stare at the sign for this place as I’m doing my workout on the second floor of Bally’s and always wondered what kind of food this place serves and telling myself I’ll have to try it one day. Yesterday my day finally came.
We decided to give Asqew a shot and was definitely pleasantly surprised at the menu. I love the variety of skewers and salads they have available and the quick/​friendly service. When we walked in we were immediately greeted by a friendly hostess who asked if we’ve been there before and since we haven’t, explained how their menu works and our options. Basically you can choose any two skewers if you want and they can combine it for you to make a plate of your choice.
We decided to go with a salad and one skewer. We got the spinach salad which had an asian vinaigrette, cranberries, pecans, blue cheese and was served with a blackened pepper seared ahi tuna skewer complete with onions, red pepper and brocolli. After a workout, the spinach salad was refreshing, I could have done without the blue cheese but hey thats cuz I’m not a fan of cheese. It was served with a piece of bread and lemon slices. The skewer had 3 large chunks of tuna which was ok, not the freshest tuna I’ve ever had, a couple squirts of the lemon and it was fine but overall it was decent.
This place is a great restaurant if you’re looking for a casual not so formal meal and you’re in the downtown area. Also, if you have kids, Asqew looks like they have a good kids menu for I believe $ 3.99 which included a nice variety of items. I’d come here again.

Eek! I went to Asqew today and as I bit into my Thai Beef I noticed, «Hmm…its kinda chewy.» Only to notice that it was totally raw inside. I picked around the sqewer and I found a few that were well done, or should I say… close enough. Trying to get the attention of a server while picking, my friend and I gave u and I ended up picking at her chicken instead since it seemed cooked thoroughly.
I figured I should have not picked at my beef because man, do I feel nauseated or what! I looked up my symptoms on WebMD and called poison control… Yup, who got food poisoning! ME!
Note to self: Next time… GRAB a server away from whatever they are doing and demand that it gets cooked ALL OF THE WAY.

I attended a conference at the Convention Center yesterday, and some co-​workers and I wandered around to find someplace for lunch. Asqew’s sign caught our eye, so we looked at the menu and chose to eat there.
I ordered 1 Thai chicken skewer and a side spinach salad. I happened to have ordered last in a group of 4 other women, so I wasn’t surprised when my food was going to arrive last at the table.
It became a problem, though, when 10 minutes had passed after everyone else got their food, and mine still wasn’t out.
Waiting…
Waiting…
Waiting…
The server asked me again what I ordered, and she went to check up on my order.
Another server — maybe her supervisor — came outside and told me that noone had ordered a Thai chicken skewer and salad that day.
Um. I just did!
Luckily I saved my receipt, so I could show him my order.
He looked at it as if it were the Rosetta Stone. The kitchen didn’t have my order. How could I have possibly ordered that?
I told him that I was unhappy to have to wait so long for my meal since everyone else was almost finished eating.
So, he told me that he would put the order right in and that the meal would be reimbursed.
In the end, I finally got my meal, and it was ok – I was starving by that point, so anything would have tasted ok. The chicken was a bit on the salty side. The spinach was fresh.
While I appreciate a free lunch, there really is no such thing as a free lunch. I would have preferred to pay and eat at the same time as my co-​workers.
I won’t be back.

Monday night looking for something different and I thought we would try Askew Grill. The menu was nicely varied with meat, chicken, and fish. Salads and sides. And they have a kids menu. That’s a plus in my book!
I ordered the cilantro lime skewers that came with yummy rice. My daughter had the mac and cheese. The flavor of the chicken was really good however, it was tough, not tender like I thought it should be. That was disappointing. The rice was delicious with some of the cilantro lime sauce. My daughter’s mac and cheese was really good… very cheesy. Oh and we had an appitizer of grilled breadsticks. They are not really breadsticks but more like bruschetta. They top them with slivers of paremeson cheese and serve it with a tomato dipping sauce. They were good. Just misnamed I think.
They had many beverage choices, soda, juice, water, beer and wine. And the girl behind the counter was very helpful and friendly. The place was clean and I think this is a good location. There are lots of tables inside and a nice patio outside. It’s a good people watching spot.
I’m giving them 3 stars because I think this is not a bad place. I like the menu too. I will give them another try sometime. Hopefully they will find a way to make the chicken more tender.

This is where you go when you want to convince yourself you’re being health-​conscious by eating a salad, but secretly feel satisfied by devouring the meaty skewer stick.
I had the grilled pear salad with beef tenderloin — sweet toasted almonds tossed in with creamy gorgonzola dressing and bits. DELICIOUS. The skewer had beef along with roasted red peppers and mushrooms. The beef cubes could have been marinated, but it was pretty juicy. It satiated my carnivorous tendencies… while still leaving me feeling light due to the salad.
It was a decent price for a fairly hearty and healthy meal. Though next time I won’t be a blushing flower ordering only ONE skewer with my salad; I’m upgrading to TWO.

I’m trying to eat better after eating waaaaay too much this weekend.
My girlfriend and I stopped and had dinner here before going to see the «Full Monty» at San Jose’s Center for Performing Arts.
I ordered the beef kebab with grilled pears on a bed of salad greens that was tossed with a gorgonzola cheese dressing — very refreshing. I like dark beer — and unfortunately, for me, they had none.
Great place to stop in for a quick bite to eat before going to the show!

I wrote an email and sent it to their corporate office as well as the downtown sj location. The corporate office manager wrote a very apologetic email in response to mine, and also offered some meal cards so that we can dine on their dime as he says. So maybe I will be able to update again with a more delightful experience.
***still have yet to go back.

I like this place a lot. No, it’s not my first choice when grabbing a bite for a weekday lunch, but it’s always tasty and quick.
Went for lunch today with a coworker and I had the Pear and Beef Tenderloin skewered salad. It is mixed greens, grilled pears, toasted almonds, red bell peppers with creamy gorgonzola. I got one skewer and thought, «hey, that’s plenty of food» as I was eating it, but I’ve been back at my desk for 30 min now and I’m still hungry. Two skewers is too much for a lunch, so maybe they need to add a little more to the portions to justify the price (~$ 8 for my meal today). But I like the flavors and quality of the meat.
I’m not sure why this place gets such mediocre reviews, because each time I’ve gone, I’ve been happy with my meal. Prices are a tad high for what you get, I guess.

I came here with my friend for lunch. He said he’s been to the one in San Francisco so he wanted to try this place out in San Jose. This was my first time going to this place.
I ordered the Santa Fe Chicken and a fountain drink. When you order, the person will ask if you want one skewer or two skewer. I’d recommend you get two skewers because one will not be enough. The total for my order was $ 13.90 (including tax). My friend ordered the Thai Beef Tenderloin and a glass of water. His total was $ 11.79 (including tax).
We found a place to sit and within like 5 minutes, the food came. The Santa Fe Chicken looked better than the Thai Beef Tenderloin. I took pictures of them with my cellphone and will post them after I write this. Sorry I didn’t bring my camera because I left it in my car. The pictures won’t look that great but it gives you an idea of how they look like.
I gave one skewer to my friend and took one of his skewers so we could try each one. I definitely say the Santa Fe Chicken tasted A LOT better than the Thai Beef Tenderloin. The Thai Beef Tenderloin had a certain taste that might make you think you were eating lamb instead of beef but it was beef.
The portions were a bit small so I wasn’t full when I finished everything. If they had larger portions, this would be worth the money. For just a little over $ 10, I think the portion should be a little bit larger.
I will come back here later to try the other food they offer.

I have been to Asqew restaurants in San Francisco and Emeryville many times before and have enjoyed the food and atmosphere everytime, but this San Jose experience was not the same.
The prices were higher, portions were smaller and overseasoned, and the environment was all wrong. Classical music with bbq? And this is the only asqew I have been to that doesn’t let you choose your own sides.

I find Asqew quality to be good, and for that I give high praise. Variety is decent too… any standard meat on a stick you want, you can get it here.
It seems to me that offering a single skewer meal is pretty small… I don’t think anyone I know has ever gotten less than the full 2 skewer meal, and if you do that, I can’t say it is good value. Downtown SJ is never on the cheap side, but this is pretty expensive ($ 11) for an order-​at-​the-​counter sort of place.
So — value, not so good.
I do like the variety of sides and sauces, but I would also say that some are hits and some are misses.
So, I’ll be back, but you won’t find the consistency and value that you would otherwise find over at the Sonoma Chicken Coop.

Food is great! Service is pretty bad.
I’ve been here several times since it opened, and honestly, it has been getting better, but is not good, yet.
The food takes waaaaaay too long to be prepared. Assuming you get what you ordered (sadly, this does not happen as often as you’d expect) the food is pretty fantastic. I haven’t ordered anything I haven’t liked.
It’s a bit pricey for the portions, but if you are being health concious, you really can’t do better than a single skewer (meat & veggies) on salad or rice.

I love Unilocal mobile. I can get it anytime, anywhere on my «smart phone.»
Now if only I was as smart as my phone…
See, I’d Unilocaled a number of eating establishments in the downtown/​convention center area. I’d spent the day attending session after interesting but mind-​numbing session at a conference, and I just wanted a quiet place to grab a quick bite, maybe a beer.
I was scanning reviews on Unilocal mobile during the last session of the day, and had actually settled on Gordon Biersch though it had mixed reviews. But then I figured why go there when I could go to the one in my hometown? Why not try a local/​regional place instead.
So I hit Asqew — but I didn’t Unilocal it ’cause I just walked up on the place all of a sudden like. And therein lies the trouble with having a smart phone with Unilocal mobile and not using it!
I was immediately stumped by the menu, but hopeful none the less. Part of me wanted ribs and chicken; but the smarter, healthier part of me told the greasy ribs n’ chicken chick to shut up!
The lady at the counter was both pleasant and patient and explained the available combinations to me. The grilled cilantro lime chicken skewers with tomatoes and red onions sounded great, along with the cilantro jasmine rice. I’m not even sure I like cilantro quite that much, but what the heck. I also got a side salad — a Caesar — and a bottled Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
I paid for my meal — $ 19! — and took a seat inside. It was nearly empty, quiet but for the singing and chatter coming from the kitchen, and just what I needed after a long day.
My food was served relatively quickly — salad first, followed by the main course about 5 – 10 minutes later. The little salad was OK, though the dressing was a bit bland.
As for the skewers, let’s just say I was a disappointed. The chicken, while edible for sure, was bland. It seemed as though the the chicken and veggies were skewed and grilled with the sauce poured on as an after-​thought. I’d have hoped they’d have been marinated or perhaps brushed with the sauce before being grilled, but that was not the case. I did enjoy the rice which helped make the whole skewer thing more enjoyable overall.
I’ll be visiting SF in a few months and though this experience was not exactly what I’d hoped it would be — and the prices seemed a bit high — I’ll try another location before crossing this place off my list for good.
Oh, and BTW? They do have a relatively decent selection of bottled beers, which is good for at least two starz in my book!

So here’s how you order: If you want skewered meats, you choose from the skewered entrée menu and then you have a choice between either a salad or a starch. The entrees aka skewered meats have a recommendation of what sides go great with it. Regular order = 2 skewers; Half order = 1skewer. I had the honey dijon chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, a side of mac n’ cheese from the appetizer menu, and red wine. Yum! The honey dijon sauce for the skewers was delicious. Meats were cooked to perfection. Mac n’ cheese was cheesy! Just right and my red wine was flavorful and went perfectly with my meal. My only complaint is that the garlic mashed potatoes didn’t have much of a garlic flavor.
Service was great for dinner. Very attentive. Sit outside if the weather permits. Prices are reasonable and you get a 10% discount if you show student ID.

I have been here twice now, (both during slow times) and have been moderately satisfied each time. The first time, the white fish skewer was dry but both times, the salmon skewer has been good. I like their salads and mashed potatoes. I think all the options you can choose on the menu are great… you can be as healthy or bad as you want.
I’ll go back again sometime I’m sure cause of it’s convenient location but, I won’t be making plans around it. Last time, my girlfriend ordered some bbq chicken that looked great!
The people that work there are nice too. The last time, I didn’t realize they had rootbeer and berry floats so the server let me upgrade with no problem (and for free but I hope I don’t get anyone in trouble) even after I’d already paid my bill. :) I made sure to tip her the differnce on top of my tip already. The other staff was friendly too.

Someone had told me about the locations in SF a while back and when I saw this open up last year I hadn’t had a chance to drop in. Meeting a friend in San Jose for lunch today I realized that downtown SJ during a weekend day is pretty quiet and serene and was a bit worried seeing the restaurant quite empty.
There’s a pretty nice patio area outside but the weather was overcast so we opted for inside. Lot’s of wooden accents but the interior design was new and modern. So you order at the counter and they bring the food to you. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it seemed to be somewhere in the middle of a fast food place and a sit down restaurant. A regular order is skewers of your choice of meat and a starch or salad. They also some non skewered meat and veggie items but hey with skew in the name I had to go for the concept.
I got a skewer of ginger basil lamb and a skewer of Italian sausage with a side of polenta. The meal was surprisingly fresh and tasty and for $ 13 it was pretty solid meal. I’d definitely intrigued about some of the other selections and would return to try them id I’m in the area.
While we were sitting there I saw Dave Attell drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette a la Insomniac. Turns out he’s doing three shows at the Improv down the way so he probably just got up for who knows what of all night in SJ. I don’t promise you’ll see famous comedians when you eat here, but it’s definitely worth checking out.