California Grill Of The Pajaro Valley

Food = average, but better than most places in Watsonville.
Service = mediocre if you are under the age of 45… They forgot my bread, gave me dressing that had garlic in it (I have a garlic allergy), and gave me a well-​done steak when I ordered medium.

Love the food. Mostly eaten lunch here. Be prepared to wait for your food but it will be good.

I have eaten here a couple of times. The food not bad but not a lot I could eat, and the service was excellent. My issue is with the Manager Robin. We are a local group that signed up to visit once a week for a meeting and they charged us a reasonable fee for that room. That was done by another person that was very sweet and wanted the business of our group and who we brought in. Then Robin stepped in and messed it all up. She did not want us there and told us they were changing the rules and it would be a huge $$$ the LOCAL group could not afford and we had to leave. I told Robin that this could end the group since it was new and she understood but did not care. My bigger problem is the attitude of Robin and she did not care about the LOCAL group only about the money. The owners agreed with Robin. I will never go there again it will tell others about the way LOCAL business women were treated. I hope it was worth the bad review and my telling others my thoughts about this women and management. Be careful if you want to book a meeting or banquet there, if something better comes along she will tell you, you are out.

Good service. Huge portions. Good fresh bread and freshness all around. Nice interior. Good date place. Its a little more expensive but it makes up for it with the portion size.

Delicious food everything nice and fresh. The house salad and homemade soups were wonderful. We will be back

We finally tried dinner at California Grill after my neighbor insisted that it’s one of the best places in town. She’s totally right. Points for neighbor.
The food is classic American/​Californian served by attentive staff. Warm bread, reasonable wines, and FLAVORFUL dishes. We had the clam chowder, the eggplant parmesan, and salmon. Loved that the mains came with scalloped potatoes and veggies (that were not boiled or mushy!). Everything was perfectly salted/​flavored.
Food here is not adventurous. They know what they do well, and they just keep on doing it. I wouldn’t come here to try something trendy or exciting. Just go for a warm, comforting, wholesome meal.
The atmosphere is interesting – you see a different demographic (dare I say whiter and older?) than in most of Watsonville. The décor is homey and pleasant.
Only complaint was that it was sooo busy we got packed like sardines in a little corner table. Hashtag first world problems!
Dinner prices are a little higher than some comparables in Watsonville, but on point for Santa Cruz.

The newly remodeled and lovingly decorated California Grill of the Pajaro Valley is a culinary showcase of the best the delicious soil of the Pajaro Valley can provide. If you seek the finest farm to table experience, this is the place to go. The staff seem to love what they do, and the chefs are infinitely clever with the specials that change daily. This week we tucked into a generous, luscious and tender slab of prime rib, served over a sumptuous creamy but crusted mound of cheesy polenta, with magnificent al dente veggies on the side. My dining companion chose a stuffed pork chop topped with Gorgonzola. Some one tell me where you can buy almost two inch thick pork chops? I have only dined at the California Grill twice, but I’m a believer now, and I was pleasantly surprised at how budget friendly the experience was. Way to go! I’ll be back!

Ok
Found this place by accident. Didn’t expect much cuz… I arrived in the dark to Watsonville and it smells like fresh garlic, so I was thinking «great, Hicksville
Where’s the Waffle House?
So we walk in the the place smells so good, I can’t get to my table fast enough. Hunny and I order, eat the freshest bread we’ve had in months, and pick a bottle of unknown red from the wine list.
It smelled delish, but still, I was thinking nothing extraordinary.
WELL WELL WELL…
MY shrimp scampi dish was perrrrfect. The shrimp was rare like I love it. Tasty. Garlicky to perfection. Oh em gee. The pasta was tender. The veggies tasty. Yum.
Hunny ordered the meat ravioli. Wow!!! I’m not a big meat with pasta gal, but… whoa mama. That was da bommmmb. Uhm… there was nothing left to take a pic of.
Service is impeccable. Owner Dickinson ce by to check on us. Told us about his organic farm and how he provides organic veggies on a DAILY BASIS to this place which is Co owned by his daughter.
GOLDMINE!!! DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ELSE UNTIL YOU’VE TRIED THIS WATSONVILLE GEM!
WELL BE BACK.

Visited with 3 other friends when we ended up hungry in Watsonville after a fair. Food was fresh and delicious! If you like ranch dressing you must try their homemade recipe– it’s wonderful on the sweet potato fries! They provided my favorite combination of healthy and yummy.

Good food and very nice service. Fried steak and eggs plate for $ 15 also comes with large, fluffy pancake and hash browns or country potatoes. French toast plate seemed small but only cost $ 8 and was delicious. No crowd, so no wait on a late Saturday morning :)

This place is freaking amazing. A little on the pricey side but worth it for what you get! They just remodeled and the place looks great AND the food is really, really delicious! My partner and I went the other night for dinner and got the roast chicken and the scampi Fettuccini plus desserts. Let me just say, we will be back. Breakfast is the best value but dinner and lunch are amazing as well! We will definitely be back!

Had lunch for the first time at the California Grill in Watsonville and it surpassed expectations. I had the seared ahi salad. The tuna was perfectly seared rare and delicate, the salad greens were fresh and delicious locally grown and slightly unusual (watermelon radish). The sesame dressing was well balanced and plentiful. The server, Dustin, attentive and knowledgeable great service ! Highly recommended.

We come here once a week mostly for brunch and dinner. We always feel welcome with their outstanding customer service. I recommend ordering something from their lunch/​dinner menu: salads, burgers, or steak. They’re the best! Not to mention, the owner is usually there and he’s approachable and friendly to everyone; best in town!

Such a great meal. This restaurant fills the void of Loraine’s and all the old school Watsonville places. The food is so fresh, and delicious. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great & reasonably priced meal

This place is a must, if in Watsonville area you have to come eat at this restaurant. I will be differently be coming back here.

Let me start by saying that I really like their clam chowder…
This is a good restaurant. They have many salads, some if not all are organic which is very nice to know. I had their half soup and half sandwich when I went and it was a great deal. The food was really good. Service was great. Now I know where to get clam chowder in Watsonville.

Went there looking for a good breakfast in a short time as I had work in an hour. They sat and took our order quickly, however the food took over 45 min to get there so we had to take it to go, so don’t come here if you are in a rush. I thought it was a very nice sit down restaurant, it had a better vibe than expected based on the reviews. The «bomb burger» was amazing. It’s a messy burger to eat because the bread was too thin to support all the juicy goodness. They put a good amount of avocado and sauteed mushrooms and onions. Soooooo goood. My burger came with a roasted corn chowder that was so rich, warm and creamy, that I would go back there just to order that.
My boyfriend got the «Ranch omelet» and commented that it was better than he expected. However, the country style potatoes it came with were plain and old tasting.
Overall, I am surprised they can pull off making a lot of decent dishes with the variety they offer. Will definitely come back to try something else.

My family ate here again on 5÷4÷15. The California Grill has become the place our family members want to eat at for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions.
We tried a couple of new things. My husband had the Filet Mignon, and it literally melted in your mouth after 2 or 3 bites. His parents tried the Teriyaki Chicken and really liked it. They said the chicken was very tender as well.
I’ve seen some complaints about service, but we have only experienced good service at CG, we never even have to ask for a drink refill. We always seem to get the same server, which is odd since she says she doesn’t work every day. I wish I could remember her name so I could give her a thumbs up here. She’s very good at her job.

Everything here is so delicious!!! Had a great platter the other night… more than enough for 2 and leftovers

California Grill has that vintage charm that I haven’t seen in a while. Located at the corner of a large shopping plaza, parking is easily accessible.
My friend and I came here around 1:30PM and thankfully they were still serving breakfast!
I ordered the Spanish omelette with country potatoes and whole wheat toast. My friend ordered the California omelette. Both were $ 11.
Spanish omelette: a little bit on the greasy side because of all of the melted cheese on top but it was still delicious
Country potatoes: nothing special but compliment the omelette well!
California: Also slightly greasy because of all the cheese but delicious
Overall, there’s nothing spectacular about this place but I would recommend it if you’re in the area. It has classic diner food for an affordable price.