11 Best Beer Bars near Santa Cruz

“Food and beer or beer and food Both sooo good, as always 💝🍺🍕“

“This place has some really delicious drinks and great food. I also love how dog friendly it is. I came back twice in a weekend.“

“It’s fun for the whole family. Different experience than Golfland.“

“We were there for a music event late Jan 2025. HH drink specials were tasty but was disappointed on how cold it was inside the restaurant. Both doors, front & back, were wide open during the entire evening show (48 degrees outside). Even the band mentioned how cold it was before beginning their set. All the customers wore jackets. Also, the harsh lighting was way too bright throughout the restaurant. I wanted my sunglasses on. Please read the room & tone down the lighting & warm the place up, then we’ll be back. Mahalo“

“Mission West is a dive bar with heart and great standards. Everything from the attentive and hard working staff to tasty cocktails, to entertaining live music and events. Under the new leadership and ownership (specifically Managing Co- Owners Amy and Jamie) Mission West retains what the hospitality industry is losing... Thoughtful Hospitality. It is clear that training, communication, and leading by example is practiced. Any bar can make a drink. Mission West makes a great one, but Mission West aims to deliver a great overall experience. I especially like going to their events.“

“Thank You Haley you have Outstanding Customer Service!! Thank You Pono the food was delicious and thank you for having your cooks wash their hands throughly!“

“I've been meaning to leave a review for Pleasure Pizza (Pacific Avenue) we visited Santa Cruz in March and decided to try this eatery as natives of New York we are super picky about our pizza, we were pleasantly surprised that it was what we expected. Fresh ingredients, crust, sauce, cheese content was just right and the vibe was laid back and relaxing. The customer service was on point, Ace our server was friendly, checked to make sure we were good throughout, well done!! Would highly recommend Pleasure Pizza yummy!!!“

“Very good overall. Pizza is consistently to my liking - thin bubbly crust, not too heavy on the toppings. If you love Oak & Rye, Del Poppolo, Manresa, Bantam then this is closer to those than not. Excellent Caesar salad, and the fried appetizer (usually green beans or cauliflower) is always spot on.

I’m not huge on dessert, especially brownies, but the brown butter gelato, and the brownie a la mode, are worth eating.

And the service is always friendly.

February 2026 - still going strong. Caesar remains one of the best three in town. My new favorite pizza here is the Nduja; have had Nduja pizza elsewhere but the combination of the black olives and arrested onions works very very well.“

“First time there … loved the vibe will be back“

“Dinner was absolutely delicious Chef Jeff ... Never disappoints one of the best dinning experiences in Santa Cruz . Sam can also make a delicious drink too🌼 the desert was delicious as well Wow just Wow !! The olives and roasted garlic for starters were a delightful burst of delight too! We go each week for either dinner , lunch or brunch always amazing and something new on the menu each time ! The staff are all wonderful too! A great evening to a long week ! Thank you , "East End " Cheers !“

“This is a restaurant with an elegant atmosphere , great service , good wine list and a wide selection of North-Indian dishes.
Food , however, is NOT authentic Indian. We found it bland but a bit excessive in oil & certain flavorings/ spices.

We ordered the Paneer sizzler, vegan butter chicken, mutter paneer, vegan aloo paratha, plain naan and raita.

I requested some achaar- Indian pickle and the house made achar was satisfying. Naan & raita were both very satisfying as well !

The aloo paratha was disappointing with unnecessarily excessive flavoring .

The dessert menu was very small and boring. We ended the meal with the ghulab jamun, served hot. It was good !“