California Grill and Bar

We stopped here for lunch on our drive from San Francisco to Carmel and had such a wonderful experience. Our waitress, Tinkerbell, was incredibly kind and full of positive energy — she truly made our visit special. 🧚🏻 The food was excellent and portions were generous — we couldn’t even finish everything! We had burgers, a sandwich, and the Reuben, all delicious. Even though it’s not on our usual route, Tinkerbell will be the main reason we come back if we ever drive this way again. 💚🥰

We came here as a recommendation from the front desk person at the hotel we're staying. Everything was exceptional. Tasty bread for starters. We tried the onion ring appetizer which were just the right amount of breading and crispy. The salads were fresh and flavorful. The prime rib was a perfect cut and cooked exactly how it was ordered. The portions are exceptionally generous. So much so, we needed to go containers. The service was friendly and prompt. Would definitely recommend for anyone in the area to visit here.

We have been eating at this restaurant for several years since moving to Watsonville. Don’t be fooled by the atmosphere or location, this restaurant is an absolute gem! We have always loved the food and had good service. This evening we received exceptional service from Sara. She was fun and attentive. Thanks for making our date night special!

I was extremely disappointed too see that they did not update their hours online.in addition to this , they also have now stopped serving breakfast, this was our favorite restaurant for breakfast. Cowboy corner and farmhouse are so lousy, we loved it here for breakfast. Not very professional posting of the hour changes and menu changes as well.

I go here almost every other weekend. California Grill is so good because they have affordable prices and big portions compared to other restaurants plus their local so that’s always a plus!!! Reminds me how small watsonville is because you’ll run into people you know id your from here ! ( I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE CHICKEN SANDWHICH) 🥰🥰

Great staff, good food, large portions. Next visit. Staff was still very nice and attentive. My fish was a bit dry,like it had been cook way before than warmed. Potato's were great, clam chowder had good taste but not many clams, veggies were very under seasoned. Prices were high, as they are everywhere.

Farm to Table Excellent staff, excellent food, huge portions

The service was excellent and attentive, but not overly so. The food was so fresh and delicious tasting. The portions were huge. I made 3 meals out of my entree because we made the mistake of ordering the delicious and filling fried artichoke hearts appetizer. Oh yes, and the fresh bread. The desserts looked delicious, but we absolutely had no room for anything else. The wine was value prices for the large pours. We received an excellent value for the price paid.

Great tasting, locally sourced food. Family friendly. Restaurant or bar seating. Wish it was open more often!

The food quality is excellent. They have the best salads in town. Great produce and large portions. We ordered the fettuccine and lemon chicken and absolutely loved it. Servers and staff are excellent. It gets busy so make a reservation when possible. I didn't think this place was that great before but not I love it. The ambiance is neat, with local ag pics as the decor.

I never have had a bad meal at California Grill. The cooks know what they're doing in the back of the house. Who ever handles the hiring of the waitstaff ....fantastic Job! Everyone is so friendly, helpful and most importantly they service us all with kindness. I truly have enjoy the special moments in my life, spent celebrating them in your establishments I apologized for not taking the time to do a review sooner.

FIVE ***** stars: the food! It is easy to find gourmet healthy, organic, local food here at very fair prices. It feels like a very expensive restaurant located a burger and fries kind of place. Some people might like its lack of pretense, I guess. The food was expertly prepared and rivals any of the most expensive restaurants in Santa Cruz or Monterey county. THREE *** stars: The ambience of the bar is a little strange and quite basic in terms of aesthetics, furniture, lighting, and decor. The location is upstairs in an office space building. The service was a little spotty, but friendly.

All things considered, I'd call this place "alright" pretty much across the board. The food was good, service was fine, and the ambiance adequate. Somehow I left feeling still disappointed. Starting with best part of my visit; the fries. Those were cooked to perfection. The service itself was a bit lackluster. No greeting when walking in, and very little opportunity to interact with the staff in case you should need anything. When my group and I arrived, we sat ourselves in the dining area because there was no one around. The sever eventually arrived and asked "What can I get ya?" She quickly took our orders and asked "Will that be all?" Before collecting our menus and walking away. Someone else delivered the side salads to the table as well as the entrees later on. The food itself was good but it leans on the greasier side. There are plenty of salad options which I do appreciate and I ended up ordering the Beets and Greens salad myself. There's a good amount of artichoke hearts and pecans on the salad but the beets themselves were underwhelming, both in quantity and quality. When you order a "Beet" salad, you expect them to be the star of the show. Unfortunately, they were cooked into oblivion where they became mushy and flavorless. They could have likely come from a can. I wouldn't order it again. The location itself is strange/quirky. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a building that hosts other businesses. It feels like a doctor's office when you walk in and someone told me that this used to be a planned parenthood, which explains why it feels like a medical practice downstairs. In order to find the restaurant, you need to follow a number of signs directing you which way to turn and which stairs or elevator to take. Eventually, you'll find the place. I'm not sure I'd return personally because there are so many other great restaurants in the area, I feel that this establishment doesn't stand out enough. In fact, they fall into the back of the pack. If you want a large quantity of food, this place certainly has that going for them. You'll likely be taking some leftovers home.

Every bite from first to last, was absolutely divine. We started off with the calamiri strips (our server recommended them over the rings and tentacles). Perfectly fried, crisp and hot. The cocktail sauce is house made with an excellent kick of horseradish. Next was the clam chowder - piping hot and fresh. Not too fishy or sandy tasting. Great balance of clams, potatoes, and celery. Our side salads were huge and had two sweet and delicious pieces of heirloom beets. The dressings were great too. For dinner we had the halibut with pilaf and veggies. The fish was delicate and cooked perfectly with a dollop of tasty guacamole on top. Husband had the chicken fried steak and cheesy potatoes. He said the steak was one of the best he's had. The veggies on both plates were superb. The bread with butter, chopped garlic, and olive oil and balsamic was also fabulous. 10/10 recommend

This is a terrific restaurant: homemade soups three times a week, amazing clam chowder chock full of clams, artichoke bisque with fresh artichokes in the silkiest bisque for two of the soups we've tried. We split a large, melty, delicious Reuben sandwich and a huge pile of the best hot, salty, crispy french fries we've had anywhere in Santa Cruz. The salads are huge and easy to share. But it's the service. The service at this restaurant is unbelievably amazing, old-school, fast, friendly and so professional. The joyful, authentic, personable, and beautiful waitresses make it their business to make each table feel special and like they are the only patrons in the place - even when it's packed. They love what they do and they're the best at it! Other restaurants could send their waitstaff here to see how it's done!!! They have a full support staff that make sure you're seated promptly, your water is full, and you have whatever you need. Just a wonderful experience all around, honestly. As going out to for a great meal or a celebration should be!

I've always liked this restaurant; the food and the service are always great. The waiter on this particular evening was outstanding, personable and communicated my preferences exceptionally: Ernie. I had the salmon plate and requested it extra moist and it came back perfect! It literally melted in my mouth. I had other requests and Ernie nailed it! He checked back often and was just all around an outstanding server. Thanks Ernie! My friends & I will come and specifically ask for you! Oh yea, and to the manager: please get the capacino back. That was a real treat when you made that available.

Best bang for your buck = 5 stars. The bomb burger was good. I was bracing myself and I made it count. I have eaten here before for breakfast and today was my first time eating dinner here. I made reservations and surprisingly there were a few time slots available on a Friday night. I think it's a good idea to do this because upon arrival the place was packed! We were seated immediately for our table even though we had reservations, I had a great time after seating that I'm giving them 5 stars. Once we sat down our waitress took our order immediately and the food started coming out and before you know it, you're eating right away. Their service is really fast, everything comes out family style, and if you want refills they are on top of it. I enjoyed my burger and I would definitely come back here for dinner - thank you California Grill and Bar.

Excellent high class staff. Food is fresh and scrumptious. This is a perfect restaurant.

This gem is not at all hard to find -- good street presence and signage. You enter the building lobby from the parking lot on the second floor and the restaurant is the next level up. (Restrooms are on the top level.) Breakfast portions are very large and priced affordably! Three eggs are standard! Many of the combos are "as written" with no substitutions -- very sensible policy. Also to note: no split checks. Again: sensible. Lots of what's on offer is locally sourced. The chorizo is really chorizo, not gringo spiced sausage. So good! And the country potatoes are crispy caramelized amazingness. Look for TinkerBell aka Sharon Ann. Truly a customer service expert. See y'all next time we travel up.

My wife and I have been to this restaurant for several dinners. The service has been professional but friendly. The drinks were good and generous. The food portions were large and the food quality was very good with lots of fresh veggies.

When we arrived we were amazed that this restaurant was located in the upstairs of a commercial building with access via elevator or stairs. Our waitress Tinkerbell was extremely courteous and colorful sporting a lot of bling and looking very artsy. The decor had a pub like feel to it with dark wood booths and tables. The menu choices were very varied and healthy, and we discovered all the food was sourced from organic local farms and the restaurant was actually owned by a farming company. My hubby had the salmon dinner and I had the fried artichokes and the flavors were exquisite! The beer was local and organic. We marked this in our notes for a place to definitely come back to in the future. Highly recommend.

Such a great restaurant tucked away in an unexpected location. Our food was so good! Loved the Friday night clam chowder and highly recommend the beef tips with fettuccine. Chefs kiss.

entering a very tasteful dream where everything smells like rosemary and butter.Service was polished but friendly. Our server was attentive, made great recommendations,Drinks were spot-on too, cocktail that somehow wasn't too floral and enjoyable taste, and the wine list had plenty choices.Yes, it was pricey -- it's definitely a "treat yourself" kind of night. But for the food, the atmosphere, and the whole experience, it felt totally worth it.

Aside from the service taking a really long time the food was really good. If you have never been here it's a little confusing to find the place cause it's in a building and you need to take the elevator or stairs. It was kinda busy but we kept having to ask for waters, bread and some of our food was missing/forgotten about (salads, drinks, appetizers). Some of which we just cancelled. We came here after my grandpas funeral so everyone got to chit chat and not think too much of the service. We got the artichoke appetizers (fried and regular). Both were really good. I got the burger and it was really good, I enjoyed it but couldn't finish it. The portions were huge! I would come again but hope the service was more attentive.

We had a nice time at dinner here. The staff were super friendly, and I loved the tucked away booth we had. The food itself didn't blow me away, but was perfectly solid. The minestrone soup was quite good! The vibe of this place feels like there are many locals who are regulars there, positive experience as a whole!

I absolutely love California Grill. Great service, amazing food. Ambiance is not great with views and such but you quickly get over that with the food and service. My favorite is the beef tip fettuccine!

I want to love this place because it's nearby and I like how the menu options sound. But the dinner I received tonight was awful. It was supposed to be shrimp scampi but it was good prawns on top of soggy noodles in an absolute pool of water. No flavor at all. We had to cover it in salt to get any flavor. It was pretty gross. I drained a bowl of liquid out of the bowl to try to save the pasta but it was lost. At least the prawns were okay. $32 for that hardly edible meal. Very disappointed. Also, our waiter grabbed our glasses by the rims with his hands while serving, which is not hygienic. He was nice but I'm not sure I'll go back.

Had a wonderful lunch at California Grill. The food and service were amazing and the steak salad is the best I've had in Watsonville so far.

Disappointed! We have always enjoyed our meals at Ca Grill but today we both ordered our salads with romaine instead of the standard leafy greens they come with. That was a mistake! Something was wrong with the lettuce.. Big bummer when it's 28.00 and that is your dinner.. The lettuce was tough is the best way to describe it! Service and wine were good but we both brought our salads home for our goats :/

20/10 All the ladies are incredibly friendly. We go there every week at least once. Their specials are amazing! You can blindly put your finger on the menu and everything won't disappoint you. Best local FRESH produce that no other restaurant can provide. Service and food is EXCELLENT!!!

OMG we had the absolutely most delicious lunch here! I had the polenta eggplant lasagna with fresh beautiful assorted vegetables, the best I've ever had in any restaurant and the lasagna was fabulous. Also had clam chowder delicious! Excellent service. We will be going on Fridays for the chowder alone!

Well, where do I start... First off all; it's been many, many, moons since my last visit. Food was hearty, filling breakfast especially during this cold weather season. Service was very attentive and pleasant. I ordered the avocado turkey eggs Benedict definitely was worth the trip here...very dense and two is more than enough. I must say if you're going to skip anything skip the drinks, the coffee is very plain and anything with milk added lost its flavor. Overall; despite that one minor flaw, I would still comeback here for breakfast. I just won't order anything to drink next time - thank you!

Headed back there again tomorrow bringing some friends, from San Jose, for another great meal. Ask for Tinkerbell as your waitress! She is the BEST! A favorite of locals also!

Fresh food. High quality ingredients. Satisfying meal. Come eat lunch or dinner here.

This is my go to recommendation restaurant for the guests who stay at the local hotel I work at in Watsonville. Every guest that has gone here has come back and thanked me for sending them here. Amazing food and service. That's why it is my favorite restaurant as well.

The food was all good and the service was excellent. We didn't have anything fancy, basically just a Shrimp Louie and another salad for my companion. One cocktail apiece and the bill was almost $80. Rather high but at least it was all fresh and had a great flavor. I will return but will be skipping the cocktails and will only return on an occasional basis.

Great food and service. Everything tasted good with large servings. The salmon plate with polenta was cooked to perfection. I appreciated the healthy serving of vegetables that was included.

We usually love California grill and have never had issues yesterday my daughter and I went for lunch and both ordered skirt steak salads, when we got them my daughter noticed a bug on her plate and she noticed the salad was infested with little bugs and then I looked at mine and mine was as well, the waitress was really nice and apologetic and went to get the manager no one ever came back we waited awhile and left, obviously management didn't care about serving their clients infested food.

Incredible fresh, local food, great atmosphere and friendly staff. Can't wait to return.

This place is a great! Such a gem in Watsonville. The food is AMZING! Super fresh and great taste. I love that you can go in for a causal seating at the bar or a more formal seating in the dinning area. We went on Monday to watch a football game at the bar. Both the waiter and the bartender were very nice and great at checking in on us. The food is so good. The fried artichokes are a must and the steak is so good. Seriously this place is my go to! I just wished they had bigger TVs in the bar area.

Food was delicious and the portions were very large. So nice to have sides included on your entrée service was beyond excellent really made our day.

The food was so fresh and delicious! The portions are very generous. The service was outstanding!

Had breakfast, Stops serving breakfast at 11:00 am, service was attentive, had scrambled eggs with hash browns and sausage and a biscuit.I actually enjoyed mine, our friends had Loco Moco which they said was good also , my wife had eggs and hash browns and chicken sausage.Would go back again.

Absolutely delicious!! Tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and I've already made it back again! The food is superb and the service really is exceptional! It gets really busy on Friday nights so make reservations, thankfully the wait isn't very long. The hostesses are friendly and sweet! I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to try them out!!

Have been here a couple of times and the food has been good and reasonably priced. It's by the beach so you can sit outside and enjoy the view while you eat. I love the Buddha bowls! They have ample selection of choices to accompany food allergies, vegan and vegetarian diets and of course regular meat dishes. It's definitely a crowd pleaser. It gets busy so plan ahead. The service has been good and the staff very nice.

Bummer coming here hoping for some farm fresh eggs and learning they won't serve us any. We're here at 11 AM so they must stop breakfast before that. I recommend they serve breakfast till later in the day. People aren't ready for a blast of salad or burgers or a big sandwich at 11 AM. There was only one thing.I could even contemplate eating and i didnt really want it

Great food! Fresh, locally sourced, beautifully prepared. Large selection and enough variety that most folks should be able to find something they want to eat. Huge portions. A little pricey but I took home enough for dinner the next night, so not so pricey after all. My meal started with a dreamy, creamy artichoke bisque. My main was salmon (perfectly cooked and very fresh) with polenta (firm and tasty, soft in the middle with a slight crust outside) and lovely, fresh vegetables. There was a huge amount of salsa on the fish, but I scraped most of it off and took it home with me. It's fresh, not overly spicy and was great on eggs the next day. 100% wheelchair accessible thanks to the elevators. Plus, it's not real loud so my friend and I could hear each other talking. Why do so many restaurants think that they need to blast music? I'll never understand that. I suggest coming early as we got there when they opened for dinner mid week and by the time our main course was served, the place was pretty full. I am looking forward to returning for dinner and also plan to try a lunch there soon.

The menu has an entire page devoted to their salads, and for good reason: their salads are amazingly good. Unmatched quality of produce. For years we've been going to this restaurant just for their salads. Their other entrees are solid as well: we've tried their hamburgers, French dip, and pancakes. Five stars.

I'm sure everyone will mention this but WOW, we were told that the exterior is like a dentist office--it is true. Until the moment you step into the restaurant, it feels like someone might pull a molar! But then the restaurant inside is perfectly homey. The bar, spacious and clean and with nice big windows. Great service and the buffalo Chicken salad I had was delightful and spicy!

Been meaning to try this place for a long time. Had lunch today with friend. Pros: service, promptness, soups. We had minestrone and artichoke bisque. Both were great!! My Caesar salad was ok. Too much dressing for me and not sure there were any anchovies in dressing. My friend had artichoke crab cakes that are made with blue crab. Good, not great. I'd go back but order one of their sandwiches or other salads. I like that it's farm to fork.

Every time I come to Cali Grill I get the best service and the best food. They truly are amazing. The other day when I went out with my girlfriends, my server, Della, was so prompt and friendly. The best service I have ever received. Definitely had to give her a shout out! Thank you Cali Grill and Della for the amazing food and service!

This restaurant is very reasonable pricing. They have a great HappyHour! The staff is very friendly and it actually feels like Cheers when you visit!

Best place for SCRUMPTIOUS food EVER‼ I promise you I'm a picky eater and I never leave disappointed !

What an awesome restraunt . So friendly & accommodating. We stopped to get lunch & watch the Nebraska game. Can't say enuf good things about this restraunt . The Scurich family farm & their restraunt is spectacular food, so fresh!!

Food was ok. Salad was delicious. Especially the beats. Too dark to see the menu. Most disturbing thing was our waiter. Rude and offensive and disrespectful while creeping my wife out. All in all very awkward and disturbing. Terrible experience Danny was his name and we will not be going back.

Overcooked my steak :/ not good. Service was good they brought us bread twice while we waited for our food. Ambience was nice and was easy to listen to my family without having to yell. Overall it was good but disappointed with my food.

It's been a while since I've been here. I was avoiding it due some low par service issues in the past. But I gotta tell ya the service is great now and the food was delicious. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. California Bar and Grill in Watsonville is a hidden gem tucked away in an unlikely setting--a medical building--yet it delivers a dining experience that stands out in the area. In a town where Mexican cuisine dominates, this establishment offers a refreshing change. The menu is a delightful surprise, featuring a variety of California-inspired dishes ranging from burgers, grilled meats, sandwiches to salads and seafood options. Being mostly vegan, I appreciated the vegan and vegetarian menu choices. The salads are great! A lot of the produce comes from the owner's organic farm.