Califire Grill

CLOSED! CLOSED! CLOSED!
I liked it very much. BUT THEY ARE CLOSED.
Sign on the door says coming soon fisherman grill
I think it is this place, opening a second location
Soooo, just go to Kaori sushi next door, order the yellowtail avocado roll, and take a bite and you will know all is right in the world for a few minutes. Yellowtail avocado roll from Kaori would bring peace to the middle east.

Oh me, Oh my, Delicious meal!
I was just talking to wife about being in a 4 star ratings rut. Most of my reviews lately had been at good restaurants, but nothing was knocking my socks off. That changed tonight. Wow, the food was so good. I believe the chain has been broken. This is 5 star food for sure.
We spotted a group of 4 restaurants bunched together awhile back and noted the place to go back to when we are indecisive about dinner. Luckily for us tonight was the night. Tacos? Sushi? Sub Sandwich? Mediterranean, okay.
Like it was noted by other reviewers, It’s a «Chipotle» style place.
Your first choice is Bowl, Sandwich, Wrap or Salad.
Your next choice is the protein: Beef or Chicken (or both for extra charge $ 2.50)
The next choice is the toppings: lettuce, cucumber, grilled onions (YES), tomatoes, basmati rice, etc etc.
Then the Sauce: Tzatziki, roasted tomato or chipotle
I got a Bowl with Beef and rice. The toppings I chose was all of the above with the sauce on the side. Oh man, that was so good.
The beef was basically a kofta kabob. Ground beef formed into a sausage shape and spiced perfectly. Delicious. The basmati rice w/​dill was a perfect match to everything in that bowl. I preferred the tzatziki sauce on my bowl to the chipotle one.
They give you a lot of food and it was very good.
My order came with seasoned fries. Made to order (it was not sitting around in a heat lamp) it was fried when I made my order, which made for a really good fresh tasting fries. Next time, I’m going to ask them to fry it a bit longer. I like my fries on the crunchier side.
My wife got the protein combo and opted for both beef & chicken. She did not like the chicken but loved the beef.
Her order (sans rice) came with a small order of beans. That was also very good.
Price was very reasonable and in fact, they had a special for diners between 4pm and 7pm. Check it out for yourself.
Service was very good. Now it helped that I was the only one in there at the time. But once customers started coming behind me (6 or 7) it went from very personable to me to a rush rush thing for them. For me, service was excellent.
Note: get the grilled onions, that just elevated that dish. Yummy.
Note: no more turkey meat option. they discontinued it. boo.
For a healthy, tasty choice for a meal, You can’t beat the food here.
When my wife is sold on a place, you guys did something right.
I’ll definitely be back.

What can I say about this place. I pass by it a couple of times and always wanted to try it. It is close to Fullerton College. So it is walkable for students. If your at CSUF you gotta take your car.
The area is filled with three other food places. Plenty of parking and seating areas available. There is one thing I do not get is the dirt road before the food places. When you walk it in it is pretty nice.
I ordered the calimoo and that was very tender meat to bite and chew. The beef was season just right. The pita bread is heated good. The yogurt sauce is mouthwatering. The flavors in it go well with the season meat. The fresh vegetables in this make it healthy. I also had season fries were alright because they are frozen but not season with season salt. It is their own spice. Suggestion is make fresh French fries with the spice.
The customer service is awesome! Overall I would come here again.

I like this place better than chipotle! My favorite is the volcano bowl with chicken. We like getting our bowls with extra cucumber, caramelized onions, the yogurt sauce (sorry can’t remember what it’s called), tomato, cheese. For me what sets this place apart is the freshness of the ingredients, plus I LOVE cucumber! We’ve had the seasoned fries but this last visit they said they were out and so we had the regular fries. I was impressed! Very hot, fresh fries! I look forward to coming back.
I wasn’t a fan of the watermelon juice though.
Another thing — I think it’s weird that the lettuce is on the other side of the assembly line because with the bowls it’d make more sense for it to be one of the beginning items because everything goes in top of it, just like on top of the rice.
I wish there were more locations but for now I’m glad this one is very close to me! :)
PS — Can nutritional info be posted somewhere? While the items seem healthy, a general idea would be nice to have for reference.

Think Chipotle but Mediterranean style. As a native to Mediterranean food I was over the moon to experience Califire Grill.
You begin with either a rice bowl, salad bowl, or flat bread wrap. The ingredients are advertised as HMO free and organic which is always a plus. I chose beef which was a luleh kebab cut up over my dill rice. I then added caramelized onions and grilled peppers and jalapenos. Then there was this roasted tomato sauce that I added along with the tatziki sauce (yogurt), cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. They have guacamole as well but I opted out (which usually never happens).
The workers are very friendly, the place is a getaway from this scorching heat, and affordable for a quick, healthy meal around Fullerton College.
I ate four hours ago and I’m still exploding! Definitely a fan!

I ordered the chicken flat bread sandwich and was very pleased. They don’t skimp on the amount of meat they put in. Got mine with grilled onions, some roasted tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, white sauce (i think it’s greek yogurt), and lettuce. Healthy meal and filling. Also tried the watermelon drink. It had mint in it, which I could do without, but it was still refreshing. I would go back again.

This is my favorite lunch place in Fullerton. I just went again today for their BOGO entrée deal and was impressed as usual. The food is delicious and very fresh! I usually get the chicken salad bowl, but have gone with several coworkers who have tried and loved other items.
The guy who usually works the front counter is awesome as well. He is super friendly, makes each order perfectly, and let my indecisive coworker sample the turkey when he wasn’t sure what to order.

You can pick salad bowl, rice bowl or flat bread. Their meat was so good! Way better than Chipotle’s!!! they should have one in San Diego… :-(I had the chicken — tender, juicy, perfectly charred, flavorful, well-​seasoned, hormone and antibiotics-​free. The condiments were delicious. The sauces were amazing. The veggies were fresh. The watermelon juice was refreshing. The food was reasonably priced. The outdoor seating was relaxing. The guy who took my order was hot. No complaints. See you again!

A friend introduced me to this place and I am so glad they did. I have been a few times now and have stuck by the calibird. I would like to branch out and try more but its just oh so delectable. The food is fresh, service is great, options are plentiful, the portions are perfect, and the price matches the value. They don’t have nutritional information but I can say that the sandwich had way more fresh veggies than chicken (and that’s a good thing!). I love this place is by far a new favorite of mine. As others mentioned its similar serving style to chipotle so its nice and easy and they are very accommodating in getting what you want.

EDIT — My original update was a bit of an over reaction to a change in the ordering system. Apparently, the owner of this clever establishment received feedback from other, more forthright, patrons than myself in real time and went back to the old way of doing business. Imagine that, a restaurant that listens to its customers. I assumed that this place was owned by a bean counter in another timezone but the owner works there. Doesn’t get much better than that.
If you like Chipotle like I do then you have to give this place a shot before it gets huge.
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I recently revisited this restaurant and was sorely disappointed. Some corporate genius, I’m sure, decided that writing your order on a piece of paper is the way to go here at califire grill. It’s absurd, I walk into the restaurant, no line, and I am told to write my order down on a piece of paper. So instead of actually talking to the people who work at this restaurant to order from their unusual menu, we are supposed to check off what we want on a piece of paper that will be going right in the trash, with a filthy pen because everyone uses the same one. We then hand this unsanitary piece of future garbage to the person that will prepare our food. It probably won’t be ground zero for an ebola outbreak but, I think I’m done with Califire grill.

Mediterranean food «Chipotle» style? WHY YES PLEASE!
I’ve had Califire Grill on my radar for some time now, but with my hectic work schedule I’ve never been able to make it before closing time :(Finally got some time away from work and decided I had to make time for Califire while I had a chance.
It was pretty empty when I walked in, but I guess I had just missed the lunch rush and made it before dinner. Menu is simple: choose a «presentation,» wrap, bowl, or salad, then a protein, your toppings, and you’re pretty much done. I opted for the chicken salad combo. Got it topped with the grilled onions, a version of tzatziki sauce, roasted tomato sauce, and fresh tomatoes. Seeing as how I was hungry I decided to get the combo which comes with a drink and sumac seasoned fries.
Grabbed a seat and shook my salad bowl around to make sure everything got tossed around nicely. Then I went ahead and added my fries to my salad. Call me adventurous or just a foodie, but it was great together :) The chicken was moist and flavourful and the grilled onions were so sweet it added a great balance to the tzatziki and roasted tomato sauce. Every bite was an explosion of flavour. My only gripe, I wish the fries were cooked just a bit longer. Personally I like my fries cooked a bit longer to a crunchy crisp texture.
Overall Califire Grill was a winner and I’m sure I’ll be back again!

I’ve been to Califire Grill once before and I returned a second time last week. I remember trying the Calibird the first time and this second time around, I ordered the Calimoo– they were both delicious! I waiting a while in a short line, but that was only because they were down one person and I later found out their delivery driver was involved in some accident. In the middle of my meal, I was approached by the manager/​owner, and he apologized for the wait. He also asked how my food tasted and if I needed anything else. I really appreciate it when a manager or member of staff takes the time to check up on their patrons. After this second experience, I’m definitely going to come back soon.
Also… Although they were down to two people, who did all the grilling/​prepping/​and point of sales, they really worked their butts off. There’s no doubt that they deserved their tips. Thank you ladies!

I’m walking around with a big foodie frown
My ego has taken a punch
This Fullerton place used to put a smile on my face
For many a Sunday lunch
After my first review, my love for them grew
When on their Facebook page they referred to my poem
I told some Unilocal!pals, and some guys and some gals
They ate here before heading home (and they loved it as much as I did)
But now.. .
I’m all out of love
I’ve lost all love for you
Sunday workers so bad
They made me feel awful
I’m all out of love
I don’t care if your food’s that good
I no more will praise
I won’t go back to your place at all…
On many a Sunday I went Califire’s Way
To eat their awesome bowls with chicken
The Califire guy who wrote about my Califire gloat
Was never on Sunday in
Some new worker was loud speaking for so long while we were eating
About her life and the other Califire employees
I told my story and desire to meet the owner of Califire
They said come back later and then laughed as I turned to leave (as I turned to leave)
So now…
I’m all out of love
I’ve lost all love for you
Sunday workers so bad
They made me feel awful
I’m all out of love
I don’t care if you’re food’s that good
I no more will praise
I won’t go back to your place at all…
(The food quality was consistently excellent… now they need to work on training their workers to be professional at ALL times.)
(I thought that they deleted their Facebook post of my poem, but they didn’t…I stand corrected.)

Still one my favorite sandwiches anywhere. Although in my first review I commented on the limp service, it has improved. The family loves this place.
— Highly recommended —

— Locale Destination —
It’s on W Chapman Ave and N Harbor/​El Camino Real in Fullerton.
It’s in a tiny strip mall right next to «Kaori» (Sushi bar).
Décor is clean, bright, casual diner/​café like setting.
Very friendly and attentive service! Great for a quick service!
Parking right in front of the shop is very small. The one next to is a lot bigger but also packed. Avoid busy time, especially for weekends!
— Gluttony Expedition —
Their ice cream is «Dreyer’s».
Vegetable sandwich: I prefer this to my chicken rice bowl, but it gets too soggy and made a huge mess.
I ordered beef but got a chicken somehow: Chicken was seasoned nicely. You can pick and choose all the toppings you want. It looked small but I couldn’t finish even half. It was just OK. But overall, not bad yet expensive for what it is…
The seasoned fries: They had sprinkles — some sort of sour plum like seasoning. It’s OK, though it was a big portion!
Watermelon juice: It has mints but very subtle. It’s full of watermelon flavor but not like «wow»…
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
This is like a Mediterranean version of «Chipotle». Clean, light, and modern Mediterranean pita sandwiches and bowls. That kinda expresses this place really well.

Hands down my favorite place to eat in Fullerton. Finally something on the healthy side that actually has flavor. I usually do the chicken salad with a side of beans. Great service and even better food.
You must try the watermelon drink!

The food was good and the fries were not what I expected. Because of the red colored spices, I expected some kind of strong zing, but it was rather more of the subtle heat instead.
I had the rice bowl with steak and it was good ~ I think I prefer the Turkey next time.

Great place for lunch!
First time here today and I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough food. The portions are perfect to be full yet not food coma stuffed. We had the Chicken salad bowl, the beef rice bowl, and the seasoned fries. The fries were tasty and very crunchy. We opted for the seasoned ones which were seasoned with sumac type sprinkles, a little tangy on top of the salt.
We also got pretty much all the sauces and toppings on the bowls. The pickled tomatoes were great, as was the white yogurt dill sauce. Dill rice was yummy also.
This is now my new favorite place to get Persian/​Cali style fast food.
Note, once it gets busy you will have to wait for more meat to come out. They don’t have a huge steady stream of customers coming in like Chipotle, where they have mounds and mounds of meat always getting made. If you happen to come when they run out of your type of meat, be prepared to wait about 10 mins. I noticed they don’t keep a tons of precooked meat in their containers. However, if you come right before the lunch rush like we did (right around 11:45, you will get freshly cooked meat and beat the line. As we sat down and started to eat there was a line of about 6 people. Once this place gets busier, these girls have to step up their game. I imagine it would get pretty backed up in there with how slow they moved.

Definitely the place to be if you love the «Chipotle» restaurant concept, but with Mediterranean flavors.
Bowl: Dill rice, beef, caramelized onion, yogurt sauce, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, cheese
YUM! The beef had such a bold flavor profile, which was delicious. They do give you a huge portion of beef, but aside from that every component had great flavor which complimented each other well EXCEPT FOR THE CHEESE. I personally don’t think the cheese went too well with the overall dish so next time I’ll do without it.
Flatbread: Chicken, caramelized onion, yogurt sauce, cucumber tomato, lettuce, cheese
YUM! Full of flavor and the chicken was flavorful and moist. Again, the cheese I could do without. Flatbread was nice and soft.
Fries: half regular half seasoned
Whatever seasoning they put on their fries gave it such a familiar yet different taste and approach to ‘seasoned’ fries. Goes well with your meal.
OVERALL: Definitely coming back.
Like I always say, YOU WON’T KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY IT FOR YOURSELF!

I really liked the food, I like mediterranean food and it’s BOMB but… this is why I’m giving this place a 2 star rating.
My friend and I decided to eat here before we went to go study. We walk in and there were no tables and about 2 – 3 workers. We weren’t greeted and… it was just «hey» not friendly AT ALL. We had so many questions to ask because we’ve never been there before but we decided to try to think on our own. We ordered
The salad bowl I got half beef and half chicken. My friend ordered the Calimoo.
First they just took the order and didn’t tell us anything what so ever and told us to wait. okay… I also ordered their fresh watermelon juice.
The water melon juice was delicious but I didn’t know there was mint in it… didn’t really like it with mint but oh well it wasn’t bad.
They cook the meat on the spot. Okay HERE is the reason why I’m giving this place 2 stars. The meat gets cooked and it gets sent over to one of the workers in the front and they call out the meat and ask what we want on it… the two workers that were in the front obviously don’t communicated with each other because they kept messing up on the orders and I KNEW that if I ordered two meats they were going to charge extra and I thought they did but they didn’t, so I said I’ll pay extra. but they were like «never mind, I’m just letting you know next time» I said I KNOW!!! oh well I just said thank you and proceeded with my order
I put some jalapeño and onions with some spicy tomato sauce thingy and got the yogurt sauce on the side. I’m being honest the food was really good but by the time the meat comes out and they call you and you make it and go to the counter and get your fries… the meat gets cold which isn’t really good taste wise and health wise. My friend’s Calimoo was pretty good too the pita bread they wrap the meat with are really soft!
The pricing is college student friendly. The fries though… they ask seasoned or regular so being the fat person I am I want everything seasoned or sauced up so I got seasoned… it tasted regular but the color was red… bland.
They have a nice thing going on but I don’t know just the whole experience wasn’t something I wanted to do again. I mean yeah it was about 8−9pm and I know the workers weren’t really feeling the «LETS WORK HARD» feel but it’ll be REAL helpful if they tried to explain what this whole thing was! They haven’t been open for too long which means there must be people that haven’t visited this place so… information is needed no?
My friend and I couldn’t study because we were taking turns using the bathroom afterwards… I’m telling you the whole meat cooking process is bound to get someone sick… cook the meat at a higher temp or figure out a way to not let the meat get cold… it was very disappointing… I should’ve gone to chronic tacos.
made my stomach sad and my experience sad.