Chez Carla

Chez Carla was one of my favorite lunch spots in FiDi! So many people would go at 2pm just for the half off everything we have left deal. Yes, I’m guilty for being one of these people. The Empress Chicken, the Fish, the Salads were all so delicious!
Funny thing I discovered is… I think Chez Carla is now… Chez Fayala which has somewhat similar items. Don’t believe me? Check out their website’s menue and see for yourself…

Chez Carla was one of my favorite restaurants in the financial district. Super friendly stuff, amazing food, relatively quick service even during the noon rush, convenient location, fair prices, fresh ingredients… I’m so sad it is CLOSED now; May it rest in peace.
To the owners of Chez Carla — please reopen somewhere soon! We miss you!

Why Chez Carla, why???
I walked an extra three blocks for lunch today just to indulge in your delicious pastas and you were boarded up! How I will miss your salad bar and tasty paninis…
Someone please suggest un autre choix pour Chez Carla…

Sad news for fans of this FIDi lunch spot. It’s now CLOSED. Lost lease. No more chicken sando on ciabatta (some prefer foccacia or the baguette, i like ciabatta), no more spinach salad or daily soup, no more salad bar. :(
Note: the «spicy» chicken meant it was «spiced». But not to worry, u can still get chicken with similar seasonings (whole, not a sando) at Goood Frikin Chicken on Mission & 29^th St.

Spicy Chicken on focaccia FTW!
Pretty darn good for less than $ 9. Comes with a side salad too — either mixed greens or caesar. I choose the caesar and I was very underwhelmed by it. It was just some pieces of romaine with dressing squeezed on top. I wouldn’t have paid for salad that crappy, but since it was free I guess I can’t really complain.
Onto the sandwich, the star of my meal and my reason for going to Chez Carla in the first place. The menu online says you get a choice of cheese, but the guy who made my sandwich did not ask me what kind of cheese I wanted and just put Swiss on it. Swiss cheese works well with the sandwich, so again I can’t complain about that. I chose focaccia bread and it was a perfect pairing! The baguettes looked super hard and from reading other reviews, they are. Next time, maybe I will try the green onion slab. So back to the spicy chicken. It’s not spicy as in hot but spicy as in marinated with spices — had a Mediterranean flavor to it. Very yum! The roasted red peppers and pesto mayo sealed the deal and the whole wonderful creation was toasted until everything gelled together. DELISH.
Loved my sandwich today. Next time I won’t get the caesar.

A friend actually told me about this place last week after I asked him for suggestions on local eateries, he works right next to it on Battery. He reminded me again today, so I decided to check it out! Actually, I came because the Japanese place that I originally wanted to go to was closed): Luckily, this place was really close to the BART station, so it was on the way: D
So, I walked in and it was a self-​serve buffet-​style kind of place… Awesome! I grabbed a box and grabbed as much food as possible, there were so many options! There was salad, pasta, and a bunch of weird dishes that I had never seen before… A lot of stuff was already gone, so I took whatever looked good and brought it back with me.
The worker was really nice! She let me off the hook with some extra change (8 The food was really good, it reminded me of American restaurants with the huge portions and with dishes smothered in sauces and cheese.
I wish I would’ve gotten a sandwich, but I didn’t know where to get them.

Short and simple: A cafeteria style café with salad and hot foods bar priced by weight. Also a sandwich and specialty salad line. A great to-​go or quick lunch place.
Love the plates for self-​serve bar. Its the size of a medium size pizza. Probably a psychological scheme to make you pile on the food. But the food looks good anyway, so why not.
Got the Spicy Chicken sandwich with Mixed Green salad. $ 8. The sandwich is pressed so the cheese gets all nice and gooey. The chicken had a nice and not-​too-​spicy rub. Delicious!
Will try the Nicoise (ahi tuna) salad next. Looked fresh and yummy!

I visited at 1 pm for lunch today (Thursday 1.27.11)
What I did not like about Chez Carla?
1. I ordered the steak sandwich. He said they were out of steak.
2. I then asked for roast beef. He said they were out of that also.
3. I then asked for a grilled chicken sandwich on a baguette. I was told they were out of baguettes. Out of the five breads they offer, they only had two.
4. Very little chicken on chicken sandwich.
5. Too much oil on chicken sandwich.
6. Strange earthy taste on chicken sandwich
7. Side Caesar salad is just romaine lettuce with very little dressing. No croutons or anything else.
8. Relatively short line. Relatively long wait.
9. No ambiance to speak of — very cramped even for just waiting in line.
I like to balance my comments. However, I can not really think of a positive. In a neighborhood with Specialty’s, Mixt Greens, Seller’s Market, and Café Algier serving great sandwiches at the same or lower price, I just can’t see how this place holds up.