zestmyu

Any good places to eat in Santa Cruz?
Driving from San Francisco so I'd like some recommendations

Recruit555

Hands down - Walnut Cafe, Cafe Brasil or Zacharys... In that order. Ahi eggs benedict at Walnut is dee-licious

Yelp them =)

Ahh, why did I think breakfast??? Sorry.

Lunch/dinner...

I highly, highly! Recommend Rivas on the wharf, prices are decent and the view is awesome... Ask to sit by the window, regardless of the wait (maybe 15mins max).

Downtown, the best place I recommend, Kianti's (Pasta, etc.) ... $
Eastside (Capitola) - Zelda's ... By the beach, food's great.... $

Crow's Nest on the Harbor - Beautiful... $$
Shadowbrook Restaurant - REALLY good chef. The experience/scenery is one of a kind... $$$

ryanmatic

Kelly's French Cafe off of Mission St. is quite amazing, too.

Get like 3 of their cinnamon rolls and don't share with ANYONE.

Trust me.

And I second Cafe Brazil, but only if you get there early enough. It's popular.

scruztaylor

+1 for cafe Brasil

thomsbrain

Honestly my favorite spot when I lived there was Jeffery's on the east side. It's just a regular diner with old lady waitresses but the food is always very good and you don't have to kill someone to get a seat at a table. Everyone goes to Zachary's because they want to be seen there but the food is crap, the service is subpar if you're lucky, and you have to wait 30 minutes for a table. So okay, you get to see the who's-who's in Santa Cruz, but it's not worth it for me.

That said, Auntie Mame's in Scotts Valley is the best in the area, in my opinion. Good food, good service, and often a cool car or two parked out front.

zestmyu

Thanks for the list guys. Time to let my friends decide on one of these places.