California Organics — Restaurant in Nevada City

While the staff is very friendly, you absolutely cannot trust the owner, Chris. If you are a patron of this store, or considering patronizing this store, you need to think twice. Here is my 100% true story to share... The owner was selling some food dispensing bins on Craigslist, which I enquired about. In a phone conversation, I told the owner I was going to open a zero-waste, package-free grocery store in the SF Bay Area and that I was starting small because funds were tight (hence the reason I wanted to buy used dispensers). He warned me not to open the store, saying profits are small, and “you always have to have one foot on the Dark Side.” I said I still wanted the bins, but it would take me a few days to get a truck or van and get up to Nevada City since I was coming from the Bay Area (3 hours away). He said he would hold them for me. When I got up there a few days later, just as planned, I found the bins being “stored” outside of his store, uncovered, disassembled, and partially filled with rain water, dirt, and mold. Many of the bins were broken, cracked, and/or missing pieces. When I said, “this wasn’t the condition I was expecting to find the bins in” (the craigslist post showed the bins assembled, in the store, with food in them), his response was, “Well when you buy things used, this is what you get. I’m busy, so if you don’t want them, I guess we’re done here. Sorry it didn’t work out.” He knew I drove 3 hours up and had to drive 3 hours back. He knew I had to either borrow or rent a van or truck to come pick them up. And yet he still felt comfortable deceiving me about the condition of the bins. The owner of California Organics, Chris, is not an honest fellow. If he had no problem deceiving me the way he did, it is completely appropriate to question the authenticity of every organic and/or natural product in his store. He and his “Dark Side” practices are terrible representation for the wonderful little town of...

I was SO disappointed with my experience here today. I walked in at 12:15 with my husband and toddler waiting in the car. I was the only person at the deli and ordered two sandwiches. I then waited for 40 minutes! I watched the guy/ kid who was supposed to be making my sandwiches take another order, mop the floors outside of the deli, and then take two more orders all before starting my sandwich order. While waiting I bought a bag of cherries and took them to my waiting family. At the register I mentioned I was a little frustrated about the situation and instead of apologizing or trying to help in any way the woman at the register told me “ when you go out someplace and make an order you just have to be patient” in a pretty sassy tone and made an excuse about him being new. As a customer and someone who has worked in customer service that’s just not an acceptable way to service or speak to a customer. As a business it’s your job to have employees who can competently and quickly do their jobs. If they aren’t trained enough do more training before you leave them on their own. I really love this place, but after this experience I can’t say...

It's nice to have a natural foods store and Cafe on the same block, but I don't go there as often as I used to since it changed owners some years back. In the store, selection is ok, for a small store, but prices are a bit high. I paid 8.79 for a bag of cassava flour, which is available at the supermarket across the street for a dollar less. The store is pretty dark, and the floors have needed refinishing for some years now.

The cafe is quite nice. I always seem to order the same thing, because it's such a treat. Fish and chips, $14. I added a cider for $7. The fish was nicely crisply deep fried, but it was a darker fleshed fish, not the cod I was expecting. The French fries were served underneath the fish, which meant they did get a bit soggy. But the serving was plentiful, the wait staff was friendly, and service was quite fast.

Again, the ambiance is affected by maintenance issues. There is a very nice outside patio, but the effect is rather spoiled by unused patio chairs stored in the bushes by the fence.

Because its so close, I'm sure I'll go back. But I wouldn't drive...