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California Dreaming-Columbia
California Dreaming is located in Union Station, a historic train station in Columbia, SC.
The restaurant serves a mix of hearty American classics in a large family-friendly atmosphere. What sets them apart from the rest is that every dish is fresh and prepared from scratch daily, including notable favorites, like the California Dreaming Salad, Seafood Nachos and fall-off-the-bone Baby Back Ribs. Additional features: patio seating, online ordering with curbside pick-up and full-service catering.
Support California Dreaming-Columbia during COVID-19
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Soup + House Salad
Baked Potato Soup | Mixed greens, chopped eggs, tomatoes, toasted almonds, Hormel® ham and bacon. GF (She crab soup + $2)
16 reviews
Croissants (5)
Topped with honey-butter
9 reviews
She Crab Soup
A rich and creamy Charleston classic.
6 reviews
The waiter was amazing. Every time we looked up from conversation he was there. Very attentive!!! Loved the atmosphere and the food!! I will be come back again. We drove over an hour from Charlotte, NC to dine at the restaurant and so glad we did!!!
Ambiance was great; service was uneven but server was very kind . Food was good for other 2 party but mine was over cook . Order a 14 oz ribeye MR and it look like a 10 oz MW
Server was great I believe his name was Joshua
Very sad the prime rib is off the menue. Thats what we went there for. Itwas very loud. Seemed louder than before. May be due to people trying to hear withpeople wearing masks. May want to consider something for sound dampining.
Food took a long time to come out and had to wait almost 5 minutes for last dish to be served.
Great ambiance, delicious food, and fast service. Covid safe. Highly recommend!
so gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooodddddd
Took my girlfriend out for Valentine’s day to what i believed was a nice restaurant. Started off pretty well and the atmosphere was nice but this was where it started to go down hill. I ordered the cowboy steak and a few minutes later was told that all of the “nicer” steaks were sold out. I was fine with that as it was valentine’s day and they were busy so i ordered the rib-eye. My girlfriend and I ordered the barbecue chicken nachos and croissants as an appetizer and they were both pretty good. However, our main courses not so much. My steak (which was ordered medium) was chewy and dry. The fat in it was hard and had a horrible taste. The outside of the steak was over cooked as well and very bitter. The edges and bottoms of our plates had old food caked onto them that was easily scraped off. Our waiter was nice and was tipped well as it wasn’t his job to cook the food but overall the experience was not very good. For a $75 meal I expected better.
Was seated exactly at 6:30 which was our reservation time. Waiter was phenomenal and food was outstanding! Loved everything about it and will definitely be back!
We had 6:30 reservations and was not seated until 6:50pm. I ordered the fish special and it was not cooked but the waiter was very efficient and saw the issue and credited it on bill. Brother in law ordered a steak which was over-cooked and half fat. Major disappointment ....
The server was amazing and took care of us so well
We will definitely come back next year
Love California Dreaming!! Wonderful experience...
I definitely would return to try more dishes. The Baby back ribs were amazing and the House salad was delicious. Everyone loved the New York strip steak and the broccolini. Service was well-timed and friendly.
We had a wonderful lunch with Family. The food was great and the service was spectacular!!
Food was delicious and service was great!! Would highly recommend 10/10
Great service
The service was great. The food was great. We had a wonderful time. We'll go back.
We always have excellent food and excellent service here!
It seems like they have lost their touch or everyone must be new. I have been going to California Dreaming for over 20 years. There’s a level of service and food expectations that is to be had when dining at California Dreaming. The server was forgetful and not attentive and not knowledgeable of the menu. Mixed everyone’s order up and has no clue what the staple house dressing is. The steaks ordered had no seasoning and the mashed potatoes tasted like someone emptied a jar of garlic powder in them. I ordered the Salmon Salad and the 3 steak meals came out before my salad and I had to wait even longer and the salmon was dry because it sat on the counter in the kitchen to long. Overall extremely disappointed and hopefully the excuse is the server and kitchen staff are all fairly new and if I decide to go back it will be back to normal expectations met.
The food and service was wonderful . I had the nicest waitress ever. I would most definitely come back again
Our waiter Justin was great. He was very attenuative and helpful. Food was amazing! This was our first time every going. We will definitely be back for sure.
Valentines date with my wife. Always enjoyable.
We had a great time! Food came out quuckly and server was awesome!! We went for Valentine Day dinner, I was kind of hoping for coupons like ones given during Christmas!
Food was gas, waitress was weird, clapped cheeks after so 10/10 definitely worth it
I love California dreaming and enjoyed my meal but my wifes order was messed up and she wasnt happy so t coat a star otherwise usually always a good meal.
Great experience, great food and great people!!! Would definitely recommend to others.
This is hard to write as this is my favorite restaurant. I understand it was a Friday and Valentine’s weekend. Was seated at a high top in the bar area. Food was excellent as usual. Service was sub par . Either the girl was a bartender also covering tables or a waitress also helping behind the bar. Either way I received very poor service. Empty glasses and plates not cleared. Drinks not refilled . And it’s not that she wasn’t staying busy , it’s she was making drinks most of the time . My first thought was to pass on the table as this often happens in bar areas elsewhere but never had a bad experience at California Dreaming in Columbia or Charleston before .
Although I had reservations, I had to wait for 45 mins to be seated. But service was amazing so I was ultimately satisfied
The building is beautiful. The atmosphere was very noisy . The dressing the the Caesar salad was more than needed. There was absolutely no presentation on the main course. It was okay. Don't feel the need to rush back.
Great. Everything was on point
Always great service when you can predict what a customer will need before they ask!
This is a must go place.
The building is a restored train station and is wonderful inside and out.
Great food! Great wait staff!
Never have had a bad experience here.
great place to eat always great!! I wish I could go more often
Great food!!
No matter what location all experiences at this restaurant has been great!
Great service and meal. The waiter was attentive but not over bearing . So we tipped him well .I believe his name was Ray. -The Summers
Marinated sirloin is great but seems to better in the evening not sure why.
Had a wonderful late lunch and exceptional service.
Ordered the steak and shrimp. The steak was well and I ordered med. the manager did take it off the bill, I still didn’t have any steak.
In order to celebrate my daughter's birthday, I made a reservation for a group of six plus two additional guests. Upon arrival, the staff moved tables in order to accommodate our entire party of eight. We had a great meal and a great overall experience.
FAQs
You can order delivery directly from California Dreaming-Columbia using the Order Online button. California Dreaming-Columbia also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (803) 254-6767.
California Dreaming-Columbia is rated 4.4 stars by 460 OpenTable diners.
California Dreaming-Columbia does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://centraarchy.com/purchase-gift-cards/?restaurant=california-dreaming.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.