I've been to Second Story a handful of times now, and it's easily one of my favorite lounges! Every…read morevisit has been such a great experience. On my most recent trip, our reservation unexpectedly grew by a few people, and the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us. We really appreciated how hard they worked to make it happen! The cocktails are next level creative, delicious, and unlike anything you'll find at your average bar. My absolute favorite is the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom shot! And of course, we always order the caviar because... why not? The vibe here is everything. Whether it's girls' night, date night, or a celebration, there's always an amazing crowd. The DJ knows exactly how to read the room and keeps everyone singing along/ dancing with banger after banger. One night there was even a live saxophonist who absolutely stole the show, it made the whole experience feel so special! I also love the Renaissance inspired artwork by the entrance featuring icons like Drake, 2Pac, Sade, and more. It's such a cool touch and adds to the atmosphere. Second Story never misses, and I already can't wait for my next night out here!

This is definitely not a happy hour or "let's grab a drink" place. It opens at 6pm, and on a…read moreThursday at 6pm on the dot, I was offered only a bar seat without having a reservation. No big deal, as I wanted the bar anyway, but something others should keep in mind. The cocktail list is plentiful and intriguing. I tend to avoid tequila, so that eliminated a good chunk of the options. I went with Rose Colored Lenses, which was fantastic, and decently sized. Presentation was beautiful. My friend had All a Dream, also very good. The wine offerings are minimal, this is very much a cocktail or champagne type of place, with caviar being the primary food service. Speaking of service, the bartender was excellent, both in his mixology and demeanor. It took awhile to get the drinks, but I assume that was due to the complexity of the cocktails, paired with having just opened the doors a few min earlier. Two notes: 1. The barstools were a little too low, imo. I don't normally pay much attention to that detail, but these were uncomfortably low for me, even with my long torso, I was hyper aware of my posture. So maybe that's actually a good thing 2. Other patrons were rolling in shortly behind me, so there is probably an early crowd when they first open, then a late night group that appreciates the 2am closing time. Interior is beautiful, and you can use the steps up to the 2nd floor either from N Santa Cruz or the rear parking lot off W Main. More substantial food options are a mere few steps across the hall at Heritage.

Was my fav in college and now a must when I'm in Santa Cruz. The red room is pretty chill, although…read moreit does get busier on weekend nights. Friendly bartenders, ideal red everything vibes, and two rooms for seating options.

There are two floors! Downstairs and upstairs…read more Upstairs lounge is bigger with more tables and sofas for large groups. I like the red lighting throughout the whole place. It's a fun and unique vibe

Yelp makes it seem like it's open, but it's not. Maybe that's due to covid. It was one of the…read morereasons we chose to stay at this hotel so it was a disappointment to find it closed when we asked a bunch of friends to meet us there.

Very clean bar with a variety of bottled beers and multiple brands of liquor. All the staff at the…read morehotel are amazing and the bartender is awesome. He makes the best lemon drop I have ever tasted. Great happy hour!!!

Awww these reviews make me sad because this place is awesome! I have been here 3 times…read more The first time I went with by boyfriend and it was so nice we had to come back. Erica the bartender helped us at the bar with food and drinks. The second time I was engaged and I wanted my engagement party there. We set it up by the couches with "Happy Engagement" sign, "she said yes" napkins, Ring straws and Ring balloons. We all talked, took photos, had mimosas and brunch. Everyone was attentive and just had an amazing time. about 20 people showed up. The third time we went to the pool with 3 kids. It was a bit pricy for 5 people with food and drinks. It also did take a little long like 30 minutes for drinks but it was fun and the pool was warm. They brought out a pretzel that was rock hard. When I told them they quickly brought me a new one that was soft.

This is a review only for the pool side/cabana experience at Trout Farm Inn, not the resturant…read more Absolutely loved splurging on a day long vacation here! The poolside vibe was a much needed break and everything I was hoping for. Laying out to tan, getting cocktails delivered to your lounge chair, and taking a dip in the pool was so lovely. That said, splurge in the operative word. At a $25 entry fee and $16 a mixed drink, the tab can add up quickly. Decided not to opt for food or snacks because of the prices. But I knew I was paying for the experience and was happy to go all in for drink and vibes. Excited to be back :)

Based on yelp reviews, we chose this for our date night! This place had very cozy, candle light…read moredinner atmosphere. We did not reserve so it was just walk in, but luckily got seated. I would suggest reservation. Service was excellent, our attendant made us feel comfortable. Food was excellent! Truffle fries : Generally we have never finished fries. These fries are so good that we didn't realized how quickly we devoured them :). Spicy seafood pasta : This dish is creamy heaven! Amazing quantity, lots of creamy sauce. There were plenty clams and few shrimps. If you're in mood to indulge, definitely go for this. Spice comes from red paper flakes which doesn't overpower original dish, perfect ! Beet salad: I decided to order this based on other reviews and I'm glad I did ! One of the best beet salad, perfect for summers. Very refreshing! Skewers: They are perfectly grilled chicken skewer with some glaze on it. I found the glaze too sweet but my husband loved. I had spice nice cocktail, which was ok, I would try something else next time! Overall amazing place, Highly recommended !

Delicious happy hour that offers a lot of variety! This restaurant has very beautiful decor inside…read moreand very dimly lit, a perfect place to have a group dinner or have a celebration! let's get into my happy hour items and I'll rate from best to worst 1. Wagyu sliders - $5 each. The pattie was a good size, and it was super juicy with some melted cheese on top. The buns were perfectly toasted and this was honestly my fav item we ordered 2. Fried calamari - if you enjoy bigger calamari rings with thin crispy breading, this place does it well! Comes with 1 red sauce and their green tangy aioli. The portions were pretty good on this dish as well 3. Mac and cheese truffle bites - these were huge! I was expecting them to be as small as top golf's balls are haha but it comes with 3 huge balls. The pasta noodle itself was cooked to perfection, al dente and not super mushy. I was pleasantly impressed with this one and it came with the same green aioli sauce 4. Tomahawk steak - $7 each, honestly this is a confusing one. I was expecting steak bites similar to how a regular carne asada taco is, but it came in one huge chunk of meat, which wasn't even the best quality or cooked well. This is a skip For drinks we got the mango deck drink and the presentation was super fun! They lit it on fire and the chamoy stick was soft and easy to eat. Drink itself tasted sweet and easy to down in 1 big gulp! Overall the happy hour items offer lots of variety and our server was great!

Dive Bar with heart and standards. Great drinks, fun live bands and entertainment, and impressive…read moreservice. I believe its because its under new managing ownership with Amy at the helm, leading by example. An industry OG who cares about delivering great drinks, service, and experience while also making sure her staff are well supported. Any bar can make a drink, Mission West makes a fantastic one, but the service and overall experience is what differentiates Mission West.

I've lived in Santa Cruz county for almost 10 years and haven't really visited a lot of bars in…read moretown. My sister came to visit so I looked up a few to check out and she liked their drink menu here so we checked it out. Walking in its divey inside, but I always love a good dive bar. The bartender was super friendly, happy to chat and offered us the drink list to look over. They had a pickle martini on the menu and that's what we opt'd for. I never had one before, but I DUG it. It's savory and a bit sour, love. We sat outside and they had pizza to order back there and line dancing happening. It was fun to watch the environment and people dancing. Good crowd of folks and friendly to conversation.

Service (Via Leo) was exceptional Burger plate was good…read moreI enjoyed spending time there

This lounge at the Aloft hotel in Sunnyvale is both classy and casual, the setup not as nice as the…read moreSanta Clara location which is my fave, but still an inviting space with its own perks. We came by on a Wednesday night and enjoyed some delicious cocktails along with amazing service. Not only did the bartenders help guests sitting at the bar, but they walked around checking on everyone in the lounge seating, and showed that they cared about the customer experience. They messed up on the first pair of drinks we ordered, but comped our second set of cocktails which they made ten times better. We really appreciated this. Adding to our lovely evening, the live music created just the right vibe. Mike Annuzzi, who plays here weekly, showcased some incredible talent on the guitar and vocals, performing great tunes including a jazzy rendition of Michael Jackson's Human Nature, Fly Me to the Moon, as well as some Richard Marx, Now and Forever. Sometimes we take good music for granted, but I don't want to forget the simple moments that create smiles. W XYZ in Sunnyvale features not just an awesome musician, but an excellent sound system too, with suitable volume and clarity, to go along with soothing melodies that ease your mind. Everything about my recent visit makes me wanna return to this spot. And you don't need to be staying at the hotel to take advantage of all this place has to offer.

Cozy atmosphere, attentive service and an eclectic cocktail menu. The Royal Treatment was…read moreexcellent--wish I'd had time to try one or two more.

Cute bar with no signage. Went with a group of 6 gals. We waited at the bar before getting a seat,…read morebut surprisingly was escorted to a back room with speakeasy like vibes for some live music. They have some nice assortments of small bites as well. Drinks overall amongst the gals was maybe about average. No big wow factors but we had fun. Would recommend for any girls night or even after a date night in the area Service - 5 / Ambiance - 5 / Drinks - 3 / Price - 4

Came here for drinks after an afternoon at the Boardwalk. We'd had some not so good drinks already…read moreand were looking for a nice cocktail for a change of pace. The drinks here did not disappoint, they were well balanced and hit the spot perfectly. We perused the bar menu since that's all that was open at this point, and while so much sounded good, we ended up doing a custom order for a regular side of fries and the onion dip that normally comes with chips. Fries were good, not my favorite kind, but still good, and the onion dip was really great! The bar and surrounding area was open seating. We got a table close to the bar, so some ocean views just from a far. Service was friendly and even though it was pretty crowded, we never had to wait too long to be checked in on.

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?

First time visiting. Wonderful burger, and shakes. I had…read morethe old fashioned burger, fries, and Oreo shake. My kiddo had a strawberry sundae and they were able to take off the nuts for him and add a ton of sprinkles (his favorite) We will definitely come back. The gentleman up front taking orders was super nice and helpful. They were knocking out ice cream orders like they been doing this for years and they all looked delicious. You can tell this is a local, comfort food place.

What can you say, its Foster's Freeze Great service, food,…read moreand ice cream. Support local businesses.