California Fish Grill — Restaurant in El Cerrito

This was my first time ordering at this restaurant and I ordered a 3-piece fish and fries, and I did not really like the fish how it tasted , which was kind of salty especially the batter it was cooked in which the batter was undercooked under top crust. I was told by cashier that the fish was plain "white fish" which I'm not used to eating. But I wanted to try it. But I'm used to eating tilapia fish or filet of sole.

But one thing I did like about the whitefish, that its very thick fish, it tasted okay, but it didn't have that good taste like tilapia or filet of sole. It just tasted like plain fish .But the way they cooked it in whatever batter they made up, didn't taste like fish batter." THE TOP CRUST OF FISH WAS VERY HARD OVERCOOKED LOOKING, HALF COOKED UNDER TOP CRUST, that looked like some type of bread or cake ,half cooked looking batter under top crust.

As I picked up the fish to bite down into it, there was very "thick hard crumbly pieces," with half-cooked batter underneath top crust. THERE'S MORE CRUST THAN FISH. The batter taste more like bread, and cake under crust . This is not the type of batter fish should be cooked in which ruined the taste of the fish. So the way I ate the fish I took the crust off, which made the fish taste better.

Whatever type of batter they are using is not the typical fish batter that most restaurants cook fish in. I preferred the old fish and chips that was out in the 90s. Which was a very thin good tasting crust

You know they do have fish batter at the grocery store , that taste a whole lot better, WHATEVER type of FISH BATTER THEY'RE MAKING up at this RESTAURANT, THEY NEED TO THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE 🗑️ ! ITS HORRIBLE 💩💩💩💩💩💩⚔️👎👎👎👎🗑️!

Also fries came with my 3 pieces of fish . But it seems like they must have cooked the fries before the fish. Cause Fries were cold and hard and they were placed underneath the fish, which was also kind of cold. And I stood right there as they were cooking it. So I received my order as soon as it was cooked. There was just one other person in the restaurant besides me. And I went in there at noon, the place was completely empty.

They also have other items on their menu like rice and baked chicken, even fried shrimp, which I haven't tried yet. But I don't think I'll come back here again just because I don't like the fish batter, AND I'M SURE THEY'RE COOKING THE SHRIMP in the SAME HARD CRUMBLY BATTER that's UNDER COOKED UNDER CRUST. and I can just imagine their fried chicken tastes even worse. I HATE TO SAY IT BUT MEXICAN'S DON'T KNOW HOW TO FRY FISH. Which the cooks are Mexican. They need to stick to tacos. that they also have. But I could just imagine how screwed-up their tacos taste, they're probably making theIr taco shells out of this same SCREWED up BATTER, as they cook they fish in.

SO I GAVE TWO STARS FOR THE FISH ONLY. BUT I WILL GIVE 0 STARS FOR THE CRUST . ITS NOT GOOD CRUST AND DOESN'T BELONG ON FISH., THEY NEED TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT, FOOD SEEM TO TASTE VERY...

If you’re in El Cerrito and craving seafood, California Fish Grill is a must-visit! I recently had the Dynamite Shrimp Bowl with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, and it was absolutely incredible. The shrimp were perfectly cooked—juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor. The sauce had just the right amount of kick, and the cauliflower rice was a perfect light and healthy complement to the dish. Every bite was satisfying, fresh, and packed with bold flavors.

What truly made my visit unforgettable was the outstanding customer service from Ally. Even in the middle of a busy shift, she took the time to give me amazing recommendations (the cauliflower rice swap was her idea!) and made me feel so welcome. Ally’s energy and positivity are unmatched—she was so fun to talk to while I waited for my food, all while effortlessly handling her busy role. Her genuine care and enthusiasm added so much to the experience.

Between the flavorful food and Ally’s exceptional service, California Fish Grill has become a favorite spot. Huge thanks to Ally and the team for such a memorable visit—I’ll definitely be back soon to try more dishes....

I order here weekly I have always loved fish grille even before they had this location. So it’s not the food it’s the customer service and lack of common sensenand attention to detail I ordered in store for my food to go. I went next door to get a Jamba Juice while my food was being prepared when I came back the workers said oh someone picked up your food that wasn’t you? I said why would someone else pick it up for me. I guess it was another person with my same name probably DoorDash. So the wrong Kim got my food but they all looked at me as if it was my fault and seemed like they had an attitude because they had to remake my food for the 2nd time. It was a mistake on DoorDash and the workers for not being very attentive to names and orders smh. Honestly the people that work there never look friendly or welcoming at all. I work in customer service so I know how establishments should be ran. Very disappointed especially having to wait over 30...