Hawgs Seafood Bar

Good food if you order the right thing. Seafood Alfredo is yum. Calamari is yum
Service is ok if you get the right person.

Generally, I had high hopes for enjoying the dinner at Hawgs, however, I was disappointed on a few levels. To make this short and to the point, the seafood pasta dish tasted like the sauce was made of dishwater and the pasta was undercooked. It was awful. To make matters worse, I was with a group, and did not feel comfortable complaining much, but did mention to the waitress that I did not like the entrée and the waitress removed the offending dish without a word of aknowledgement or consideration for my feedback.
I will not return to this particular location again.

3.5 stars
I’ve been here plenty of times with friends and to support businesses that support the local arts as they do. I have given 3 stars as an overall rating from my many experiences.
I’ve been here with my boyfriend who «hated it» (with 2 snaps), with a friend who knows the owner and with my girlfriends. All of the times have been different experiences. I have to say going with someone who knows the owner is fabulous! Going with chicks is always great especially sitting at the bar!
The garlic cheesy bread it the bomb!!! I like their pasta dishes (linguine and clams, garlic prawns with pasta and seafood alfredo) and their crab cocktail. I’m trying to put words on screen that best describe this type of seafood place, it’s not like red lobster or boiling crab, nor is it like Scott’s seafood. I have to say it reminds me of a place that belongs on the beach in Capitola or Monterey.
I had a great experience one time, where all I wanted was crab. I didn’t care how it came, just a heaping bowl of crab. I was sitting at the bar with my friend and the manager said he could give me a crab cocktail, I said I don’t want anything but the crab. He got a bowl out right in front of me and filled the bowl up with about 2 cups of fresh crab meat! So yummy!!! They get 3 stars just for that! I will upload my picture of it too! This place is a bit pricey, but hey it’s seafood.
I think once the weather gets a bit nicer I am going to check out the happy hour oyster special.

Mmmm. I love this place.
PROS: Food is explosive with flavor. Great portions (if you’re looking for a very filling dinner). Great service.
I’ve had:
Seafood Alfredo (this is SO good)
Calamari
NY Steak Sandwich
One of their price fixed specials which was either 3 or 4 courses — WIN
CONS: I have nothing bad to say about this place other than that the actual space can use a little help on the visuals — it could use some updated décor. That should NOT stop anybody from coming here though even if you’re going on a date.
Also, I’m not a big fan of their clam chowder as they mix it with New England and Manhattan. I’m a New England chowder type of gal (the white one). It would be great if they can serve the chowder types separately.
FINAL ANSWER: Come to Hawgs! I don’t know of any other good seafood places around the are and I would say Hawgs is one of them.

Great food & impecable service. I sat at the bar, which is really the kitchen and watched these professionals kick out awesome meals at lightning speed. We were helped by the hostess to find seats at the bar. Then a waiter was right there to take a drink order. I had the seafood marinara, which was out of this world. 20 bucks, but you get 20 bucks worth of seafood in the meal, trust me. Plenty of fish, clams, mussels etc. I can’t wait to go back.

The service here is very good and friendly. Ample parking next door with validation.
Great —
Bread with the bruchetta toppings
Linguine and clams
Scalone
Steamed clams
Clam chowder
House chardonnay
OK —
Fried calamari
Paella
Not so good —
Crab cakes

The service sort of stinks. No one greets you or anything. This waiter kept coming back to fill our water regularly though. The clam chowder DOES NOT TASTE LIKE CLAM CHOWDER. I was confused. The food took forever to come. But when it did, it was good. The fish was juicy and soft, and the mashed potatoes were superb. But in the end, it wasn’t really worth the price.
So when I first walked in, I was able to to find «hawgs guest» wifi. but the moment I went onto Unilocal,it disappeared and never came back! Its a conspiracy!

This place seems to be hit or miss. The reviews are either real good or real bad. Luckily for me, it was a hit.
Always passed by this place when I’m around school or out downtown at night, never had the chance to try it. Bf and I decided to go for a super late valentines dinner and we really liked it!
on top of the free bread and tomato-​sauce thing they had (which was reallly good), we ordered:
–cheesy garlic bread– YUM YUM YUMMMO!
–calamari– good, nothing too crazy, but still good.
–seafood fettuccine alfredo– OH MAN, it was freakin delicious. i was very very pleased with this =)
–Cajun pasta– bf ordered this and really liked it, i thought it was cool too, but i liked my seafood alfredo better ;)
service was good, too.
we printed out a coupon we saw online for $ 10 off dinner so that helped. It is pricey, but it’s nice to go to on a special occasion or if you gotta little extra money for a nice dinner ;) i’d love to come back.

OH MAN! Its like right there downtown but ive always been skeptical to try! With that big blue awning and happy hour banner it didnt look crazy inviting but my friend La La told me we have to come here! So we went. We started of with a Cheese Bread Appy OMG!!! SOOO AMAZING! they also give you almost like a bruschetta salad to put on your regular bread! SOO GOOD! and the grilled prawns and scallop salad was to die for!!! The whole meal was amazing, on the pricy end but if you go for happy hour you can definitely manage!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE! OYSTER SHOOTERS!!! SOOO GOOOD!

What happened?
Prime lunchtime and instead of a long wait the cavernous dining area was quite bare. Prices were raised and portions lower. Lunch entrees running $ 10-​$ 15. This place must be hurting.
He ordered a Seafood Marinara and I ordered an Eggplant dish. Pasta was ok but the mussels were oddly cool to the touch. Eggplant a little bland but I knew I was ordering the token vegetarian dish in a seafood restaurant so I didn’t expect much.
Both of us were surprised by the size of our plates. To the point where I measured it with the napkin and took it back to the office to lay it against a ruler. 9″ plates with a 1″ border all around it. Meaning that’s a 7″ diameter circle where food is actually placed.
That’s the WIDTH of a piece of paper, minus an additional 1 ½ inches.
Both of us were still hungry after, grabbing an additional snack elsewhere before heading back to the land of cubicles.
Downtown San Jose has undergone major development the past couple of years. There’s the 4 towering luxury condominium complexes with floor-​to-​ceiling glass, the raised bar of restaurants following suit from Mortons to McCormicks, even famous chef Michael Mina giving his try at a new location here (mixed so far). Then the slow economy where everyone’s slashing prices, getting mighty aggressive with Happy Hour specials, and somehow Hawg’s got left behind.
It’s rather unfortunate really as I have so many fond memories of it being a hotspot of group gatherings and power lunches.

with seafood, you should always expect a price. but it depends on the quality.
i came here with my girlfriend, Stephanie. who is a server here.
i ordered half calamari and half popcorn shrimp.
this was 11.99 definitely pricey. i did enjoy the whole appetizer.
seriously, the appetizer filled me up completely. the shrimp was actually big for «popcorn» and the calamari was fresh and mostly rings which was also nice.
service was nice. very friendly.
i think i’d come back again for a nice date or something.

Better than expected. Now if I could’ve only remembered to ask for dressing on the side…
From the photos online, I thought it’s be a hole-​in-​the-​wall trying to be fancy and charge an arm and a leg. But it turned out to be a pretty nice place, spacious, and with a nice crowd. Service was good. We never had to ask for a refill of drinks or bread. Now the food…
Bad
— gorgonzola & pear salad
Okay
— banana crème brûlée
Good
— Newhattan clam chowder
— linguine w/​clams
— chicken breast w/​prawns
Excellent
— banana gelato
The fourth star is mostly because of the excellent deal ordering off the DineDownTownSJ menu as they offered each 3-​course meal for $ 20. Not sure if I’d come back at regular prices, maybe lunch with a coupon.

This is not a real seafood restaurant. It is an Americanized version of
seafood. So if you like American style you might also like Kyoto Palace.
If you are a real seafood person that likes real fish then don’t eat
here. The Halibut was fresh, but cooked in an American style with mash potatoes. Service was OK. If you go there order the oysters. They
were the best on the menu.

Food was about up to par. I mean seafood in San Jose. I suppose that’s as good as it gets. =P
Calamari was delicious. Not the greatest but pretty good. It’s flavorful and crispy. Served with tartar & cocktail. ($ 12)
Clam chowder was tasty but a little too tangy for my taste. I got the mixed one with Manhattan & New England. A cup runs about $ 4.90.
Garlic Cheesy bread… Mmm! Completely delectable and mouth watering. So so so delicious! ($ 5?)
Baked Asiago Oysters. Small oysters but big in taste. Mmm! It’s super cheesy. The cheesy is a bit overpowering but still delectable. ($ 13)
Caesar salad is mediocre.
Overall service & vibe of restaurant.4/5 stars. Great staff that’s quick and friendly.
They validate parking as well.

I didn’t like that the snobby hostess placed us in an awkward table towards the front of the restaurant. Lucky for us we ended up with a good waiter. He was quick and the bus’ers were on it.
We ordered the oyster shooters. For $ 2.25/per shooter it seems high but it’s probably a going restaurant rate. I read the happy hour menu and they are about .75¢ cheaper.
We also had the Spinach Asiago oysters and those were ok but I probably wouldn’t order those again.
I had the pear and gorgonzola salad. It seemed as though the salad was premade in the morning and sat around. The lettuce was not as fresh as my friends salad was, and the pears were a little mushy.
Next I had the scallops (someone put a picture up); they are pan seared with panko breading. The scallops were like candy melting in my mouth and cooked perfectly. It was one of the best scallop dishes I have ever had. The risotto that accompanied it however was not so good. It was a little over cooked and way too many tomatoes in it.
My friend ordered the salmon and it came with fresh string beans and potato pancakes. The potato pancakes were awesome! The beans were cooked perfectly but the she said the salmon was nothing she would order there again. It was bland and a little over cooked. She thought that it was reheated instead of being cooked to order.
I will try it again, however it’s not at the top of the list.

The food is OK. Presentation is quite nice, menu is extensive, but the taste… eh. Prices are a little higher than you would expect for the quality of food, but I guess it’s because it’s in downtown SJ. All dinner entrees range from $ 13-​$ 30, except maybe a salad and soup or something like that.
One thing that makes this place great is that it was able to seat 15 of us within fifteen minutes on a Saturday night. Then again, that should tell us how great the restaurant really is.

My daughter and I came here to celebrate her 6^th birthday. Her favorite thing in the world is shrimp. She loves shrimp. Mostly the breaded and deep fried variety. As luck would have it, that was the first item on the children’s menu, prawns and french fries. I had a harder time trying to figure out what I wanted. Everything sounded good. Finally I opted for the Garlic Shrimp and Linguini. I also had a cup of the Newhatten Clam Chowder. No, that is not a typo… it is Newhatten Clam Chowder. It’s a creamy tomato based clame chowder and it was excellent! I should have ordered a VAT!!! I loved my shrimp and pasta dish too… it was nicely done and the pasta was al dente. Delish!
Our server was fast and attentive and always asked my daughter if she needed anything. That was nice. I enjoyed the saucer of bruschetta like tomatoes they brought with the bread. It was different and flavorful.
We chose not to have dessert since my daughter had a Target gift card that was burning a hole in her pocket. She was dying to go shopping!
This was my first visit to Hawg’s and you will be I will be back for a big bowl of that chowder!!! YUM!!!

Before the musical Hair I decided to have dinner at Hawgs Seafood Bar. Since I got there before 5:30pm I got to eat at their Happy Hr for $ 1 oysters. The Happy Hrs are Tues-​Fri 3p-5:30p.
I ate at the bar which was nice to see the cook making some of the food in front of me.
I got:
FREE bread — 3 slices of bread served cold w/​some packaged butter or chopped up tomatoes. Average tasting bread, nice tomatoes w/​cilantro I think.
6 oysters at $ 1 ea (Happy Hr price) = $ 6. They were Blue Point Oysters. Comes w/​a slice of lemon, fresh horseradish, & cocktail sauce. I just had them w/​some lemon & tiny bit of the horseradish. Was fine, nothing special.
Cup of their Newhattan clam chowder $ 3.95. It’s really served in a mug. I had to ask for crackers & they were stale tasting. Blech. The chowder was pretty tasty though.
Got a half order of the Gorgonzola/​Pear Salad $ 5– it was fine. 3 honey walnut, some diced pears & some cheese & carrots in a vinaigrette sauce.
My total $ 14.95 + $ 1.23 tax =$ 16.18 before tip.
Separate bathrooms in the back. They have a banquet room in the back too.
Next to the SJ Rep Theater.

We came here earlier tonight because I was really craving some fresh oysters!
We ordered a couple of the fresh oyster shooters (1.95 each) which was in a cute little short shot glass with some horseradish and cocktail sauce. They were good but I prefer oysters on the half shell.
Those were absolutely great! One of the Unilocalers is right about the ABSOLUTE BEST HORSERADISH EVER! I didn’t even really realize it was horseradish because it was so smooth and creamy and melted in my mouth. The fresh oysters on the half shell are some of the best oysters I’ve had. The right size not too little like those cherry oysters but not grossly humungous. They are only 1.75 each!
Also got the New England Clam Chowder. It was delicious. I finished it with the quickness. The potatoes are tiny cube sized so they are not too overwhelming. I could see the little clams. It is creamy but not too rich and sickening.
The calamari we could have passed on. Just plain old calamari. It was battered and fried better than most places. No inconsistency but that means it was already pre-​fried. Not too much flavors and spices so I had to go lemon juice crazy just to get some flavors in my mouth.
The caesar salad is pretty good. Small portions though.
I will definitely be back to check out their happy hour Tues-​Fri 3:30 — 5:30pm! Only 1 dollar oysters!
Closed on Mondays!

We have been here 8+ times now, in the 8 months since we discovered it. Pricey, but WELL worth it if you need a consistent, good quality, fish-​centric meal.
Went here when my parents were in town– Dad paid– thanks Dad!
Went here last night with the in-​laws…$ 140 for 4 people-​Dad-​in-​law Paid-​thanks Dad #2! .
Try the asiago oysters (spinach, asiago, comes out piping hot, throw a little lemon juice on… hmmm). Also they use REAL, FRESHLY grated horseradish for their raw oysters– can’t beat it, it’s creamy and spicy and delicious-​quality is evident in many dishes here.
I also order the Cajun pasta ALMOST ever time I come here– terrific! I can’t get enough of it. The Cioppino (sp?) is also excellent. I’ve also had the scallops, and the shrimp and garlic pasta, both of which did not disappoint.
Regarding price– It’s a good value, we always have leftovers for two lunches the next day.
The downside: Martinis are a bit overpriced for the quality of liquor they offer, and the beer selection is uninspired. There is, however, a good selection of wines that complement the dishes well, so go that route and you can’t lose.
Service: There is one lady there who gives the BEST service we have had in SJ so far, I can’t remember her name but she’s small with dark hair and really kind. She always makes us feel welcome.
Ambiance: My favorite place in town so far, we can come in jeans and be comfortable, no pretension here– or last night we dressed in heels and ties, and also felt comfortable.
The manager Scott is nice and personable, and remembered us from last time. He gave the local animal charity I volunteer for a gift certificate for our auction, so he’s a winner in my book.
Busy place, we never fail to make a resy as the wait time can get long, particularly once the Rep lets out. Closed on Mondays.
05÷23÷07− Revision– went here last night had a Lemon Drop martini– YUM, I recommend them. The Garlicky bread was a little greasy but good if you can get past that. My husband got the australian lobster, he said it was ok. The mashed potatoes were the best part of his meal, they were just like mom’s with tons of dairy in there and whipped up nicely…
714÷07− Back again! This time for a light dinner: an order of clams (with fried leeks on top) and some more of that cheesey garlic bread — plus topped it off with crème brûlée for a full dairy meal!!! We sat at the bar and Scott served us– with wine, beers, tip it was ~$ 60, a reasonable amount for what we both considered an EXCELLENT meal. I wish I had room for the Cajun pasta, next time… and we will be back I’m sure!