A very good basic basque restaurant - very good food, great service. A lot of traditional favorites and a good Picon Punch! Lots of room, would be a good place for a party. Can choose to eat family style - or not. A go-to anytime in the Chino area. read more

First time there after my neighbor recommended. Great place and atmosphere. Super nice staff and owner Bernadette. Service and food were great. Will go back. read more

A perfect family restaurant. Our 1st time here didnt realize its been here for decades. Come dressed up or as casual as you like everyone welcomed. Soup, salad served with every meal. The pea soup bypassed Anderson's, tje beef tongue was fabulous with the salad. Im always cautious about ordering lamb, but this place knows what their doing. Usually dont order steak unless its a steak house, but their rib eye melts in your mouth. Angela was our server that took pitty on us, being our 1st time. She gave us the 911 on the history of the restaurant and plenty of order suggestions. Wanna feel like your at home or grandma's house for dinner, this is the place. read more

This place has been around for decades, and for good reason. I love the old school feel of it, it's authentic, simple, and unpretentious. The food is fantastic and abundant. The Amatxi special is my favorite option with soup, salad, green beans, spaghetti, tongue with tomato and cheese slices. read more

Extensive research and investigation have proven that anyone giving Centro Basco fewer than 5 stars is an enthusiastic and committed Denny's patron and fan. If you know what good food is and appreciate it, this is your place. The cultural experience is the frosting on the cake. Yes, it costs more to eat here than it did in 1980. So does gasoline, water from your faucet, your automobile, and virtually everything else in life. Why would this be an exception to the pattern? It is still reasonable and a great place to go for an outstanding meal. read more

I think sitting in a communal table and sharing food with a bunch of strangers in a restaurant was a bit uncomfortable for me. Although we met this couple and we enjoyed their company. What I didn't like was the food. It tasted like it was sitting out for a long time. They're all cold. We had the breakfast where we shared bacon, eggs, sausages and bread. All of 'em were cold. Except for the coffee. Thank God for that! There were 2 bottles of wine, pairing it with a cold bread, sausage, bacon and eggs was a bit yucky for me. If it's mimosa then that makes sense right???!!! read more

Centro Basco - Basque Near Me - Chino, California

We have been coming here for years!..We held our wedding reception here yesterday and it turned out amazing!!!..Thank you Bernadette for making our day extra special!!..you and your staff did a wonderful job!!!..we were so pleased with everything!!!..Definitely will recommend you guys!...Again, THANK YOU!!!!..Centro Basco quicks ass!!!!.. read more

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I have been coming to this restaurant for many years, and it is always memorable and delicious. This is not just a place to eat, this is a traditional meal among amazing people and service that makes you feel like family. My recent experience was beyond exceptional. I held a graduation dinner for my daughter and some very close friends. Bernadette helped us get everything in order, and when we arrived it was absolutely smooth, joyful and amazing. I am so grateful to everyone who helped make this night special. Anyone who wants an amazing meal that will also be a memorable dining experience, this is your place. All my love to this restaurant. read more

I've been eating at this restaurant for about 20 years. Never have I had a bad experience or a bad meal. Bernadette does a great job of keeping everyone very happy, as the manager and owner she takes your experience and pleasure very seriously. I can't recommend one dish over another, as they are all wonderful. read more

We have been going to this restaurant for 30 years. The food has always been delicious. It still is and the waitresses have ALWAYS been very friendly. I am really sad about how RUDE and inappropriate the receptionist was. I called for a reservation earlier in the day and I was told I didn't need one. When we arrived I was told it was a thirty minute wait. I mentioned that I had tried to get a reservation and was told I didn't need one. The receptionist then started to talk louder came very close to my face. Told me she would call my name in 15 minutes when it was 30 minutes that we had waited. Soooooo unkind so rude so unwarranted. I complained to the waitress this receptionist was rude. It seemed that others complained about her as well based on the facial expression by the waitress. I'm so sad she mistreated me this way. I hope others will complain if she mistreats them as well. Really was very unpleasant. read more

Delicious and very reasonably priced. I took my sister here after a long day of celebrating her birthday. I had been wanting to try it and we were driving around unsure where to go at nearly 8 at night so I pulled in here. Based on some reviews, we decided to try something new and had low expectations. We were wowed. There are few places where you get a bread, soup, salad and cheese course included in your meal for this price point. The waitress was nice and attentive. The noodle soup was good and I liked that they serve it family style. My sister felt the soup was too cold - it could have been the way it's served in a separate bowl. We had the roasted chicken and pork chop entrees and green beans, au gratin potatoes and fries for sides. The pork was delicious. The chicken was a little dry and overlooked. The sides were delicious but I added salt to fries and green beans. I'll go back just for the Au Gratin Potatoes that were amazing. They were out of cheesecake and honestly, we were too full anyway but considering the birthday celebration it would have been nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the bill. It was only about $40 for 2 entrees and a soda. I was pleased. read more

Soups are very good !!! The chicken cordon bleu was good also !! The half chicken in its own juices was not so good because it was very tiny and not much meat on it and the breast meat was dry. Service is excellent. read more

The Berterretche family has been serving for 72 years. I have been coming here for 35 years. It is NOT a HIDDEN gem, like mentioned by moron Yelpers. It has been on the largest street in Chino for more years than the average moron Yelper has been on Earth. Your review and YOU are clichés. Eating here is a gastro-blast. Only a few folks can get through an entire meal without mentioning a doggie bag. There are a diminishing number of Basque restaurants in California and this is the best in my estimation, having tried many of the ones that are now closed in SF, Bakersfield, Fresno and the High Desert. This is one of California's prized establishments. It hosts events for the annual Basque Picnic in Chino. The restaurant is very large and is a great place for large parties and banquets, and special occasions for families. I will explain the difference in service between family style and traditional dining room meals available at Centro Basco. Family Style: Traditional Basque offers family style dining where everyone sits together at long tables. You will get to meet other people. Family style dining offers multiple courses, such as AYCE sourdough bread and blue cheese, AYCE homemade soup du jour, AYCE salad and the special of the day which typically consists of TWO meat dishes and a vegetable along with AYCD house red wine. Ambulance service is not included. This family style service is available for LUNCH:Tues- Fri at noon and Saturday & Sunday at 12:30pm. It is also available for DINNER: Fri, Sat, Sun only at 7:30pm Traditional Dining Room: If you cannot make those times or choose not to go with the family style, there is a traditional dining room where you order from a menu. The dining room has different hours. LUNCH is served Tue-Fri 11-2pm with no weekend service. DINNER is served Tue-Sat 5-9:30pm and Sun 4-9pm The LUNCH menu (not family style) offers AYCE sourdough bread, bottomless soup or salad, vegetable and potato sides. Those always accompany the main course for lunch. There are daily specials like pork loin & gravy, roasted 1/2 chicken, veal pot roast, lamb shanks all between $9 and $12. If you aren't interested in the daily special, you can choose from everyday meals of roast beef & gravy, prime rib, lamb chops, veal cutlet, Spencer steak or pork chops for between $9 and $14. Again, the AYCE sides come with it. Naps are optional. The DINNER menu is bigger and more food accompanies the main course. Dinner has AYCE sliced sourdough bread, AYCE soup du jour, hors d'oeuvres, AYCE house salad, pasta, fabulous homemade french fries and vegetables. The hors d'oeuvres is typically marinated (very thin) sliced beef tongue and sliced tomatoes. There are commonly fights at the table as to who gets the last of the hors d'oeuvres. The main entrees run between $15 and $27 for choices like: prime rib, t-bone steak, rib eye, 2 trout, shrimp scampi, leg of lamb, veal parmesan, veal cutlet and 1/2 roasted or Basque chicken. There are two lamb dishes not to be missed - lamb chops and rack of lamb. They are $26 and $32, respectively and are heavenly roasted with loads of good garlic (or not - if you choose). There is even a dinner alternative for those watching their waistlines :-) It is called the Amatchi Special - soup, salad, marinated tongue w/sliced fresh tomato, spaghetti, bread and butter. $11.50 and it is AYCE. Nobody I know has ever had anything but a fabulous tasting meal served by attentive staff in a simply welcoming and friendly atmosphere. The quality and quantity of food at these prices cannot be found anywhere in Southern California. One has to go to Bakersfield or Los Banos (those are in California for the clueless Yelpers) to get food close to this. For some people, this could be their last meal, but it would be their happiest. For the average clueless gastronomic Yelper, try the oxtail stew and the marinated tongue. Just because those are served, you don't get to remove a star from the establishment's rating. They don't taste like Frosted Flakes, packaged Ramen, Hot Pockets, pizza, or whatever the extent of your infantile culinary adventures have included in the past. For the two locals, who went there Dec 2013 to drink - no surprise that your one review outnumbers your friends. read more

Family style dining, family owned accommodation, authentic basque food. Only have had positive experiences at this restaurant. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a different restaurant atmosphere that encourages speaking to other patrons in a social gathering. read more

After meeting the owner Joe at another place he invited our family to come try his families restaurant, so tonight here we are! We arrived between 7 and 7:05 and we're seated in he bar area while our table was set. I believe our hostess forgot to set us because the table was ready for a little bit before someone else seated us. Around 7:35 we were given our drinks both girls who helped us were very sweet. When asking what we would like to order my mother who has gluten allergies asked if they had a gluten free menu they didn't but that was still ok. So we asked what items did not have wheat in them so we can narrow down the menu. They weren't too sure so I asked for a manager who may know the menu better. We asked for the manager at 7:44 and finally at 8:05 an hour after arriving I decided we should head out and went to pay for our drinks we had ordered. I waited at the bar for someone to help me then the woman running the bar came back and asked if she could help me and I said I'd like to pay for our drinks we asked for a manager 20 minutes ago for my mom and was then cut off by the woman who said yeah I was busy and trying to get there and I replied well I'd like to pay for my drinks so we can go- She then threw up her hand and said drinks are on me have a nice night very rudely and walked away before I could even reply, with customers then looking at me like wow did that just happen? I was so shocked I just walked back to our table grabbed my items and told my family it's time to leave. It turns out the woman is also an owner of the restaurant the sister actually so I'm a little shocked she behaved so disrespectfully and blew up at a customer like she did. The only item we were able to try was the bread wish I could've tried the lamb like I wanted to but now am left with a hungry family and upset toddler. read more

Things you should know: -Friday night Boarder's Table dinner begins promptly at 7:30pm (no late seating) -- $18/pp. -Sourdough bread, bleu cheese, beans, soup, salad and wine are all on the table when dinner starts. -You're sharing with everyone at your table, so don't be rude and take too large a portion before everyone else has had a chance to grab some. -You can always ask for refills. I heard "more wine!" a few times during the night. -Two entrees come out after (I had trout first and pork/applesauce/pasta second). -Dessert is not included, but they do make their own flan and it's good. -You need to make reservations if your group is over 8 people. -The pace of dinner is fast. Most people were done eating in an hour. -You'll leave feeling satisfied and cultured. Why I'm coming back: -It's a unique and fun experience sharing a meal with strangers. My friend and I sat next to a couple that comes in once a week and they showed us the ropes and made sure we tried everything. =) -The food was really good and I can't wait to try the other menu items, since it's never quite the same each time. -Wine and more wine. I'm not a wine snob, but I just enjoyed the fact that it's just free flowing at your table. Definitely makes for a fun/chatty night even for the quietest people. -Great price and service. The servers were nice and let us hang out and drink wine for at least 30 minutes after everyone already left the table. read more

We had the best time here! We came for Sunday family style lunch. We sat at long tables with strangers with entertaining tales (two retired corrections officers, a Jewish Barcelonian, and 92-year-old born in Compton in 1915). We started with bread and blue cheese; chicken noodle soup; chopped iceberg lettuce salad; chicken and rice stew; then steak with chopped garlic and parsley and skinny crisp fries, and bottomless rose or red wine -- for the amazing price of $18!! Flan or ice cream are extra but we were too full to partake by then. read more

This place is definitely more than it looks... From the outside, it's a restaurant I would have never visited. That's where yelp comes in handy! The food was pretty decent, 3.5 stars. You get served in multiple courses, family style, except for the entrees which are individual. First you get soup du jour, beans, and delicious, soft sourdough bread. Next is beef tongue/tomatoes, salad, and cheese. Then spaghetti (it has meat sauce, beware vegetarians!!! - but you can ask for butter/garlic spaghetti instead and it is delish). Lastly you get your individual entree along with fries and green beans for the table! It's definitely a ton of food, and the cost is $15-26 a person depending on what you order. We had the orange roughy, shrimp scampi, and poulet basque. They were all good, and the chicken serving size was huge! Service is really great here, friendly and fast. Our waitress was so sweet, honeying and babying everyone, but in a very non-condescending way. She gave us plenty of space to talk and relax and I didn't feel rushed after the meal. Even the "busboy" (not sure if he has a more PC title?!) was really helpful, and he even took a photo for us that was actually decent (so hard to find nowadays). I was pleasantly surprised by this little hidden place and will venture over here again! Yummilicious factor = A- read more

My first impression upon driving up to the place was that it looked cute yet slightly ghetto, maybe because of the surroundings (Three-way Thrift store is right next to it though - plus!). However, we went inside and the place is so legit. Besides the paper covers on top of the tablecloths, but that's understandable I guess. The room was kind of dark, but there were Christmas lights up, which made for a nice ambiance. I was surprised, there were a good amount of people there for a random Thursday lunch. It took a little while for them to take our order, but they totally made up for it with the amazing service. They were all super friendly, willing to explain the menu, and attentive. The place has a very homey feel because of how nice the the staff is, and I think they have a lot of regulars. Now for the food. I came because of the Groupon, which was an amazing deal. Its not extremely expensive to begin with considering their menu items. For less than $18 (including tip and tax), we got the Thursday special lamb shanks and breaded shrimp with garlic butter pasta. Each included a soup or salad, we chose the French onion soup and tomato basil soup. The French onion was interesting, it came with croutons and parmesan on the side, no cheese in the soup. Taste was alright and it was a big portion. The server considerately left me an extra bowl too. The tomato basil had a fairly thick consistency like I like it. They also provided us with a basket full of bread, which we devoured. I was already full at this point! Then we got the main course. The lamb was so tender with great flavor. It came with fries, which were very much like in n out fries in texture and flavor. Love. It also came with beans and my boyfriend doesn't usually like beans, but he liked these ones. The server provided us with mint jelly for the lamb, which I ended up eating by itself later...I just like mint. It was good with the lamb too, it takes away the gamey-ness and it's just a whole different flavor. The shrimp was fried perfectly and it was a good portion. The part that impressed me most was that they used real butter and garlic! None of that lame sauce stuff. In conclusion, I will definitely be back. I want to try the rib eye, which they are supposedly famous for, and I could go for another round of lamb. If we're being picky, the pasta was a little overcooked and the French onion soup could have been better, but overall I was super impressed and completely enjoyed my experience. read more

I love the food here. Love love love it. Their oxtail soup is absolutely delish, reminds me of my mums. Their rack of lamb is bomb. Their salmon is super delish and moist. And I always get a side of tongue. Amazing. For the salad that comes with your meal, get the dressing on the side. It's a great dressing, but sometimes they can go overboard with the vinaigrette. Love the free sour dough bread. They also include soup and beans. All delish. And I love their flan and Basque almond cake. So good. The only problem I have with this restaurant is their service. It can range from mediocre to lousy. I can overlook the crappy interior decorations, but not their mediocre service. The waitresses are really bad at their job, they can make you wait forever because they're very scatter-brained and can get frazzled with just a few tables. It's a shame, because their food is absolutely delish, I'd come back more often if the service was better. read more

If you don't like old style, dated things, don't go here. If you prefer chain restaurants that all look The same, don't go here. This is for people who want something different. We've been eating here many years, and each time is a delight. The back rooms for family style dining are not for the pretentious. Yes, it's an old plastic tablecloth, and weird people you don't know sitting next to you. But it's also endless soup, salad, several main dishes, bread, blue cheese, and table wines. If you're snotty, it's not for you anyway. It leaves more for the rest of us. read more

My expectation was high, maybe based on reviews and website. This was disappointing. Entrance smelled musty amd similar to a place that's been trying to rid itself of smoke. That turned me off. The dining room is dated and lacks privacy. Food: sausage and noodles- decent amd simple; chix cordon bleu- good bit likely not homemade. Veggies, potatoes, bread, salad, and soup were served family style. Nothing seemed overly fresh. Recommend- no. The website is carefully constructed promoting history and charm. This place is nothing like that. I'm surprised by other reviews..maybe a bit more nostalgia than reality? read more

We happened upon this place a little by accident and thought, why not? We didn't even realize there was a dining room (there is, and it's huge), so we sat in the bar, which definitely has the dive bar kind of feel. Thing is, it also had a bar menu with bar pricing, which was a great deal! We went a little overboard on ordering, but enjoyed our food (french onion soup, salad and french dip were solid, the stuffed jalepenos were a bit bland), and the server/bartender made a great mixed vodka/cucumber drink. read more

For those of you who have never heard of the Basque, they are a people native to the Pyreenes mountains in between Spain and France. There is a brief and interesting history on the menu. Not many people can say they have been dining at the same restaurant for 40 years. And to top that off, that the food had been consistently delicious during all that time! For those of you that enjoy a hearty, home cooked meal, this is the place to go. The restaurant itself is very simple, but that is part of the charm, it's a blast from the past. Dinner is served family style and starts with soup that is served in a large tureen. It varies daily and tastes just like grandma made it. You can tell there are no fillers or artificial ingredients, just a great broth with vegetables, legumes and sometimes meat. This is followed with an excellent salad, dressed with a light garlic, oil and vinegar dressing. Over the years, we have tried a variety of entrees, all have been pleasing to the palate. Last night, my husband ordered a flatiron steak with bernaise sauce, and the meat was tender and very flavorful. I had the Shrimp Scampi with a lemony garlic butter sauce. All entrees come with vegetables and fries or potatoes au gratin. The desserts are luscious as well with a chocolate cake to rival Claim Jumpers mother lode cake. So, break out and try a Basque night out on the town, if you're a foodie, you won't be disappointed! read more

I made the trek from Topanga to Chino just for this place. My friend and I met there on a Sunday. We didn't have reservations and we were first timers. It was kind of overwhelming because there were so many people who A) seemed like they have been patrons there for EVAH and B) enormous groups of people. As they ushered us in through the bar and into the family room my heart sank a little when they asked my friend and me if we had reservations. With a little bit of panic I asked my buddy if we did have reservations and my panic was reflected. AHHH. As I peered into the family dining room I noticed there was no space. They took us into a back room where there was seating aplenty. My friend and I proceeded to open up a bottle of the rose and start gorging on the bleu cheese. Yum yum. We had oxtail stew- which was juicy and tender magnificence, rib-eye (which was a little over cooked for medium rare) and tasty delicious french fries. Not only was the food good, the company was too. We got seated with a pretty fun group of locals (yeah, 'Chino Local' could be scary, but thankfully it proved to be more knowledgeable and easy-going than anything). We hung there for three hours. I might be headed back for the cow tongue sooner than later!!! read more

My family has been coming here for about 40 years now. Very little has changed. For those who used to come and stopped because of the heavy smell of cigarette smoke, you can feel comfortable returning: it no longer smells. The food is still amazing and abundant, so come hungry. They don't have as many courses anymore. The dinners still come with soup and salad and, now, pinto beans. You have to order the cheese, tomato, and tongue separately, as well as the pasta. Tonight I had the baked salmon with au gratin. Perfectly cooked and delicious. No crowds mid week, which I love! Bernadette has done a wonderful job keeping the restaurant true to its origins. Great local family restaurant. I recommend it to everyone. read more

Centro Basco - Baked salmon. - Basque Near Me - Chino, California

I won't profess an intimate knowledge of Basque culture or food, but I what I can attest to did not line up with my experience at Centro Basco. For a place with a long history, a even a bit of a family connection to myself, I can't fully endorse CB. First, the good. Communal style dining evokes the same feeling chains such as Le Pain Quotidien have recreated, encouraging patrons to bring the entire family. Spacious seating and authentic décor & music improve the overall experience. The beef tongue in oil and the house garlic salad definitely ring of the real thing. Now, the ugly. Two of us dropped over $100 on a full four course meal expecting to really go for it. The soup might as well have been Campbell's, the "greens" were just green beans straight out of a can, and the fries? Let's not talk about the fries. The "medium-well" filet mignon was fully cooked and extremely greasy, the cake might have been from Costco, and the busboy cleared our plates right after giving us boxes to go--never mind the time to actually put the food in the boxes! Perhaps it would be better to stick to the lunch special or regular dining options, instead of trying to be impressed. The staff and management are extremely friendly but without some serious culinary uff da Centro Basco will not be getting another visit from me. read more

Excellent food excellent staff great dive bar in the front and fine dining in the rear. I just wish the clientele that was Chino locals weren't so rough around the edges. The basques are amazing and fun to drink with! read more

This place is great, and I would've never known about if my my buddy Lester hadn't invited me. More than worth the small price of the meal! Pretty spartan interior. Everyone is seated together at long tables, so you are bound to meet someone new. You're also bound to see some of the regulars that are long term boarders at the hotel. Meal is served family style and is a fixed menu, you don't order or have a choice I'm what you eat. Meals vary, as do the timing of the meals. Be sure to confirm sitting times and what will be served in advance, you don't order off of a menu. I've been here a few times. Once they served lamb as the main course and another time it was oxtail (can't remember the main course the third time I went there). Drinks: unlimited red or rose wine. Has their own label, but is made for them. I'm not really a wine drinker, it was just okay to me. Also get water and coffee, if you want. Other drinks are an extra charge. Starters: they alway serve a slab if blue cheese, along with bread. The blue cheese, if you like blue cheese, is excellent! You can have as much as you want. The bread is okay. The salads they had were okay. Main course: excellent! Tender and savory meat. My stomach couldn't contain as much as I wanted to eat, it was so good! The BBQ lamb chops and lamb shanks were the best I have ever eaten! The oxtail was almost the best I ever had (second only to mama Pearl's homemade oxtail with black bean sauce). Dessert: is extra, I've never ordered it. read more

I was looking forward to trying this restaurant and now I wish we had gone somewhere else. The restaurant was pretty full. Some of the servers were not wearing masks which thinking back, should have been a sign to leave. But that wasn't the biggest issue, unfortunately. The service is slow. I understand it's a weird time for restaurants and staffing but waiting 45 minutes for food is a big ask, especially when it is just mediocre. When our server brought the food to the table, that was the last time she came back. The cordon bleu (which look like it came from the frozen section at Stater Bros.) was cold in the middle. My boyfriend ate the sides because he was hungry. We had to call another server over to get our waitress. Although she offered to bring another cordon bleu, we didn't think the food was worth waiting for so we declined and asked her to take it off the bill. We appreciate the $10 that was taken off but still expecting us to pay more than half of the $24.95 price for only sides is absolutely insane. The food was mediocre at best and the service was terrible. I don't understand what the hype is over this restaurant. Would never recommend and definitely would never return. read more

Been coming here with my parents' since I was small. I love the Lamb Meal. The Cow's tongue thinly slice served with fresh FRENCHBREAD and Roquefort Cheese...man!!! The Huge pot of soup and of course french fries is bomb. We go as a huge family and are serve family style. Luv it here since early 70's. read more

This is the real deal. The vast majority of the dishes were great. The service is great. the decor is either something that you find cute and quaint and homey or you react with "outdated" and "nursing home".....it's all in your reaction. We have been to many Basque restaurants and this one is typical and by that I mean unpretentious and home-cooked (and a bargain). My wife and daughter and I had the pork chops (great) and the homemade sausage on butter noodles (Sausage great, noodles okay) and the fettuccine Alfredo (spectacular my ten year old says). The soup was wonderful, the bread was good, the salad was terrific, the french fries were delicious, the Au gratin potatoes were not very good....honestly indistinguishable from the Betty crocker box, and the green beans were definitely not fresh, rather frozen or canned. We rounded out the meal with a really good rose ($10 a bottle) and the youngin' had lemonade. The whole bill with tax and tip came to $65. I know food. I know lots of different cuisines from Bavarian to Japanese to Sicilian to Basque. This is really home cooked, really well served, and very reasonably priced. We will be back! Hope to see you there! read more

This was an interesting place. I don't really know how to describe "old country" food, but I rather enjoy it. I always have passed this place by going to and from work, and it is the first time in 15 years that I said to myself, "You know what. I'll try this place out." This place could use a bit of renovation, but their old school service and food are interesting. Totally recommend. read more

Favorite restaurant in the US. The most authentic restaurant I have ever been. Not in the Basque food sense, but in the sense of the restaurant origin. Hotel, cowbell, sharing, braised and stewed meals, simple, seemingly familial servers, handball players, farm owners, farm hands, Pasadena lawyers, LA brokers, no menus, bathroom wall articles, French grandpas... experience. Extras are chilled red wine that is only palatable when mixing the two styles. Sometimes but not often, you get a scoop of ice cream for dessert. read more

Food was great ordered the special lobster and steak which was cooked to perfection. Our server Gina was very friendly and made the dinner a great experience. The specials came with lava cakes which were the bomb since they are a very hard dessert to make. Lastly, our bill came in at around $150 for my steak and lobster, crab cakes, lamb rack, and heart shaped lobster ravioli for Valentines Day. read more

Centro Basco - Lava Cake that came with my special - Basque Near Me - Chino, California

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This place feels legendary, nice quiet atmosphere, the bar looked to be hoppin', our server was so busy, and I felt so bad, because I've been in her position. Food was good, very mild flavors, seems like a place to bring a group and do a family style meal, would consider returning if in the area to try out the bar. Has an old dining hall feel, ambience 4 out of 10, super dated, but it's been around for over 80 years, so makes sense, nothing too flashy. read more

We went to Centro Basco with the family to celebrate my Grandma's birthday this past Saturday, and it was great as always! They won't take reservations for parties under 10 people (and there were only 6 of us), but we arrived at 7 on Saturday night, and there were two tables open, and we sat right down. My grandparents and parents have been coming to Centro Basco for years; when my Dad was in college they said they would come to late lunch (because lunch is cheaper, especially back then) and fill up, and then not have to eat dinner! The atmosphere is very old school; paneling on the walls, dark wood, dim lights, it's pretty much the same as is has been since my first time going as a little kid. It's definately not trendy, but it's classy in an old fashioned way (does that make sense?) Dinner is served in courses, and all of the entrees come with the full spread (or you can have just the other courses without and entree if you like). First, they start out with soup, served in a big bowl for the whole table. The waitress told us: "Tonight the soup is split pea", but I think the last 5 or 6 times we've been there it's been split pea, I thought it was always split pea :-) There is plenty of soup for everyone to have as much as they want, I usually have 2 bowls even though I know there's still a lot of food to come! They have delicious sheapherder bread, kind of a mix between french bread and sourdough. The next course is salad: romaine and iceberg tossed in a caser-like vinnagarette with marinated tomatoes and the best part - thinly sliced beef tongue! It's awesome, and the best tongue you'll ever have! It's sliced thin and marinated in olive oil and vinegar and herbs, and served cold. Don't think about it being tongue, if that turns you off of it, and at least try it, it's delicious! The next course is spaghetti, and I've never really understood why French-Basque (and Spanish-Basque as I understand) have spaghetti as a standard, but it's delicious too! The final course is your entree with the sides served family style, usually a vegetable like green beans, and your choice of french fries or au gratin potatos. I had the Entrecote (Ribeye steak) with gravy ($26), and you have to get french fries! Gravy on your fries with a perfectly cooked ribeye, still red in the middle, just the way I like it, awesome! My wife had the lamb chops, which were also delicious, and they served three good size chops ($30). The prices seem somewhat expensive, but it is worth if for the nice ambiance, the amount of food you get, and the attentiveness of the staff. Everyone in the restaurant is friendly, and they keep the food coming! Centro Basco provides a nice dining experience, something totally different from your average restaurant, but to them it's been the same for 50 years! Centro Basco has been a strong go-to for my family for 30+ years. read more

I like to explore different options about food and places, this day I decided to check on Yelp about Mediterranean food or Spanish options, the thing is we found this place and ones we got there the horrible experience started, first there wasn't a host we literally just had to sit by ourselves in wherever table we found, second the smell was terrible, like a motel of the 80s , but the worst part was the food , the ingredients were definitely not fresh, the taste terrible and it seemed like the food were just warmed at the microwave oven, but the worst part was the three old pieces of bread at the beginning, so my wife didn't even try the food , I got sick the next day just because I tried their "steak " so I definitely don't recommend this place at all, is more I'll definitely going to get deeper and see if the city can do an inspection because honestly I consider at some point this food could be dangerous for people in general. read more

We had family style dinner here on a Saturday night. Price was was $18/person. There were 9 of us and another party of 6. We were sat in a small cafeteria like back room that time had forgotten. Moldy smell from a leaky ancient AC duct. Crooked pictures on the wall. Cold fluorescent on a dirty non descriptive dark carpet that refused ID. I've suffered worse for good food but yelp let me down this time. Dinner came with bread, lentil veggies soup, vinegret salad, pinto beans, green beans, fries, potato au gratin, and main dish that you can select from main menu. Soup was salty. Salad was drenched but light, the two beans came from can, fries was good, gratin potato was tasteless, main dishes were ok but nothing beyond average. The presentation left much to be desired. The wait staff was efficient but the waitress seemed to be very unorganized and dyslexic. once she left Our table she doesn't seem to remember to come back. We ordered a glass of house wine and it Didn't show up till half way through dinner. Dinner took 3 hours from start to finish. Luckily we had a family reunion so we didn't mind the stretched dinner. But it was not us. It was the service that stretched it out. We could have gone to a coffee shop for the talk. We expect French food but there was nothing French about the food here except that there were sauces on Top of it. No, we will not come back. read more

Authentic french basque cuisine is rare to come by and this place delivers just that. Family style lunches and dinner makes this place unique from other restaurant. They have picnic tables with salads, cheese, soups and followed by delicious french entrees served with house wine of course! I tried their lunch specials as well last time I went and it was a great value. 10$ for salad, bread, prime rib, vegetables and fries. read more