California Dreaming Restaurant

I visited California Dreaming in the early afternoon for lunch with my lovely wife. The location on the water is beautiful. There’s nothing like eating good food and having a few cocktails while the boats cruise into the harbor. There is a wide variety of food on the menu. This is not bar food. They have steak, salmon, pasta dishes and a fair share of appetizers to choose from. They do have an assortment of burgers too if you want to play it safe. The staff was courteous and attentive to your order. That goes along way. Is it pricey? You get what you pay for. It’s a nice place. Try it for yourself.
5 7 years ago (21-05-2018)

Love it, Love it, LOVE IT. It helps to make a reservation. Ours was at 4:00 pm, when we got there in Charleston, the lady said it would be about 15 minutes before seating, we waited less than 8 minutes before they called us. The place is huge and was packed but we got a table that looked out over the harbor with the city in the background. After getting our menu and looking it over it seem forever before someone came. This nice and friendly waitress who was serving another table notice us sitting there waiting, she came over asked us have we been taken care of, we said no so she said she was so sorry about that and added us to her group of tables. (Guess the other waitress forgot us), She took our orders and came over a lot to check on us and made sure we were enjoying the meals and drinks. She didn't have to do it but she did. We really enjoyed ourselves and plan on going back there again soon. Even though we were not on her list of tables to serve, we gave our waitress a very, very, good tip. I hope the next time we go back we get her. Oh THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT. Go enjoy
5 7 years ago (28-05-2018)

Spent about an hour and a half in this restaurant and paid $90 for a family of 4 which is reasonable. But the food was mediocre and our waitress wasn't very attentive. Appetizer came out in a decent time frame, but we did not receive our salads until AFTER our entrees came. The waitress apologized stated that the kitchen was back up due to a party that they had in the building. Also the 2 kids meals that we ordered for our children came out about 20 minutes before my husband's and I food came out which was ridiculous. My husband's steak was completely burnt and dry and the waitress said it was because they always "double char" their steaks. But she got his steak recooked and the 2nd one came out better. On top of everything else they sat us at a table underneath a air vent that repeatedly dripped water onto the both of us. When we notified our waitress she simply said, "yeah that's just our air vent, you might want to scoot your chairs over a little" and walked away. We still left her a 20% tip even though she obviously never notified a manager of the issues we were having, in fact I never even saw one the entire time we were there. I am a restaurant manager myself and have been for many years and that would never slide in my business. Overall it wasn't a great experience and my husband and I will not be returning.
2 7 years ago (28-05-2018)

I would give California Dreaming four and a half Stars if I could. Always a crowded place when we go. That's because the food and the ambiance is extremely good. You get a great view of the water, and the croissants with the honey butter are a must have when you go. The wait staff is very friendly and they definitely have to hustle as this place is always crowded. The locals go for everything from prom events to the scenic views to take pictures for weddings. It's really that nice of a place. Definitely put this on your must do if you are in the Charleston, South Carolina area.
4 7 years ago (22-04-2018)

Definitely a favorite of ours! It sets on the waterfront with beautiful views! Inside is an especially romantic setting. The also have an outside bar and charming tables that you simply grab when one opens up. We enjoyed that on a lovely warm afternoon with our dogs. I would recommend calling ahead for a reservation for the inside seating. Their food is fabulously delicious! Don't leave without having their bread pudding for dessert, even if you think you're not a bread pudding fan, because you will be after eating theirs! And don t forget to grab a bag of their croissants. Both items are the absolute best that I've ever Had! And I have to rate their wait staff as good as it gets!
5 7 years ago (24-03-2018)