Antigua Event Center - Riverbank, California

Mayette F.

I recently had my baby shower here and I am so happy with the service received while working with the owners and associates of this venue. It is an intimate venue, with very competitive pricing, and excellent service. The price included food menu, setup, decorations, and take down! So convenient and they work with you every step of the way. I highly recommend this venue to anyone working with a budget and looking for an all inclusive event package.

J T.

Just got married and had our reception here. Gonzalo and Elvira are amazing. Our guests were pleased with the food, and the DJ was great. Elvira went the extra mile to ensure our itinerary was on track— the decorations were beautiful... they do literally everything! Thank you both for all you do!

Yaricsa M.

We had my son’s baptism celebration this past weekend and we loved it, since the planning Gonzalo was very cordial and explained everything to us and was very flexible with our needs. Elvira was very attentive the day of the event and made sure everyone was well cared for. I had many compliments from my guests. If we ever need to celebrate again this is going to definitely be my place and will definitely be recommending it to family and friends.

Lemmie K.

Beautiful event center in Riverbank California. Owner Gonzalo and his wife are great to work with. Celebration of my daughter's wedding tonight. The staff was amazing from the bar to food service. Highly recommend these folks for your event.

Spoogmai A.

We recently hosted our event at the Antigua Event Center in October, and we couldn't be more pleased with how everything turned out. The wedding party was a men-and-women-separate event due to religious purposes, which required specific accommodations. We had numerous requests, including setting up a wall and curtains to separate the men and women, covering the windows, and addressing many other small but important details.

The owner and his wife were incredibly kind and accommodating, ensuring that every request was met with care and attention. They worked closely with us to make sure everything was exactly as we envisioned, and their responsiveness and professionalism truly stood out. Our experience with them was exceptional, and we are so grateful for their support in making our special day perfect.

Tannia S.

I adored this venue so much. They have reasonable pricing for wedding packages. My hubby & I were very pleased with our wedding. We were able to have our ceremony & party on the same day here. The owners are very sweet and helpful, wonderful couple! I recommend this venue to anyone honestly. They have a nice clean hall, bar, kitchen, bathrooms, etc.

brytnii R.

Absolutely Beautiful venue. It exceeded our expectations in every way and the owners were extremely accommodating. I am very happy with our experience and I couldn’t have picked a more better place to host my sisters celebration. We will definitely be using this venue again for future events. Highly recommend

Cory C.

We hosted our daughter's Sweet 16 at the Antigua Event Center in February, and while there were some great moments, there were also some significant disappointments.

The Good: The initial consultation with Gustavo was pleasant—he was informative and accommodating. His wife, Elvira, did an excellent job as the party planner and decorator. She helped my daughter set up a timeline, choose decorations, and provided sample tables for a visual reference. On the day of the event, the venue looked stunning with beautiful table setups, fine china, and ample space for our guests. The in-house chef (formerly from Mallard’s in Modesto) was fantastic, and they kindly let us take home all the leftover food. Additionally, although we had opted out of the light-up dance floor for budget reasons, it was still in place due to a family emergency on their end, and they graciously allowed us to use it at no extra charge. This unexpected inclusion added a fun and lively touch to the event.

The Bad: The DJ setup became a major issue. Neither we nor the DJ were informed ahead of time that she would not be able to set up in front of the projector. When we first toured the venue, we asked how the DJ setup would work, and Gustavo informed us that the typical DJ placement was in front of the dance floor. Despite this, on the day of the event, the owner told our DJ she couldn’t set up in that spot. Instead, she was able to set up tucked away off to the side, connected to the owner’s sound system, and was not allowed to use her own speakers. The owner then offered her a side deal, charging her $100 to hook up to his equipment. This unprofessional exchange set a frustrating tone.

What really stood out as tacky was how the owners walked in potential clients—twice—during our event. Before guests arrived, Gustavo brought a family in, cranked up the Bluetooth sound system to demonstrate, and used our event as a live advertisement. Later, another couple was brought in through the back door for a consultation in the owner’s office while our party was in full swing. These interruptions were incredibly inconsiderate.

The Ugly:Despite paying for fine china, when it came time to eat, guests were given paper plates to use, supposedly for easier cleanup. No announcement was made when food was ready, and it was self-serve, which felt disorganized. Cake assistance, which was part of the agreement, was completely overlooked until we had to bring it up at the end of the event.

At one point, my daughter had a question that required the owner’s attention, and I had to go on a hunt to find one of the owners. They were nowhere to be found, and I eventually had to knock on Gustavo’s office door, where he was conducting a consultation with another customer during our event. It was clear that the priority had shifted to securing future clients rather than focusing on us, the paying customer of the day.

Conclusion: The Antigua Event Center is a beautiful venue, and Gustavo and Elvira were incredibly helpful during the planning process. They worked hard to make the event special and took care of setup and takedown, which significantly lightened our load. However, we wish their focus had remained solely on our event during the day itself, ensuring everything went smoothly and all agreed-upon services were provided without distraction. Their dedication to making events memorable is evident, but prioritizing the customer’s experience fully would elevate the service to the level their venue and efforts deserve.