Antigua Latin Bistro

Ill be honest, I used to come here a lot a few years ago and always had a blast. Then yesterday I wanted to check it out, we showed up and they did the usual etc. etc. and then charged us $ 10 each to get in, I was like what the? They never charged before, I looked around and it didn’t even seem like it was cracking, maybe about 35 people, whatever we paid it and then went straight to the bar, ordered 4 shots and 4 drinks. We start looking around and noticed everyone was gay, not that I have anything against gay people… I have a ton of gay friends actually. Anyways so we are like, hmm they should have said something… so we decided to leave and asked if we can have our entrance fee back since we didn’t know it was gay night. The girl said NO. So because of that this place gets a 1 star, and just fyi, if she would have given me my money back not only would I have left a good review, i would have told all my gay friends about it. But because you guys literally STOLE my money. No referrals and never coming back. Enjoy the 1 star. Ill also leave the same review on Unilocal.The friends I was with will be leaving reviews also.

Don’t work with Antigua Latin Bistro if you want to host an event. The management is completely inept and lacks any sort of professionalism one would expect from any restaurant.
To put it in context, my organization wanted to host a college game watch there because they apparently had the Pac 12 Network. Antigua confirmed weeks prior to game day that they had actually had the network and would be able to host my group. They also agreed that the organization would get a percentage of the food and drink that our attendees purchased for our scholarship fund.
After receiving their written and verbal confirmation, my organization publicized the game watch for the Antigua location and we had a lot of people signed up ready to watch.
2 hours before kickoff, Antigua management calls us to say that they don’t have the Pac 12 Network. Umm… WTH? We had to scramble and call each person that was planning on going that the game watch was canceled. We had board members go to the restaurant as well to apologize to people who showed up.
The manager and staff at Antigua didn’t even bother explaining what went wrong with their planning and why they confirmed the channel despite not actually having it. They didn’t bother saying sorry to our group that showed up.
Because of their laziness/​incompetence, our group lost hundreds of dollars in potential scholarship funds.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY AT THIS PLACE!

I’ve been meaning to review this place since my visit but it looks like they have changed their menu… but this review is mainly about the service.
I had high hopes for this place, unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations.
The atmosphere here is a bit dark and confusing when you walk in the side entrance… I thought I walked in the wrong entrance at first until a server came to greet me about a minute later. Where’s the host to begin with???
They had a room off to the side with a private event going on, would have been fine except for the music blaring into the dining area. All the commotion and stuff was really distracting and disruptive. It seems contrary to the restaurant’s atmosphere, is it a intimate, quiet, dining setting? Or a night club?
We started with the Hummus Hummus Hummus appetizer and the meat and cheese platter, both were delicious.
I ordered the seafood paella which was salty as hell. The shrimp was overcooked and the rice was undercooked and burnt around the edges. I don’t know what I did, but I must have pissed someone off.
Towards the end of the meal we saw the owner walk around, greeting the patrons… everyone except for us. I guess yellow folk aren’t welcome here, I don’t know. The waiter was great, but the owner was hateful. Thank goodness I had a gift certificate because the thought of paying full price for a salty ass meal would have had me flipping tables.
Keep changing the menu guys, it’s not going to help your dying business.

My family and I have been coming to this place since it was Prime Cut, so it was only natural for us to try it again after it’s most recent renovation. My parents visited it a few months back and were disappointed to find tapas style servings, but agreed overall that the food was great.
We went just a couple of weeks ago found that the menu had been revamped yet again and now offered full-​sized portions (and a kids menu!). This was our experience:
Atmosphere: Love the décor! Lots of neutrals with beautiful pops of color in the original ethnic-​style paintings hung on the walls.
Service: Amazing! One of the owners/​managers of the place stopped by to greet us during our meal. He was very friendly and welcoming:) Our waiter helped guide us through the menu and made recommendations based on our tastes. When my mom had trouble deciding between the fish plates he suggested having the chef custom cook a fish fillet for her.
Food: Definitely hit or miss… For starters, there’s no salt/​pepper shakers on any of the tables which I noticed immediately upon trying the complimentary chips and salsa which had good flavor but could have used some salt since the chips aren’t very seasoned (if at all). We ordered the Queso Fundido and it included a plate of guacamole. The queso was deliciously melty and topped with bits of chorizo and nopal. The guacamole could have used some salt and lemon.
I ordered the Carnitas ($ 11)– they were tender and moist, definitely did not disappoint! The dish included a side of refried beans that were nothing to rave about (again, they could have used some salt).
My mom’s fish ended up being cooked in a type of «mojo de ajo» but was served in a half-​inch pool of olive oil.
Dessert: The capirotada was sweetened just right but a tad on the dry side.
Price: Not bad at all. Entrée prices linger around $ 10 with the most expensive being the molcajete at around $ 20. Kid’s menu prices linger at around $ 5 but do not appear to include a drink.
There were enough upsides to our experience to make me want to return, maybe next time with my own salt shaker since I was too embarrassed to ask for one.
Visit #2
Service: Different waiter, but service was still every bit as excellent.
Food: Since I had enjoyed the Carnitas plate, I tried the carnitas tacos because they are about $ 2 cheaper than the carnitas plate. The taco plate is 3 tacos of your choice and side of beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. I was happy to find that the guacamole had more of a lemon taste than last time, but still lacked salt. Same goes for the beans. The tacos were a disappointment. It was chunks of carnitas (globs of fat and all) on yellow corn tortillas. The tacos were tasteless and required plenty of guacamole and salsa. And of course, still no salt on the table :/​
My son ordered an orange juice which was fresh-​squeezed :) He had the chicken strips and boy did he enjoy them! It was slices of real chicken breast that were lightly breaded and fried. I stole a few bites and loved how tasty and tender it was. The fries that came with it were really good– crispy, fluffy, and well-​seasoned, too.
Will I return? Maybe, although I’d probably be ordering from the kids menu next time.

First time writing a review so here goes nothing. I work in the Commerce area and there really aren’t many nice restaurants in this industrial area. I was invited to lunch and I was unaware where the restaurant was located. When we drove to the location I realized it was the same building where Gothams and I believe Coyotes was located before. Immediately walking into the restaurant I was impressed. The décor is absolutely beautiful. Total over haul from what I remember the building looking like in the past. It has a classy and very romantic ambiance (perfect for a date). In addition, the food was delicious and it was so nicely presented. Lastly, service was also very good.
Only concern was that it was a little warm, but overall I definitely recommend it and will be going back soon!
Took away a star for the temperature being warm inside.

As good as it gets!
I went here on a Monday night. The food was… so freakin’ good it was like a fiesta in my mouth. I got the Burrito Antigua (which is not small) and ate the whole thing!
They made my mom and I fresh coffee, which had some cinnamon in it, but it just added a hint of flavor and was very good. My dad ordered a Bud Light and chips with Guacamole and salsa either came with that or just because.
Our waitresses, CC and Addy/​Adriana were wonderful. So nice and attentive!
Then we went into the bar area and did some karaōke!
And in all, a wonderful evening! And everything in there is so nice and clean! :)

Growing up in the area I remember the many different restaurant names this building has gone by. My girlfriend and I were recommended to check this out about a year ago. We were very impressed. The atmosphere was great, and tapas menu was amazing. I knew this place had a lot of potential. Since then, we had returned about 3 – 4 times.
I recently attended this past weekend and was shocked to see some changes. First off, the atmosphere was still great, staff very friendly, enjoyed the wine tasting, but the menu had changed! No longer did they offer the tapas, but instead switched over to full plate dishes. Half the appetizer menu was not available and my favorite items were removed! My girlfriend loved the bread pudding and was sad to see that removed as well…
While our guests still enjoyed the food, the wine tasting, and of course, the environment, I still think the place would be better if they went back to the previous menu.

This building goes way back. I remember when it was Gotham’s, then Tortilla’s and then Wild Coyote. I got to meet the owner Mario (who as of recently is no longer the owner) prior to the opening of Antigua.
I was really impressed with the redesign of the place. Looked sharp, chic and comfortable. I’ve only been to the bar side once they finally opened. The drinks were inconsistent both in price and strength. The music wasn’t bad, but they could improve on their lighting ond sound system (bass doesn’t sound good). The parking lot isn’t very big and there’s an additional lot across the street. That gets full pretty quickly so you may have to park down the street.
Would I go back? Maybe to try the restaurant. But if I’m going to be in the area, I’d rather go to Cities.

I came here a few months back for my friend’s birthday. I didn’t even know this restaurant existed in Montebello and only came here because a friend of mine is a local in Montebello.
It’s the typical tapas place and I don’t have huge complaints about the food. There were a few yummy dishes in the bunch, but I think the overall experience was just ok. My only major gripe is that it was a bit on the pricer side considering the food was ok, but it’s tapas… and tapas is usually on the pricer side.
My favs: Flatbread with mole sauce, Hummus platter, Tomatillo salad, Churros.

Didn’t like this place for night life.
It’s small as it is, but they added a stage that takes up needed dance floor space. Seems like it’s more of a rocker spot, because they had bands playing. The venue looks like it’s made to be classy/​hip, but the music and people they’re attracting with rocker nights are not hip or classy.
I will not be returning.

I was taken aback by this place — what a delightful surprise.
They have this custom, house made mole that they give out complimentary along with warm pita bread that is absoultely delectable! We ordered the Hummus plate which had 3 different types of flavored hummus. deeelicious.
We ordered the safforn chicken which came with on a nice bed of flavored rice. Also ordered the churrassco steak which sat on breaded potatoes and drizzled in a chimichurri sauce.
I’ve been here twice already and it was kind of sad to see that my girl and I were the only patrons in the restaurant. I hope this place survives b/​c I definitely want to return.
btw: they said they have live music on the weekends.

We went last night I should say a group of us, about 8 people
It was an amazing resturant. So clean inside and out…
The service was really good and I was very surprised about the food
We order many dishes so we could try the different flavors, not one dish was any better than the other.
The drinks we excellent…
The owner was very informed about all the dishes and made you feel like you were tasting the food before it even came to the table…
All of us will be going back again …

This review is for the bar portion of this restaurant only. Drinks are moderately priced at about $ 8 per cocktail, they always have a live band playing during the weekends although they might have live music on weekdays as well. You can go dressed up or go casual, there’s not really a dress code as long as you dont show up in basketball shorts and house shoes, lol. There’s no cover charge so if you have nothing planned but wanna get out of the house I recommend Antigua Latin Bistro.
BTW, the bar has it’s own entrance and you can’t access the restaurant from it, you have to exit and walk around.

I wasn’t too sure about this place when I saw some of the reviews but I am glad I came by and checked out the place! The restaurant is pretty cozy with warm lighting and live music playing without being overpowering over dinner. I got to taste many different things going with friends. I was so happy to experience new and tasty flavors.
They give you fresh flatbread that are freaking addictive! Beware, they will probably fill you up most throughout your meal.
Sangrias are $ 7 each! Cheap and they give you a good amount! I was very happy that it wasn’t a lightweight one either. It has a good balance.
I would suggest getting the Hummus Hummus Hummus tapas ($ 5). The yellow colored one had a bit of a citrusy taste that I just wanna stuff my face into. It comes with more flatbread!
Arepas are 5 bucks each. I got the Ropa Vieja and it was very nom. Looking very forward to trying the Braised Pork with Apple next time.
I had the Saffron Chicken which came with roasted tomato rice ($ 9). I prefer rotisserie style more but the rice was delicious. My boyfriend loved the chicken though so I gave him half of it. Next time, I am going to try the Braised Pork with cilantro rice!
We had the Capirotada con Coco and Churros Antigua for dessert ($ 6 each). They are both a bit rich for my palate but everyone else were drooling over them. I will try the pear crepes next time though.
My friend told me that they have happy hour and bar bites as well. They have an attached bar/​lounge room too which we went to after eating. There was not much room for a dancefloor but the DJs had their own high corner which I thought was cool. They played disco which I thought was very amusing.
Overall, I had a great experience. Basically, if you are just coming here for the first time, I would suggest getting the HHH tapas, an arepa, one entrée (be it in the medianos or a la carte section), sangria, and a dessert and you should be pretty dang full. It will also probably come out to about $ 40 bucks. And coming from a bargain hunter like me, I actually think it’s a great price!

It’s about time Montebello gets shown some foodie love!
On a recent visit, my mom raved about this fine, new restaurant off Poplar. A TAPAS-​style restaurant with GREAT food. How right she was!
First off, these are small-​plate items. IE, food served in correct portion sizes, this is not your average food-​coma-​inducing garbage to be found at restaurants named Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse. This is top-​notch, farm-​fresh food. The menu is absolutely enlightening and really, a breath of fresh air from the fast-​food in the area. Sad to say but olé’ Montebello really needs places like this! It really saves on the gas out to Pasadena or The Westside and it’s nice to live only a few minutes away!
We ordered various plates to eat from and my favorite was the Pork Belly… yummy tenderness!
The Chef came out to thank us for coming. He was kind and gracious, describing his menu and his excitement over what he plans on including in the future. He knew my mom from her frequent visits and surprised her with a dessert that had been removed from the menu due to some closed-​minded human making a bad comment about it. The Pannacotta with Jamaica sauce was awe-​inspiring! Bring it back!
I noticed some comments about this place being a sort of resurrected restaurant from it’s previous inhabitants… sure, the building and location may be the same but the food and spirit are new and of it’s own accord.
Also, the prices ranged from $ 5−25…with a good portion of the items under $ 15. Aren’t we spending that already at most places? Isn’t it a good thing to be supporting your local small business especially when the quality of food is this top-​notch?
Also to note, the restaurant has an attached bar but the noise of it is closed off behind a closed door. A banquet room is available to rent as well.
Will definitely be heading back.

Antigua is actually an island in the West Indies… but this is a «Latin Bistro» style restaurant. Okay, let me think again… there is actually a city in Spain called Antigua, as well as in Guatemala and Mexico (Veracruz). Thus, the theme «Latin Bistro?» But why serve beef satay…
The restaurant is perhaps the fanciest one we have around the Montebello area. However, if your prices are going to go above $ 15 dollars a plate, everything on the menu as a la carte, and set up your restaurant to be looked at as a fancy-​white-​table cloth type of restaurant, then the standards should be pretty high.
The service was very friendly. Everyone was super excited and glad to be on the floor. Even the entertainers were great and jolly. The only thing I found to be unprofessional is the waiter patting/​rubbing a customer on the back. Pardon my restaurant critique, but that is an absolute ‘no, no’ for restaurant professionalism.
Okay, for this critique, I set the bar high due to it’s «fancy-​like-​appearance.» For me, the food was mediocre and nothing that I tried yelled, «I’m unique and bursting with Spanish/​Latin flavor so pay up!» The taste, presentation, portion, temperature and quality of each dish needs major work. My boyfriend had ordered the following: the Lobster Scampi, a side of green rice, and a Capirotada. The Lobster Scampi was $ 23.00 and stated «FOR 2 to SHARE»; however, the dish came with a small half a tail of lobster and about two prawns and four small muscles with am eight cup of macédoine tomatoes. The broth was good, though, so hurray for that. The lobster, on the other hand, was rubbery and chewy, so it needs work. The side of cilantro rice popped some questions… like, why would you serve undercooked rice that is slightly dry/​burnt? The dessert took about 20 minutes and came too dark on the rims and slightly messy from the sides. Please, do clean your plates before presenting to your customers.

The drinks were pretty decent. I felt like the presentation of the piña colada needed a more wow factor since it came with no garnish at all. The strawberry margarita needed another ‘go around’ the blender since it was still too chunky from the ice.
NOTE: Forks go to the left, knives to the right, as well as spoons. Wine glasses go slightly above the knife as well as the water glass. Clear plates when the customer is done and clear any dirty silverware on the table and replace with clean ones. When a customer orders a seafood/​shellfish dish, they should always be equipped with a special fish fork and fish knife! This is easier handling for the guest. Plus, if you are expecting your guest to be cracking and handling any form of seafood, you MUST MUST MUST always provide them with am extra plate for them to place the shells from the crustacean/​shellfish they are eating and a moist wipe if unable to provide a small water bath for their hands.
Perhaps will come back again so that I may re-​review in the future… Loved the live music though :)!

This building is close to my heart…
First it was The Prime Cut, a classy steak house. Then Gotham’s an equally classy bar. Then Wild Coyote’s which is not classy at all but my friend was the bartender and they had taco Tuesdays, karaōke and cheap drinks. Now, it has be reborn again as Antigua.
Upon walking into the bar to meet up with some co-​workers after work, I was impressed to see the place returned to it’s classy days. The décor is lovely and I’m impressed that the owners want to give the place a new look.
The drinks were ordered and they were ok. Just ok. Actually kind of expensive for what they were, but I get it, the way to make sure the clientele is classy is to charge a bit more for the drinks than usual.
I ordered a few bites as I was starving and, much like the drinks, they were ok, but over priced.
I ordered the heirloom tomato and tomatillo salad. Good flavors but could use more acid/​citrus kick in the dressing… it came off a bit too sweet.
The Pollo Arepas were quite bland. Mind you, the only other arepas I have ever had was at a wondering place in NYC, I was just tickled it was on the menu.
Overall, I had two tiny plates and two drinks for a heavy price (around $ 40). That’s a bit steep for happy hour.
But I’ll give it one more chance. Afterall, I am a Montebello girl and want to see this place get back to where it was when I was a kid… let’s hope they work out the kinks soon.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place — its location is a bit off to the area but its a nice upscale addition to the neighborhood. Its off a very busy street, Beverly Blvd, but its easily accessible by the large parking lot. Its a large space — a full separate bar area, a full dining room and what appeared to be a good sized banquet room. All accessible by separate entrances but connected through the mutual shared space of the dining area.
I want to address the «portion» issue — I agree with Hoang, I think that as American’s we have grown accustomed to the huge, and in my opinion, obscene portion sizes that restaurants think is a suitable. No this isn’t Claim Jumper, this isn’t Sizzlers ‘all you can eat shrimp,’ nor is it a buffet. Its a bistro! The portion size is what it should be. With the obesity problem this country is facing its refreshing to visit a restaurant in which dining means eating to your comfort and being satisfied instead of being overfilled and then taking home a tacky styrofoam container full of «leftovers» in order to make you feel like you «got a good deal.»
Pros:
— Décor was contemporary, upscale, simple and chic.
— Service was prompt and very attentive.
— Food was tasty, served in prompt manner and well plated.
Cons:
— Drinks need some improvement, they seemed a bit weak.
— Music during the «club» was bleeding into the restaurant and is distracting. Perhaps they can figure out how to ‘tone it down.’
— Smokers loitering in the parking lot, the place is spacious, why can’t they come up with an area for them to congregate in? I know they have a death wish already by smoking but I don’t want to accidentally run one of them over at night while they are wandering around a dark parking lot.
Overall I say, ‘Well done Antigua! Good luck & I hope you’ll expand to a few more East SGV locations! Recommended!

Checked this place out on opening night. I agree with many Unilocalers, and applaud the owner for the change of décor of it’s predecessors.

When you walk in it has quite a nice ambiance and the place was clean. We didn’t have to wait and were seated right away. I was there with a party of four
.
Everyone was really nice and friendly. The owner was around and he was friendly. I had to run to my car and he offered to have security walk me because it was late at night. (awww)
He also gave us a free dessert at the end of our meal. :)
There were little hiccups in the service and wait, but it’s too be expected on opening night. No biggie and hopefully they’ll work these bugs out.
Food was good. But I agree with others and portions were a little on the small side. I’m familiar with tapas style dining so that’s not what caught me off guard. What caught us off guard was the where the menu said big enough for 2 – 3 people. So we ordered one of those sized meals and we should have ordered more. The portion was more for one person.
My fiancé was still hungry when we got home.
The albondigas was mouth watering.
The choice of wines was good and a bottle wine was a bargain!
The pork belly was good
The chicken was awesome
Overall we had a good time. The food was different for this area and that was refreshing. I do think this place would fair better in a place like West Hollwood or down town. I hope it finds away to survive in Montebello. Prices and portions may pose a problem in it’s current location.

The food was GREAT!
Chef Johnny brought us various dishes to sample… Crab cakes, Large shrimps in a special sauce, fresh Tomatillos and Heirloom tomatoes con queso asado in XVOO!!, Latin fusion tostadas, Champinones with roasted peppers, Prawns con jicama y Mango in a citrus sauce. Pork bellies en Mole Negro y Cilantro rice.
And of course we had DESSERT! i can’t even describe it! it was EXCELLENT!
Yes…there is wine i had an Argentinian wine, then a Chilean wine also. the third… Well i had so much wine I can’t remember it…
When they told me Cold Duck was gonna be here on Friday… I thought… oh!
I love duck.
They’re not serving Cold Duck!
COLD DUCK is the band who will be performing April 22, 2011
Come by and join Wifey and I at the bar…
Do try the PORK BELLIES… My ALL TIME FAVORITE