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Located in a gorgeous building near the heart of downtown Columbia, California Dreaming Restaurant is a long time favorite due to the charm of its historic locale, its reasonable prices, its crowd pleasing menu, and all around solid quality of food and service.
I popped in recently for lunch and a few drinks. This review of California Dreaming is primarily based on that visit but also on other meals here over the years.
So, read on for my full and honest thoughts on California Dreaming Restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina, including why I think it might be a tad overrated but still a worthy choice for just about any occasion.
Why California Dreaming Restaurant?
California Dreaming is one of Columbia’s more popular and well known restaurants.
I think there’s very good reason for that.
However, if I’m being honest, I think rating it as one of Columbia, SC’s best restaurants is a tad overblown and tends to make me consider it a bit overrated.
Yes, it’s a neat locale, yes, the food’s good, and yes, there’s good service.
It’s the kind of place that works well for a date, for going with your parents when they visit if you’re a USC student, for going for a family dinner, and just about anything in between.
There are places in Columbia with better food, more creative menus, larger menus, and more upscale locales.
However, this is a favorite for good reason, and it’s well worth the visit for a nice sit down meal that won’t break the bank, especially compared to so many of the other pricier options nearby nowadays.
California Dreaming’s Historic Union Station
California Dreaming Restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina is built inside the historic Union Station, constructed in 1902 and on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to this write up on the building’s history, the architect designed the building to be “artistic as well as durable.”
Given it’s now well over 100 years old and is a very pretty building, that description seems apt.
It’s an impressive and, frankly, charming, massive stone building.
I think part of what makes it stand out is that there’s pretty much nothing historic or even historic looking right around it. There’s Green’s Beverages next door, USC campus buildings and housing, and an, honestly, kind of ugly overall area around it.
Still, the building stands out even compared to the other historic buildings in downtown Columbia.
Blue Marlin, located in another historic but less architecturally impressive train station, has a lot more interesting surrounding buildings, for example.
The beige stone, towering chimneys at each end, and triangular roof is pretty much unlike anything else left standing in Columbia, and, at least in my opinion, much prettier than the rectangular brick mills that make up so much of Columbia’s remaining downtown historic buildings.
Inside, the locale is charming with the right mix of historic and modern.
The building was added to the National Register in 1973, in part due to an effort to preserve it amid fears it might be purchased and torn down. The application to be added to the register argued it should be preserved for its unique design as well as to serve as a reminder of a time when train travel was so essential to the country.
The brass railings and historic lamps remind you this was once a bustling train station. Meanwhile, the wooden decor makes it welcoming for all and gives it a classy and elegant but unpretentious vibe.
As a bit of an aside, I also always kind of appreciate the dark colors of the tile in the restrooms here because it’s so different from anything else.
It ultimately was preserved, and California Dreaming opened in 1984, making this one of the Columbia area’s longest running local favorites.
There’s plenty of space with several dining areas, and the tables and booths all look nice and remind you that you’re in an historic building.
Historic photographs of the station, railroad, and maps of historic Columbia are nice touches to the interior decor too!
California Dreaming Columbia, SC Menu
One thing I do appreciate about California Dreaming’s menu is that it’s modest and fits on one page but offers enough variety to make it crowd pleasing.
It has most of your standard fare: burgers, a few sandwiches, ribs, and some great looking salads. There are also southern fried seafood platters and several nice entrees like a salmon, cheese covered chicken, a couple pasta dishes, and several cuts of steak.
There’s even tacos!
That means there is something for pretty much everyone on the menu at California Dreaming without overwhelming you with options either. To be honest, I kind of like that. It’s easier to make a choice, and I’d hazard to say not having such a large menu is why everything here just seems tried and tested and good.
Check out the full California Dreaming Columbia, SC menu here.
My Experience at California Dreaming
This review is based primarily on a recent visit when I stopped in here for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon in June.
However, we’ve been here for dinner or lunch with friends and family, including with our young child. So, I’ll try to sprinkle in bits and pieces of reflections on those visits as I go through this review as well.
I chose to sit at the bar since I was flying solo for this lunch, but there’s plenty of dining space, including booths, flat tops, high tops, and larger family sized tables and booths too.
As noted above, this is family and kid friendly but also date friendly.
I had never sat at the bar before this visit, and I thought it was a pretty solid bar. There were two large TVs, perfect since the World Cup was on, and the bar itself is really pretty.
What I Drank and Ate
Speaking of the bar, I did have a few adult beverages along with my lunch. Let’s talk about what I ordered from California Dreaming’s menu to eat and drink in the following sections.
Drinks
I started with a Smoky Peach cocktail.
I’m not usually a big peach fan, but this sounded refreshing after being out in that SC summer heat, and it hit the spot pretty well. The mezcal added a nice smokiness, and the peach was subtle.
It honestly tasted more like a mezcal based margarita with a hint of peach than a peach based cocktail, but that worked just about perfect for my tastes, and it was well balanced.
It was pretty too!
I had a beer with my food after it came out. They have a solid tap selection, including some classic domestic options as well as some craft beers. I opted for a Sierra Nevada.
For dessert, I had an Old Fashioned.
I prefer an Old Fashioned that’s very whiskey forward with just a splash of mix, and it was a bit more balanced than I might have preferred. However, it was also not one of those Old Fashioneds that’s more like a mixed drink like some places make them. So, I can’t complain too much, and I did enjoy it.
Overall, I thought their drink selection was pretty good, and you can see it if you click on the link above to the menu and look for the drinks tab.
I didn’t notice any bartender crafted special drinks beyond what’s on that menu, but there’s several pretty good sounding cocktails that cover all your classic styles with a few creative touches.
The bartender did tell me they can pretty much put just about anything together you wan too.
There is also a pretty decent whiskey selection, and I was pleased with their tap selections too.
Food
I debated between a burger and the chicken tenders, and ultimately opted for the chicken tenders.
One thing I do appreciate about California Dreaming’s menu is most everything on it is pretty reasonably priced, especially relatively speaking to most decent sit down places in downtown Columbia these days.
Most menu items are under $20 bucks, there are options under $15, and even the fancier entree options, including steaks, are pretty reasonable.
The chicken tenders are actually one of the more expensive options that isn’t a traditional entree. However, it’s a really big portion.
Honestly, it was great for a late lunch where I knew I probably wouldn’t each much dinner. I’d consider it a pretty big and filling meal.
I really enjoyed them too!
They certainly looked to be hand battered in house, and they are battered almost more like a classic English fish and chips with a thin layer of crunchy batter rather than the heavier breading you find on chicken tenders at most places.
The house made honey BBQ sauce was also terrific, and was almost more a tangy honey mustard with BBQ than a sweet BBQ. So, I appreciated and enjoyed these a bit more than your average chicken tenders plate.
I’ve had their seafood platter here before too, and while, perhaps not that surprisingly as it’s so often the case, it’s not a huge portion, but it’s fairly reasonably priced for a seafood platter. I definitely enjoyed it too.
The seafood nachos are also pretty tasty as are the BBQ nachos. I’d be curious to try the tacos as they all sound really good and they are a bit outside what you’d expect on this menu.
I appreciate that they have She Crab Soup on the menu, a SC favorite, and I’ve heard good things about it. I also really enjoyed the Knob Hill Chicken before.
Service
I thought service was great. My bartenders were attentive and nice.
Every time we’ve been here we’ve felt like we’ve had really good service, even when it’s a packed house, which it wasn’t on this lazy Sunday afternoon with USC out of session.
Still, you shouldn’t worry about coming in here on a more crowded day, which is often the case around USC games and events like Parents’ Weekend or the State Fair.
Ready to Visit California Dreaming in Columbia?
In conclusion, my honest thoughts is this might be overrated if you describe it as “one of the best restaurants in Columbia.”
However characterizing it as “one of the most popular restaurants in Columbia for good reason” feels pretty apt.
Service is good, food is good, prices are reasonable, and it’s a good fit for just about any occasion.
I personally wouldn’t wait 2 hours for a table when it’s crowded, but I’d definitely put it on the shortlist for an all around solid place for a family meal, after church lunch, first date, meal during a visit to USC, or even popping in for lunch if you happen to be around campus or in downtown Columbia.
I definitely don’t think you’ll be disappointed and that you’ll leave pleased, just as I did!
If you want to learn more about California Dreaming Restaurant in Columbia, SC, you can check out their website, see their menu, check their Facebook page, or check their Instagram.
Have you been to California Dreaming?
If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments and what you loved (or didn’t) about it.
If you’re planning a visit, I hope this review helped you make up your mind and that you do enjoy it if you go!
Cheers and Happy Exploring!