20 Best Cafes in Santa Cruz

“11th hour coffee is the best in town! Small batch quality direct trade coffee roasted with love. Happy to support a local growing business in the community.“

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

“The food was good but when I went to use the bathroom, I was horrified that the bathrooms were dirty and no soap dispenser anywhere with limited cold water. How is that sanitary especially if the people that are preparing our food are just rinsing their hands quickly with cold water. In these days with all kinds virus to not have soap is beyond me. Not going there again.“

“Had flowers delivered to my mother in law and she was blown away by the arrangement delivered. I'm not local to Santa Cruz so I was really trusting the images on the website when I chose this shop. Her excitement about the arrangement was worth every penny. Thank you Flower Bar for making such a great arrangement and delivering it to my hard working mother in law. She deserves the recognition and I couldn't have done it without Flower Bar! 10/10 would recommend.“

“Love this place!“

“This is the best acai out of Brasil :)!! Keep up the wonderful work. I will come visit soon“

“Great scone mixes - even my BIL now likes scones! Very fast delivery (I live out of state) for mixes. The Lemon Curd is delicious - on top of scones or licked off of a spoon.“

“This is a very lovely place. Me and my friend Amadeo were walking by and observing the store when an old man suggested we that we try the place out. It is a small place and had seating inside and outside. The atmosphere was what made it so lovely. It smelled good and felt good. The food you were eating felt homemade in a sense. I must include as well that the prices were great. This is like the kind of place that you know just wants to make good food and spread good vibes and is not in it for the bank. I never review stores, but I felt that Cafe Delmarrete is under appreciated and many will casually walk by this place without giving it much of a thought. This place deserves as much attention as Pizza My heart right next to it gets! I highly recommend.“

“Sharky gives this place 5 paws. They were so good to our lil frenchie. Brought him his own water bowl, Had a special menu just for pets. The hooman food was great as well had french toast with caramelized bananas and walnuts. The service was great!“

“I was in town with my daughter for college visits and came across this restaurant in Santa Cruz via google maps. We went on a Sunday morning and were seated immediately after ordering, and the food arrived very quickly. We ordered vegan versions of a couple of their menu items and they were VERY good. Lots of flavor, not heavy sitting. We liked it so much we went back the following morning for breakfast before we took off to another state for another college visit. There were still more vegan items I would have liked to try on their menu. Definitely recommend this quaint little restaurant. Vegan friendly, but also good choices for omnis too.“

“I love this place. they have many fungi menu! Must try it! The menu changes every season, so I want to visit often. I liked the soup and the bakery. The mushroom jelly was a bit of a challenge. Do you want to try it bravely? You can check out their Instagram for special menu information.

Parking: No public parking lot. You can use street parking.“

“No complaints! Nice and clean, washed and dried a huge load of clothes for less than $10 including detergent in just over an hour. They have a restroom for customers and lots of tables to sit and work or read or whatever. No parking lot, but free street parking is easy enough to find nearby.“

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

“My wife and I noticed this place the other day and decided to try it. We were not disappointed! The tall guy behind the counter was super friendly and quick! We got a delicious coconut cream latte, cappuccino and he even made a little pup cup for my dog! 10/10 We will definitely be “

“Because the name “The Picnic Basket” was such a turnoff, i had avoided eating here for years. I expected a retirement-paced cafe that was barely passing safety inspection but staying financially afloat due to its tourist-bait location.
So when i recently ordered a breakfast burrito with bacon and avocado, my expectations were through the floor.
The breakfast burrito left me shook!!
There is a dark horse of culinary innovation working in that tiny kitchen and he’s making breakfast burritos on a whole other spectral plane!
Someone call France, the Michelin hommes are gonna want to get in on this.

Secondary restaurant factors i will happily endure to get another burrito in the future:

Service: cashier/food guys, totally great, A+. The drinks area by contrast felt like goodwill donation space for hot drinks. Not well defined, kinda cramped and awkward comparatively.

Atmosphere: if you enjoy the 11 minutes of waiting in a regional train station, squeezing past fellow travelers and seeking out a comfortable place to eat, the indoor seating is for you. (Outdoors is lovely tho)“

“The ladies here are running an old school drive-thru with no automated intercom system but that's what makes it so charming. They'll run out and take your order and run back in and make it. Everything is freshly made .It's true that it can get really busy with all the drive-thru customers, but I walk up and I'll always get service with a smile. And the drip coffee is amazing! Support your local businesses!“

“I actually really enjoy the new “for the people's” Cowell coffee shop. Now they have free fruits and veggies that you can juice in the very new juicer. Besides that it's basically the same as it was. They also have “slug kitchen sessions” where they teach you to make tasty food.“

“Great spot to fill with Ukuleles!“

“The place to go if you want a good breakfast! Not super quick because they obviously make everything to order. I had an 'everything' bagel with cream cheese and hubby had a sausage burrito (regular size). Bagel was super crunchy and loaded with cream cheese. But that burrito! It was huge and very thin crust. Loaded with freshly cooked ingredients. And if you ask for salsa they will give you a little cup to drizzle on. Good self serve regular coffee (but no decaf). They also have a good selection of fancy coffee but we just had the basic. Large menu for such a tiny place. All seating is outside. Seriously, just go there.“

“Went to Santa Cruz on vacation and decided to find a local coffee place to grab a latte and oh my goodness. I got a creme brulee mocha and it was the most delicious drink I've had in so long. The whipped cream was amazing as well. Steamed to just the right temp where I could drink it right away, so it was gone way too fast. Thanks for the delicious drink!!“