What a nice surprise! Didn't really know much about this place, but it was wonderful! They take reservations, so that's a great start. Beautiful on the inside, extensive menu with great selections, and the service was very good. Fresh baked croissants are amazing, salads were very fresh, and the she-crab soup was much better than anticipated. Will definitely return! read more

Food was better than I expected from a chain restaurant. The steak was great, salad was exceptional. Then came the disappointment, someone brought in a dog. The "service dog" thing is getting out of control. I realize you love your dog, I love my cat but I'm not taking him to a grocery store or a restaurant and these are Not Service dogs. Service dogs are highly trained and do not behave in the way most of these dogs behave. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't want dogs in and around my food. I know what I'm comfortable with and I've been in a lot of kitchens that I'm not comfortable with and the owners believe are perfectly fine. Please don't start bringing your dog to restaurants unless it has an outdoor eating area. read more

Got the California Dreaming Salad which easily made two yummy meals! Very similar to J Peters salad and croissant Service was great! read more

California Dreaming - California Dreaming Salad - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

The food and atmosphere at California Dreaming is great. Service is quick and the people are friendly and welcoming.

California Dreaming is normally one of our family's go to when we visit Myrtle Beach and need to please everyone. This visit has us reconsidering. Hoping it was just an off night. It was a Monday evening but had reservations. It had been a little while since we dined there, but the menu appears smaller - missing the creamed spinach to mention one. Table ordered ribs with fries - ribs were a bit on the dry side but still enjoyable. The fries were overcooked, dark and not very flavorful. Crispy Shrimp Tacos with coleslaw as the side - we asked if we could do a side house salad instead of a typical side. They said no, it would be an additional $4.95. What was odd, was all the sides were listed at the same price, so that was confusing why we couldn't get a side salad when they were all the same price. However, the best part of that meal was the coleslaw (though we know the salad is delicious). Tacos were quite full and generous portion size. Shrimp on their own were good. Tacos all together were lackluster. We would not order them again. Third person ordered a loaded baked potato and a side house salad. Both delicious and the honey croissant was like dessert at the end. Would order both again. Our seating location was less an ideal. We were at a table (not booth) in the center of the restaurant ( the sunken middle) and it was constant rushing by us from servers, hostess, and people. Just took away from the evening. The kitchen must have been really backed up. It took over 40 minutes to get our food from the time we ordered. So all of this tied together, not sure this place will make our list in the future. read more

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This used to be my favorite restaurant but they went too far in their prices. Not worth the value of the food that you get.

Seated quickly and restaurant clean and pleasant. Start with the delicious house salad, super good. Wife got grilled chicken over pasta, she enjoyed. I got a club sandwich that was fantastic!! Service was good till the end but overall good. We will be back! read more

Great place to eat. We had the California dreaming salad it was great. We had the All American burger and the chicken sandwich with bacon, all was superb. Our server Shelley L was very good. read more

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Always enjoy California Dreaming Salad. Always fresh! Staff very attentive! Usually get food to go! read more

California Dreaming is a great restaurant to take your family. The food is good and the portions are ample. Our server Jacob was excellent and brought refills before we had to ask. He also promptly brought our add on sauces and condiments to the table before our meals arrived. The ambiance is cozy and dimly lit. There is moderate noise, as this is a large restaurant serving many people at once. We had a filet mignon, cheeseburger, chicken tenders plate, pork chops and spicy chicken sandwich. All were very good. I definitely recommend California Dreaming. read more

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We have ate here before. The Chicken Alfredo was awful noodles looked like cooked last week, sauce was not creamy was grainy and little of it. Chicken was salty. I couldn't eat this , so got Calf dreaming salad not much better . Salad was mostly cheese with loads bacon bits . Husband had salmon and mashed potatoes. He said it was ok . This was second time this spring. Both times were awful. Will not be back ! read more

Burger was to be medium, but came well done x5. fries were over cooked, as well. salad was delicious. Lunch should be way better for this price! read more

Our family has a place in Surfside, so we visit the area frequently. We have driven past California Dreaming dozens of times, but we didn't know it was a restaurant. (It sits far off the road, and looked like something else.) A local mentioned it, so we decided to try it. The inside of the restaurant is big, and they also offer outdoor seating. We ordered the California Club salad, which came with a croissant, and the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with fries. The food was solid, the portion sizes were big, and the service was good. We'll definitely visit again to try more menu items next time we are in town. read more

California Dreaming - Spicy Chicken and French Fries. California Club salad. - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

Ribs are great as usual. Melissa was fantastic. Best server in a long time. Very conversational and helpful. Very nice atmosphere. Very clean. read more

My boyfriend was adopted. About 2.5 years ago, he found his birth family. However, we live in Baltimore but his biological father lives in North Dakota. This was the first year they were able to celebrate Father's Day together. Originally we wanted to take him to the calabash with the mermaids, but they don't take reservations. We weren't willing to wait God only knows how long for an accessible table for 6, on Father's Day, in a resort town. So we looked on Open Table until we discovered a restaurant that did take reservations. The restaurant was packed, of course. And it became evident that the staff wasn't used to a restaurant full of people. Service was slow, and the food was... mediocre. Both my boyfriend and his dad got steak. And both steaks were WAY overcooked. But before we got our entrees, there were appetizers and the BEST cream of crab (or she crab soup as they called it) EVER. And some pretty decent nachos. Traditional, not seafood. Most meals came with a Caesar salad, that everyone seemed to enjoy. Mine did not, but I was okay with that because I'm a slow eater and had only eaten maybe five bites of my pulled pork sandwich (BBQ PORK SANDWICH12.95 pulled pork, pickles, red onion and cole slaw) before everyone else had finished their meals. I took my leftovers back to the hotel but never had a chance to eat them. Lament. Our nephew had the chicken strips. He's 11, so it seems like all he eats are chicken strips and cheeseburgers. They were tempura battered. And although he spent like 50 minutes wondering when they were gonna bring him his chicken, when they arrived he gave them all away, except for two, which he dipped in some she crab soup. Gotta give it to the kid. That kinda was a taste sensation. Also kinda ingenious considering he asked for ketchup and it took 20 minutes for it to arrive, and then it was in one of those little cups. Why the heck isn't there ketchup on the table? It was an all right time. The bonding was better than the food. We went to the skywheel afterward and had an anxiety ridden great adventure. So all in all a really great day, but that had little to do with the food. Don't really recommend, except for the soup which will go down in history as perfection. read more

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We went to California Dreaming on 3/2/25 and it was amazing. The Food was like a fun party for your taste buds, it was amazing. The service and ambiance were also very nice. If you are in the sufside or Myrtle Beach areas, I highly recomend California Dreaming or Californio Sanadro in Spanish!! read more

California Dreaming - AMAZING shrimp San Francisco - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

We just got off the plane in Myrtle Beach. Avelo is a budget airline that couldn't even spare a bag of peanuts, so we were hungry. We were whisked away to California Dreaming. Though the menu didn't seem too West Coast inspired, I work in California, so I understand the sentiment. What it seemed to lack in Golden State vibes, it made up for in droves. We started with the seafood nachos, which might be the greatest thing I've ever eaten in my life. Nachos, but instead of salsa and beef or chicken, it came with melted cheese, shrimp, crab, and some kind of seafood sauce. If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, this might be it. For dinner, the table had a pork chop that was fried Southern style (great, but not California style), a fried oyster po'boy (Louisiana dreaming?), and a fried chicken salad that even Elaine from Seinfeld would call a "big salad" (I thought I saw some avocado, so I'll give it a few California points). For dessert, we took home some red velvet cheesecake that was just as good the next day. Beers on tap are from local breweries and well drinks are insanely cheap. This place is about as California as Kansas. It should have been called Carolina Dreaming. But as a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, this restaurant is worth visiting, because it'll leave you dreaming of your next meal here. read more

California Dreaming - Fried Oyster Po'Boy, served with a side of Creamy Cole Slaw. - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

Came here as a last thought. Not a fan of chain restaurant, but decided to try it out. We've made reservations for 6 and were seated on arrival. We ordered a chicken Caesar salad, ribs, steak and shrimp, spicy chicken sandwich, and the salmon dinner. Everything came together and was very tasty. The salads came out with buttery honey glazed croissants. Our servers name was Sheldon and he was extremely attentive. My only negative was the at under the table was dirty and it was super hot inside the restaurant. read more

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New Years Day. We weren't sure what to expect. Quite happy. The side salad with egg and bacon was very good. The ribs were fall off the bone good and the accompaniment of a baked pot was large, perfectly cooked and delicious. The miso salmon bowl was equally delicious. The drizzle was a bit heavy but it was a great mixture of described ingredients. Salmon was perfectly prepared. Great meal. read more

California Dreaming - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

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Came in for a late lunch early dinner. Quiet. Great service. Had their iconic baked potato soup and for once this past week went healthy having their California Club Entree salad. Big salad. Loaded with the usual and house made ranch dressing. Shared the bread pudding which was very good. Will be back when in the area. read more

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I have not been to the Surfside location I have only been to the one downtown several times and the food there was fantastic. So was the service. read more

Went back on recent trip and was disappointed again. Had the She Crab soup - flavorless seemed they were runnng low and add water to the pot. Had the fried fish, since the skin was left on 1st bite - all of it came out with the bite. Needless to say having a mouthful of slimly fish skin is not a good taste. read more

Food and atmosphere are always very good. Wait staff is very attentive. Great place for dinner.

The best thing about this place is the croissants and then the salads. I've never had a better salad anywhere else. It's always fresh and the dressings are made in house which adds to how delicious they are. I was not impressed with the ribs as they were pretty burnt. I don't mind a little charring from the grill but this was pretty ridiculous. Not being able to eat three pieces of the rib because it was too burnt is crazy. My husband got the fried pork chops which he said were flavorful but the crust fell off so there that. Anyway the service was good and the bathrooms were clean. If I come back I'll stick to the salads. read more

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Love the ambiance of this place. It's got a nice home-y, log cabin aesthetic to the interior. It feels very cozy. The food and service were excellent. Big shout out to Courtney! She was really attentive and sweet. I ordered the club sandwich, and they do not skimp out on the ingredients. I could barely bite into the sandwich because of how thick it was, but that's a great thing, honestly. Their croissants are freshly made, buttery, sweet, and delicious. Highly recommend giving this place a shot read more

California Dreaming - Main entrance - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

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Service: great Food: ordered the shrimp and pasta. Sooooooo salty! Packed it up to doctor it up at home. Ambiance: late night, not much to say. read more

We an awesome server, Shelley Lewis, who went above and beyond for our group. She checked on us often. One of the people in our group had food restrictions and she helped a lot. The food was fantastic and everything came out as ordered. read more

I'm here for Baby Back Ribs. It's good. Love the soup was delicious. Service was great. read more

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Tonight was a "To Go" order. 2 house salads, 2 chili's and a chicken finger dinner. Wife was upset there was no croissants with the salad read more

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I've always been a fan of California Dreaming for their honey butter croissants and prime rib! So I was super excited to order just those items on Christmas Day. Thank god they were open and we ventured in at our reservation time. Before we arrived, I noticed the menu was limited due to the Christmas holiday, which was understandable. What I did not love was the fact that they had already run out of prime rib Christmas dinner ... I struggled to figure out what to order instead. The honey croissants are a MUST, always, no questions asked. I ended up splitting the full rack of baby back ribs and a medium rare ribeye with my dad, so we could both get a bite of each. Each entree comes with a salad - so I got the house salad and HOLY. It is massive and a full meal in itself. Worth every penny, and a colorful tasty bite, at that. The steak and the ribs are massive. But if you're craving a large amount of meat, I highly recommend them. I do enjoy the California Dreaming chain, but I will probably avoid California Dreaming next Christmas to ensure I get my prime rib dinner! read more

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Had a nice lunch at this location. Enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The waitress was not pushy which I appreciated. I had the BBQ nachos. They come with their own made chips. Nice and crunchy. You get plenty of BBQ as well. No complaints. The rest of my party enjoyed their meals. Salmon salad was another favorite at the table. The only reason why I didn't give them 5 stars is because the host who seated us was rude and unfriendly the day we were there. He could not be bothered. It was frustrating. read more

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I have driven past this place so many times and never really paid attention to what it was until recently. So yesterday my wife and I stopped in for dinner We decided to go for the seafood nachos, and two Caesar salads. One with fried shrimp, the other with fried oysters. The nachos took a moment to get used to, but I think only because we had never considered dead and nachos together, but we quickly warmed up to them. And the salads were something that we had never had seafood in, but it worked nicely. The shrimp and the oysters were done in a nice calabash style. We both enjoyed the salads and were happy with the portions and the quality. We were also very pleased with the service and the feel of the restaurant. read more

The California dreaming in Myrtle beach is great! Definitely a local favorite. Always amazing service even when they are packed (which is a lot). I always get one of their salads (always come with a honey croissant) and my mom loves their seafood platter options. I will admit the margaritas are underrated and are amazing. The restaurant itself is great and clean and love the size of their booths so no one is ever crammed in. PERSONAL FAV: any of their salads/ try their filet (any)/ croissants read more

California Dreaming - Orange margaritas - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

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Nice atmosphere from the beautiful wood inside to the patio outside with palm trees. Love the steak and shrimp, both were cooked just right and love the fresh warm croissants with honey drizzle! read more

The food was a big disappointment. I ordered a steak medium well. Half of the steak was well-done and the other half was medium well. My son had the all-American burger. It was ordered medium-well. The burger was medium-rare. I will never recommend this place. What a disaster. The worst steak I've had in 40 years. Terminate the cook and shut this hole-in-the-earth down. What a joke. read more

I was so ready to upgrade my rating from a 3 to a 4 but service fell flat on its face. The food definitely was much better than when we were here back in November and you would think coming in around 8 the service wouldn't be bad but our server was definitely checked out. We were checked on once during our entire meal and had to ask for refills. Instead of bringing my husband another coke she poured water into his glass. He had to remind her that he had ordered coke. We both had the prime rib and it was cooked perfectly. It's not often you find a restaurant that has prime rib on Thursday's so this was a pleasant surprise. If I could bump this to a 3.5 I would as the food was a solid 4 but that service. read more

California Dreaming - Prime rib with mashed potatoes - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

Our waitress Anna was simply amazing. We were not planning on going here but happy we did. Food was good but the croissants that came with the salads are amazing. Again Anna is one of the most attentive and pleasant waitresses we have ever had. They gave us a large booth which was perfect to corral our two young grandchildren. read more

Our server was Megan and she was very friendly, accommodating and helpful in making our night enjoyable and memorable! The food came out in a timely manner with exceptional placement quality, and just as ordered ! read more

California Dreaming - Ribs and mash P.O. - American Near Me - Surfside Beach, South Carolina

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Great food great service Enjoy the food Thanksgiving dinner was great and we were treated like we were the only people there read more

Great place, professional staff and very friendly. Food was wonderful. This is a great place to visit for lunch and supper