Crocodile Cafe

Crocodile Café in Glendale has been closed for at least the better part of a year now. Too bad, it was good.

Went on a little «field trip» with our office work group to scope out our new corporate digs over in G’Dale. The big boss suggested lunch at the Croc, followed by the official business of getting security badges and such.
I was hopeful when I was able to order the steak salad sans wild mushrooms, as I’m allergic to fungi. However, while the flank steak was cooked perfectly medium and well seasoned, the questionable bed of what looked like limp, day-​old iceberg lettuce was horrid.
It didn’t help that the dressing, advertised as a roasted tomato vinaigrette, coated the lettuce in a brownish wetness that made the greens look like bagged salad that’s spent a little too much time in your fridge.
Most of my group seemed rather underwhelmed by their selections, which included some kind of salad with grilled chicken, a Caesar salad, also with grilled chicken, and a tuna salad sandwich with some mystery ingredient that literally has left one of my co-​workers red in the face.
At nearly $ 20 a person, I’m thinking we could have done better.
Much better.
Which is a bummer, ’cause there’s not much to choose from by way of lunch options on the north side near our building.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
THREE of my co-​workers had the Ahi Tuna and all got food poisoning!
Two made it into work today, but the third guy stayed home. The restaurant was contacted as a courtesy — and because once our company of 200+ employees descends on our new digs that are within walking distance of this place, we’d like to be able to recommend it as a decent place to eat. However subsequent phone calls have not been returned, so for the lack of response and poor food quality, I have to remove a star.

Crocodile Café is one of those places someone takes you to and they’re talking about how it is so good. Then, when you leave you put that someone on your list of who NOT to take restaurant recommendations from.
Hey, the food was fine; it wasn’t gross, just underwhelming. Nothin’ to see here, move along.

I feel like I should chime in on behalf of the C. Café. I went with my girlfriend for the first time just the other day and really enjoyed myself.
The décor is kind of bizarre and the smell of whatever wood they use to cook with will stay on your clothes after you leave (cedar?) but the food is really, really tasty.
We had the chicken tacos and the ginormous California burger. Waaaaaay too much food for any human person to eat. But both were very well prepared and very nicely presented. Although the black beans and rice that came with my tacos were a little bland and I had to salt them a little.
I had no problems with the service whatsoever :-)

The service is HORRIBLE! They are extremely unprofessional. A few months ago, I ordered a steak salad togo for my sister who is pregnant. I wanted to bring it to her as a surprise since there isn’t a Croc Café near her. She told me that the steak salad was great, not because the steak salad itself is anything special, but because the sauce is great.
I called in about 9:20 pm when I knew they closed at 10pm. I asked to order takeout and she asked what I wanted. I said steak salad. She then proceeded to ask me when I wanted to pick it up. I said I’d be there in about 15 minutes to which she exclaimed, «15 minutes??! It takes at LEAST 40 minutes.» So I said, alright I’ll come in at 9:50pm, right before they close.
She asked me how I wanted it cooked and I said well done since I didn’t want my pregnant sister to consume any undercooked meat. The lady on the other line then proceeded to give me attitude that was suppose to mean, «Are you serious, you want it cooked WELL DONE?» I just nudged it off but when she hungup, she didn’t even record my Name OR Number. So when I came at 9:50pm, they were already CLOSED and didn’t even take down my name or number to inform me!
Worst place for service, I’m not even sure about the food, but if the service isn’t great, I wouldn’t set foot in the place. The lady was bitchy!