This review needs updating. I am now confident in saying that these ice cream bars ARE the best in…read morethe world and would love to be proven wrong (hey, IF a better ice cream bar exists it would have to be mind-blowingly good). It starts by them using quality ingredients. They use Marianne's vanilla ice cream, and Valrhona chocolate (a French chocolate used by gourmet chefs). You can choose milk chocolate or dark. They have a bunch of options for what you can include in your bar, including chopped almonds, caramel, and marshmallow. My favorite is #4: dark chocolate with caramel and marshmallow. It is insanely good. After each bite I am thinking "oh my god this is good." Frankly I am glad it is in Santa Cruz (and not in my town) or I might be 50 lbs heavier. I just had one yesterday and the experience is still vivid. Oh, and their chocolates (which also use Valrhona chocolate) are also damn good. And if you like brownies they've got you covered too. The guys running this place could not be nicer, which makes this place a joy to visit. This is really an exceptional place to come to and we are lucky to have it in our area. I am now a regular almost every time I am in Santa Cruz (and I come here often).

This place is amazing, which is a family owned business and amazing different chocolate experience…read more Freshly made chocolates. Very down to earth family. They also started selling Dubai Chocolate, which I felt amazing because they are all out. Have to comeback again to try that. The brownie and Milk chocolate ice-creams are must try (#9 and #10). Dark Chocolate must try are #1 and #2. Parking is behind the chocolate store and is easy to park. The service is quick and very helpful with the suggestions.

This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

Pros: Service was friendly, the setting was very romantic…read more Cons: I don't mind paying for a nice dinner, but (and I really hate to say this) the food was quite disappointing. We ordered: - pasta pork bolognese: Large portion but it was just ok. - miso salmon fillet: my SO enjoyed this. Wasn't overcooked so still nice and buttery. Nice flavor. Might just be me but rather small portion for around $30? With sides come out to about $40. I may be unfair to the here given the outrageous rent they most likely pay here. - broccoli entree: regular broccoli, no char (streamed?) and sauce was meh and didn't come with the fried garlic topping as mentioned. Honestly came off as (some) sauce and frozen broccoli for $13. Again, maybe it's the rent driving the prices up but I truly think they could do at least a bit better. - chocolate orange tequila, glass of wine: admittedly we are out of our depth to comment on these. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and I don't regret going, but unfortunately most likely won't be returning. We've been so excited to go too :/

THIS LOCATION HAS CLOSED!! Business has moved to Richmond CA, but you can still order & get great…read moredeals at drinkCACOCO.com!

What a treat..........I thought. I tried ALL 3 amazing Cacoco products at the VegFest in Santa…read moreRosa and was blown away. I had to buy all 3. NOT a cheap option but couldn't decide. Well, after having saved them for that "special occasion" was I surprised........and DISAPPOINTED. I had so carefully keep them in a dark pantry and guess what..........they had all solidified to the extent that I had to take a hammer (weight) to chip off pieces so I could make my "special" sipping treat. The taste was still good but the process was a major turnoff. A $15 hunk of chocolate was not what I expected. Something needs to be happen with this product OR it needs to be sold one box at a time and used quickly. :-(

I hate when a coffee shop's only value is their aesthetics and not the quality of their coffee. I…read morewould love to go to an aesthetically pleasing coffee place and not feel guilty for spending 8 dollars on a drink that tastes like battery acid.

This spot captures the Santa Cruz beach vibes. Just blocks…read morefrom Natural Bridges and the Light House surf spot the morning customers have their shorts and hooded sweaters and wet hair baptized from surfing in the waves. The service is fast and chill. The food and drinks are made with care. The seating area has shade but some of it gets the morning sun so you can warm up as you sip your coffee.

A trip to the beach isn't complete without a stop to Marini's. Best place for soft, buttery, chewy…read moresaltwater taffy. Once you try it here, you won't want it from anywhere else! There's always a friendly face working the counter, whether its a seasoned taffy puller or a teen working their summer job, the staff here is wonderful. A true Santa Cruz gem.

When going to the boardwalk I always want to pop in to the arcade area for the lights the people…read morethe food and the vibe... this visit was no different. After spending the day at the beach swimming, lounging and eating we popped in to Marini's for some coffee my daughter seen the had affogato on the menu I LOVE Affogato! This was just okay since I had never tried it with cold coffee before. The cappuccino was good though! Solid 3.5 stars!

Years later we still try to come here whenever we are in downtown Santa Cruz. It is not cheap, but…read moremy goodness is it luxurious! I was so full from lunch so I shared a small handmade waffle cone with their rich and vegan dark chocolate sorbet covered in their homemade marshmallow fluff and torched to perfection! My spouse ordered an espresso milkshake with their vanilla bean ice cream. It was the perfect birthday treat!

I got mint chocolate chip mini scoop in a cup. It was definitely more minty than i expected. Strong…read moremint flavor and not much chocolate chip. Still worth it. Such a good vibe in there. Staff were friendly. They have various flavors/special flavors each day.

This place is pretty big on the inside and well organized. A lot of people were there for ice…read morecream. I was looking for my favorite chocolate covered gummi bears. I ended up buying 1 pound because I hardly see them anywhere anymore. I also bought a variety of other chocolates. When it came time to pay I was caught off guard $36 /lb for each bag. I took a breath and handed my card lol.. where else can I get it?

Overpriced big time. The candy is ok , they have some interesting candies but cost alot.read more

Such a cute spot! They have a wonderful selection of pastries and baked goods as well as drinks and…read moresandwiches. I got the tomato pesto croissant, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, and the cinnamon roll. Everything was so tasty and the croissants live up to the name! So buttery and flaky!! I'd love to come back and try some of the drinks and sandwiches. Note: One single gender neutral restroom is available

First, I'd like to say Emma at the counter was awesome. She was very helpful and kind. And Kenneth…read moreon the phone, who took my original order was also nice. Go Emma and Kenneth! Solid 5 stars for these two. Now, on to the pastries... I purchased a French baguette, an apple tart and chocolate chip cookies. The French baguette was flat, soft, and didn't have any flavor. There was no crust to it, no crackling. Nothing against plain white bread, but it was like plain white bread... when I wanted a baguette. Maybe it was an off day, but I would pass on the baguette. 1 star. The apple pear tart was pretty sweet. And the crust was dense without any layers. It was alright, but nothing special. 1 star. The chocolate chip cookies were the best part of my purchase. Although not a full rant, these were your basic chocolate chip cookie. Slightly better than what you would get in a package, but not the cookie you would come back to. 2 stars.

I came here with my mom on a Fri and Sat morning. Fri it was not too crowded and Sat it was very…read morebusy. The pastries were delicious and I love the vibe here, it's very comfortable and everything is made fresh in house. I got their fritatta which was yummy. I also purchased their lemon meringue pastry which was yummy. I did not try their coffee. My mom got a morning bun which she said was very good and she also tried their bread and butter.

Yes originally began for sourdough bread but now a variety of styles (all with sourdough starters),…read morepastries, coffee, breakfast and lunch. The line can get long on weekends but unlike neighboring coffee shops, it seems to move quickly and food comes out faster. Order pastries and bread at the glass case and coffee and breakfast at the registers. Coffee comes out by exit door while food comes out from the kitchen in the middle. The coffee is well balanced. Not sure whose they use but syrups are made in house. Breakfast sandwich looks small but is quite hearty and filling. You can add avocado, bacon, and aioli. This is a go to. West side avocado toast: adds garlic aioli, avocado, and poached egg to the Aptos version. Defn better Pesto goat cheese baguette: three letter review -- OMG Kouign Amann: this one is square, rather than classic round, and a little denser but still layered and not overly sweet. GF brownie: quite good for gluten free but sweeter than I like. Bacon egg galette: the puff pastry is nicely flaky with onions and crispy bacon. Messy but good. The premade sandwiches are all tasty and much better than you get in a grocery store. Customer service is a little hit and miss, based on personalities. There's plenty of seating inside and out.

Supppper yummy, great service, and welcoming ambiance…read more As soon as I walked in, I was met with the comforting taste of freshly baked cookies. They had quite a variety of different cookies and the staff was nice when asked questions. I tried the peanut butter and Almond Joe cookie. Both were delicious but the Almond Joe was superb! It's a combo of chocolate and nuts which give the cookie a really nice texture. It was buttery warm, soft, but also chewy. So good.

I've come here multiple times to get ice cream, which is absolutely delicious. This time I decided…read moreto try the peanut butter chip cookie and was a little disappointed. The cookie was pretty dry and crumbly, which I think is their style, but I personally didn't really like it too much. It also didn't have too much peanut butter flavor. Good amount of chocolate chips though.