Cesar's Killer Margaritas - Broadway — Restaurant in Lake View Township

We took my son here to celebrate his 23rd birthday. A Big Mistake! Upon arrival, we were told there would be a 30min wait for our party of 5. No problem, we said we would wait. At the time we were the only party waiting in lobby. While waiting around 40mins to be seated about 4 other parties came in. 1 had a reservation and was seated right away, understandable. There was another party of 5 with 3 adults, possibly a 10yr old, and maybe a 16yr old that the hostess sat down before my party. When we questioned it we were told because they have smaller kids. Which I felt was some bull crap. First red flag. After looking around everyone that came in after us had now been seated and we were seated last. Now to the table and service. We were seated around 7:10pm or so. The air was blasting in the place so I couldn't even remove my jacket. Alphonso the waiter comes over and takes our order. He needed assistance reading the driver's licenses for age verifications and also seemed a little pressed. 20mins have passed and my husband looked at me and said we don't get chips and salsa? I said to him I have no clue but we saw a table that was sat down after us, received some. Shortly after this the chips and salsa were placed on the table. Along with the appetizers and the entrees that were ordered. Basically all at once. At this point, the table is crowded and we barely have room to eat comfortably. We still tried to manage and make it work. We mentioned we were there celebrating a birthday and that meant nothing. I ordered corn shells with my meal and was given flour shells. I just kept them. Alphonso was not attentive and barely checked in on the table. In the end, we found out why! Cesar's adds an automatic 20% gratuity to parties of 4 or more or if your bill is over $100! This is unacceptable especially when service is crappy!! Now to paying the bill. The check comes out and it's $279. My husband gives Alphonso $40 cash and his CC for the remainder. There's also a $7 charge for using a credit/debit card! He scans the card at the table and pauses. Then says I'll be right back and walks away with the CC. My husband checked his account and was charged $288. Then reversed, and $247 was charged. So now there's a hold on his card for $500+ for a meal for 5!! We brought it to Alphonso's attention and he says he reversed the $288 charge and gives us a receipt that says voided. We got the receipts and our leftover containers and just left because the restaurant was closing. I got home and looked at the receipt he gave us that said void on it and it was not the receipt for our table. This was no celebration for our son's birthday. It was more like a disaster. They do not have to worry about me driving 50 mins away ever again to patronage this establishment. This was our 2nd time here and...

After reaching out to this place multiple times, multiple ways I received no call back. That could have easily avoided my bad experience. Normally, I would not have a place a chance with poor communication (i.e. customer service) but I gave it a chance anyway. The point of my contact was to be sure this restaurant could accommodate a party of my size. (18 people)

Now this is not uncommon for me. I typically pick a Mexican restaurant every year to dine at where my friends and I spend a lot of money and time enjoying. The guest size has ranged from 15- 22. This is my reason for reaching out because the did not do reservations but I wanted to be sure they could accommodate AHEAD OF TIME. No response. The people I spoke with about it while at the restaurant were very rude and unaccommodating.

Once we arrived. They split our tables up which would not have been a problem except the tables were in TWO SEPERATE LOCATIONS OF THE RESTAURAUNT. (Like I had to travel down and up multiple flights of steps) EVEN THOUGH, one side of the restaurant had a area large enough to fit and accommodate all of us, they refused to sit us together. One side had a large booth table and then 2 small tables on either side that would accommodate. They even had a lower level that could have fit all of us and refused to sit us there as well. I was then forced to walk back and forth all night to mingle with guests that traveled 3 hours to eat dinner with me at this place that I mistakenly chose.

I can only comment on what I tasted but my quests did not like their food as well. The appetizers were not good at all. The queso had no flavor and the elotes had no flavor either. The chicken birra tacos were GREAT! 10/10. That was it. They offered us "free soup". It was cold. Unless it was meant to be served that way.

The margaritas These were far from killer. First the "mega" size was like 16oz at best and were horrible and overpriced. If you are looking for a good and large margarita this is not a place for you. This size margarita was $20. I have gotten a 38oz else where for $17! (Lucianas to be exact & you can get multiple flavors that taste delicious!)

My people spend over $800 at this location and NONE of us were satisfied.

** Last thing, one of my guests sat under a leaking ceiling during her dinner, with no help from the server. I guess the leak came with the meal!

I have never had an issue like this at a restaurant so it was very frustrating. My suggestion is to go somewhere with better communication, customer...

Let’s start with a confession: I made a horrible first impression at Cesar’s. Like, truly bad. Our amazing server, Sarah, came to take our order, and within minutes, I blurted out how much I hated one of their menu items (sorry, queso fundido, but you’re just a rubbery block of melted cheese, and I stand by my opinion). New Yorker's love my brutalness. It sometimes takes midwesterners a minute - but they usually find I'm just an idiot who's used to getting his way... always. Despite this disastrous opening, Sarah handled it like a pro—just the right amount of sass mixed with top-tier service. Instead of writing me off as a lost cause, she graciously recommended the queso dip, and WOW, was it good. I owe her an apology for my earlier slander against the cheese family.

For dinner, we went all in—entrees and, of course, the legendary Mega Margaritas. I had peach, but I’ve tried the mango before and loved it. The best part? You can actually taste the tequila, which is shockingly rare in a world full of weak, overpriced margaritas. For my entrée, I got the quesabirria tacos, and let me tell you… BEYOND. Unfortunately, my stomach betrayed me after an aggressive pre-game session with the free chips and salsa (which, for the record, are excellent). I only managed to eat one taco, but it was a taco I will never forget.

Now, here’s where things got interesting—the manager stopped by because he thought we hated our food. Maybe it was the tragic amount of leftovers, or maybe it was my earlier cheese tirade, but let me be clear: the food is fantastic, the service is superb, and the margaritas are everything.

Should you go? Yes. Immediately. I’ve tried every Mexican restaurant within a five-mile radius, and Cesar’s is hands-down my favorite in Lakeview. Sarah, you’re a saint. I’ll be back soon—probably for another Mega Margarita and another round of quesabirria tacos (this time with proper hunger levels). Cesars gets FOUR stars only because I need to keep them on their toes. In the quiet of my home,...