Cali Kitchen & Bar

As a native Californian who is proud of these business owners for opening up such a beautiful restaurant, I wanted to give Cali Kitchen & Bar a higher rating, I really did... But I've visited twice and I simply can't go higher than a 3 right now. Allow me to explain why:FOOD: Decent, unhealthy eats that are good cheat meals and great for hanging with friends. I don't even remember what I ordered the first time but I remember it wasn't bad just not amazing. Yesterday I got the garlic noodles with shrimp and crab for like $40 and unfortunately they tasted like straight teriyaki sauce. A highlight is that they have koolaid on the menu which I for sure remember loving but they were out of that yesterday so i had to settle for ordering a $6 lemonade. The lemonade was not good. I ordered a peach/strawberry lemonade based off the photos I saw on the self-serve kiosk only to be given a cup with like red syrup mixed in. The photos had actual fruit in the lemonade and I was told while my drink was being given to me that they didn't have peach flavor. I wish i had just saved my $6 for a smoothie elsewhere because the lemonade had no signs of real fruit being used anywhere in the process. DRINKS: Alcoholic drinks are cool from what i remember. They usually have more than one frozen drink flavor in the machine, yesterday it was just one. They put yummy candy in some of their signature drinks and I love that. AMBIENCE: This place is ideal for going out and having drinks/ vibing with friends. The music is good, they have games and even hookah if you're into that. SERVICE: The first time i came, we had a waitress and food came in a timely manner. Only thing that sucked was people being able to smoke hookah right next to our food. Now yesterday, my friends chose to sit in the "self-serve" section so they wouldn't have to wait for a table. This section is where you get your food after paying for it on a kiosk. This would be cool if servers checked on you at least once or twice while you're eating but they do not. You have to get up and order your own drinks at the bar, go get your own to-go boxes, etc. It's really self-service but I still tipped so I wasn't a fan of having to get up so much. The staff I communicated with was really nice though. The last thing I'll say is that the restaurant clearly invested in a California aesthetic and it deserves to be busier than it's been both times I've visited. I think the location (not near much else entertainment) is the issue but it's really not super far so I wish more people made the trip. That way, they'd be able to have servers working in sections and have folks turning up as I'm sure the owners intended. Would I visit again? Yes but only if friends invited me. It wouldn't be at the top of my mind especially since I feel like I wasted $50 yesterday.

This place is right up my alley! Cali Alley. The food is amazing!! Awesome soul food that's so hard to find, incredible vibrant atmosphere with West Coast music to move your hips too all night. Incredible waitresses that are so polite and attentive. Great drinks, what more can you ask for. I've tried so many things as I've been here a few times and since it reminds me of my Cali home, I decided to have my birthday party here. Everything was easy, flowed great, everyone had a great time! You can bring your own cake. They play birthday songs for you and flash happy birthday on the TV screens. They add a firework to your cake for extra fun! Loaded potatoes with grilled salmon excellentLoaded potatoes with chicken - all the seasoning you've ever wanted!Fried salmon!! Yessss, give .e more pleaseCrab legs, YES pleaseFried shrimp okayyy!!You can't go wrong for a great time in this place. Please help our local private owned businesses stay alive by supporting anytime you can. We need this one to stay around.

We stopped in on a Tuesday night to check it out. I'm originally from Cali so our H-Town friends were excited to have us try this place. It's a cool place but there is a lot of room for improvement. First it's extremely loud. It was R&B night, the singers were good but it was so loud you couldn't hear yourself think let alone have a conversation with anyone. One of the biggest draw backs is the fact that you order and pay and are asked to tip before you get your food. The food left a lot to be desired and in my opinion is over priced. The fried rice pictured is $15 and you pay an extra $7 for meat. $22 for fried rice is insane! The food wasn't flavorful at all. The descriptions of the food don't match what you actually get. As a native Californian I'm disappointed that this is the H-town representation of my home state.

First time out in Houston from Inglewood, CA. Loved the vibe here. Food and drinks were great. Service was great. Music was on point. The owner was real koo and personable with us. I'll definitely be back next time i visit H Town

Second time coming here. This review is from the recent second time.The staff just seems like they don't wanna be there lol. Our waitress wasn't helpful AT ALL. Asked her questions about the menu and she just shrugged her shoulders. Ok girl. Got the crab and shrimp garlic noodles. I was kinda upset that the crabs wasn't just crab meat, it was actually clusters of crab. Overall, it was ok. The ambiance was cool. We was looking to watch the game which they have a lot of tvs. Only downside is, is that they play music while the game is on. I prefer the TV commentary. Parking is plenty. You don't have to worry about having to pay to park.

I made a 2pm reservation online. When I entered, I expected a wait. Fortunately, we were greeted by one of the owners who informed me that large parties were in the way but she'd seat us now to avoid the rush. The great service continued from our waitress. She was sweet and recommended these Hennessy Bourbon wings that were freaking amazing! To say the food was good is an understatement! We ordered "The Shaw" which was a platter of wings, shrimp, and fries. Really good food! The shrimp reminded me of back home. (Louisiana folks love seasoned seafood.) IYKYKThe ambiance was definitely a vibe! Very laid back and comfortable enough to enjoy the game! They are still in the soft opening phase which any real business owner knows is a time period of training, trials, and errors. But, what I witnessed today was attentive management and servers. The food was a little wait but EVERYTHING was hot and fresh! I don't mind waiting for good food. The drinks were also amazing! Price wise: it's typical Houston brunch prices but if you aren't cooking at home, you already know what time it is. Food: 5/5Drinks: 5/5Service: 5/5

Came here on a girls night out. We had a good time. The vibes where nice and the service was good as well. I tried a few different menu options and I'll let you know my favs in the pics. The place is huge and can accommodate parties of all sizes. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It's decked out in Cali decor which I love! The bucket drinks are a must! They have plenty of parking on site as well.

thee best in every way possible wnd now they have crawfish!!!!! drinks specials hookah live music karaoke patio vibessssss mannnn the while experience meet my expectations and more wnd i will be coming back

Food- Good! Mac and cheese with Cajun seasoning chicken... the Wings as well Drinks- I don't get the specialty drinks but my Go-To Green Tea shots are the TRUTH! Good vibes & service is on point! Events are on random nights; art shows, local music artist & plenty of vendors I like it! Go meet Naudia at the bar

It took 45 minutes just to get chicken wings. Not a good look at all. Service needs a lot of work!