Cafe La Maze

Good place for datting. the portion too big for me.

Well I finally got to try this place. The last time I tried, the line was out the door! I got a Groupon rate that gave me $ 20 off. On the outside, it does sport an old steak house look. There are two entrances that can give you different impressions. One of the entrances pushes you to a view of a sports bar where a man that Looked and sounded like Kenny Rogers was playing guitar on a little stage (He was actually pretty good). The other entrance is more toward the seating area that tells you right away that you’re in the right place ;). The décor reminds me of being at dinner in an old mafia movie. On to the food! This place boasts there Prime Rib so thats what I got! Medium rare please! Cooked more than that is a sin! Dont forget to add a side of onion rings on top of your steak! Your welcome. Im not going to post a picture of my steak because there are too many already posted.

Holy cr@p this is the worst restaurant I have ever been to in san diego. Not even worth the group-​on voucher we ordered the full rack of ribs, calamari fritti, and scampi riviera. The only good part of the meal was the Bottle of wine we brought. we asked the server to send whatever is ready. The food still took 45 minutes+ to arrive. Please do not take this lightly when i say that is you like good food there are alot of better restaurants out there. The place smells bad too. Seriously change your carpet to wooden floors. Will never… ever come back.ever.

A great neighborhood establishment with lots of nostalgic flair. This year marks 40 years I’ve been dining with them and it’s always a pleasure. I love the food, the ambiance, and the staff always treats you like family. Bring your appetite because the portions are large.

Had no idea about this restaurant and I drive past it all the time. My mom decided to have my dads bday dinner here. We had dinner a lil before 4pm. Place was almost empty which was honestly nice lol no wait! Was seated by a lovely waitress who honestly was awesome. Very personable and attentive. 5 stars to her! Sad that I didn’t get her name. Anyways their dinner rolls are bomb! They were literally fresh from the oven with some butter. My waitress allowed me to try a few wines before I ordered a bottle. We are celebrating lol my father only turns 42 once! We ordered calamari and shrimp cocktail. Both were good. I am not a big steak person meaning I dunno the difference between ribeye, filet mignon or top sirloin so I just order what I thought was good enough for me to finish. I ordered the 9 oz top sirloin medium well. I was too excited to eat so I didn’t take a pic. Unfortunately, my steak wasn’t the best sadly. It was dry and over cooked but the fresh veggies and baked potatoe allowed me to enjoy it all. My parents enjoyed their entrée. I ate my meal but will choose something else next time. Will be back. I have a groupon. :)

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST
We bought a Groupon for this place today to try it out. Well we were not impressed. Let me explain.
Came to the Resturant about 6:30. Was seated in about 5 minutes. It took close to 15 minutes for us to even talk to a waitress to take our drink order. We told her the drink order, appetizers and main dish items. It took about 15 minutes more just to get the drinks with bread but still no appetizers. Our salads came but we asked what about the appetizer. She said the kitchen was behind and sorry for the wait. Well we ate the salad which was good and fresh. We finished those and about 10 minutes later the appetizer.
SIDE NOTE: We have been in the place for a little over an hour by now. The table next to us still had not been cleared from the previous party that left before we were seated.
It took about another 15 – 20 minutes to get our steaks. Mine was cooked correctly but my wife’s was beyond help. She ordered a 12oz fillet. The cook had cut it in half to cook it. We sent that back and asked them to try again. I went ahead and started eating, thinking they would rush a reorder. WRONG AGAIN. I completely finished my steak and asked when my wife’s would be coming out. Once again she said they were behind and it will be soon. We waited about another 20 minutes for hers to finally to come. Now you would have thought they would have included some warm vegetables and rice. Well you would think so but the only thing that came out was the steak. Ok…
Well this time they got it right and the steak was very tasty. Flavor was there and still juicy.
We gave the waitress the coupon and asked for the check. Even with a $ 40 coupon the dinner came to just under $ 58. I would not have paid $ 100 for what we got.
Sorry to say we will not be back. We have had better steaks at a non steak house for a lot less. Well we are still looking for that one good steak house in our area.

I have been coming here for over 17yrs the food is extremely delicious. Love the service and inside calm.
I don’t know who would rate it any less then 5 stars. Café la maze in the city they call nasty.

This place exceeded my expectations. Very good steak house. I tried coffee with liquor for the first time and it was so good! The ambiance, the lighting, and music was excellent.

Please note, there are 2 entrances for «dining» u should use the highland street entrance.
So I wasn’t aware this was a hidden steak house in the middle of National City. It would probably do very well among the aristocrats of little Italy or possibly even La Jolla. On décor of the inside alone it’s very exquisite. Portion size was huge for the prime rib (I took half home). Purchased a groupon and would do it again. Definitely more of a date/​adult place than a kid friendly restaurant. There’s a nice dancing area in front of the band/​musician.

I just had dinner here. I bought a Groupon.$ 22 for $ 40. No hassle or fuss redeeming it which was a good thing.
I ordered the Wild Alaskan Salmon & my husband got the prime rib. Rolls with butter and salad were served before our meal. Both were good. Also, our waitress was friendly and attentive. She recommended the meal that I selected, which turned out to be a great choice. I enjoyed it. It was served with a baked potato and veggies.
Now, my husband wasn’t as fortunate. His prime rib was not prepared well at all. Quite honestly, it tasted boiled which was very disappointing to both of us. We are both prime rib lovers and we know good prime rib when we see it and taste it and this totally missed the mark. The texture (mostly) and flavor just wasn’t there. Quite honestly, the worst prime rib we have had to date. We have had much better prime rib on the buffet lines.
We may come back one day. I rather enjoyed my meal and Im hoping that we may have a better experience with their grilled steak. Fortunately, we paid with Groupon. It made the lackluster meal that my husband had, a bit easier to swallow.

I will start by saying that I have eaten at Café Le Maze many times over the last 6 years, and have never had a problem. Today, when I had an issue, I was extremely disappointed with the way things were handled.
I ate one of the bread rolls that were given to us at the table — inside was 2 separate pieces of white paper — one an inch square! I called the waitress over and showed her what I had found. She apologized and took it away. That was it — no manager came over to apologize and see what had happened. At the end of my meal I asked a different waitress if I could please see a manager. She went away and my waitress came back and asked why I needed to see a manager. I said that after what I had found in my bread roll, I was surprised that bread rolls were still being given to the tables — and I was wondering if a manager had been told about the problem I had had. She said that no manager was there and that they had been in business for 75 years, and that’s where I started to get frustrated. My issue wasn’t about how long the business had been going — my issue was with an item that was in a bread roll, that could potentially be in other bread rolls, not being taken seriously enough to pull the bread from the menu so a child or anyone else wouldn’t choke on it. She said that she had saved the piece of paper (I took a photo of it) and would let a manager know tomorrow. Doesn’t help the people dining that evening lady!!! Sigh.
Oh — and please please please turn the lights up!!! It’s so darn dark in there!

This place has a great atmosphere and fantastic Prime Rib. The service was great and the live music and dancing was tons of fun. I love the retro 40’s Hollywood décor. With a groupon this is the place to get the MOST bang for your buck for a night out. I recommend a reservation as they can get slammed on the weekends.
While not everything on the menu is impressive, the steak and prime rib are among the best I’ve had. I’m very critical of restaurant steaks as I consider myself a backyard grill master. I often think after having an good cut of meat at at a steakhouse, «I could have cooked it better.» This is one of the few places where I have never regretted spending money on a prepared steak. They do it right.
The blue-​cheese dressing is also very good.

Came in here today and no one wanted to acknowledge me and my daughter. There was over 5 waitresses walking around and two of them saw me and didn’t even say hi or anything. I waited and waited and no one wanted to come seat us. I had to ask one of the gals if I could be seated and she said she would be right with me. And continue to make me wait… Decided to leave. Maybe I’ll come back one day.

So, I’ve been back a couple more times and must update. The prime rib has been slightly less awesome and juicy in trips since, but I’ve also tried more things. Cocktails are solid, and the live music every night definitely adds the the charm of the place. The cheese sticks with ranch are amazing! No coated in breadcrumbs but with a nice crispy battered layer. YUM. The beef bone comes with a good amount of meat and is tender, flavorful, and amazing (for $ 4 as an appetizer). The prime rib dip is cheaper than listed on the online menu and is delicious. It came with a modest side of steak fries that were also good and came piping hot. The service varies but our waitress last night was especially sweet.
Basically, this place is charming, full of character, and has great items for very reasonable prices. It’s quirky, but I love it.

Ive been here a couple of times with and without $ 22 groupon and I have absolutely fallen in love. The steak is delicious. Staff is very polite and music is great. I do recommend you make a reservation as it can become very busy very quick.

I went to Café La Maze last weekend (my second time there.) The place was packed! My friend and I waited about 20 mins. for a table And it was worth every minute… The food was awesome,
We had the Ribeye dinner and Top Sirloin dinner.
Both were great, cooked to perfection. And our
Waitress Nicole was SUPER NICE and on point.
Very personable and you can tell she enjoys her
Job. Great customer service! Definitely going
Back and requesting Nicole to serve us!

The food is decent, but the value is very poor. The petite filet was tough and nothing at all like a filet should be. The prices were way too high for the quality of food. Like others said, it’s disappointing this place isn’t as good as we were expecting. You can get a much better steak at a far less expensive place. The interior is classic steakhouse like the kind you don’t see any longer, and the live jazz was nice. However, don’t expect better than Sizzler quality.

Had the prime rib. Not a very marbled and tender piece of meat. Also the salad and sides were very basic quality, This is an ok place but there are better…

Discovered this restaurant on groupon. Spent $ 20 for $ 40 on dinner. The staff and our waitress was so nice to us! The food was BOMB. They give really big portions and not stingy with the food! I will come back again if im ever in town!

I am so sad that I didn’t love this place! I know this sounds silly but I was hoping for that legit hidden gem of great food and history with this place.
Dubbed as the oldest and best steak house, Café La Maze is located in Chula Vista with limited parking. The exterior and interior were clean and nice. They had some amazing old school metal chandeliers on one side, red round booths and rich red velvet like with gold wall paper. The atmosphere was very ‘goodfellas’ with a live music, ornate bar and dance floor as you walk in. The place was busy with random groups of people — from old to young; fancy and not fancy. Maybe the old people were regulars and the other randoms were like us trying out a GROUPON. Which ever it may be, we also wanted to see this landmark place and maybe catch a ghost sighting. We got there and waiting at the front desk to be seated for a good 10 mins so we got to soak the atmosphere in.
Once we were seated, we were sat in a booth right in front of the bathrooms. :(Again in front of the bathrooms, next to the drink service station. I thought maybe this was because they were full but they had a whole banquet room of booths around the corner. If I had known I would of said please sit us elsewhere. Phooey post bathroom odors lingered our way every time the doors swung open and closed.
The tragedy of the night was the food. I am no Chef Ramsay — but if he was there I am sure he would be screaming obscenities and tossing food everywhere. The pre-​bread was store bought soft buns like you would get at thanksgiving.
My daughter ordered the ‘La Maze Cut’ Prime Rib Steak — medium which was pretty much rare. It came with a salad that was wilted and had watery dressing. I got the BBQ beef bones with a lobster tail. Preceding my main dish was the French Onion soup. :(The BBQ beef bones were boiled, then grilled with BBQ Sauce. They were ok. My Lobster tail was very very very sad and disappointing. It was obviously frozen and cooked tough. I ask my waitress if they were frozen and she said of course they are. I am no snob, but for the price they were charging — wouldn’t it be realistic to disclose on menu they were frozen. I definitely would not have ordered the lobster tail if they disclosed that on the menu. Anyhow, they exchanged it for the crab legs which were frozen too and cooked to a hardish consistency. By this time we were full.
We opted to take our food home and try a dessert before we go. Crème Brûlée is always a must try at a steak house. Our hearts were crushed when they brought out a plate dusted with confectioner’s sugar and chocolate syrup. I have never ate Crème Brûlée with confectioner’s sugar and chocolate syrup.
Overall, I would say 3 stars was generous for the overpriced food even with a GROUPON. The food was not horrible, horrible but it wasn’t amazing. I think I would get the same quality food at Denny’s for much cheaper. The service was okay and the place itself is interesting so yes it’s passable as 3 stars. I live in Downtown, right in front of Fleming’s. I am walking distance to Morton’s and several other amazing steak houses; so going out of my way to see this classic beauty was not worth the drive for the price of their food.

This place is actually really good for a dinner date. Prime rib is awesome, their bones are amazing. They often offer prime rib for $ 7 dollars!!! That is always a great time to try this place but not necessarily the only time to go. Great drinks selection and their prices are affordable.

Hidden gem– super cozy, old school red booths, live band and singer. Loved the staff, food was great– I had the prime rib and hubby was a little jealous of mine when he ordered the ribeye.
Prices were super reasonable considering the quality and quantity of food. Basically a blast from the past– felt like something out of the 1940’s. Servers were knowledgable and courteous. Parking isn’t awesome but at the same time not impossible either.
Overall great experience– we will be back next time we are in the area!

We started with the fried calamari with a side of creamy horseradish which was perfect The sirloin burger is amazing. My boyfriend had a rare prime dip sandwich which was delish. The place has an old Hollywood décor. I’ll definitely return to have a sirloin dinner.

My love for the red velvet, dimly-​lit ambience and live music haven’t changed. And the bartenders are generous. (Hic)
BUT. I gotta admit some things:
The dinner rolls are pathetic. Reminiscent of the Chicken Pie Shop, or hospital food…(Request: PLEASE GET RID OF THE DARNED ROLLS)
The «rib bones» were really mostly fat, and the BBQ sauce wasn’t strong enough to cut it. (See other Unilocalers’ reviews regarding rib sauce).
Regarding quantity: I’m a small female, who devours prime rib and other steaks; but when I ordered the rib bones, I left a lot of gross stuff on my plate, and went home hungry. I definitely regretted my choice of entrée.
(I’ve also had the prime rib sandwich with similar luck. Although it’s lower-​priced, it’s chewy and fatty. As if made from scraps, and it’s also not served with enough au jus (again, to cut the grease)).
The service is very spotty, but that’s easy to fix: Only dine here if you’re not in a hurry.
I’ve never had a problem with groupon here, but CYA and check ahead, as others have mentioned problems.
Ray Correa still rocks the music scene… he’s The Quintessential Show Man. A++++

So this place holds a special place in my heart because of family memories. This was where my dad used to take my mom on dates when we were small. They would come home and give us the oyster crackers that they used to give you with the clam chowder. Long gone are the days of oyster crackers and mom and dad date night but the memories are as fresh as can be.
This was the first place I had steak and lobster for my birthday, this was the last place I had steak with my dad before he left me for good. It wasn’t just steak it was prime rib and it was as rare as they made it. Dad used to say, «Bite it before it bites you… that’s the way to eat a steak pollita!» Still holding true to what poppa taught this girl. La Maze is still serving up the tasty prime rib and we still go for family functions on occasion.
I believe they changed owners and are trying to market more because they were hopping last night I went on a Friday night. They have live music, a bar and an area for dancing the night away after eating a hefty cut of prime rib. Make sure to order a Shirley temple for the kids or if it’s date night enjoy an adult beverage.
Service has always been great when I go and I’ve gone a lot! Birthdays, lunches, for funsies… it’s never a bad time for prime rib right?! Make sure you take an appetite and some patience, parking can be difficult. We had to park on the street a few blocks away but it’s perfect to walk off all that meeeeeaaaaaaat!

Over the phone, staff told us there was no need for reservations even though it was a Saturday evening. (in late October) The parking lot was packed at 9pm.
Hostess asked for our reservation straightaway! She just shrugged when we told her what we were told and pointed to the banquette. Sitting in eyeshot of the dining room was an uncomfortable option so we headed to the bar. This was NICE. We had a view of Ray Correa playing and singing, nice bartenders and fellowship on the stools. I was happy to just stay there!
It wasn’t 10 minutes that we were seated in those great red booths. We’ve been here before This place transplants a steakhouse from the east coast to National City. Ray Correa was joined by two terrific singers while we dined.
I ordered the lobster and my husband the prime rib. The bread and salads kept us going. The prime rib arrived first, strange! A delicious piece of something was plated before me, but it wasn’t the lobster tail I ordered. I didn’t mind since a 2^nd bowl of bread was brought for sustenance.
The food was delicious. The dining room crowd thinned out as we ate, but there was still great people watching, music and service. We tried to guess our server’s accent, which turned out to be Greek. Our server brought us a slice of cheesecake because she felt bad about the entrée mix up.
Can’t give more than three because first impressions count! I didn’t like being treated like a walk-​in especially since we called beforehand. I know the hostess wasn’t responsible for the actions of whoever talked to us on the phone, but a smile would have gone a long way.

I’m sitting in the restaurant right now waiting for my check.
The food was great and the service was fantastic.
There is, however, a loud, obnoxious (presumably drunk) lady sitting a few tables away that is laughing like Donald Duck and yelling incoherently. She should have been kicked out awhile ago.
Please note that it is 7:30 PM.
You stay classy, San Diego.

I really enjoyed eating here! The pork chops we ordered were amazing! The cocktail menu had lots of choices, tho I ordered the classic lemon drop martini. The main reason I give this place 5 stars is they have live music 7 days a week! We went on a Monday and the place was packed an popping! Cool red leather retro booths too!

One of, if not the last classic steakhouses in town along with the red vinyl booths and 50’s décor. I had the prime rib standard cut 12oz and used a groupon to save some dough. Everything tasted very good, and service was excellent. I have had prime rib many times and at many places and it ranks among some of the best. I’m glad I went early in afternoon cuz it was a big piece of meat that kept me full all day! Will definitely be back, and need to go one evening to hang out at bar and listen to jazz!

Wife and I had dinner last nite (Vet’s Day), and we where put in a nice booth. BTW we have been eating there for over 30 years back when you knew what you where getting. Any who, we started with ordering a couple of Buds. There server was great she even poured the beer in the glass to help us. My wife then brought to her attention that we ordered Bud’s NOT Bud LIGHTS (ops). That problem was fixed in about 5 min’s, it gave us more time to read the menu. We then placed our orders (both the same) salad, prime ribs with a Baked Potato (with everything) and things where go pretty good. Soon after eating the salad our main course came. First thing after the server left we had to flag her down because my wife notice that she received TARTAR sauce for the prime rib (last time I checked everyone uses a horse-​sauce for the prime rib) After finally getting our servers attention (another 5 min) we let her know and she looked just SHOCKED and said she would take care of that (thank god I thought I missed something new). After ANOTHER 5 min she gave my wife the horse sauce only to have my wife inform her that her prime rib was mostly fat. (Sorry my wife orders her meat well done). Any who, she takes it back to the kitchen for a re-​do. So I sit waiting for it to be returned so my wife and I could eat together (If I wanted to eat alone I would just leave my wife at home). When it finally did come back (Sorry, another 10 min) the server lets us know that the chef said all the end cuts where fatty but that he trimed it for her (thanks). Why not do that BEFORE sending it out the first time. Things like this just makes you really want a way-​back machine to go 30 years back to a good dinner with chefs that know how to send food out and servers that look before they deliver to the table.
But our server did let us know that they where REALLY busy (Vet’s day you think). Hey manager, its Vet’s day, bring in more than 4 servers for the hole house.

Retro red leather booths. They know how to cook red meat! I had the rib eye and Ernie had the prime rib. We both moaned at the first bite. Wow!
Pricey for two entrees and 2 glasses of wine. $ 75!
It’s in a run down part of town but the parking is decently lit and I felt safe.
We were the most dressed up patrons which means you can go pretty casual
Live jazz accompanied our meal so factor that into the price.
Salad and soup were okay. Veggies were bland. Fries were okay.
The music and the meat saved this from a three star review.

Surprisingly good experience!!! The place really doesn’t fit in with its surroundings. The night we went (with a coupon) they had live jazz, which was cool. The service was a tad slow as it was rather busy, but it was friendly and attentive when it cleared out a bit more. The menu was more extensive than their online one, which is nice. The ambiance is interesting and enjoyable, though it feels like it would appeal to an older crowd (maybe it was just that the crowd that night was a bit older). I had French onion soup with the regular cut prime rib. The soup was a bit bland… not a great French onion soup, but ok.
The prime rib was the best I can remember having (to be fair, I don’t get it often, though). Mine had a huge puddle of juices, while my husband’s did not, for some reason. Ours were cooked the same, but he had the slightly larger cut. The regular cut was plenty big, though! The beef was tender and I cannot stress enough how JUICY it was. I dipped it in au jus for extra flavor, but it was already drenched in juice. Great flavor, especially with a daub of that creamy horseradish. I would definitely come back here to satisfy any prime rib craving. Delish! And reasonable prices. I recommend it and the prime rib is a must-​have for sure.

Went last night & it was an all around good experience.
The bread is nothing to run home about, but it’s free so why complain. The salad, too, I could’ve done without.
The appetizer I chose was the calamari strips. Omg sooooooo good & such a huge portion. HUGE!
Then the prime rib came. Best I’ve had to date. Amaaaazing. I was too full to eat the seasonal veggies & my garlic mashed potatoes were good but sooooo salty. Oh my. Regardless, I’ll be back because the prime rib was just that good.

The interior and experience is a 5. The food is a 2. Love this old school experience. I don’t love their over inflated prices of mediocre food.
Order the 9oz NY strip with mushrooms, salad and mashed potatoes. The simple salad comes out first. Not the freshest salad and very basic and bland. The sweet rolls they bring out are good, but lack luster. The main plate comes out. Looks good except for the cross grill marks as if I was eating at a Grand Corral or Sizzler. Steak was bland as well. The mashed potatoes were OK, but not gravy. Mixed vegetables were a little old and over cooked. Basically this is a place to come to and appreciate the music, drinks and vibe.
They’re trying to be a higher end steak house with the prices to match, but the food falls short. This was the first time ever the girlfriend sent a drink back. I sampled it and couldn’t agree more. Their price point should be at least 20% less for the quality of food they’re serving. Drop the prices or step up the quality if food. Should of gotten the Groupon.

La atención es muy buena, la comida esta regular, luces tenues, agradable ambiente.