California Roll Cafe

i used to think this place was great, but the manager ruins the entire experience for me. she has no interest in improving things, just rather saying whatever she needs to in order to get the customer out the door.
Sep 26th, 2014

Great sushi and the staff was so helpful. They were very accommodating.
Jul 23rd, 2014

Mar 16th, 2014

I had such high hopes for this place. We went on Wednesday and thought that the sushi was quite good. So good that we went back on Friday. I called at 445p to order the sushi and they told me that it would be ready in 20 minutes. We showed up at 530p and after about 10 minutes of waiting it became clear that our food was not going to be ready due to some sort of a mixup. Apparently, they had given our rolls to the customer in front of us and therefore had to start our order all over again. We finally were able to get all of our food by 625p. I was told by the manager that due to the inconvenience that we could get a free roll the next time. Are you kidding me? You order something for pickup and it is an hour late and that is what you were offered. I mentioned to her that this was not about the money considering that we had been there two nights before and spent $100 and this current order was in excess of $100. She stated that she didn't see what the problem was and mentioned that based on her three years in food service this was an appropriate compensation. Stunningly, she said that because the delay was a result of some of her newer employees who were still training, that it was not really her fault and that was to be expected. I even mentioned to her that this was a royal pain since we had four kids at home waiting for us to bring the food back, but this was of no interest. At one point, it was clear that tears were coming despite the fact that we were simply having a conversation, not raising our voices, etc. Later on, when I went back because our bags didn't have any chopsticks, sauces, etc., it was obvious that the tearful appearance was simply an act. She backpedaled and though she had told me earlier that it was only her third day on the job then changed her story that she had been here for about four weeks. She seemingly forced herself to get my contact information to give to the manager and of course four days after the events I have heard nothing. After the whole episode was over, I was talking about it with my friend who was there with me (who incidentally wanted to strangle this manager) and she suggested that the manager probably is completely responsible for everything that happened with this employee and was not able to do anything about it because it would look poorly on her. Be that as it may, this was a horrendous experience.
Aug 14th, 2014

Many moons ago, way back when this place was over on Arendell, it was the best sushi I think I had put into my face. I was worried that when they moved over the ATL beach side that things might change a bit. The first few times we visited, it was still the same.. top quality ingredients, put together in a way that respected the ingredients and was a real joy to see being brought out. The chef was adventurous in some flavor profiles, and it just worked so well. It was our go to spot. A number of the photos on this page were actually ones that I took, so I could brag to my friends about how incredible the sushi was at this little shop on the crystal coast.... ....and then we went this past week. Granted, things change when new management or ownership comes in, and we expected some of that... but the quality had just fallen so, so very far. The sushi roll menu was effectively cut in half. Replaced with ramen/etc. I get it, you have to sell the people what they'll buy.. or you don't stay open. I'm fine with a menu change. What upset me, though, was paying the same amount for the old style rolls, that used to have quality ingredients... for the new rolls with old rice, stale veggies, and fish with absolutely no flavor. It breaks my heart to write all this out, because California Roll used to be our absolute favorite spot. I'm seriously hoping that it was an off day or something, but for the price that we paid for grocery store quality sushi, I don't think we'll be back again. The kitchen staff was more interested in talking about who did what last night, with who, etc. I heard them actually asking what was on one of the rolls that we just ordered. How does that fly? With fewer rolls, fewer ingredients, and photos of how the rolls are supposed to look... and it's on the menu? The waitress was fine, prompt, kept us abreast of the rolls and when they were coming out.. and our glasses never were empty. That's the only saving grace that I can offer for this place. now. Focus less on your image, or making money on a slogan about "how we roll" and put your effort and time back into fresh ingredients... not $14 rolls with dried out tips of green onion, or some unknown filler in a spicy tuna crunch roll. Was that bacon? I'm not even sure what we had.
Jan 9th, 2014