Caló Kitchen + Tequila

Ya, no. $25 quesadillas, $8 street tacos, faitas that are just grilled onions on top of lettuce with half an avo for $18. 1oz tequila is $16. Waiter didn't even come by for a 2nd round. Not my cup of tea. Fleeced again by the Neuvous Riche thinking this is the best beans$rice. Coto is more your lane.

Great date night location. Delicious food, everyone the menu is delightful. Drinks are expensive but good. The chips, fresh pico de gallo and black beans to start are a hit. Everything is well prepared, fresh, great sauces and beautiful.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Have been to Calo every time I visit El Segundo. It's always delicious. Service is good but the restaurant is a little loud.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Visiting from NYC. And this food was soooo good. Great service as well. Will definitely return, next time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

You'll need to make reservations if you want to sit down to eat. It's a popular place. I ordered the organic chicken burrito. The burrito was huge. If you can eat it in one setting, you're greedy. The food was decent. Nothing over the top.

Four Stars for our server Chelsea. She kept the chips going, water filled, and was attentive.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5

First time here and it was awesome since the moment to meet the host to leaving. Food is delicious and portions are big. Servers are really nice and very friendly. They serve chips with beans plus salsa. Really good beans! We ordered chicken fajitas and shrimp salad. Some lettice leaves in the salad were rotten and had no problem to change the dish for another option and did not charge for the one they had to take away. We got churros as a compliment and were also delicious. Strawberry lemonade was great as well.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’m writing this review because I’m mad that I hadn’t tried this restaurant in the years I’ve lived here, and now I’m moving to Nevada and I want to take them with me.

Food: understated, the depth of flavor despite simple dish offerings speaks for itself. We’re talking enchiladas, rice/ beans…but these items SHINE (judo t sleep on the little corn/cabbage side salad, trust me and you’re welcome).

Service: The servers and front of house staff were all well-presented, groomed, and friendly. Even the roll-ups had cloth napkins unlike your typical restaurant linen.

Ambiance: Inside is beautiful. Outside is done very tastefully, despite the adjacent parking lot. That’s the only downside that I found here was the proximity of cars. However, I must say that the decor and effort to differentiate the dining space was done well and we weren’t distracted by passing vehicles at all, despite the lunch rush.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent service and atmosphere beyond expectations.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Wow. Came here for our mother's birthday brunch. Service was excellent. My strawberry lemonade was refilled before I even finished my first one. They even aimed to bring me a refill just as we were about to leave!

All the food was prepared well, served very hot, and delicious. I'm not big on beans, but I couldn't stop eating the bean dip they serve with their fresh chips.

But most of all, the portions. My god are they gigantic. When that first burrito came out, I was trying to figure out if it was for one person or if it was meant to be shared. I got the breakfast burrito, and it's taken me two days to finish eating it. It's not just filler either; every bit was full of bacon.

I always wondered why this place was so busy whenever I passed by, but I completely understand now.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It was so good and welcoming.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Review for Cali Kitchen + Tequila
Visited Sunday, October 26 around 1 p.m.

We had reservations and arrived about 20 minutes early. We didn’t expect to be seated right away, just hoped it might be possible. When we arrived, a male host greeted us warmly and joked about us wanting to be seated immediately. I laughed and said, “Yes, please, I’m hungry,” then added that we didn’t mind waiting. Everything was friendly and lighthearted at that point.

A few minutes later, he told us the female hostess would help us since we wanted to sit inside. Unfortunately, her demeanor was the complete opposite, no smile, not friendly, not rude either, just very flat and disengaged.

We were a party of three. About five minutes after we arrived, a couple walked up without a reservation. Ten minutes after we first checked in, the same hostess came back out and seated that couple, who we overheard say they didn’t have a reservation; at a booth for four people (at the time, we did not know this, until we walked into the restaurant and saw them sitting at the table for four. Which was right next to our table). Meanwhile, she didn’t seat us until our exact reservation time, making us wait the full 20 minutes.

Normally, that wouldn’t have bothered me if the couple had been seated at a small two-person table. But seeing them at a booth that could’ve easily accommodated us made it frustrating and confusing. Why seat walk-ins before a reserved party?

I’ve been to this restaurant several times and always had great experiences, which is why I stayed, it was my mother’s first time visiting, and I didn’t want to ruin it for her. I truly don’t know what the issue was with the hostess; whether she was having a bad day or trying to make a point about showing up early, but it nearly ruined the experience.

Thankfully, our server completely turned things around. The entire wait staff was amazing; friendly, attentive, and professional. We never had to ask for anything. The waiter even took the time to mention that the beans were cooked with pork, which I appreciated since not everyone eats it.

The food was excellent, fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. My mother had the fajitas, my daughter ordered the chimichanga, and I had the halibut tacos. Everything was delicious.

Ratings:
• Hostess: negative 5 star. Unfriendly, poor judgment
• Waitstaff: 5 stars! Attentive and kind
• Food: 5 Stars! fresh and flavorful.
• Cleanliness: 5 Stars! Both the dining area and restrooms were spotless.

I’m giving this place four stars because of the hostess; otherwise, I would have definitely given this place five stars. I’ve been to Cali Kitchen + Tequila several times and will likely return, but I sincerely hope management addresses the hostess issue. With so many upscale restaurants in the area, there’s no reason to tolerate unwelcoming service at the front. Hopefully next time, we’ll be greeted with the same warmth and professionalism the rest of the team showed, and not have to wait while a a party without a reservation is seated before us. If this happens again, I simply will not be eating here again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

We had a reservation so was seated right away. Food was delicious & the service was great. Friendly atmosphere. 😋🫶🏼

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was overall fine and well prepared. We waited for quite sometime before securing a table but overall everything was fine being a first timer.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Shrimp taquitos and salmon was on point. Waitress was very informative and very friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

2nd time here on a work trip. Came here a few months ago and was impressed by the food and five star service I received from the one bartender on staff This time around not such a great service experience even with 2 bartenders at the bar. I usually could care less about service if the food is great but this is supposed to be an upscale establishment, given the prices they command, so a high level of service is warranted if you expect patrons to return. I could continue with an essay here on the specifics of my experience but if this establishment really cares about the dining experience they can reach out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 1