My incredibly poor California dreaming experience: 1. We made a "reservation" on Open table but it's actually just "priority seating" and ended up waiting way past our reservation time. They do priority seating because this restaurant can't figure out how to manage and time reservations correctly? When I kindly asked someone how much longer they thought it would be until we got seated (we kept getting told later and later), someone yelled (an older woman - didn't get her name but I wish I would've) screamed at me and said THIS IS PRIORITY SEATING!!!! 2. My boyfriend and I ordered drinks for us and for our family at the bar while we were waiting. The bartender looks at us and points to all of our drinks, telling them they are ours. We pay and take them. The bartender gave us the wrong beer but my boyfriend said no worries and still took it. A few minutes later the bartender comes HUNTING us down saying he forgot to charge us for the $5 beer (when he served us the wrong one). 3. This is the craziest thing!!!! Our waiter had both hands all bandaged up and we asked what happened and she said a glass broke in her hands when she was pulling it out of the dishwasher. We asked what she was doing still here and she said Corporate was there so she really needed to stay. She kept returning to our table in different bandages because it wouldn't stop bleeding. She returned in gloves once because they were bleeding through all the bandages so management told her to just put gloves on. Not only is this incredibly unsanitary, but also just cruel?!?!? She literally did not even know if there was glass still in her hand. She was the sweetest waitress ever and working so hard, it's an absolute shame she was treated this way. I guess she finally was told she could go home after all her tables left (literally, what?) 4. My aperol spritz tasted like bleach and I sent it back twice
Malorie
Beautiful restaurant with lovely views. Service was good and food decent. I'd give it an 8. Will go back.
Seth
Two out of four liked the food, the other two not so much. Nice view of the harbor. Service was OK. A bit pricey & touristy for what it was. I wanted to like it more than I did. Full bar.
Joseph Lane
Great view. Very popular, recommend making a reservation.
LaWanda
We drove in from Savannah for date night. Having visited before and enjoyed an amazing experience, we knew exactly what we wanted and were anticipating another great evening. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time. The appetizer we wanted was unavailable, the croissants were undercooked and clearly rushed, and both my New York Strip and my husband's ribeye lacked any flavor aside from the char from the burnt edges. Although we were offered a discount (without asking), it didn't make up for the disappointment. What made the situation more uncomfortable was that the manager mentioned twice that no one else had complained about the flavor, which came across as dismissive—as if she doubted our experience. I wish I had taken a photo of the bland steaks. Hopefully, this was just an off night, perhaps because it was close to closing time. Still, it unfortunately ruined our evening.
Marlie Q
I stayed at La Quinta and searched for restaurants within walking distance . What a pleasant surprise to be walking next to a picturesque marina to this delightful restaurant. My server was Gabrielle I believe, she was very attentive and helpful in selecting my choices I sat out on the patio next to the marina and had a great caesar salad topped with blackened shrimp that was fresh and delicious. Their famous croissant lives up to the hype. On a side note a little research uncovered that the restaurant is located in the historic Union Station building, which was originally built as a passenger railroad station in 1902. I’ll definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Whitney Hinson
The food is always amazing here, but the service is too. And Jeff provided the most amazing service tonight for our family. We were in a hurry to get in and out to head on a drive home and he made it happen such great service thanks, Jeff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
LARRY
I have eaten here since 1990. It has changed a lot but the current menu eliminated some of the best items they make. The current price level is also higher than the norm makinbg this appear to be geared to the tourists who come for the view and not the locals who come for the food.
Valerie Chapman
Food was amazing 👏🏽 service was amazing!!! atmosphere amazing!!! Love everything about my experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, California Dreaming Salad, Charleston Seafood Pasta, Shrimp Grits, Our Famous Croissants
Katharine
It is very dark inside. The menu needs alot of work. The food is all fried. The ambiance seems higher end but the food isn't good. We got an app and left.
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, California Dreaming Salad
VeeBee Queenie
The She-Crab soup is the best I've ever had - and I've had plenty. It's even better than mine, which is saying slot. A whole lot...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
LCC
The building is pretty , but it stops there. I called to ask if my dad could eat anything there because he’s celiac. I spoke to the manager who said that there’s not a ton of options but they could accommodate. They even mentioned that they could make fries in a separate fryer. We get there and he gets the grilled chicken salad and the fries. We triple check with the waitress that this accommodates celiac. She was very kind but I don’t think she knew what it was and just said “yes!” …. The food comes out (the GLUTEN FREE salad) and there’s a CROISSANT!on!top!of!it! What!!!??? Suffice to say his stomach hurts now.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Faye Lee
My husband, sister, and I had supper last night at this California Dreaming. My husband and I have been there several times. The California Dreaming salad wasn't like they used to be. My sister's flounder wasn't done and my husband's hamburger wasn't cooked the way he asked for. We didn't complain there but we will not be returning. Used get complimentary croissants but didn't see any last night. The salad was mostly lettuce. You couldn't hardly find ham or egg in it. The prices are higher like every where else. I will be continuing to make my own salads at home.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Gloria (gogo)
This is a Charleston experience! Sit outside on water. Good to be back in town.
My incredibly poor California dreaming experience: 1. We made a "reservation" on Open table but it's actually just "priority seating" and ended up waiting way past our reservation time. They do priority seating because this restaurant can't figure out how to manage and time reservations correctly? When I kindly asked someone how much longer they thought it would be until we got seated (we kept getting told later and later), someone yelled (an older woman - didn't get her name but I wish I would've) screamed at me and said THIS IS PRIORITY SEATING!!!! 2. My boyfriend and I ordered drinks for us and for our family at the bar while we were waiting. The bartender looks at us and points to all of our drinks, telling them they are ours. We pay and take them. The bartender gave us the wrong beer but my boyfriend said no worries and still took it. A few minutes later the bartender comes HUNTING us down saying he forgot to charge us for the $5 beer (when he served us the wrong one). 3. This is the craziest thing!!!! Our waiter had both hands all bandaged up and we asked what happened and she said a glass broke in her hands when she was pulling it out of the dishwasher. We asked what she was doing still here and she said Corporate was there so she really needed to stay. She kept returning to our table in different bandages because it wouldn't stop bleeding. She returned in gloves once because they were bleeding through all the bandages so management told her to just put gloves on. Not only is this incredibly unsanitary, but also just cruel?!?!? She literally did not even know if there was glass still in her hand. She was the sweetest waitress ever and working so hard, it's an absolute shame she was treated this way. I guess she finally was told she could go home after all her tables left (literally, what?) 4. My aperol spritz tasted like bleach and I sent it back twice
Beautiful restaurant with lovely views. Service was good and food decent. I'd give it an 8. Will go back.
Two out of four liked the food, the other two not so much. Nice view of the harbor. Service was OK. A bit pricey & touristy for what it was. I wanted to like it more than I did. Full bar.
Great view. Very popular, recommend making a reservation.
We drove in from Savannah for date night. Having visited before and enjoyed an amazing experience, we knew exactly what we wanted and were anticipating another great evening. Unfortunately, that was not the case this time. The appetizer we wanted was unavailable, the croissants were undercooked and clearly rushed, and both my New York Strip and my husband's ribeye lacked any flavor aside from the char from the burnt edges. Although we were offered a discount (without asking), it didn't make up for the disappointment. What made the situation more uncomfortable was that the manager mentioned twice that no one else had complained about the flavor, which came across as dismissive—as if she doubted our experience. I wish I had taken a photo of the bland steaks. Hopefully, this was just an off night, perhaps because it was close to closing time. Still, it unfortunately ruined our evening.
I stayed at La Quinta and searched for restaurants within walking distance . What a pleasant surprise to be walking next to a picturesque marina to this delightful restaurant. My server was Gabrielle I believe, she was very attentive and helpful in selecting my choices I sat out on the patio next to the marina and had a great caesar salad topped with blackened shrimp that was fresh and delicious. Their famous croissant lives up to the hype. On a side note a little research uncovered that the restaurant is located in the historic Union Station building, which was originally built as a passenger railroad station in 1902. I’ll definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is always amazing here, but the service is too. And Jeff provided the most amazing service tonight for our family. We were in a hurry to get in and out to head on a drive home and he made it happen such great service thanks, Jeff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have eaten here since 1990. It has changed a lot but the current menu eliminated some of the best items they make. The current price level is also higher than the norm makinbg this appear to be geared to the tourists who come for the view and not the locals who come for the food.
Food was amazing 👏🏽 service was amazing!!! atmosphere amazing!!! Love everything about my experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, California Dreaming Salad, Charleston Seafood Pasta, Shrimp Grits, Our Famous Croissants
It is very dark inside. The menu needs alot of work. The food is all fried. The ambiance seems higher end but the food isn't good. We got an app and left.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Awesome as always!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: She Crab Soup, California Dreaming Salad
The She-Crab soup is the best I've ever had - and I've had plenty. It's even better than mine, which is saying slot. A whole lot...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
The building is pretty , but it stops there. I called to ask if my dad could eat anything there because he’s celiac. I spoke to the manager who said that there’s not a ton of options but they could accommodate. They even mentioned that they could make fries in a separate fryer. We get there and he gets the grilled chicken salad and the fries. We triple check with the waitress that this accommodates celiac. She was very kind but I don’t think she knew what it was and just said “yes!” …. The food comes out (the GLUTEN FREE salad) and there’s a CROISSANT!on!top!of!it! What!!!??? Suffice to say his stomach hurts now.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
My husband, sister, and I had supper last night at this California Dreaming. My husband and I have been there several times. The California Dreaming salad wasn't like they used to be. My sister's flounder wasn't done and my husband's hamburger wasn't cooked the way he asked for. We didn't complain there but we will not be returning. Used get complimentary croissants but didn't see any last night. The salad was mostly lettuce. You couldn't hardly find ham or egg in it. The prices are higher like every where else. I will be continuing to make my own salads at home.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
This is a Charleston experience! Sit outside on water. Good to be back in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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