We really enjoy dining at El Palomar. The ambiance is fun, the food is delicious and the service is friendly and welcoming. Great margaritas, too!
S P.
Sunday morning brunch regular at the bar for about a year now. Esteban and Luis are the BEST! :) Always friendly while pouring the most delicious custom Skinny Margueritas, couldn't ask for better bar staff. The only other thing I could ask for is a jalapeno burger menu offering which is the only thing missing from their menu. Other than that, 5/5.
Lisa F.
Excellent place to get Mexican food in downtown Santa Cruz in the historic Palomar Hotel. Nice upscale ambience, great margaritas, and my favorite dish, huachinango (red snapper). Highly recommend!
Michelle B.
This place used to be our favorite but now not only is the food bad but the service has tanked too. We were getting to-go, which automatically added a 20% sur charge. Fine, but prohibative in terms of adding pricing. When it came to the food, the tacos used to be good when we would come here regularly 10 years ago, but now they were practically tasteless and fell apart. It was like the tortillas had been stored wet, they just disintegrated. And for all the salsas and slaw on the tacos, the chicken, carnitas, and fish tacos all suffered from the same lack of seasoning. The final issue was the to-go ordering: for having paid 20% more, they told us to wait in the "to go" area and that they'd bring our food out. It is our fault for not checking in earlier, but we waited 30 minutes before going back inside to see our food just sitting on the counter, with no attempt to let us know it was ready having been made. Overall, it was food and edible but nothing else was positive so 1 star and sadly I will not be coming back to my "old favorite" taco shop whenever we visit Santa Cruz in the future.
Anita Martinez
Great service by Nick! So kind and attentive! Our meals were delicious and bar cocktails were superb! A must go when in Santa Cruz!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sopes
Aarón Q
The noise level inside the restaurant is something to think about. It sounds like a church because of the ceilings, so ...
Jake B.
Drinks were good, service was good, though I'd say the food itself wasn't too impressive. This is a good place to go for vibes, if you're meeting up with a friend after work and wanted to grab a drink and maybe a snack. But I wouldn't expect mindblowing food as a whole. Nice time overall!
Brenda S.
El Palomar, nestled in Santa Cruz, enchants with its charming ambiance within a historic downtown building. Offering a diverse array of traditional Mexican delights, from savory soups to tantalizing tacos and tamales, the culinary journey is as delightful as the surroundings. Each dish bursts with flavor, complemented by impeccable service. A must-visit destination for anyone seeking an authentic Mexican culinary experience in the area.
Mari S.
Delicious Mexican food with even better cocktails! Sitting inside the restaurant gives you a comfy and intimate vibe or for something more casual they have cantina seating. Love coming here with my significant other for dinners!
Kehaulani K.
Should have known just by the looks of the chips on Yelp, this place was going to be a complete let down. Received attitude and bad vibes from server as soon as we were seated and approached for drinks/appetizer's. Ordered a skinny margarita but all I could taste was too much agave, no tequila and just downright disgusting for 15$ a pop. Ordered guacamole, never saw it. Only brought out 2/3 meals we ordered. We had to chase down our server to ask where the third meal was and it didn't come until 2 of us were pretty much done, almost 15 minutes later. The enchiladas were tasteless and just not appealing. We all agreed this place was no bueno. To get our bill we also had to chase the server down again and got more attitude. She must of been having a bad night, but don't project that onto the paying patrons that greeted you with a smile. Ambiance was nice, hence the reason for the one star
Food was good service was ok not great but ok but expecting and forcing a $60 tip is just absurd. Pay your employees their worth instead of chasing your customers for a tip. This tipping thing is just getting out of hand. I DONT EVEN GET TIPPED AT MY 12 HOUR SHIFT AND I DONT EXPECT A TIP!!!! LAST TIME EVER WE EAT HERE WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT
Dana L.
We arrived at 8:30pm and went directly to the bar. Me and my husband and one other person at the bar. The bartender (Joe?) seemed totally uninterested in any kind of service to us. The bar back actually took our order and relayed it to the bartender. He was also the one who gave us our menus. We requested 2 margaritas no salt. He gave us 2 with salt. He continued his conversation with the only other person in the bar. Looking a cell phone pics and whatever. Making us feel like we were just a bother. We added an additional item for food after we ordered and he seemed annoyed. He just continued his conversation with the guy about tequila. Clearly ignoring us. We ordered 2 more margaritas by calling Joe over to get us the drinks. He NEVER asked if we needed anything! And we were sitting AT THE BAR! He prepared our drinks and continued his conversation with our drinks just sitting there getting watered down! We finally got our second drinks! Too much work for a couple drinks and a snack. For $100!! We are in the customer service industry and are fed up with the level of customer service nowadays! Food quality mediocre. Zero customer service Don't waste your time!! This place is an overpriced JOKE. Also homeless people sleeping right in the door area. We are visiting from out of state and don't recommend this place. At all. The only reason we tipped at all is because we are hoping the bar back got some of that. He deserved it all. If you don't want to give customer service go find another job Joe!!!!
Kathy Escott
Best Cadillac margaritas I've had yet, but rather pricey. Not sure if I would go back there again. $70 on 3 Cadillac margaritas. Didn't find out until we got the
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
NJ
Usually staff are very attentive and friendly. However this experience was not the case. At one point the waitress reached her ENTIRE body over the table to grab the check as I was barely finishing up. I physically had to look for her in the restaurant to even order something at the beginning since she hardly checked in even when we were still ordering. This experience was not a good one to say the least.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Kacey Lewis
Absolutely love the atrium at the bar, and the hibiscus margaritas are great ?
We really enjoy dining at El Palomar. The ambiance is fun, the food is delicious and the service is friendly and welcoming. Great margaritas, too!
Sunday morning brunch regular at the bar for about a year now. Esteban and Luis are the BEST! :) Always friendly while pouring the most delicious custom Skinny Margueritas, couldn't ask for better bar staff. The only other thing I could ask for is a jalapeno burger menu offering which is the only thing missing from their menu. Other than that, 5/5.
Excellent place to get Mexican food in downtown Santa Cruz in the historic Palomar Hotel. Nice upscale ambience, great margaritas, and my favorite dish, huachinango (red snapper). Highly recommend!
This place used to be our favorite but now not only is the food bad but the service has tanked too. We were getting to-go, which automatically added a 20% sur charge. Fine, but prohibative in terms of adding pricing. When it came to the food, the tacos used to be good when we would come here regularly 10 years ago, but now they were practically tasteless and fell apart. It was like the tortillas had been stored wet, they just disintegrated. And for all the salsas and slaw on the tacos, the chicken, carnitas, and fish tacos all suffered from the same lack of seasoning. The final issue was the to-go ordering: for having paid 20% more, they told us to wait in the "to go" area and that they'd bring our food out. It is our fault for not checking in earlier, but we waited 30 minutes before going back inside to see our food just sitting on the counter, with no attempt to let us know it was ready having been made. Overall, it was food and edible but nothing else was positive so 1 star and sadly I will not be coming back to my "old favorite" taco shop whenever we visit Santa Cruz in the future.
Great service by Nick! So kind and attentive! Our meals were delicious and bar cocktails were superb! A must go when in Santa Cruz!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sopes
The noise level inside the restaurant is something to think about. It sounds like a church because of the ceilings, so ...
Drinks were good, service was good, though I'd say the food itself wasn't too impressive. This is a good place to go for vibes, if you're meeting up with a friend after work and wanted to grab a drink and maybe a snack. But I wouldn't expect mindblowing food as a whole. Nice time overall!
El Palomar, nestled in Santa Cruz, enchants with its charming ambiance within a historic downtown building. Offering a diverse array of traditional Mexican delights, from savory soups to tantalizing tacos and tamales, the culinary journey is as delightful as the surroundings. Each dish bursts with flavor, complemented by impeccable service. A must-visit destination for anyone seeking an authentic Mexican culinary experience in the area.
Delicious Mexican food with even better cocktails! Sitting inside the restaurant gives you a comfy and intimate vibe or for something more casual they have cantina seating. Love coming here with my significant other for dinners!
Should have known just by the looks of the chips on Yelp, this place was going to be a complete let down. Received attitude and bad vibes from server as soon as we were seated and approached for drinks/appetizer's. Ordered a skinny margarita but all I could taste was too much agave, no tequila and just downright disgusting for 15$ a pop. Ordered guacamole, never saw it. Only brought out 2/3 meals we ordered. We had to chase down our server to ask where the third meal was and it didn't come until 2 of us were pretty much done, almost 15 minutes later. The enchiladas were tasteless and just not appealing. We all agreed this place was no bueno. To get our bill we also had to chase the server down again and got more attitude. She must of been having a bad night, but don't project that onto the paying patrons that greeted you with a smile. Ambiance was nice, hence the reason for the one star
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was good service was ok not great but ok but expecting and forcing a $60 tip is just absurd. Pay your employees their worth instead of chasing your customers for a tip. This tipping thing is just getting out of hand. I DONT EVEN GET TIPPED AT MY 12 HOUR SHIFT AND I DONT EXPECT A TIP!!!! LAST TIME EVER WE EAT HERE WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT
We arrived at 8:30pm and went directly to the bar. Me and my husband and one other person at the bar. The bartender (Joe?) seemed totally uninterested in any kind of service to us. The bar back actually took our order and relayed it to the bartender. He was also the one who gave us our menus. We requested 2 margaritas no salt. He gave us 2 with salt. He continued his conversation with the only other person in the bar. Looking a cell phone pics and whatever. Making us feel like we were just a bother. We added an additional item for food after we ordered and he seemed annoyed. He just continued his conversation with the guy about tequila. Clearly ignoring us. We ordered 2 more margaritas by calling Joe over to get us the drinks. He NEVER asked if we needed anything! And we were sitting AT THE BAR! He prepared our drinks and continued his conversation with our drinks just sitting there getting watered down! We finally got our second drinks! Too much work for a couple drinks and a snack. For $100!! We are in the customer service industry and are fed up with the level of customer service nowadays! Food quality mediocre. Zero customer service Don't waste your time!! This place is an overpriced JOKE. Also homeless people sleeping right in the door area. We are visiting from out of state and don't recommend this place. At all. The only reason we tipped at all is because we are hoping the bar back got some of that. He deserved it all. If you don't want to give customer service go find another job Joe!!!!
Best Cadillac margaritas I've had yet, but rather pricey. Not sure if I would go back there again. $70 on 3 Cadillac margaritas. Didn't find out until we got the
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Usually staff are very attentive and friendly. However this experience was not the case. At one point the waitress reached her ENTIRE body over the table to grab the check as I was barely finishing up. I physically had to look for her in the restaurant to even order something at the beginning since she hardly checked in even when we were still ordering. This experience was not a good one to say the least.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Absolutely love the atrium at the bar, and the hibiscus margaritas are great ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4