California Fish Grill — Restaurant in Citrus Heights

This was quite a drive from my usual haunts in Sacramento but my mom wanted some grilled fish from somewhere different, so away we went. Found this place after doing a little searching and the reviews and pictures looked pretty good.

The restaurant is located in a small shopping area with plenty of parking. It's a fast-casual type of place where you make your order at the counter, find a seat, and pick up your food when it's ready.

You use an electronic screen to enter your order, and while there are always a couple of staff around to answer questions and a menu board on the wall, it seems a bit klunky to make your order. I know if I wasn't there my mom wouldn't have been able to navigate all the options and someone would have had to take over. There are also a few specials listed and if this is your first time - be prepared to scroll through a variety of seafood, cooking options (fried/grilled/etc.), sauces, and sides.

There are a lot of interesting drink options in their fountain machine so take a look over them before picking something else (thinks like pineapple cream soda, black cherry, etc.)

We went with the Sea Bass with my mom going for grilled with "fish seasoning" with white rice and grilled asparagus as her sides. I went for grilled "cajun" style with zucchini and Brussel sprouts as my sides. The asparagus and sprouts were both upgrades so we had to pay extra for them.

We were there about 8:30 so there wasn't a line and plenty of tables. The food was ready pretty quickly and I got a bit of a surprise when I saw mine as to me "cajun" = blackened, but it had some type of reddish creamy looking sauce on top. Should have paid more attention. Luckily both fish were grilled well and were juicy, firm, with just the right amount of charring. The sauce wasn't bad but there was no kick and it was more like butter with some type of pepper? Whatever. I ate it.

All the sides were excellent and everything seemed fresh off the grill. My only complaint was they give you one (1) napkin and 1 fork for each meal. No knife, which wouldn't usually make a difference, except for the giant asparagus spears. I didn't really realize the situation until I sat down and was just too damn lazy to walk the 15 feet back to the counter to get more utensils and napkins. We made do with what we had as it was an amazing night outside on the patio.

The staff was really friendly and overall the meal was really enjoyable and tasty. I'm now a bit more experienced with this particular restaurant's style and look forward to coming back at some point and trying some of the other items. Definitely...

The California Fish Grill fish and chips I had yesterday at their Citrus Heights location were the best I have had in many years and I have been trying many places that people have recommended through that time, but this is the one for me so long as they keep making it like I had today. I could eat another order of them right now if I had one in front of me. I believe they were made with swai fish rather than cod and had a delicious, crispy golden batter, and came with French fries with a delicious seasoning, and instead of the typical coleslaw, they make a kaleslaw, but I think you can ask for a substitution if you want. I wasn't too sure about it, but it was good. The 2 young men working in the dining area and at the cash register were very friendly, and helpful, and were right on it keeping everything neat and clean too. The fellow handling the dining area asked if everything was ok as he brought the tray, and if I needed anything several more times as he passed by taking trays of food to others. There was background music, but at a level that did not interfere with talking to others you were with. I not only will be back, I will drag some friends with me who have also been looking for good f&c, or just like good food. Two ladies at the next table were raving about the salmon were eating. I am not sure which style they had ordered, but they sure liked it. There are many other things they offer besides the f&c. Several other types of fish, grilled plain or in sandwiches or other ways, too. CFG also has chicken, shrimp, scallops, and calamari, too and there are several styles of sauces for things. Some of the things on the menu have a lot of heat in their flavors, some are in between, and some are mild. There are appetizers, soups and salads, plus an interesting group of sides and drinks. Right now on Tues they have a taco deal. Tacos are $3.50 a la carte or 2 tacos with beans and rice for $10.50. You can have 2 different types of tacos if you wish. I think I have to go try that, only not sure if I can get past the f&c that I absolutely recommend! CFG is on the east side of Sunrise just north of Madison; if you google the name, you can look at pictures and menus online, and order via their website if you want. It is nice for lunch; not a special evening out fancy date place to be sure, although they use real plates, not paper and metal utensils, but it for sure will be the place I go when craving f&c from now on and I intend to try some of the other things, too. I intend to bring friends with me who have been looking for good...

To be honest, we have eaten here frequently. Wwe grew to really like this place. We discovered the Fish & Chips which knock the socks off of any competitor in the North Area. I lazy and never submitted a review. Had I, they would be given a solid four stars approaching five status.

I was here three weeks or so ago and had another nice meal (Cajun Catfish and Dish & Chips). Things were normal.

Tonight we found they have replaced the human order taker(s) with tablets. I highly dislike self checkout stations and avoid them at all costs. But there is no avoiding them here. They do have a station if you are paying cash (which I wasn't). A quicker person would have told them I was using cash, have an attendant take my order, and then discover - OMG I don't have enough cash; I need to use my CC (maybe next time - if there is one).

The tablet is different and takes time to find and select everything you want. No, not everything you want perhaps. If you have a special request such as extra sauce or something, there is no place to add that. Plus there was no option on the drink menu for someone who only wants water. I also didn't receive an option for a receipt after paying even though there was an itemized list of the purchase (excluding water and my extra sauce requests). I did have to laugh when the machine asked what tip I would like to give.

It was slow in there and it is a Saturday night which isn't normal. The two couples I talked to while waiting were also displeased with the new "system". It was obvious the line to order is now longer, partially due to the customers unfamiliarity with the system, but predominantly due to the lack of a staff member taking the order.

I suspect the rationale for automation is reduced staff costs . Yet there were two staffers behind the counter to dispense drink cups, take a cash order? and handle orders when they came out of the kitchen. They are needed, but obviously not stressed with this new process.

The one star rating is due to the self serve counter process. The food was on point as usual. Had I known about the change before I arrived, we likely would have gone elsewhere. But I was there and toughed it out. There probably won't...