This review needs updating. I am now confident in saying that these ice cream bars ARE the best in…read morethe world and would love to be proven wrong (hey, IF a better ice cream bar exists it would have to be mind-blowingly good). It starts by them using quality ingredients. They use Marianne's vanilla ice cream, and Valrhona chocolate (a French chocolate used by gourmet chefs). You can choose milk chocolate or dark. They have a bunch of options for what you can include in your bar, including chopped almonds, caramel, and marshmallow. My favorite is #4: dark chocolate with caramel and marshmallow. It is insanely good. After each bite I am thinking "oh my god this is good." Frankly I am glad it is in Santa Cruz (and not in my town) or I might be 50 lbs heavier. I just had one yesterday and the experience is still vivid. Oh, and their chocolates (which also use Valrhona chocolate) are also damn good. And if you like brownies they've got you covered too. The guys running this place could not be nicer, which makes this place a joy to visit. This is really an exceptional place to come to and we are lucky to have it in our area. I am now a regular almost every time I am in Santa Cruz (and I come here often).

Small shop with no tables for enjoying your sweets after purchase, but that part didn't bug me too…read moremuch since I got mine to go. A bit on the pricey side for sure, but holy cow was it delicious! My wife and I both had to be careful not to eat it all in one go. We wanted to spread out the joy of eating it. Incredible chocolate, local business, somewhat pricey. Definitely worth checking out!

This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

Pros: Service was friendly, the setting was very romantic…read more Cons: I don't mind paying for a nice dinner, but (and I really hate to say this) the food was quite disappointing. We ordered: - pasta pork bolognese: Large portion but it was just ok. - miso salmon fillet: my SO enjoyed this. Wasn't overcooked so still nice and buttery. Nice flavor. Might just be me but rather small portion for around $30? With sides come out to about $40. I may be unfair to the here given the outrageous rent they most likely pay here. - broccoli entree: regular broccoli, no char (streamed?) and sauce was meh and didn't come with the fried garlic topping as mentioned. Honestly came off as (some) sauce and frozen broccoli for $13. Again, maybe it's the rent driving the prices up but I truly think they could do at least a bit better. - chocolate orange tequila, glass of wine: admittedly we are out of our depth to comment on these. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and I don't regret going, but unfortunately most likely won't be returning. We've been so excited to go too :/

THIS LOCATION HAS CLOSED!! Business has moved to Richmond CA, but you can still order & get great…read moredeals at drinkCACOCO.com!

What a treat..........I thought. I tried ALL 3 amazing Cacoco products at the VegFest in Santa…read moreRosa and was blown away. I had to buy all 3. NOT a cheap option but couldn't decide. Well, after having saved them for that "special occasion" was I surprised........and DISAPPOINTED. I had so carefully keep them in a dark pantry and guess what..........they had all solidified to the extent that I had to take a hammer (weight) to chip off pieces so I could make my "special" sipping treat. The taste was still good but the process was a major turnoff. A $15 hunk of chocolate was not what I expected. Something needs to be happen with this product OR it needs to be sold one box at a time and used quickly. :-(

I hate when a coffee shop's only value is their aesthetics and not the quality of their coffee. I…read morewould love to go to an aesthetically pleasing coffee place and not feel guilty for spending 8 dollars on a drink that tastes like battery acid.

REAL GREAT COFFEE!!…read more For the coffee appreciator in your world this is the place. Incredible full flavors of just toasted beans to thoughtfully baked treats don't miss the perfection of 11th Hour Coffee. The vibe is artsy in a well decorated coffee slash bar.Have been here many times and have never missed the Cardamom cake. Ten Stars & ten hearts!

A trip to the beach isn't complete without a stop to Marini's. Best place for soft, buttery, chewy…read moresaltwater taffy. Once you try it here, you won't want it from anywhere else! There's always a friendly face working the counter, whether its a seasoned taffy puller or a teen working their summer job, the staff here is wonderful. A true Santa Cruz gem.

Candies, fudge, caramels and taffies. Located just before the wharf on the boardwalk. Good for kids…read moreand nostalgic. The sea salt toffee was good. It's pricey- we got toffee and caramel for $4+

Years later we still try to come here whenever we are in downtown Santa Cruz. It is not cheap, but…read moremy goodness is it luxurious! I was so full from lunch so I shared a small handmade waffle cone with their rich and vegan dark chocolate sorbet covered in their homemade marshmallow fluff and torched to perfection! My spouse ordered an espresso milkshake with their vanilla bean ice cream. It was the perfect birthday treat!

I've been coming here for a long time and visit pretty frequently, so this experience was really…read moredisappointing. When my boyfriend and I walked in, one of the employees was having a conversation with what looked like friends. I didn't mind at first because there were two other employees standing at the front, so I assumed one of them would help us. Instead, we stood there for several minutes without anyone acknowledging us. I understand if the other employees weren't assigned to the register, but what bothered me was that no one even took a second to say, "We'll be with you shortly." A simple acknowledgment goes a long way and would have made a big difference. The lack of customer service and communication made us feel ignored so we just ended up leaving and went some place else. As someone who has supported this business for a long time, it was disappointing. I hope management addresses this because good customer service is just as important as the product itself.

This place is pretty big on the inside and well organized. A lot of people were there for ice…read morecream. I was looking for my favorite chocolate covered gummi bears. I ended up buying 1 pound because I hardly see them anywhere anymore. I also bought a variety of other chocolates. When it came time to pay I was caught off guard $36 /lb for each bag. I took a breath and handed my card lol.. where else can I get it?

I've generally liked to come here the last 15 years for random coffee and snacks. Today I came in…read moreand it looked dead the the two girls working were just talking so I asked if they were open and she just looked at me and ignored me. I said whatever I went to the bar where I usually order my coffee and they are legit still talking and gossiping for the next 5 minutes while I'm waiting to order their coffee and just ignoring me. Weird customer service skinny small dark skinned girl and the bigger white girl.

A small cozy shop with many pastries, tarts, and pies! They also serve sandwiches, breakfast,…read moresalads, and have soup of day. We ordered * strawberry Marionberry Scone: 3/5. A little too sweet. Not bad. * plain croissant: 4/5. Simple as it can be. * cheese danish twist: 4.5/5. The best one and flavor is all there and balanced. I ended up finishing everything on the spot. I also got the Tres Leches Coffee, easy 5/5. Service was pretty quick, and they try to get people served as quickly as possible.

First, I'd like to say Emma at the counter was awesome. She was very helpful and kind. And Kenneth…read moreon the phone, who took my original order was also nice. Go Emma and Kenneth! Solid 5 stars for these two. Now, on to the pastries... I purchased a French baguette, an apple tart and chocolate chip cookies. The French baguette was flat, soft, and didn't have any flavor. There was no crust to it, no crackling. Nothing against plain white bread, but it was like plain white bread... when I wanted a baguette. Maybe it was an off day, but I would pass on the baguette. 1 star. The apple pear tart was pretty sweet. And the crust was dense without any layers. It was alright, but nothing special. 1 star. The chocolate chip cookies were the best part of my purchase. Although not a full rant, these were your basic chocolate chip cookie. Slightly better than what you would get in a package, but not the cookie you would come back to. 2 stars.