Emmett T.
Yelp
The owners of Cafe Califas have refurbished a house in the Barrio Logan neighborhood into a newly opened eatery. The place is located on one of the main strips in the community, Logan Ave, near Salud. This is the only local street in which I have seen vehicles parallel park in the median of the road without any concern from law enforcement. It is certainly an unorthodox solution to help with the parking situation as the legal curbside spaces fill up quickly.
There was an outdoor kitchen setup behind the house including a wood-fired pizza oven, smoker, Santa Maria grill, and fire pit. All of the seating was al fresco either at tables in the front patio or at picnic tables in the backyard and deck. You walk up the steps and through the front door to place your order at the service counter in the main room. Some prepared foods and drinks were available as grab and go items.
Pizzas and paella will be the main focus of their menu. For the soft opening, four pizzas, a vegan paella, and skirt steak tacos were the choices. I chose the last item for my meal. Arracherra skirt steak, grilled onions, and chiles were accompanied by flour tortillas and guacasalsa. The components were placed on a rectangular cutting board as a serving vessel.
The steak was cooked medium rare and then sliced into pieces that could fit inside a tortilla. The two grilled chiles had a nice smoky flavor to them. The avocado based salsa added a creaminess to the meat and vegetables. For the food quality and relaxed outdoor setting, I gave a four star rating for my initial experience at Cafe Califas.