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    Johnny's Harborside

    3.6 (1.5k reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago

    Order Johnny's Harborside Takeout or Delivery

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    JOHNNY'S HARBORSIDE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Johnny's Harborside

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    Happy Hour Menu, as of Jan 2025 it's offered everyday!
    Madeline W.

    Great spot! Wonderful menu and fast service. Happy Hour is the best in town. Great bar and nice spot to watch a game.

    Fish Tacos 3
    Patty C.

    I was able to get parking right at the front which was awesome considering it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I thought the place would be flooded with people over the hill. I was greeted right away by the nice bartender gal. I got a table pretty close to the window so that was nice eating lunch with the harbor as my view. They were out of a few items which was a bummer, but I was happy with the fish tacos. The grilled pineapple was a nice touch and the sauce was good and the fish was perfectly fried.

    Shrimp Louie Salad with Black Cod added
    Jennifer M.

    High quality seafood restaurant on the water. We visited twice on one trip. I ordered fish tacos the first time (a bit dissatisfied with amount of fish and toppings) and I wanted to get the Shrimp Louis salad with Black Cod my husband ordered the first time. Wow, the cod was cooked to perfection and skin was crispy with a wood smoke flavor. Shrimp was perfect with a hint of lemon. Might be one of the best salads ever. The fish sandwiches looked pretty amazing - might be a third trip in my future!

    Wow‼ $31  for three small pieces of fish I have never seen such a thing.  There were 2 large order of fries.  Taste wasn't horrible.

    Wow‼ I can't believe this was $31! Three small pieces of fish and the equivalent of two large orders of fries. This has to be the worst value in Santa Cruz.

    Here for happy hour
    Roya J.

    Showed up at 3 PM for happy hour and we were told to sit anywhere we like. We picked a corner table with views of the harbor. The server dropped off menus, but only for lunch. Once we asked, she gave us happy hour menus. I'd recommend their happy hour. They have well drinks, wine, and what I thought was a decent selection of local beers. Prices will change with time but we paid $2 per fresh oyster, $5 beer and the rest of the menu was also reasonably priced. The calamari was crispy with nice flavoring and not overcooked. I enjoyed the touch of including pieces of fried jalapeños. We weren't sure about Jeffrey's burger, but it exceeded our expectation. Only thing that was a little meh were the fries; they were limpy but we liked the old bay seasoning. Only miss was showing up exactly when happy hour starts, being seated, but not being asked or offered a happy hour menu despite a huge sign outside that says happy hour from 3 to 6 Monday through Friday....lol.

    Crab Cakes
    Cheryl M.

    First time dining at Johnny's Harborside on a Sunday and visited for the cioppino. My friend raves they have some of the best and visits often to dine and place an order to go. Ordered the fried calamari and cioppino to share but told they were out of the calamari...hmmm it's Sunday lunch and seemed odd so went with our 2nd choice of crab cakes. Panko crusted with a crispy exterior (not greasy) flavorful, but a tad salty. What I thought was interesting was each crab cake was presented split in half...hmm, as if checking to see if it was cooked all the way through? Looking at other Yelp pics, it seems that way! We were a party of 2 and never had crab cakes halved. The cioppino was not the best I've had and lacked flavor, tangy and mainly of stewed tomatoes...squid was rubbery and overcooked but all other ingredients of fish, mussel, clams, shrimp were fine. Friend said this was the first time she was disappointed so either a new chef or off day. Overall, a ***3.5 stars *** Staff friendly, welcoming and attentive but the food was just "ok" this visit but open to trying again.

    Garlic Bread
    Neeta M.

    This place the most friendly and helpful servers 5/5 for service! It had a beautiful view of the Santa Cruz harbor with all the boats. The decor was eclectic. The best dish was the scallops with polenta and grilled onions and carrots 5/5 The shrimp scampi had way too much pasta and not enough flavor 2.5/5 The beet salad was also plenty full but the beets were too tart or pickled - I was underwhelmed with the poppyseed vinaigrette 2.5/5 Not many people were eating here, so it was easy to get a spot.

    Premium Oysters (6)
    Mary R.

    A fantastic spot. Oysters were delicious, calamari had a good taste and texture, and clam chowder was light with small chunks of potatoes and clams. I was delighted by the food and friendly service. Lil pricey, but the view is worth it. The atmosphere this restaurant creates feels very "by the sea" and I adore this establishment. Even my margarita was good! Don't skip out on the warm bread and butter.

    Filet Mignon Bone Marrow Taco!!! Delish!
    Sven W.

    Chef Jeffrey Wall, formerly at Alderwood, is crushing it again at Johnny's! You can tell when you walk into a full restaurant at 4:30 PM for HH & Taco Tuesday!!! Solid Baja style fish taco & Fillet Mignon + Bone Marrow Taco were excellent!!

    Mussels, Fish and Chips
    Paulina D.

    Location is lovely, great harbor views. Really kind and attentive staff, enjoyed the fantastic service. New menu. Got the mussels and fish & chips. Delicious. 10/10 would recommend. Park in lot and pay or free parking on street. Full bar. Honestly great.

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    4 days ago

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    4 months ago

    Amazing! The new menu is so good and we love the happy hour food when we can get there. Taco Tuesday is a must!!

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    Ciera K.

    Thank you, Parisa! We agree, Taco Tuesday is a must!

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    4 months ago

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    Thank you, Monique! Glad you enjoyed the food and the vibes!

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    Page 1 of 38

    Johnny's Harborside Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Johnny's Harborside

    Do you still have the captains seafood platter?

    We do not have that on the menu.

    Can my well behaved dog sit under our table?

    Yes! We have a few tables and bar seat available for pets that are able to stay under the table.

    Do you have an elevator for those folks who cannot climb stairs?

    Yes, we do!

    Do you have a private dining room for a small group (under 10ppl)?

    We do not have a private dining room but are able to take parties of 10 in our restaurant.

    Do they happy hour?

    Yes, we do! Happy hour is 3PM-5PM Tuesday-Friday.

    Are there gluten free options?

    For sure. Most of our dishes are gluten free. Save anything that is fried because of gluten cross contamination.

    Does it have Outdoor seating?

    It does not. But you cannot have a bad seat in the entire place. full of great ocean views.

    Do they serve breakfast all day? Or can they serve breakfast all day?

    Just Sunday brunch

    Is it dog friendly?

    No.

    Is this restaurant handicap accessible?

    Yes, there is an elevator going to the restaurant upstair. We were just there.

    View All 11 Questions

    Venus Spirits Cocktails And  Kitchen - Westside

    Venus Spirits Cocktails And Kitchen - Westside

    4.0
    (195 reviews)
    2.8 mi

    3% fee for credit cards…read more I highly recommend the distillery tour. Book it in advance. It's super informative and fun. Afterward, there is a tasting of each spirit; however, the pours are very small; about 1/4 ounce of each spirit. It's such a small taste that it's not much more than "smelling" the gin. Which is fine. They make a total of 21 spirits, including 7 whiskeys. Highlights: For their gin, they use Lambic potstills; they have no column stills with baskets. Since they only use potstills, they macerate all the botanicals; it's a "wet" gin. Gin 01 is the flagship, and loaded with lavender. They sell 10000 cases per year. It's available at Whole Foods state-wide, and at the Santa Cruz Costco. Costo sells Gin 01 for $28, a significant discount from the $34 price at the distillery. Gin 01 works best with floral and citrusy cocktails like a corpse reviver #2. Gin 02 is a lightly barrel aged gin. It's aged for 2 months, and each barrel gets used twice. The gin is infused with bay leaf, sage, and fennel: it's more savory. They use bay leaf foraged at Delaveaga park, and they get sage and fennel from a farm nearby. I detected a cedar flavor. It's better with heavier cocktails, like a Paper Plane. They do seasonal gins: One for each season. For gin and tonics served at the distillery, they make their own tonic: it has a lavender note. It also uses chinchona, bitter orange, grapefruit, and elderflower. They have blue agave spirits. They get agave from farms in Yolo county. The farms do the pit roasting for them. The blanco tequila uses champagne yeast. The reposado spirit is aged for 11 months. Their mezcal is more peppery, less smokey. For whiskey: - They have a Port barrel finished whiskey that is really tasty. - I thought the rye was very sweet. - For their peated whiskey, they use malted barley imported from Scotland. Their single malt uses a crystal malt. Overall, it was a very fun visit.

    Today I stopped by Venus on the Westside. Admitably, I was starving when I approached the door at 2…read moreminutes to opening. The hostess and waitress kindly let me in. Unfortunately it went downhill from there. I spoke with my waitress to inquire about dairy free vegan options. Not much but I did order a Ba mi sandwich with mushroom. What came was a pork version ~ definitely not vegan. If it were my call , the sandwich I then had to wait for would have been on the house. No such luck. This is not all. Where I was seated by hostess was definitely the world's worst table in the absolute flow of an onslaught of wait staff delivering everything from the kitchen and busing dishes. It was awful. Since my order had already been messed, I did not have the heart to ask about moving. This was an all time worst dining experience. I will never return here again. I have enjoyed the other Venus in Seascape. But these folks were inattentive and lacking empathy. Even their martini was sub standard. Not so at the other Venus.

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    Venus Spirits Cocktails And  Kitchen - Westside
    Crispy Brussel Sprouts
    Crispy Brussel Sprouts
    Whipped Manchego

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    Whipped Manchego
    Jack O'Neill Restaurant & Lounge

    Jack O'Neill Restaurant & Lounge

    3.8
    (448 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$$

    A restaurant dedicated to The Cheese. Cool…read more I moved from Santa Clara to Santa Cruz in 1972 and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I bought my first website from the O'Neill dive shop at the Harbor. Learned to surf at Cowells Beach, wearing O'Neill Seal Suits and Super Suits and Animal Skins, chasing Jack O'Neill around in his balloon with Mad Mike driving. Timmy O'Neill pushed me out of a dingy in the harbor channel once but I've forgiven him. They called Jack "The Cheese" but apparently I've been gone a while because I wasn't aware there was an entire restaurant, bar and lounge dedicated to The Cheese. Went there on a Thursday night in June and didn't have enough quarters to pay the parking meters on that uphill. Got lucky and found a parking space at Cowell's and used the change machine to get $5 in quarters, which is what it cost to park for a couple hours. Walked past a mural dedicated to several decades of Jack O'Neill going back to the 1950s: wetsuits, boats, hot air balloons, smiling girls. The air smelled like stale fish and salt. Inside was a clean, well-lighted place somewhere between funky and luxury .But closer to luxury. They've done a nice job with this place. The prices are reasonable in a city and a state and a time where prices can be unreasonable. Sat at a table up against the window, with a view over Cowells and the wharf and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the lights of all the fishing boats in the bay I ordered the loaded fries with avocado, which is kind of like french fry nachos. And they were good. Lots of Cheese. It's a smart idea to dedicate an entire restaurant to The Cheese, as this place is over the dirt where the first O'Neill Surf Shop was in Santa Cruz was way back when starting around 1959 when Jack moved his business and his family down to Santa Cruz and was perfectly positioned for the surf boom lit by the movie Gidget that exploded into the Beach Boys and Frankie and Annette and everybody went surfing. Only glitch was when I asked the bartender for the bathroom code and he looked at me askance and wouldn't give it up. He said it was for hotel guests only. Aren't food establishments required to provide bathrooms to customers? If I had any friends, I would take them to the Jack O'Neill Restaurant and Lounge. It's got atmosphere. P.S I've interviewed around a dozen white shark attack victims. I get their stories and tell them: "You had a rough day. I'll see if I can get you a new wetsuit. Look at the O'Neill catalogue and tell me what you want and I'll call Pat O'Neill." And Pat always comes through with quality neoprene, so maybe a restaurant for him some day?

    Popped into here for a light dinner. Had a bowl of clam chowder, and a Caesar salad with chicken…read more The clam chowder had an odd taste and it was really paste-y. The salad was surprisingly small. The chicken was good but the dressing was nasty salty. The sardines? That is what I get for not asking for dressing on the side. Great view but the food sucks, especially for the price.

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    Social Area to relax and converse
    Social Area to relax and converse
    Tostada
    Tostada
    Strawberry Fields

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    Strawberry Fields

    Johnny's Harborside - seafood - Updated June 2026

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