Village Host Pizza Grill

Persephone Restaurant

➤ 7945 Soquel Dr Aptos, CA 95003, 95003-3963, United States

Menu • Wine • Coffee • American • Ice Cream

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"Exceptional food in an authentic, non-demanding environment. Our waitress was very attentive and helpful, which added to the great experience. For bread lovers, there are 3 different breads, all of which are made there and are all wonderful. I stop on the way out of town to pick up bread and take it home to friends. My salad was fabulous and the vodka chicken pasta (a specialty) was cooked perfectly with a wonderful sauce. The specials change with the seasons. Desserts are all made there and everyone looked great. We share the ice cream on Sunday with homemade caramelized marshmallows and chocolate ganache. It was wonderful. You can share it with 4 people as it is very large. We will definitely have dinner here again when we return to Mayo and Golf."

Café Sparrow

➤ 8042 Soquel Dr Aptos, CA 95003-4085, United States

Menu • Cafés • French • American • Californian

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"Came here for lunch. Took 35 minutes for our cheese bread and 1 hour for our meal, 2 sandwiches. Server didn 't even check in with us or say something like sorry for the wait . Not cool!! Cheese bread only takes 10 minute to make. An hour later, our food came. I 'm a 22% tipper, I wasn 't going to give a tip but I was thinking about the helpers. it 's my first time to give 10% tip, I feel bad but I was hangry also for the bad service. I would give 4 stars for the food."

Capitola Grill

➤ Capitola, 231 Esplanade, 95010-3241, United States

Menu • Bars • Seafood • American • Californian

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"We reserved a table for 8 on Friday evening but turned into a table of 10. They were so accommodating, we’re able to add a table for us. Food and service were fabulous shout out to their clam chowder which we find the best in Capitola and the lobster ravioli! So delicious just needed more bread to enjoy the abundant sauce :"

Cafe Cruz

➤ 2621 41st AveCA 95073-2136, Soquel, United States

Menu • Cafe • Fish • Coffee • Seafood

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"I always thought this was a tiny Mexican restaurant and felt like an idiot to discover it's American-style cuisine with a bar and outdoor patio. The food and service are excellent and quite literally the coolest place is the bar area. This local staple has been here 28 years and owned by the same person. The only thing they don't have is breakfast. Jeanette is the treasure here, although all the employees seemed cool, despite many being younger. They have wine and spirits, but my focus was the six taps of local craft brew from Discretion, Coronado, Corralito's and North Coast Pacific. Corralito's is far up in the hills behind Aptos and I never get up there, but fortunately they get kegs every week. The Richter Red Ale is excellent. It's nice you can sit in the bar and have lunch easily and without a reservation or huge rush. The pastrami sandwich was excellent and I'd expect everything here to be good from the other patrons food I saw. They have a happy hour from 3-5PM where drinks are $2 off, but really the only negative is everything is pricey and it can be occasionally difficult to park if it's busy. I think $9 for beer is quixotic but they have excellent food and service, plus it's a relaxing ambience that also can be cordoned off for groups. The closest thing to Mexican food they have is the Taco Salad btw...in case you wondered. I expected to get an enchilada plate or taquitos and had no idea how wrong I'd been for years driving by. This is also a good place to eat if your going to visit Discretion Brewing in the same parking lot. If that's not good enough, you can buy weed, furniture and mattresses next door as well as a Safeway, Best Buy and Home Depot across the street. So, the location is convenient for doing errands after or meeting folks, being right off PCH. They have parking spots in the front for takeaway orders, with the rest of us using the carpark behind the restaurant. In case you wondered, this was a restaurant 28 years ago before Cafe Cruz, but before that, it was originally a private residence, hence the intensive repurposing you observe today. There's one other small house which survives today in the carpark and the defunct breakfast/lunch place behind Cafe Cruz is slated to open as something similar as Cafe Opal was, with breakfast and lunch only. If Cafe Cruz had breakfast, I don't think any restaurants would ever survive behind them. Cafe Cruz reminds me a little of a favorite family-owned chain in Los Angeles called Hof's Huts (now defunct) but had a very similar model, with a bakery and all-day breakfast being the difference. Anyway, if you can, sit in the bar if Jeanette's working. She knows all the restaurants history and is cool."

East End Gastropub

➤ Capitola, 1501 41st Ave, 95062-3269, Santa Cruz, United States

Menu • Beer • Pubs • Pizza • Brunch

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"What a gem. I was visiting for business and happened across East End accidentally. It has an inviting and open atmosphere which lends to a comfortable stay. I enjoyed the many optioms for draft beers, but opted for the cider which was crisp and refreshing, but not sweet. The Brussel sprouts were fantastic. Umami comes to mind for a description. Slightly sweet, but mostly savory they are a must try. For dinner I had the seasonal white fish and it was like butter. The roasted cauliflower added depth and the raisins a slight sweet which elevated the dish. All in all a plus in my book."