274 Goodman St N (Between University Avenue and East Main Street) - map
Rochester, NY 14607
585.271.8990
Hours
Monday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday 5pm-11pm, Tuesday-Friday 11am-3pm, Saturday 1pm-11pm, Sunday 1pm-9pm
Web Information
web page menu
tom@californiarollin.com
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| Price (dinner) | $ |
| Price (lunch) | $ |
| Food |   |
| Service | |
| Ambiance |  |
| Overall | |
Features
vegetarian dishes
takeout
outdoor/patio dining
Accepts
cash
American Express
Visa
MasterCard/Eurocard
Smoking
not permitted
Dress
casual
Alcohol
wine / beer
wine list
Reservations
not accepted
Parking
own parking lot
Handicapped Access
partially accessible
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Description
California Rollin' is a restaurant with a new take on an old art: sushi American-style.
A part of the quirky and seemingly-endless Village Gate Shopping Center on North Goodman, California Rollin' has an edgy feel to it that is enhanced by the huge fishtank extending through the restaurant parallel to the sushi bar. Soy sauce is served not in the usual glass cruets, but in lumpy clay creations with a spout on one side and a cork in the other.
The most interesting aspect of California Rollin' is not, however, its slightly offbeat decor, but is the amazing variety of new and different maki rolls offered on its menu, rolls that you will not find on any other sushi menu in Rochester. Examples include the Atlantic roll, which combines cooked shrimp with bacon and garlic; the Louisiana roll, mixing the quintessential Louisiana food with Vietnamese hot sauce; the Too Crazy roll (tuna and pesto); and the Carla roll: smoked salmon, cream cheese, raspberries, and jalapeno peppers. Additionally, the chefs are very fond of tempura, and have dunked a number of unexpected items into the deepfryer: the Philly roll (a salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber roll usually eaten raw), the BBT roll (salmon seared in Dinosaur barbeque sauce), and both desserts on the menu (the Albino roll, a tempura'd mix of bananas and raspberries that is covered in chocolate and coconut, and the Tempura Ice Cream). All in all, it makes a definite and creative departure from the usual sort of sushi.
Reviews
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Swingin' Sushi - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Karen Miltner, 7 June 2001; Traditional sushi takes wacky detours in this funky sake/seafood hangout. - suggest change
Show 10 | 20 | 30 | 50 reviews on each page
Doesn't live up to the hype
Maybe I just went on a bad night (Tuesday). Unfortunately, however, this restaurant didn't live up to all the hype. It was recommended to me by quite a few friends, who praised its great food and fun atmosphere, but neither one really panned out for me. The food was acceptable (though my yellowtail nigiri was fishy-tasting, which it should not be), and the sheer number of highly creative maki was amazing, but the service was terrible. Our waitress offered to give us 5 more minutes with the menu, but then never came back. We took our own order up to the chef, eventually. And then it took nearly half an hour for our food to arrive despite the fact that it wasn't a particularly busy night. When it did finally arrive, it was missing an item, which, when we finally tracked down our waitress again, we learned that the restaurant was out of. Why weren't we told this earlier?
Other issues I had: not many appetizers, all expensive, the lowest being $3.50 for miso soup (which is outrageous in my world), and only two desserts, both deep-fried. In addition, the tea pot was made in a handle-less style that worked just fine for room-temperature soy sauce, but was quite literally painful when you try to hold it to pour hot tea. Bad choice, guys. Get new teapots. tea *cups* can lack handles-- they cool off quickly. But not tea *pots*. [15 Sep 2004 12:24:26]
Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: hamachi roll, inari, Carla roll
Annie
Their new Ferry Terminal location is better!
I have been to the North Goodman location and I have to say the smell of paint or some other industrial chemical coming from the other businesses in the same building turn me off immediately. The place feels cold and damp even in summer. The new Ferry Terminal location is much more inviting with a great view of the lake and no odd smells! You don't get as much to eat as the other sushi houses in town. Rolls are very small but good. [22 Mar 2005 14:37:55]
Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: Spicy Tuna
Debbie N.
Food Allergies? Don't go Here
I had trouble several times when going here. You'd think they'd respect a shellfish allergy. I'm glad I can recognize clams in a roll. Beyond that, the waitress acted as if it were trivial and like I was scamming them or something. Personally, I regard allergies as serious.
Beyond that, the service was horrible and rude. They used to be good, which is why we went there more than once, but in recent times the freshness has gone downhill and the service has become outright hazardous. They also had fruit flies everywhere, crawling into the soy sauce bottles and all.
By the way, they are not the only sushi bar in Rochester with all you can eat for 20 dollars. I suggest you go anywhere but California Rollin'. [29 Nov 2007 20:03:16]
Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Anonymous
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