Great service, they had a special for their drinks. They had the choice of flavor and you choose your choice of liquor. Food was great and waitress super friendly and attentive. Will come back again read more

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This restaurant is amazing!! The food was off the chart and our server, Shannon was so great!! I would highly recommend

I've been excited about coming here for years. As a black owned restaurant in Santa Cruz, I was proud to introduce it to a friend from the who had no idea it existed. The food was superb. Very tasty and adequate portions. HOWEVER, the service left MUCH to be desired. It was a bit embarrassing as we were the only African Americans there at the time. I watched everyone around us being served and checked on regularly, but we ALWAYS had to request attention. It truly saddened me. The food was so good, I MAY return, but I will be prepared to be treated like I'm treated in ANY establishment. read more

When going downtown the hubs and I always look at this place.. Tonight finally got to try it out. Our friend broke up with his SO and didn't want his Rez to go to waste....we got their 20 minutes early and were able to be seated. SCORE! In all of the tragedy and awkward-- there lies an amazing meal. Tonight was a pre-fix 65.00 per person that included an appetizer, main dish and dessert. The bar did a blood orange margarita mock tail for us since we don't drink alcohol (5.00 each). Everything made in house and it was awesome, clean and citrusy. First Course: The fried oyster appetizer could have been a whole meal in itself. The oysters were super perfectly cooked. The breading was evenly coated and I had about 5-6 oysters on a bed of greens. The husband loved his sautéed mushrooms and sopped up the broth with his bread. First course success. Second course: We both opted for the oxtail and braised short rib. Everything was fall of the bone tender, perfectly seasoned and a lot of meat. I only ate the oxtail and got the rest to go. Polenta was perfectly creamy and the glazed carrots were amazing. Sugar Buzz: Last course was dessert. The hubs wanted blood orange mousse. Super fluffy and light. It was a work of art. I opted for the bittersweet pots de creme. Perfectly creamy with some whipped cream on top. Both were accompanied by these phenomenal lemon Rosemary (???) shortbread cookies dusted with powdered sugar. The service was amazing. A main server and two other folks kept everything full- checked on... Several mock-tails were offered when we noted we don't drink. Next to us their meal was taking awhile and the server comped their drinks. Overall want to come back and try lunch! Thanks for making our Valentine's Day a night to remember. read more

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From appetizers to mains this place is clutch. The chefs and wait staff are A+. They have legit specials and memorable classics. Oh don't forget to order a cocktail, wine, or draft beer, whatever is your thing in the moment, all are good selections. The cherry on top is the local art displayed tastefully in the restaurant. My husband and I live in town and have placed these orders. We suggest ordering the orzo soup, skirt steak (they sous vide it), fish, and chicken. read more

Excellent food and good service. They were very accommodating when members of our group were late. I always appreciate the kind understanding. Everyone enjoyed the food. On the pricy side, but Will definitely return. read more

I admire this place! They serve sensational meals, their menu is decent, The chief cook in that spot is well trained, I like a lot eating all their dishes. They had limited indoor seating due to COVID restrictions but the outdoor seating made up for it. They have an extensive selection of drinks and delicious menu. This quickly became one our favorite places to ear at in downtown Santa Cruz. read more

Funky Décor, Fab Food Being a beach and college town, Santa Cruz is funky and fun. Oswalds offer upscle food at upscale prices. We split a Caesear salad and it was large enough for three with anchovies on top. All of the entrees were exquisitely prepared with ingredients that were both surprising yet complimentary. We ordered the duck confit, scallops, skirt steak, and the homemade fettucine, each bite a delight. Prices are on the high side $32-38 per entrée yet delicious. Our waitress knew how to elegantly describe the food. Corkage was $15. Strolling thrugh downtown Santa Cruz is a blast to the past. read more

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Had a nice dinner tonight at Oswald. Everything was delicious, the service was good, and the. Presentation was beautiful. We chose to sit outside. I'd advise to sit inside for dinner, because there were quite a few whacked out homeless people that pestered us. One even decided to turn off the heat lamps and spilled a bag of salad around us in the process. The restaurant staff was very apologetic and quickly took care of righting everything. read more

Standard new American dishes. We got the burger and pork shoulder. Both were delicious. Service was friendly and accommodating, albeit a bit slow. Menu is pretty boring. And location is sketchy, full of homeless people. Don't recommend sitting outside. These are reasons for a 3 not 4. read more

The hostess last night was rude. Not sure what warranted it, because she was rude the moment we walked in. She didn't greet us and we weren't sure when to tell her how many of us there was. She just stared at us and looked at us like we were crazy for even walking in. Very akward. Food was okay. They only had the restaurant week menu and the bar menu so not much of a selection. The short rib and oxtail was tender but the flavor was pretty bland. I wish there was more vegetables to cut though all the fat. There was only 4 pieces of carrot Everything else was fine. I had a bad experience with them when they first opened and vowed to never go back. I should of just stuck with my gut. read more

This place is way to pricy for the servicing size . 13.00 for mussels. 10 baby mussels . Super not worth it. 38.00 for the ribs the size of a tennis ball. , 1/2 a carrot . And probably 1 potato 34.00 for Cod and 4 baby potato's . Total 94.00 dollars This places sucks ass. read more

Found this place last minute, online, for a birthday dinner two weeks ago. Ordered the steak which was cooked perfectly. My husband ordered the pork tenderloin, which is usually dry, but it was moist and so flavorful. They had a wonderful wine selection. The only negative was the staff wasn't friendly and didn't check on us a lot otherwise I would go back for a delicious meal! read more

Excellent food, excellent service, even have enticing mock tails. Very nice place to brunch. Waitress was very friendly.

We've been trying to go here for 4 years. They didn't disappoint. The salmon dish and my drinks were...yum!

Sit at the bar for lunch on a Wednesday! Better food than in the SF Mission!!! World class service. read more

Oswald's is a staple in Santa Cruz. Always puts out great food and the drinks are fantastic.

I'm always tempted by skirt steak on a menu and that's what brought us in-- that and a recommendation by our Airbnb hosts. The steak did not disappoint but was a bit on the rare side rather than medium rare. Also the peppers in the side were just ok. We also sampled a delightful butter lettuce salad with a creamy but not over the top rich dressing. We definitely enjoyed the creamy sweet potato soup. Plus the red wines by the glass were top knotch. Service was routine but not special. read more

A Great, Great, Great Restaurant. The Cocktails are fantastic and the Gourmet Food is even better. I really enjoyed the Scallop Special... it was "Out of this World" good ! For dessert, the Chocolate Soufflé is mouth watering. I live in Carmel, but I will definitely be driving back her again and again ! read more

Oswald - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I was VERY DISAPPOINTED with the food. My pan seared local rockfish ($36) looked amazing when it came out, except that it was so severely over salted. I couldn't clear my tongue to regain taste even after drinking water...and my palate was pretty shot at this point. I tried the broccolini that came with the lamb and same disaster--salt with a side of vegetable. The lamb ($42) was more rare than medium-rare, and half fat versus meat. Don't be fooled by the presentation. Save your money and save your palate for other restaurants around the area read more

Oswald - Too rare, too much fat, over priced rack of lamb ($42) - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Overpriced. Food is only mediocre. Seems like the can get by with lackluster food with prime downtown location.

Went here for dinner with a few friends. Menu is pretty small but has a nice selection. Dinner is a bit upscale as far as what people were wearing. There was also a bar with a nice selection of drinks. Somewhat on the expensive side (for me, but I'm also cheap). I ordered the Mac n cheese and he was delicious! Calm, dim light environment. read more

Oswald - Mac n cheese - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

It's over priced, low quality and not worth the money. If you want $18 Mac and cheese that's the size of a kids meal and is as bland as a white womans cooking, here's the place for you. Don't worry tho they will smother it in breadcrumbs so u forgot how much flavor it lacks. All jokes aside my friends meal was very good so they have a decent meat just not a good chicken salad or Mac and cheese (you know the most basic restaurant food). I was very upset just because they brushed by us a lot and kinda treated us like kids in the sense that instead of telling us they have to make more bread and that's why we're not getting any, they kept just saying ok until the third person finally told us. Lastly the prices upset me, I had a $18 burger that was just so SO SO plain it came with literally ONLY GRILLED ONIONS AND CHEESES, and the meat wasn't good. It was just a all around disappointing experience. read more

Just had drinks and appetizers - everything tasty (but pricey, like everything nowadays). I recommend the Mac and Cheese.Efficient and friendly service. read more

Classy restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz with delicious food, great atmosphere and wonderful bar area with creative craft cocktails. We've eaten here 3 times for dinner and always enjoyed everything we've ordered. Most recently I had the endive salad and trout for dinner and they were both outstanding. Hubby had the beet frisée salad and the rockfish special and thoroughly enjoyed both. We had a predinner cocktail at the bar and the Crisis Management cocktail was unique and tasty. Service at both the bar and restaurant was excellent even though they were very busy. read more

Oswald - Endive salad - yummy! - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Main entree was good, not excellent. Prices are high so I was expecting a bit more creativity. Deserts were both just O.K. Again not exceptional. read more

I had a lovely meatless lunch and of mushroom soup and farro and greens. The preparations were excellent, and I was impressed and happy to learn that the smooth mushroom soup was made with no cream apart from a dash of crème fraiche. The service was attentive, with our server anticipating our needs. A great experience! read more

Oswald attracted me with their delicious smelling food. When I entered with my date it looked very modern and chic. Our host and waitress were exceptionally nice. Everything was going well until we got our menu and saw the abysmal selection. All the food averaged mid 30$ which was expected of a high class restaurant in the middle of downtown. I got the pork belly which was pretty small, but tasted very good. The fat melted in my mouth, while my date got the skirt steak. Which was at most sub par. Flavor wise it was great, but the actual quality of the meat was bad. It was incredibly chewy and felt like I was working out my jaw. The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice, although it had a high price tag it is definitely a place you can go to and have a good conversation without having to think twice about how loud you are. So overall I would not come here again, but it is definitely a place you should try out. read more

Oswald - Pork Belly - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We were told curtly that the restaurant was "booked for the night" and turned away, so I have no review of the food. However, I did not appreciate the snotty looking-over we got from the host before he decided we would not be seated. read more

Solid, very good experience. Went there for dinner post-COVID with a group of 13. Menu is reasonably wide ranging, but not many appetizers on offer. The group probably had everything on the menu, but highlights were the chicken orzo soup and the skirt steak. Wine list is great, diverse and covers many options - honestly the wine list is more inspiring than the menu to read. Looks like there are a few wines with an extra year of bottle age due to COVID. Service was good, with a couple of glitches - we were split into two tables, 6 & 7, and the first table definitely received more attention, which was a bummer for the second group. read more

I've been coming here since it was at its previous location. We have a lot of date nights and my mom was a chef, so we know good food. Oswald has consistently the best, most thoughtfully prepared dishes in Santa Cruz County. Each bite is scintillating. I particularly love the abalone, when it's available, the crab appetizer, the endive salad, and whatever fish dish they're making. The black cod is phenomenal. My hubby likes the steak, the pork dishes, and the duck. The service is always perfect. I'm greeted and seated by a smiley person within a very reasonable amount of time (tho we always make a reso on Open Table). The menu changes frequently, which is fine with me because I know, without question, the whatever I get will have amazing flavors and textures that I may not always expect but certainly always love. I definitely branch out of my normal orders when I'm here because I can trust that it will be delicious! read more

Menu is straightforward. The dishes and flavor profiles are not new or inventive. But the food is very well prepared. Prices are high. Overall menu and prices are similar to what's offered at a nice hotel. Nonetheless, happy to return to support a local business. (Note: If you're looking for a view from the patio, this is not your place). read more

Poor service, mediocre quality food, and some of the highest prices in Santa Cruz. We used to enjoy eating here, but not anymore.

Enjoy dinner at Oswalds the ambiance was nice and clean. It was a group of 5. We ordered tried the (3) fried oysters, Crab, (4) New York steaks that were the bomb! Very tender and cooked perfect! I ordered the fried chicken and macaroni and cheese it was delicious. All of us enjoyed our meals we will definitely go back. Our drinks were on point too! read more

I wasn't that impressed but I wasn't totally unimpressed. The service was ok. I guess from the reviews I expected more but its ok. Funny, the place was empty but I was there for the food. read more

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The four of us enjoyed a perfect Saturday evening celebrating my friend's birthday. The ambiance, cocktails/wine, food and service were all top notch! We enjoyed many options from the french onion soup, beet salad, mussels and frites, short rib, to name a few! The desserts were divine as well. I cannot wait to return! read more

Hands down absolutely wonderful! Stayed in Santa Cruz on a staycation and was recommends this place by good friends who used to live in Capitola. Started with the butter lettuce salad which the dressing was nice and creamy but not too heavy. Lettuce was crisp. Had the dinner special which was seasonal veggie fried rice topped with braised pork belly and a poached egg. It was to.die.for! I have NEVER seen or had such a large portion of pork belly and the flavor of if was mouth watering. The poached egg on top was the icing on the cake. Now dessert...almond croissants are one of my favorite pastries so I was over the moon ecstatic to see on the menu they had an almond custard torte. Perfectly portioned with almond custard paste in the center topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. The service was nothing short of exceptional and I absolutely cannot wait to go back! read more

Oswald - Veggie fried rice with braised pork belly and topped with a poached egg - New American Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I had high hopes for this Santa Cruz fine dining spot. It was ok, but I wasn't fully impressed. 2.7 stars Cost to worth it ratio: 2.5 (overpriced for what we got) Highlights: - Bar area: classy, refined, good bartender, and fun unique cocktails. - Fries with steak: the hub's favorite. Super crispy. Midlights: - Most entrees: hub had steak and I had fish and they were both just ok--nothing great. Lowlights: - Service: wasn't too interactive or friendly. Usually in Santa Cruz people are more welcoming and conversational. We also got ignored for a good amount of time during the time we were there. - Ambiance: I was expecting styllish and refined, but it felt like a large dead space to me. Glad we went to try, but it's not on my list to return to unless it's for a drink at the bar. read more

Best dinner spot in SC. Second only to Ristorante Avanti and Soif. YOU MUST BOOKMARK AND TRY IF YOU ARE IN SC! Sorry for yelling, back to yelping... Great but small wine list; this place it's all about the cocktails. If you want an amazing bottle or glass of wine or beer they have that as well. But Hans is a true mixsologist; last year he made an Asian pear martini.. OMG. Right now they have the seasonal Strawberry cucumber vodka cocktail... it's pretty much insane. And they always have a great procesco on the menu for around 7 I believe? A glass of amazing bubbles for 7 dollars...there is a god. Then their is the food....Chef/owner Dimani (right spelling?) is uber talented and is just a really cool sweet man! Comes through in his food.. Wednesday night they have a three course meal for 29 dollars which is a great deal. They also have an amazing bar menu which includes grass fed burgers, mac and cheese, soups, salads, fish, cheese plates and more. The menu changes nightly with some reoccurring items. Most of the meats and vegetables are local, seasonal and organic. They always have a vegetarian entree as well! Even Vegan options... DESSERT!!!! OMG I almost forgot. The chocolate souffle is the best I have ever had; it is dark chocolate madness with a cup of the thickest creamiest creme. If you love or even just slightly like chocolate a little bit, try it. I constantly try the new dessert options they have and they are always amazing. I know they have some uber talented pastry chef but at the moment his name escapes me. They have beautiful Art for sale on the walls that changes monthly; their have been pieces I've coveted but my current financial situation has put my art collecting on the back-burner. My money is being spent on my addiction to good food and wine. This place is great for a dinner solo, with a bunch of girlfriends, on a romantic date, dinner with the family, all the above. Kids are more then welcome and I am personally a firm believer on feeding children good food in a classy atmosphere. I'm going to have some darn lucky kids some day... :) read more

Amazing food, drinks and service! We came on a very busy night, it was very lively, which made conversation difficult. Would recommend coming when they're not so busy to get a better ambiance, especially if your going on a date or looking for something romantic. read more