Reviews of California Dreaming (Catering)

J.P. Quinn

Upscale place with large portions of good food at a reasonable price. Staff there were friendly and our waiter was attentive without being intrusive which is difficult to find in a lot of restaurants.

Stacey Minor

Nice place. Coming here for years. Dont order the baby back ribs though. More bones than meat.

Quintessa Fishburne

I’m from Charleston so of course I love the one there and was skeptical of this one; however, this one was amazing. The dine in experience was worth me returning! The food was delicious and the waitress and hosts were very hospitable.

Jeffrey P

Good atmosphere, solidly prepared food, friendly service. The trifecta of a wonderful dining experience. There is plenty of parking and right on campus, but easy to get to. There are no vegetarian options whatsoever, and so while it's likely not even a high demand thing, it's worth knowing if you're not looking for meat... Even most of the sides have meat in them. All in all, I'll return on my next visit.

David Little

The food and service was good. The execution from the kitchen staff was poor. I ordered a salad without cheese and without chicken. The salad took so long to come out I had to ask and that was because they were waiting on the chicken... Of course the salad was also covered in cheese. The management was very accommodating

Quintin Wylie

Good service and good food. The fried crab claws were unexpected yet quite tasty. The seafood platter was also delicious coming in a large serving.

Shilah Lybeck-Goyette

Good food, nice slightly upscale yet comfortable atmosphere. Love that they have mouthwash in all the bathrooms!!

Michaela Pinapfel

Food and service is typically good here, but unfortunately this time around the food just wasn't as good. I would still recommend anyone to go hear for a nice quiet date night or even if you're in the mood to go grab a few drinks with some friends. Their frozen adult drinks are great, especially their daiquiris. You can never go wrong with the house salad and house dressing (lettuce, egg, almonds, tomatoes, real bacon).

Shaylana Harford

Had to wait over 30 minutes for a table even though had a reservation. Was set at a tight small booth when we reserved for 9 people, the manager was not empathetic or accommodating at all!! She was rude and condescending when I complained

K G

California dreaming used to be the best. Now since the menu change, the quality of the food and options has really gone down, especially considering the price! We used to go every single time we had something to celebrate and order the cheese RAVIOLI but now that’s gone along with a lot of other vegetarian and staple southern dishes. Unfortunate, but we will no longer be going here unless the menu makes a come back!

Tonya Lewis

This is a really nice place that is a little off the main Vista area of downtown Columbia but well worth a visit. The food was excellent. Pasta was really fresh and well cooked. Pork chop was apparently the best my colleague had ever tasted. Their croissants are fantastic and the seafood nachos were incredible. Would definitely recommend.

Kerry England

It's my favorite place to eat. We brought family from Iowa and they enjoyed it. Our waiter was so pleasant and efficient!

Roger Carter

Food was out quickly and properly prepared. My wife almost always has at least one issue but had none tonight. Staff was amazing and on top of it.

Ginger Spires

Great downtown location. Typically very busy during the college terms. Make reservations on the weekends during the school terms, football season is crowded. Food is good, service is good large restaurant.

Jesse Robinson

Went there for my Birthday... Made Reservations and they had my Table ready. Staff was Great... Service and food Delicious

Big Daddy

Better dress good to get good service... i can most likely say i make more than most people that eat here. But i did not dress a certain way. So my food was brought to me cold and tasteless... Cali even sucks more on the east coast... hack job

susan glover

I really enjoyed myself the food was great,amd the low lighting made it feel comfortable.

Tevor McCrae

Great service and food. One chose Gala Apple Salad and the other a Chef Salad. The salad with chicken strips was hand breaded chicken in a light batter. Service was quick and attentive. Great atmosphere as an old converted property. Interior was great and the layout easy to navigate with an open feel. Very popular in the area.

Angie Bee

I had a great dinning experience tonight. We ordered the appetizer of fried crab claws along with our dinner which was GREAT! The server was attentive as well.

Yvette Williams

Classy but casual with diverse menu for any degree of hunger. Taste Delicious.

Ashley Henderson

Was in Columbia for my Daughter's graduation and stopped at California Dreaming for dinner afterward. The restaurant is in a converted old train station and is very nice. Unfortunately, many other attendees from the graduation also showed up and it was packed. The service suffered a little, but overall our waitress was very friendly and tried her best.

Wayne F

Salad was on point, very good. As for the steak... ordered med-rare, with loaded baked potato. Steak was warm on the outside and slightly less than cold inside. Baked potato was warm and the cheese was like a cold blanket with all the tasty bacon and fixings wishing they could be could be served hot and fresh... but they were sadly disappointed. Even more when they were left on my plate uneaten.... Only took two bites of my steak... taste was great but unable to eat anymore. To cold to actually taste anymore of the wonderful flavor that sadly was only found before it lost all heat before getting to me. 2 stars only because the salad was on point! Just because its Monday... don't skimp on delivery of a customers food.

H.H Goodson

Great ,place! Talked with Richard, he is a true class act guy. Great customer service, atmosphere, everything is top notch!

Rachael Dudek

Authentic California Experience. To a fault. I am from California, so let me tell you, this is authentic. But that is not necessarily good. Authentic in that it is beautifully scenic, but it is also as fast paced and rushed dining as California, serves chlorinated water and ice, and is California priced. Price is truly not worth it for the food and location, but the building itself is an amazing refurbished train station.

Alexandria C. Riley

Kyle, our waiter was great! he made sure our food came out hot and our drinks were topped off.

Euronda Travis

The best food!!!! Great service and atmosphere. The old train station is the perfect setting for a night out. Staff is professional and very helpful. My stepfather left his wallet and called back at 1:00am. They actually answered the phone and stay around for him to retrieve it. Everything was there. Not one dollar missing!

Stephen Itoga

Great menu. Huge portions. Old train station made an interesting setting.

Melissa Traeger

Our server Sara did a great job. She kept our beverages full, got our order correct, and was super sweet. The food was good and prepared properly.

Rasheika Robinson

Great food and great service. I’ve been to this place many times and it’s gets better with time. It seems like a few changes have been made recently to the menu and ambiance but it does seems like they are really trying to turn the place around.

Alvin Layne

Great dinner establishment. Food was tasty. Service was moderate to the slower side. Waiter was attentive and on point when he came through. Will visit again.

Ann-Lynn Caughman

CD is a family favorite. My daughter was visiting from out of town and this was her first choice. The wait staff was pleasant. The food was delicious.

Denny Davis

Food was as expected. Service could have been better, but I will say that my glass only went empty once. My family and I will be back!!

Darren R

Much disappointment. Stopped for a meal before an event at Colonial Life Arena. The welcome was very underwhelming. Gave an option of regular seating or bar area. We sat in the bar area. Took 10 minutes before server talked to us. Getting drinks was fairly quick. Appetizer was slow coming out. Took 45 minutes to get main meal. Appetizer was burnt and barely warm. Meal portion sizes were good. Wait staff seemed very non engaging. One time only. Will not eat here again.

Nathan Malm

Nice environment. Nice staff. Great good

Mike Long

I like this place, it has a unique setting. Food is good, but the best things they have is the she’crab soup, salad, nachos, and honey drizzled croissants. The rest could be better for the price. The drink selection is good and decently priced. Great spot to come eat no matter if it’s with the family or on a date.

Dedra Sanford

The wait staff was very courteous and prompt. Every time I come here, I am always taking food home with me. If you like crossiants you will need to try theirs.

Serena Capellan

The food was ok however 1 of the staff members was very unprofessional. This resulted in that employee getting let go. The manager was very agreeable and took care of all the tickets for our table however this experience leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

John Webb

Casey is a GREAT waitress. The Manager needs to recognize her ability to interact with her customers while up selling additional items from the menue. It was my friend's birthday and she made sure that he enjoyed it! She deserves a raise! If she ever needs a job, I'm going to hire her! Food was good as usual.

Fredrick Kent

Nice atmosphere in the old Columbia train station. Menu was simple but the food was good.

Dawn Lance

Had never been here.. Stayed at a courtyard and the front desk lady suggest to us we needed to go there when we asked her about a steak house. It was amazing.. some of the best food I have ever eat. The lady said "you will get REAL SALAD,REAL STEAK AND REAL ROLLS" She wasn't kidding. It was great. Thank you..And the waitress was amazing as well. Never had to ask her for anything, table was clean very nice place. Way to go

Jason Adams

California Dreaming has never disappointed me. I have been eating at this location for about 18 years. Always friendly and professional service. Food has always been prepared how I ordered. I look forward to visiting again soon.

Bobby Brown

Some how I missed this place when I live in Columbia. Great piece of history. The architecture of the building is beyond beautiful. Good food. Good service and great ambience.

Savannah Hoyle

Overall a good experience. Our waiter seemed to be a bit overwhelmed kept telling us to “bare with him” because he had two other large parties. We had someone else bring out our drinks and five minutes later he brought us straws. The appetizer took forever to come out and we didn’t have silverware and when I asked for it he acted like I must of had it or something. Food was very good but I asked for ranch and was given blue cheese which is fine but he didn’t come back around after that for me to be able to tell him until he gave us our check.

Troy Ivery

Business dinner party of 5 last night with some colleagues from NYC. Normally this is a great choice for dinner however the restaurant was not on point last night. The She-crab soup was ordered by 3 members of our party and all 3 were served barely warm. A full rack of ribs were ordered by members of the party and they were served burned. The best part of the meal were the salads & croissants. Very disappointing.

Cynthia Benjamin

I've gone twice since they have changed their menu and the food has not been good. Ordered blackened chicken pasta, it was so much cheese, the people at the table with me thought I ordered some type of macaroni dish. Then when I told the waiter I was finished, he didnt even inquire to see why I hadn't eaten my food. It was horrible. Then they removed the steak, Cobb salad off their menu, so not a good variety of salads anymore.

Trinka Williamson

Went for lunch with friends. Great service! Food was fantastic and abundant!!

Yaacov Ibuka

This was a good experience, I'd have you know! Please mention that you do not wish beacon for in the South, you might get beacon in your soda pop. This place is almost as noisy as a train station. Wait a minute, it used to be a train station. If noise is an issue, consider mild ear plugs but don't miss this place. Excellent architecture; this place is really nice.

Mrs.Alice Smith

I normally enjoy the 48 hr marinated steak. I know they didn't marinate the steak as long as they should have. Don't skip out on the hours, I could tell it in the taste. It was nit as juicy. I know you can do better.

Morgan Ross-Brown

My family & I received exceptional service from Luke & Chelsea. The customer service with a smile really made our time together as a family dining out very nice. So thanks guys & look forward to dining again if this is what awaits us.

Charles J. Brooks

Always a great deal... good food, good service, at a fair price.

Tonya Ward

My visit today was awful as far as the food goes. My party of 3 ordered 2 of the Blackened Chicken Pastas and The Chicken Finger Platter. The blacked chicken pasta was dry and nasty!! This visit received 4 stars based on the service we received by Anastasia who was our bartender and sever. SHE WAS GREAT! SHE WENT OUT OF HER WAY TO MAKE ME A SPICY BLOODY MARY AT MY REQUEST, SHE WAS COURTIOUS AND VERY ACCOMODATING TO US.

Mr. McD

Good atmosphere, however the food was nothing I'd come back for. Had the fish of the day which came overcooked with a baked potato. That's it, nothing else, no sauce or other vegetables. The tuna, since overcooked, was as dry as the potatoes. The server was young, inattentive and wasn't well trained. Having to asked repeatedly for the shame items and disappearing for long lengths of time. I dont know how it used to be, but for a meal over $30, I could find much better food, better service, and an overall better dining experience.

Jamie D

Great atmosphere. My sirloin was phenomenal. Another guest wanted prime rib...asked for medium rare only to be told that is not possible. So asked for Medium received WELL DONE. Even the 12 year old would not eat it. Another one was brought out to substitute it, but nothing else to make the experience better. Expected more considering the location and venue.

Lori Ritter

Food is good, atmosphere not so much. Extremely loud and tight seating areas. You can hear every little sound - dish, fork, conversation...but you can't hear server speak. Definitely not a relaxing environment.

John McRae

Fascinating place. Great service and food at fair prices. They give large servings. We have eaten there on an occasional basis for more than 20 years. Highly recommend. Will likely have to wait for table, so recommend calling for reservations. Located in an old building that was a train station in Columbia.

T. Collins

This is the best place for a salad! The honey drizzled croissants are so decadent I sometimes order one or a basket for dessert. I also love getting the prime rib steak here when I want more than a salad and especially when someone wants to split it with me! The prime rib comes with a salad and the salads comes with a croissant! Also, it's in an old train startin which makes the ambiance pretty cool. If you like to dress up occasionally, you could get dressy, but it's also not necessary. So you don't seem out of place either way, which is great. If you've never been here, I rescind you give it a try.

Mini Cruz

The service and food were awesome. I recommend it to everyone.

Rose Andrews

Great food. Good service for a big crowd of 17. Love the building.