Me and my wife are from the Bay area. We came out to capitola for our anniversary. We were looking for a place to sit at a bar with good people and good surroundings. We stumbled on the sand bar. Tania the bartender recommend the Mahi Taco's, they were one of the best fish Taco's me and my wife have ever had. We also shared a burger which was cooked perfect. We also got the clam chowder. They put a lot of big clams in there. I would have to say. I don't usually give a high rating but I would have to say I would give the restaurant a 5 out of a 5. We will definitely be back next year for our anniversary. read more

The Sand Bar - Me and my wife enjoying our time at the sand bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We loved the laid back casual atmosphere. We split the Sand Bar Burrito and it was amazing. The salsa was also amazing just the right amount of spice and nice tomatillo flavor. Server was friendly and attentive. read more

The Sand Bar - View from main room. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We dropped in here for breakfast while on vacation and had a great experience. The staff were so friendly and helpful (especially give our 1 and 3 year olds). The food was fantastic (Denver omelette, and breakfast burrito), and it was a nice atmosphere. We highly recommended to people looking for casual delicious American spot. read more

i didn't get a pic but the fries were amazing! drinks were good and decently priced. service was fast and friendly, great vibes! read more

The Sand Bar - margarita on the right, tequila soda with guava juice on the left! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

My wife, son, and I had lunch there on 9/13/25. I order the crab cakes. I was so looking forward to them, since it is one of my favorites. I was so disappointed with them. They were tasteless and watery. Probably the worst I ever had. I wandered who the chef is there. That person is responsible for making sure all the food is of quality. Need to fired the whole kitchen crew. read more

Bartender skipped people to serve her friends in busy restaurant. I sat at bar for 15 minutes and she never even look my way. Never go back there...Britainana Arms so much better service. And this is from a local of 40 years!!! read more

I was greated immediately by a very kind and helpful gentleman. I told him I was new, and asked him if it was ok if I just went directly outside or was I supposed to order indoors first? He told me to feel free to pick a spot outside and someone would be right with me. My team-member/server's name was Maxine, and she was absolutely fabulous. Location and cadillac margarita both top notch. My salad was weak on veggies, and i ordered the house salad. I am spoiled with how amazing the garden salad is at my usual spot quite close by, so I won't be ordering the salad from here again. Also, heads up, the complaints from others is true, the people behind me had the sun glaring right into their eyes, and they were not allowed to adjust the umbrella. I will definitely be back for another wonderful matgarita and the view, and hopefully Maxine will be working again because she takes the experience to a whole other level. read more

The Sand Bar - Waterfront, sun, salad, and margarita. Happy place. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

One word. AOILI. It tastes like it's made from scratch. I asked for it on the side with my mahi sammich because I like it as a dip for my fries. YUM YUM. Compared to other places here, the sandwich was under $20 and tasted like $30. The mahi was a thick filet and the ciabatta tasted like they just baked it. It was soft and not extra toasted and scratchy like other places. Plus is they have a view of the village and river. Kinda nice if you want to kill some time away from the City. read more

Excellent!!!! The bartender is the best in the biz. I reccomend the tequila. Even though there were a lot of kazoos

We came in while they were just open! The waitress was so freaking rude!! The way she took our order, she looks at us like we were dumb like "the f you guys came in and ordered 1?!" We order one serving for 2 people to share and apple juice and the rest of us just wanted some water cause we weren't hungry (we are a group of 4). She came to take back all the extra forks and napkins she puts on before. Left exactly 1 set of knife and fork. When the food came in I have to go ask for one extra plate, she didn't wanna look me in the face while I was approaching then myself have to go grab another fork from the table next to us so we can have some tools to eat (not by hand). This is the worst customer service I've ever experienced. Not a pleasant place to come in specially when you are on vacation!! On the bill, the name of the server is Tania M. read more

The Sand Bar - The back of the Restaurant - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Last weekend we went to the sandbar in Capitola California. Had a wonderful lunch. Great service great server great bartender love it my husband love that clam chowder soup definitely would go back there again. Yummy food great place. read more

Saturday, 5/22/2021 - Tried "The Sand Bar" in Capitola, CA for lunch. Cute little restaurant. About 2000sq feet-ish. They seated us right away. We were seated on the back balcony over looking part of the beach. Balcony is like 65sq feet-ish. Beautiful view. My thoughts on this restaurant. Pros: 1) workers/servers were very nice. 2) they seated us right away. 3) server took our drink orders right away. 4) she asked us if we needed a minute to look over the menu. In which we did. She came back shortly later to take our food orders. 5) it didn't take long to get our foods. 6) there's only 1 bathroom/stall. But clean. Cons: 1) once server brought our foods to us, that was it. We had to ask other servers for drink refills. We has to ask other servers to look for our server so can get jam for our bread and salt/pepper for our foods. This happened many times. 2) my Mahi Mahi sandwich had no flavor. 3) burger had no flavor. 4) we had no ketchup. 5) I had to go get my own salt and pepper. 6) after our meal, our server disappeared for a long time. I had to grab another server to go get our server so I can get our tab. Conclusion: Nice little restaurant right next to Capitola Beach. Even though our meals were tasteless, if our server were to provide ketchup, salt and black pepper, that would have made all the difference. I had to ask other servers for missing items, drink refills, or ask them to go get our server for us so that we can get our tab. But I love that we got seated on the back balcony over looking the beach. I'll give this place another chance. read more

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Rude! We asked if dogs were ok in the outside area, and got a no. Fine, but my dog is a service dog, and as we looked at the other places on the beach, we decided we would really like to try the Sand Bar. I forgot her service jacket in the car ( yes, the dog should have reminded me) but had the id. card. The guy would not even look at the card, he made a rude comment that there was "no way that dog is a service animal" and didn't even give us the chance to go to our plan B which was to get some burgers to go from THIS establishment & find a place on the beach to eat. I won't be back, with or without my service dog. read more

I met up with a friend here who is local to the area. She had never eaten here. The dining area inside was small and the patio area even smaller. The dining area set up out front just off the sidewalk seemed larger. They have bands that play here and there is only one bathroom stall for everyone. So my guess is that most people enjoy the music from outside in the evenings. We ate on the patio and had a gorgeous view of the colorful beach houses and the beach. Our waiter was very attentive and available. The food was so good! The sauce for the coconut shrimp was a great complement. We ate early so the place was filling up as we were leaving. My friend made a good choice and the prices were moderate for the location right downtown on the water. read more

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i love the sand bar..i come for the alex lucero band but i love the food as well..service is excellent!...my favorite is the blackened mahi mahi! read more

Great service!! Best bar on this little block. Didn't try the food but it looked yummerz!

The patio seating with a view, I will definitely come again My waitress was very sweet and attentive. Food was delicious with a reasonable price. read more

I was not expecting great food, there were 11 of us, we all had a great meal. I've never had coconut shrimp so good as the appetizer and the tacos!! Everything else was good too! Service wasn't bad considering it was during the wine festival! I can't wait to return!! read more

First time here. They are open during COVID, take out only of course. Friend and I each ordered the prawn tacos. I also ordered a Cadillac Margarita, friend ordered the Frozen strawberry Margarita. The Cadillac Margarita was great! Had me entertained while we waited for our food to be ready. It seemed like we waited for over a half hour. There was a "mix up" with our order. When we finally received our order, the tacos were very good, nice decent sized tacos with guacamole and a side of chips, the salsa that came with the chips was very tasty. I would try this place again. read more

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Second time trying this place! Keep reading for this review :-) Mom's Getaway Day = three friends: T, D, and me T: Mango margarita Refreshing tropical flavor perfect for this hot day - chunks of mango, fantastic - very smooth not icy D: Cinnamon toast martini Refreshing with a kick - perfect blend of creamy cinnamon but not overpowering - Think Horchata plus fireball Me: Matt Tai A little strong poor for me, however extremely good - T said it's perfect - And then I mixed it and voila! Not as strong! - I did however drink about 1/4 of it and really started feeling the effects T decided she wanted to drink some annnnnnd, turns out I wasn't tripping on the strong pour! LOL! We were feeling REAL good by the time we left! Ceviche Mild - fresh - not super fishy flavored - perfect balance T: 4.5 D: 3.5 - first initial customer service was a little abrasive. Based off food and drinks, I would give it more, but customer service is a big thing for me Me: 4 Overall 12 stars read more

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We ordered some clam chowder which was okay. The calamari rings were just some some store bought rings, nothing freshly made. The ahituna tacos were flavorless. The service was good and very friendly. The beers were refreshing. Only one bathroom which was incredibly filthy and dirty. read more

We chose to pay the $5 cover on a Sunday evening, because we wanted to check out a new bar along the Capitola Esplanade, and I'm glad we took a chance. They had your standard drinks, which is all we really needed, and it wasn't too crowded inside, which was a plus. When we entered there was a live band playing (AKA Live Musik), an old rock band whose music we did not recognize, and the sound a bit on the loud side so we couldn't even hear each other speak except during breaks between songs. But the crowd seemed to be having a good time. Once this band left (must have been around 10pm), new performers landed on stage, and I learned that they do open jam sessions at the Sand Bar on Sunday nights. I loved this part so much more than the first band, groups of musicians playing classic rock and oldies, songs like Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, and everyone dancing and singing to these upbeat tunes in a chill atmosphere. The volume of the music also became more manageable after that first band, and the range of instruments played by performers during the open jam session was impressive. I'm no expert, but they seemed pretty talented, with the cool demeanor of being immersed in their music and just having fun. The crowd was made up a few millenials here and there, but it was mostly a much older population... retirement-aged, fun-loving, carefree folks just enjoying the songs being played while sipping on their favorite drinks. A single bartender for the night made service slow at some points during the night, but otherwise he, along with the patrons, probably many being locals, were all very friendly, not afraid of making new friends or finding random dance partners. The lights were dimmed, with a red purplish hue filling the room, but I could still make out the art and decor on the walls, and this bar/restaurant looked to have a quirky little vibe. There was only one single restroom, but rarely any lines for this, so that's cool (being a woman who's used to long lines). And of course, being along the water meant patrons could take in the great views while enjoying some fresh air outside the back doors. Without the live music, this place probably wouldn't appeal to me as much in terms of nightlife. But based on my experience, I can say that the Sand Bar is definitely a great spot to hang out a Sunday night. read more

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Came for $6 fish and chips, Margheritas and mahi mahi street tacos. Great service and wished I could come here more often just for the vibe. Love the outside seating as it sits right on the sand and estuary bay. Million dollar views so up a star for ambience. This is not the same Sand Bar on the Monterrey peninsula which I often visit. read more

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Looking for a waterfront spot in Capitola with a view of those iconic colorful houses? This is your place. Sure, all the eateries along the esplanade offer the usual suspects--burgers, Caesar salads, fish tacos--but this one has a vibe that feels a bit more genuine and less touristy. Can't quite put my finger on why, but it's got that charm. Perfect for sipping a Bloody Mary while munching on a taco. Though, fair warning, the fried chicken sandwich is a bit of a letdown--thin and panko-coated instead of a proper batter. Still, it's a solid choice overall. read more

Was in town and wanted a quick bite with a view. This was the perfect place. We sat out by the patio & the view was perfect. I ordered the ahi tuna salad & bacon shrimp Bloody Mary. I enjoyed both & had a great time dining here. I would fine here again read more

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Great music! Alex Lucero and band. Good wait people, fun crowd. Ambiance great too. I would definitely come back.

I usually don't write reviews but I think everyone should know this when deciding to go here. Before I start, the location of the bar is very cute and has a romantic scenery. However, it wasn't that clean upon arrival. We were very appreciative that they sat us 30 mins before the kitchen closed but we noticed the server was having difficulty keeping up with orders. It was weird because there was only 2 other groups besides my group. When he did come to our table, he was initiating conversation with comments that made us uncomfortable. We understand that servers make small talk for quality service but his tone and approach was not welcoming. After he took our orders, we overheard other groups complaining of the wait on their food. We didn't have much problems with the food besides how mid it was. Gnats and seagulls were definitely adding to the experience. When we were done we couldn't wait for the check any longer cause of how uncomfortable we were. We were charged around $93 for 4 meals and waters (we didn't order any specific drinks) when our total should've been at most around $70, but we were so bothered by our dinner that we just paid and left as soon as we could. We didn't realize we were scammed til we got back to our hotel and calculated the totals 10 times to make sure. Thanks anyway! read more

IMHO Three stars for the cheap Happy Hour prices. Two stars for the food. If you're eating on the back patio, there is a nice view. We ordered the chips and salsa ($2), four chicken drummettes ($1 each), grilled fish tacos ($7), and two beers ($4 each) and a virgin margarita ($4). Table needed a wipe-down. Our server apologized and gave a cursory wipe. I wanted to grab the towel and wipe it more thoroughly myself. Chips and salsa tasted like it cost $2. Salsa flavorless. Fish tacos also flavorless. I took one bite and handed it back to my hubby. Chicken drummettes were a little dry but I ate 'em. While staring up at the wall that I was leaning on for most of our meal, I saw a "ladder" of old white spiderwebs on the window and door jambs. Someone needs to clean those up...Ick! read more

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We arrived at 1130am on Saturday...we chose this place because it was more affordable than other restaurants on the waterfront....we asked for outside seating and luckily got a spot..walking thru the restaurant should have alerted me....it smelled like an old bar rag....we had a party of 4 so we sat at the outside counter and the view was great..service was slow, barstools were old and uncomfortable, one was halfway broken.....menu had family friendly choices, I ordered crabcakes...came on a bed of wilted brown Iceberg lettuce, I took one bite and it was all mushy breadcrumb....had to send it back couldn't stomach it....my son had fish and chips, it was three strips of very small fish pieces and the fries were a sad portion of broken bottom of the bag frozen battered fries.....he is 23 and it looked like a straight up kids portion....my husband had fish tacos they looked awful and they came with a lil pile of tortilla chips that were also kinda broken....my Mai Tai had no garnish just ice, yellow on top brown on the bottom, my sons strawberry margarita was bad,,,sugary and not blended well.....waitresses weren't very friendly, overall this place was one of the worst restaurants I've been to in a very long time, damn shame because it has potential just because of the location, thats the reason for the 2 stars...immediate attention needed, def avoid this spot trust me. read more

I came in today for a late lunch around 1:30. I was by myself and stood near the door where it says wait to be seated, I waived at the servers to let them know I'll be eating here but no one came to sit me after waiting for awhile and checking the menu that I got from a table. I seated myself to the bar and ordered food from there, the bartender was nice and able to make me a mocktail. I waived at the server again in hope to be transferred to a table outside, no server came so I asked the bartender if I can sit outside. I found a table and brought my plates and food. I waived and wanted to get some water and the servers did not even check in on me, I went to the bar and got myself a glass of water. I paid the bill and left. Overall food was good but I sort of seated myself and served myself and got everything I needed when I ate there. Meanwhile, I see the servers chatting with other customers and catering to what they needed. I don't know, just really left a bad taste to me... didn't want it to ruin my day so I tried to enjoy the views from their patio. What's up sandbar? read more

Wish I could review the food but we sat down for lunch at 1:30 and were ignored for 15 minutes while other people who came in before us were taken care of. Had to walk out. read more

Food was flavorful and service was great. Would def come again! My husband and I sat in the patio and got a great view of the beach front. read more

Tourist trap type of restaurant. Was walking around the area and the menu looked great so we decided to try it out without looking up the reviews. Only saw 1 waitress and she was pretty overwhelmed. Place wasn't completely packed for a Friday lunch crowd. Food took 40 minutes to come out. Waitress was kind enough to give us the heads-up that the cook(s) were prioritizing a larger party table that came in just before us and it'd be a bit of a wait. As anticipation and hunger builds you're hoping the wait would be worth the expectation. Food presentation on my dish (the blackened salmon benedict) looked good. The Veggie Burger tasted exactly as it looks. This is to say very dry and bland. This is the type of restaurant that's around because of the area. If it came down to the food and the customer service it wouldn't last a month. The 2 stars is primarily for the view this place offers and the honest waitress we had. You don't need a pair of glasses to look at how pathetic the salmon portion size was here. Save your money and walk a couple doors down for higher quality food and the same view. read more

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We tilted an umbrella because the sun was in our eyes and the owner made the waitress put it up right and had us sit with the sun in our eyes the rest of our stay. Ruined our experience when we were in the middle of enjoying ourselves. Fuck you. Should've just let us leave the umbrella tilted. read more

Family owned and operated, this water front bar creates the fun, music filled ambiance of the Capitola Village. This is where you go for live music, 6 days/nights a week, dancing, great people and fun. They also have super good food! Thank you Sand Bar, for being that special place. We appreciate all the hard work your family does for all of us to enjoy! Get their breakfast burrito, yummy! It's also a great place to celebrate a birthday, but you should probably call ahead to book large parties. Enjoy the patio on the water then head in for live music. They are fresh, new looking after repairs were completed from the winter floods and they suffered greatly. Support this local's favorite! read more

The Sand Bar - Party at the Sand Bar in Capitola - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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My wife and I came here with our friends, and the pub food offered here is very good. It's basically hot, fresh, and greasy (just the right amount!) It's a casual vibe and right near the beach in Capitola. If you like clam chowder, this place has excellent clam chowder. read more

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This is our favorite place to stop for breakfast and bloody marys. The outdoor seating has a great view of the beach/river and the service is always great! read more

The Sand Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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1st time here and glad we came! Bloody Mary's are amazing along with the food, service and view of the ocean and beach. If you are in Capitola this a must to stop, and have a drink and some food. Live music 5 nights a week read more

The Sand Bar - Restaurant and bar. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

The sand Burger was tasty. The view was incredible!!!! We felt that we had a little vacay! read more

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This is a find! First the view cannot be beat. The wait staff are super friendly and chill. There is something totally relaxing about sitting outside on the deck as the sun comes down. A nice choice of drinks with some local breweries. Food is surprisingly good. There is an off menu item of coconut shrimp tacos that are great. Personally I love their Baja tacos. Also, Monday nights is usually a band (there is a cover). If you have a couple of hours to spare and want to just chill come here! read more

The Sand Bar - Outside seating - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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