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    Pretty Good Advice

    4.6 (504 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Order Pretty Good Advice Takeout or Delivery

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    PRETTY GOOD ADVICE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy

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    Recommended Reviews - Pretty Good Advice

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    Aswathi C.

    this was our stop 2 in Highway 1 roadtrip. HIGHLY RECOMMEND this vegetarian food joint on the way. This place is known for its playful, retro roadside diner vibe, the spot specializes in making incredibly satisfying, affordable vegetarian and vegan versions of classic comfort food. I had the classic cheeseburger, which had a black bean patty, The Absolute best burger I have had in the US. The banh mi we tried was also good; and so was the fries, the coconut caramel coffee and peanut butter ice cream. Pretty Good Advice was founded by chef-owner Matt McNamara, who previously co-owned and was the executive chef of Sons & Daughters, a highly acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco that earned a Michelin star in 2012.. After years in the high-end fine dining scene, McNamara chose to step away to live on his family's 83-acre farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He opened Pretty Good Advice with the explicit mission to take that same Michelin-level dedication to flavor, technique, and sourcing, but apply it to affordable, casual, $10-and-under vegetarian comfort food for the whole community. A lot of the seasonal produce, herbs, and citrus used to elevate the flavors in their dishes, sauces, and drinks come directly from his local mountain farm. So while the setting is a relaxed roadside counter, the culinary backbone definitely has a Michelin pedigree! Turns out Soquel is one of its hidden gem locations, and it has branched to Santa Cruz as well.

    Pretty Good Advice in Soquel
    Rachel H.

    Pretty Good Advice in Soquel is a fun, unfussy spot. Think sandwich-shop meets vegetarian cooking. This was our second time here, and it's worth a visit. Located off the freeway in a repurposed fast-food restaurant, all dining here is outdoor only (on picnic tables) so try to visit when the weather is good. Cue up and order the messy vegan delicata squash tostadas with creamy components, a hash brown filled breakfast sandwich, or their vegan burger. We also tried persimmon lemonade. It's quick, funky and laid-back spot.

    Iced Coconut Caramel Coffee
    Anna F.

    What a treat! Might be my new favorite spot in Santa Cruz. Food is Farm to Table and you can taste it. Everything tastes extremely fresh and flavorful. God the California burger not realizing it was a black bean patty and was very pleasantly surprised. So delicious I might not ever eat a beef patty again. The Mikes Deluxe was so yummy, the egg was cooked to perfection. Coconut coffee was amazing. Sweet but not overwhelming. Employees were kind and patient. The place was so adorable and had an outdoor patio to enjoy the food.

    The walk up window.
    Ray N.

    " Pretty Good Advice" Soquel is a simple, amazing, dynamite, tasty must stop just 1.4 miles north of the beautiful Capitola village area in Santa Cruz, Ca and 4 hours past Santa Barbara. April - you are a Superstar. You have infinite passion, care, patience, attention to detail and unbelievable multi tasking skills ensuring all 9 customers in line( some with screaming and straying kids) were taken care of in those 5/6 minutes. You came out from behind the counter and viewed the menu board with us making 2 great suggestions. Loved the sunrise tostada and tofu and the spicy boy 2.0 version with the egg. The coffee was lovely. Thank you for making me a fresh special second pot. Love Pretty Good advice. Everyone please make it to this gem any day from 8-6. It is just north of Hwy 1, park your car ( 10 spots) in the private lot; then place your order at the convenient walk up window and pick it up from the other window 5 feet away. Proceed to the lovely patio in the back with seating for 35. Enjoy the lovely fare. Make sure the kids get the fantastic ice cream ( horchata was outstanding) and you finish up with the coconut chia pudding with lemons and strawberries. We will definitely be back on our drive back from San Francisco.

    The High Horse
    Laura L.

    Cute shop with a decently-sized parking lot. There's an outdoor patio to eat your food after you order and pick it up at the counter. No indoor seating! We got a few items to share. The standouts for me were the morning deluxe and cheeseburger, but honestly everything was pretty great. 1. Mike's morning deluxe 5/5 Great tasting sandwich with the egg, hash brown, and house made sauce. 2. High horse 4.5/5 This is a cold sandwich that is packed with veggies. Good flavor and bigger sandwich than the other two! 3. Cheeseburger 5/5 I really liked this one too but it was a tad salty. The party was quite tasty. 4. House fries with garlic rosemary aioli 5/5 The fries had a great seasoning on them. The aioli was the star though! 5. Persimmon lemonade 4.25/5 Very good lemonade but lacking the persimmon flavor! Still a good drink though

    Outside
    Robin M.

    I came here for my first time last weekend during the pride parade. + 1 star for having outdoor seating in the shade + 1 star for gender neutral restrooms + 1 star for clearly marking, which items are vegan on their menu + 1 star for having help yourself water out by the condiment bar I really liked the vegan aïoli that they serve with the french fries and the peanut butter soft serve. The rest was just meh. The banh mi was kinda meh. Save your money and get the vegan banh mi from downtown San Jose. The brussels sprouts were sort of disappointing as well. Everyone I was with who ordered a burger said that the burgers we have at burger patch in Sacramento are better. I'm guessing that the only reason this place is doing well is because Saturn closed and new leaf closed and options are just so limited.

    Kayley C.

    Oh man...this was a gem to find. Mostly vegetarian with vegan options was such a win! Not to mention everything is reasonably priced. The house cut fries with the aioli dipping sauce was the winner of the day and enough to have to visit Santa Cruz just for this alone. The crispy brussel sprouts also a must order. We can't wait to come back to try their breakfast options.

    Eliza W.

    Food 10/10 ambiance 10/10 service 10/10. Loved that I could enjoy foods that are gluten free and taste amazing, and also have vegan options .

    The Big Kimmy
    Andrea Z.

    Visited on a Sunday around 1pm with a friend, there were a few other guests ahead of us but wait wasn't too long maybe a 10 minutes to order. Seating is all outdoors, one large table under the umbrella and some bench seating around the tree. Drink: Iced coconut caramel coffee - sweet, creamy with hints of coconut and caramel, nice but a little bit cloying after a while Food: Big Kimmy - nice punchy kimchi flavor, very saucey and wet sandwich, messy to eat definitely grab a bunch of napkins for this one, a nice fried egg with a bit of runniness, liked the add of the hash browns, taste was good but pretty hard to eat used a fork at the end because it was so messy probably wouldn't order again Brussel Sprouts - good, liked the sweet chili sauce paired with this one, hummus added a nice creamy contast but again very saucey California Burger - okay, lots of fresh lettuce and tomato, patty was a bit lacking luster, wish this was a bit more substantial Service was quick, order at the counter and wait for you order to pick up at the window. Overall had higher expectations for this spot, flavors were good but dishes tended to be too saucey and heavy for my personal taste. Maybe didn't order the right dishes.

    Smashed Cucumber Salad

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Great salads and really appreciate the great gluten free options! Will definitely be returning!

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great! We ordered breakfast several times. The taste is delicious and fresh. Highly recommend

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

    This is a cool little place. I love there breakfast sandwich. I treat my wife to breakfast there one a week.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Tasty vegetarian/vegan food, still available at reasonable prices (if you order directly).

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    Page 2 of 13

    Ask the Community - Pretty Good Advice

    Is there gluten free bread?

    Yes

    What are the crunchy things in the chopped salad?

    Is the patio dog friendly?

    Yes I believe so

    Anything for the kids, both food wise and in terms of distractions?

    They offered my kids crayons and coloring pages...so you could ask next time!

    What kinds of gluten-free options are available here?

    The Whole Bowl and the Pretty Good Cereal. Sometimes they have a special that is gluten free.

    View All 7 Questions

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    Generous portions, good coffee, and exceptional service -- exactly what you hope to find on…read morevacation. We were hunting for a solid breakfast spot and honestly weren't sure from the outside. But the moment we walked in to a warm welcome and were seated right away, we knew we'd picked the right place. My grandson -- who can be a bit high‑energy -- was treated like a little gentleman. Seeing him enjoy himself let me actually relax and enjoy my own breakfast: a massive plate of French toast so good I couldn't even finish it. Linda's Sea Breeze Café is the kind of place that wins you over fast. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great start to their day.

    Tl;dr ok for brunch…read more I came with my friends after fishing and it was decently busy on a Saturday morning. There is no parking lot so you have to find street parking nearby. We ended up ordering mostly from the specials menu and here are my thoughts: - chorizo scramble: chorizo was fine. Some of us liked the chorizo and others didn't lol. The scramble was pretty wet because of the spinach. - Mendocino scramble: lots and lots of basil in the scramble and it was quite tasty. The sundried tomatoes were a bit sweet and the portobello was cut to be nice and small bite sizes. It was lighter in flavor but I prefer that to being overly sweet - corned beef hash: was dry but tasty. The texture was very nice - eggs Benedict: "mid" lol. It was fine but there was nothing special about it. The English muffin was well toasted though - soup: today was clam chowder! Lots of clams and other ingredients but somehow did not taste the way we expected it to. On the starchier side too - cinnamon rolls: lots of hype and i think it's worth. The texture was kind of like a cuffing with lots of walnuts hiding inside. It can be a little bit dry but it comes with some butter too so that helps a lot I can imagine that the parking situation can get really annoying when it gets busier but it was fine for today. The service was great! A+ :) Would I come back? Yes. For the cinnamon roll. I dont actually like scrambled eggs so I would try something else next time

    Photos
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    Homemade biscuits and country gravy

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    Cinnamon roll

    Pretty Good Advice - sandwiches - Updated June 2026

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