You Ask: What's the Story Behind the New Timbao Tropical Restaurant?
The owner of the former Montero's Cafe simply wanted a fresh makeover from top to bottom. The emphasis is now on an eclectic Caribbean and tropical menu — with some of Montero's Mexican cuisine offerings. ...More

By Jon Kawamoto

The 'Salsa Sin' Thrives on Solano

Albany Path By Rena Ragimova

http://albany.patch.com/articles/the-salsa-sin-thrives-on-solano

Club Monteros BEST DANCE CLUB 2008

Best of the Eastbay - Eastbay Express

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/bestof/best_dance_club/BestOfAward?oid=776821

Going out for a night of salsa dancing need not require special shoes, dazzling threads, and Gene Kelly's chutzpa, but simply an old-fashioned sense of fun. And the crowd at low-key Club Montero's in Albany proves just that. Sure, there are the salsa whizzes, all hummingbird blurs of twirling arms and swaying skirts, but there are also plenty of newcomers and shy folks who watch from the sideline until they, too, get swept in. The adjoining Mexican restaurant's tropical aesthetic of bright yellow walls, with fake palm trees and Frida Kahlo prints, gives the club a festive atmosphere, and sipping a cold drink after getting sweaty on the dance floor can definitely give you the feeling of stepping into another latitude. But the most infectious aspect of a night at Club Montero's is a bit unexpected: Take a break from keeping up with the rhythm for a few minutes, and watch the club's passionate over-sixty contingent show off their moves. For those lacking their decades of experience, try cutting in to learn the ropes, or come early for the free salsa lessons. Or just wait for a break from the salsa and shake to some reggaeton.

Club Montero's salsa fuses sweet and spicy

Contra Costa Time - Posted on Thu, Jul. 27, 2006
JESSICA YADEGARAN: NIGHT WRITER

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/15134061.htm

This is how I felt from the moment I stepped into Montero's, despite the Albany salsa club's proximity to my house. I live three miles away, but something about the people, the music, the food and hospitality sent me soaring to Havana or Mexico City, where men don white hats and women wear flowers in their hair. I put one in mine, a blue daisy..... Read More

Microbrews and Girly Cocktails
October 22, 2005
By Guia Abenes

http://www.albanychamber.org/article20.php

Montero's Restaurant (1106 Solano Avenue, 524-1270) morphs from a restaurant into a club Friday and Saturday nights. The live salsa music just pours out of the place, compelling people to dance. It's the kind of place where you could spend an entire evening, if you were so inclined. Grab a bite to eat, (they have a full menu of Mexican delights) have a couple drinks, and dance the night away. Recently remodeled, the dance floor is like a trip to Mexico, the ballroom designed like an outdoor patio, complete with palm trees and a traditional Spanish balcony where the deejays spin hip-hop on Thursday nights. On the weekends, show up early and learn some new moves from professionals who give free Salsa lessons (Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.).

First Sunday of Every Month
Belly Dance Night

Fridays and Saturdays
Live Salsa Music (Fri) and DJ + Salsa Lessons

21 and Over Id Required.

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Albany: Get in step with salsa class at Club Montero's on Solano Avenue
Harriet Chiang, SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, June 3, 2005

Club Montero's was humming. Customers were dining on ceviche, spinach-and-chicken quesadillas and steak fajitas in the surroundings of a spacious, traditional Mexican home. On the other side of the Albany club, people were starting to trickle onto a dance floor that had the feel of a beachfront hacienda with a palm tree on the side and a thatch-roofed palapa in the corner.
Standing on the edge of the floor were Ruben Deluna and Sarah Fowler of Berkeley, veteran dancers who had stepped and swayed to swing, two-step, and country and western. This evening they had come to salsa. "It's something we can do together,'' Deluna said under the soft lights that made the backdrop of busy San Pablo Avenue seem miles away. "There are places to go and actually salsa dance,'' Fowler added as she strapped on her dance shoes. "There are not a lot of places where you can two- step.'' Since it opened in 2003, Club Montero's has become a hub for the alluring Latin dance of salsa. Friday and Saturday evenings are packed with beginners -- including many UC Berkeley students -- learning the steps from Joel Lunzaga and Sorcy Jimenez, who have been dancing salsa together for a decade.

Full article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/03/EBG85CUKJN1.DTL

Club Montero's, “Sauciest Salsa Dancing “
Best of the Eastbay - Eastbay Express 2005
eastbayexpress.com

Since 1913, when Vernon and Irene Castle introduced the tango to New York City, Latin dancing has fascinated North Americans. Caribbean dance fads like rumba, conga, mambo, cha-cha-cha, and pachanga came (and went). Salsa rose in the 1970s, sauced by a new mix of old and new beats and steps. Today in the East Bay, a multicultural cast of salseros y salseras makes up a scene no longer exclusive to Latinos. Dancing is the high, and finding a spot to do it is simply a matter of preference. Berkeley has the Shattuck Down Low on Wednesdays and Maikos on Saturdays; Oakland has Club Anton on Saturdays and @Seventeen on Wednesdays; the Concord Hilton has salsa DJs Saturday nights. But Club Montero's, located inside Montero's Restaurant at Solano and San Pablo avenues, dedicates its weekends to salsa. Comfy facilities and good vibes welcome you, and if you're a novice, show up on Thursdays and dance instructors Joel and Sorcy will get you moving to the Bay Area's best bands. DJ Carlito's Way spins in-between sets with reasonable cover ($12-$15) and drink prices. The atmosphere is hip, with papier-mâché palm trees over the bar, Frida Kahlo paintings on the walls, Spanish spoken, and decent space stage and acoustics. Don't be shy. Go Latin!

Originally published: April 6, 2005

Restaurant Reviews - Contra Costa Times - April 1st 2005
http://www.dfw.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/11284865.htm

Montero's Cafe. 1106 Solano Ave., Albany. 510-524-1270; www.monteroscafe.com. This open-all-day-every-day restaurant is huge, yet can be cozy even when it's slow. The original dining room is small and casual, but over the years has expanded to include a sleek bar and a giant dance floor for the live salsa music (and dancing lessons) on the weekends. Don't miss the Hongos Mariachi (mushrooms sauteed with jalapeno) or the barbacoa (seasoned and oven-steamed lamb). Inexpensive items such as burritos also available. Full bar. $$. -- N. Boer. (3 forks on 3/30/05)

The floor show Live salsa bands bring out the Bay Area's bedroom dancers.
By Allison Raaum DEC 2004 SF Bay Guardian
http://www.sfbg.com/39/10/cover_bars_salsa.html

A little hidden treasure in Albany, Club Monteros features bands on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and attracts a diverse crowd, in terms of skill level and ethnicity. Frida Kahlo paintings, candles, and altars to la virgen adorn the walls, and the dance floor feels like an outdoor scene from a small Mexican beach town, with plants and a thatch-covered sitting area. Monteros makes artistic use of a massive space that once housed three stores, managing to come off as both classy and comfortable – it's definitely worth putting on your finest attire. Latin cuisine is served until midnight, and clubgoers can take free hour-long salsa lessons both nights at 8:30 p.m. 1106 Solano, Albany. $12 Fri., $13 Sat. (510) 524-1270, www.clubmonteros.com.

Critic's Choice for the week of September 1-7, 2004
Our writers tell you what's hot this week.

BY MICHAEL GOWAN, ROB HARVILLA, J.P, LARRY KELP, JASON VICTOR SERINUS AND JESSE "CHUY" VARELA
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2004-09-01/criticschoice.html

SALSA

Berkeley gets plenty of attention for its upscale theater and concert spaces, but Albany has its own two-joint dance-and-party district where Solano and San Pablo avenues meet. Across the intersection from the blues-and-rock-oriented Ivy Room, Club Montero's attracts a well-dressed dance crowd for its weekend salsa shows, where the crowds don't come just to sit down and listen. Just check out the hot horn players in Julio Bravo's band Salsabor Friday night, including the amazing San Diego transplant Steve Feierbend on tenor saxophone and always-surprising trombonist Sarah Cline. And on Saturday, Orquesta Kalichin celebrates the release of its CD Comienza la Rumba. Music both nights starts around 10, following the 8:30 salsa lesson. Info: ClubMonteros.com or 510-524-1270. (Larry Kelp)

Eastbay Express Best of the Eastbay 2004 - “ Best Latin Dance Club”
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2004-05-05/bestarts38.html/1/index.html

Best Latin dance club
Good news for salseros y salseras Best of the East Bay 2004:

The East Bay salsa scene had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s at places such as La Peña Cultural Center and Dock of the Bay, where old-school bands such as Salsa de Berkeley used to rock the joint. Now a healthy scene exists at the Down Low Lounge on Wednesdays and Maiko's on Saturdays. But last month the newly remodeled Club Montero's in Albany reopened and quickly become the place to be Fridays and Saturdays with live salsa bands and DJs Jose Ruiz & Carlito's Way. The dance floor is spacious and holds about 150 people. Three sets of music for $12-$15 is a good deal. The atmosphere is cordial, and if you're a novice to salsa, Joel and Sorcy will teach you the basics. The ample stage is a plus for performers. Today's Bay Area salsa scene now offers more than a dozen clubs with live music, which are supported by a healthy community of dancers, thanks to Web sites such as SalsaSF.com, SalsaCrazy.com, and LatinBayArea.com. But not since the days of Kimball's Carnival in Emeryville has there been a classier club to offer salsa in the East Bay. Club Montero's certainly fills a void for suburban salseros y salseras who don't want to drive all the way to the city to dance.
 

Voted Best of 2003 SF Bay Guardian Best Salsa
http://www.bestofthebay.com/2003/albany.html

Best Salsa
The big windows at Montero's allow patrons to keep an eye on any drama taking place in small-town Albany's busiest intersection, San Pablo and Solano Avenues, as well as the crowd at the Albany Twin theater. If you're dining before a movie, you can scope out the size of the competition for good seats over your dinner combo, after you've finished admiring the Frida Kahlos on the painted walls. There's salsa on the table – it's a Mexican restaurant, after all, and a damn good one at that. But even spicier is the salsa on the dance floor. At 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays the floor opens up, and instruction by Joel and Sorce begins (included in the $15 cover charge). An hour later the dancing starts in earnest, and the restaurant is transformed into a full-on salsa club until two in the morning. For those of you who like your salsa hot and not too expensive (dinner goes for around $8 to $15 a person), this is the place. 1106 Solano, Albany. (510) 524-1270.

Eastbay Express Critic's Choice for the week of August 6-12, 2003
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2003-08-06/criticschoice.html/1/index.html

LIVE SALSA

For the longest time, the Down Low Lounge on Wednesdays and Maiko's on Saturdays kept the dancefloor nailed down for the East Bay salsa scene. Now the opening of Club Montero's (1106 Solano Ave., Albany) offers salsa on Friday and Saturdays with excellent live bands like Julio Bravo, Charanson, Eric Rangel, Azabache , and others. DJs Carlito's Way and Jose Ruiz keep it percolating between sets, preceded by dance lessons before the show run by Joel and Sorcy. Clubmonteros.com, or 510-524-1270. (J.V.)