CALI - St. Pete — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

So this review breaks down in 3 areas, food, service and pricing.

The food here was excellent. It came out at the right temperature, was very flavorful and very satisfying. This is a great restaurant that is at the higher end of restaurants in this concept in my opinion.

Service was very lacking. I'll start by saying that nearly every bowl restaurant of this concept that I have been to has you order at the counter, pay, and then go sit down to eat. This one, for whatever reason, has turned the concept into a sit down dining experience. They aren't executing it well. The servers are all in plain view of the dining area and can be seen standing off talking with one another and ignoring patrons. We weren't asked if it was our first time, if we had any questions about the menu, or anything that a normal server would do. When I asked about items, he hadn't had them or tried them at all. Serving alcohol here is probably what necessitates the sit down format, but if possible, the place would be better served to go back to ordering at the door and giving customers a number to place on their table.

Pricing is a mix. It is pricier here than other restaurants of this concept, but in my opinion, the quality is better. So the pricing isn't unreasonable. It is, however, very deceptive and that's inexcusable. I viewed the menu online and found the prices to be extremely reasonable, so we headed over. Once I got there and looked closer at the menu, I realized none of the items included the price of the protein in them, regardless of whether it was meat or vegetarian. So while it looks like a great deal on the menu, every entree item with the exception of pizza is roughly 35% more than listed on the menu at a minimum. This is a serious eyeroll and reputation hit. Most of the proteins are the same price ($4.25) and two are a premium price ($6.50). The owners should just increase the base menu price of each item by $4.25 and then have an uncharge if someone wants to swap out for one of the premium options. I saw a $12 burrito and thought it was a pretty decent deal. In reality, it was a $16.25 burrito because the chicken in the burrito isn't included. Not completely over the top because of the quality, but decidedly less of a good deal.

Overall you won't be disappointed with the food, but it's a bit pricey for the value and you're getting fast food level service at casual dining...

Wow, we have been coming to this restaurant since it opened. Always enjoyed our meal and the live music. Tonight is my first time in years to feel compelled to write a negative review. They stopped offering Taco Tuesday with chips and a discounted sangria We are told the music is going to ending soon most likely as well as Taco Tuesday. Our food came out quickly but cold. The manager Danielle ( Dani) didn’t apologize and didn’t ask us how to make our meal better. Instead she asked if we wanted the cold items on both of our dishes heated as well to imply this was the reason for our dishes were cold. I tried to explain it wasn’t the guacamole, shredded cheddar cheese nor the aïoli sauce but it was everything else the meat, rice and beans that were cold. Once again I felt like she didn’t care what I had to say and kept asking if I wanted the vegetables heated or not. I asked what veggies ? She looked at me in an irritated look and then provided the explanation of mangos and carrots that was not in my dish but my partners dish. Then asked me if I would like the guacamole heated or not. I never have heard guacamole could be heated nor was this the cause of my dish being cold so I declined. Our second attempt was still not hot but warm verses room temperature/ cold. Delivered by a runner. Our waiter checked on us but never did we see Danielle again. I have never experienced a manager to not listen, apologize and or offer a way to make the meal better in this situation. 4.I feel there was all new staff, the warmth the old staff provided was not there tonight . It used to be an enjoyment to come and now there is no reason to come unless there is a new menu,new management and there is live music. Normally we would have a bill around $30 and tonight it was close to doubled. For the same dishes but with rice instead of on a taco. It was not worth $30.00 more to eat rice verses a taco shell. We went home with our meals since they tasted good to heat them up ourselves. I’m giving it a 3 star since our food still tasted good, there was great music and the waiter...

Breakfast is Better

Twelve years earlier we had dinner here when it was called Ciccio Cali. It was pretty mediocre, so we never returned. Now, the restaurant was recommended in a couple of lists of “best weekend brunches”. It also had a new name and we decided that maybe it had changed for the better, even though ownership was the same.

It was a busy late Sunday morning. There was a guitarist/singer for entertainment, which made things more festive. The restaurant had been remodeled and was more attractive.

It was busy, which made service slow. It took a few waves to our server to get knives/water/coffee-refills/etc.

My wife got the Lil’ Hungry: scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, pancakes and fruit (which we subbed for the potatoes). It was all nice, but not unlike any diner. The star was the fruit—a large bowl of good fruit—not just the usual bowl of melon with a half-strawberry.

I had the Granola French Toast which was the most disappointing item. Apparently, it is quite popular, so I must be in the minority. A couple of thick slices of bread was coated in granola. When cut, the heavy coating caused the bread to completely collapse and this turned the interior into a gummy mess. The ginger syrup was good.

I would return to try one of the bowls which looked good on...