Namaste Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Firstly, Namaste Grill and Bar is at a prime location basically on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk! Unfortunately the prime location brings about a HUGE crowd. The staff didn’t seem to know how to handle a large crowd at around 8:30 P.M. when we came. There was no one manning the desk for the waitlists so it was chaos trying to get a table to eat.

Thankfully, the inside of Namaste Grill and Bar was very cute! They had a very nice restroom and a high tech sink out side of the restroom. The downside was there was only 1 restroom so there was a line:(. We ordered for appetizers the mango masala wings and the avocado chaat. Both of the apps came out very fast which I appreciated even though the staff was congested with numerous orders! The avocado chaat was so good with a strong mint and lemony flavor. Super crispy with great presentation. The crispness of the pomegranate and the crisps in the chat perfectly contrasted the salty avocado so it tasted amazing. The portion was somewhat tiny though. The mango masala wings were interesting. I loved the sauce on the wings because it tasted super fresh and actually had a strong mango flavor with savory components. The tiny salad with strawberry glaze that came with the wings WAS BOMBBB! Super refreshing. The wings itself were decent. The meat was super tender and there was a large amount of wings for $15 so I appreciated how they didn’t skimp with the amount of wings. The flaw with the dish was the lack of crispness in the wings. When you hear wings you want a heavy crunch paired with a tasty sauce. I had the sauce but I needed a lot more crispiness in the wings.

For the entrees we got the chicken tikka masala with butter garlic naan and the shahi paneer pizza. The chicken tikka masala was pretty good. The gravy was insanely flavorsome and I enjoyed how it was less creamy and sweet than the normal butter chicken gravy, but this gravy packed more of a punch with loads of spices and loads of color! We got a complimentary white rice dish with our chicken tikka masala and enjoying mixing the delectable gravy with the plain white rice was just a DELICACY! Unfortunately the chicken in the tikka masala was pretty dry and I didn’t enjoy that m. It was hard to cut with a knife and I got tired of chewing halfway through. Thankfully with the delicious gravy and some crispy buttery garlicky naan you don’t notice the dryness as much! The shahi paneer pizza was also pretty good. I thought a curry pizza would be super unique but the actual dish didn’t taste special at all. It was a normal pizza with a bunch of onions and bell peppers on top. Since it was a shahi paneer pizza I expected some kind of gravy but there was nothing. The dish just tasted like a tandoori paneer pizza so I was not very impressed. However the pizza itself was pretty solid with a nice crispy crust and some tasty tandoor paneer.

The service was not top notch at all as the servers weren’t attentive and took a long time to seat people. However the servers were all kind and never rushed us, so they did reach the bare minimum. The ambiance was quite nice however with lots of cute interior seating and also lots of outdoor seating where you can see the Santa Cruz Boardwalk with heaters in case it gets cold. The food was also very appropriately priced so I had no problems there. OVERALL, while Namaste Grill and Bar DID NOT surpass my expectations it was still a solid Indian joint in Santa Cruz and I would recommend the restaurant for its unique dishes like the avocado chaat and mango masala wings. I hope you guys try it out next time you’re in Santa Cruz!

Edit: I do think the servers messed up our order by giving us the Tandoori Paneer Pizza instead of the Shahi Paneer Pizza so you can use the image of the pizza in reference to the Tandoori...

A new welcoming and high quality dining option near Santa Cruz boardwalk.

Due to lack of proper food options near Santa Cruz boardwalk, we always returned to South Bay to have a meal. This changed this past Saturday when we got the opportunity to dine in at the newly opened Namaste Bar & Grill right outside the boardwalk. We got in around 7pm on Saturday. The place was lively with many tables occupied. We were lucky to get a table almost immediately. The bar on the back with a large TV and beautiful back lighting made the ambience really welcoming. The place was well-lit and clean. We sat inside but the outside patio area looked fun with direct view of the beach and beach-goers. The tropical looking umbrellas gave a cool vibe.

Service was great, very attentive staff.. we had avocado chaat, different flavored chicken wings, masala fries. All tasted great. My 3 year old had cheese pizza which wasn't on the menu but they kindly made it for him. We had butter chicken, oyster mushroom curry, both tasted great. My daughter loved butter chicken.

I also enjoyed Mangorita and Mumbai mule. Good to see many cocktail options along with local beers and wine.

All in all, a fun evening. didn't have to worry about the meal after getting back home. Highly recommend Namaste...

Huge fan of Namaste having yet another location down here at the Boardwalk. With a slightly different menu to boot compared to their location on Mission, but just as good.

They are my favorite Indian local chain with great curries and... pizza?! I haven't tried the latter yet but they all look great.

For my other vegan and plant-based friends, you're in for a treat. Their Gobi Manchuria was perfectly fried and soaked in their sweet tangy sauce, the Veggie Momos were fire and a perfect app to start, and the main Oyster Mushroom Curry was an absolute scene stealer. Highly recommend this curry as an option which comes with a healthy serving of basmati rice. Grab a side of roti to complete the meal.

Their curry portions here are very generous and one order can definitely feed 2-3 people if you're also ordering other dishes.

Service here was friendly and they consistently checked in on us while dining and filling our water glasses. I also love being able to enjoy a lovely meal while facing the ocean and boardwalk. If it's a nice day, definitely grab a...