Waterfront Cafe

At lunchtime there can be a wait. Service cashier is always super friendly. Some food is really good (earth bowl!!), Other food is just ok. I personally don't get the burgers but burritos and nachos are decent. Ambiance - it's casual and very busy at lunchtime. Reasonable prices too.

This place is complete trash the menu is trash the food has no flavor. On a high note their prices are not that bad so I guess you get what you pay for.

If you're the gambling type, this is the place for you. Like a Tahoe casino, it's located in a fancy building with a beautiful view. However, it is usually a bad day at the 'craps' table.Don't let the menu fool you. Most of the entrees lack flavor and are greasy. The earth bowl is an example. The 2 out of 3 times I've ordered it (with chicken), the cardboard clamshell it was in was soaked with cooking oil I assume was used to cook the chicken. Gross and no flavor. Looking for some spice in my life, one day I got the chicken curry. I'm not sure what kind of spice it was, but I didn't detect curry. Maybe there's a curry ration I'm not aware of.Trying to keep an open mind that maybe there were chefs in training on the aforementioned days, I tried the vegetable lasagna. It looked more like a cannelloni with alfredo, but what the heck. I could not believe they were fully stuffed with straight up parmesan cheese! I mean I like parm, but not in that quantity. Holy cow!Let's talk breakfast. Please stay away from the premade sandwiches/burritos in the warmer unless you're looking for a moving experience. I don't know if it's powdered eggs or they aren't kept at the right temp, either way, this is not how you want to start your day. I ordered biscuits and gravy with chicken sausage. What I got was biscuits, runny gravy and cut up hot dogs that I wouldn't feed to my dog. Super duper gross!You'll probably be safe if you stick to simple menu items like burgers, grilled cheese, and cold sandwiches. Be prepared to pay just under $10 for lunch and around $6-7 for breakfast.It wasn't always this bad. A couple years ago management changed and the quality has been declining ever since. It's a real bummer.

Straight to this point... Building is great. Location sucks. Food is average-It'll look good and smell good, but the food is ALWAYS plain! It gets crowded during lunch of course since there's like over 10 floors. Price of food will average around $6 and when you add everything up... it'll be close to $8-$10 just for lunch. Although, their turkey burger is the best out of anything that's on the daily menu. Good thing they have seats outside because it does get crowded when there's a board meeting or something. Building is really an eco-friendly place and people get amazed at the "glass building." Suggestion: Some people just want fast and easy food... Not a "tier 2" level food.

This place is pretty good, and it is the best option in this part of town (That isn't saying much though). They have a wide range of items throughout the day.There is a full grill for breakfast, and they regularly have specials such as buckwheat pancakes, and of course omelets, eggs any style, bacon, sausage, etc. There is cereal, baked goods, yogurt, and the Peet's Coffee.Lunch is where its at though. Going down the line, you first have a selection of sandwiches with the option of Panini-style, assorted pizzas and calzones of the day, a carvery station, serving stuff like pork with mashed potatoes and broccoli, and there is usually one more "special of the day" offering. Last and most important of all is the grill. This part has a menu, but they pretty much have anything you would ever want grilled. Burgers (beef, turkey, and veggie), sandwiches and melts, fries, onion rings, they basically have all you could want from a state building. They have several refrigerators full of sodas, juices, smoothies, energy drinks, along with a soda fountain as well.The prices are rather decent, at least cheaper than at a comparable, non state run cafe. For example, their soup is priced at $1.99 for a small and $2.99 for a large. Le Bonne charges $4 and that seems to be about the average.

It's more of a spot for people that work in the building. Food was great. Service was not all there. Would not come back. Would try something else. We had breakfast there.

Place always has great deals on great high quality food! I must say service is friendly!UPDATE:Prices are going to be up a little bit Jan. 3 2011 because of the economy.

Waterfront Cafe is an amazing cafe that serves the fancy CalSTRS building of about 1000! I should know, I work in the building.The staff. We've had the same staff here for quite a long time and they are all really great and take good care of us! Miguel is the head cook on the grill and he consistently puts out quality food and remembers your usual order :) ***Important *** In the morning, be sure to ask for some of Miguel's green salsa to go with your breakfast. It is the BEST.THING.EVER. It's spicy and creamy and flavorful. The spice depends on how long its been sitting so be warned it can get hot. Oh lord its good. The food.The food is good! Considering my spouse has to eat burgers that are steam-cooked by ex-cons, this food is absolutely amazing for our little cafe! There is always something new and culturally diverse and you can tell they are constantly trying to take their product to the next level. I've had Indian food, tri-tip (they BBQ every Friday in the summer), delicious mashed potatoes, authentic Mexican food (huge baby-seal-sized burritos), Greek food, classic American diner stuff (think chicken fried steak, fried chicken, pasta, etc), awesome salads, and many different soups/stews such as pork pozole, albondigas, seafood gumbo, ginger butternut, and there is a veggie/vegan soup selection daily as well as salad bar. I'm telling you - the food is good. As with any restaurant you might get a dish you don't like once and a while but overall it is delicious. Oh and the coffee in the morning is wonderful! They serve tea, espresso drinks, and drip with your choice of free trade, decaf, house, and French roast.The money.The prices are reasonable for most items and definitely not more than a comparable restaurant. Their carvery specials are usually $6-7 but they give you a full serving - more than you can finish and still be able to function at work! Also, you can generally ask for half orders or for a single item (like just potatoes or just veggies) from the carvery selection. And the grill is always a good option but it gets very busy at lunch and the cafe space is super small. They also have good smaller choices like the soup and tiny pre-made sandwiches that are under $3. The bad.The worst part of our cafe is probably the size. Whoever designed the cafe was obviously tasked to do so as an afterthought. The cafe space is so small and the different food stations are really tight so people never know where to go to get the food they want and a "line" forms which half the people ignore. Ugh! Just get there between 11:25 - 11:45 or after 12:45 and you should be okay :)Thanks to the Waterfront Cafe staff for making it so good!

This is a review for the Waterfront Cafe located in the new CalSTRS building in West Sacramento. If you try to find the address; you will have a difficult time since the street was renamed for CalSTRS. The building is located off 3rd Street between E and F Streets. You can't miss the building since it is the tallest structure (18 stories or so) in West Sac and a block North of the Ziggarat building (the pyramid shaped building).This brand new cafe (breakfast and lunch / Mon-Fri) opened just a couple of weeks ago and is open to the public so check it out! The food is really good and we have eaten there every day so far. This cafe looks a little small for the building size and does not look to have a big variety of selections but look again. Inside is a Peet's Coffee; a couple of sandwich selections; salad bar; hot grill for hamburgers, etc; hot food and sometimes the pizza bar not including desserts; fruits; snacks and a variety of drinks.I am kind of picky and have always found something that I like. The food and service has been excellent while the prices are fair. The quantity has been adequate for me and I like food (who doesn't?). So, here are the ratings:Cleanliness: AFood Taste: B+Quantity: A-Selection: BPrice: AService: AWhat else? Grill closes at 1:30pm. Any of the items can be eaten there or taken to go in containers. I eat there since it is my place of employment (except for 2 - 3 days per month; thanks Arnold). The plates are nice heavy ceramic along with nice / real utensils. Plastic utensils are available for the take out. Watch out for the food trays; they are nice but have dangerously slippery surface and your plate / drinks can slide off and crash to the floor. Grab a drink, chips, dessert and head for the cashier and eat in the dining room or outside on the patio facing the Sacramento River. Condiments, utensils and napkins are available right after the cashiers.Don't forget to bring your tray / plates to the conveyor belt (left of the cafe) so they can be washed.Parking - there is some lot and street parking for visitors. If you park in the lot; you may need to get your ticket validated (check with a security guard).To get to the cafe; enter the building and go immediately right and towards the back on the first floor. Check out the food selections of the day; get in the appropriate line; pay and chow down!Check it out! Thanks CalSTRS for the great cafe!

Consistent quality, fast service, low prices. It really doesn't get better than this.