Crow’s Nest Beach Market is a cute little market that also serves food now. They have an outside seating area where you can eat. I have never eaten there, but the food on the menu looks really good. People were ordering pizza. They also had pre-made and made-to-order sandwiches, salads, breakfast burritos, and more.The gift shop is amazing; they have the greatest gifts that are all super unique. They have some great choices for welcome mats, something you would not expect to see at this market. They have gifts for just about anyone. They have jam, and mixes for pancakes and doughnuts. They have lots of different Corkcicle cups that are unlike any I have never seen anywhere else. They have a great selection to choose from. Sauces and cookbooks. Lots of candles with different styles and scents. Santa Cruz postcards to send back home if you are just visiting.Funny and cool socks for people who are obsessed with certain things, and other humorous gifts. They have different lines of jewelry, with lots of cute earrings to choose from. A whole section dedicated to bourbon lovers, with a cookbook to boot. They have cute gifts for cat lovers and dog lovers, children and grandparents, pretty much anyone you need to shop for. You will find something perfect for them in this cute little market.Located in the Santa Cruz Harbor near the Crow’s Nest restaurant. Check them out for all your gifting needs or if you just need a gift for yourself. You will find something in here that will make you smile.
Lynne MacFarlane, Realtor at Intero, a Berkshire Hathaway affili
We love The Crow’s Nest, it’s perfect to bring friends from out of town here and the view of the Santa Cruz channel and light house. Upstairs is the bar and casual dining is fun, especially when they have a band playing! Nice view upstairs too! Enjoy!
Laura Salazar
Great Breakfast and great ocean view. highly recommend
The A
Grab a bottle of wine and order a pizza and enjoy the view of the harborParking: Parking area out frontWheelchair accessibility: Spaces close to the door
DanJ1982
I've not been to Santa Cruz for a few years and was looking forward to returning to The Crow's Nest, but I'm sad to say its gone down hill since my last visit. The food was average, the service a little lacking, and there was a strange mix of people dining there. I found it really hard to believe the calamari was "award-winning". The one redeeming part of the experience was dessert. The key lime pie and pumpkin tiramasu were both excellent. Probably wouldn't recommend, which is a shame, as it used to be a favourite go-to destination.
hjcbirdbath
1/2 price appetizers! We had clam chowder which was delicious! Then homemade chips and the seared ahi tuna! Everything was wonderful! Great waitress too!
Paul Bacon
My go to place at the harbor for a breakfast burrito. Nicely done here and always fresh and hot. While you wait you can peruse one of the best gift shops around.
marcopolopaloalto
Always a favorite because of location, view of the Pacific Ocean and boats and beach and …the food. Three friends out for lunch sitting on the outside balcony we had salad bar, fish sandwich and fries and one had an Ahi tuna salad with rice noodles. There are 2 restaurants to choose from. The downstairs floor level is more formal and has a brunch menu and served rolls and asst breads. The upstairs restaurant also has inside and outside dining with a bar and an outside balcony for viewing the ocean and hearing the waves. It was a choice restaurant for a birthday lunch and has desserts. There is a parking lot run by the city (?) which is reasonable .
Companion360780
While the food was pretty good (especially the swordfish) there was a comedy of errors that caused the meal to take 3 hours. The waitress was very sweet, and did her best. On the positive side the view was lovely and the creme brulee was delicious. I suspect the labor shortage affected the outcome. Great location if you are willing to roll with disruptions.
Rue R.
Lines too long takes hours just to be seated or maybe i came at the wrong time but definitely would want to try again
Extremely disappointing. We visited on a Thursday night and the place was packed. Staff was snooty and basically told us to go elsewhere unless we wanted to wait 2+hours for a table. Everywhere we looked, there were patrons with no food in front of them and they looked pretty unhappy. My husband overheard one guy complaining about the wait for food and heard the server apologize and say the kitchen was backed up. Used to restroom to quickly wash our hands and was met by a staff member who told us the bathrooms were for patrons only. We told them if they had a table for us, we would be patrons! The whole experience left a lot to be desired. We left and went a few doors down to El Palomar and got seated right away. Staff was much friendlier and the food was great. I think The Crow's Nest is overrated and I wouldn't go back if you paid me.
avazy12
We were on a day trip to Santa Cruz and were getting a little hungry. After walking around for a bit we found The Crows Nest. They have indoor and outdoor seating upstairs and downstairs. I recommend outdoor because the view is gorgeous. The service is great, our waitress was nice and quick to get us our food. It was a seafood restaurant but for people who don’t like that kinda stuff there is also a few things for those of you. It is family friendly there is a kids menu and there are a wide variety of drinks. Highly recommend this as a midday meal.
MattOwenSE10
No faulting the waiting staff but the food here is definitely below par..boil in the bag veg, plain rice and a piece of microwaved fish in a non descript sauce...hmmm... Hand thrown pizza starter that had clearly come off a production line and had been nowhere near a person... Great location, decent beer menu, but won't bother returning as just not worth it..especially for the price you pay.
Alan Feinberg
NOTE: This review is for the Beach Market, not the main Crow’s Nest restaurant next door.Located on a pier over the yacht harbor, this little market is mostly a gift shop, with a huge selection of all the usual touristy kitsch. They also offer cold drinks and beer to go. The main attraction for me is the small deli counter which has everything from hot and cold sandwiches to pizzas and salads. There are also pre-packaged food items for the grab-and-go crowd. I love their seared ahi sandwich, a thick slice of high quality ahi tuna with asian slaw, hoisin, and sriracha to spice it up. I order it without the wasabi aioli which I think is overkill. It’s pricey at $15 but definitely worth it.The only downside to my most recent experience was the unfriendly cashier who didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was having a bad day.
Dakkin
This is a nice place to visit. The food is mediocre but the atmosphere and location make it worth the trip. We had the french dip…not thinly sliced and quite fatty.
Crow’s Nest Beach Market is a cute little market that also serves food now. They have an outside seating area where you can eat. I have never eaten there, but the food on the menu looks really good. People were ordering pizza. They also had pre-made and made-to-order sandwiches, salads, breakfast burritos, and more.The gift shop is amazing; they have the greatest gifts that are all super unique. They have some great choices for welcome mats, something you would not expect to see at this market. They have gifts for just about anyone. They have jam, and mixes for pancakes and doughnuts. They have lots of different Corkcicle cups that are unlike any I have never seen anywhere else. They have a great selection to choose from. Sauces and cookbooks. Lots of candles with different styles and scents. Santa Cruz postcards to send back home if you are just visiting.Funny and cool socks for people who are obsessed with certain things, and other humorous gifts. They have different lines of jewelry, with lots of cute earrings to choose from. A whole section dedicated to bourbon lovers, with a cookbook to boot. They have cute gifts for cat lovers and dog lovers, children and grandparents, pretty much anyone you need to shop for. You will find something perfect for them in this cute little market.Located in the Santa Cruz Harbor near the Crow’s Nest restaurant. Check them out for all your gifting needs or if you just need a gift for yourself. You will find something in here that will make you smile.
We love The Crow’s Nest, it’s perfect to bring friends from out of town here and the view of the Santa Cruz channel and light house. Upstairs is the bar and casual dining is fun, especially when they have a band playing! Nice view upstairs too! Enjoy!
Great Breakfast and great ocean view. highly recommend
Grab a bottle of wine and order a pizza and enjoy the view of the harborParking: Parking area out frontWheelchair accessibility: Spaces close to the door
I've not been to Santa Cruz for a few years and was looking forward to returning to The Crow's Nest, but I'm sad to say its gone down hill since my last visit. The food was average, the service a little lacking, and there was a strange mix of people dining there. I found it really hard to believe the calamari was "award-winning". The one redeeming part of the experience was dessert. The key lime pie and pumpkin tiramasu were both excellent. Probably wouldn't recommend, which is a shame, as it used to be a favourite go-to destination.
1/2 price appetizers! We had clam chowder which was delicious! Then homemade chips and the seared ahi tuna! Everything was wonderful! Great waitress too!
My go to place at the harbor for a breakfast burrito. Nicely done here and always fresh and hot. While you wait you can peruse one of the best gift shops around.
Always a favorite because of location, view of the Pacific Ocean and boats and beach and …the food. Three friends out for lunch sitting on the outside balcony we had salad bar, fish sandwich and fries and one had an Ahi tuna salad with rice noodles. There are 2 restaurants to choose from. The downstairs floor level is more formal and has a brunch menu and served rolls and asst breads. The upstairs restaurant also has inside and outside dining with a bar and an outside balcony for viewing the ocean and hearing the waves. It was a choice restaurant for a birthday lunch and has desserts. There is a parking lot run by the city (?) which is reasonable .
While the food was pretty good (especially the swordfish) there was a comedy of errors that caused the meal to take 3 hours. The waitress was very sweet, and did her best. On the positive side the view was lovely and the creme brulee was delicious. I suspect the labor shortage affected the outcome. Great location if you are willing to roll with disruptions.
Lines too long takes hours just to be seated or maybe i came at the wrong time but definitely would want to try again
Restaurantji Recommends
Extremely disappointing. We visited on a Thursday night and the place was packed. Staff was snooty and basically told us to go elsewhere unless we wanted to wait 2+hours for a table. Everywhere we looked, there were patrons with no food in front of them and they looked pretty unhappy. My husband overheard one guy complaining about the wait for food and heard the server apologize and say the kitchen was backed up. Used to restroom to quickly wash our hands and was met by a staff member who told us the bathrooms were for patrons only. We told them if they had a table for us, we would be patrons! The whole experience left a lot to be desired. We left and went a few doors down to El Palomar and got seated right away. Staff was much friendlier and the food was great. I think The Crow's Nest is overrated and I wouldn't go back if you paid me.
We were on a day trip to Santa Cruz and were getting a little hungry. After walking around for a bit we found The Crows Nest. They have indoor and outdoor seating upstairs and downstairs. I recommend outdoor because the view is gorgeous. The service is great, our waitress was nice and quick to get us our food. It was a seafood restaurant but for people who don’t like that kinda stuff there is also a few things for those of you. It is family friendly there is a kids menu and there are a wide variety of drinks. Highly recommend this as a midday meal.
No faulting the waiting staff but the food here is definitely below par..boil in the bag veg, plain rice and a piece of microwaved fish in a non descript sauce...hmmm... Hand thrown pizza starter that had clearly come off a production line and had been nowhere near a person... Great location, decent beer menu, but won't bother returning as just not worth it..especially for the price you pay.
NOTE: This review is for the Beach Market, not the main Crow’s Nest restaurant next door.Located on a pier over the yacht harbor, this little market is mostly a gift shop, with a huge selection of all the usual touristy kitsch. They also offer cold drinks and beer to go. The main attraction for me is the small deli counter which has everything from hot and cold sandwiches to pizzas and salads. There are also pre-packaged food items for the grab-and-go crowd. I love their seared ahi sandwich, a thick slice of high quality ahi tuna with asian slaw, hoisin, and sriracha to spice it up. I order it without the wasabi aioli which I think is overkill. It’s pricey at $15 but definitely worth it.The only downside to my most recent experience was the unfriendly cashier who didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was having a bad day.
This is a nice place to visit. The food is mediocre but the atmosphere and location make it worth the trip. We had the french dip…not thinly sliced and quite fatty.