Had Special Noodle back up in Cupertino, but this one may the best of them all! Whichever sister…read moreruns this one is COOKING for real. Best soup dumplings we've had in YEARS...including DTF. GREAT WOK-hay on their eggplant & green beans. And their Pan Fried Pork Buns (生煎包) remind me of Yang's in Shanghai. Paper thin skin on top, and crispy doughy bottom... absolute MASTERCLASS! Edit: spoke with the manager when paying and found out this was the original HQ! No wonder it's the best haha

This place came highly recommended by my Santa Cruz local bestie. She's part Chinese and says it is…read morecustomary for her to bring guests to this place when they're in town. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations to find good asian food in small coastal towns but this place was a true exception. Family style Chinese restaurant. Ordered through a QR code & on your phone. The food literally came in minutes. How they make them so fast left me speechless. They gifted us cucumber salad on the house and it was delicious. Per usual, we over ordered. We got to try a lot of different dishes - steamed soup dumplings, regular dumplings, salt and pepper chicken, beef wrap, onion pancake, hot and sour soup, ma-pao tofu, veggie chow mein, garlic chow mein, garlic green beans, combination fried rice, and their smoked chicken leg quarters. All the food was prepared and cooked so well. Tasted authentic and definitely one of our new favorite places to eat in SC. Reasonably priced. Delicious food. Generous portions. Special Noodle now has a special place in our tummies and hearts. Amazing service from the staff and their manager for going above and beyond for our table. Highly highly recommend this place!

this place was sooo yummy!! me and my bf got dinner here and we were expecting the place to be…read morecrowded But it was completely empty... idk how tho bc the food was fire. he ordered teriyaki chicken noodles while i had teriyaki tofu noodles. i wish the sauce was mixed into the noodles before being served but other than that i have no notes fr. food was bussy and came out hella fast Thankyeeewww bf edit - the music was fucking bumping

Not the same Betty's I used to know. Their food used to be so flavorful and fresh…read more Came back on two occasions and both times the food was not fresh, and simply did not taste good. The second time they had a dog barking behind the counter. Disappointed for sure, I miss the old Betty's noodle.

I'm a raving fan of the OG restaurant in Capitola because the food and service are consistently…read morefirst-rate. I come a few times a month for work lunches and it's always a great experience. Big kudos to the long-time GM Lisa Chiorello for achieving this consistent excellence! Today was an above and beyond moment: I was seated next to a table of 8 senior citizens. They asked the server Bella to split the bill 8 ways, and Bella didn't blink. She acted like it was the easiest thing to do (I know from prior serving jobs, it isn't!). The seniors were having a difficult time figuring out which meal was theirs, and who was paying with card and who was paying with cash. It was quite the scene! Bella had to spend a lot of time with them. She was so kind and patient.... it was a heart-warming thing to witness. And she never missed a beat serving her other tables, including mine. I just wanted to acknowledge Bella's kind and caring actions in a world that sadly is not like that a lot of the time. Thanks Bella for making me smile and the seniors' lunch enjoyable. You are a compassionate and considerate person that every company would be lucky to employ.

Food was good, service was good and quick, and the restaurant was nice. Our server Jayden was super…read morenice!

Firstly, I came last night and didn't know they close at 9, instead of 10. But despite this, the…read moreserver (maybe the owner?) was super nice and got us what we asked for super quickly. He was also very accommodating. I asked for no rare steak on my pho, and usually places just don't give rare steak, but he offered to just have it cooked instead. Nice surprise! On to the food: after going to a diff Vietnamese place in sc, I've been hesitant to try another here. But this place made me feel at home (Bay Area). I like drinking the soup before adding anything and I don't do that at all places, but here the soup is really good. You can smell it when you come in too. The thai tea is really good too, not too much tea or milk. Def plan on coming back to try other things on the menu too!

They have a giant sign in the window listing Banh Mi at $8.95, but if you order one, they tell you…read moreit's like $15. I asked about the price and they said "oh yeah, it's a different price." No shit. False advertising. Banh mi is passable, which is saying a lot for Santa Cruz. Non-traditional, no pâté or ham, but ok.

Very good ramen! We had the coconut shoyu, Kabocha, and Ko ramen. All were good but the Konwas the…read morefavorite. The chicken in the coconut shoyu was overcooked while the brussel sprouts in the Kabocha were undercooked (nearly raw). We also had the Brussel sprouts in curry as an appetizer; it was delicious! The bowls in which the ramen are served are beautiful! That's the highlight for the atmosphere. Otherwise, the interior is relatively simple with a few tables and a row of chairs for people to wait for their to-go orders. The server was kind and kept our water glasses full.

I have mixed reviews about Sapporo because there are many things I like about it -- namely, the…read morenoodle dishes are tasty! (Skip the green onion pancakes though. They were chewy and undercooked!) There were a lot of customers there and, I believe only 3 workers: front of the restaurant woman who is your hostess, server, "bus boy", and cashier! Then there was the cook and someone in the back. The service was fine overall but Sapporo fell short on cleanliness and food handling safety. My kids and I were STARVING so we had to just look the other way throughout our dinner. You can tell they were working hard so we didn't want to make a fuss but omg... the woman brought our bowls with her THUMB in the bowls! I could see that it went into the soup one time so she moved her thumb (probably bec it was hot) and almost dropped the bowl on the table. Another time she held a piece of paper (I think it was the order) in her hand while also handling our food, so the paper went into 2 out of 4 of our bowls. She had to shake the piece of paper next to me to get the food to fall off. It was so shocking that it was almost funny. Almost. Sapporo is what I'd call a "hole in the wall" establishment like ones I had been to in big cities, and with those places, I think there is a bit of uncleanliness that you just have to expect as long as the food is good. Based on how packed Sapporo is, I think that's what others feel as well.

Went in today and were the only people in the restaurant sadly, because these people deserve…read morebusiness!! The sweetest older couple took care of my boyfriend and I and made some of the most delicious food! I got the kimchi soup, and my boyfriend got the kimchi fried rice with chicken and korean fried chicken. The kimchi soup was one of the best i've had but was a little spicy so keep that in mind, i personally didn't mind! It had so many delicious add ins like pork, rice cakes, and glass noodle!! Kimchi fried rice as was rated 9/10 by my boyfriend! He wishes it had a little more chicken, but other than that it was delicious. The kfc was one of the best we've ever had! So crispy and the sauce was sweet with a little bit of heat! The sauce was seriously delish, like we were blown away! If you're in the area, pay them a visit and enjoy their warm attitudes and clean restaurant!

Ohhhhh am I glad I found Sesame Korean Grill! They not only serve Korean BBQ food, but also they…read moreserve Japanese food too! I was happily surprised to see a katsu menu (even a plate of mixed katsu), ramen (even Cheesy Ramen), and sushi rolls. I came with friends because we were craving classic Korean BBQ dishes, like spicy hot tofu soup and Dol Sot Chicken Bibimbap (clay pot with sizzling rice at the bottom - yum!) and soju (Korean wine), but we ended up also getting Japanese dishes, like unagi donburi (fresh water eel). Plus, as a classic Korean BBQ place, Sesame served the little dishes of Korean goodies, like kimchi, and they were so refreshingly tasty and obviously homemade! You know it's a good place when you are thinking about what dishes you want to order the next time you come, whom you want to invite, and where the takeout menu is! Service was okay: we were seated quickly and food arrived at a good pace. We had to ask for a few things, like remind them of our drinks, and wasn't checked on, but our server was easy to find and we had no complaints because we were too busy devouring our food and toasting with our pomegranate soju. Other things to note for first time customers: - Parking can be a little tricky because the lot in front of the restaurant is limited to about 5 cars only! Try across the street! Also beware that street parking meters are strictly enforced. - Drinks are delicious. Get them. - The place is spacious, so it's food for large groups. - Ambiance is more of a family restaurant (nothing fancy). The most important takeaways are: the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable!

Charlie is hands down my favorite restaurant of all time. That Pho is unmatched. And for $11!! The…read moremost healing, nourishing food from any restaurant I've ever been to. Plus it's all organic Everyone there greets you with good energy and vibes. Serving up bowls of life force energy. I love Charlie Hong Kong

lots of uncooked rice and way overcooked chicken. also super expensive…read more go somewhere elae

I love this place! The sandwiches are seriously affordable in a time where everyone is charging so…read moremuch for so little. The location is convenient, up from the beach. Sandwiches are made in a timely manner. And everything is good! This time I tried the Big Dipper and loved it. I probably could've split it with someone if I got a side, it had some size to it and was well portioned with meat, cheese and fresh veggies. You can eat inside or outside OR you can take it back to the beach and have the best setting possible. I will be back again and again- love this place.

Food: 5 stars. Service: 3 stars…read more The food was excellent and made the visit worthwhile. The staff, however, came across as a bit cold and unfriendly. I get that it's beach time and things move at a different pace, but being a little nicer to customers and visitors would make a big difference. Hopefully next time the service will be as good as the food. EDITED - Saturday, June 20, 2026 I'm updating my review after reading the owner's response. First, I want to clarify that the response appears to be a copy-and-paste message aimed at people leaving negative reviews. If you had actually read my original review, you would have noticed that I never complained about the food, the wait time, prices, staffing, or anything related to the quality of the business itself. In fact, I enjoyed the food and had no issue waiting. I visited on a Thursday, and the café wasn't packed. The owner was clearly working hard, and I respect that. However, when I walked in and said hello, I was completely ignored. There was no greeting, no acknowledgment, and no sense that my business was appreciated. That was the only reason I left a 3-star review in the first place. The response talks about staffing shortages, minimum wage, food costs, and the challenges of running a small business. I understand all of that. Running a business is difficult. But those challenges don't really address the point I was making. A simple "Hi," "Welcome," or even a quick smile costs nothing and goes a long way. I also don't think customers should be made to feel responsible for business challenges such as labor costs or rent. Those are realities of ownership that every business owner has to navigate. That said, after thinking about it, I'm changing my review from 3 stars to 5 stars because the food was genuinely good, and I do support small businesses. My hope is simply that future customers are greeted with a little more warmth and appreciation when they walk through the door. One final thought: when someone leaves a critical review, it may be worth responding directly to their experience rather than posting a generic response. Sometimes there's valuable feedback hidden inside reviews that aren't really about the food at all. I wish you and your business success, and I genuinely hope you continue serving great food for years to come.

Food, service and ambience are great. Food is creative and fun. Most importantly it tastes great!…read moreGreat neighborhood restaurant!

This place is truly unique. They have amazing dumplings and soups. Chloe will great you personally…read moreand is always happy to talk shop about her delicious offerings. I believe I have tried most of the dumplings and the kung pao shrimp are definitely my favorite. The Thai chili are also incredible! The spicy fried shrimp is definitely a must try as well as the hot and sour dumpling soup. If you haven't been to Chloe's, you must check'em out!

I went to a tacqueria in Watsonville today and realized just how good Tacqueria Santa Cruz on…read moreSoquel is. The super burritos are great quality and value, well balanced with essential ingredients. The al pastor is served on a traditional trompo, a little heavy but really tasty. Other good options are the soup (carne en su jugo), and the grilled chicken as a meat option is really good if you're trying to eat lean. Shoutout to Fernanda for always greeting customers with a smile and great service.

This is a humble little spot in Santa Cruz. We tried two dishes: the super nachos, and the à la…read morecarte enchiladas. The super nachos were fantastic. The chips are thick and crispy. They loaded up with an immense amount of cheese. They add guacamole and sour cream, and most importantly they put a large amount of meat on there. It's more of that food than a single person can eat. The price point is $15 which seems fair. The à la carte enchiladas were not as good. The sauce has a slight tinge to it. And it was very little meat inside the enchiladas. There's usually enough parking out front for everybody, but if not, you can always park on the street. The gal working the front counter was very helpful and brought out our food, amazingly quickly.