This place has some good crispy calamari. It's basically squid chicarrones. The squid is fried until it's crunchy. It's seafoody and salty. Perfect for snacking, and everyone will be happy when you pull up with a box. Prices have gone up to like $20 + for a small box BUT, good luck actually getting some.No one picks up the phone, they are open and closed on a whim. They basically only sell the crispy calamari now. I want to try the soft kind but they have not had it or was closed the last 5 times I went. I only keep going back because I haven't found another place that makes it taste like it.I get it, worker shortage, increased cost. But get your act together! There is demand though. Y'all can make a killing if you were just consistent and picked up a phone. Actually, if you are the owner, message me. How much do you want for the shop? What are you paying for NNN?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Crispy Calamari
Jayson
Great food but extremely rude customer service! Hope this guy gets a competition here in Union City.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Salt & Pepper Calamari
Jay
Great food but extremely rude customer service! Hope this guy gets a competition here in Union City.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Salt
Khrisnariz Enverga
Server was rude. Giving him the benefit of the doubt that he is sick or dont respect the LGBTQ community.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Tri Huynh
Overcooked calamari and smelt fish.
Roxanne T.
We had to call several times for someone to pick up the phone to place an order. We ordered a small tray for today and pick up time was for 1pm. It's currently 1:45pm and they have a lot of people waiting in line. Seems like they're super short on staff but we really like their crispy calamari so we will wait. But if you come - make sure you're not in a hurry. Cash only. The kid that works at the front looks like he doesn't know how to smile. That's unfortunate- I thought he's trying to save enough money to pay for his college tuition? If that's the case, you would think he would appreciate the customers coming in. He doesn't smile at all. He ignores his customers when they're asking a simple question. This job could help him more prepared for the real world and when he goes off to college. Learn to smile with your eyes, say hi, bye and thank you. This is very basic. Finally paid for our order and he said we have to wait another 15 minutes. Didn't apologize at all - he just walked back inside the kitchen. There's no life in his voice. There's another crispy calamari in Milpitas (Chef P's).
Jocip S.
There should be a negative star for this kinds of businesses. We ordered a large calamari scheduled to be picked up today at 3pm. We arrived at 2:15pm and they said there's no more calamari, including our order! Why the f*** do you take orders if you can't fulfill them? I bet this restaurant will see its end soon!
Anthony C.
Good food but the service is so rude it could ruin your appetite. It seems that the people working there especially the kids despise their job.
Keanu D.
Slow on orders, made me wait hours until my party platter was ready when I called beforehand.
Fred S.
Make sure the condiments are inside before walking out. No malt vinegar or salt and pepper were given and of course made the meal tasteless. Will try again, since its under new management.
Very crispy treat! A favorite even from out of town patrons- I'm from Hayward and even with high gas prices, we string up errands and included some calamari treat!
Stephanie S.
The worst calamari I've ever had. 25 dollars for a box of chips. You can't even taste the calamari at all. It's deep fried to the point that the calamaris are paper thin and the frying oil they reuse are probably from weeks ago. Do yourself a favor, avoid this place at all cost!
Patrick N.
Have always driven by King Calamari wanting to try it. Finally came in today to place a single order of their "Salt and Pepper Calamari, also known as their Crispy Calamari. Let me tell you - This was one of the biggest regrets I've ever experienced. If you're looking for a nicely seasoned and chewy calamari experience similar to what you get from a Chinese restaurant, this is not it. Not even close. First off, they deep fry this dish to a crisp. When you bite into a piece, you think you're eating a potato chip or chicharon. Second, there is no trace of actual squid inside any of the pieces. It's purely just overly fried starch. Third, no actual pricing is found inside the restaurant for their "Single Order", "Half Tray" or "Full Tray". My small single order came up to $25. Seriously? $25 for a box full of literal squid chips? I should have read the other recent reviews before coming in. In the last year, looks like new management has taken over and it shows. Never again.
Tina C.
Incredibly disappointing. Single order of crispy calamari was about $25 (which wasn't written down anywhere, so you don't find out until you order), and it was basically a takeout container of chips. The calamari was completely dried out and over-fried in the batter, there wasn't even a hint of the chewy calamari texture you would expect. We were taking bites to check if there was anything even inside the fried batter. Legitimately considering crumbling the rest of this over a salad like some expensive croutons, as I can't imagine actually having this as a main/side dish of any sort.
Marie Kristine P.
Poor customer service. We went there on Sunday to but Crispy Calamari. They have a sign saying 2 people at a time. No one was available to take orders. We were in line for 30 minutes before a staff shower up. They would ask you to wait another 30 minutes for your order.
This place has some good crispy calamari. It's basically squid chicarrones. The squid is fried until it's crunchy. It's seafoody and salty. Perfect for snacking, and everyone will be happy when you pull up with a box. Prices have gone up to like $20 + for a small box BUT, good luck actually getting some.No one picks up the phone, they are open and closed on a whim. They basically only sell the crispy calamari now. I want to try the soft kind but they have not had it or was closed the last 5 times I went. I only keep going back because I haven't found another place that makes it taste like it.I get it, worker shortage, increased cost. But get your act together! There is demand though. Y'all can make a killing if you were just consistent and picked up a phone. Actually, if you are the owner, message me. How much do you want for the shop? What are you paying for NNN?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Crispy Calamari
Great food but extremely rude customer service! Hope this guy gets a competition here in Union City.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Salt & Pepper Calamari
Great food but extremely rude customer service! Hope this guy gets a competition here in Union City.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Salt
Server was rude. Giving him the benefit of the doubt that he is sick or dont respect the LGBTQ community.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Overcooked calamari and smelt fish.
We had to call several times for someone to pick up the phone to place an order. We ordered a small tray for today and pick up time was for 1pm. It's currently 1:45pm and they have a lot of people waiting in line. Seems like they're super short on staff but we really like their crispy calamari so we will wait. But if you come - make sure you're not in a hurry. Cash only. The kid that works at the front looks like he doesn't know how to smile. That's unfortunate- I thought he's trying to save enough money to pay for his college tuition? If that's the case, you would think he would appreciate the customers coming in. He doesn't smile at all. He ignores his customers when they're asking a simple question. This job could help him more prepared for the real world and when he goes off to college. Learn to smile with your eyes, say hi, bye and thank you. This is very basic. Finally paid for our order and he said we have to wait another 15 minutes. Didn't apologize at all - he just walked back inside the kitchen. There's no life in his voice. There's another crispy calamari in Milpitas (Chef P's).
There should be a negative star for this kinds of businesses. We ordered a large calamari scheduled to be picked up today at 3pm. We arrived at 2:15pm and they said there's no more calamari, including our order! Why the f*** do you take orders if you can't fulfill them? I bet this restaurant will see its end soon!
Good food but the service is so rude it could ruin your appetite. It seems that the people working there especially the kids despise their job.
Slow on orders, made me wait hours until my party platter was ready when I called beforehand.
Make sure the condiments are inside before walking out. No malt vinegar or salt and pepper were given and of course made the meal tasteless. Will try again, since its under new management.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very crispy treat! A favorite even from out of town patrons- I'm from Hayward and even with high gas prices, we string up errands and included some calamari treat!
The worst calamari I've ever had. 25 dollars for a box of chips. You can't even taste the calamari at all. It's deep fried to the point that the calamaris are paper thin and the frying oil they reuse are probably from weeks ago. Do yourself a favor, avoid this place at all cost!
Have always driven by King Calamari wanting to try it. Finally came in today to place a single order of their "Salt and Pepper Calamari, also known as their Crispy Calamari. Let me tell you - This was one of the biggest regrets I've ever experienced. If you're looking for a nicely seasoned and chewy calamari experience similar to what you get from a Chinese restaurant, this is not it. Not even close. First off, they deep fry this dish to a crisp. When you bite into a piece, you think you're eating a potato chip or chicharon. Second, there is no trace of actual squid inside any of the pieces. It's purely just overly fried starch. Third, no actual pricing is found inside the restaurant for their "Single Order", "Half Tray" or "Full Tray". My small single order came up to $25. Seriously? $25 for a box full of literal squid chips? I should have read the other recent reviews before coming in. In the last year, looks like new management has taken over and it shows. Never again.
Incredibly disappointing. Single order of crispy calamari was about $25 (which wasn't written down anywhere, so you don't find out until you order), and it was basically a takeout container of chips. The calamari was completely dried out and over-fried in the batter, there wasn't even a hint of the chewy calamari texture you would expect. We were taking bites to check if there was anything even inside the fried batter. Legitimately considering crumbling the rest of this over a salad like some expensive croutons, as I can't imagine actually having this as a main/side dish of any sort.
Poor customer service. We went there on Sunday to but Crispy Calamari. They have a sign saying 2 people at a time. No one was available to take orders. We were in line for 30 minutes before a staff shower up. They would ask you to wait another 30 minutes for your order.