This USED to be one of my fave spots! Until... They charged my card twice! My friend and I decided to come to bar Cesar on a Friday night after a long day at work! I dig the food, fish tacos, oysters, patatas bravas. And during happy hour it's pretty decent prices! But my friend and I split the check and it came to about $50 each and I as I check my account later that evening I realize I had been charged twice! And guess who else was, my friend! So we both thought oh it's a mishap they will fix it! Guess again! My friend and I have been trying to reach bar Cesar for the past few days and they do NOT ever answer their phone! Ever! So I checked my account this am and realized that both transactions had gone through and $100 was deducted from my account! I checked with my friend and they didn't deduct anything from hers. So basically they charged me twice and cancelled her transactions! So if you feel you need to eat here? Bring cash! I like the food and the location but no one messes with my money! read more

Gotta agree with the recent reviews on here, food is really mediocre and the service is so slow, even when it's not that busy. To be fair, we got a drink comped when it took us 15 minutes to flag down our waiter for the bill, but really, this has become very average fare. read more

I'll be moving to Oakland soon and am itching to try places in my new 'hood! My friend, R, took me here! Loved the food, the open layout and the casual feel of the place. I've been learning about tequila, so I really enjoyed trying their tequila flight. Service was first rate and I look forward to coming here again. It beats anything going on in Vallejo! read more

When I go out with my friend Kristen we have so much to talk about and are so engaged in conversation that I often come away having no idea what I've just eaten. Our dinner date at Cesar was no different, but I vowed this time to try and keep a scrap of my attention on the dining experience. First off, the staff are fast, friendly, competent. There's a sort of simplicity here that manages to come off sophisticated rather than careless or trashy. I love small plates, and these did not disappoint. They were appetizer priced, and I thought well-portioned. Then again, my perspective is that portions at most restaurants are enormous. I had the Brussels sprouts, which appeared to be dressed with pesto, but it didn't taste like pesto. They were good, and very well cooked, but did not blow me away. I also had the butternut squash soup (which is vegan, btw). The sage leaves should have been crispier, but the soup was velvety, hearty and well flavored. It came with some dry, salty cornbread that didn't really add much. All in all, I loved the atmosphere and the experience and the food was solid, but not phenomenal. If you're driving, try the lemon mint soda - very tasty. read more

Food is so unimpressive... I've been here twice and it's ridiculously overpriced for what it is. Do yourself a favor and go to trader Joe's get some corn tortillas, salsa and a little bit of filling and put it on a plate at home. The chips smell like old fish and there's nothing inventive for unusual or creative about the food here. read more

We stumbled upon this place last week when we were looking for a bite to eat at 11pm. Thank goodness it was open! We were seated right away and the place never stopped bustling. Our waiter was very polite, prompt, and helpful. They start you off with a complimentary dish of marinated olives that just get your taste buds going. I had the eggplant soup which was really good and peppery and he had a mixed gem lettuce salad which was excellent. Not too much dressing, lots of bleu cheese, perfect flavors. We split a roast leg of lamb bocadillio sandwich which came in 4 pieces and was delicious. It was simple yet you could taste the unique flavors of the lamb. We then had a whole grilled fish which we both devoured as if we were cats picking at every last piece of white flesh fish we could find. The fish was served plancha style on a bed of potatoes that were yummy, too. For dessert, althought the waiter and the table next to us both liked the bread pudding, we went for the chocolate torte served with ice cream. It was heavenly. I was so happy we stumbled upon this place and would definitely come back again. read more

Maybe my expectations were too high because Cesar was disappointing. I went with a group so I was able to try a decent amount of things. One item stands out in my mind, the roast beef sandwich was delicious, the bread was soft and crunchy and the meet was tender and flavorful. After we ate my boyfriend asked me to rank what we tried from best to worst and I realized everything was equally mediocre. The lobster bisque had no trace of lobster, the salt cod was boring, the ribs lacked flavor, and the cumin potatoes had about a pound of cumin. The weirdest thing of all was the paella. It had a huge dollop of "aioli" on it, and only one shrimp. I have never heard of mayonnaise on paella. I will say the service was good and we only waited 30 minutes on a Saturday nigh which is not bad at all. read more

Wash down your patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce, alioli) and your marinated olives with a few apricot 76 cocktails (bombay gin, apricot liqueur and a champagne float. You won't be sorry. read more

hey i took this byrd there, it was a smashing time. she ate the churros and i ate the patatas but both of us are vegetarians and i had a harder time finding tasty noms on this menu than i could while in spain, what gives? anyway, please have pan con tomate, its like a classic and the waiter thought i was crazy... le sigh. blaugrana al vent, un crit valent, tenim un nom, el sap tothom: BARÇA !, BARÇA!, BARÇA!, read more

very disapointed.. I've been a fanatic of Cesar for already 5 years, I love the way they create the spanish tapas, but the latin version of the restaurant is a mess... the empanadas are very dry, the only one worth it is the beef empanada... the Argentinian stake is not well seasoned and the chimichurri is NOT a chimichurri... the stuffed chile tastes horrible... The only good thing here, the service and the drinks as always.. I will stay with cesar on Shattuck, they really know about food from Spain. read more

Boo. I used to love Cesar for tapas, but I don't like it any more now that it has become "Cesar Latino". I haven't been in a while and a friend informed me that the Oakland location had changed to Cesar Latino. I finally stopped by today and was very disappointed. There were only a few of the familiar menu items. I miss the herbed olives that they give you when you sit down and received spiced corn nuts, peanuts and pepitas instead. It is so much harder to eat those and chase little tiny seeds around in a dish to eat them than the olives. Fortunately the Patatas Bravas are still on the menu, but they seemed lacking the usual gusto, like they changed the spices a bit, but at least they were still good. We also got fried plantains with crema (which tasted like creme fraiche) and I thought the crema was too sour of a counterpoint to the plantains. The plantains were okay, if a little greasy. Hubby got the beef taco, which I didn't try, and said it was just "meh". Then we got the salmon ceviche. Here was the fail for me. I know you've got to squeeze a lot of citrus juice over the fish to "cook" it, but this was like soup when it was delivered to me. It was a bowl of citrus juice with a little bit of fish in it. And, if you're going to serve it to me with tortilla chips for scooping, do you think you could dice the red onion instead of leaving it in such long slices that it is impossible to maneuver onto a chip? I couldn't even fit a slice of onion into my mouth it was so long. And to top it all off, my favorite dessert (the orange caramel bread pudding) is no longer at this location. So, hubby and I cut our losses after these 4 small plates and went over to La Farine for a cookie for dessert. Guess I'll have to trek over to the Berkeley location for the original menu. I miss it. read more

the service was mediocre , the food was tasty but way overpriced ... will probably go back but just for drinks at the bar . it used to be a great spot for food . read more

A couple friends and I went in on a Thursday after work to blow off a little steam, eat, drink, and be merry since the weekend was only a day away (if you can hear "Tomorrow" from Annie in your head while you read that last part, it'll sound better :). We sat ourselves as directed and were given a stack of 3 glasses and a large bottle of water and some time to contemplate the happy hour menu. The drink prices on the happy hour menu were a bit of a disappointment as they didn't feel like they were discounted enough to feel like you were getting a better deal than the regular drink menu. The happy hour margarita was $7.50 and the midori sour I ordered (definitely not on the happy hour menu) was only $.50 more...ok, not a super big deal, just a slight annoyance. What was more problematic was the time it took from sitting down until the time it took to place our order (15-20 minutes... far too long in my opinion). Up until the time when we wanted our check...easily another 15 minute wait, the service was friendly, the drinks yummy, and the food delicious. We shared the patatas bravas, chips and guacamole, and the fish tacos...all of which I highly recommend. Besides those few hiccups I'll definitely be going back for another visit. read more

wow, the food is delicious. everything looked really good on the menu so it was hard deciding what to order, but thank goodness for small plates we had a chance to sample a lot of the dishes, my favorite being the fried boquerones. so why am i giving this place only 3 stars???? because the service sucks a$$. we had the most indifferent waitress who acted like "why are you bothering me?" and it's a little on the pricey end for the small portions. it's like everything is $10 and you get like 3 bites - 3 delicious bites but nonetheless 3 bites! but with limited spanish food on this side of the bay, i guess i'll probably be going back for the tapas, hopefully we won't have the same biatch of a server! read more

Great place for people watching but the food is mediocre & over priced. The pisco sour doesn't compare to Adesso's. Service was just OK. I would only come back to grab a beer on the patio. read more

This place was overpriced. They charge $8.50 per Sangria which is filled 3/4 of the way with crushed ice. I didn't realize the price until the check came and was boweled over. For that price I should have ordered a bottle of wine instead. The asparagus salad was good and included bacon but the texture of the bacon was hard compared to the asparagus and the vinegrette was a little too sweet. The fish taco tapas was puny and nothing special served with halibut and cabbage on a tiny and plain corn tortilla. The food here was more mexican than spanish and not what I had expected. The restaurant was noisy but I enjoyed the atmosphere and especially the outdoor patio in back. I wouldn't recommend this place because you can have much better food at much cheaper price somewhere else. The bill was $102 for just me and a girlfriend and we didn't even order an entree just 3 drinks each and 2 appetizer/tapas dishes a piece. Ridiculous! read more

Went to Bar Cesar last night for a birthday celebration. We had the best food. Luckily there were four of us so we were able to try lots of fabulous dishes. The chef is new and he is a culinary wizard. Shrimp salad was delicious the sauce was great. Raw oysters and fried oysters we couldn't decide which was the better dish so we ordered another round. Loved the fried olives. Paella was the best I ever had. The fish tacos were wonderful a vibrant environment and a friendly wait staff. In sum just fabulous read more

We had a very uncomfortable lunch a Bar Cesar. We arrived to music so loud we could not even communicate. When I mentioned that the music was very loud one employee commented, "Well we just opened" very rudely. We were seated and after ordering it took 20 minutes for our appetizer soup to arrive though the place was still practically empty. The food was good and we enjoyed the meal itself but the service was lacking. When we finished our meal our plates were cleared and we asked for a container for some leftovers. We continued to chat and after some time realized that we had not yet recieved the bill. When I mentioned to the waiter that we had been waiting for about 20 minutes to get the check he rudely replied, "You arent my only table!" He then slammed the bill down on the table. After that he took our credit cards and dropped them on an ajecent empty table in the mddle of the restaraunt while he went off to do something else. A few minutes later he brought back the tabs and we left. I will never return there and I do not recommend this place to anyone. I should mention that we have eaten at the Berkeley location and loved it. read more

I've been here a million times since it's right down the street from me. Sometimes the food has been amazing and sometimes it's just been pretty good - but it's never been bad. Considering how busy they are, the service is always friendly and reasonably attentive. It's got a fun and bustling atomosphere but friendly and not so noisy that you can't talk to the person across the table. They've got a nice outdoor patio area with heat lamps and are open late which makes it a great place to eat in the summer. read more

I can't even rate this place properly b/c I didn't get to experience this place. I showed up tonight and nobody even acknowledged me and my friends. There was no host or hostess to be seen. There was a bartender that looked up, but no smile or a wink to let us know that someone will be right with us. I'm assuming that I must have gone on an off night because the other reviews seem to be positive? We stood around for a while and decided to just leave because we won't spend our time or money at a place that has no service. read more

So fantastic! I absolutely love Cesar for those evenings after work when you are craving a pretty cocktail and a light dinner. I've never actually been to the Shattuck location, but I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences on Piedmont. I always sit outside for the people watching and even though those are the sought after seats, the wait is never too long. The service is not fantastic, but it's fair considering how busy they are. And as far as the menu goes, you may want to vocalize any questions about the menu to your waiter -- I don't find their written descriptions of the dishes to be all that helpful. But, that said, you could probably order by having everyone at your table close their eyes and point to a spot on the menu -- everything is great. Especially the dessert! ORDER DESSERT! You won't regret it. (Docked one star for being too pricey for me to go every week). read more

I love this place! I have yet to be disappointed. I totlly agree with the reviewer who said not to come here starving or you'll pay out the wazzu. This is a place for long, leisurely light meal. The bar is excellent, the staff very well versed and helpful, the food just very good. The golden beets with feta is delicious! Actually everything I've ever ordered has been delicious. I most appreciate the relaxed, open air atrmosphere. I've never felt anything but great energy in this place. I love to sit outside and can easily kill a few hours just sipping and noshing and talking with friends/family. (Yes, this is a great date place!) read more

I love the food and ambiance. I always feel like its the upscale neigherborhood hangout. The food and sevice is always great. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I wish it was closer to me so I can go more often. The Cesar sundae is must for dessert. read more

After the epically bad service last night, I'm breaking up with you Cesar Latino. Our first server was great, but then we got handed off to someone else who ignored us and then was outright rude. Overall not a big loss, as the food is just ok here and the menu is not nearly as inventive as the original cesar (which i will still go to frequently, as long as miss rude server doesn't get transferred there). read more

Food- excellent. I had the hamburguesa and my friend had the salad w/ chicken. Service- sketchy at best. Arrived after 1, around late lunch time. Took a while to get drinks, my friend had iced tea and I had a draft beer. Never asked either of us if we wanted a refill, never offered water, and my friend had to throw herself in the aisle to request more iced tea. I was never asked if I wanted another beer. The server was barely around, seemed more interested in watching people out the window. Probably wouldn't rush back... read more

Love this place! Love the Lauren the bartender and the waitress Victoria!!! Also great service here and their new menu is fantastic!!!! Come and see for yourself...... read more

We had a wonderful time here. The staff was friendly and made the experience of dining a pleasure. Be sure to ask for Ralfie if you are looking for great conversation and excellent drink knowledge. We ordered more than one cocktail based on his suggestions and they were all excellent. I would reccomend Cesar to anyone who is looking for the right combination of ambiance, good food and friendly service. read more

I brought my husband to Cesar for my second visit. He was skeptical, but was eventually won over. This time, the empanadas were replaced by papusas. We split the one with pork, cheese and black beans and thought it was very good and filling. The chips with two salsas were delicious - the salsas had plenty of spice and flavor. The salmon ceviche was good, although could have done with fewer orange segments. I was again wowed by the black beans. You can make a very satisfying meal out of the simplest, cheapest items on the menu. read more

i have a message for Cesar owners/managers in both locations: Reboot both beautiful spaces, great locations, decent waitstaff but . . . . the food SUCKS! get a clue from Fonda. i'm sure you've eaten there. you used to be great, you could be great again! as a patron, it seems abso-frickn-lutely mind blowing that you can read all these reviews essentially saying the same thing and not fix the problem. i want to want you again . . . . read more

First time back since the rebranding of the restaurant. I was not disappointed! The duck tacos were delicious as were the plantains.

Food was fine but the music was LOUD, LOUD, LOUD heavy metal - odd for a "Latino" restaurant. Asked that they change the music or at least turn it down and was completely ignored. read more

I love coming to this spot for their happy hour deals esp. on summer evenings. Outdoor seating is great, catching up with friends and people watching, while sipping on their mojitos. The plantains and potatoes are always delish. read more

Cocktails are good. Food is tasty, but overpriced. Like the French Fries. Long wait on the weekends.

Worth the trip in to the obscure regions of Oakland. I can walk to a couple of fairly good Spanish food places in the known world (oh am I showing a San Francisco bias?) but find this place worth getting into the car and venturing into the neighborhoods of the east . I' ve only been here for lunch, so can't comment on what it is like after dark, but have had great food, and great service every time I've been here. The chef, Maggie, is really nice. She came out and chatted us up, signed the cookbook we bought, recommended a couple of things to try. The sardines were great, excellent chorizo and iberico jamon (or is it jamon iberico?) Too salty? Have you ever had Spanish food? They have great salt and they use it liberally, for curing, for seasoning, just to taste. But, I guess, loving good salt is a foodie thing, which I must confess to. Dry humped tomatoes from Two Dog Farms with Maldon salt. As, Marv Albert would say "yesssss" Hmmm, wonder if I can "yelp" Two Dog? read more

Excellent food and service. The Oakland branch is quieter and therefore more suitable for conversations than the Berkeley location. Ask to see the black book. read more

Delicious sangria! Service was great. Good food.

Been going here for years, since it was still owned by Alice Waters (or someone else, I forget). The food was better back then, but nevertheless this spot never fails to deliver exactly what my friends and I are looking for: Small tasty apps, good cocktails (largest spirit list in the area possibly the entire East Bay), excellent service, casual yet upscale vibe, outdoor seating, clean bathrooms (important and often under appreciated), and an excellent happy hour--9 pm 'til closing with $4 pints and $1 oysters, yeah that's right, $1 oysters! As long as I live in the East Bay I'll never stop going here. read more

Wow - I'm so sad to be writing this review because I really loved going to Cesar but that all changed tonight. It's not due to the food - but the service. The service has gone downhill like nobody's business. Tonight there were only two people working the floor and after waiting to order a glass of wine forever and a day, I finally flagged someone down who was incredibly rude and seemed irritated that I bothered her to take my order. I'm going to try to get in touch with the manager there to let them know that if they don't turn things around, in this economy, their business is really going to suffer. I also used to know everyone that worked there and now I don't recognize anyone. I think the turnover is high right now and the staff seem very unhappy. It's definitely coming through when they service their customers. I hope someone who works at Cesar reads this so they make some changes - and fast! read more

Two stars because the mussels were good. Floppy, barely seasoned fries, slow (albeit friendly) service. Not impressed.

Friendly staff and service. Staff offered compensation for accidentally messing up the order. Fish tacos and salmon salad were delicious. Recommended! read more