Margaritaville — Restaurant in Capitola

Pros: great location, beachside dining; great service. Cons: food and drink are just meh, especially considering the prices

Everything about the restaurant is great, except for the food and drink, so, having said that, is great service and location really enough? Apparently for some it is. Obviously they’ve not dined at either of the upscale Mexican restaurants (El Palomar and Cilantro’s) which are within a 10 minute drive of this spot, or they would feel as I do, that the food and drink quality and taste just doesn’t measure up. Not by a long shot.

Admittedly this establishment suffered greatly at the hands of the disastrous Winter 2023 and 2024 storms, which flooded the buildings and required significant storm damage to be repaired. I’m glad they’re back, but that’s not an excuse for poor execution.

To the specifics… we ordered cocktails and chips and guacamole. Everything came quickly with super service. However, the guac was extremely bland, definitely a nice mash of avocado, but lacking any panache with spicing and flavor. Sometimes your avocados are somewhat bland, and you need to adjust with augmenting spices like chili, garlic, enough salt … but not this time. As for the chips, they were thick and slightly greasy; clearly house-made, but not from house-made thin tortillas, but rather from commercial, thicker corn tortillas. Chevy’s sets the standard for thin crispy light chips, and Margaritaville missed by a mile.

Moving on to the cocktails… we ordered Mai tais and the El Ultimo margarita. Both drinks were very bottled-juice forward and tart, with no hint of the premium liquors nor really of any liquor at all. Go to the Crows Nest and if you order a Mai Tai, you can taste the rum. Nope, not here. Hugely disappointing.

For dinner, we were conservative and split the Ultimo Blackened Shrimp buritto. How does a blackened shrimp item with beans and rice end up tasting sweet and not spicy at all? Blackened is a Cajun preparation: “I give you one guarantee” it should be spicy and garlicky! This one was not. It was supposed to be “smothered” in some kind of crema; it was NOT. Dry as the Texas sands to quote Jerry Jeff. :-)

You can do much better elsewhere, especially considering the $16 per drink price tag for bottled dour juice and pricy burritos with no promised...

If you're looking for a great spot to grab lunch with a view of the ocean, Margaritaville in Capitola, Santa Cruz is definitely worth a visit. My husband and I recently dined there, and we were blown away by the amazing food, fantastic service, and great atmosphere.

We were fortunate enough to be seated on the balcony/terrace, which offered a stunning view of the ocean. The ambiance was relaxing and enjoyable, perfect for a leisurely lunch. The staff was friendly and attentive, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived.

Now, let's talk about the food. We ordered the chili verdes fries and the steak quesadilla, and both were absolutely amazing. The chili verdes fries were the perfect combination of crispy fries and savory chili, and the steak quesadilla was packed with flavor and generously portioned. We also couldn't resist trying their margaritas, which were tasty and refreshing.

Despite the restaurant being quite busy, the service was quick and efficient. We were impressed by the staff's ability to keep up with the demand while still providing excellent service.

The overall vibe at Margaritaville was fantastic, with upbeat music and a lively atmosphere. We could tell that everyone in the restaurant was having a great time, which only added to the experience.

Overall, we highly recommend Margaritaville in Capitola, Santa Cruz. The food is amazing, the service is fantastic, and the atmosphere is perfect for a fun and enjoyable dining experience. Whether you're looking for a relaxing lunch with a view of the ocean or a lively night out with friends, Margaritaville is the...

I live here in Santa Cruz, and I realized I had not been to this place in many years, so I have been meaning to give it a try. We dropped in yesterday for lunch and sat out on the deck overlooking the beach and river. We had no wait to get a table on the deck despite it being an absolutely gorgeous day. Service was excellent from the hostess to the waiter we had, but I had a couple minor issues with the food. I ordered the El Pastor taco plate, which was $14. I think my main complaint was that this was just three tacos for $14..... I had to pay extra to have chips and salsa, and I had to pay extra to have any beans and rice. By the time I got done, our meal was $40 and we shared one plate. I had a beer and my wife had a iced tea. This was just a snack with one drink and that seems steep to me. So, just chalk it up to a tourist dive and realize that it hasn't changed after all these years. Nice location but there are so many great Mexican places in Santa Cruz, that the location is the only reason to go here. Food was good but not great, and overpriced...