Review California Dreaming - Durban

We were a part of a group of around 42 people. Great location on the seafront at South Beach. Delicious food from the variety of breakfasts, burgers and wraps. The waiters allocated to our party ensured the food and beverages arrived timeously. A great dining experience and nothing better in my opinion than a beautiful day, cold beverage in hand, and taking in the wonderful views of the Indian Ocean Ngiyabonga.

Being a vegetarian. I loved the food. Your starters can be your main. The presentation was awesome. My colleagues loved their food as well. Portions of the food were just right. The waiter was smiling, well dressed, and friendly. But for a place like this, it needs better music and a little color on the outside. View is beautiful. Other than that, i would highly recommend that you visit. Wait, they also adapted a meat dish to a vegetarian dish. Which was very accommodating of them. ❤️

California Dreaming is a well-known restaurant chain with several locations, but they all share a similar American dining experience. The atmosphere is laid-back and inviting, making it suitable for both casual outings and special occasions. Their menu offers a variety of American classics, including hearty salads, juicy burgers, and delicious steaks. The portions are generous, ensuring you won't leave hungry. The service is typically friendly and efficient. It's a great place to enjoy good comfort food in a relaxed setting, whether you're a local or just passing through

Wonderful vibe, views and good food. Clean, spacious and a comfortable sit-down brunch with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed vibe, stunning Indian Ocean beach views and yummy food! Our waitress could not have been sweeter. 2 of us had the Shakshouka and loved it. It was fresh, light and FLAVOURFUL!! The other two dishes were equally yummy 9french toast and eggs, avo on an open-faced sandwich). I would definitely recommend.

Great stuff when I wanna have meeting I always choose California dream it like home 🏡 to me and my clients

A wonderful experience at California Dreaming. We were so warmly received by the host. We got to choose our own table with a beautiful view of the ocean. The location is fantastic, it's a lovely view of the Ocean and Promenade. Our waitress, Sanelisiwe was absolutely attentive and helpful. She went out of her way to accommodate our requests and she got our order 100% correct. The food was absolutely divine. Ordered 2 additional sides, mash and thermidor sauce. I'm amazed at how incredibly flavorful a simple mash can be. The therimodor sauce was so delightful to the palate. The falafel burger was delicious and the Portuguese chicken pasta immediately took the tastebuds on a journey. It was absolutely perfect and creamy. Their drinks were really refreshing on a hot day in Durban...it was a delight. The General Manager was so humble and helpful, we watched him help his team serve the tables, amazing to see such team work. I guess the quality of service and great team work...with the most flavorful food and awesome scenery makes this restaurant a huge success. Well done to the team at California Dreaming, you are all gems! Thank you for making our first experience an amazing one.

California Dreaming is a great beach front experience with indoor and outdoor seating and amazing ocean views. The upper terrace is beautiful to sit back and enjoy the Durban atmosphere. Staff were quick and the cocktails that we ordered we interesting and delicious. Parking wasn't difficult compared to other beach-facing restaurants because of the parking lot being right there. Food looked delicious too and great vibe and atmosphere despite the not so wonderful weather.

Great restaurant just by the beach, we had a great time and enjoyed pasta, steak and even got more food for take aways. The view was great, staff amazing and most importantly the food was very delicious. I will mist definitely visit again soon. I recommend this restaurant for romantic date or even family lunch or dinner.

A very beautiful place to dine in facing the beach front, their waiters are very nice and helpful. love their food but I have to complain about their alcohol they rob us with the cocktails too little vodka it's like you drinking a glass of water with a teaspoon measure of alcohol.

Booked the terrace, everything was ready on time. Good food and good service

If you want to have a delicious meal while overlooking the ocean this is the place for you. They have an upstairs section that has a different menu to the downstairs, so be sure to ask the waiter about that before getting seated. The staff are absolutely amazing, their drink selection is also quite good and the food is to die for. Definitely worth a visit

Beautiful sea view, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary having lunch.

All I'm here to do is rant about the pasta because it was gourmet. Lovely place to fine dine at South Beach. The extra star is reserved for the mocktail that was meant to be a strawberry daiquiri but somehow ended up tasting like frozen guava juice.

Great place to go to on your holidays. Food is great staff is awsome and there is something for everyone

Food was very good, just a little pricey... But I guess that's what you pay when you are in the ocean front.

Great sea view, great service and very friendly waiters. Sea food is absolutely incredible. Great for indoor and outdoor dining #Foodies #GirlsTrip

Went here for breakfast. My son is still raving about his Club Sandwich. I was very disappointed in my California Benedict... boerewors and Chaka-laka do not belong on an English muffin with spinach and holandaise sauce... Also the egg was scrambled ?!?... My fault for not reading the menu properly. Servers were friendly however the beggers that feel free to approach the people sitting on the deck having a meal were unwelcome and sadly made the experience uncomfortable. Nice view of the sea though.

It’s a nice and comfortable place. It has beautiful views of the breaking ocean waves. The staff are friendly and menu though limited is well presented. <br/>It’s slightly pricey though!<br/>

Easily one of my favorite restaurants in Durban. It’s situated close to the beach a blogger/instagramers dream. <br/><br/>The food was amazing and affordable.

Awesome food. Laid back atmosphere eating and staring into the ocean wit a sea breeze. It literally feels like ur having your meal n drinks on the beach.

California dreaming is situated along Durban beachfront and hence is nothing short of a spectacular view. The beef burgers we ordered looked great but they were so dry and flavorless. The hand cut chips are amazing together with the sauce that they give. I loved the the drinks though, absolutely stunning and delicious. <br/>Overall a great atmospheric rating but a low taste rating from me.

The highlight of this place is the view of the beach! Perfect scenery to make you feel like kicking back and succumbing to a good few hours of cocktail bliss. I had a long island iced tea and in all my years of pursuing my hunt for the best long island iced tea, this one was by far the most potent. I can't be sure whether I was smiling from the happiness of the booze or from the jovial vibey energetic beachy atmosphere but I had a fun date and look forward to future dates at this fine establishment. My food companion had a blue concoction which tasted as yummy as it looked. Downing that cocktail resulted in pretty blue lemons.

Being part of other food forums, I have heard a lot of negativity surrounding this establishment. Mainly surrounding the service and management, not much about the food. Finally we decided to give it a try, all I can say is that the location and set up is amazing! Perfect for the beachfront, very well kept, amazing decor and chilled vibe! Staff were also excellent, very attentive. So why am I scoring them only 3.5? The food! It's nothing to write home about and we ate at the terrace, not the deck, so it was considered fine dining, ok so it wasn't inedible, but still not on par with the amazing venue. <br/><br/>Would go there again maybe for drinks or snacks but definitely for the view!

Upon arrival, we asked to go upstairs and the waiter didn't know what was happening and referred us to the host. The host explained that there's two menus and the upstairs is more a "serious" kind of vibe. We placed our orders (burgers, not too difficult) but our food took forever to arrive. The poor waitress kept coming to our table to explain that the kitchen was letting her down. <br/>The food: we ordered the spicy burger and the lamb burger. The spicy burger was more like a cheese burger, no spice whatsoever, they sold us dreams (califonia dreaming). The lamb burger patty was dry and one didn't taste any coriander mayo as promised on the menu. All in all califonia dreaming was an underwhelming experience. Great view, but below average service and the food was nothing to write home about. Disappointing.

California Dreaming and I clearly do not like each other. The first time I came here my reservation was lost and I didn't get service for 20 mins (eventually walked out). This time the service was even more shocking. I understand that they are busy with Christmas parties, however if you cannot handle the crowd, you shouldn't allow so many tables. Hats off to the kitchen and bar though, the food was lovely and the cocktails were superb. It's a shame that the service is letting this place down.

Had dinner there last night. Service was good and attentive. Food was delicious with a variety of dishes ordered ranging from wraps, calamari and fish. A bonus is the craft beer on tap. Food was served within a reasonable time

Great venue. Awesome views. Tasty dishes and an efficient friendly service. Definitely a must do to appreciate the beauty of the Durban coastline.