Cebu Bar & Bistro

Cebu restaurant is just a fancier Diner. The staff are younger, and dressed nicely. Instead of a glass cup, they use glass jars.
I got the Cebu Burger, which was recommended and has their brand on it, with cheese +$ 1, bacon +$ 2, and fried egg +$ 1. Fries were included but the truffle fries sounded fancy and special, so I upgraded with +$ 2 versus adding $ 10 for the sides. See the picture i posted, isn’t that the saddest looking fries you’ve seen? They’re thin fries and were warm (yeah…old). You can compare these fries to a frozen bag you get at foodtown down the block.
The worst mistake was choosing the bacon +$ 5. My expectations were really thick canadian bacons. The extra side of bacon were burnt all over, 5 thin fatty slices you could get at a supermarket.
This place gets 2 extra stars because 1) the manager or owner would talk around and ask how things were. Too bad he couldn’t tell from all the burnt bacon and fat I left behind, and truffed up fries. 2) We didn’t have to wait for seats, we weren’t in a rush, and I still have hours left on my Sunday.

Had dinner with the family last week and while the service was friendly and the food was good two of the four orders were not prepared as requested. My wife has gluten and dairy allergies and we ordered her lobster without butter and to sub spinach for the pasta. It came with no spinach and drenched in butter. My son ordered the steak but asked for the sauce on the side. Again, sauce all over the steak and he didn’t like it. They did clean is up and they comped my wife a salad (she asked for oil and vinegar on the side… came out with a lemon dressing on the salad and frankly given the screw up could have been a bit nicer… a few olives of carrots would have been too hard to do? Pretty much a plate of greens she got).
All said I want to have better to say… it’s a great space and the food that we were able to eat was good but they need to be more attentive to the smaller details. If you are fine ordering everything as is… no problem. But I feel that good restaurants are and should be more able to adapt to relatively simple requests.

Okay so if I am an addict to CEBU’s food is that really such a bad thing? My girlfriends and I decided to have a girls night solely to visit and eat at CEBU’s. The drinks, food, appetizers and service were so good, we’re doing it one more time.
This time I will leave you with this — JUST DO IT!!!

To err is human, to compensate for it is divine. A while ago, I wrote a Unilocal review about a bad experience I had at Cebu, and the owner Ted reached out to me with an apology and a gift certificate. On Thursday, I had the chance to accept his invitation, and I visited Cebu with a friend.
Upon entering the restaurant, I met with the manager, Frank. He used to manage a restaurant in Spain, and since he joined Cebu, the restaurant has undergone major restructuring. The waiter that I had problems with during my previous visit no longer worked there. The waiters who served us on Thursday night were congenial, quick, and funny.
Frank offered us drinks and appetizers on the house. The shrimp cocktail was delicious. My friend had the baby aragula & watermelon salad with chicken and I had the mahi mahi fish. We would have liked to stay for dessert but we had to catch a movie! That’s for next time.
Before we left, Ted came to our table and spoke to us personally. He reads our reviews, is attentive to what we have to say, and works to always better the service of the restaurant.
I would recommend Cebu for a night out on a date or with friends. The setting is warm, the food is delicious as always, and the staff is as professional as ever.

I really wanted to like this restaurant. Its location is great with large outdoor seating area. Its dinner menu was recently updated and it looked great.
We had no issue with the service (which was phenomenal) or ambiance. We were just disappointed in the food. It was just okay. And for the price they charge you for everything, okay is not good enough. we tried a little bit of everything. for the share plates we found everything to be underwhelming (and the prices are $ 11 – 19 per plate). nothing stood out, the calamari was seasoned but the breading was off and you can get better empanadas on the street.
For the entrees once again we were underwhelmed. the fish was overcooked and the paella was not tasty. The best thing we tried was the fried chicken. that dish hit the mark and would be the only reason I would come back here. The dessert was okay as well, nothing special.
Overall: Its a fun place to go for people watching. get the fried chicken if you do go, otherwise there are better options in bay ridge that provide better value.

Brunch disappointment !
I came here for Sunday brunch with my boyfriend and was highly disappointed with the service, food and overall experience. We arrived around 1pm &placed our names. The hostess said that there would be a 15 minute wait at most but instead my boyfriend and I waited 35 minutes for a table .If we would have known it would be more than a 15 minute wait and then we would have gone to a different restaurant as we were hungry.
After being seated our waiter came and rushed us to decide. We ordered our coffees, drinks, entrées and appetizers. After waiting 20 minutes with still no water or coffee a bus boy came by and we asked him for our drinks again. The table next to us had the same problem and informed the bus boy (poor guy!)
The appetizer came out and six tiny rice balls come out. I couldn’t believe how overpriced this appetizer was for a tiny portion that was nothing past insipid. The bus boy came with our coffees and drinks (may I remind you 45 into our seating time). I noticed a couple just sitting down to eat. With another 20 foodless– minutes their food came out while we still had no entrees. The waiter was MIA for the whole time we were dining.
Finally an hour and 15 minutes into seating time my boyfriend and I received our entrees. Looking at his plate I scooped up a part of his rice and beans and a glob of RAW eggs hung from my fork. This is completely unacceptable. In no way was this dining experience worthy of staying for the rest of the meal.
We told the waiter we wanted the check. He charged us for the plate that I didn’t even touch and the appetizers. $ 30 down the drain on a disgusting meal. It’s one problem to have slow and careless service but another to not cook food through and potentially harm customers. I’m disappointed to have wasted so much time here. Should have never came .
Next brunch I’ll pass on Cebu.

I really wanted to like this place. It was one of the only restaurants that offered outdoor seating on a Sunday so I had to stop in with my mother. We started off with some fried calamari. For $ 15, I felt kind of ripped off. We both ordered the grilled flat iron steak which turned out to be a different cut which wasn’t the problem. What was the problem was the temperature. We both ordered our meat medium-​rare. There was a very faint hint of pink in my steak. I’d even go so far as to say it was 10 seconds away from being well-​done. My mother’s steak wasn’t as bad as mine, but still. if I’m paying $ 29 for a steak in Bay Ridge, I would’ve appreciated it if it weren’t so dry. The restaurant deserved an extra star because our server was really friendly. I probably wont be back, though.

I came here for brunch– crab cake Benedict and lemon ricotta pancakes which were good. The strange thing is that they don’t have sugar substitutes at all (which I’ve never experienced at any other restaurant).

I don’t like this place. We decided to sit outside, but for 10 min nobody come to us;(. Then we finally sat inside and very nice waiter girl with a short haircut give us a menu and I choose steak tacos lunch special for $ 18 and my bf took a beef steak for $ 24. His steak was tiny, he ate it in like 4 bites. I didn’t like tacos at all because the avocados in them were very old with black things and all meals that we ordered were extremely small portions for the price — after I had a very disappointing feeling like we paid $ 60 for nothing. Felt totally ripped off and not satisfied. I definitely will never come to this place again!

Went here on Mother’s Day was probably a mistake anyways to go but wow everything about our experience was terrible, took
A good 20 mins for the waiter to come while it was not busy what so ever, he never came by to ask how our food was which was dismal, my mother got what was supposed to be lump crab cakes but we’re definitely the cheaper claw meat and was cold on the inside, my brothers frittata was even sadder at $ 16 for basically a few thin slivers of squash and at most 2 eggs scrambled…

Food and service was excellent. I didn’t order a typical dinner, just a few appetizers to split with my friend.
Oysters Rockefeller. Mmm delicious
Fish tacos were amazing.
Skewered beef was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth.
Empanadas not quite as awe inspiring as the rest but that might just be me.
Waiter was super friendly.
Highly recommend if you’re in the neighborhood!

When I lived in Midwood for nearly a decade, Cebu was an intriguing venue: A French-​leaning Mediterranean bistro in the non-​so-​faraway land of Bay Ridge that was – GASP – serving food well past midnight! A wonderfully rare option for night owls. So it’s strange that it took so many years to finally dine here – an opportunity presented by my friend’s birthday party.
The restaurant is spacious and almost maze-​like, with large, dimly lit rooms opening up to surprising proportions. There’s a fireplace and romance is definitely in the air – plenty of people on dates. The waiter brought a nice touch of Brooklyn, but was courteous, friendly, and funny.
We had a number of appetizers, all of which were pretty good. My buttermilk fried chicken entrée was disappointing, just a bit of somewhat dry fried chicken. I’d probably stick with a burger or steak frites next time. Wine selections were pretty good, though not many value options.
It’s really a friendly and atmospheric bistro. Somehow we ended up dropping a whole lot more dough than I thought. On my entrée alone I would give it 3 stars, but I’m bumping it based on the space, service, and intangibles.

Ah Cebu you never fail me. A neighborhood staple perfect for a date or hanging with the boys. Come on $ 1 oyster night or hit the happy hour. Great beers on tap and an extensive menu. Thanks to Mike for hooking me up, and the great bar tender that waited on us. This place gets packed but the crowd is fantastic. Always a great way to start or end the night.

Love this place. Possibly my new favorite spot in Bay Ridge. Came here three times for Brunch and have yet to leave disappointed. The Bloody Mary’s are absolutely delicious. My favorite item on the menu is definitely the Crab Cake Benedict.
The staff is great. You are never waiting for service.

Was looking for a brunch place that was open during the snowstorm because a couple places where we wanted to go was closed. We called this place up and was surprised they were actually open so we made the trip there. The restaurant wasn’t too full and we were seated immediately.
We had their eggs benedict, crab cake benedict, and ricotta meyer lemon pancakes. Their eggs benedict was your typical type and it was tasty. The crab cake benedict was pretty unique. It was probably not fresh crab meat but it sure was delicious. The pancake was just amazing. It was big and fluffy with a huge portion.
Our server was great. Made sure our food came out ok and was really friendly. Food came out fairly quickly probably because it wasn’t too busy during the storm.
Based on this brunch, I would love to come back to try their dinner menu. Their food at brunch was on point and the drink we had was pretty strong. On top of that service was attentive and friendly. Looking forward to a return trip to this establishment.

I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for a while, but it didn’t meet my expectations. I was surprised by how large this place is. Came here on New Years Day for a late lunch with a few friends. The mac & cheese was amazing, definitely a must try for any mac lover! The calamari wasn’t great, it wasn’t seasoned well. I ordered the Cebu burger which was okay. Nothing special about it. It is a rather large burger and comes with a large side order of fries. Next time, I’ll order the mac and cheese for my entrée.
Tommy, our waiter was extremely nice and attentive. He checked up on us just enough times to make sure we were good. I really wanted a sweetened iced tea with my meal, but he told me they only have unsweetened. Tommy offered to make me one, and it was really good!

Not a fan. Came here New Year’s Day around 5pm with two other people. We got the Mac and cheese to start as well as the calamari. The Mac and cheese was surprisingly good and the calamari was the opposite. Personally I had the burger with an egg on top and some fries. The fries were the best part of my meal. The burger wasn’t seasoned and it was pretty much tasteless. So disappointing. Don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon.

I go to Cebu all the time because it’s in my neighborhood. I really like that the kitchen is open late, even on the week nights. They also have a nice wine list. Tuesday’s are half price bottles of wine!
I went to Cebu yesterday for lunch. My friend and I actually brought our dogs with us, and sat outside. They were very accommodating about that and gave the dogs water.
We ordered two bottles of wine. The waiter was very nice. He let us try three different wines before we decided which one we wanted a bottle of. We each ordered a salad. My friend has a kale and quinoa salad with chicken, and I had the bistro salad with steak. I love this salad. However, the last time i had it was better than this time. It was still fine, though. Then we shared the black paella with squid ink. It had clams, shrimp, catfish, and chorizo. It was ok. I felt like the shrimp was dry and overall, it was a little fishy tasting.
I really like the vibe of Cebu and the hours. It’s a nice place to get a drink and food to share. The steak skewers there are delicious!
If you’re in the area, check it out.

I needed my brunch fix and I was too lazy to go to the city or queens so I settled on this place. After my awesome experience at Hom across the street I thought why not I passed by this place several times might as well.
1. There was only 1 server working the outside tables today and I felt bad for him but he totally forgot my coffee that I had to ask for it three times. He did well on water refills though .
2. He never asked how I wanted my eggs for the brunch dish I ordered which had rice and kidney beans and chorizo and supposed two eggs made to your liking. How rude.
3. The food was standard. The bloody mary disgusting .I felt like I was drinking something toxic.
4. Price was decent $ 15 for brunch which included coffee or tea and your choice of a mimosa, blood mary or sangria. However there are only 3 dishes to pick from in the brunch option.
5. Cebu burger with fries was $ 14 which was ok nothing special.
Again not bad food, service could be better not sure if I will go back.

Wow, this place is amazing. A girl friend of mine lives a couple blocks away and chose this place for us to have our yearly get together. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday so we sat outside.
I’m usually the early bird, I was seated even though the others didn’t show up yet. I started off with a glass of their Bellini while I waited, very light yet tasty. We got the Spiked Lemonade to share once everyone sat down. The ratio of vodka iced tea vs lemonade was extremely delightful, just perfect to start off the first topic of our date.
I ordered the Fish Tacos, comes in 3 and filled with huge pieces of flavorful fried fish, cabbage and spicy mayo. Mouthwatering combo of ingredients, I think I inhaled all 3 within minutes. They had great flavor but would need to double up the shells to hold up all the filling, my shells were ripping half way. Nat got the Grilled Chicken Club — lots of grilled chicken, slices of bacon, lettuce and a slice of incredibly diesel tomato served with garlic aioli on the side, this sandwich was manly. Gii on the other hand had the Lamb Burger, topped with herbed goat cheese, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, and a slice of tomato the same size as the one in the chicken club. All our food was outstanding.
Love catching up with these girls, especially when it has been almost a year since we’ve met up! The staff was great, our guy (don’t recall his name but he’s a tall chubby gentleman) was friendly, attentive and had great sense of humor. Did not feel rushed at all on a busy day, we ended up spending 2.5 hours here!