Califresh Bistro

This is really a good place. Nouvelle Mexican inspired food, great drinks (especially the strawberry jalapeño peppers margarita). Taste is excellent, service is always good!

Went here for a birthday dinner. Service was average but the waitress was very friendly. They forgot my youngest child’s order and he was forced to wait longer than everyone else. I had the chorizo and carnitas tacos which lacked flavor. My husband had the fajitas which he said were bland too.
Asked about happy hour specials and was told I needed to go to the bar. When I got to the bar they gave me the same drink menu we had at the table.
Mediocre at best. Won’t be back unless someone else is paying.

I got the calicarnitas with tostones and my cousin got the mojo steak fajitas with maduros. Both of us received uncooked veggies instead of grilled, which was disappointing. The meats were good tho. Honestly this place didn’t feel very authentic, I was hoping for a more Dominican/​Mexican feel.

Outstanding flavor and generous quantities. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We will definitely try the brunch.

My favorite place to eat! I’ve eaten there several times and the food, the wait staff & owner are amazing!

This place was great! The service was helpful and everything we had (breakfast nachos, french toast rolls, and a chicken wrap) were phenomenal. Huge quantities of food and very low prices!

Went for happy hour and enjoyed my $ 2 Dos Equis but there weren’t any Happy Hour food specials. The food was good, not great, but good and I liked the chips and dip/​edamame they brought out when we first arrived. Customer service was also great.

Service was very good but expected more Baja then the Mexican on the menu. There are a few dishes that come close but miss the mark. My husband is from San Diego so our expectations maybe too high

What a great new concept. I love Mexican food, but never go out to eat it, because it typically is just not healthy. Califresh offers a fantastic menu with healthy options, to include vegetarian choice.
The service is fast and friendly, and the food is fresh, and well prepared. Instead of the typical Mexican white sauce and salsa, complimentary blue corn chips, black bean dip, and a corn and edame salsa is offered. Both are fantastic!
The tastes are bold, unique, and memorable. There was a great brunch menu too.
Can’t wait to return to Califresh!

So glad this restaurant moved into the neighborhood! Great Latin-​inspired menu. I have had the shrimp tacos (the sauce that comes with it is so amazing), fajitas, shrimp and grits, mussels and all were fantastic. They have Mexican street corn!!! Plantains! My husband loves the goat barbacoa. They have flan and tres leches cake! The staff is super friendly and attentive. There is a sexy bar area as well. Kid friendly, too. My five year old actually requested our return trip tonight. If you are not afraid of a little spice, check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Went here with the family and will definitely be returning! As a group of four, we covered a lot of ground on the menu.
— Chips were served first with an edamame salsa which is not traditional for a mex place around here but it was such a delight! Following salsas included a tomato base and a salsa verde as well — both delicious.
— Entrees: Carnitas were tender and topped with grilled pineapple, which was absolutely delicious. Served with plantains (the best I’ve had in a long time!). Barbacoa was TO DIE FOR. This is the only place I’m familiar with in the VA Beach area that openly serves goat and it was so delicious! Sure, goat tends to be a little fattier than other meats but it was tender and flavorful. Served with a side of the most delicious cilantro lime infused rice. Chicken fajitas were pretty typical — how hard are those to mess up? Finally, also had an order of the cresh catch tacos which were Mahi topped with pineapple and a crema and cabbage slaw. Absolutely phenomenal. Best fish tacos I’ve ever had, hands down, and I’ve been to all the local favorites (like Flip Flop and Green Parrot).
— Drinks: $ 3 margaritas on the rocks. Delicious and well portioned for the price. What could possibly go wrong except too many!!! It was so nice to not have the frozen limarita garbage that college girls drink at other restaurants in town
–Ambiance: Very clean and very well lit, both unusual for this type of restaurant. So nice to be able to sit and have a conversation instead of fumbling in the dark for my chips!
Our waitress was a little burdensome, this was the only con. She came back and checked on us by the minute. Hoping for better staff next time but will definitely be coming back for more of this delicious cuisine. So nice to not be ordering Combo 18B from Plaza Azteca or Guadalajara.

I think I’ve been 4 times in the 2 months since Califresh Bistro moved into the location that previously housed Atlas Grill & Bar. The food’s good and the atmosphere’s casual without being boring, but the waitstaff steal the show. They’re totally engaged in what they’re doing and are passionate about both the food and the experience. We’ve been with our kids (our server patiently coached all of them through ordering in Spanish) and without (a round of specialty drinks on the house for no reason at all) and have enjoyed it equally. The nachos are delicious. The barbacoa (goat) is very tender with flavor quite similar to lamb. The chimichanga was ENORMOUS. I’m sure we”ll be back very soon.

My first comment on Unilocal after 3 years. Must say this place a must visit. The staff is great and the food was delicious. Great Caribbean/​Mex mix at this new location. Cali fresh nachos are a must have for an appetizer. The steak churrasco was delicious with a side of tostones. Overall great experience. Alejandro is an awesome waiter! Will come back here soon.

Fantastic! I was worried it was going to be another awful Mexican place. I was totally wrong. We had the guac and spring rolls for apps. Then we ordered tacos: fish, carnitas, carne asada & barbacoa (goat). All of them were fresh, served with sauces & lime and offered on either flour or corn tortillas. The fish were the best I have had in Virginia Beach and my husband from Cali agrees. Will definitely be returning since I was too full to have dessert. Everyone was very kind & attentive.

Unique Mexi-​Cali fuzion menu! The Barbacoa was so savory & tender & delicious! Great warm comfort food! Sweet plantains were perfectly caramelized! Chicken pineapple popsicles– savory & sweet goodness together on a stick! Carnita spring rolls?!! Who would’ve thought but delicious meaty crunchy little surprises! Fun drinks & exceptional, very professional & accommodating service from the bar & waitstaff.

They’ve been soft opening for three weeks and wow! Of course they’re still trying to work out the kinks, but the food and service is incredible. I went with a friend specifically to try something new, and there was no disappointment. There’s nothing like this in Virginia Beach. The food was fresh, the drinks were cold, and both were better than expected.
For the establishment itself, they get an A-​. The place is really pretty and the sectioned off bar area is NICE. The colors and aesthetics are fun but relaxing, modern but relevant. The minus comes from the bathroom. It’s clean and as a bathroom should be, but the handicap pull bar and toilet paper dispenser were literally coming off the wall. The water was nice and warm but the soap dispenser was difficult to get soap out of and also loose on the wall. Beside the bathroom issues, the general dining area was somewhere you felt you wanted to eat, the floors looked very cool, the ambiance was pleasant, and they clearly make sure everything stays clean.
The food… so many choices I want to try!!!
Instead of chips and salsa, you start with edamame — served chilled and seasoned. It was very good, especially with a blood orange margarita (I later switched to draft dos X Amber). For my appetizer I started with the ceviche, which thankfully for me, they are not shy about the spice (shrimp, Serrano pepper, onion, poblano pepper, blue corn chips). My friend had the pineapple chicken poppers that she says were fantastic, but the mole was a little too hot for her taste. A solid A for me.
For my entrée, a B+. I had the seared tuna with zucchini, ordered mid rare. It came well done… But it was somehow very tender and flavorful so I didn’t send it back. My friend got the carnitas with plantains. Now THAT looked fantastic! She agreed hers was an A+. It looked so much like traditional carnitas (grilled orange accompany) and maybe not like the carnitas you might’ve used to seeing in the area… I peaked at out neighbor’s meal that came before ours (also beautiful and smelled amazing) and had to take note of the Mexican street corn. Next time!!!
The deserts were limited but good. That’s a B. I ordered the tres leche and my friend ordered the orange flan. The tres leche came in a martini glass with walnut ice cream on top. It was good, but I would have preferred the ice cream on the side. The textures were just… different than I wanted… but still tasty. I don’t care much for flan, but judging by how it looked, I’d consider trying theirs. When we asked our waiter which one he liked, he said the pineapple upside down cake, hands down. So now we have something to try next time.
Our server was very attentive and patient, as we like to take out time. He helped us make out selections and was honest with his opinions. Three other servers also checked on us periodically to make sure we were happy. Everyone was so nice and helpful they get a solid A.
They say they’re replacing the computers tomorrow; apparently splitting and printing checks has been a challenge. Hopefully that’s an easy fix, so… a C.
I live on the other side of town, but it was with the drive. I left very happy and I’ll be back soon!

Definitely coming back to this restaurant, staff was very friendly. The food was simply amazing, it was very tasty and fresh. The atmosphere of the restaurant was great, I was very pleased with the service and the quality of the food.

I just moved here from the West Coast and I am impressed.
Start to finish an incredible dining experience– I didn’t want there to be a finish! There is a lot of heart that has gone into the place– I’m hoping it becomes a staple in the community!
Service was caring and quick!
Mexican fusion made this place great, but the updates they have made here from the previous restaurant are great.
If you are experiencing for the first time, the guac is outstanding! If that isn’t for you try the edamame or the salsa (just the right amount of heat)!
I went with two others, so we covered a lot of ground– menu wise.
We all started with a cocktail. I had the margarita, while the others enjoyed the blood orange margarita and something called a Tropical Beer. We were all very satisfied– the owner let us know that the cocktails were all top-​shelf.
I had the carne asada which was delicious! My sides were cilantro-​lime rice (light, fluffy buttery and FULL of flavor) and the friend plantains. I’ve never had plantains before and I was blown away. This dish also came with house-​made corn tortillas.
Other entrees at the table were shrimp and grits, side salad (smokey blue cheese dressing) and the short ribs with a side salad (tequila dressing)!
Needless to say every plate left empty.
We finished with the pineapple upside down cake to share and it was great! Came a la mode!
All in all this place is a MUST for the area. Really happy for something like this to be here– I will be telling everyone!

Worst dining experience I’ve ever had, hands down.
We walked in with a party of five; Me and my friend, and her two kids and baby in a carrier. Including us, there are probably 30 guests in the restaurant, across about 6 tables. The hostess, with an attitude, takes us to a conventional 4 top booth, suggesting we squeeze in. Politely we ask if there is any way we could sit at one of the larger booths (where one of the available eight was sat). She rolled her eyes, being sure we understood the inconvenience, and obliged. That was the first sign to leave but unfortunately we ignored it.
The waiter came up after a few minutes, did a great job explaining a few dishes and got our drink order. He was a little overly helpful, almost to the point of pushy at times, but I appreciated his «thoroughness» and finally just told him we’d need a few minutes.
Maybe a minute after he walked away, the hostess come back by, makes another food suggestion/​explanation in case he forgot to mention it. Then, she asks us to be quick ordering because it will probably take them a long time to prepare our food because they’re so new. What!?? I don’t think I’ve ever been rushed to order, but especially not 3 hours before a restaurant closes, when they’re at about 15% capacity (with 6 servers standing around talking by the kitchen the entire time — our server had 4 tables, and another waitress had the other 2), and ESPECIALLY not to accommodate your staff that is under prepared and of course will take the same amount of time to cook regardless of how fast I order. Warning two, but regrettably, we ignore it.
After the initial barrage of suggestions and visits to see if we were ready to order, the attention died down and we ended up sitting, waiting for a while, ready to order but our waiter was nowhere to be found now.
Eventually, K ordered a wedge salad for her meal (another regret I have is not taking pictures). It was a miserable head of iceburg, with a few black beans, some cheese sprinkled on top. Maybe I’m forgetting something I didn’t see, but the point is, it was a plate of iceberg. Suffice to say, she was disappointed.
At the same time she ordered, of course I ordered my meal. Holding the menu, I pointed to the taco bar menu and asked the waiter what the fresh catch was on the taco named «fresh catch» (He had just been sat his 4^th take at this point and had lost his original enthusiasm). He told me, and I ordered the chimmichanga and one of those. Very inconveniently there’s also an entrée named «fresh catch» and after my chimmichanga was brought out and put across the table from me in front of K who has lost her taste for the iceberg she’d been picking at for what feels like a eternity now, this delicious looking entrée I didn’t order was brought out and put down next to me (because I slid my meal back in front of myself and had begun eating by now). I explain to the waiter that I wanted the fish taco fresh catch. He then argued a little and went and got a menu and brought it back to show me what I ordered and I reenacted the whole scene and eventually saw the light come on in his head. He took the meal back and brought a fish taco out several minutes later. I’ve never been so thankful for a mediocre chimmichanga. The menu describes the taco as having cabbage as a topping, and indeed it did but it was reddish purple and tasted like it was pickled or something. After all that, I didn’t like it at all and didn’t even finish it.
Now the check. OF COURSE I’ve been charged for the entrée fresh catch instead of the $ 4 taco. We also needed the check split up. He credited back the difference between the taco and entrée, but when he split the check, he also split the credit. I caught it before I signed the tickets, and he said his manager could fix it. At this point K has the girls outside, I’m inside with the baby who has just woken up and is crying for a bottle, and it takes at the very least ten minutes of standing there with a screaming baby to only have him come back, tell me his manager couldn’t fix it and so I’d have to pay the higher charge, and that they would like to offer a card for a free appetizer for my next visit. There are no words for what I felt. But I didn’t say anything out of line. I tipped the waiter, went home and started this review.
There were a few strong points. The chips and edamame was good. When another waiter noticed the kids were getting restless after the long wait for their food and the complimentary chips had been gone a while, he brought another basket of chips with some queso.
This place could turn itself around I think, but I’m afraid they’re fighting a losing battle. While we were there I witnessed two other tables have problems. The food was decent, but not good enough to overcome the reputation they seem to be making for themselves. I have no desire to ever go back, even for just a free appetizer.

Simply AH-​MAZING!!! Fantastic menu [cool Mex-​fusion options], high quality/​fresh food and cocktails! It’s great to have a Mexican restaurant so close to our house! Great fish tacos & fresh guac, lots of cilantro, awesome salsa, spinach salad, shrimp & grits, chimichangas, and yummy ritas! We will be here often!