Came in last minute for a quick bite before heading back up to the bay. Had Forget the Flowers Drink, bitters forward but sweet and balanced drink. Ordered the Little Gem Caesar, homemade dressing with anchovies. It was nicely coated and even. A little on the peppery side with fresher cracked pepper and the pepper in the little gem lettuce. Blixa and Tate at the bar were awesome to chat with and knowledgeable! The place has seating outside, bar seating and nicely spaced tables. I will be back to try the dessert! read more

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This spot came up on several platforms as one of the best pizza spots in Santa Cruz, and there was a line at the door before opening, but it honestly missed the mark for me! My boyfriend and I ordered the Caesar salad and the Sopressata pizza with extra sopressata. For the Caesar salad, I liked the little gem lettuce and the dressing was light, but to me it could've used a little less lemon and more anchovy flavor. I also felt it was over priced for the portion size. As for the pizza, I enjoyed the sopressata and spicy honey combination but thought the crust was overcooked / had a burnt flavor. The service was also very fast, which is probably good if you're hungry, but this didn't feel like the spot to take our time for a little date night (felt rushed). Bantam seems like a popular spot so I think there was just a mismatch in what we were looking for for the night. read more

Bantam - Sopressata - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Decided to give Bantam another try last night after a disappointing meal a few months ago. Same results. Just not what they used to be. We based our decision on: The Margarita pizza literally had, 4 basil leaves on top. Burn't. (Why not sprinkle fresh cut basil on top once pizza is done & enough for each slice?) Like the sauce but overall, the pizza was dull and not satisfying. Ordered the Caesar salad. Asked the waiter that delivered it to our table for fresh pepper. Thought he would spoil us. No. He handed us an empty pepper grinder. Had to ask our kind waitress for another one. (Our kind & attentive waitress was the best part of our experience) Lastly, I always wondered why they have a six seat bar Have never seen anyone actually sit there. Now we both know why. One glass of wine was $18.00 for barely, maybe, 3 oz. (Five at many other local restaurants) So, after paying $78.00 for pizza & salad, we won't be returning until the food, wine amount & pepper grinders have improved. read more

I got a pepperoni pizza $27, and the bottom had way too much burned flour (see photo), the burnt flour tasted super bitter. They are getting lazy and throwing too much flour on the counter to prevent sticking. I would have sent it back, but I go it to go and didn't have time to return. that is not acceptable for $27. read more

Bantam - Pepperoni pizza $27. - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Fried chicken was outta sight!!! Definitely recommend this restaurant. Hospitality and welcome vibe! Thank you! read more

Bantam - Fried chicken - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Stopped in for a quick bite to eat as my son was hungry for pizza and this place came highly recommended. The place was full on a Tuesday at 7 pm so we took seats at the bar. They don't take reservations and the bartender told us they can have a line out the door on weekends before they even open. Service was fantastic as was my cocktail (the Guillotine, aptly named!)! My son scarfed down his pizza while I ordered a Caesar salad. I'm used to it being more on the creamy side - this dressing was quite vinegary & caught in my throat. They were out of the carrot dish that I wanted to try :/ Space has a modern warehouse vibe with an open kitchen. We were in and out, which was fine with us. We enjoyed our time here. read more

Bantam - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We ordered the Mixed Lettuces starter. There were approximately eight small pieces of lettuce, a few radish slices and a few sunflower seeds. The cost of this dish was $16. It was absolutely ridiculous how little food was included in this salad. I can't believe any restaurant would send this out. It didn't even fill half of the small dish we received. It was a complete rip off. I will never eat here again. read more

Bantam - Mixed lettuces - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

way overpriced, seriously mid food. I genuinely don't know what all the fuss is about

Bantam has small town modern vibes, with a rotating menu and some solid staples (pickled cauliflower, pizza, and in-house made bread with whipped butter *HIGHLY recommend*) All their ingredients are fresh and local, which makes it special-- currently they're serving up some crab specials, but the rockfish stew is especially tasty. TLDR: Service is very friendly, seating is intimate and food is fantastic. Love this gem. read more

Napoli pizza... 5/5. My husband doesn't even like anchovies yet he was impressed! Best pizza we have had in such a long time. We have a pizza oven at home; my husband makes the dough from scratch and makes gourmet pizzas. Their pizzas rivaled his which means they put in the same effort he does. It was a pleasant surprise. Ragú with pappardelle noodles was 5/5 out of this world delicious. Paired with the homemade bread it was truly chef's kiss. Could not even think about dessert. We were stuffed. Their root beer is amazing, we had three of them. Our server was a lovely woman with glasses and awesome arm tattoos. She could not have been more helpful and kind. Her recommendations were spot on and she was super accommodating and thoughtful for us who do not consume pork. She triple checked with the kitchen to make sure what we were considering to order (considering!) did not contain any pork ingredients. Unobtrusive during the entire meal as well. She truly went above and beyond without overdoing it. We are suckers for good service. However, the wait. We almost left before getting seated because it was a mess. Unfortunately, other reviews speak to this. We waited for twenty minutes, but it would have been longer if we had not advocated for everyone getting seated promptly at the 3-4 empty tables lingering... the host station really needs to figure out how to seat people quickly. Having open tables for up to ten minutes while guests wait is uncalled for. They mentioned there was a training going on but it was not as hectic to simply seat guests with a full wait list. Ambiance: loud but not too much. Love that they play music a little bit then turn off. It offers a nice break rather than playing music nonstop. All restaurants should do this! And loved the high quality speakers. Great for date night or even sharing dinner with a group of friends. read more

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Super friendly staff and nice ambience for a date night! We came for my husbands birthday dinner and ordered the popular fried chicken entree and a pistachio and fig pizza. The pizza was my favorite because it was so unique! I loved the flavors and it was served super hot which I loved. The only thing I noticed was that both dishes felt a little bit over salted. We left feeling super thirsty. read more

Bantam - Fried chicken - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Our recent pizza night was a culinary adventure we'd rather forget. We ordered four takeout pizzas, but what arrived was nothing short of disappointing. The two margherita pizzas were so thin they could have doubled as napkins, and the lack of cheese left them tragically bare. To make matters worse, they were burnt to a crisp, robbing us of any hope for flavor. The price was equally shocking--$30 for each individual pizza topped with nothing more than tomato sauce felt like daylight robbery. After this experience, our excitement quickly turned into regret, and we vowed never to return to this establishment. This was our first and certainly our last time ordering from them. read more

Driving thru Santa Cruz we decided to pick up an order to go. This Endive salad for $18.00 was so disappointing! I did ask for dressing and blue cheese on the side but this doesn't seem right. read more

Bantam - Endive "salad" - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Soda mixed with dessert is so yummy and I would like to go there again the stuff I ate was so good my brain said dis is so yummy.... Mhhhsoda mixed with cake is 5 star material. YUMMY read more

This is a hip and popular restaurant serving seasonal dishes. We came at 6:30 on a Thursday and there was a 35 minute wait for a table of 5. The service was friendly and prompt once we were seated. Our group ordered the oysters&pork belly dish, fried chicken, bread platter, and stinging nettle soup. All of the dishes were very unique and full of flavor. No complaints from anyone! My only issue is it is pretty pricey and the portions are on the smaller side. Other than that, this place is a unique and delicious foodie experience! read more

I love bantam! It's usually my go to spot after a beach day. Their pizzas are so flavorful and they have great appetizers and cocktails. The service is great and the ambience is awesome. I would say it's definitely a fancier and elevated pizza joint. read more

Funky cool place for good food and drinks. I found this place through recommendation and really glad I came. Industrial space vibe with open windows and side lot parking. Pizza was crisp and meaty. Spicy suppressata with honey had a bit of a kick with sweetness. The herby cucumbers were refreshing with a huge crunch. Service was pleasant and friendly at the bar. I'd definitely come back here again. Enjoy! read more

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Never did I think I would witness something like this, nor did I expect to leave a review on discrimination. I had a very upsetting experience at Bantam. While I was there, I witnessed what felt like clear discrimination. A group of three, including a man of color with tattoos, came in and asked to be seated. It seemed as though the host didn't want to seat them; when they asked for a table, the host said it was 'just for decoration.' The group ultimately decided to order their food to go. Shortly after, a white group walked in and was seated at that exact same table, which was for 'decoration only.' It was uncomfortable and disappointing to witness something like this happen, especially in Santa Cruz, where we encourage people to 'stay weird' and believe that everyone is welcome. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect, and this experience did not reflect that at all. Do better, Bantam read more

Food was good. Small portions and fairly high $$$. Ambience busy, tables close together. Our server was a bit overwhelmed- ordered wrong salad and forgot our pizza. read more

Summary: Best restaurant on the West Side, gets crowded and loud, no reservations, fresh rotating menu Details: There aren't many high-quality restaurants in Santa Cruz, especially on the West Side. It's Bantam and... not sure. They don't take reservations and there isn't a lot of parking. On Fri and Sat, come right at 5pm or wait until 8pm. If it's a nice night, buy a drink from the to-go register at the bar and sit on the benches by Verve. The menu changes frequently but some items are almost always on it. Yes, it's a pizza restaurant but it's also American/Italian. Don't worry - I've never had a bad dish. Some highlights... House-made bread: Dense and crusty, as it should be. Served with salted butter. Get it even if you're getting pizza. Carrot soup: Labeled spicy but only a little kick. The yogurt added a good balance, and the crispy rice gave it a nice crunch. Didn't look like much but it was excellent. Avocado and beets salad: Another surprise. Chunks of beets and beet puree. Olives and almonds. Yum. Can I have another? Prosciutto pie: pizza as it is supposed to be. Thin crust, wood fired, and slightly charred. No tomato sauce. Mozzarella and Reggiano. I'm still dreaming about this. ... If you don't finish it, add an egg and eat it for breakfast. Bacon pizza: not for the faint of heart or the regular pepperoni chain lovers. The flavors of bacon and nectarine and jalapenos. Didn't think I could eat it all. Didn't have any left. Almond cake: holy third surprise! Paired with house made ice cream (small complaint, we wanted a second scoop). Not too sweet and a perfect way to end our meal. The bartender made us a killer marg and an ever-popular old fashion. The wine list is small but good choices at reasonable prices. There's japanese whiskey, if that's your thing. On our most recent visit, our server Spencer was friendly and knowledgeable. Bantam is top notch. No reason to travel to SF; it's right here on the West Side. read more

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Amazing pizza using local, organic ingredients. Super attentive service too. We arrived shortly after opening and we were lucky to get the last available table. We had two margarita pizzas, one with rocket and a side order of cucumbers. Plenty for three adults and a hungry kid. I highly recommend! read more

Bantam - Margarita pizza with rocket - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

If I could , I would leave a negative review.. it hurts my heart to do this because I love the pizza here, my boyfriend and i would always come here. During my last visit Thursday 3/12, I came with my two friends. We asked for a table and the host denied us a table and informed me the only open table by the window was for decoration only. Which was fine - we believed her , The host wasn't even nice, didn't smile at us, didn't welcome us in, just stared at us so we ordered our pizza to go. When I came inside to pick up my pizza there was people sitting in the table which was supposedly only for decoration. Why is that? Was it because my two friends I came with black and one of them covered in tattoos? I honestly truly believe and feel that we experienced racism. Totally not cool man read more

Had such a stellar experience at Bantam this evening! From the warm service to DELICIOUS food and wine, I highly recommend if you're in Santa Cruz! We're visiting from LA for a few days and this place is definitely on par with LA standards for GOOD food. We ordered the caesar salad, pickled cauliflower, fried chicken & soppressata pizza, as well as a bottle of Chianti. Highly recommend all of the above and wish we could stomach dessert! The staff were all extremely sweet and personable and we can't wait to come back next time we're in town! read more

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Very friendly casual service, excellent and creative pizzas and very good fried chicken. Love the feel of the room and the bartender makes an excellent Manhattan read more

The food is amazing. Would recommend the sausage pizza, margarita and Caesar salad. The ambiance is great, dispute the questionable location. The service isn't their strength but is dependable. read more

Def the new hip spot in Santa Cruz. Everyone was here on a Saturday night. Food was great, drinks were amazing. Food is not cheap and small portions. But it's all fresh and legit. Pizza is normal sized and pretty tasty. Quality not quantity is the motto here. Drinks are some of the best I have ever had. Period. Very impressed by the bartender. She knew what she was doing and it showed. read more

Nice atmosphere, made from scratch well constructed dishes, fantastic cocktails and an amazing staff tie this hidden gem up. We can't wait to visit again! read more

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We were lucky to get a table for 4 as we arrived. Our guests loved the cocktails (Guillotine). We ordered a kabocha squash starter and it was fantastic; the squash was cooked perfectly and accompanied by beets, goat cheese and pepitas. We ordered three pizzas (potato, soppresata, and prosciutto with arugula) and all were delicious. Our servers were attentive and efficient. We sat indoors, where it was rather noisy, but lively. We enjoyed our experience. read more

Amazing service and food. Recommend for night out. We usually order an appetizer and 2 mains. Check out cocktail menu as well

We came here for dinner after a friend's recommendation. We were seated right away on a weekday night. There was plenty of seats indoors and outdoors, and I believe we came around 7 PM. They were accommodating and friendly! We asked to sit outside and if they could turn on a heat lamp, and they did it all right away. We ordered the Caesar salad and spicy honey pizza - I believe it just came with mozzarella and marinara sauce, but we added some sausage to it. My favorite was actually the salad. It was fresh and very crisp! Pizza was great too! We also ordered some red wine. My fiancé accidentally left his credit card here that night. We came back the following day, worried and the poor guy working there ran all around the shop looking inside of every cash register/desk. No luck. As we were about to leave the Santa Cruz area, we decided to give it another try. We went back and they held onto it for us - the card had my fiancés name/number around it! Great place, with fresh food and kind people! read more

Bantam - Spicy honey, marinara, cheese, basil and added sausage - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Bantam is still one of our favorite places to eat, and to take friends. The fried chicken is the stuff of dreams: perfectly cooked, with an every-changing supporting cast of starches and veggies--always delicious, even when it includes beets (and I usually think beets taste like dirt). The pickled cauliflower is another delight (I'm also not usually big on cauliflower). Bantam serves one of the best Old Fashioneds in town, and their bar is consistent. We love to sit on the patio with our dogs, and prefer it to sitting inside which can be a bit noisy once the place gets busy. Whenever we want to celebrate, Bantam is often our first choice for a fantastic dinner. read more

Great pizza joint, with a fun airy vibe. The gem salad Caesar was fantastic with a garlicky and cheesy dressing that had a bit of a kick. Fried chicken with kale salad with stone fruit was also a hit and paired well with a couple pizzas we were all sharing. Pizzas were well made, good dough. The requisite prosciutto with rocket and parm had a good amount of salad and prosciutto which was nice. The bacon and fig had nice thick chunks of bacon studding the pizza with some nice torn figs. Great happy place, good service and a nice outdoor eating area too. No reservations. read more

My partner and I have always enjoyed Bantam, but unfortunately the service during our visit tonight was disappointing. It was one of the quieter nights we've experienced here, and there were plenty of staff working, so the delays were hard to understand. Our server forgot to bring our drinks for over 30 minutes -- we had already finished our appetizer before she realized. After we were done with our meal, it took another 30 minutes before she asked if we wanted dessert. By that point we'd lost interest and asked for the check, which never came. We waited yet another 30 minutes before she realized she hadn't brought it at all. During this time, she continued serving tables around us while ignoring us entirely. To make matters worse, when I chose to tip 18% instead of the default 20% on the payment screen (which felt a bit unjustified given our experience), her tone noticeably changed and she gave us a dirty look. We've had really good experiences here in the past both in terms of food and service, which makes this even more disappointing. The food is still solid, but the service ruined our date. read more

Service was pretty bad. Had to say hello to the hostess 3 times before she even acknowledged me. She said the wait would be about 30 minutes, but it ended up being well over an hour which was a bummer since we were waiting outside in the rain. We could have gone somewhere else for a drink to stay dry during all of that time... Around the hour mark, we went to check how much longer and again had to say hello multiple times to get her to acknowledge us. We ordered a bottle and the bar tender gave us a bottle that was already open and had about a glass missing but we still got charged for a bottle. When we were finally sat, our server was not great. Didn't really greet us, was very stand offish, just awkward. The food was good, but nothing very special. Drinks we good, but share that sentiment. The atmosphere is pretty lack luster. If the service was good, I would return but sadly typical Santa Cruz hospitality. Won't be recommending. read more

We loved this experience. Came at around 8pm for a late dinner. Ordered the bacon pizza and pickled cauliflower. The dough was so fresh and crisp but soft and warm and the ingredients complimented each other. Every bite was heaven. The cauliflower is cold pickled with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, wasn't our favorite. We ordered the tumeric, ginger carrot drink with vodka and jalapeño margarita, both sooooo good! I felt almost heathy drinking them. Our server Nick was nice, funny, and had great recommendations. Inside the restaurant is contemporary wood vibes lined with booths and an open kitchen. All staff were kind and accommodating! read more

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When I sent my dad these pics, this is what he said: Holy shit. Where is that from? Oh. bantam. They do well. Seats are uncomfortable but pizza may be best in town. So basically it's a 10/10. read more

Bantam - Pizza Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Hostess is on a quite a power trip for working in a glorified pizzeria We showed up at 5:30pm and with just two groups ahead of us were told it was a 30 min wait, after she took our name down it was 45 minute wait ("no, I told you I was giving you a minimum estimate but now I've written your name down, it's 45min") No pager, no cell phone call back. We decided to try to make the most of it and sit at one of 10 open outdoor tables while we waited, only to be scolded ("don't disturb the people at the bar while they eat, go to the end to order and if I need that table, you'll have to leave, but I probably won't need it")... since when does giving a restaurant money for a 40 dollars of drinks not entitle someone to an open table when they're clearly not packed? We ended up leaving and not getting a drink after feeling entirely unwelcome. Not getting my money. Add a few dollops of snottiness and that would describe the atmosphere. read more

Absolutely delicious! Loved all four items we ordered. Crab dish, margarita pizza, squash dish, and the GF fried chicken which we were not going to get but our wonderful waiter suggested it saying many people come in to order this. So we thought "what the heck" And it was delish! Huge fans! Our son ate more pizza then he normally does, he usually asks to take everything off it but he ate the sauce and the cheese! HUGE WIN! read more

Excellent service, food, and ambiance. It's clear there are some talented and passionate managers keeping a stellar show going.

Hits and misses. Service was great, and didn't have to wait long for a table despite going on a weekend during dinner hours and there being no reservations. Was able to get a table outside on a nice day as well which was appreciated. Some of the food was great, and others were just meh. Standouts were the pizza-- all three that were ordered were delicious. One had Gouda cheese and it was the standout of the night. The Caesar salad was a steep price for the little salad and the quality was basically indistinguishable from most caesars I've eaten. There was a salad with a peach, and the peach was unripe and dressing forgettable. The chicken part of the fried chicken was underwhelming, but the vegetables, grains, and sauce stole the show. Would come back to order the pizzas, overall a good meal and experience. read more

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