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California Dreaming | Columbia, SC - California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating, Columbia, SC

California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating

4.4 (2685)
$30 and under
American
401 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201-4147

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 162 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for groups
  • Lively
Located in downtown Columbia, SC, inside the historic 1902 Union Station, California Dreaming welcomes guests with its vibrant and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows offer a picturesque view of the rail tracks, stretching from the inactive platform to the main terminal. Paired with our hearty, made-from-scratch menu, it's no wonder California Dreaming has been a beloved local institution since 1984. Open for lunch and dinner daily, including online ordering with curbside pickup.

Celebrating 40 years, California Dreaming has been a valued part of the Columbia community. Union Station, its historic home, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

**We provide Advance Priority Seating to reduce wait times and expedite the seating process when your entire party arrives. To ensure the best experience for all guests, we seat groups of up to 8. While larger groups are seated separately, this arrangement is flexible during quieter hours.

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Columbia
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 2,685 people are saying

California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • South Carolina

    Most Booked

  • Columbia

    Best Value

  • Columbia

    Great for brunch

  • Columbia

    Good for groups

  • Columbia

    Hot spot

  • Columbia

    Romantic

  • Columbia

    Lively

  • Columbia

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
California Dreaming - Columbia offers a "beautiful and well-done" setting, making it a "great place" to dine. Guests consistently praise the "amazing" food and "excellent" service. The croissants and house salad are "must-try" items. While the atmosphere can be "a little noisy," the overall experience is "fantastic."

2,685 Reviews
  1. Jeff

    Tallahassee5 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was good. Appetizers were delicious. The main course was overcooked.

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  2. Brucetta

    Charlotte1 review

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had to wait even with a reservation due to USC graduation. However, it was not a long wait. The server and the ambiance were excellent. We had a beautiful Mother's Day brunch with mom. Thank you for the experience!!

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  3. Jacquie VIP

    New York City50 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our waitress was awesome. Very attentive. The food came out in a timely manner especially with it being graduation time and Mother’s day weekend. Everything was delicious and fresh. Hadn’t been here in awhile but will not wait this long next time.

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  4. Jessica

    Charleston2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very accommodating! They were able to update our party count and to move our reservation time without any hesitation! We dined here for a graduation celebration. We were early by about 20 minutes for our reservation and only had a minimal wait (less than 5 minutes) to get seated. Our waitress was a delight! Not only did she stay on top of any of our needs but she participated in our celebrations by congratulating our graduates and taking a group photo - even ensuring that the table was clean and neat so that the picture would be the best! Highly recommend!

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  5. Rodney

    Charleston2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Graduation lunch. Honestly we chose the venue for its location and availability. I had not been to the venerable renovated train station in decades; but we were all genuinely pleased with the setting, the food and the service. It was the perfect ending to a memorable day. I’ll be back and would definitely recommend

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  6. Tiphany VIP

    Coastal Georgia21 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    It was college graduation lunch and the hostess did an excellent job of shifting our reservation a bit to get our group in a little earlier. Our server did an outstanding job of taking care of our table on an extremely busy day. She was incredibly attentive, gave great recommendations, and never seemed rushed though she had a lot of tables! Food was good and served quickly.

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  7. Marie

    Charleston1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our server was amazing; we absolutely will be back!

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  8. Dan

    Baltimore1 review

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Did not honor our reservation- waited about 30 minutes. Service was spotty at best, very slow, waters glasses were empty, didn’t provide enough menus for the group (4), had to ask for silverware. Many great places in Columbia and this one did not measure up.

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  9. Matthew

    Charleston1 review

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Rick was an absolutely amazing server we watched him basically sprint around the restaurant to take care of multiple tables he did a fantastic job and met every need we had

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  10. kennedy

    Tallahassee1 review

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Hosting Staff was not very nice. Granted there was a ceremony down the street and they had multiple tables not cleaned but available, but I made a reservation and it took forever to get seated. The hosting staff were having a disagreement about where to seat us. Our waiter was amazing! I have been to this location and have not had an issue before.

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FAQs

California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (803) 254-6767.

California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating is rated 4.4 stars by 2685 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. South Carolina
  4. Columbia
  5. Columbia

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 162 times today
Google Map for California Dreaming - Columbia - Priority Seating

401 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201-4147

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Columbia
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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