Calico is an oceanfront diner / a seafood chophouse celebrating all things land and sea - A study of local produce, meat, seafood, and shellfish.
The flavors in all of our dishes stem from our specialty brines and seasonings. The menu is a “best of” chef gruel’s dishes from the past 2 decades of cooking all over America - from burgers to chops and oysters to the perfect fish sandwich.
At Calico, we commit to helping those in need of a meal as well as our military men and women, past and present. All active military eat for free and vets only pay the raw cost (roughly 50% off).
Memorable food should be hands-on, approachable, and affordable.
Chef Andrew Gruel has appeared on multiple Food Network shows, acting as a Judge on the show Food Truck Face Off. Gruel has also been on "TODAY Show", PBS, Cooking Channel, ABC, as well as in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health, Food & Wine Magazine, Entrepreneur, and Restaurant Business. Named Top 40 under 40 Entrepreneurs in Orange County, Chef Gruel is also the founder of Slapfish (a concept he took from a food truck to 23+ international restaurants), Two Birds (Great Taste Winner), and Butterleaf (OC Weekly - Best Vegetarian Food Winner).