Impeccable service, we sat at the bar, and it was crazy. How they catered to you? Food was okay biggest problem. I had ordered a side of bread. It came with the Olive oil. I asked for butter That's an upcharge. What? read more

In town visiting and used trusty Yelp to find a spot to eat in the area. This place did not disappoint. From the service to the ambiance and not to mention the food. Drool!! I definitely want to come back next time I'm in town. Check this spot out if you like good seafood and a chill vibe. The ceviche had a nice kick to it which made it yummy. Although I think they could have provided more tortillas with it. They only give two halves of a tortilla for a large dish of ceviche. Mussels...just get it. You won't be disappointed. read more

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If you're headed to Santa Cruz and craving a memorable dine, Hook & Line should be first in line. One of the few spots where people actually dress to impress, Perfect for date night or celebrating life's success. The cocktails were stellar, I couldn't resist, The Emerald stole the show and topped my list. Bright, refreshing, with green chile bringing a gentle spicy kiss, Balanced so well, it's hard to miss. Three kinds of oysters, fresh from the sea, Briny, clean, and as fresh as can be. The tomato & pluot salad sourced from the farmers market stand, Summer on a plate, crafted by a thoughtful hand. The Brussels sprouts were among the best I've had anywhere, Every flavor complemented the next with care. The risotto was garden fresh, light, and bright, The kind of summer comfort that gets everything just right. But save room, don't call it a night just yet, The dessert is one you won't forget. Homemade vanilla ice cream with olive oil and sea salt on top, One magical spoonful, and your heart might just stop. A few tips before you make your way: Reserve ahead, tables don't usually stay. They also have a happy hour that's worth checking out too, Whether it's a special occasion or fun with friends, this place delivers through and through. read more

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Visiting family in Santa Cruz and in search of a seafood dinner, I found Hook & Line on Yelp. We walked in without a reservation around 6:30pm and were able to be seated at a "quieter" table, which meant the room adjacent to the main seating area. The acoustics in the restaurant aren't great so the music was loud and people had to speak loudly. It was kinda loud, which is why I took off a star. We ordered King Salmon and Halibut. Both fish were cooked perfectly with the skin nice and crispy. Both came with the olive oil potatoes, served mashed with lots of garlic. They were delicious! My halibut was also served with some type of tempera, all I could taste was the batter though. I have no idea what was inside, haha. The restaurant itself is nice. Looks like a great date night venue, with the bar in the center. They serve a great Manhattan ;) read more

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The environment was so relaxing, cocktails were amazing, all of the food was super fresh! You have a front row seat to all of the kitchen which is cool. Our server was charismatic and friendly for service was swift. Great date night experience overall. We will be back! read more

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Perfect night out! Seated right away at the bar on a friday night and enjoyed the mussels and fries (in the most decadent coconut lemongrass broth that blew my mind), the cesar (good!), and the tinned fish plate (tuna belly, to die for, sooo buttery and rich). The staff was nice and service was prtty quick. We also got martinis which were pretty good, but one of the weaker elements of an overall fantastic meal. So excited to come back next time I have somethign to celebrate :) read more

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$2 oysters? Yes, please! They were on the milder side, but came with accouterments like mignonette, homemade hot sauce, and horseradish--those really helped amp up the flavor. We also got tasty deviled eggs topped with trout roe and fried shallots (just wish there were more than 3 per order), grilled cabbage made with tons of butter (loved the char, but the sauce was just a tad too sweet), and fun conserva! The mocktail made with beets was KILLER and their HH Pink's Margarita was solid. The restaurant fills up quickly on Mondays because happy hour is all-night on Mondays. I'm glad we went during happy hour! Service was nice and attentive. read more

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Raw Oysters were so goooood! The sunset oysters were incredibly creamy and a solid 5/5. To be honest, the main dishes were not the best (got the halibut), and felt a little dry, and the fish was pretty flavorless. A little disappointed, but our server was great and very helpful. Fun meal read more

Hook & Line - Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Great service, ambient. Cocktails and oysters are as good as it gets. It's rather pricy though... even higher than those raw bars in SF. Worth a spurge when you are up for one. read more

Hook & Line - Fresh oysters paired with a martini. - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Second time at this restaurant and again they did not disappoint! From the ambience, service and food it's hands down one of the best I've had in a long time- again. We don't stay overnight in Santa Cruz often, but this place is a MUST when the hubby and I can break away from the now teen child! Don't sleep on this restaurant y'all! read more

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Great stop after a day of adventure from Paso to Santa Cruz.. We did not have reservation but tend to go to the bar for service. So that where we headed. Food was pretty good. The knock on this visit is the service unfortunately the bartender seemed annoyed that we sat down. Maybe it was due to a holiday post Thanksgiving or later in the evening. We ended up not wanting to try different wines or cocktails as service lagged so we just ordered a bottle or wine. Was looking forward to trying some great food, maybe a revisit can be put in the books. read more

Hook & Line - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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The restaurant is nice inside but a disaster from there! We ordered an appetizer and it was taking forever to show up. Ordered our food while waiting. Food took forever as well. After being there an hour our food came out but still no appetizer. Food for my wife was all wrong so she had to order something else. 30 minutes later that still had not come out and then the server decided to argue with us that we did not specify how my wife wanted her food when she in fact was very specific twice. Manager was going to get us a dessert! Are you kidding me. This was the worst experience at a restaurant in many years! Stay away and find another place to dine! read more

This place is...fine. For the price, the service and seafood portions felt quite lacking. When we arrived we waited awhile until hostess came to ask if we had a reservation. Informed her no and asked the wait time. She said it would be around 15-20 minutes and then walked away without taking our name, so we just stood there awkwardly until she came back about 5 minutes and said a table was ready. The entire conversation with her had the attitude that we were an inconvenience. The time it took for us to have a waitress finally take our order and get our food was longer than expected for how busy the restaurant was. We got the bread, risotto with the added salmon (which the size for the price was a joke, smaller than a deck of cards) and another seafood dish. The bread was $8 for literally 2 slices of a sourdough loaf with no refills. The risotto was lovely, but all the work on the plates presentation cannot be enjoyed by the extremely dim lighting (easily an issue for those with any dark vision issues). The seafood dish was okay, but the seafood to butter beans ratio felt unfair for the price. During our time, we randomly had a new server who was originally bussing other tables(without any info and we couldn't see our original server just working on silverware prep). Overall, the price and attitude this place gives its customers is lacking. Rather pay over $100 at a place where I'm not being treated like il doing them a service with eating there. There are better places in town for the price. If you want to try it out, recommend going for the happy hour to not make as big of a dent if you're underwhelmed in the end. read more

Enjoyed this place so much that I came back the very next day with my friends and family. Came here for happy hour, which is Thurs-Sunday (which is everyday they are open) from 4-5pm. The window is short, but very doable. We got: -$2 oysters (which changes, even the next day) -devil eggs (comes in an order of 3 pieces) -mussels (not on happy hour but is what they are popular for. Juicy mussels in a rich creamy broth, topped with string fries with chili crisp on top) -small seafood tower - came with ceviche, raw clams, oysters, mussels, and some sashimi for $45 The second day we got seated upstairs in their private room that overlooked the restaurant. That was a treat, especially with a lot of loud kids. There was even a private bathroom up there too. Service was extraordinary. They checked in with us and always refilled our water without us asking. Parking can be difficult as it is all metered street parking. Most of them require coins, but there is a qr code on the back where you can pay online if you do not have coins! Overall, highly recommend checking this place out. read more

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Probably the best table service we've had since moving to Santa Cruz. Attentive without hovering, they actually knew the menu and had opinions worth hearing. Little things stood out: a busser fixed a wobbly table before we said a word, our server circled back later to check it, plates cleared right on time, drinks offered without being pushed. And this was on a packed night, just a two-top. Cocktails felt thoughtful, not just filler. Full bar with solid signatures. Wine list was equally sharp -- my wife went for the pét-nat, extra cold (her preference) and spot on. - Oysters (Rustics): creamier than we usually like, but that's the season. Sauces and mignonette balanced them well, nice presentation. - Squid fried rice: crispy, balanced, cooked right. - Black cod: melt-in-your-mouth tender with perfectly crisp skin, paired with red cabbage that actually worked (yes, red cabbage in a good way). Our waiter, Cole, was knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. And Layla, the co-owner, was out on the floor making guests feel welcome -- only knew she was the owner because we asked. The restaurant was BUSY and a little on the loud side but it was nice to be in a bustling spot the felt on trend. read more

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Everything from the staff to the food to the cleanliness was all perfect! Delicious food, attentive staff and insanely kid friendly! 20 out of 10 would recommend!!! read more

Sadly our second time here was even worse. We had the latke and tuna starter and the mozzarella on toast. Both were not very good. The toast was over cooked and the dish itself was bland. The latke was ok but the tuna was cooked and not well matched. As for the entrees, my wife's burger was the best. The fish chowder I had was below average. The quantity of fish was very low almost as if they're trying to avoid expensive ingredients. My son's rockfish sandwich was very dry. The service was ok if somewhat slow. Sadly we won't be back. read more

This, by contrast to the review I just finished posting, was my mom's last-minute, *quite* successful attempt at salvaging the situation, after inviting us to fly from SoCal out to visit Santa Cruz for my birthday last fall, to visit a specific, super-buzzy place in Capitola that we were all fairly unimpressed by. She happened to have a gift card to use here, and no problem getting a reservation for the next day (makes sense - it's a pretty large space), so that was a win-win. She got an excuse to use a gift card instead of forgetting about it, and we got a bonus, much better birthday dinner. Service here was, as far as I'm concerned, great - though they did send us a complimentary bread to apologize for the wait in taking our order, which was not actually a particularly long wait, even.) For an appetizer, we tried the deviled eggs, on my wife's request... the fried shallots were good, and ikura did make a great, fun topping, but they are still fundamentally just deviled eggs. Good deviled eggs, but I don't *personally* think worth 10 bucks for three. However, the entrees I tried: *fantastic*, totally worth the price. Admittedly, it also looks like this is the sort of place, like Vim, where the menu rotates pretty frequently, as neither of the dishes I tried are on the menu anymore, but I can still say - I had a chance to share a calamari fried rice, and a dish of grits, Nardello peppers and rockfish, and both were *exceptionally* good. Perfectly seasoned sweet/savory fried rice with just a tiny kick of spice, perfectly cooked calamari, perfectly slightly crispy rice. Perfectly cooked, flaky, rich rockfish, perfect pop of sweetness from the fruit in it, perfectly seasoned, grilled peppers, great, creamy grits... both were pretty large portions, too (we ended up taking a little of each home with us, and definitely did *not* have dessert here.) So I would assume the dishes on their current menu are presumably also as good. (That said, my wife had the seafood chowder, which is still on the current menu, and I tried a bite - it was good, but I have had better chowder. Also a solid portion, but I'm glad I said I wasn't as interested in it, and shared two entrees with my mom instead of with my wife, this time. :p) I didn't try any of their cocktails (I did have a wonderful glass of an orange wine for the unfortunately entirely reasonable price at this point of $15, not that I was paying for it this time - but I *usually* would be) - but as a cocktail nerd, I can definitely say that I appreciated the creativity that went into the cocktail menu I saw (which has almost certainly also been completely rotated out since the fall, anyway.) I also appreciated that they had a few quality *mocktails*, one of which my wife ordered (a $6 "no-jito", which I tried a taste of, and confirmed, was quite good, for that purpose.). Anyway, overall my point is, while I would probably still vote to just go back to Vim most of the time, whenever I'm home for a holiday and my parents are paying for dinner... unlike Persephone, I absolutely *could* see this place also going into that rotation. Strongly recommended. (Or at least the fall menu would have been, technically.) read more

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We went to Hook & Line last night. My husband made a reservation through OpenTable, but when we arrived the restaurant couldn't find it. Fortunately, they were still able to seat our party of four. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, and it was a disappointment. The portion was very small, consisted mostly of tentacles, and was quite bland. I ordered the seafood chowder, which was equally underwhelming. Although it contained four or five clams and a couple of pieces of fish, it lacked flavor and tasted very bland. To top it off, when the bill arrived, we noticed an additional 3.5% "living wage" surcharge that was not expected. Overall, the experience was disappointing. The food lacked flavor, the appetizer was skimpy, and the reservation issue got the evening off to a poor start. Our friends, who dined with us, felt the same way and said they would not return. Unfortunately, we share that sentiment. read more

Summary: fresh seafood with a flair, modern/minimalist vibe, artisan cocktails, friendly staff Details: H&L deservedly got multiple awards for Best New in 2024 and it hasn't slowed down in 2025. Of the three rooms, I prefer to eat in the middle room -- not quite as tight or as loud. The bar is for walk ins. The menu changes regularly so some highlights: Kanpachi sashimi: yellowtail (sometimes called amber jack). Tender and flavorful (and loaded with omega-3!). On my most recent trip, it was topped with caviar, yum! I shared as an appetizer but could easily eaten the whole thing. Halibut ceviche: a generous portion of fish cured in lime juice. A little more avocado pls. Halibut: the orange-fennel purée was a bit too sweet. Halibut was pleasant but unremarkable. Mussels: YUM! officially an appetizer but I've had it as a main and it's plenty. The fish broth is amazing with hints of lemongrass. Dunk the parmesan fries into the broth. Get the levain bread and dunk that too. Heck, drink the broth. Oh, mussels are really good and fresh. Seafood chowder: enjoyed this especially as not too creamy. All of the seafood was hiding under the garlic bread. Broth dunking also recommended. All of the staff seem pleasant and knowledgeable -- shout out to Bridgette who was especially so. Hook & Line is definitely date night worthy -- or an excellent place to take visitors you want to impress. It's in my rotation. read more

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Awesome date night during my first visit to Hook & Line. I'd definitely recommend getting a reservation, this place was packed during the dinner service. The service was TOP NOTCH. The service staff would check in frequently and would refresh our plates, silverware and napkins with in between our food orders. We ordered a bunch of smaller plates and each was delicious. We started with a sweet potato and smoked halibut appetizer. The sweet potato came with a delicious cilantro aioli, great balance of sweet and savory. Smoked halibut was perfectly smoked. We ordered shishito peppers which comes with a bunch of peppers and a nice sea salt. The crispy pork belly melted on my first bite. The oyster shooters were pretty good. For my drink I had the koyo which was sweet and smoky. Overall I had an awesome experience and I'd definitely recommend stopping by read more

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We have been going to Hook and Line for years. I'm sorry to have to admit that our last several experiences have not been great. The food quality has definitely slipped and we noticed them cutting corners. Our first meal at HAL was squid fried rice years ago. It was wonderful-perfectly sautéed squid, lots of fresh herbs, balanced flavor. Now it's a heap of rice with biting uncooked garlic and about 8 pieces of deep fried calamari....for $39. We have had many other disappointing meals including the whole fried fish, risotto, and others. They are stingy with wine pours and after ordering a $21 glass of wine and noticing my neighbor's more substantial pour, our server did graciously offer more, but this shouldn't be happening to begin with. And my husband's margarita was a good half inch below the rim of the glass with 8 large ice cubes. Finally, they give a ridiculous two fried half corn tortilla chips with their ceviche. If you'd like more, they will charge you. They are just too stingy and customers like us leave feeling disappointed and ripped off. We are so sad as it used to be good! We hope they start providing food quality and portion consistent with their prices. read more

Outstanding!!! Food freshness, menu innovation, and portions were great. Drinks were also really tasty. Overall service and consistency of staff execution was excellent.....highly recommend!! Great to see a high quality restaurant in Santa Cruz. Vibe was also very good. read more

The sardine appetizer was really good, and our server was great, she let try the wine before we bought a glass.

Service was amazing. Oysters were super fresh and delicious. Great ambiance, only thing I would've liked was ceiling fans or AC because it was a bit warm inside, which made it feel a lil stuffy. I will definitely be back for the amazing happy hour specials ($2 oysters)! read more

I will absolutely always rave about Chef Santos' creations. The first time I tried his food a few years ago when he was at another restaurant and I would tell my husband we need to go back, we need to go back. He took some time off from the last location, and I told my husband during that period, you need to call Chef Santos so he can cater our wedding! He would just laugh, but I mean his food is just amazing. So delicious, flavorful and creative. I am so happy he has opened Hook + Line and I can enjoy his craft once again! read more

Despite not having a reservation on what could undoubtedly be the busiest night of the year (Valentine's Day), the hostess was able to seat us in a corner. Baby doesn't mind being put in a corner if it means that I can get a seafood fix on a busy evening. We had celebrated VDay the evening before since I cannot stand crowds. Oh the irony. Started with the calamari ($17) that was light and crispy - a moderate amount of small tentacles and rings. Not chewy in the slightest! I opted for the seafood chowder ($26) which featured mostly mussels and clams with a few pieces of fish fillets. The broth itself was neither tomato-based nor cream-based but very mild seafood tasting. The bi-valves had a bite to them without being overly chewy. Cubed yukon gold potatoes featured throughout. Topped with a gruyere toast, it hit the spot. The BF got the trout ($34) which came with potatoes as well and a slaw salad. The trout was not a white meat which I thought it would be, but more salmon-colored and fresh. The bar area was in the center of the restaurant and is first-come first-served. I think next time I would have preferred to sit there instead of the corner. Service was good - considering how booked this place was, we didn't feel ignored. Would return again to try out other dishes! read more

Hook & Line - Seafood chowder - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This is one of my boyfriend and I's favorite spots to come for date night! We love going to places with seasonal menus, and so far we have been blown away every time we've come here. The food is always fresh, thoughtfully prepared, and delicious. The servers are well informed on everything on the menu and very professional. The manager is wonderful and always checks with us to make sure we're enjoying everything. We always leave looking forward to our next date night here! read more

If you're looking for dinner in Santa Cruz, you can chase trends, white tablecloths, or whatever some algorithm tells you is hot this week. Or you can walk into Hook & Line and remember what restaurants are actually supposed to be. Hook & Line is not just a place to eat. It's a living, breathing organism fueled by salt air, citrus oils, shucked shells, and a bar program that could make a grown adult weep quietly into a coupe glass. The menu shifts like the tide. One week it's pristine local halibut laid bare with market produce that still tastes like the sun it grew under. Another week it's oysters that taste like they were pried from the Pacific ten minutes ago. They lean into sustainably sourced seafood and hyper-local produce with the kind of integrity you don't have to advertise loudly. You taste it. That clean, briny snap. That just-picked sweetness. No gimmicks. No foam for foam's sake. Just confidence. Happy hour here is not an afterthought. It's a ritual. A civilized rebellion against the workday. The room hums. Glassware clinks. Someone laughs too loudly at the bar and no one minds. Behind that bar, Todd and Rain move like jazz musicians in a tight duo - precise, rhythmic, unflappable. They bang out craft cocktails with the calm of surgeons and the swagger of pirates. Drinks arrive balanced and intentional, whether it's something spirit-forward and brooding or bright and citrus-kissed. You don't "get a drink" here. You get an experience in a glass. And then there's the gravitational center of the room: Samantha. Fiery red hair, sharp eye, warm smile. She runs a tight ship without ever making it feel rigid, her steady presence and quiet command keeping the whole operation flowing seamlessly. Hospitality is not a script for her; it's instinct. She engages, remembers, anticipates. She treats regulars like old friends and newcomers like they've finally arrived where they were meant to be all along. Brandy brings a little New Orleans heat to the floor - sultry, sharp, and just mysterious enough to keep you guessing. There's a certain je ne sais quoi about her, the kind you can't train and can't fake. Bridgette helps run the show with steady hands and quiet command. Together, the front of house is well orchestrated. Vibrant. Intentional. Alive. And that's the thing about Hook & Line. It reminds you that restaurants aren't just about plates and pours. They're about people. The line cooks firing seafood that tastes like the ocean wrote it a love letter. The bar team crafting something that makes you pause mid-sentence. The managers who see you. And the regulars who slide into their usual seats like they're coming home. Santa Cruz has plenty of places to eat. But Hook & Line? That's where you go when you want to taste the ocean on your tongue, the craft in your glass, join in the conversation, and to feel the pulse of the room beating right alongside your own. read more

Loved our visit here! The service was fantastic - our server (Jake) was so friendly and attentive. The oysters were fresh and full of flavor, and pairing them with a margarita was the way to go. We'll be back next time to try the other dishes! read more

Hook & Line - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Definitely a hidden gem in Santa Cruz, food is good (100% not a tourist trap), highly recommend the mussel and all other seafood! Everything is super fresh with a great kitchen crew :) Enjoy $2 oyster in happy hour! (Before 5pm) read more

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First time here and I absolutely loved it! Our server, Brandi, was so sweet, communicative, and engaging, she shared her own experiences which made everything even more fun. Our drinks were delicious, and when I asked for my second one with less sugar, she gave great suggestions and made sure I was happy with my choice. The food was amazing. The presentation alone was unforgettable, from the oysters to my risotto, everything looked and tasted incredible. The manager (I didn't catch her name, but she had blonde hair) was also so friendly and came by to check on us and see if we had any questions about the menu, which I really appreciated. We didn't have a reservation and walked in around 6pm on a Saturday, and the host seated us within 2 minutes--that kind of service is rare! It was also cold and rainy, so I appreciated that even more. I can't wait to come back, such an awesome experience! Also love the lighting and vibe for the whole restaurant thank you again for having us! read more

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Amazing! Hands down best place in Santa Cruz for the seafood experience. Cocktails beautiful. Presentation perfect. Coming back forever. read more

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Super impressed with Hook & Line! The ambiance, service, and food were all 5 stars! We went to celebrate a birthday and from the start the hostess recognized it (was on our open table res) and gave us a little card so our server would know. Our server Maya was attentive and kind, other staff also brought plates out and cleared and you could tell the team worked together which was awesome and lead to a fantastic and professional serving experience. There are several different rooms to sit in and the kitchen is open to the restaurant. Decor is very beautifully done. Drinks were fantastic, we had a martini and the Bird of Paradise. We don't eat too much seafood but we where blown away by everything we had- two orders of deviled eggs (so good), two crab claws, the mussels, a burger, chocolate tart, and the vanilla ice cream. Can't wait to come back, it was as a perfect date night! read more

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Dinner for 4. - Ambiance (3*) It's a comfortable restaurant, but they have a few things to figure out. The sun is really bothersome as it sets, even with the window shades. And then there isn't enough lighting inside once you pull the shade all the way down. I would recommend small table lights once the sun sets. - Service (3*) Friendly. The hostess (a Tilda Swinton lookalike) was super professional and very nice to my kids. She also was engaged and walking around the floor, filling some service gaps. There were some awkward slowdowns (apps and entrees, entrees and dessert, check drop-off and credit card pickup). I think this was less to do with the kitchen, and more to do with our server, who was a little absentminded. - Herb Crusted Goat Cheese, $18 (5*) Exquisite presentation. Absolutely delicious. Not an overpowering goat cheese taste. Just the right amount of texture from the toast. A little pop of acid from the compote. Each component tasted good, and then each bite together tasted even better! - Small Seafood Platter, $45 (5*) Most places have your perfunctory seafood tower. If you're lucky enough, the shellfish are shucked cleanly, but there's nothing particularly interesting about it. This is not that! Every single thing on this plate had some sort of interesting and delicious element. The oysters got this really smokey sauce, which came out of a dropper bottle. Not only was this not cocktail sauce, but the vehicle it came in was also epically important, allowing you to essentially "dot" your oyster with sauce. Pretty, clean, and easy to control. The mussels were plump and dressed. So were the raw clams- never had raw clams with bits of fermented cabbage before, but I'll do that again any day! Both the halibut ceviche and the kampachi sashimi were cut neatly and dressed perfectly. I find most places either add too much or not enough acid, too much or not enough salt, etc. etc.- these were so balanced. Even the tortilla chip with the halibut ceviche was tasty. No afterthoughts! - Grilled Halibut, $42 (5*) Exquisite presentation again. Once again, all components perfect on their own and build each other up. The beets (so overplayed at other places) were so good here and could themselves be a star appetizer. The puree was luscious. The fish though- wow! I find that many places overcook halibut. It doesn't contain much oil, so it's less forgiving. But when done right like it is here, then it's amazing! Firm but flaky. Each flake moist and almost silky. Reminded me a lot of Florida pompano which is one of my favorite fish to eat. I suppose it's not surprising they did this dish so well, considering halibut features prominently all over the menu, and even in their advertising. We saw a cute sign on the street after dinner that said "come grab a drink, just for the halibut"- very clever. Maybe H+L secretly stands for Halibut + Line. It would be fitting. - Vanilla Ice Cream, $3.50 (5*) Even the ice cream tasted special. Good texture, smooth, good bite. - Value (4*) Considering the execution and caliber of plates, I would say this is pretty good value. - Final Word I don't know why H+L is only 4* aggregate on Yelp. This is probably now one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area. I'm just sad it's in Santa Cruz and not San Jose, as I'll be able to frequent it less. Normally, the ambiance and service grades would drag my rating down to a 4*- perhaps without reading the other reviews, this happened for others as well. But the food was so, so, so good, that I'm choosing to overlook these flaws. I tend to be stingy with my stars, but this food was about as ironclad 5* as you can get in my book. Will definitely return. read more

Hook & Line - Cute sign! - Seafood Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Service was excellent, food is always interesting and fresh. Good portions, interesting menu. Have been multiple times and would recommend. read more

Place is small but has 2nd floor for parties. We had birthday trip and were looking for seafood cute place on the way home, and were surprised that they gave us the whole room by ourselves even we had private toilet , it was so cute and felt special. We ordered food and didn't expect anything big , but when our dishes came it was magical, we had halibut tails clam chowder and burger also oysters and drinks , it was unforgettable experience, we loved everything since we just stepped into the restaurant. Everyone was nice and polite , they made our evening sparkle on the way home. Thank you !!!! read more

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Hook and Line over the past year has truly become a home away from home. The service is some of the best I've experienced and the food is seasonal, fresh and phenomenal. Although the prices are high, it is important to note this is not only due to the extremely high cost of being in Santa Cruz, but also the quality of the ingredients. You often can see the Chef perusing the Downtown Farmers Market, carrying back more cases of vegetables than one can fathom. For me, hook and line is a place to escape, share some oysters and small plates with friends, and of course- have a filthy martini or glass of crisp wine. I recommend taking your time- order things one at a time, bring a friend or three or even a book for a solo date (side note- I go alone often, its awesome for solo diners). You will truly find that the price will seem very reasonable if you go this route and soak it all in. read more

Service and ambiance are great. The seafood is fresh but you definitely pay for it. Portions could be better. They do everything well but hard to be really excited about it. read more

It was my second time dining here tonight. I was super excited after our first experience. The first visit we got the sashimi with caviar, mussels and fries, oysters, etc and everything was perfect. Tonight we arrived with a reservation and it was packed for a Monday night. We learned it was an all night happy hour. Which is great for everyone else, but for a special occasion dinner and seated on the bar side with a reservation wasn't as relaxing as it could be. The calamari was on the HH list and smaller than we seemed to remember from the non-hh portion. Our dinners were good, but not as remarkable as our first experience. My desert was an espresso martini. Unfortunately it was missing the brewed coffee flavors and overpowered by liquor- I do not recommend. Next time, understanding that H&L is a better deal on Monday then I would probably spend a Monday special occasion elsewhere. But, if looking for a HH with friends it would be a fun spot. Otherwise, special occasions will have to be Tues-Sun (I'm not sure if they are open daily.) read more