Definitely worth coming - and make sure you come a little bit early to ride the trolley as well!…read moreFood portions are huge, and we were very impressed by how good the food was. Would definitely visit again!! FOOD: Blackened Prime Rib (7/10) - Blackened (recommended by the waiter) was definitely the way to go! Huge portions with solid sides. Try it! Charred Peach Salad (8/10) - Loved this! Peaches and ricotta paired perfectly together. Caesar Salad (7/10) - Solid and wroth getting as an appetizer Scallops (9/10) - Our favorite! Was extremely pleasantly surprised by how many scallops came with it. Cooked really really well!

Shadowbrook was such a beautiful and unique restaurant experience that lived up to the hype! After…read morereading all the reviews and photos, I was expecting a truly magical night and they definitely delivered on all counts. We came here to celebrate the anniversary of my furbaby's passing (not your typical anniversary celebratory dinner, but def still an anniversary!) and I was very satisfied with my choice. Parking was super easy. The entrance was already beautiful enough, and the tram was such a unique highlight experience. We got some great videos! I wasn't sure how our timing would be this night so I didn't make a reservation, but we called ahead and arrived a little before 7pm. We inquired about seating in the dining room area and got a drink at the bar and were thankfully squeezed in for a table (due to a cancellation). All of the staff were extremely courteous and attentive. The restaurant itself is an aesthetic rustic garden experience from beginning to end. So many floors to explore and lovely plants to enjoy. Its also right by the water, so sitting outside is also another experience in itself. Perfect for date nights! The food was excellent and surprisingly just as good as the view. The Ahi Carpaccio was sliced perfectly thin and just melted in my mouth. I wasn't expecting to devour the whole thing but i'm glad this dinner was my first meal of the day. The scallops were also divine, loved the mashed potatoes along with it, and the sauce. Also completely finished my entree. My vegetarian date enjoyed the beet salad and the nightly noodle special, which he also thoroughly enjoyed. The drinks we ordered were quite standard (nothing innovative) but still made well. And the mudpie dessert we ordered was also good. The crust was quite crispy. Since we were celebrating an anniversary (though not ours), our server helped us to take a photo which they printed out for us immediately. This was definitely a great touch and rare to find at a restaurant (especially complimentary). I would love to come back and introduce more people to this lovely restaurant!!

Super cute spot right off the beach. We also got a view of the colorful houses from our table. We…read morechose outdoor seating where our table was close to a lil pond and ducks were swimming up to us! We also saw someone stand-up-paddleboarding in there as we were eating! Happy hour is M-F 3:30-5:30pm but I heard they may be discontinuing it soon :( We got the Happy Hour Cucumber Margarita + Chicken Taco Combo, Lagunitas IPA Draft Beer + Shrimp Taco, Calamari, and Loaded Nachos. Happy hour plating size is smaller than the full menu size but the amount of food was perfect for my group of 3. They gave a generous amount of chicken+shrimp on the tacos so we put the extra meat on the nachos! The shrimps are grilled with a smoky charred flavor and the chicken is so juicy and flavorful, almost having a curry/tumeric taste. So delish. Staff is super nice and our waiter was super helpful. Vibes are immaculate and I'm sure food would hit even better after a warm summer swim!

I came here to on a weekend with my family and some friends. I like that they have outdoor seating,…read morehowever, that works better for smaller group. We had a pretty large group - not particular big (but close to 10 people) but we had to be split up in 2 booth tables. They do have a kid's menu which is great for family with kids. It does come with a drink, we got milk for our kids. Surprisingly, the portion is really good for the kiddos! We got a quesadilla for them and it was definitely more than enough food for 1 kid. We should have just had the kid share 1 item. The cost of the food all felt a little pricier than I hope, but the food wasn't bad. I got the bajo tacos and it was a good size. It had deep fried fish in them. I felt the dipping sauce that came with it was pretty good too. My husband got the quesabirria tacos which I thought was pretty good. However, I felt the dipping sauce that came with it was a little saltier than I like. I thought the service was good too. The wait staff did a good job in making sure we had what we needed. We also had the ceviche as a starter and I enjoyed it as well. We had a positive experience here. We would probably return. Parking here is also very busy and hard to get.

This place is very dog friendly and such a cute little patio in the back! We saw the sunset here…read moreafter a full day at the beach with our two doggies. There's a lot of parking in the area but I'm a busy day it would be difficult to find a spot. The service was a little slow but nothing extreme, they only had one waiter for the whole patio. We would come back here but would try other spots first!

My family and I stopped by Paradise Beach Grille during our trip and, unfortunately, left a bit…read moredisappointed. The best part of the experience was easily the location. We sat outside and had an incredible view of Capitola Beach. The service was slow throughout the meal, and one thing that stood out was that I never received a water refill the entire time we were there. It wasn't terrible service, but it definitely felt inattentive. I ordered the Seafood Fettuccine because I wanted something a little more filling. In hindsight, that's partly on me since seafood fettuccine isn't exactly a dish I usually expect to be exceptional anywhere. The Alfredo sauce was bland and needed a lot of pepper to bring some life to it. Most of the seafood was overcooked and chewy, particularly the fish. The clams were probably the best part of the dish and were cooked reasonably well. Overall, the view was fantastic, but beyond that, the meal didn't do much for me. Between the slow service and underwhelming food, this ended up being one of the worst meals I had on my trip.

Never judge a book by it's cover. The front looks old and is windowless, but it's a totally…read moredifferent scene once you step inside. It's huge with a lot of seating. It looks like it would be a great place for large groups. We have never been here before and were confused as to where to park. The front area has 2 or 3 spots but I don't know if they're for customers. We found a drive way that led to the back of the restaurant that is shared by several businesses. The service was great. Everyone was very friendly and our server gave us really good feedback on the dishes we asked about. Someone was always walking around filling water glasses. We sat in the back patio. It's very spacious with a lot of umbrellas to keep guests in the shade. My husband had the meatloaf sandwich. He said it was ok, but a little dry. I really enjoyed the roasted mushroom and avocado melt, but it was hard to eat. Every time I took a bit, all the other ingredients would spill out. Lol I took out some of the greens to make it more manageable. The calamari was well seasoned and the Rock Fish Ceviche was our favorite. We'll come back to try their dinner service when we're in the area.

We had a very good meal and absolutely outstanding service which earned Cafe Cruz a solid 4-star…read morerating. I had the spicy Devil's Ginger vodka martini with the calamari appetizer and with dinner, the Lava Top Sauvignon Blanc ($13), a perfect complement to the swordfish. My swordfish was perfectly sautéed in a tapenade beurre blanc sauce ($40) with deliciously creamy and decadent polenta and buttery chopped bok choy. The way they served the bok choy was perfect- never change it. It was artsy, buttery and didn't look wilted. My son had the grilled boneless pork chops (two boneless chops) with fries and smoky beans ($28), loved. He devoured the berry fruit crisp à la mode for dessert ($12) and I had two small bites: It was like granola over compote with ice cream. I didn't complain. The best part was the incredibly flawless service. We could have felt rushed dining since it was towards the end of service. Instead, Genevieve paced the meal perfectly so we felt spoiled and unrushed. Next visit I would love to dine in their "secret garden" courtyard; it was beautiful. Their 'secret garden' would be beautiful for a private party like a birthday or wedding anniversary, bridal or baby shower.

Trestles is outstanding. The service is quite good and the setting is cozy and modern…read more But the food is outstanding. Everything we had was top notch. We ordered: - The grilled artichoke - local artichokes are great, but this preparation was outstanding. It tasted as though it had been wood roasted, then dressed with citrus and delicious anchovies. This was my wife's favorite dish of the night - The wedge salad - you can get a wedge salad at many places, but theirs is really exceptional. The lettuce is crisp and fresh, the eggs are thinly strained, which make for a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor with the green goddess dressing. The crispy bacon, croutons, and sunflower seeds make for a nice contrast in texture - The brick chicken - this is one of their signature dishes, and for good reason. The chicken is tender and moist (likely brined in advance) and grilled crispy, flattened with a brick. The vegetable and polenta that accompany it are very tasty in their own, and together the rich chicken, slightly bitter green vegetable, and creamy polenta make for a wonderful and deeply flavorful bite. - the smores cup - this was really good. The mousse is a very rich dark chocolate pot de creme and the marshmallow fluff is torched perfectly. The finely ground graham crackers make for an elevated version of the smore in each spoonful - the crème brûlée cheesecake - this was equally excellent. The cheesecake is fluffy and light, the creme brûlée top gives a nice crisp, the crust is crumbly and delicious and there was a fruit sauce on top (maybe rhubarb) that tied the whole dish together

Great service. Food and cocktails 5/10. Cocktails did not…read moretaste so great (we got moscow mules) all it tasted like was ginger beer. Ordered roasted Cauliflower and salmon entree, had a bitter aftertaste and salmon alright. It was an okay ambience. Small space inside.

My favorite Hawaiian in the area. Made all 3 of my kids, my wife and I happy. Close to the in laws…read moreas well. If in the area and want Hawaiian this is the spot.

We were in the mood for some poke and decided to give this spot a try! They have a parking lot in…read morethe back and also an outdoor patio, which was perfect for us since we had our dog with us. I ordered Da Kine Poke Bowl and it was a tasty poke bowl, just what I was craving! The portions were great and I liked that it included some of my favorite toppings like edamame, avocado, and seaweed salad. The spicy aioli drizzle also added a good spicy kick to the bowl. Overall, Pono was a good find and we were satisfied with our poke bowls!

So far so good! Cute…read morelittle place for a quick dinner as we just rolled into town for valentine's weekend. Love the ambiance and the starter bread with the garlic infused olive oil is a killer!!! My wife loved the lemon spritz and we had the truffle ravioli. Hot damn that was GOOD! We will certainly be coming back in the future for the full dinner experience. Service was also spot on with friendly faces and smiles galore.

Champagne AND spaghetti?! I am so happy you can order Caruso's at Vin Vivant. A match made in…read moreHeaven! The Caruso family is so nice and the food is just delicious, pure comfort food. The Gnocchi Al Forno is the best gnocchi I've ever had. Pillowy gnocchi in a hearty, garlicky marinara. It's like eating a WARM HUG. I also love the Fettuccine Vodka and Chicken Parmesan. The complimentary bread with roasted garlic oil is such a nice gift.

I looked up the highest rated mexican food in Santa Cruz and I'm so glad this place popped up and…read morelived up to the hype. I will definitely be hitting this place up post surf when I'm in the area. We got the ceviche in salsa roja. For $25 it fed the two of us perfectly and I have a big appetite. I ordered an extra side of tostada chips for $2. The ceviche was so tasty with crunchy bits of mango, onion, and cucumber. It was super spicy but we love spice. The people next to us ordered shrimp tacos and we're just saying 'damn so good' with each bite so those are a hit too.

Have been here twice and tried their aguachile verde both times. I got their plate which is perfect…read morefor two people. I believe it is made fresh for every order so it can be a bit of a wait, but totally worth it. The aguachile is delicious and you can also choose if you want no spice, mild, or spicy. It comes with a few tostadas, but they charge if you want extra. They make agua fresca as well, but they had ran out this last time. The service is okay, it can definitely be improved. There is indoor and outdoor seating available. There is some street parking available and I believe a parking lot in the back. Definitely worth a try!