Great place for dinner in downtown Santa Cruz! I’m gluten free and found a lot of tasty options on the menu. The gluten free bread was soft and served warm. Definitely recommend!Dietary restrictions: Lots of gluten free options
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica P.
Very few options for vegetarians for dinner. Don't get the fettuccine with cream artichoke sauce. It's not good. And the Marina sauce is below average. However the artichoke cheese dip was delicious. And of course the desserts are yum. Don't arrive after 8:30p. You'll constantly hear from the female server the kitchen closes at 9p
Sarah C.
Absolutely excellent place to go for dessert or just a fancy hot chocolate or a fancy cocktail. My spicy pineapple margarita was delicious. Three stars for just dinner in general. I got the Mole Trio and thought it was quite good. I thought the Amarillo was not nearly as flavorful as the other two, but I still enjoyed the variety and the other two were quite complex and delicious. The salad and polenta pie that accompanied it were meh. My husband got the ginger shrimp and felt that is was three stars. Deserts were super yum. The Sin Cake was delicious, although lighter than I thought it would be considering it was flourless. Tiramisu was also delicious, not too wet, and a very generous portion. There heated garden patio is extremely pleasant. Great spot for a date.
Julie L.
We loved the warm ambiance, the outdoor lanterns and the service. The food was rich and delicious. Of course we went for the dessert!!! I loved the sin cake and prefer it a la mode to cut the sweetness. The gelato is delish!
Lindsay Ryan
Slow service and the food didn’t have much flavor. Disappointed!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Isabel G.
I love the chocolate here so delicious, every time i have the opportunity to visit Santa Cruz this is one of my favorite spots, I'm in Riverside now and the trip there is always worth it but only for chocolate lovers.
mhm23
The entire atmosphere and experience was wonderful. I felt happy with the servers, the food, decor, and the music. I felt that I was not anywhere near home, but on vacation enjoying every moment. I recommend this restaurant not only for the quality of food and drinks, but the overall wonderful experience to transport me to a feel of relaxation. Thank you David for helping me and my husband to celebrate our anniversary there.
Diana
The Frieda hot chocolate is a MUST. Was truly one of the best drinks I've ever tasted. The food was so elegantly prepared and used quality, fresh ingredients. Will definitely be back!
Laura Duchossois
This place was amazing and so good! Service was on point. The prices are t crazy either!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Canoli
dqueenbay
Lovely dinner outside on the patio at Chocolate. I always feel like I am dining in Europe when I come here. We usually come during the day, but we had friends visiting and wanted to share dinner here with them. It was a bit chilly outside (it is February, after all), but with the heat lamps and our jackets it wasn't too bad. Food and service were all wonderful. Food was piping hot, substitutions were correct. Dessert was divine (that is why they call it "Chocolate"). And just enough time afterwards to browse Bookshop Santa Cruz. Thanks for a wonderful, quintessential Santa Cruz evening.
My daughter who needs to eat Gluten Free chose this restaurant and we were glad for the choices and especially the GF bread, it was way better than the really dry focaccia we had. Service was slow although our waitress was kind. My mushroom soup was not good and sandy. The polenta was more like a corn cake-it tasted good but not what we were expecting. The chicken pie was tasty and comforting but I wouldn't want it again. It was decent but nothing to go back for, except maybe the GF bread.
Jeff Schuster
Awesome! My favorite Santa Cruz restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JudyS
It was a busy evening, but we were seated promptly, in an attractive, cozy quiet spot, in a lovely room, with the seductive odor of parmesan wafting throughout. Service was quick and gracious. Servings plentiful. We loved the Polenta and generous helping of artichoke sauce.
julieoe
This is one of my favorite places to eat! Love sitting on the patio. The food is very, very good and I love the interantional range hot chocolates. (My favorite is the Frida!). The service is exceptional. Only complaint - the sound system outside is often too loud and sometimes they will turn it down and sometimes they won't.
Sarah Jochum
Very cool menu. Great for stopping in for desert or going for a smaller dinner with lots of flavorful apps. The owner is normally there serving and loves dogs!
Great place for dinner in downtown Santa Cruz! I’m gluten free and found a lot of tasty options on the menu. The gluten free bread was soft and served warm. Definitely recommend!Dietary restrictions: Lots of gluten free options
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very few options for vegetarians for dinner. Don't get the fettuccine with cream artichoke sauce. It's not good. And the Marina sauce is below average. However the artichoke cheese dip was delicious. And of course the desserts are yum. Don't arrive after 8:30p. You'll constantly hear from the female server the kitchen closes at 9p
Absolutely excellent place to go for dessert or just a fancy hot chocolate or a fancy cocktail. My spicy pineapple margarita was delicious. Three stars for just dinner in general. I got the Mole Trio and thought it was quite good. I thought the Amarillo was not nearly as flavorful as the other two, but I still enjoyed the variety and the other two were quite complex and delicious. The salad and polenta pie that accompanied it were meh. My husband got the ginger shrimp and felt that is was three stars. Deserts were super yum. The Sin Cake was delicious, although lighter than I thought it would be considering it was flourless. Tiramisu was also delicious, not too wet, and a very generous portion. There heated garden patio is extremely pleasant. Great spot for a date.
We loved the warm ambiance, the outdoor lanterns and the service. The food was rich and delicious. Of course we went for the dessert!!! I loved the sin cake and prefer it a la mode to cut the sweetness. The gelato is delish!
Slow service and the food didn’t have much flavor. Disappointed!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
I love the chocolate here so delicious, every time i have the opportunity to visit Santa Cruz this is one of my favorite spots, I'm in Riverside now and the trip there is always worth it but only for chocolate lovers.
The entire atmosphere and experience was wonderful. I felt happy with the servers, the food, decor, and the music. I felt that I was not anywhere near home, but on vacation enjoying every moment. I recommend this restaurant not only for the quality of food and drinks, but the overall wonderful experience to transport me to a feel of relaxation. Thank you David for helping me and my husband to celebrate our anniversary there.
The Frieda hot chocolate is a MUST. Was truly one of the best drinks I've ever tasted. The food was so elegantly prepared and used quality, fresh ingredients. Will definitely be back!
This place was amazing and so good! Service was on point. The prices are t crazy either!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Canoli
Lovely dinner outside on the patio at Chocolate. I always feel like I am dining in Europe when I come here. We usually come during the day, but we had friends visiting and wanted to share dinner here with them. It was a bit chilly outside (it is February, after all), but with the heat lamps and our jackets it wasn't too bad. Food and service were all wonderful. Food was piping hot, substitutions were correct. Dessert was divine (that is why they call it "Chocolate"). And just enough time afterwards to browse Bookshop Santa Cruz. Thanks for a wonderful, quintessential Santa Cruz evening.
Restaurantji Recommends
My daughter who needs to eat Gluten Free chose this restaurant and we were glad for the choices and especially the GF bread, it was way better than the really dry focaccia we had. Service was slow although our waitress was kind. My mushroom soup was not good and sandy. The polenta was more like a corn cake-it tasted good but not what we were expecting. The chicken pie was tasty and comforting but I wouldn't want it again. It was decent but nothing to go back for, except maybe the GF bread.
Awesome! My favorite Santa Cruz restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a busy evening, but we were seated promptly, in an attractive, cozy quiet spot, in a lovely room, with the seductive odor of parmesan wafting throughout. Service was quick and gracious. Servings plentiful. We loved the Polenta and generous helping of artichoke sauce.
This is one of my favorite places to eat! Love sitting on the patio. The food is very, very good and I love the interantional range hot chocolates. (My favorite is the Frida!). The service is exceptional. Only complaint - the sound system outside is often too loud and sometimes they will turn it down and sometimes they won't.
Very cool menu. Great for stopping in for desert or going for a smaller dinner with lots of flavorful apps. The owner is normally there serving and loves dogs!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5