Absolutely hands down the best restaurant in Capitola. Skillfully blends the freshest ingredients to create tasty, beautifully plated food. There are few restaurants in Santa Cruz that I find can blow me away with every dish. I love to cook. If I can make it better at home why go out??? This place is next level and every dish leaves my face with a huge smile and my belly happy. We love sitting outside to enjoy the sunset and people watch . read more

We stumbled on to this restaurant through my Instagram feed. First in the area to have Pliny on draft. If you know, you know. Then, through word of mouth we were told that the squash blossoms are a must try. So, we made a reservation on Yelp (thank you for this feature!) There were 5 of us including 2 small kids which is always a crapshoot. But, everyone loved their food. My husband even commented that the kids chicken tenders were the best he had ever had (legit fried chicken) served with perfectly crisp fries. I had the brick chicken and nearly finished my entire plate. The chimichurri sauce, crispy chicken skin and creamy polenta was so perfect. My friend had the gnocchi and my husband had the ahi tartar app for an entree. For dessert there was one option. So, I was a little skeptical. But, it was a brownie ala mode. It was fresh out of the oven and not your typical restaurant brownie. (So much better and the creamy ice cream felt house made.) One last add is that they only have beer and wine. But, they did an awesome job with wine spritzers. I had one with wine, vermouth, sparkling water, lemon and a sprig of thyme. It was so refreshing. Everything was prepared perfectly and the flavors were elevated. I proclaim that this is the best restaurant in the county. read more

Finally had dinner at Trestles. It was ok. Our server was friendly but dinner was just ok. Nothing special. I had pasta and the other parties had New York steaks. All was just ok. The drinks were limited and again, just ok. Not sure we would return. Great to walk to and from the Capitola Village for a meal. read more

I don't want to say overrated but definitely it's not worth more than 3 stars and I give them the 2 stars for charging $10 for a side of fries cooked from frozen for the child!. The tuna tartare was dominated by other ingredients rather than the tuna and especially the edamame. Briefly, chicken was tough from pressed brick cooking. The fish was a two bites piece with foamy liquid and no flavor. read more

Trestles Restaurant - New American Near Me - Capitola, California

Another incredible dinner. Chef sent out fries, we had the spring pea salad w mint, the seared ahi salad, the mushroom gnocchi and a few spritzers. Everything was amazing, but our waitress just took it to the next level. She's always in such a good mood and brings positive energy to the dining experience. This place is not to be missed!! read more

Food is the best in Santa Cruz County. The atmosphere is comfy and the staff is amazing. Shout out to James, but everyone was great. We love this place. read more

Came to Trestles last night and it was amazing. I'm not one to typically leave a Yelp review but this restaurant was very deserving of one. We sat on the front deck and had a glass of wine and dinner. We tried the pork belly appetizer, beet salad, cauliflower and steak and we ate every single bite off the plate. I will definitely be back on a regular basis. Also, the ambiance was nice and good music. read more

Trestles Restaurant - Pork Belly and Beet Salad - New American Near Me - Capitola, California

Our dinner at Trestles was fabulous. A warm welcome by the hostess in a lovely hidden dining spot in Capitola. My husband and I shared the pork belly and trumpet mushroom appetizer. Wonderful flavors although I thought the mushroom dish was going to be black trumpets. Nevertheless the mushrooms dish was delectable and the pork belly was superbly crispy! Our entree was sublime: the caramelized scallops and the brick chicken was tender, flavorful and exquisite. After this spectacular meal we went to our car and found a parking ticket. We parked right outside the restaurant and there were no signs that said we need to use a parking station.We would have gladly paid.... the restaurant should have a sign that helps with customers with the parking rules in Capitola. We are not tourists..we are from Santa Cruz!! read more

Got lucky with a reservation on the weekend of the Capitola Art and Wine Festival! This place was hoppin'! Overall a wonderful meal and attentive service! Pluses: Crispy Pork Belly with watermelon, soy glaze, jalapeño vinaigrette was over the top delicious! The Prime New York Steak Frites with truffle fries, swiss chard, bordelaise also extremely flavorful and steak cooked perfectly! Generous portions and farm fresh ingredients shined! Service was friendly and on point. Minuses: a bit on the loud side with the music for such a small venue (for my taste). Boxes piled up near the entrance and near the bar took away from the atmosphere and made it feel a bit cluttered. The price point will make this a once in a while treat, rather than a "go to night out" spot for me. read more

Stopped in here on the way back home after a long weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the super warm welcoming staff and delicious food! We started with the ahi tartare and the seared octopus. Both seasoned perfectly. Then had the squash and mushrooms sides and the brick chicken, which was fantastic. The chicken was seasoned with Moroccan spices and was cooked to perfection. My 4yr old had the Mac and cheese which was a gourmet Mac and cheese and a big hit with everyone. We came in with our 2 littles, our youngest is 1, and everyone was so nice and accommodating. Our hostess and server were so nice to the kids. Thank you for a great last night to our Thanksgiving weekend! We'll definitely be back! Compliments to Chef Nick! read more

We chose this place for a date spot, and I will say the food was fine, but honestly I don't really remember anything specific that I loved. It was all just decent. But we got out of there spending close to $300 so if I went back it would definitely only be for a special occasion. (That amount included a 25% tip that I chose to give, and we each had 2-3 drinks) The beverage menu was somewhat limited, I did wish for real liquor based cocktails, wine cocktails are not my personal favorite but that's just a preference. I have Celiac disease so although they had some gluten-free options I still left feeling a little bit hungry which for $300 was kind of a bummer. (I remember now I had scallops and a salad) The staff was super friendly and it was pretty packed on a Friday night. It was great to be able to make reservations online although I will say we did have to wait a little while for our table. Eventually, we opted to sit at the bar because we had a great view of all of the happenings in the kitchen. So to sum up, Trestles was a bustling busy place with decent food, wine and beer only, and definitely a high price point. read more

I had the butternut squash pasta which was okay, but not great. My husband had the beef dish, which was good. The entree's are very limited. We will be back periodically since we live locally, but not very often. read more

Consistent amazing service and food. The steak and market fish is always delicious. Love coming here!

Came here on Valentine's Day weekend for a date night. Had a reservation and still had to wait a bit as the restaurant was super busy. However, once seated the experience was delightful! The inside has a super cool ceiling and painted walls, and the atmosphere was great. Service was great as well. Food wise, we ordered wine, the ahi tuna tartare (8/10), broccolini, scallops which was 4 big scallops with lots of flavor (10/10)! I'd come back here for another date night for sure. read more

Trestles Restaurant - Zinfandel wine and inside of Trestles. Loved the walls/design. - New American Near Me - Capitola, California

Food was delicious...drinks ok! But the flavor in the food was bomb! I would definitely come back. read more

Trestles Restaurant - Chicken, veggies and fried cornbread I think lol! Delish!!!! Flavors and everything was perfect, cooked to perfection! - New American Near Me - Capitola, California

Food! Most important part of a restaurant. It was friggin delicious. Every plate that came out, went back cleared. Service was prompt. Will definitely be back. read more

We came to Trestles after seeing the menu online. They were already booked for the day, so we came at opening to try for a seat. We ended up at the bar, directly across from the kitchen. Best seat in the house. The chefs worked together so well, complimenting each others' strengths, laughing with each other, yet moving with a sense of urgency. My wife and I tried four different dishes: Crispy Pork Belly, Heirloom Tomato, House Ricotta Gnocchi, and Prime New York Steak "Frites". We regretted nothing--everything we ate was absolutely outstanding. If only we could have tried everything else! Everything is made with locally sourced ingredients, obtained from local farmers' markets and fishermen. The taste pops in your mouth! After dinner, make sure to try the brownie. Best meal we've had in a very long time! And make sure to say hi to the staff, they're incredibly friendly. read more

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All I can say is that this is just an excellent restaurant and if you haven't been there you should go. https://trestlesrestaurant.com/ read more

Well as Capitola Village locals we we're stoked to see something new and fresh in that building. Right off the bat, great customer service, nice and bright, fun medium loud atmosphere, awesome paintings on the wall from a friend of ours, food is super tasty and fresh. We decided to stop by the soft opening/limited hours just to support but our 21 mo old was close to bed time so they hooked us up togo even though they didn't have all the appropriate stuff and hadn't done any togo orders yet. Instead of turn us away they made it work and dam it's good!!! Thank you and we will be back!!! read more

My wife and I were there 8/10/24 for dinner. The wait staff & hostess were great. They had great recommendations which all turned out to be excellent. The food came out hot and in a timely fashion. The food itself was great. It was light and very flavorful. We will definitely be going back. read more

Great service, very accommodating, dog friendly patio, and AMAZING food. My girlfriends and I (and the new puppy) just came for cocktails, but we tried several starters and the heirloom salad...then we saw the French fries being served to our neighbors and we had to order some too-- and then we decided to stay and try some of the delicious entrees--the gnocchi...holy cow...busy Friday night- the line was out the door, now I can see why. Definitely be back! So happy we have a yummy non-tourist trap restaurant in our little village! read more

Trestles Restaurant - One happy puppy. - New American Near Me - Capitola, California

Wow, Trestles offers such a refreshing and much needed addition to Santa Cruz County. I compare Trestles to HOME in Soquel. They had Russian River beer which my man appreciated, and I loved the ginger wine drink they offered- prob one of my fav's ever. Ordered the elote style appetizer, as well as the hamachi (if not some other fish) crudo special, and my gosh. So flavorful! The brick chicken and mushroom gnocchi were just phenomenal. Our waitress was a gem as well. This place gets packed quick so just make a reservation through Yelp and you don't have to worry about getting in! read more

Great food. Great service. We spent a Saturday evening there for dinner and are so happy about it. We got pork belly, and brick chicken. Cocktail was ok but the food was amazing. Also the service and the whole ambience of the restaurant was worth the price. I do wish they'd stay open later. read more

The service & food was WONDERFUL! So nice to have an amazing restaurant like this in our own backyard. We ordered the halibut, steak frites, pork belly app, and more but only listing those as these are the photos I took - it was hard to get any pics in because we wanted to eat everything right away! read more

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Love the ambiance and you have to try the Street Corn appetizer with its tasty smoky after taste that lingers for More! And while in season grab the Heirloom Salad - it is my new jam :) read more

Everything was perfect. The staff, the atmosphere the food the wine selection... If you're looking for a great date night out...this is the place to go to. read more

Consistently good. Good food, good service, solid cocktails. One of my top choices in the area.

We had apps and drinks..service was great. Casual but upscale atmosphere. Pork bellies were exceptional!

Had the pleasure of being served by James. Great server and knowledgeable in his field of work and took great care of my wife and I. Started with the Brussel sports, tuna and pork belly.... All 5 stars and don't know what was the best. For the entrees we hand the pork shop and New York steak.... All hitters and I wouldn't change anything about the food. We will be back read more

Great menu, fabulous service- intimate setting- food was wonderful with some unique items.

Just delicious. Night out with my wife and daughter. Spending the week in Capitola, it was great to have a really nice meal. Love the Brussels spots and beer salad. Definitely back when we are in town. The staff and recommendations were spot on. read more

First time at Trestles, but it won't be our last time! Food was delicious and service was top notch. Our group had the halibut appetizer, oysters, halibut main, gnocchi, and steak. And, creme brulee cheesecake to finish our meal. Everything was perfect! read more

My husband and I were seated at a dark table for four right near the bar - lots of traffic. We asked to be moved. The waitress who took our order was very put out. After we moved she basically threw the dishes at us and did not take the dirty plates away. A new nicer waitress started waiting on us. All this for $140 of overpriced food. When we got home we called and asked to speak to the manager. The bartender got on the phone and said he is also the manager. On a Saturday night! Terrible experience. Don't bother. read more

Was treated rudely by server Food was overpriced I would not go back and I won't recommend to any of my friends read more

Just okay. Overpriced. Food is okay, nothing too impressive, cannot even recall what we ate. Ambiance is very plain, again just okay. Service mediocre. Not worth the money but I suppose better than most other restaurants around here. read more

We had such a lovely, yummy dinner here for my birthday. My boyfriend and I ordered lots of food for just us 2 so we could taste all of the goodies on the menu. By far the best Ribeye we have ever had at a restaurant. Cooked perfectly and flavors were super bomb. Our server was sweet and we had everything we needed when we needed it. We did wish there was more than one option that night for dessert, but everything else was so perfect it wasn't the biggest deal. We went and found a late nice ice cream spot in Santa Cruz. We will most certainly be back next time we are in town! read more

Wonderful food and super accommodating to some dietary restrictions. Love this place!

Amazing atmosphere and service! The food was delicious, fresh and unique. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We love this place! Food is consistently good with fresh and varied ingredients. We have been here for dinner a few times and have yet to run into a dish that disappoints. We love the low key wine list. We found a couple under $40 gems. The service is warm and efficient. We love watching the kitchen. Such a small place, but so well organized and efficiently ran. It's clear a lot of thoughts were put into the menu, set up and service. It's a bonus if you can get seating on the balcony during the warm month. Most of the patrons are local who are so nice and fun loving. read more

I went back, once with friends and once solo at the bar. WOW the food was so impressive and the wait staff was really outstanding. I felt so welcome and taken care of. This is a really great spot, I'm so glad to see them thriving and elevating the village finish scene read more