The staff were friendly Had windows open for a crisp breeze Good beer selection on tap read more

I was in town for a day and my husband and I were looking for a place to watch the World Cup and have some drinks. They have table tennis, pool, darts, and pinball machines. We plays tables tennis for an hour, watched the soccer game, and had some drinks. This place was what we needed to end our night and have a great time. The location is nice and chill. read more

Surf City Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Playing pool isn't something our group does too often but while on vacation, we were looking for something different to do and we also needed a TV to watch the niner game. Happy hour deals are good. $5 beer and some amazing food choices. The burger was flipping fantastic. Like seriously so good. The chicken strips were some of the best I've had. We also ordered the pretzel and it was devoured. Hence no photo. Great service, atmosphere, and a place to hang and play pool, table tennis, or even some pinball. Safe place for families too. Saw a few younger people who were not likely 21. read more

Surf City Billiards - Chicken strips and fries - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

The food was super yummy and the chicken nuggets where fire literally they felt like there where 1000 degrees and burnt my mouth multiple times really really crunchy better with salt....... GOOD YUM YUM and there's billiards so cool nice staff read more

Went here after a gathering with some friends of mine to play pool. What I got: 1-hour of billiards (4 people) We were downtown and I suggested this place since I used to come here regularly when I worked in the area. I really enjoy playing pool. Surprisingly the place wasn't busy considering it was Saturday night. We were immediately given the pool balls and promptly started playing. This place is super chill, has a bar in the front, and also serves food. We had a good time overall; after tonight I'm going to make it a habit to stop by here every once in awhile. If you love billiards like me, I recommend this place, good people, good times - thank you read more

Surf City Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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This place was so cute and so much fun!! I loved that there were chairs and tables on both sides of the tables because you can sit and eat/drink or get up and play. There was also a photo booth near the front ($6.50/2 strips) which came out super cute. I would definitely come back here with other friends. read more

Surf City Billiards - One of the billiard tables - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Was visiting some friends while in town and decided to go out. Ordered 5 amfs and was told anything with more than 2 mixes was a 30% auto gratuity added on. I said ok but then the bartender continued to make the amfs with just vodka and blue curacao and also made one a long island on accident then continued to not remake it after charging us 30% gratuity. Bad customer service and even worse regulations at this establishment. Nice photo booth though. read more

I went in here at night at ten pm in cold weather, I was dressed in a long wool coat with my umbrella, and very nice long skirt and white blouse and cashmere sweater. I had a lovely hat on vintage. I had on powder and lipstick. My nails groomed. My gloves in my hand, I was raised formally in upper classes. I ordered what the boys at the bar recommended. I left my card for open tab. While I was seated far away, I watched and heard the very drunk bar girl mock my posture and my voice call me a snob with a poverty debit card and when I went to collect my card before leaving - she had actually removed my entire balance . I did not know that. She flicked my card at the floor and a guy said hey don't pick that up - and they did and said whatever her tab is put it on ours and she smirked and they kept my card- I went back to get it the guy coworker said I could get it the next day from the manager. It was illegal . I had to get all of my money back from the manager and she said she would not apologize, told me that what I said and what they said didn't match up. I was so shocked. I felt like it's just a scam. They are just hiring strange ruthless criminals who look good and do nothing good. I don't deserve this kind of anguish when I go out at night. I told the bank and they put it in their permanent file of fraud by local businesses. I filed a police report. For others to also. I rounded it out with a written report to local chamber of commerce and the city hall. If I knew the employees real names I would have filed reports on them to detectives to permanently remove their ability to be hired anywhere with a cash register. read more

This was a wonderful venue to go spend sometime with friends. The music was perfect - they were playing hip-hop. Everyone seemed like they were having a wonderful time. There was lots of pool tables, darts and a nice area where you could sit down and enjoy a drink. There was also a Photo Booth to take photos. I ordered a red blended drink - I am sorry if forgot what it was called. I had two of them and then then that was enough for the night (my alcohol tolerance is very very low). I just remember having lots of fun, The downsides to this place is that I remember my friend saying that we need to show up early to get a game of pool. No one had a mask on, I was the only one that did. They were not checking for vaccine cards at the door. I still went and of course I know the risks and I was pretty careful, but I still wish they would have been a little stricter on that. But other than that I would like to return at a later date, maybe at an earlier time or a Wednesday in the hopes that the crowd is a little smaller. read more

My husband and son went here last week to play pool and have a bite to eat. They raved about the great service and kind staff, but it was the food that was really off the charts. They brought back leftovers for me, and this picky foodie was absolutely shocked that this food came from a billiards room / bar. It was DELICIOUS! Apparently the food they serve now is fairly new, and wow, I hope they never change it! Every single component of the dishes was made with care, beautifully seasoned, fresh, healthy, and nourishing. We will be back, over and over, as long as they keep serving this food! read more

Surf City Billiards - Dips and flatbread - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I know what you're thinking. Claire, why are you going to a bar on a Sunday? But surf city is different. If they didn't hook me on their BMs (bloody Mary) they GOT me on the darts and pool. Plus, bottomless mimosas. I'd go again, and you should too. read more

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Love it here ! 30 minutes in, I found myself saying "if I went to school down here, I would have definitely been a regular here." Came in on a packed Friday, there was a 3-5 person wait for pool tables. And two 7+ people deep lines at bar to order food/drinks. To my surprise I was actually able to order a mojito, which seems to be a rarity these days. Which I sipped on while waiting for a pool table. A few people must have left after we put our names on the list because we only ended up waiting about an additional 10 minutes before our name was called. We then decided to put in an order of wings.... Fast forward 40 minutes, we tracked down the waitress working the room, to find out that the order was somehow lost, even though we were given a buzzer. But with out asking she made it right by putting in another order, comping the wings and giving us a round on the house. If you're in town and enjoy pool or darts with the chance to grab a bite or a drink, you can't go wrong here. Will definitely be back in the future! read more

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Come here for a chill night out! The atmosphere is pretty laid back and it's a good place to enjoy drinks and pool with some friends. We came here on a Friday night around 10:30pm and there was a line for ordering drinks (took a little over half an hour) but then they made the drinks right in front of us and we got them soon after ordering. We also put our name down for pool and we got our pool table in about 45 minutes. The drinks and pool were reasonably priced!! Upon entry, they also take your temperature which makes the environment feel safer. read more

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It's a good thing I didn't listen to all those recent reviews... we loved this place!! Came in right at opening, not gonna lie it was pretty empty and we aren't pool people, but we thought we'd have one drink and move on. Next thing you know we're watching a vhs of Point Break on a tiny TV, ordering amazing food...more drinks... and hanging out, playing chess, with the bartender Uvaul and Willie the chef! They made our whole evening... thanks guys... Cody and his Air Force buddies will be back!! It's a cool place with an easy hanging out kinda vibe.., if you're an easy vibe kinda person, you'll like it! read more

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Its insulting to billiards to call this place a billiards bar. THIS IS THE WORST BAR/ POOL HALL IVE BEEN TO IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Save your time and money by not coming here.Terrible customer service and conditions. On top of that, it's extremely unsafe. The floors are uneven and its very poorly lit. THEIR STAIRCASE LEADING TO THE VENUE IS BROKEN, the first step is completely unhinged. Honestly surprised nobody has seriously hurt themselves. My friend and I came here on a Friday night, we went up to the young blonde bartender to reserve a pool table. We spent several mins standing there as she would not look up and nor acknowledge us so I went over to the young dark haired bartender with piercings and she was very rude. By that time the blonde, looked up and had given away the last table to another group. The dark hair bartender then tells us we have to wait for a table and I say no thank you we will be on our way after the other bartender gave away our table and the dark haired girl snaps at us saying its a short wait. After waiting 15 minutes I see a table open up, I walk back and to ask if we can use it and they said "oh we were just about to let you know." We finally get to our dimmly lit table that unlike every other table only has 1 light above it instead of 3. My friend and I searched every rack and could not find a single cue in the whole bar that had a tip nor could we find a single chalk. The cue ball was also full of dents so it would not roll straight. The bar itself was filthy, smelled stale, and had no decorations the walls were just empty. In the entirety of my life I have never seen such an awful pool setup. I've been to many ill-maintained dive bars in my life and let me tell you those places seemed pristine compared to this place. Don't bother coming here, I promise you it's not worth it. read more

A great place to go if you like rude bartenders and terrible pool tables. The food is overpriced, but the explosive diarrhea is free. The high ceilings help hide the odor from the carpet never being cleaned. The star rating is higher than it should be due to Yelp removing (truthful) bad reviews. read more

Surf City Billiards - Pristine, well maintained pool table felt. - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

My son and I went there on a weekday just as they opened (4pm), and the staff were busy prepping food but were very courteous and helpful anyway. The table was clean and true, the music was excellent, we brought our own cue sticks, and the appetizers were delicious. I highly recommend this place. I just wish they opened a little earlier. read more

This place is amazing. I would recomend it 100%. There is a really nice staff and the ambieance is wonderful. I was really not a considerate patron, and would like to apologize for my behavior, been really a great place to play pool, and very affordable. Thanks very much. read more

GO HERE!! If nothing else, go for the GREAT Vegan food and super cute bartender. Highly recommend!

This place is my sanctuary. I have been coming here for several years and always had a great time each visit with friends or co-workers, it's safe to say surf city billiards is an awesome fun place to shoot a game of pool, play darts with a laid back and chill vibe. Unfortunately they were closed last year during the lockdown and I missed going here very much, as soon as I found out they reopened...BOOM!!! WARP SPEED!!! I was there! (haha) The few weeknights that I've been there, I had some intense and serious games. Surf city has the feel of an old school hall. It's well kept and the equipment isn't shoddy. There is "table service" which is nice so you don't have to keep disturbing your game to order at the bar. Main entrance is easy to miss, as it does not look like a typical billiards place, more like a nightclub. I didn't try any food during my last visit, but they do have most standard beers. Overall surf city billiards is a cool place if you are looking for a place to hang with friends while playing some pool or darts. Employees here are nice and I've never had a bad experience when coming here. Thank you, surf city and I look foward to my next visit. read more

Surf City Billiards - Main entrance - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

¡increíble! is all I have to say. I was just passing through town when I decided to cruz the streets looking for a local spot to go up on a Tuesday, when I stumbled across this joint. I walked in and it was a complete ghost town. Thus, I took a seat at the bar and started throwing back some claws, and chatted it up with the staff (one looked like a model and the other was the type to give you the shirt off her back, good peoples). Eventually, I had some cauliflower wings (which were fire) and switched over to Rainiers. However, the night soon switch direction faster than Chloe Kim on a snowboard, when home girl Adela whipped me up her very ownish mai tia concoction. And let me tell you, things escalated very quickly after that. The next thing I know I was buzzing like Tony Hawk after he landed the 900 for the first time. This thing was so good, from the moment the first drop touched my lips I felt alive for the first time in a while. As if I was one of my ancestors rising from the grave on dia de los muertos. Shit, for the next couple hours I was on cloud nine, there was nothing I couldn't do. From 8 ball corner pocket to speaking fluent Spanish (s/o Tawni), the world was my oyster. Soon after, just when I thought the night couldn't get any better. Homeboy came in hot from the kitchen with some deep fried pickles, and as they say in spanish "¡muy bueno!" This dude is basically the Dave Mirra of cooking, everything he makes was gold. Before you know it the billiard tables were full, the music was poppin and people were having more fun then they typically do posting their CrossFit PR's on Instagram. I hope this place is like a pdf file and never changes. read more

Surf City Billiards - Rainier Beer - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Staff and locals are not friendly to non-locals. The layout of the pool tables and lighting are well done. The windows overlooking the downtown street is nice. Very young crowd. Casual attire. Not diverse at all. read more

the bartenders here are amazing. Incredibly kind and genuine people who care about the comfortability of their customers. Special shout-out to Sam for taking great care of us! read more

Dude, listen Tommy (sp?) I hope you see this. Holy freaking moly your taste in music was impeccable that night. Here we go: STS Jurassic 5 Handsome Boy Modeling School Cody Chestnutt The Roots Pharcyde Lyrics Freaking Born?? - REMIX DJ RATTLESNAKE Look I don't know you, or who you are but I have a very specific set of skills and it's listening to dope ass music like that. Then you were playing samples? Sick instrumental mixes, I heard players club in there? Dude, sick. Siiick. I just left the bar heading to the next destination typing this up ignoring valuable joke time on this bachelor party just to TELL you your taste in music was chef kiss amazing tonight. read more

Ambiance and Service! Fantastic and fun... even when the place was very busy on a Saturday night.

This is a family friendly place, a large place but the menu is very limited which is quite disappointing. Come prepared - bring a jacket because this place had constant wind chills throughout the evening. The tables and the television screens were not configured wisely for the viewing pleasure so I had to get up to watch the game. More of a pool hall than a sports bar. I got the Western BBQ burger. It came out w/o bacon. The manager apologized and wanted to comp the burger but I told him that was nice of him but not necessary. I just wanted bacon in my burger. The burger was very small which did not match the total price on the menu. I'm glad I bought the Groupon deal for this. The fries were subpar. Craig's veggie burger is not made in-house. The thing I liked and appreciated was the slider that was created for Gavin. Please note: no kids' menu. Also, please note that speed is not its strong suit here. The manager seemed very genuine but I would not return. Seriously- Carl's JR for burgers in Santa Cruz is my recommendation. read more

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Monday night is industry night so if you work in food/bar services, you can get some discounts. Do try the "breakfast brew". It's a beer that tastes like thick black coffee. Must be tried. Vegans & Vegetarians will do well here. They offer Jack Fruit substitute to pulled pork and their other meats. It's really good in the tacos. 7/12/17 update: the Jack Fruit tacos have morphed into mushroom tacos. Reportedly, they're using cremini mushrooms (one of the tastiest, IMO). read more

Decent pool tables. College bar. Didn't try any food. Plenty of other activities to go around as well. Darts, ping pong. Downtown outside gets shady at night. Women don't walk alone. Overall a good experience. I'd go again. That's all I got!! read more

My recent experience at Surf City last night was deeply upsetting. While I understand businesses have the right to refuse service, the treatment my friends and I received was unwarranted. We were there to celebrate a friend's 22nd birthday, a regular occurrence for me as a local patron who frequents the establishment. Initially, the bartender's skepticism towards my valid ID, coupled with the excessive scrutiny of my friend's ID, felt discriminatory. The handling of a simple inquiry about the drink's contents escalated unreasonably, especially considering this place has been a little known for under-pouring. This, combined with the fact that they're a bit known for it, led to our abrupt expulsion. Moreover, the bartender's mockery of my gay friend for ordering a "Dirty Shirley" added to the discomfort of the situation. Despite being paying customers and maintaining a respectful demeanor, we were met with condescension and aggression. The insinuation that our presence was unwelcome due to someone possibly turning 21 was both baseless and offensive. Our intentions were pure - to enjoy the evening responsibly. My attempts to reason with the staff, drawing from my own experience in the service industry, fell on deaf ears. The subsequent physical altercation, initiated by a blonde staff member, triggered a panic attack due to my PTSD. As a person with a disability, particularly as someone who is legally blind, the recklessness of such actions, especially when I was standing right in front of a flight of stairs, is unacceptable. This experience tarnished my perception of a place I once enjoyed. As someone who values local establishments and has invested both time and money there, I'm deeply disappointed. My sobriety, politeness, and efforts to resolve the situation peacefully were met with hostility. Furthermore, the fact that my friend is gay and Mexican, and I have a Mexican last name, raises concerns of potential discrimination. It's troubling to consider that these factors may have played a role in the mistreatment we endured. Adding to the distress, I have friends who work at Surf City, which makes this experience all the more embarrassing and disheartening. Moving forward, I urge Surf City to reconsider their approach, particularly in handling sensitive situations, and to prioritize the safety and dignity of all patrons. Again, I am a local. I've been going to surf city for a long time now, so I'm not just a random person who had one bad experience and ran to Yelp. I was going to give you guys two stars because I know what one stars due to businesses on yelp, but this experience was just so bad and I've had enough very rude bartenders for no reason. Also this doesn't have much to do with my experience, but this place is unsafe. If you are someone who has a visual impairment, I would not recommend coming here. I happily took my business to Rosie's across the street who were very, very nice. The establishment was very clean and well kept did not smell like stale beer soaked in carpet like it does at surf. And the bartenders at Rosies were very nice and agreed the situation I encountered was unwarranted. read more

Man, this bar is the epitome of college in Santa Cruz. Such a sick bar with really cool bartenders. Shout out Sloan and Chaya! I hope I spelled your names correctly. Anyways, my group of friends usually make a weekly appearance or two. Whether its to unwind and play some pool or get absolutely hammered, this is the place to be. Cheers. read more

This is a terrific place to go if you want to play pool. We will be back! I took my 14 year old son and it was a great experience. Kids are allowed up until 8 pm! read more

Fun times super busy! Grab a cocktail shoot some pool or play darts. Lil run down stinky but fun times.

this bar has the best trivia night i've been to. the host is ethan is not only very charismatic but interacts with the crowd regularly making it a more engaging experience. the bartenders are also very nice and welcoming. read more

Surf City Billiards - wednesday trivia night host - Pool Halls Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

The brunette woman in her 50's is the rudest and most awful bartender. She got my drink order wrong and then blamed me even though it was her fault! When she gave me the drink I ordered it tasted awful. I was being nice but she was so obnoxious that my friends and I left. I see other bad reviews about her so I don't know why she still works here. read more

We went there on a Sunday afternoon. Sadly their kitchen was closed (they have great food) but the bartender was so sweet it didn't even matter. Also, free pool before 7! Good times. read more

Waiters were disrespectful and racially motivated because they disregarded our orders multiple times

I am not much of a pool player. In fact, I only end up here after I have had a few and my boyfriend wants to play pool. Nonetheless, I like the spacious set up, and the Marvelous Moscow Mules. While Pool is not my game of choice, I enjoy the darts. Also, once I started a Cards Against Humanity game with a group of strangers (all stranded stragglers due to their significant others' involvement at the pool tables). The bar rents out a cornucopia of games for those less dextrous like me. Cool. Two weekends ago, my boyfriend and I ventured here with his visiting niece and friend. Although the visitors were under 21, they could still play pool at 5 o'clock on a Sunday. It's definitely a different vibe when you arrive under the daylight (and sober). It's 30 degrees chiller! I ordered a grapefruit and gin. The well is New Amsterdam: not too shabby folks! But, best of all, the juice is fresh! No canned grapefruit or concentrated crap here. Why, did I not know this? Ahh yes, the things you notice when you commence your drinking journey. The bartender was very friendly: he adorned my drink with cherries and fresh orange slices. I savored my health drink while I watched the kids play pool. My boyfriend tried my drink and instantly chugged his beer so he could order my persuasion. I did not order food, although I certainly should have. They have some decent smelling vegetarian options. read more

Place is a dump now . Bartender was a rookie ( little thing with brown hair , barely 21) who didn't know shit but thought she was the shit . They need to clean the place up and hire some bartenders who actually know how to tend bar . I'll wait till the places gets bought out by a new owner to go back. Service in Santa Cruz is the worst! Lame read more

Surf City billiards is fantastic. Zach the owner loves vinyl records and is super chill. Scott is a new bartender that just joined and moved here recently from slow, and is a really great guy. The place is big and open and has lots of tables. Good beers and drinks.. and most importantly they know how to make a decent old fashioned. If you're in downtown Santa Cruz and you haven't been inside, I definitely suggest you head up say hello and have yourself a drink. read more

Absolute stooge bouncers looking to fight. We got our IDs checked outside and walked in and another bouncer told us to check them again, we said we checked them outside and he replied "doesn't matter gotta check again" and told us to get in line. There were people behind us so we couldn't back up quickly enough and he decided that meant we shouldn't be let in and he smacked my friend's ID out of his hand and told him "you're an easy fade. I wanna f you up so bad". We left obviously and walked out to the first bouncer to ask why the dude inside flipped on us and he said "If my coworker said you have to leave you have to leave" and the indoor bouncer walks out and pushes my friend to the ground and calls him a p*ssy and tackles him when he stands back up. Both bouncers refuse to have a conversation with me even though I'm dead sober and not trying to fight anyone. Zero patience, zero decency, and zero intelligence. Hopefully your bouncers resolve the trauma they're clearly carrying with them to work. Praying for their souls. read more