Cesar's Restaurant: User Reviews

Why bother when there's so many hospitable Mexican places?
By mortensen_jon from Far West, November 22, 2009

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My partner and I were meeting other people for dinner on a slow Sunday night. They doorman (host) was rude, and we were seated (8 of us) at what was clearly a 6 top. The moment that my partner saw the "2nd basket of chips and salsa is $2.50" notice on the menu he wanted to leave. Frankly, we should have left then and saved ourselves a lot of time an trouble.
Never in my dining experiences have I met a restaurant that nickles and dimes the customer to death. One of our dinner companions asked for salsa and was informed that he would be charged. My partner asked for a combination taco platter (chicken, beef, pork) and was informed that they will not mix and match.
Signs on the wall were like a flash-back to some bad middle school classroom with too many rules (e.g., no more than 2 forms of payment per check, two forms of ID required with credit card payment, no party will be seated until everone is present). The waitress also informed us that she was unable to split up the check.
The final straw was the 20% gratuity added to the check. 15 - 18% is the custom in Chicago; how can Cesar's justify 20%?
With so many fabulous restaurants in Chicago (including a wealth of great mexican places) why bother dining here? My partner and I will NOT be going back.

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Cesar's Chicago= Can I give ZERO STARS????
By sasham from loop, February 28, 2009

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We heard it was the best margaritas. I've had better.
Don't bother showing up without your full party. They won't seat you.
Don't bother paying separate checks. They only give ONE CHECK per table, GRATUITY AND TAX INCLUDED, besides that they don't seem to remember to tell you that they only do one tab for the whole table.
Oh, but once you pay your full bill, you cannot continue to sit at your table because they have other people waiting for your spot. Even if you have people who are still eating or waiting to eat. The guy in green asks you to move to the other end of the restaurant to sit at the overcrowded bar and promises a free drink on the house.

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Unbelievably great experience
By chicagoflor from Wrigleyville, November 23, 2008

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I have to say, that I was a little unsure of going to Cesar's based on all of the reviews on here, but a friend ensured me that it was good so I went along. I could not have been happier with my expierience there. While the ambiance lacks a little, everything about my visit was awesome. Our server, Erik, was attentive and helpful. We actually closed out our tab, but decided we would stay for another round of drinks and he was nothing but accomodating to open it back up. I ordered the super steak burrito and it was sooo tasty. My strawberry margaritas were just the right thing to hit the spot. To top off all of the great service and food, we were given two shots on the house! Mind you, by the taste alone I could tell that this was no crappy free tequila either. I was so pleased with my visit and will definitely go back.

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DO NOT GO HERE.
By skid from Wicker Park, August 25, 2008

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The service was terrible, waitress was rude and abrasive. OK margaritas, marginal food, and automatically put 20% gratuity on the bill for only 5 people. On top of it, they refused to take a slightly torn $20 bill. If it were up to me, at that point I would have taken my cash back and walked out. DO NOT GO HERE.

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Horrible Service! Never will return.
By twos from Albany Park, February 15, 2008

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Four of us went for dinner and margaritas. After dinner we all ordered another round of margaritas and we were told we could not drink them at the table, we would have to leave and go stand at the bar. We had a $150+ bill and they wouldn't let us finish our drinks at the table. The waitress was extremely rude. None of us will ever go back.

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No room for drinks on an empty Wednesday
By AU from Lakeview, January 11, 2008

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Some friends and I tried to go on a Wednesday night for drinks and appetizers; we were excited that it was only about 20% full so we wouldn’t have to wait for a table. The host asked us if we were there for drinks or dinner; We replied ‘drinks and appetizers’, at which point we were told to sit at the bar. I asked if we could have a table and was told they were reserved for dinner guests, but that we could order appetizers at the bar. We decided to leave and go someplace else as we were looking forward to sitting around a table and conversing. I would understand if this was a busy Saturday night and/or the restaurant was full, but it was not! To tell people that they are not welcome to sit at a table while ordering $10 drinks and $8 appetizers is bad business practice. Our total bill (and the subsequent tip) would have been more than if we each ordered a $12 meal and soda…I am appalled To market yourself as the ‘home of the Killer Margaritas’ and then not welcome people to enjoy them comfortably in an empty restaurant is ridiculous. Luckily, Mi Terra is around the corner, better food, better prices, better attitude and the margaritas don’t give you a stomach ache.

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go to the broadway one instead!!!!
By sievegirl from lakeview, December 31, 2007

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today my boyfriend and I went in around 1:00 for some lunch. We were seated right away. We waited about 5 minutes before a server came and dropped off chips and water without saying anything or taking a drink order. We then waited another 10 minutes for someone to take our order....nothing. There were 3 servers working and not a heck of a lot of people. We walked out because nobody said anything like "we'll be with you shortly" or something like that. The other location on Broadway is much better and at this location we have never had good service. I will never go to this spot ever again!

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The food is overpriced,any of...
By CRO from Chicago, IL, September 4, 2007

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The food is overpriced,any of the dishes can easily be recreated in your home kitchen. The worst part is the service. You'll wait to be seated, wait for menu's food,refills etc. usually because your waitress is busy chatting up the bartender and ignoring her tables. I have complained to the management about this and they don't really seem to care. Wouldn't recommend this place unless you like overpriced food and BAD service.

We hadn't been here in...
By ChicagoJ from Lincoln Park, May 5, 2007

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We hadn't been here in awhile, but were shopping in the area and decided to give it another shot. The service is worse than ever - 10 minutes just to get menus? The margaritas are no longer killer and the food is just OK and slow in coming. We were there at shift change and our waiter just left. We could have left without paying, but kept asking servers until we found one who could help. He took my credit card and didn't come back for 15 minutes, even though he was still walking around. We had to remind him to bring it back from whoever was processing it. Needless to say I've been monitoring my account since that visit, which was definitely our last.

The food wasn't bad, but...
By horrified from chicago, il, January 25, 2007

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The food wasn't bad, but service was horrendous. We didn't take long to eat, but the second the last plate was cleared, our check came without any chance to order more drinks or dessert. Seconds later, we were told that we needed to leave the table even though we weren't finished with our drinks. Finally, a waiter had the nerve to yell at us, because we were in her way as we were putting our coats on. I can't believe people think they can treat customers so poorly and run a successful business.