California Grill - American,Novato

1531 S. Novato Blvd, Novato, CA 94947
(415) 893-1540
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 11am-8pm

Last Visited: January 20, 2011

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Owned and operated by the Steffen family, the California Grill is a nice local restaurant with an enclosed outdoor patio. Along with burgers and sandwiches, California Grill also serves an Asian chicken salad, Chinese chicken salad (lettuce and cabbage), iceberg wedge salad, hot turkey sandwich, chicken and rib combos, tri-tip steak, and a surf and turf combo. They also offer smaller portions for kids.

I've been to California Grill twice now. During hot weather, the enclosed patio area can become very warm and there isn't air-conditioning. Aside from that, it's a pleasant experience. It feels almost like you're at a friend's backyard barbecue in the patio area because of the plastic tables and chairs. The restroom is also accessed from the patio and there is a hand sink and water station outside too.

Upon entering the restaurant, you'll see the menus next to the entrance above the counter. The kitchen is open and you can hear the grilling and sizzling. After ordering and paying at the counter, you are given a buzzer that will go off when your order is ready. When the staff isn't busy, they'll bring the food to you.

- 1/3 lb Burger - A choice of ground chuck, turkey or a garden burger is offered. The patty is served on a toasted bun with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. You then have a choice of sides which I have listed below. I selected a ground chuck burger with french fries. The lighting in the photo is a little strange because of the plastic sheeting used to create the patio windows, but you can still see that the french fries are golden and they were crispy. In fact, I think the fries were even better than the juicy burger. Great! $7.95

- Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich - Tri-tip sliced thin is served with grilled onions, bell peppers and Mozzarella. All are served on a toasted roll and I selected sweet potato fries for the side dish. While the flavor of the sandwich was good, the bread was a little more thick than I would prefer. If I were to make this at home, I would have removed more of the inside of the bread and probably added mayonnaise so that it would be more moist. The sweet potato fries were okay, but I prefer their french fries. I would have liked a dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries since they're cut somewhat thin and therefore are more crispy and less meaty. Okay. $9.45

The choice of sides is pretty extensive. You can select from french fries, roasted red potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic fries, potato salad, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, coleslaw, side salad, baked beans, rice, fruit medley, and grilled veggies. I appreciated these options because you have a lot of options.

California Grill is a taste of good down home food that is reminiscent of your neighbor's barbecue. It's one of the places in my regular lunch rotation and I can count it to provide a good burger, fresh food, and decent portions.