Cerveteca

I absolutely love this place. Great atmosphere and food. The Barbacoa tacos are so damn good. The red sauce is amazing and then you can add their habenero sauce on top. Yum. I always come here when I’m in Santa Monica. You can’t go wrong here.

The food was good. Had the chicken tacos. but the prices are pretty steep for what you get. Coming in at about $ 9 a taco with tip, it definitely made me wish there was a taco truck nearby! Mainly because you don’t get anything but the tacos for the price. No beans or rice. No chips or salsa. And the table we sat at was so tiny, so I didn’t feel like we were paying for the atmosphere. It almost feels like a pop-​up restaurant. Small and cramped. Plus, they had an odd set up like a sushi bar, but it’s Mexican restaurant. Puzzling. It wasn’t bad, but for the price, I wouldn’t go back.

Went here today for brunch with my friend, and am extremely disappointed and at odds with most of the posts on here.
Service was subpar but the real disappointment was the food. I ordered the barbacoa tacos and a side plate of bacon. The bacon came out first and was thick cut, chewy and mushy. The flavor was good, but if you’re looking for crispy crunchy bacon this is not the place for you.
My barbacoa tacos were served on two large corn tortillas. There was an excessive amount of beef and grease with less than a teaspoon of cilantro and sliced onion combined. Flavor was lacking as well as presentation. Even the chipotle sauce served to add a little flavor lacked flavor. The best part of the dish was a slice of lime.

Place was good for sure. I got the Barbados tacos and they were delicious! A bit crowded but not their fault. I would go back for sure.

Had a wonderful dinner at Cerveteca the other evening! We were seated right away at one of their lovely tables outside and was quickly acknowledged by our server.
We unfortunately weren’t too hungry so we only ordered the salsa, guac and chips as well as the Baja Fish Tacos, the plantains and the black beans.
You can tell that they use the freshest ingredients from the first bite! The food was perfectly seasoned and spiced. I look forward to going back and trying more items from their menu!
Oh and we totally dug the playlist. 80s all night! Loved singing along to all the songs!
See you soon Cerveteca!
Cheers!
P. S. Not so many photos of the food, it was so dark.
P. P. S. Only reason they didn’t get 5 stars is because parking can be difficult. Street parking only.

I come here for brunch. If Oscar’s mom is cooking it’s going to be even better. I order the same thing every time. Plantains, eggs with green sauce and sometimes a Aqua Fresca. Once in awhile I’ll order the chicken and waffle if I really want to pig out. I sit at the bar inside and watch the guys cook. It’s a cool chill vibe and very neighborhood. We meet friends here a lot and everyone loves it. The steak and eggs is so good as well.

The ever-​present, much discussed, synonymous with LA, fish taco…
Many an establishment claim to lay claim to this heralded menu item and for good reason; they’re delicious (when done right).
But fear not fellow fish food fans. It is in this regard that the Venice locals favorite Cerveteca, does not disappoint. Some may argue the ethics of fried vs grilled, flour vs corn, and countless other condiment considerations that frankly hold little ground in a proper evaluation of a blissful bite. The facts are simple when it comes to this fish taco:
— Baja (fried)
— Flour tortillas
— 2 to a plate
— Pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, housemade smoked chipotle sauce and crema to top
— Delicious to the last bite
Come here for the baja fish tacos. Stay for 22oz beers, year round outdoor seating, the oh-​so-​Venice vibes and the expanding variety of similarly sumptuous Mexican accompaniments (see empanadas, guac, and a chorizo burger that deserves a write up of its own). Your tastebuds will thank you, and you’ll thank me, with each passing forkful.

I live down the street and come here all the time. It always so tasty. It never disappoints. I just wish it wasn’t so crowded!
I love all their Mexican inspired dishes. And they have a great selection of easy wine and beer.

HIGHLY OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED. When we got there we were confused on where the entrance was given we stood at what we thought was the hostess stand and they were just talking and didn’t acknowledge us. I thought maybe it was the exit and not entrance. Then, I went back again and asked the hostess if this is where we come in and she said yes one minute and continued her conversation about her weekend outings. Finally, she asked how many and sat us in a DARK room. I asked her if she could make it lighter and she said just a little. Why would you make such a dark room for food? I’m talking darker than candle-​lit dark.
We came here because we wanted Latin American food. The food was not authentic which would be okay since it seemed they were trying gourmet twists on them… they just failed at it. The flavors didn’t go together. We ordered 6 different dishes and they were disappointing. Some were bland, others TOO spicey… as if spice is the only flavor latin americans use. The portions were VERY small and the price too high. Don’t get me wrong… if the food was delicious I wouldn’t mind this. But it wasn’t. The whole time there the server took forever to come by and even forgot things like water refills and our check. We had to ask twice.
Definitely not coming back here.

The atmosphere was friendly and upbeat. Service was pretty good. The Kombucha was tasty if you like that kind of stuff. Went there on a weekend night and it was pretty easy to get a table. I went in with expectations because I heard from a friend how great it is. She went there for brunch. Maybe dinner is a different story. I got the Salmon Tacos that were not very memorable and the Beet and Arugula Salad. It’s fun and pretty good environment and people watching, but the food is decent, but nothing spectacular.

Food was average – I definitely wouldn’t come here for that. There is good seating though and if you have a large group, they can accommodate in their wine cellar room.

This place is overrated.
I visited today after having had their food delivered in the past and had really enjoyed my delivery meals so I had high expectations.
They were not met.
I had the chicken breast tacos and the Barbacoa tacos. Both were lacking in flavor but definitely included a good enough portion size. The most surprising one to me was the Barbacoa which lacked any of the traditional flavors and moderate spice I expected from Barbacoa.
The texture was nice with the pulled meat and the tortilla was good but there just wasn’t any depth of flavor. The same was true for the chicken breast, though unlike the Barbacoa I got what I’d describe as a distinct taste of summer from the Chicken Breast tacos… however the flavor wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as I’d like it.
The food wasn’t flavorful as I’d have like but the flavors that I did get, though heavily muffled, were quite good. I think if I return I’ll have to try something more flavorful, what that is though I’m not sure.

Totally solid tacos with great quality ingredients. We tried the barbacoa and chicken tacos, and they were both tasty. Love the space. Service is spotty, but fine. The only reason I didn’t give it more stars is the pricing. I know it’s Venice and real estate is expensive, but $ 7 /​taco – wow. And they don’t even start you with any complimentary chips and salsa or anything. For that price, I can’t say that it was worth it. I would go back for happy hour, though…

The food is soooo good! The cod tacos are one of the best tacos I’ve had. The dishes are inventive and fresh. It’s always crowded and yet they are pretty good at finding you a seat in a timely manner. The waiters are chill and not pretentious. Everything about this place, I’m feelin.
My only note is, I have always called this place Oscars! Everyone I know in Venice calls it Oscars! So change the name maybe? I like it better, maybe Oscar’s Cervetica?

Great vibe, patio and menu. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious. Staff was incredibly friendly and also served up what is quite possibly the best Michelada I’ve ever had.
I would definitely return here again!

The food here was AMAZING! It was a bit dark and chilly, but we were seated in a private room off the patio, where there was a big table that could comfortable seat 12. There was also a table to the side for two people, which I could imagine getting a bit claustrophobic if the room was filled to capacity.
We ordered their baja tacos, their baby back ribs, the «pizza,» and the peruvian sashimi. Everything was delicious, and shared a comfortable meal among four people. The red wine sangria was also very yummy!

Stopped in for lunch and had a great meal. I had the Peruvian Sashimi and Fish Tacos. It was definitely on the expensive side (almost $ 30) but the food was outstanding and extremely flavorful. The Peruvian Sashimi features sashimi grade salmon that swims this aji amarilo (yellow pepper) & key lime cure which provides a super citrus-​y kick. The fish tacos are on par with all of my favorite fish taco spots (Rickys, Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada & Tacos Punta Cabras). Huge pieces of white fish (similar to Ricky’s size) with a great flavor provided by the aji sauce, slaw and salsa (similar to Tacos Punta Cabras). The quality definitely allows the higher price point and I love sitting on the patio enjoying a quality beer watching the people walk by on Rose.
Enjoy!

Had a great time at Cerveteca last night. Got a seat on the cozy patio, lots of great people watching there and great music played.
The chicken taco is pure poetry: Soft tortilla, moist chicken and a lot of cilantro.
Highly recommended!

Let’s just put it out there; the vibe of the restaurant is super laid back, however it’s SO laid back you get zero service here. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it. This just wasn’t for me. Too pretentious hipster for my liking.
I’ve had this spot bookmarked for awhile and was stoked to finally get my hands and my tongue on their tacos I’ve heard everyone and their mama rave about. While the food wasn’t bad, everything else just rubbed me the wrong way. The service here was irritating like shaving against the hair growth. Irritating for except I have no razor burn to even show for it.
So we walk in, the patio is crowded with yuppies all having a good ol time. We pass the patio because I just want to have a quiet meal and head inside. Considering we’ve never been here before we are a bit lost, and no one is to be found. Not a single hostess, waitress, bus boy; not a single soul. So we stand there for a solid 2 minutes like two idiots that fell off the moon and don’t fit in; till finally I spot someone at the cash register. I walk up to her, and ask her if we can sit. She grants me permission. Thanks for letting me do your job for you. Strike one.
So we sit, I checked out their menu for dinner online and was eager to try a few items on there. Well, apparently dinner is at 4, and we are sitting down at 3:43; so the waitress tells us we have to order dinner EXACTLY at 4… I’m sorry, is your kitchen going to burn down and will the world fall apart if I place my dinner order at 3:59. By all means; start cooking my food at 4 on the dot, but let me freakin order. So, we sat there, knowing what we wanted to order… until 4… on the dot. Strike 2.
Next comes strike 3 and actually strike 4 with the ordering process. I was dying to have their veggie tacos… well I ask the waitress if there are onions in there, she says no… I place my order excited to savor the veggie taco I’ve stalked the pictures of on line. Only for the waitress to come back out and burst my bubble and tell me the tacos do have onions in them…
«Ok…can you not put them in???»
«No», she says…“It’s mixed in.”
«Ok, can you unmix it?» I say, doing an annoying hand motion that’s supposed to show her how to unmix it.
«Nope; no can do»
Ugh, ok, I will get the veggie tacos and pick out the onions myself before I eat them. Which I did and I kid you not when I tell you it took forever considering 40% of the veggies were ONIONS! Now the tacos were good, but strike 3 for me picking out onions out of my food for 10 minutes before eating.
Now let’s get to the strike 4, shall we? Any place that serves Mexican food usually has bomb margaritas. Actually, cross that, almost always. I was craving a strawberry blended margarita so bad, and I’m not even a drinker. Well, they don’t make blended margaritas. Wtf? You don’t have a blender? This day and age. Yup, strike 4 well deserved.
After the 4 strikes we won’t be back here again, even though the food is decent. Too many strikes for one simple lunch hence the minus 4 stars which equals to 1 star for this unsatisfying spot. A star deduction for each strike. Hey, it’s only fair.

I’ve been to this location twice and both times extremely satisfied. The first time I came for drinks and apps during happy hour and i really enjoyed it. (They have really good deals).
Make sure you guys make resevations because it gets busy during happy hour. Make sure you choose to sit outside since they have a cute outside patio.
Food I’ve ate here are the amazing fish tacos. They are so fresh and tasty. Oh and other favorite are their street corn. So yummy!!!

I came here for happy hour recently and enjoyed sitting out on the patio on a warm, summer day. However, the tables are situated so close together, you will hear every word of your neighbors’ conversations.
Ceviche is a-​OK. Tacos are even better!

I frequent Cerveteca any time I’m headed to the beach. I park on or near Rose, grab a bite, then mosey off to the sand or vice versa. I prefer the happy hour tacos because they are cheaper and a la carte and navigate towards the heartier plates when it is not
HH. The last couple of times I have gone the burger route and they don’t skimp on the thickness of the patty! It’s a mean handful.
Service has been exceptional. It’s a small place, but what they lack in real estate, they make up for in menu/​attentiveness.

I highly recommend the Hangover soup, served with one homemade corn tortilla and sides of — fresh Purple onion, warm cilantro rice, and freshly chopped cilantro with a couple of limes wedges a side of KILLER tomatillo salsa.
Spicy, really spicy, and worth it! And I also highly recommend a Michelada

I love this place. It has great quality, freshly made food. This is by a «get a quick bite to eat» type of place. They take a while to bring out the food since they make everything from scratch. But it’s a great place to go and hang out with your friends to eat and drink.
The tacos and great and the corn was delicious. Can’t wait to come back and try everything else on the menu :)

Die Cerveteca ist ein wunderbares Lokal für alle, die lateinamerikanische/​südamerikanische Küche lieben. Die ca 8 Köche zaubern auf engstem Raum spannende, frische Interpretationen beliebter Gerichte. Wir saßen mit Blick auf die Küche, was unglaublich spannend war. Es gab Pulled Pork Sandwich und Fisch Tacos. Köstlich! Einziger Abzug: im Winter ist es etwas zugig egal wo man sitzt. Diese Woche war es sehr kalt in Venice und die Einwohner sind wohl einfach nicht auf solche Zustände vorbereitet. Trotzdem möchte ich ungern die Jacke im Restaurant anbehalten.