I have been gluten free for nearly a decade. I have never had a more delicious GF cinnamon roll!!…read moreThey nailed the filling with generous portions of the sweet goodness and the "roll" part was outstanding! I can't believe I didn't take a pic. I guess we will have to go back!

I went recently with my mom and ordered the oat bread and two donuts. It was good, but the only…read moreproblem is the cleanliness of the staff. The woman at the front was mopping the floor and when I had told her my order, she began to pick up the bread without washing her hands! That's absolutely disgusting. When my mom pointed out her behavior, the woman said she would pick up another loaf of bread. Only then did she use a napkin to pick up my donuts and bread. Keep in mind, she still hadn't washed her hands!!!! It's incredibly gross and by doing this she could've gotten me, a celiac, or any other customer sick.

The BEST coffee shop in Capitola…read more You're crazy if you think any other spot makes better coffee. Bagels and baked goods are also terrific. A little more expensive than some other pizza and bagel shops in the area but it's better. So if you don't want to spend the extra $2 for a bagel then just don't go here and then complain on Yelp. All the staff were super nice to my kids as well. Not a huge spot to work out of all day but a very pleasant atmosphere.

We ordered the caraway dill sourdough bagel with herb cream cheese, and I have to give credit where…read morecredit is due--it was amazingly delicious. At $6.50, totally fair for Capitola. My mom got the blackberry scone for $5.50 and declared it phenomenal. So far, so good. Everyone's happy. Then I decided I needed to try their gluten-free bagel, made by Original Sunshine, which is known for making some seriously good gluten-free bagels. I went back up, ordered one plain gluten-free bagel. No spread. She said it would cost the same as with cream cheese. I said fine. The cashier walked behind the counter, opened a plastic bag full of bagels, grabbed one, placed it into a little brown pastry bag, and handed it to me nice and cold. Then came the grand finale: $8.74. ( I don't know how that came out to that price?) For. One. Bagel. No cream cheese. No toaster involvement. No ceremonial blessing that I witnessed. My friend, we have officially entered the artisanal bagel tax bracket. That felt a little like highway robbery--except apparently the highway runs directly through Capitola. And here's the most annoying part... THE BAGEL WAS DELICIOUS. ‍ I went home that evening and toasted it. So yes, I got robbed. But I walked away happy, eating the evidence. Would I buy it again? sigh Probably.

I finally branched out to try something different than my beloved Indian platter and I was rewarded…read morewith another fantastic meal! Tried the fresh spring rolls, SO refreshing -- like a salad -- but with delicious and gluten-free peanut sauce. Loved it. Quite filling as the two rolls are chonky. Chased my rolls with an indulgent vegan GF lemon cake. Super lemony which is awesome. Dense and drier but so tasty, I don't mind a dense cake, actually. A huge hit! Will order both again!!! I took home the extra peanut sauce and used it on steamed potatoes, delicious. My father-in-law had a breakfast burrito which he took home half of, extra value, it's two meals. Hubby had the tofu scramble which was a bit dry, he added some of my peanut sauce to jazz it up. He wish he'd ordered his usual fave, the Bo Thai. But points for trying something new!

I come here because this is one of the last restaurants in Santa Cruz that I am trusting that their…read morefood sourcing is from holistic, healthy and sustainable outlets. The Chai here is the only house made Chai of quality in Santa Cruz. The prices here are a bit high for a working class budget, but you can understand that almost every meal you order here is good for 2 meals. The owners and employees are what you would expect from people that are serving healthy, soul and body enriching foods. Please continue supporting this Santa Cruz landmark!

W-O-W! We're searching for our wedding cake and just might have found it!…read more We wanted to try cake that we could order for the big day, so we tried their princess cake and carrot cake and both were moist, creamy, and not too sweet. Fantastic! They offer tiered cakes and flat sheets with our without flowers. Designs are very limited, but what's more important is how it tastes! They also don't offer any cake tastings, so we will need to familiarize ourselves with the different flavors when we're in town: slice by slice and season by season. Bummer they don't deliver, but hopefully we can get that figured out.

Staying in Santa Cruz near the boardwalk in the main beach area, but decided to venture out to…read moreCapitola and it was amazing. This is one of the best bakeries I've been to. There is a long wait, with a grab a ticket system, and then they call it out-- so it's easy to wander around and pick what you wanted. Had some breakfast items and baked goods, but the cookies and pie were something else entirely. A league of its own. The building and ambience is very historic and feels an immersive experience to what Capitola is.

First things first, the cable car ride down was so cute. Cramped. But cute. The staff were so nice…read moreand accommodating. Definitely make reservations ahead of time! Now let's get to the food. I can only speak for what I ordered. My espresso martini made with tequila instead of vodka was UHMAZING! Best one I've had so far. The baked Brie was mouth watering, the crostinis were so good and crispy. And the top sirloin was perfectly cooked to medium rare. Loved every bit of it! And the cheesecake was good but I wasn't a fan of the peach compote. My friend loved her cosmo and her gnocchi. And she loved the peach compote. So it worked out for us. Will definitely be back next year!

If you're on the hunt for a truly captivating, breathtaking, and memorable dining experience, do…read moreyourself a favor and pay a visit to "Shadowbrook". Located in the beautiful Mediterranean-esque coastal city of Capitola, this unique and elaborate restaurant has been in operation dating back to 1947. Originally built as a log cabin, this place has gone through evolutionary changes over the decades while preserving the historical rooms (both inside and out) that can seat hundreds of guests at any given time. Located directly off of Wharf Rd and adjacent to the Soquel Creek, this place captivates the heart of Capitola and surrounding areas in every way possible. As far as getting here, you have the option of driving your personal vehicle while Shadowbrook offers a dedicated lot to park. And of course there is always Uber/Lyft. But if you want the ultimate experience by arriving here in style, I HIGHLY recommend booking a complimentary Shadowbrook shuttle. My lady and I were staying at the "Best Western Plus Capitola By-The-Sea Inn & Suites" (only 0.8 miles away) and one of the hotel staff called the restaurant to have us picked up at 5:30pm on Friday 9/4/2026. However, this isn't any old shuttle. Nope, we were picked up by a restored 1955 Checker Cab! Not only did our driver drop us off at the restaurant, but he also took us through some of the amazing views of Capitola! We felt like celebrities that were living in a fantasy world. When we arrived, we made a short walk to the entrance that eventually led us towards the red Shadowbrook cable car. This tram/gondola goes down a slanted track making its way through a dense, green hillside. Once we got to the primary entrance to the actual restaurant, everything was a breeze just in time for our 6:00pm reservation. I have to say, the attention to detail here is on a whole other level. The massive amount of foliage combined with the overall beauty and aesthetics of both the interior and exterior dining areas really prove that every seat here is a winner. We were fortunate to sit at the outdoor patio area which provided a serene view of Soquel Creek and all of its surroundings. Our server, Sean was absolutely fantastic. He brought out (2) food menus and a drink menu as well as warm ciabatta bread with whipped butter. As for their food selection, they carry a vast array of traditional upscale American cuisine. I ended up ordering a 6 oz. cut of their "Chateau Prime-Top Sirloin". This char-grilled Angus steak included potato gratin, Shiitake mushroom sautéed spinach, Baker's bacon, and topped with chef's butter. My lady went with their "Ricotta Ravioli" which included edamame puree, sugar snap peas, and topped crispy tarragon butter. I went with a refreshing "Coconut-Lavendar Lemonade" while she opted with a glass of the "Salmon Creek Merlot". Total time to receive our food after ordering was roughly 30 minutes. I was perfectly fine with that as this was a place worth admiring every single minute. When our entrées did arrive, everything was showcased and beautifully presented. As for my sirloin, this had the perfect 'char' while retaining all the juices (as I had requested it medium). The potato gratin was creamy with the addition of infused cheese. I particularly loved the bacon chunks that were part of the spinach. I also tried a few bites of her ravioli and that too was perfectly balanced with the creamy ricotta and edamame puree. All in all, both of our dishes were a 9/10. After we were done eating, our server Sean was gracious enough to even take a picture of my lady and I complete with the creek as the background. I will say that everything from the main dining room to the Rockroom Lounge to the Rooftop Terrace to the exterior dining spot where we ate, this place is a real gem. Reservations are strongly encouraged but not required. Hours at the Rockroom Lounge are from 12-10pm while main dining hours are from 2-8:30pm (with extended hours to 9:30pm on Fri/Sat). Whether you're here for date night, a birthday, anniversary, etc., this place is as good as it gets. Finally, with world class service, million dollar views, amazingly delectable food, and an experience that I will never forget, I am giving "Shadowbrook" restaurant in Capitola a perfect five star rating.

Delicious every time! I'm rarely disappointed by anything I've tried at Pretty Good Advice! Huge…read morefan of the Blue Cheese Salad and the chia is marvelous! They usually remember me by name and it's great service!

I don't normally write reviews, but when things don't go well I feel people need to know what…read moretranspired here. My girlfriend ordered a breakfast sandwich a that we were going to share. The counter service female was very nice and helpful. The sandwich was very good and we've eaten there many times in the past. When we both sat down to eat we noticed that our sandwich hadn't been cut in half. My girlfriend went back to the counter and asked a male kitchen employee behind the counter if he could cut our sandwich in half. The sandwich was completely wrapped in paper and we did not unwrap it at all prior to asking for it to be cut. His response was extremely rude and nasty. He claimed that it was already contaminated despite the fact that it was still completely wrapped in paper. He acted like we were putting him out by us asking him to simply cut the sandwich in half. He accused my girlfriend of "contaminating" the sandwich (in his words) just by touching it despite the fact that it was handled by 2 people before we even touched it. Basically, it was his scolding condescending tone that totally turned us off to ever visiting this place again. It only takes one lazy a--hole employee to ruin a great dining experience.

We've walked by this spot many times and decided to finally try it on a recent Friday morning. We…read moregot an "early" start because we've heard this place fills up and were able to get our choice of outdoor tables at about 9 am. We brought our dog, who was welcome outside, but keep in mind that if you have a large dog or one who likes to sniff everyone in the surrounding area, you might want to leave them at home as it's close quarters there. Coffee was delicious and they kept the refills coming. We ordered the Capitola Chaos after seeing many positive reviews, and The Avenue (eggs scrambled with feta, artichoke, and tomato). The eggs came with hashbrowns - super good - and toast. Portions were really big! Everything was tasty. The staff was friendly and attentive. Check this place out for brunch!

Such a cute little find! Avenue Cafe is tiny inside, but don't let that stop you -- they got us…read moreseated and taken care of really quickly even though the place was packed. We ordered the veggie scramble and the biscuit Benedict to split. The veggie scramble was loaded with peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach -- fresh and flavorful, not just an afterthought scramble. My husband's biscuit Benedict came smothered in a creamy mushroom gravy sauce that he really enjoyed -- hearty and comforting. Hash browns on the side were perfectly crispy too. Service was friendly and attentive despite how busy they were.

Came here with a big group but was no problem finding seats. We thoroughly enjoyed our food and…read moreeverything was great, and staff was friendly. Parking can be a real pain is my only complaint

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!

I love this small family-friendly restaurant. we come here every year to enjoy their delicious…read moregnocchi. The staff is always speedy and friendly. Always a treat and now a family tradition when we're in town!

We took my parents to eat here for their 50th anniversary. We didn't make reservations but we were…read moreable to come right before they opened and wait for a table no problem. We ordered a bottle of wine and four different pasta dishes. Everyone was very happy with all of their meals and at the end of the meal we ordered tiramisu. The tiramisu was delicious. I had carbonara which I was excited about trying because I just came back from Italy a few months back. It didn't taste exactly like what I ate in Italy, but it was good. It's a small restaurant with maybe a handful of tables, but the service was very friendly and warm and I would definitely come back again.

I have not been so disappointed in a very long time. I love Mediterranean food but this place was…read morea total disappointment. First it is self serve , even the water you get yourself. They do bring your food to your table and the servers were very pleasant, but the food ruined everything else. The falafels were burnt and the pearl couscous clumped together. In addition the bowl was very dry and we had to ask for more sauce just to get it down. The wrap was very big but was also very dry and instead of thin slices of lamb it was 3 large slabs of lamb used which were difficult to bite through. The best part of the meal were the sweet potato fries. I definitely will not be giving this place a second try.

Finally a winner of a dining experience!! We enjoyed our meal at one of several outdoor tables. The…read morecashier was lovely and very helpful. Prices are extremely reasonable specially given the portion size We ordered the lamb bowls, one with sauce and couscous, the other no sauce with rice. The lamb here is so flavorful!! The hot sauce is delicious and not too spicy. Everything was perfect. Wish they had one of these in San Diego!! If you are ever in Santa Cruz go here!!!! ps nice clean restrooms too!!