33 Best American Restaurants in Santa Cruz

“The staff is amazing! The food is amazingly fresh and flavorful. Hands down this Restaurant was a huge highlight of our vacation. Thank you for an awesome dinner, and making us feel right at home!“

“very good and Shelby s sunny disposition makes it even better. definitely our new favorite place for breakfast.“

“We went there last week and it was a great experience. We came in just in time because it wasn’t busy yet. We got the only table by the window and it made it special for our occasion. The drink I had ordered wasn’t available so they suggested another one which was ginger beer and I liked it! It was a refreshing drink. The charcuterie board was delicious too! Everything was amazing. My girl and I had a great time and the waitress gave us a complimentary drink with our dinner. Thank you. We will surely go back again!“

“A great place to eat, shop, and walk around. It’s also home of the Diversity Center, Santa Cruz County’s LGBTQ+ Center.“

“My husband and I enjoyed Coconut prawns in a mango sauce, peppercorn ribeye steak with smashed potatoes and zucchini. We topped it off with a creme Brûlée! Everything was absolutely delicious! A favorite restaurant for our date nights!“

“Top of the line Food thats forsure“

“Great place for mid week date night or to see live music. a Santa Cruz must“

“Delicious calamari Great vibes“

“Visiting SC from Michigan and came across Suda. Glad we did. Looked like it had a good vibe from the outside so we went in and sat at the bar where we had drinks. What fun! The bartender, Max, was slammed but never stopped smiling. We had fun watching him and talking with him. He knows his drinks! So much fun we came back for dinner another night. Max came over to our table to welcome us back! The drinks and food were really good! We’ll definitely be back next visit to SC. Hopefully, Max, will be there too!“

“The service was good and the food was delivered quickly.“

“Excellent appetizers, amazing healthy food and great service.“

“Great cocktails and appetizers“

“Great food, great staff, great service!“

“The food was delicious, the service was excellent. We went on mother's day weekend and it was packed but for good reason. Even with it being packed our service was excellent and speedy the food was delicious and brought to us quickly. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it.“

“Great food, atmosphere all the waiters are nice. Great location.“

“Every time we drive over from San Jose we eat there.“

“My husband and I had a great breakfast I got a breakfast burrito and a frittata. Both were very good and big great food for a great price and the customer service was amazing.“

“To say the staff are amazing would be a understatement. Extremely friendly and professional. Tonight I struggled with the menu as nothing really jumped out at me... however I chose the steak and fries to keep it simple. Steak was cooked to the right temp, however lacked seasoning. The topping was fairly flavorless. I will return to try some of the other options on the menu. Thanks again guys“

“Love Hindquarter! Been going for many years mostly for dinner/drinks but am now also loving their delicious lunch specials which change daily. You can enjoy lunch specials until dinner menu starts at 4 pm! Deserts are great and the 3 berry cobbler with vanilla icecream is incredible! Highly recommend!“

“#bookshop #santacruz #hardcovers #softcovers #goodreads #mustreads“

“Amazing food. Exquisite taste expertly prepared. The wait staff is so attentive and friendly. Loved everything from start to finish!“

“This place is great. Unfortunately, some poor reviews were written by disgruntled folks with an agenda to denigrate trying to discredit this business over their logo. Trust me. Go there and check it out! Great food, great owners, and great atmosphere.“

“karaoke night is the best“

“We enjoyed the dinner specials recently. Arrived here right before New Years, 12-30. I hade the daily catch and my wife had the steak pasta. Delicious. My fish was petrale sole, mixed vegetables, rice pilaf. Wife’s steak pasta was flavorful and creamy. We sat at the bar so service wasn’t the best but still attentive. Will return tomorrow. HAPPY NEW YEAR“

“I wrote a detailed review on 831 Best and Worst Facebook page and this was definitely the BEST category ! Cannot go wrong IMO !“

“So happy to have Johnnys open for lunch and Taco Tuesday ❣️“

“Great place to meet up with friends, for breakfast or anytime! Great beach and lighthouse view, and casual, comfortable atmosphere! I highly recommend!!“

“Love coming to Haggin Oaks to visit MacKenzie’s for the food. Steak salad is the healthy option for me. Ribeye steak sandwich is also a great choice. My wife always appreciates the wonderful service that Tresa provides. Yes, menu prices are higher, but blame it on Dimensia Joe and our own failure, Gavin Newscum for making it tough for any business to survive in beautiful California.“

“My family and i arrive to this location and they bring to us Hot meal they have Friendly servers they always smile they are kind with our kids. My omelette was utterly delicious i going to cone back this location in a good spot. in santa cruz. thanks for everything“

“This is the place to be for delicious food and cocktails! As you sit in the newly renovated restaurant and bar, watching the teams of golfers swinging away in the background.“

“My favourite dining hall at UCSC! Nothing will beat the gorgeous view at the Cowell/Stevenson Dining Hall. I wish they had more halal options and a greater variety of food, but it does the job! Would highly recommend getting food here pre-sunset, and to bask in the view whilst sitting on the balcony - alone and with friends.“

“Such a neat place! We really enjoyed this spot. Service and drinks! Their house drink menu is very unique and fun! Definitely recommend if you're visiting Santa Cruz! The entrance is around the back of motiv off pearl alley but if it's after 9:30p you'll need to go to motiv first to get stamped anyways.“