Cesar’s Bistro

OK, pan-​Latin American fusion cuisine.
We had several dishes, none of them exceptional
but none of them terrible.
Will appeal to Gringos who know little of this ethnic cuisine
to begin with, and don’t care about the authenticity or prices – just the fact that it is a cute little hip place that’s close by and a bit different than the other usual suspects.
In other words, most anyone that lives in the immediate Marina area.
Service was good, but honestly, there are much better options for any one
of the countries slightly represented in their mish-​mash tepid cuisine.
3 Stars at best.

A small place but the food is a definite must! Their empanadas are so far the best I’ve had!

First time here. It was phenomenal! Every piece of food was amazing. We had everything from empanadas, jalapeño fingers, and mimosas! Absolutely delicious, very satisfied! Thank you Rey!

Came in here on a whim one night wanting to try something new. Talk about a happy accident! This place is amazing. For an appetizer we got beef empanadas which were so delicious. They ran out of chimichurri and made a fresh batch which I was super excited about as well; who doesn’t love a fresh batch. I don’t quite remember the name of what I ordered but it was pulled pork on plantains with guacamole and added a shrimp skewer. My friend ordered the gaucho chicken. The plates were beautiful and both were perfectly done – that is coming from someone who is not a fan of chicken. I would eat theirs all day. For dessert we got this rather strange sounding ice cream dish with guava and mozzarella egg roll looking things. I would never put cheese with ice cream but they somehow pulled it off. This place has landed itself at the top of my favorite restaurants and I will definitely be coming back as well as sending my friends here.

Amazing, quick, really friendly service. By far the best service I’ve gotten at a restaurant in a really really long time. We got the Gaucho chicken and Cartagena fish and they were amazing. Also, it was a chilly night when we went, and we chose to sit outside under the heat lamp because it was easier with our stroller. So the chef sent out a complimentary bowl of soup to warm us up. Will be back because there are a lot of other things on the menu I’d like to try.
Update: came back here last week and the service was just as good with different staff.

I’ve been seeing pics pop up on instagram for a while and everything looked ao good that I wanted to try it. Well, everything was just as good at the pictures looked… maybe even better. I tried the spicy beef and potato empanada, the lentil soup, and the Ropa vieja arepa, and the raspberry lemonade. My fiancé had the Calentao. We finished with some plaintains. Everything had such great flavor. The staff were both very friendly and attentive as well. Combine that with the vibrant beautiful paintings on the walls and the music, and we had a really great experience. We will be back to try more.

Had a chance to finally try this place today. I’m glad I stopped in. The service was friendly and fast. I ordered a corn arepa and a salad, and both were great. (Good value for the price, too.) The walls are decorated with beautiful paintings for sale — always love a small business that supports the arts! That particular strip mall is a tough location, I hope they do well. I will definitely be back!

Very yummy empanadas and very delicious lentil soup. I was feeling under the weather and so glad I found this little gem close to me. Will definitely return to try other dishes. Although my order was pick-​up, the service and ambiance was really nice! Lovely paintings on the wall!

I’d describe Cesar’s Bistro as a Latin American fusion type of restaurant. Small, but inviting place that was perfect for a Sunday lunch. I came yesterday and had a great experience. Seating is limited, but 2 tables available outside. My lunch companion and I sat inside, both doors were wide open that allowed a nice breeze.
We started with some house special lemonade, I opted for the raspberry flavor. Free refills and was very refreshing, not too sweet or even artificial tasting.
I ordered the pork on plantains. The plantains weren’t what I’m use to when I think of plantains, these were more harder in texture, probably to hold down the pork on top. The flavors went well together.
I also had a sausage empanada, which I thought was ok. It was definitely packed full of ingredients inside, but maybe too much meat? I think the abundance of the meat overtook some of the other ingredients inside. However, I did like the outside skin texture. It was just right, not too hard or soggy.
Service was fantastic! The lady came by once in awhile and she provided service with a smile. There are other seasonal specials stapled to the menu, I’d be interested in coming back to try their other foods.

Located in a strip mall, the location isn’t exactly ideal but the food sure is. My date and I were looking for Latin American food before a show and had researched and decided on this place. Really good. I got the pulled pork and my date had the goucho chicken. Flavored to perfection and completely fresh, this was a very enjoyable meal. Don’t let the location prevent you from giving it a go.

Nice addition to the LB restaurant scene. The menu is not the same old same old. We tried the beef empanada, Kobe burger, and Ropa Vieja sandwich. Love the arepas instead of bread for the gluten avoiders.
It is in the same strip mall as Enriques (and I have a feeling they will be drawing away those who don’t care for the wait there). A good meeting spot for friends coming from Seal Beach or Huntingon Beach.
No A/​C though. At least there were ceiling fans for the tropical feeling.
Reasonably priced. Many items under $ 10 menu price.

Un pedacito de Latinoamérica en USA. Arepas, patacón y empanadas, entre otras delicias! Buena atención y ambiente, música latina excelente.

Small restaurant in a strip mall with delicious food and very friendly servers! We came later one evening and sat outside. Our server was very friendly and patient — everyone else at the table was ready to order but me, and he was patient in helping to make recommendations.
I ended up ordering the pulled pork, which he said was their «signature dish». True to form, it was delicious! The plate also came with rice and a salad. The pork was tender, and very flavorful. It was served on plantains. However, someone else at my table ordered their chicken special and that truly was fantastic! It made the pulled pork seem ordinary by comparison (although, before I tried the chicken dish, I thought that the pulled pork was great, so maybe a more apt classification is that the pulled pork is great and the chicken special is phenomenal). I also ordered their tropical empanada, which was also very delicious!

I can’t remember what exactly brought me in, but I am glad I ventured to try for Sunday breakfast. I was pleased with the restaurant, with the staff (who were friendly and helpful) and with the food (of course).
I got the Latin breakfast with eggs over easy. It says it comes with scrambled eggs, but there was no problem to switch to any style. My dining partner got the Spanish omelet, and we had to get a Tropical empanada to try. Additionally, the Unilocal deal posted at restaurant was sweet plantain or Latin roll, which was different from the deal on line. We got the Latin rolls.
I could tell that everything was prepared with extra attention. Even the fruit was cut perfect. I’d like to think it was me, but I’m sure this is standard treatment.
Nice breakfast and nice place.

Oh my god… The veggie Empanada is literally incredible. I inhaled it. Literally. In like two bites… Which is saying something because it’s not small.
The plantains are awesome too! I love sweet plantains. And the check in deal is awesome. I freaking love this place. I wish I lived closer. I can’t tell you much more cause I didn’t order more but I can only imagine how delicious it is.

Our waitress, Laura, was very friendly and informative about everything on the menu, including giving recommendations!
My dad is on a gluten free diet so we were able to have the gluten free crunchy lobster and shrimp empanadillas (they were good, but not awesome), as well as the Wagyu Kobe Beef burger on a handmade corn cake (arepa) bun, which was phenomenal! The arepa was so yummy! I ordered the Caribbean pulled pork on top of crispy plantains. They also brought out some Caribbean style plantains (topped with house made sour cream and cinnamon) for us to try!
From the moment I walked in until I left, everything about this place was wonderful. I even jammed out to all of the Latin music and enjoyed the beautiful artwork on the walls!

Went there for lunch, because everything is super crowded at weekend lunch hours in LB.
It doesn’t look like a luxury restaurant, but a very cozy European café. They have really nice art on the walls which is also for sale I guess. Everything is super clean and spotless. For neatniks it’s a paradise.
Food is excellent, price is VERY reasonable. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful.
Menu has tons of different options. If you like fish, veggie, pork, steak, chicken, you’ll find something very tasty for yourself. I loved lentil soup! Also they have gluten-​free options which is big deal these days…
I was really surprise how good is the food and how nice is this little spot. Also they have tons of wine specials and happy hours.
I’m sure this will be the great place for dinner as well!
P. s. We’ve got a custom chefs desert (because they don’t have GF desert options) and it was outstanding! It cost us just $ 6.

Can Empañadas change your life?
…With the right dipping sauce, they can.
This little modern Colombian bistro has earned a special place in my heart with brilliant Latin flavors, perfect presentation and an extremely reasonably-​priced menu. I have never seen so many people taking pictures of their food and I bet you’ll be pulling out your phone as well.
It’s a really classy establishment, I think they would do well with a larger place. Like «Cesar’s Latin Grill» or some type of formal white tablecloth restaurant setting.
YOU MUST try this place !! I’ve been three times and everything was fabulous.
A+++

Location — Right on the corner of PCH, Cesar’s is located in a small strip mall. On the bright side, always plenty of parking from what I have observed. Also mexican and italian restaurants in the strip mall. And Subway.
Service — We walked by this place during their soft opening and all the wait staff was very friendly, offering us a sample of the crispy plantains. While I am not a huge plantain fan, my husband enjoyed them immensely… we decided to come back for a late dinner (open till 9 pm!) today and again found a very friendly wait staff who were very on top of everything. No problems with their customer service.
Food — Cesar’s felt like a little mix of several things including mexican, cuban, american (they had a hamburger on the menu), etc. We decided to try the arepas and a few of the empanadas. The arepas were very good — we tried a cheese and a chicken/​avocado one. I know that its a corn cake and savory, but to my taste, I like my corn to be a little on the sweet side even with savory things. That is my only «complaint» — but I know that arepas are meant to taste a certain way as we have had them at other places before. The empanadas were DELICIOUS — fav by far was the tropical one. It had ham, cheese, pineapple and spices which made for a wonderful mix. Love that each empanada has the name CESAR’S BISTRO in large letters on the seam in dough AND that they add a small letter at the end to label what each empanada is. Genius.
Overall — We will be back… to many things left to try! And those tropical empanadas… yum!

Feels like you’re in Miami at Cesar’s Bistro!
Good food, merengue and salsa playing as background music, colorful artwork on the walls, and open air restaurant…
I tried:
*Mahi mahi a la Cartagena: came with a delicious pinkish sauce, fresh herbs, rice, salad
*Steak: very good with over easy eggs on top
*Raspberry lemonade: homemade, it was light and not too sweet; it was missing ice but it was refreshing
*Empanada tropical with pineapple, ham and cheese: the combination was a bit weird but not bad
*Lentil soup was good and has a kick
Very unfortunately, my friend ordered the last slice of chocolate cake and they sold out of all other desserts. I didn’t try it but it looked very moist and the husband and wife were fighting for it so I assume it was good.
The restaurant is small and although the dishes look slimmer than other Latin restaurants (don’t be fooled by their fancy long plates), entrees are filling.
Service was great. Will definitely be back!

Empanadas for breakfast? Yes please! Cesar’s Bistro dubs itself «the new Latin American cuisine» and I can certainly see why! Their breakfast menu has about 3 items on it but each dish knocks it out of the park.
If you want to take a tour around carribean style food and be stuffed for days, try the Monster breakfast! It comes with your choice of empanadas and a delicious corn cake — which to me looks like a Latin pizza!