We sadly had an absolutely horrible experience dining here. This was truly the worst service I’ve ever had. Our family had flown in for the holidays and we chose Bittersweet for our special high end family meal. There was a large party in the room playing games making so much noise (much louder than a sports bar or concert venue type scene) we couldn’t hear each other at all, and it ruined our dinner. When we asked to speak to management it took multiple requests and when they finally came out they were aggressive with us and threatened to call the police. We tried to reason with them and they repeatedly said “I don’t care!” -The food was good, tho not at worth the extremely terrible service and beyond rude management.
Jaqui Walters
Really fresh and amazing food. Outdoor area is really cute and good for groups of all sizes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeffery N
Try the Banana Bread Pudding. It's pretty killer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ross Murphy
Great staple in Aptos, one of the better restaurants between Santa Cruz and Aptos, nice variety of land and sea. Lots of outdoor seating (our preferred since the pandemic) we return a few times a year
I ordered sea bass yesterday and it was prepared perfectly. Not knowing the spinach was sauteed with red bell peppers, which I'm allergic to, Chris the manager completely redid the dinner for me! Awesome customer service!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Smith
Food was very disappointing. I moved back recently and it used to be my favorite! Then, when I questioned the server about charging my the wrong price on my food, he said "Sorry" and shrugged his shoulders. I told him that it doesn't look well for the business and he didn't care. I just paid the bill and left. Wasn't worth speaking to the manager.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tracy Wiedman
We were a party of six seated in the indoor dining room in March. The space was lovely, the food was great, but I still can't get over the volume and choice of music from the in-house stereo. First, the place is classy and cozy doesn't need ANY music, and in this case top-40 country, to set the mood. Second, the volume was so obnoxious that I couldn't hear the person across from me let alone the people at the other end of the table. It was such a jarring experience, and I wouldn't return to eat inside simply because of this. I can't speak to the atmosphere on the patio, but I really hope there's no music out there because it's completely unnecessary at this lovely spot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
David Hull
To celebrate my 69th birthday, I dined with my family (4 adults, 3 children, and our small, well-behaved dog) at your restaurant yesterday evening. The outdoor patio was perfect for us. Service was excellent. The menu pricing was, frankly, quite shocking. I understand that prices, for so many things, including groceries, have risen, particularly post-COVID. BUT … for instance, $48 for a bowl of beef stroganoff seems excessive. $69 for (what was likely no larger than) a 6 oz. Filet Mignon steak also seems excessive. I will say that all the food was excellent. The Chef came out and we exchanged pleasantries - I complemented him on the food, and on his flexibility in providing fish and fries (chips) for one of my grandsons who loves that (even though it wasn’t strictly on the menu). All-in-all a VERY nice experience! We will probably go again for a special occasion at some future time. HOWEVER, on a Thursday evening the restaurant was almost empty. I would gladly return frequently to this restaurant, if only the prices were more reasonable. I suspect the lack of many guests reflects the high pricing. Surely this is not a good business model. Let’s be honest, this is in little old Aptos after all, not Silicon Valley, where prices can easily reflect corporate expense budgets and an abundance of hi-tech earners. I can highly recommend restaurant, but beware the cost!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beau Smith
This was our 4th time at the restaurant in the last three years. The place is clean and atmosphere is terrific. I’m sad to say that service and food quality has declined while entree prices have increased. Both pizzas were missing toppings. Nectarine salad had unripe nectarines in the middle of stone fruit season and was served on a side-salad sized plate. Kids burger was same as adult burger but with pickles, lettuce and tomato for $7.50 more. If you want to add any topping to your burger — even cheese – it’s $4.50/per topping. $208 (including tip) for 2 adults and 2 kids seemed overpriced compared to other local options. We’ll likely be back, but not for a while.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Jenny Folkesson
I understand that prices need to go up with inflation, but unfortunately food quality, portion sizes and service seem to have gone down at the same time. We’ve been coming here for a while and enjoyed it but I’m afraid that tonight was the last time unless I hear of major improvements.
The servers are super nice and the food is so good they even have a kids treasure chest and also there are (spoiler alert) slinky's and bouncey balls in it. There is also a fish pond which is not sus at all. To top it off there are dog bones.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
PINITS
Bittersweet never disappoints best cocktails and tbe beef stroganoff is something you will crave
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mirza S
Paid $40 for steak and when it came out it was less than 4 ounces of meat. I mentioned this to the staff and they didn’t see a problem with it. Horrible restaurant
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Robert L. Garrett III
Great place to grab good drinks and decent food. Vibes are welcoming
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: ★Pan Seared Scallops
Sarah
Best hamburger in town. Fairly pricing menu but you can get a hamburger with fries for about $20 and if you want it with sweet potato fries I think the upcharge was four or five dollars. They have great beer. The atmosphere is wonderful. Our waite person was
We sadly had an absolutely horrible experience dining here. This was truly the worst service I’ve ever had. Our family had flown in for the holidays and we chose Bittersweet for our special high end family meal. There was a large party in the room playing games making so much noise (much louder than a sports bar or concert venue type scene) we couldn’t hear each other at all, and it ruined our dinner. When we asked to speak to management it took multiple requests and when they finally came out they were aggressive with us and threatened to call the police. We tried to reason with them and they repeatedly said “I don’t care!” -The food was good, tho not at worth the extremely terrible service and beyond rude management.
Really fresh and amazing food. Outdoor area is really cute and good for groups of all sizes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Try the Banana Bread Pudding. It's pretty killer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great staple in Aptos, one of the better restaurants between Santa Cruz and Aptos, nice variety of land and sea. Lots of outdoor seating (our preferred since the pandemic) we return a few times a year
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet Potato Fries, Steak, ★Classic Bittersweet Paella, ★ Beef Stroganoff, Goat Cheese Salad
I ordered sea bass yesterday and it was prepared perfectly. Not knowing the spinach was sauteed with red bell peppers, which I'm allergic to, Chris the manager completely redid the dinner for me! Awesome customer service!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was very disappointing. I moved back recently and it used to be my favorite! Then, when I questioned the server about charging my the wrong price on my food, he said "Sorry" and shrugged his shoulders. I told him that it doesn't look well for the business and he didn't care. I just paid the bill and left. Wasn't worth speaking to the manager.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
We were a party of six seated in the indoor dining room in March. The space was lovely, the food was great, but I still can't get over the volume and choice of music from the in-house stereo. First, the place is classy and cozy doesn't need ANY music, and in this case top-40 country, to set the mood. Second, the volume was so obnoxious that I couldn't hear the person across from me let alone the people at the other end of the table. It was such a jarring experience, and I wouldn't return to eat inside simply because of this. I can't speak to the atmosphere on the patio, but I really hope there's no music out there because it's completely unnecessary at this lovely spot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
To celebrate my 69th birthday, I dined with my family (4 adults, 3 children, and our small, well-behaved dog) at your restaurant yesterday evening. The outdoor patio was perfect for us. Service was excellent. The menu pricing was, frankly, quite shocking. I understand that prices, for so many things, including groceries, have risen, particularly post-COVID. BUT … for instance, $48 for a bowl of beef stroganoff seems excessive. $69 for (what was likely no larger than) a 6 oz. Filet Mignon steak also seems excessive. I will say that all the food was excellent. The Chef came out and we exchanged pleasantries - I complemented him on the food, and on his flexibility in providing fish and fries (chips) for one of my grandsons who loves that (even though it wasn’t strictly on the menu). All-in-all a VERY nice experience! We will probably go again for a special occasion at some future time. HOWEVER, on a Thursday evening the restaurant was almost empty. I would gladly return frequently to this restaurant, if only the prices were more reasonable. I suspect the lack of many guests reflects the high pricing. Surely this is not a good business model. Let’s be honest, this is in little old Aptos after all, not Silicon Valley, where prices can easily reflect corporate expense budgets and an abundance of hi-tech earners. I can highly recommend restaurant, but beware the cost!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our 4th time at the restaurant in the last three years. The place is clean and atmosphere is terrific. I’m sad to say that service and food quality has declined while entree prices have increased. Both pizzas were missing toppings. Nectarine salad had unripe nectarines in the middle of stone fruit season and was served on a side-salad sized plate. Kids burger was same as adult burger but with pickles, lettuce and tomato for $7.50 more. If you want to add any topping to your burger — even cheese – it’s $4.50/per topping. $208 (including tip) for 2 adults and 2 kids seemed overpriced compared to other local options. We’ll likely be back, but not for a while.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
I understand that prices need to go up with inflation, but unfortunately food quality, portion sizes and service seem to have gone down at the same time.
We’ve been coming here for a while and enjoyed it but I’m afraid that tonight was the last time unless I hear of major improvements.
Restaurantji Recommends
The servers are super nice and the food is so good they even have a kids treasure chest and also there are (spoiler alert) slinky's and bouncey balls in it. There is also a fish pond which is not sus at all. To top it off there are dog bones.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bittersweet never disappoints best cocktails and tbe beef stroganoff is something you will crave
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paid $40 for steak and when it came out it was less than 4 ounces of meat. I mentioned this to the staff and they didn’t see a problem with it. Horrible restaurant
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great place to grab good drinks and decent food. Vibes are welcoming
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: ★Pan Seared Scallops
Best hamburger in town. Fairly pricing menu but you can get a hamburger with fries for about $20 and if you want it with sweet potato fries I think the upcharge was four or five dollars. They have great beer. The atmosphere is wonderful. Our waite person was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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