24 Best Bars in Santa Cruz

“So glad to have 11th Hour next to the Actor’s Theatre. As someone who spends a lot of time here, 11th Hour offers nooks and crannies to study scripts, comfortable seating to gather and visit, wonderful bar services and a creative menu. Hope their stay here is as long as it is iconic!“

“Great venue. seen Big Mountain there.“

“fine times with questionable friends, the beer flows, music made with craft, excitement guaranteed“

“one of my fave places! I love the bartenders!“

“Bartenders give great service, friendly vibes. When I’m not stopping by randomly to say hi on a week day. There every Sunday for goth night, @::THE BOX:: 🖤“

“every time I visit California I ALWAYS consider Bradys my water hole , great atmosphere, welcoming people and an all around stellar bar !“

“Cool Place to have a drink with your friends and listen to live music🎶“

“An awesome place to stop near big trees park. The food was incredible there’s a ton of options very reasonably priced. Staff was so kind and everything was incredibly clean. Stop here you will not be disappointed!! The views outside were beautiful too!!“

“Good food really good vibe“

“This place is super fun since they banned smoking! They have darts, pool, shuffleboard, pinball, other activities, friendly people, and the drinks are solid. One of the regulars helped my friends and I change a flat tire in the parking lot 😂 very welcoming crowd!“

“what an iconic place - thank you Phoebe for all your recommendations!“

“Cool Kava bar, friendly staff and patrons. Nice to find a cool place like this when visiting in town!“

“locals spot everyone friendly ❤“

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

“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!“

“Little better than beer and billiards“

“Good food, awesome bartenders and people! Love this place ❤️“

“We went in for a daytime drink while in town. Yes, it's a locals dive bar and clearly lots of regulars, but we were warmly welcomed by them all and were chatting away after a few drinks. As with most places, you don't have to be a regular to fit in, you just have to be a nice person. We will come by next time we're in SC!“

“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!“

“Great cocktails and appetizers“

“Great outdoor atmosphere and Great staff. Fun games and Good Eats. Neighborhood friendly and with the Rail Trail on the side makes it easy to bike or walk to. SALUTE!“

“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.“

“Dope people dope vibe and dope city“

“Food pop-up event. Very loud music but it is a bar with a DJ so.... Can't really complaint. We were there for the food which was great. Good drinks. Very little sitting so, get there early if you want to grab a table. Overall pretty good time.“