Monteros Cafe

Rating this place a 2 star.
So like many have mentioned before this establishment was bought out by the owners of Café Biere.
My first visit to the new Café Monteros was in September. I drove with friends from Oakland and had no idea if this place was going to be open or not. I tried calling the number that was provided but it was «disconnected». So we went on a whim. To our surprise it was actually open. I asked the owner what was up with the number to the café, and he said that they just haven’t set one up yet. What kind of business doesnt have a number? Anyways that visit was ok, I’d rate it a 4 star. The service was decent and the food is good too.
The second time I tried to pay a visit, They still had no working number. This visit was supposed to be the middle of the month of October. We came all the way from East Oakland and to our dismay they were temporarily closed for remodeling. If they had a working number or even a working website, customers like me wouldnt have had the inconvenience of wasting gas and time to find out they would be closed.
I honestly don’t think they establishment cares about customers too much, the owner seems like all he likes to do is drink during business hours.
That’s why they get a 2 star.
Tips to the business. Set up a landline, set up a website, and hire more staff.

Used to love this place. Now they’ve changed the menu so extensively that it isn’t even clear what type of restaurant it is. The food was subpar — the drinks lower than that.
Unfortunately this is my last visit.

I have never eaten here so I can’t tell you how the food is. What I can tell you is the evening event (salsa).
I’ve gone two weeks in a row and the first week was dead. I am not kidding. You could break dance across the room and not bump into someone haha. I went with my siblings and a group of friends. DJ was ok. Some songs got repetitive which is a no-​no in my book.
Came the following week and it was much more lively. More people and DJ had better selection. $ 10 cover charge and dress code is NOT enforced. Great place to practice your dance moves. Salsa, bachata, Cumbria, merengue, reggaeton and Banda is played here! Great selection of Latino music when the DJ is on point!
The fact that it is local is a plus! Drinks are average price. Nations isn’t far away if you need to sober up. Parking isn’t much of a pain. Throughout the years with change of ownership it seems that it isn’t as lively as it was before. Still a nice little spot to keep low key on a Friday night. Why 3 stars? It’s nothing special and I haven’t tried the food during the day. It could be better but then again it would be worse!
Tip: watch out with Albany police! They usually wait around or nearby Mallards (bar) to see if anyone slips (since they have nothing else to do) and Albany doesn’t have much crime. This place had one restroom so beware ladies!
Give this place a try!

Came in for brunch and had the classic Benedict-​it was good so the 2 stars are for the benedict. Service was severely lacking-​we didn’t get napkins/​silverware until after the meal came (and even then the server brought only 2 napkins to a table of 6 people). Had to ask 2+ times for coffee-​I actually had to get up and find a server. Apparently all of the knives were dirty so we were provided with plastic knives (a good server would have hand washed a few knives for the table-​and they weren’t even very apologetic. The bread on my Benedict was way too hard to cut with the plastic knife. Plates were never cleared. It was really loud and it certainly didn’t help that some 20-​something princesses were screeching after their bottomless mimosas. I won’t be back.
The girl who was kind of serving the table (petite Asian in her 20s, wore a striped shirt and yellow pants on Sunday ⁸⁄₁₅) was really clueless. She never apologized for the knives even after we said that it was a problem and service was lacking. Any decent server knows to apologize for those things and then put a positive spin on something-​the food maybe?
I hope they figure things out.

I bought a Groupon to Monteros Café before it was called Monteros and just had an OK experience. The servers were a little on the slow side even though we came in on a Sunday morning and there was like only 1 other table aside from us.
I ordered an egg dish and the boyfriend had steak and eggs. We also got the unlimited mimosas although the flavors we got to try were pretty underwhelming. The egg dish was forgettable at best. The boyfriend thought the steak was well cooked but that the sauce was overwhelming. The portions were large and decent but overall quality was nothing to write home about. I got to try the regular orange flavored mimosa which was very watered down and bland. Kind of tasted like watered down orange juice with salt and vodka. Not tasty.
I am glad we weren’t paying full price for the meal. Nothing stuck out as being terrible about the place, but everything was just very meh and underwhelming. I would definitely not recommend anyone come by here unless you have a Groupon that you’re in a hurry to use up.

I learned about this place when my friend gave me her Groupon for Sunday brunch & bottomless mimosas at Café Beire, now Monteros Café.
We got here about 10 minutes before they opened to avoid a long wait. Our group was seated right away because no one else was there, so good call. I never went to the old smaller location, but this place was spacious and I liked the set-​up. I was kind of surprised there was only one bathroom though.
Everything on the menu was enticing. The music and atmosphere was fun. I wish I remember all the flavors of mimosas we tried… the drinks tasted cheap, but overall it was worth checking out and definitely a good time.

Like many Unilocalers, I too had a Groupon for Café Biere. I had let my groupon expire and thought that was that. To my surprise, Café Biere relocated to Monteros Café and extended my offer!
I will keep this brief…
Endless mimosas-​a great perk depending on which flavor you get, pomegranate was my favorite one (fresh squeezed if I had to guess based on the pulp). As for the starter, OJ + Champagne, the juice was sadly from Costco. Considering the price point, it makes sense that not everything is freshly squeezed.
Food-​eggs benedict lacked execution and seasoning. My friends steak and eggs, if you can call it that, was more reminiscent of steak nachos topped with eggs, not my ideal «steak and eggs»
Service-​severely understaffed for the volume of people. I felt bad for those two girls and one buser. I believe the owner was there walking around chit chatting and having a good time while his workers were running around ragged.
Overall Thoughts
The appeal of Café Biere alluded me and makes me wonder does endless mimosas really justify anything above a 3?

Bought the groupon deal for Café Biere’s brunch and bottomless mimosa, and found out they took over monteros, so we were there~
I was actually looking forward to visiting Monteros because I didn’t go to Café Biere for so long and was missing their food and mimosa. Even thou Monteros was so much bigger than Café Biere, the wait was still pretty bad, especially we were a group of 8. We hang around the bar area for a little over an hour before we got seated.
Menu was simple, usual brunch items you would find elsewhere. A couple of us had the steak and egg, egg benedicts, and I got the smoked salmon benedicts, which I had it at Café Biere before.
Bottomless mimosa was still good, but the food, very disappointing. I still remembered how good it was back then when I first visited Café Biere. The potatoes were a bit burnt, salad was ok, egg benedicts was just alright. Some of my friends’ poached eggs were overcooked. We ordered a side of sweet potato fries and it came out super burnt! We told the waitress and she was nice to take it back and bring us a new order, but still, the second order was a bit burnt.
Overall it was just alright. The deal was awesome thou~ If you don’t care too much about the food and just want to have bottomless mimosa, you should definitely go there~
PS. This place is so noisy like its old place. Music is always loud in here.

Café Biere in Emeryville has moved and taken over this location! Since the owner decided to keep the name Monteros Café, it seems like patrons of the former café are getting confused by the changes in food and atmosphere. As a patron of Café Biere, I must say the new location is great. It has the same energetic vibe, but now in a much bigger and brighter place.
I came here on Sunday for brunch. The place was packed! There were 2 live DJs spinning. Obviously many of Café Biere patrons were informed of the new location and were here for bottomless mimosas.
The food is still delicious. Had the bacon and blue cheese mussels. Yum! And of course a plethora of fresh fruit mimosas: guava, honeydew, pear, watermelon, orange, and more! Delicious!
Always a fun time at Café Biere now Monteros Café! =)

So this is the new location for Ivan and his team from Café Biere!
Bigger space, louder music, and a dance floor! Yes, there is still only one bathroom…
Went here recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday and yes of course, it was fun! Now I see all these 2 and 3 stars from Unilocalers who are disappointed for different reasons including:
1. A groupon not working
2. Not getting to choose a mimosa flavor
3. Former Café Biere patrons who are saying the food doesn’t match up
Here is my response to the above:
A. In terms of your groupon not working, forget the groupon. Want to avoid hassle? Just use cash. It’s full proof.
B. Usually mimosas only come in one flavor: ORANGE.
This establishment has many different flavors. If you want a particular one or are curious to know what else is available, just ask. The staff is really friendly. They’ll take care of you.
C. Maybe the chef changed. I usually just stick with what I always order: MUSSELS. Get the bacon ones.
Needless to say, the purpose of bottomless mimosas is fun and friends. If that is not your priority, no wonder you’re not having a good time.
Until next time, have fun!

I went here with a friend, and we both found everything too greasy. We had chips & guacamole, chilaquiles and chicken enchiladas. The guacamole was above average, but everything else was so fatty, we both felt bogged down afterwards and I actually had indigestion for two hours.
Also, when we got our bill a few weeks later we saw just a person’s name, not the name of a restaurant, so we felt the need to call the credit card company to check it out — a needless hassle.

Having been a patron at café biere and enjoyed my experiences there, I bought a groupon that they honored at this new location…
First off, Ivan, the owner, is a sweetheart who Walks around chatting with everyone. He definitely makes the experience better. The unlimited mimosas were… Meh. I tried oj, aloe, pomegranate and raspberry lemonade. These just didn’t measure up to what they used to be.
Secondly, the food has really gone downhill. I had the bacon omelette which comes with potatoes and a salad. It was just okay. My husband had the steak n eggs, which he’s had before at café biere and it just wasn’t the same. It was a sad attempt at the same thing.
All in all, I had a good time, but I can’t see myself coming back for regular prices, although I may try their salsa night or club one day.

Bottomless mimosas seems to be the major attraction so this is what the review will mostly be about.
The food was average here so don’t expect anything more. I ordered the ham omelette, which tasted decent although it cost way too much and was coated in oil.
The bottomless mimosas are $ 15 for 2 hours of unlimited refills. You can’t choose which mimosa you want since the servers come around and refill your glass with whatever they have in hand. I arrived around 1030 and there was no line. During the 2 hours I stayed, I was able to try 10 different flavors.
Orange — this is the normal flavor and nothing special
pineapple — light pineapple flavor, not too sweet
blackberry — my favorite out of all the flavors I tried.
melon — strong flavor
strawberry — after taste was a bit odd, lots of seeds
watermelon — light flavor
honeydew — had no honeydew flavor, just tastes like champagne
cantelope — very light, lots of fruit flesh
hibiscus — tastes just like the tea
blackberry/​raspberry mix — interesting

The new location for Café Biere. I never went to the old location so can’t comment on any menu changes. But there’s definitely still a plethora of flavors for their bottomless mimosas :) Each time I go, there’s more flavors and/​or rotation of flavors. They always start you off with the original flavor first.
On to the food. The highlight of their menu (aside from the mimosas) are their mussels! Mmm! Of the three flavors they offer, I’ve tried two. The chipotle cream and the tomato and basil. The tomato and basil was the best one. Definitely a must try. Their omelets are fluffy and good too.

MONTEROS! The new location of Café Biere! It’s bigger and definitely a nicer location. The food is the same. Still good and they still offer their bottomless mimosas!
The Groupon deal definitely made it more worth it! $ 34 brunch for two INCLUDING bottomless mimosas. It’s worth it!

This is place is now changed. It’s now owned by the owners of Café Biere in Emeryville. They are no longer serving the menu listed on the website.
I came to this place because I bought a Groupon for Café Biere and was never able to use it because they were always closed! Finally the owner responded/​picked up his phone and we realized that they had moved locations.
I am giving it one star not for the food but for the overall experience. The food is decent. I like their eggs benedict. We also got the bottomless mimosas with our groupon which were pretty good too (a variety of flavors: oj, white peach, aloe, guava, cucumber).
However, my issue is with the way the business is run! It’s as if a couple friends got together and decided that they could open a restaurant. When we got there, since everyone gets the bottomless mimosas. no table was open for almost 45 minutes. There’s not much seating as it is and people would finish their food and then sit around for hours (a few tables were there for almost over 2 hours). Its hard to get the attention of the staff too. No one staff person is assigned to any specific table (its really unorganized).
I don’t think I would go there again because the wait was too long, food not bad but not worth the wait or the price (they charge $ 15 per person for the bottomless mimosas and then my entrée was $ 15.without the groupon our table of 4 would have had to pay $ 120! not including tax and tip), and its really loud.

Fun Salsa spot. Dancing lessons at 8:30 on Saturdays if you aren’t too sure of your footing and live salsa music afterwards to show off your new moves! They have various themed nights, so it’s a good idea to check out thier calendar. Good partners to choose from, some seem like pros. while others are still learning. I like the dance floor itself in this place, it’s all wooden and polished which make following a fast partner easy and fun. Drinks are good, and food in the restaurant is yummy. $ 15 cover charge, but worth it if you want to salsa the night away.

I went here for the dancing. Yeah, I’m pretty good at Salsa… especially
when it comes to «chips.» Nah, I have the basic steps, enough to
outshine anybody on dancing with the stars.
The place is a good unknown place for dancing,
with two rooms one for «Bachata» and the main room for a slew
of totally different all around type of dancing.
On the night we went it was $ 5 bucks for women before 11pm.
and $ 10 bucks for men period. They do have a fairly older crowd
and avid creeper dancing men. If you didn’t bring your own partner
to dance with you might be alittle turned off by the selection of
partners who want to dance with you…
I came with a group of fairly single and beautiful people (since that’s how i roll)
and my girllfriends would constantly be snatched or hounded by the opposite sex.
It was funny until, I have to step in and pry the men off. ha!
I give it a plus for the «reggeaton»
minus for the ill-​made drinks.
That’s right there’s a liquor store around the corner. ;)

When I told my Albany-​living friend that we wanted a real Mexican brunch, she knew to take us here.
Awesome Mexican breakfast options await at Monteros. Yes, I know we missed out on the dancing, but I am glad to have experienced a hearty brunch with high-​quality ingredients and a large portion size. Our dishes could have had more guac, but otherwise, we were really satisfied.

Continuously on a mission to find ever better burritos, I popped into Monteros around noon today to taste what they had to offer. Their lunch menu includes a regular burrito for less than $ 5, but also fancier ones that are a couple dollars more. I felt like being special and got their rojo burrito with carnitas for $ 7.75.
Maybe this is a «duh» moment, but the burrito was spicy! It included actual large chunks of oily red chile peppers. After accepting the spiciness, the burrito innards melded together nicely and satisfied my much-​needed regular Mexican food fix. The only minor negative points would be a slightly dry tomato tortilla and the oiliness. Overall, though, I enjoyed the newness of this particular burrito flavor profile and the size was large enough to split into my lunch and pre-​dinner meals (yes, pre-​dinner is an official meal.)
They included lots of greasy chips and two plastic cups of salsa in the bag with my order, which is always a nice complement to a Mexican meal. Decent burrito, but I have a feeling that their regular version might be more suited to my non-​extreme taste buds. I don’t think they get a lot of takeout customers and its not fast food, so the wait was on the long side, around 10 min. I would definitely opt for a sit-​in experience if I come again, especially because the décor is beautiful with Spanish murals on the walls.