Bar César

Excellent balanced cocktails. Food is good too, a bit on the greasy side but excellent proportions. I appreciate the extra mushrooms and onions in the house potatoes.

We went there for the Happy Hour. Good choice for drinks and tacos. We ended up ordering other items in the main menu. The drinks are strong. The oysters are awesome. The chili shallot malonette has a strong kick but it’s awesome. The fish tacos taste really good. The popcorn chickens are one of the best. Overall, a very satisfying culinary experience.

Great tacos! Good drinks! Super fun energy and such lovely lighting and unique plates.

I held a small event there. We had their brunch. Everyone in my party of 25 loved the food, the cocktails and had zero complaints about the staff. Their favorite dish were the tacos. We had steak and carnitas. The cost was extremely affordable for the quality of food, space and great service we received. Also making the arrangements were very simple and they really worked within my budget. I highly recommend stopping in for a bite and sangria!

My girlfriend and I went here for our anniversary during Oakland Restaurant Week 2024 and it was amazing! Everything was delicious and our waiter was great and the manager was so kind and helpful. Will definitely be coming back again (and again)!

Excellent carnitas tacos for lunch. My friend suggested meeting there for lunch, and it was well worth it. They weren't that busy, so it was the perfect place for conversation. The appetizer was a chunky, well-balanced guacamole served with what I think were homemade chips. Both were quite fresh and tasty. I ordered the carnitas tacos, and service was quick. The meat was beautifully flavored and incredibly tender, just melting in my mouth, served on street corn tortillas. This came with a side salad of fresh greens and tomatoes. Very tasty.

Tried this place to the curious similarities to another restaurant I love. The chips and salsa are fresh, flavorful while not being too spicy. The popcorn chicken was an experience; it was too sweet on its own while the mango habanero salsa was too spicy but when combined together the flavor fireworks start popping and it's amazing. The enchiladas were some of the best I've ever had being super moist, tender, and just delicious. The shrimp tacos are huge, crispy, and absolutely scrumptious. In speaking with the manager I was pleased to hear the my suspicions were correct; Bar César is related to César and lives up to the name.

It's overpriced for what it is. Small tacos are 2x~12, and they are definitely not worth $6 per taco. I grew up in Mexico, eating real Mexican food, and I think the Enchiladas and flautas where good, tacos where meh, and guacamole was not good (it wasn't spoiled but it just wasn't appetizing). Drinks where good, and cost about $12 each. Dinner for 2 with a couple drinks each was about $100.

Consistently good food (when they don't run out of ingredients- this place is popular) and friendly service. Cocktails are delicious! Parking out back makes it a really convenient place for a meal and people watching.

I'm from the bay and have lived in Oakland (maxwell park) for a couple years now. We come to Piedmont all the time and finally decided to check this place out on a Friday night. It looks like fun always when we walk by. Well, the ambiance was a little chic and fun, however the food was not very good. We tried the calamari and the street corn. The calamari tasted as if the shrimps were pre frozen and thawed. There wasn't much kick to it at all. Needed more salt and lime and spices. The street corn was literally corn with a lightly flavored mayo it seemed. Could've made it at home easily. The tacos were not very good either. I got salmon tacos. Weird mayo on there. Something just tasted weird/off. The service was adequate. We usually love to chit chat but were feeling like we wanted to chill that night so didn't chat up the server much. Our food was timely, she checked in. All was good. Just nothing crazy good or different to where we'd ever want to come back.

Just a quick stop for a first time visit, for me and The Wife. Because Blondie wasn't with us, we didn't have to go to Fenton's. We only had a few small items, but the execution was very good, and everything was very tasty. It was a Saturday night, and we received excellent attention. We had chips with guac and a smoky salsa, rice and beans (vegetarian), and an heirloom tomato sandwich, which I promised not to finish, but since my drink took a while to emerge, I had time. The Wife also had flautas, which also had quac. There was queso sprinkled over much of this, very nice. My drink was a Diablita (Mezcal, Tequila Reposado, Lime, Averna, Mint, Jalapeño Tincture). We'll definitely go back, because it doesn't matter how hungry you are. That's why tapas are great!

We are regulars at Bar Cesar. It's always friendly, with a local neighborhood feel, staff are always friendly and attentive. Games are on screen sometimes which adds some excitement. The drinks are tasty and the food consistent. We love their chicken enchiladas, street corn, tempura fish tacos, and don't forget to try the churros or tiramisu!!

This review is all about updating the happy hour pricing images. ;) Happy hour food costs have doubled since my last visit. (No judgement! Food costs are up everywhere. ) Great food. Love the environment, staff and location too!

The bar was a very nice place to catch up with my friend! Although bustling, it was not too loud, and there was a lot of available bar seating. The service was nice as the bartender helped us decide what shots to take and what drinks were the most popular. I enjoyed the Paloma a lot! It was crisp, refreshing and light. I would definitely order it again.

We love Cesar!! This is one of our favorite places to eat and have a nice drink because both the food and drinks are always consistent. The carnitas are probably my personal fav followed by the corn, but honestly everything is good. I would say everything is seasoned well and almost home made, including the salsas. The service is also always kind, helpful and prompt. The vibe is always chill, with good music and some type of sports on Tv. Perfect !

We just love this place. Can't believe I haven't updated my review. The crispy shrimp tacos are my favorite but I've never had a bad thing here. The host (wish I knew his name) is so fantastic. I mentioned that I wished they had tequila flights and he put one together for me. Off menu. On the fly. Amazing. Love the vibe of the place and there's a parking lot. So if you love the sport of finding parking in Oakland, you'll be disappointed but for us, it's a plus. We happen to live down the street from Bar Cesar and the luxury of being there in two minutes is amazing.

Bar Cesar is so good! I've tried just about everything on their menu.it's all good. The drinks don't miss my favorite is their margaritas or Palomas.:They also do a hot toddy that perfect for cold weather or if you're feeling under weather! Date night, day with the girls or mom date this place is just the vibe Oakland needs. Thank you bar Cesar!

The tacos were pretty good - I had shrimp and fish HOWEVER if you're not there for happy hour I would consider them overpriced. Come for happy hour only. Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the sangria, by partner thought the passion fruit cocktail was good but I wasn't a fan. The service was really nice and attentive. The restaurant itself is a tad dirty - the windows open up which is nice but it did let a lot of flies in. The bathroom was also very dark and a bit dirty/run down. I would still come back for happy hour tacos which I would give 4.5/5 but overall restaurant and not happy hour 3/5

This is my neighborhood spot for happy hour w/ discounted margaritas and great tacos The other honorable mentions are their lamb chops, carnitas racion, enchiladas and flautas. They are back open for brunch on weekends 10-3. My fav's so far carnitas hash and chorizo Benedict. Great bartenders and staff!

Best happy hour in town. They just introduced a new pork taco sliced right off the spit! The staff is always friendly and setting is cool and very comfortable and safe. Come on by! I often sit at the bar which they have made very accessible.

I hadn't been here for years and decided to take my partner. It was so disappointing. They seated us at a table with a nice view of the cute street however the wall next to our table was filthy. It looked like a crime scene tbh. We were starving so we ordered anyway. The service was ok. We got the following: -Cesar Caesar salad: given it's their namesake I had high hopes. It was under dressed. The dressing tasted weird. It just was not good. -Passion fruit soda: it was rancid. -Fries: they were good but they brought them when we were ready for the check. -Calamari: it was ok, but not that crispy. -Oysters: were not fresh but the mignonette sauce was one of the best I have ever had. -Vegetarian tacos: these were our fave but they were so hot I burned my mouth. Flavors were great and they packed a lot of great veggies in it. -Shrimp ceviche: it lacked flavor, really didn't taste like anything but watered down lime. The mango wasn't ripe.

Came here looking for fresh oysters. Price is a bit steep for the quality - they were decently shucked (some of the juices were spilling out) and the vinaigrette was yummy. That said, not somewhere I'd revisit. Calamari portion was meek and came out cold, definitely not an adult serving. Fries were alright but quite oily and the street corn should be relabeled. It was simply corn (possibly canned?), floating in a creamy butter of sorts, with the slightest sprinkle of seasoning. Service was slow, but the wait staff is polite so definitely not a personal thing. Ambiance is cute, ok spot to drink and drag.

I've been coming to this pillar of the Bay Area tapas and bar scene for decades. The food is among the best in not only the Bay but the world. Their ceviche, shrimp tacos, enchiladas, carnitas are the next best thing to Mexico's posh Zone Rosa. The owner sometimes hangs out at the bar and is a very generous, jovial man. The bartender Jesus has mixed some of the best drinks I've ever had, like a martini with absinth and his brother Jesus, the waiter welcomed my mother who lived down the street then comforted us after her passing. I don't know what I would have done without Cesar's as a refuge while I was living at Kaiser after my mom's repeated terrifying hospitalizations. Love those guys!

Happy hour was perfect today. Lemon drop, Paloma and these were some of the best oysters I've had in a while. Got the street corn (could have came w tortilla chips), crab cakes, and the flautas I could have gotten more! So good. Great service too!

my new go to. I really enjoy coming here with friends and my boyfriend! It's an easy spot for us to go to with a good vibe and good food.

Reliably tasty offerings, a great happy hour menu and great service whenever we go here. We like to watch games from the indoor patio seating, which is always well-heated.

Ann W. Follow up about being slipped a Mickey.....This post is to follow up on the response i received from Eric the manager. Eric an I spoke about the incident. He listened with patience. This could happen to anyone, anywhere. The previous review was a warning to others...not a reflection on the restaurant as a whole.

GREAT food, great drinks, fun ambiance, seasoned staff... GF popcorn chicken, truffle fries & salmon and veggie tacos, lamb & dolce cake among my favs. The owner & a crew of familiar faces frequent it often and make this place feel like a local Cheers.

This is a tough one. Everything started off nice with being seated quickly and the drinks coming right away. But then it took about an hour for our food to arrive and the server came by and said they forgot to place the order. So then they gave us another round of drinks (on the house). When the food finally it arrived it was delicious. The shrimp ceviche was on point. Fresh, incredibly flavorful and worth the price. The carnitas tacos might have been my favorite. Cooked very well, the tortillas didn't fall apart and garnished perfectly w/ pickled carrots, onions, peppers and radishes. Lastly the chicken enchiladas were the perfect entree. A little tangy salsa verde kept fresh w/ lettuce and pickled peppers on the side. In the end they compt all of our drinks. I do want to point out our server was super nice and apologetic. I get it, stuff happens. I feel like it's really a 4 star rating but have to give this one time experience a three on the wait/mess up.

We came in for a light dinner tonight. It has been a very long time since we've eaten at Caesar. They were serving Spanish food when we last came. I was craving the gambas. The carnitas tacos were good. They were huge. They are a meal in themselves. The churros were really good. Light and crispy with a very nice chocolate sauce. Will definitely come back again and try more dishes. I had wanted to try the ribs but they don't serve them anymore.

Good place for some casual eats and drinks! Oysters and cocktails or tacos n margs - whatever your mood, it's all good!

Oh Bar Cesar you could be so much better than you are. Haven't been here for a hot minute since not working in Oaktown anymore and really have few reasons to travel there or want to, but that's a different review. But today we were. So here's the great, the good, the bad and the ugly. So the great. Have some of my favorite tequilas, Ocho, Fortaleza, Siete Laguas and others. The Good. The food is good. We had fresh oysters and flautas covered in cheese, lettuce sauce, etc, that would be taquitos for all you Costco shoppers. The bad. Nothing really bad. And now for the ugly, here it comes. The ugly. I'm all for smoking weed till you are stupid dumb if you want but do it in your home or away from us. Partially the reason I'm not dropping dimes to all's y'all's establishments because you let these toked up weed heads in to stink up the place. And it's not just they walk in stinking. They bounce to the "potty", pun intended, to light up and come back reeking of the shit. They have one or two drinks and hang out stoned as, well a rock just sitting there taking up space and not adding to revenue. I'm not sure why a business would allow this. This is a great place don't let the 1% of the 'woke, broke, totally toked' crowd ruin it. It starts slow but once it slides it hard to stop

I came here with my girlfriend after a long day of work and it brought us back to life! We sat at the bar and Matt was our bartender. He was really helpful in deciding what to order and also made FANTASTIC drinks! I got a Paloma without any added sweeteners and it was fantastic! We ordered way too much food for just the two of us, but everything was great! MY favorite was probably the watermelon salad - 10/10. We came in when restaurants were just starting to open up again, so there weren't too many people. The ambiance is nice in the restaurant and there is a parking lot in the back! Will definitely be back!

I would call this popular Piedmont Ave spot an overpriced Spanish/American restaurant. The prices are pretty high and the food is good but not good enough for the prices. Probably because rent is so high on Piedmont Ave. Watermelon salad- this was one of my favorite dishes. The sweet watermelon, light tangy dressing, and greens were a refreshing mix and a perfect starter. Guac and chips- good but not enough chips. Oysters - sweet but small. Shrimp and duck tacos- tasty but two tacos were $14-$15! That's exorbitant for taco prices. Sundae with chocolate and vanilla - standard, nothing special I think it's best to dine here during happy hour to get more bang for your buck. Food is decent but paying full price makes you feel almost cheated.

The ambiance of this restaurant is top tier def a nice place to go for good food and a classy feel. Def a nice place for a date!

The management and staff at this restaurant are unreliable, incompetent and uncaring. Be warned if you are ordering food via Doordash or another delivery service. This is the second time I have ordered food and, as expected, they confirmed the order. 30 minutes later, they cancelled the order. In checking the Doordash website, the restaurant had switched from taking orders to "temporarily" not accepting orders. So, they got too busy for me and flipped a switch. Their commitment (they confirmed it!) to fill the order was ignored and they kicked our order to the curb. NO, this is not on Doordash, it is a decision of Bar Cesar to dishonor our order. Usually good food. But, that does not make up for the incompetence and poor service attitude. I dare them to respond to this order - they won't, too arrogant and uncaring.

Walked in last night, place was busy but plenty of empty seats. Waited 5 mins for someone to notice us. I finally had to ask a guy at the bar if we could be seated. He smirked, and said there was some flooding issue that meant they couldn't serve people. Not sure if he was telling the truth or not, but his attitude suggested we were supposed to know the place was closing even though the doors were open and there were no signs up. Rude. Not coming back.

I wish that I could give 2 1/2 stars. Bar Cesar is a neighborhood staple. There's usually parking nearby (free after 6) and the front window section provides a great view of Piedmont Ave to people watch while dining. When it first opened, it was more like a traditional Spanish tapas bar. There was clearly a lot of thought given to the menu. Now that it's gotten more of a bar vibe the food is clearly secondary priority. Definitely come for the drinks and a fun vibe bc the food is just OK.

The place is great, especially if Miguel is your server. My only issue is it is expensive as hell and portions are small for the price. My downfall is french fries and while they are extremely overpriced ($9.00) they are scrumpdillyicious. Also a must try is the chios and guac

The food is excellent!! I had chicken enchiladas and I can't think of any better. The corn is also delicious

We had a wonderful Friday evening with friends. The cocktails and the food was delicious and the service was friendly and super efficient (no waiting!). We will come back.

Excellent food, service and ambiance. I've so far never been a victim of a car break-in while parked in the lot behind Bar Cesar.

Great service, easy parking. My friend ordered a couple of drinks and I got the passion fruit soda - so good! The guacamole/chips appetizer was delicious - tortillas chips were crispy and tasty; the calamari was fondue for!! We also ordered carnitas tacos, chicken enchiladas and patatas bravas

Loved the ambiance. EXCELLENT, well seasoned, quality food. Stopped by for late lunch on a Sunday. Lovely vines.

Great food. Guac and chips and street corn are my go to. The Caesar is good too. Pricey but worth it

Our regular neighborhood margarita spot. For $13 you get a delicious margarita that is with fresh lime and nicely done. The food is really good too! I love the fish tacos! Cheers!

I've been to Bar Cesar multiple times and always get the chicken enchiladas and they are to die for. The atmosphere is great and the staff were helpful and kind. Their on Tap Pacifico beer is smooth as silk and amazing. The only down part is that they have out door seating in the back, but they don't have any heating to keep you warm. So, if your thinking of eating outdoors bring some layers of clothing with you.

I don't know why this place is so underrated. I love it. Wonderful staff. Victor is one of the kindest and warmest servers I've ever known. The food's great. I especially like any of the tacos, the Cesar ceaser, and the burger. Jesus is such a great bartender, and all the drinks are amazing. Beautiful, warm, and spacious atmosphere. I threw a surprise party here for my wife and it was perfect. Such a gem of a place. Definitely deserves better recognition.

Brought my boyfriend during Oakland restaurant week and we had a nice experience. The food was great and expectedly small portions but enough. It is a great way to try something new. The service is great as well considering we came during Oakland restaurant week. We got lamb cheek, duck and flat iron steak- and they were all Yummy!

Great service from Victor! You gotta try the enchiladas with rice, beans and guacamole and chips. Very beautiful ambiance

It's a come from behind story (apparently). We have come here 5 times subsequent to my previous review and things have been far better than I had previously reported. It must have been an "off day" for the kitchen staff because we have had delicious food items ever since. I don't normally revisit a place where I have been dissatisfied but my gf had been a devout fan of Cesar so we gave it another show. Recently we had a delicious caesar and the fries have returned to their previously delicious state. The diabolita (spelling pending but mezcal friendly) is the best cocktail in the East Bay and the vibe indoor is special. I love that I didn't write this great spot off. It's a diverse, funky Piedmont Ave. must.

Popped in on a Friday night and asked to sit outside (they do also have distanced indoor seating), they have a patio but there's no service so you do have to order inside - wasn't a problem at all though. Our server was very nice and upon seeing we were cold had us move to another table behind the next door restaurant (they share a patio) which had a heater. We got: chips & guac - would not recommend. $10 for a single scoop of guac, maybe a single avocado's worth. I was genuinely shocked when it came out. But! The margs. the amount of tequila in there was exactly what i needed (it's been a week, okay), they were very solid margs. 10/10 no complaints. And, the vegetarian burrito was honestly kind of amazing. a perfect ratio of ingredients and the veggies were exactly the right quantity+style, HUGE burrito, great textures, satisfying flavors. I wasn't expecting much after seeing the guac come out but this burrito made the whole trip worth it. the more i think about it the more i love it. get the burritos.

Mama, mama many worlds I've come since i first left home. Going home, going home, by the waterside I will rest my bones. How is it that seven years have passed since I first shared what's special here? Things have changed, people have come and gone. The most interesting man in the world (who also walks on water) I do believe was an original cast member but I have to admit, my memory is a little fuzzy when it comes to the details here. If I had a choice over bone resting venues I daresay I'd choose here over the waterside. Right here on the left side of the bar with the cool kids or the other side where the rest of us sit when the cool kids are in the house. The left side has been coming here even longer than I have so they have dibs. I think I've eaten in the dining room once or twice and I'm pretty sure I loved it a long long time except for the fact that I could see the bar from where I was sitting and that's actually way where I'd rather be. But if you have a party of several or more and want to actually look at each other the dining room is more civil in that regard. I can't keep company of a number greater than two so it's the bar for me and thank goodness for that. Behind the bar on any given night will be The Man in the Middle, Jesus who walks on water, Matt, Alberto (gimlet king), the lovely Miss Lauren, Queen, the most beautiful bar back in all the land ... I could go on and on. Consider a tasty taco if you're having more than three Terroir or at least drink the bottles of free water lest you pay the price tomorrow and then have to skip a day. We wile away the hours helping vicariously with Tinder, paying homage to dearly departed musicians when they make an untimely exit stage up, sometimes there's sports, I work a lot here and have meetings, people watching, political discourse, unicorns. A little bit of everything. Thank you everybody here on both sides of the bar. Thanks for creating a pleasant retreat. You can't count on much in this world these days it seems but I can on you and I'm thankful for all you do.

I'm surprised at the low ratings for Bar Cesar. 5 stars all around for me - food, service, ambiance. Happy hour on a Saturday is a rarity and one that I am all for! Pretty robust happy hour, and not just your small appetizer options. We came here for a birthday dinner and Rudy made sure to surprise and delight us around every corner. He clearly cares about customer service and ensuring that everyone is having a grand time. The carnitas tacos, fried chicken bites, and deep fried avocado were exquisite. Oh and their front interior space is lovely, with big windows and heat lamps. I know this place has been around for a bit and you might have visited some years ago. I recommend going back and experiencing the current offerings!

It's another case of great food that comes in miniscule portion sizes at ridiculously high prices. Not sure if this is the new trend now or something, but this place would probably be a lot more attractive if they made a few minor adjustments. Bar Cesar is a Mexican food restaurant and bar located in Oakland's Piedmont district. It was taco Tuesday and I was craving... you guessed it... tacos! Not wanting to sit in traffic to go to my favorite place, I decided to spice it up and try something new. I had been eyeing Bar Cesar for quite some time, so I was excited to finally give them a try. I parked in the parking lot located directly behind the restaurant. Usually when I come to this lot, I can never find a parking spot. This time, I lucked out and found one of the last ones. Word to the wise: come early or try to find street parking on an off street. The parking in this part of town to put it blatantly, just... sucks! I entered through the backside of the restaurant which led me straight to the bar. You can enter this way, or from the front entrance (obviously). The interior is decorated quite nicely with a multi-blue confetti style outlining around the bar area. The alcohol shelves are stacked all the way up to the ceiling, allowing for the perfect view of their bottle selections. The restaurant is well lit with several built in wall and ceiling lights, and there are TV's hanging on both ends of the bar. It has a very edgy design that appears to be very well maintained. I was approached by my bartender right away and he gave me a menu to look over. He mentioned that they were offering happy hour items and this made me happy of course. I live for happy hours! Happy hour = happy Shayla! As far as suggestions go, the bartender was quick to mention their crispy shrimp tacos. Although I love shrimp, I've never been a huge fan of eating them in Mexican food unless it's in ceviche or being served on the side. Despite this, I decided to give them a try. I ordered 2 tempura fish tacos, 2 baja crispy shrimp tacos, and 2 margaritas. First... let me give total PRAISE to those damn margaritas! They were nomalicious! Yes I just created that word and I know that you already love it! But mmm, they were lipsmackin' GOOD! The perfect combination of sweet and tart without overdoing it. Nice and strong how mama likes it (oooh yeah!). They were perf and I totes loved everything about them! The tacos were bombsy! Packin' all types and kinds of flavor like whoa! The tempura fish tacos were delicious, but DAYUM... those SCRIMPS?! Me likey dem scrimps a lot! Yes honey, gimme some more of those yummy lil' shrimp tacos! I'm so happy that the bartender made that suggestion because the shrimp tacos were the highlight of the night! Crunchy battered goodness topped with an amazing cabbage slaw marinated in chile aioli. I swear I could have eaten 100 of those things! They were so good! Now... here comes the bad part. Portion sizes are HELLA small! When I said that I could have eaten 100 of them, I really meant it. When I initially ordered, I only put in for two tacos. But after scarfing them down within a matter of minutes without even feeling like I ate anything, I decided to order two more. Let me tell you; those things barely even left a dent in my tummy. It was more of a tickle...?! Yeah... they just tickled my stomach. It was tease! So sad because I adored the taste! And the other part... expensive AF! Wait... ain't this happy hour?! But... I'm not happy with my $40 bill? I mean, MAYBE if I had gotten full but, not with these small portions. Two small tacos costed $8.50 during "happy hour". I didn't look at the regular price of these tacos, but I would never pay more than that for what I got! I can go to the truck a few miles away and get double the amount of tacos for the same price. It's just not worth it in my opinion. I have yet to try one of their actual entrees, but their happy hour wasn't really so "happy" in my opinion. There may be another visit in the future, but I would probably just go for dinner because their happy hour really isn't saving me much in the long run.

We searched for the best happy hour near us and Bar Cesar comes up; we drive all the way over here and they don't have happy hour.

The bar staff are friendly at this neighborhood restaurant with a lively atmosphere, although the inside seating requires you to deal with excessive noise. I ordered the carnitas plate which should have been called petrified plate. The meat had been deep-fried to a charred mess (see photo). Served with small tortillas and scoop of pico de gallo - except fot the pico de gallo, I was rather disappointed. This place bills itself as a tapas bar.. but these dry nuggets of petrified meat are far from the incredible tapas you find in Spain. I did enjoy the cocktail, though.. Saturno.. gin, lime, orgeat, passion fruit and bitters I asked for a glass of water and was pleasantly surprised to receive that along with a decanter full, as well - kudos bar staff!.. it was sorely needed to dislodge those dry nuggets of carnitas from my throat.. Unless the future plans include a re-training of kitchen staff, I'd stear clear of the food and play it safe at the bar.