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. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Beautiful Westcoast Mural - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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So the service was great, bartender was alright, he put too much syrup in my margarita and it didn't mix well. The food was horrible! The cut of the lamb was 90% fat, they use wing sauce on the lamb chops, nothing original about it. The lamb was extremely chewy, not cooked at all like straight up bloody, and my fries were over seasoned. The chicken tenders were thighs and tasted like lemon pepper threw up on it in the worst way. Safe to say I will never eat here again. The ambiance was good though, music was entirely too loud. They need a new chef or cook in the back because the food was terrible. And they have the nerve to have signs up that says "no exchanges, no refunds..." basically no complaining and take what you get! If you want to go to a spot for the ambiance then this is where you want to go, but the food is read more

This really deserves a -000 star. Don't visit this place unless you are under the age of 22, like slow service, under seasoned food, and having to order and pay through the website. My first time here was my last. The waitresses are young. They get upset if you ask them where is your food and where are your drinks. The manager is unprofessional and very aggressive. We asked her to come to our table and she refused. We had to walk to her. Oh and the food is more expensive than Pappadeauxs for what you get. Don't waste your time if you a professional, looking for a good vibe, want good food, don't want to get robbed in the parking lot, or want good service. My $50 on an appetizer and two drinks could have been better spent. Black owned businesses do better. read more

I can't even rate how great this establishment is! This was my first time and EVERYTHING about it was amazing. Ashely (co-owner) is so personable! She felt like family! Every dished order was delicious!! I will definitely be returning read more

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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. read more

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I worked the chicken & waffles it came with chicken STRIPS and there was an up charge for chicken wings ‍‍. I did the up charge for the wings and instead of serving 3 to 4 wings they gave me 5 pieces with no flavor. My daughter ordered the BBQ wings they gave her 6 wing pieces the Mac & Cheese needed more flavor. I'm from New Orleans but live in California for years and this wasn't IT at ALL! I can see the vibe being good at night with the games and hookah but during the day when you just want food and at drink it's a NO for me. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - BBQ Wings Macaroni and Cheese - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Great food! Great atmosphere! Excellent service! Nice Saturday or Sunday brunch spot. Good music too! read more

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The service was excellent and the food was even better.i loved the vibes while waiting and they even had games on the outside.

It's my second time eating at this restaurant and I must say I love the CALI'S kitchen environment that it gives, the service was pleasing and I really enjoyed myself . The Music + the amazing fresh food, all great and the signature drink I loved is "The Marathon". I'll be back with friends for the wings and up and coming events ! read more

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Food and customer service is great. it's really a vibe and kid friendly in the day time. Customer service was top tie. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Steak and shrimp pineapple bowl was so good. i love watching the games here and the food is made per order. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Girl, just save your time. The wait alone was enough to leave (not packed at all) I ordered fried catfish bites took so long I had to immediately put it in a to go plate. Just to see when I got home the catfish still had ALL its skin on it!!! I can deal with a little but I'll just add a pic & you can tell for yourself read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

Omg what can I say, nothing a Cali Thing... This was one of the absolute best places I've been to in a while which amazing service, FOOD, and DRINKS.. I have Zero complaints. we had a young lady who was a new waitress but she was awesome, she tried very hard to get everything we needed. The manager was a lady and she was Awesome as well. she constantly came to check on us and had a wonderful attitude.. I've need had Hennessy Bourbon Wings and Jerk wings that were that good... The garlic Noodles OMG were delicious... And the fried Shrimp And the frozen Drink with the candy was the Bomb as well. No complaints here, Me and my family and friends will definitely be back.. And not to forget the atmosphere was the Bomb, great music, games and VIBES.... Don't walk there RUN ‍. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Place wasn't good at all!! they didn't have Coke, asked for Blue Cheese but they had it as an option on the menu.. food wasn't that great at all. Over priced as well. I didn't like the vibe at all. read more

Food is so delicious especially the deep fried salmon, Mac and cheese, and chicken strips. I plan on trying everything. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Deep fried salmon and it is so boys and juicy the best thing that I like with this is the mac and cheese or the french fries. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The service was so bad we didn't even stay to try the food. From the moment we walked in the hostess was rude and didn't seem like she wanted to deal with us. But what really put the nail in the coffin was when my male counterpart asked the male bartender if he could make a drink with tequila instead of their usual Hennessy/Vodka not only did he look annoyed he actually expressed how much he hated when people did that. His exact words were "let me see if she (the female bartender) could make you one cause I hate when ppl do that...." Then he tried to take it back by saying "not saying your guys but...." When I tell you I literally lost my appetite after this. My partner got a drink made from the female bartender who was really nice btw, thank you for that! As soon as he was done with his drink we left and found a more welcoming environment for dinner. read more

It was a disappointment. We were brought to our table and the server came by to get our drink order. We ordered three unsweetened teas. We were told that they did not serve tea, so we ordered sodas. The sodas had minimal ice and tasted over chlorinated. We asked for menus and were told we needed to scan a QR code. No problem....until it took 12 minutes for the link to open on an iphone 13. The menu is ambitious and the food was fairly good, but as ambitious as the menu is, the prices were even more ambitious. One problem was we were not checked on to see if we needed drink refills until we were almost done. There are multiple TV's around the building. The pictures were crisp and clear but all the TV's were on the same channel. All in all, I wish them luck, but things have to improve for long term success. read more

Ok service, food took a while to get to us, but once it did lol Wew baby it was banging. Atmosphere was great music was hitting. Again, you can come just for the food and be satisfied. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was terrible I didn't enjoy what I had and it was over priced. The service was okay we waited 10 mins for the waitress just to ask us what we wanted to drink. read more

This review is only talking about my recent experience. Over the weekend I had reservations in the afternoon for lunch for my daughter's birthday, we were both going excited to go from seeing the pics and the menu. When arrived about about 30 mins early I informed the hostess our reservation was at 1:30 we will be sitting out front. The music was good they were playing E40 and a couple other west coast rappers. I went back to the hostess at our reservation time at 130pm, the hostess said they are only serving drink and hookah and not serving food because something is wrong in the kitchen. My problem is that, since I told the hostess that were sitting up front, how soon did she know there was an issue with the kitchen and she could not come out and let us know sooner? After that several other folks left and all were talking about that they were excited to try the food. The level of customer service for the 30 mins I was there was not too great. The place looks cool and I definitely would like to try the food. I was rubbed the wrong way and it will probably be a while before I decide to go back. read more

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Great customer service drinks Are great food is amazing so many options and vegan options!

Came here on a Sunday night. Atmosphere is cool but the service is lacking. I ended up canceling one of my drinks because it took too long and was half frozen anyways. Food took an incredibly long time to come out and it was not busy at all....service just needs to improve. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

Waited over 45 minutes for a table. Then waited another 45 minutes for food. The placed wasn't pack so not sure why the long wait, they just opened so not sure if they're trying to work out their kinks or if they're understaffed. The chicken tinders and waffle was cold when I received it. The chicken was also overcooked & the food was very bland. The California scene was cool, especially for Photo Ops. On one side is a bar & hookah on the patio, on one side in a eating area. Each side has a different DJ. which gives you 2 different vibes. ok place to go if you just want hookah or drinks would not recommend the food. read more

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Omg what can I say, nothing a Cali Thing... This was one of the absolute best places I've been to in a while which amazing service, FOOD, and DRINKS.. I have Zero complaints. we had a young lady who was a new waitress but she was awesome, she tried very hard to get everything we needed. The manager was a lady and she was Awesome as well. she constantly came to check on us and had a wonderful attitude.. I've need had Hennessy Bourbon Wings and Jerk wings that were that good... The garlic Noodles OMG were delicious... And the fried Shrimp And the frozen Drink with the candy was the Bomb as well. No complaints here, Me and my family and friends will definitely be back.. And not to forget the atmosphere was the Bomb, great music, games and VIBES.... Don't walk there RUN ‍ read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - This frozen drink had candy in it - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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They only have 5 or 6 things on the Brunch Menu and they offer no other options until 4pm. So you would think those 5 things would be delicious cause they ain't doing much, but NO! I was like "what in the bland tasting like air kinda shiggidy is this!?!? Y'all wrong for that 2 Stars because my beer was good read more

Hookah business is slow but they take time to get your product. So I thought he made it special made., ain't no candy in the candy slushy drinks as advertised. Although we chose an outside set cushion seats are not with in boundaries," but hurt from them wood benches"! After ordering bill had to be paid because of prior people burning off. I had to pay before I got my food and that took a min hunny I'm hungry I'm still waiting now customer service is different they (Bianca and the manager) was polite and very friendly real talk I can cook better. When the owners/managers came to speak about my food the female manager didn't speak her name however was extremely helpful, the male manger just stared and took pics of they food. I Explain to her my lamb chops were over cooked, she listened and got on it m. Again the male manager never said anything just on his phone. The waitress Bianca, always apologized for anything that was wrong with our food she conducted great service. She had no control over the cook and how he or she cooks. There is something to be said about a restaurant who doesn't take there patrons seriously. When I voice a concern take it to them. I give the restaurant/food 2 stars service, our waitress, Bianca deserves a 5 stars!!!! OH Well, we tried it read more

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I came here 4x during my 1 week trip and I loved it!!! After work is chill and my honey lemon pepper wings were BOMB!!! Both bar tenders were AMAZING, Hope and Manny made sure I stayed hydrated. When I came on the weekend environment was fun, the music was live, and the hookah man Andrew picked an amazing flavor. Kionnie is thee best server, smiles and great suggestions read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food is made with love, always! The ambiance is super nice and they play California music. I also appreciate that it's a family friendly environment but also turns into adults only at night! Hookah is served and drinks are strong. They also have to go options! Walk ins and reservations are welcome. read more

Baby this is TRASH‼ Hell to the no no no. I'm in town for the weekend and trying out a few spots and this is the worst one for service and food, First of all the drink machine was down, so I ordered kool aid it was too too too sweet and nasty, how you mess up kool-aid then some of the menu items wasn't available. I ordered a flatbread pizza it was missing ingredients because they were out of peppers, The pizza turned out to be a box pizza that they just put extra toppings on and add more cheese, this was extremely nasty. I also order the fried rice with steak, this was horrendous. The rice was extra crunchy and dry with little to no seasoning, they had to have only soy sauce. The steak pieces were more like steak chips. They were extra crispy and dry as a bone. Then they make you pay first before your food comes (the nerve) They have a posted sign that say no refunds no substitutions. This is crazy. The food took almost 2 hours, ridiculous!!! But the club is nice if you only want to chill and smoke hookah you'll just be thirsty and hungry read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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 read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Liquid Marijuana and lemon drop 10/10 - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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They played all west coast slaps which I loved the nostalgia. I ordered the pineapple bowl and it was too acidity for me. My tongue was tingling which made me stop eating it. The ambience was great. Definitely picture worthy. I would say the need better customer service, interacting with their customers. I don't know if I'd go again but it was great to see the west coast being represented in the South. read more

Went to Cali restaurant and bar in Houston Texas, total party 5. They wanted paid for dinner before we ordered it. Waited on drinks, when they came they tasted good. Dinner came. Only 4 of the 5 meals made it, one was missing a few items. They refunded the item they didn't have. 2 parties did like like their meal. No one asked how dinner was. About $250 for dinner and one round of drinks. Left review about experience. Response was they heard my party was rude and they hoped I'd enjoy dining elsewhere better. If you are in Houston looking for a place to eat and plan on dropping $250 I would suggest search other options. read more

I had a great time at Cali Kitchen. The food was incredible, the service was quick and friendly, with nothing but great songs and a bunch of TV's to watch sports. Can't wait to go back! read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Went on a week day during the day so there wasn't a lot of people there (which I liked). They have games (uno, cards, connect four) to play so that was fun to do as we waited for our food. I had the salmon bites and they were SO good, plus the portion size was bigger than I expected. Only thing I wish is that the salmon bites came with a sauce. Overall I enjoyed it and will most likely be back. read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Salmon Bites - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was over priced and took forever to come out. The crab came out cold. This place is "a catfish" don't belief what you see on social media that is not how it really is when you get there read more

The food was great but the service was kinda bad. They took a while to wait the table but you know. Some times places have bad days maybe ‍ read more

Cali Kitchen and Bar - Pineapple Bowl - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Houston, Texas

The epitome of "we are our own worst enemy" I'm talking all the way at the top so much so that I feel sorry for the Servers as they're the ones that suffer because of piss poor management and ownership. Advice for Hosts, Hostesses and Servers don't chase money, chase "good management" read more

The service was fabulous the food was really good I'll be back when the drinks was fire I would recommend t go s place I'll be back

The food was so good and the customer service was amazing. Ask for Ashley when you come. You won't be disappointed! read more

Food was delicious! Service was Great! Definitely will return! Restroom was clean! Drinks was strong! read more

Meh. I wouldn't go back unless someone absolutely wanted to try it and I felt like throwing $$ away. Food was okay, nothing to rave about. Asked for sweet tea, and was told they don't have any tea, but they do have kool aid. . . . Should've known walking into a place with "Cali" on it. The main thing that frustrated my table and I were the prices. 12 wings for $22 is a bit outlandish. Especially when Wingstop and Pluckers are far cheaper. Waitress suggested a "Chef Special" Pineapple bowl...for $45...no thanks. I opted to try the wings and got Jerk and Mango Habanero sauce. Jerk seasoning was bland - Slap your mama has more heat, mango habanero was okay. Fries were bland. Its a 3 star BAR asking for 5 star prices. Black walls and floors make it feel like it used to be a strip club. Place had 6 employees standing around the entire time I was in a meeting, just seemed odd to see 4 people behind an empty bar on a Monday at noon. Like I said, food was okay, but I will not be going back unless someone else wants to pay. read more