09/04/09

Eat at your own risk! MSG served here.

by quiubomona

I went there mainly to enjoy a mojito and relax with a friend; we only ordered salads and a plate of the herb fries to snack on. I should have noticed the warning sign when I started to feel very, very thirsty a while later. I requested water and downed the whole glass in one gulp, but figured it was just the salt from the fries that was dehydrating me. But, later that night, I started to feel like I was suffocating. My whole mouth and throat felt coated and completely parched: my classic MSG reaction. Drinking water didn't help at all. The next morning, I woke up with a migraine and nausea. (I should point out that I only had one mojito, so it wasn't hangover.)

There are plenty of restaurants where it would occur to me to ask about MSG before ordering, but this is not one of them--it's right next to Chez Panisse, across from the Cheeseboard, in the heart of the Berkeley organic/local/fair trade etc. foodie fastidiousness. Finicky Berkeley types would be better off frequenting one of the neighboring spots. Cesar's nasty, chemical ridden food ruined my Saturday!

• Pros: location
• Cons: MSG in the food

05/27/08

Hands down the best sangria

by girlgenius2008

The drink menu here is ridiculously large and the food menu is scarce but let's face it. We come here for drinks, not cause we're hungry. They have good noshings to share and nibble on but the drinks are what's happening. If you haven't the sangria here, you must put it on the list to try. I've had lots of sangria in my life and they make it the best here. Perfect drink for a sunny day. Crowded on the weekends and dinner time but if u have the patience to wait, the drinks and tapas and fun atmosphere are worth it. Be warned, it gets loud!

03/25/08

Phenomenal

by fakhavan

Yes, this place gets crowded and maybe the seating isn't as quick as one would hope, but the the food was amazing. The ingredients are SO fresh. The steak was cooked perfectly. The rose whipped cream was heavenly. The portions are small, but really tasty. I remember the Sangria being pretty good, not great but nothing to complain about. I love this place.

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Seating may take a while

02/18/08

Nice food, small selection

by maraki228

Menu is a bit sparse as are the portions but this place does deliver good food. We had the tilapia (very nice and tender perfectly battered) and the pork skewers. Fries were a nice portion! (understatement) and wine selection was great. Service is good and the place sat us immediately however was hoping to get a bit more flavor out of it. Would like to try again an write an update

05/13/07

Oh, those sea-salt herb fries!

by gimmeyum

Sure, Cesar has tasty tapas and bocadillos, featuring top-notch charcuterie, anchovies, cheeses, and other delectable morsels. It is also true that Cesar makes a mean cocktail (french apple sour = yum and not too sweet). However, in all honesty, what keeps me coming back are the fried potatoes with herbs and sea salt: a glorious mountain of thin, crispy fries sprinkled with toasted fresh sage and other herbs. Seriously yum.

• Pros: herb sea-salt fries; cocktails; hommade sodas
• Cons: expensive; noisy

04/25/07

watch out for hair

by grrelf

i went on a monday evening (5pm) and it was somewhat busy. the drink i ordered came with hair floating in it, the waiter replaced it. then our food came and it was good. we had almost finished the plate of potatoes when we noticed a very long curly blonde hair ALL MIXED UP IN THE FOOD. it was gross. hair in 2 separate items prepared by 2 different people.

• Pros: none
• Cons: hair in food and drinks, very busy waiters

Inventive Spanish tapas and broad bar selection ensure this cafe lives up to its Gourmet Ghetto pedigree.

by Contributor

In Short
An open patio, a long, glass-tiled bar and communal table are a welcome encouragement for conversation and camaraderie at this Berkeley favorite. Tapas use organic, local ingredients, but are influenced by Spanish and Mediterranean flavors. While bocadillos are typically small, the Spanish sandwiches of tuna and egg, ham and cheese, grilled eggplant or dry-cured pork loin are more than enough for an afternoon meal. A healthy wine and spirits list changes weekly.

11/14/06

nice sweets

by jhhobson

If you're looking for something thats tasty after dinner, and you don't want to go to chez penisse, stop by here. Very good.

11/01/06

Chic place. Food could be better.

by polyester1970

The place is pretty hip with nice designs and a nice bar. Unfortunately, we didn't really like that many of the dishes. The potato straw thing that they keep bragging about was not that great. It's pretty much like greasy potato chips. One item we liked was this shrimp dish with a nice sauce. Everything else was a little greasy and not that refreshing.

They have a good Spanish wine selection. The place is pretty cramped, and pretty loud. It's basically a concrete box with 75 people stuffed into it. The service was decent. I actually can't remember if it was good or bad so it must have been acceptable. :p

09/23/06

Nice cocktails, expensive food and drink

by gastronome1

Too expensive for the small portions. The food is good, cocktails are great but expect to pay a lot for little. There definately better choices.

• Pros: goos food, good cocktails, fun to meet friends and share a meal
• Cons: way too expensive for what you get