Café Cruz — Restaurant in Capitola

For an experience that started off a little rocky the staff quickly made up for it. Café Cruz has a wonderful atmosphere, the evening we went they had a live jazz band on their patio and the restaurant was very busy.

Food: My wife ordered a beef soup and 3 beet salad. The soup came out immediately and looked good but appeared to have only a small piece of beef, no big deal it was still flavorful. I ordered the chicken sandwich not realizing what I was getting into. A monster sandwich came out stacked with peppers and onions and rings with amazingly crispy french fries on the side. The food was outstanding and surpassed expectations. For desert we grabbed a creme brulee - it was incredible. The custard was smooth and not overly sweet and really well done.

Service: The kitchen is open and in full view to the patrons and the chefs do a fantastic job of keeping orders coming out and keeping the open kitchen very clean and appealing. Our waitress came by to check on our meal and we had mentioned it appeared a little more vegetarian she immediately walked back to the chef and informed him. Shortly after my wife had a new bowl of soup with plenty of beef.

Overall a great experience. Would suggest making reservations before going regardless of the day...

We’ve really enjoyed dining at Cafe Cruz in the past, but unfortunately, we won’t be returning unless they update their outdated pet policy. We recently (1/28/25) tried to have dinner with friends on their outdoor patio, only to be told that their well-behaved golden doodle wasn’t allowed—only service animals are permitted.

For a restaurant in Santa Cruz County (and in 2025, no less!), this policy feels completely out of touch. Most places around here recognize that dog-friendly patios create a welcoming, community-oriented atmosphere. It’s frustrating especially when so many people consider their dogs part of the family.

While we’ve always enjoyed the food and atmosphere, there are plenty of other great spots nearby that embrace pet-friendly dining. We hope they reconsider this policy because until then, we’ll be taking our...

Came here with a group of coworkers. It’s a very cute place, nice patio I suppose when it’s not raining. I got lucky for parking but you apparently have to park in other businesses lots because it’s limited in the back.

For the food, I wasn’t impressed for the price. It’s listed as fine dining?? Normally caesar salad is served very cold but this was room temp. The breadcrumb crumble (?) wasn’t a good touch. I would’ve liked croutons better for real crunch.

I got the polenta bolognese, which I honestly got tired of eating halfway through. It really just tastes like I was eating only ground meat. Dessert was ok, didn’t realize it would come drenched in caramel. It’s called a fruit crisp, but it was kind of soggy and tasted like undercooked oatmeal. Overall not too satisfied with the meal but it...