First off, their chipotle Caesar salad with carne asada is the best salad I've ever had. Beyond that, their salsa is delicious and their taco Tuesday and Thursday is a great deal for the size and quality of tacos you get. We are locals and come here a lot. I'm surprised that the reviews aren't better. We bought a locals wharf parking pass just to come more often.
I J
Love Olitas! Go for a late lunch, great window seats look out onto the ocean. Watch seals,gulls, pelicans and of course surfersFood is fresh and delicious and the service is so attentive and greatMeet Cedric the gull :-)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Larson
Always a great time to be had here and great views too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Fish Tacos, Tacos Olitas
Richard N.
One of our must-stops when we visit Santa Cruz. Love the margaritas. I was pleasantly surprised by the citrus shrimp with red chile risotto.
Jen K.
Reading the positive reviews, I have to wonder if the people ate the food. Like several negative reviews, the food was unbelievably tasteless and bland. No seasoning, no spice, nothing remotely good to say about it. The view is great but there are many other choices here and this is not worth it.
Rebecca Rainbolt
For Mexican food,...it was ok. Nothing impressive. Nice service and good views of the Boardwalk.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Samantha C.
All I had to eat here were their salsa/chips and their ahi tostada stack. The chips and salsa were pretty average, the upside being that you can get several refills. It took a while for the tostada stack to come out and this was the more disappointing part of the meal. The tuna wasn't very fresh, the tostada itself was almost soggy, and it was really difficult to eat without making a mess trying to bite or cut into the stack. The greens and black beans that come with it didn't add much. I would say the best thing on that plate was the vinaigrette. It just felt like the dish was not very coherent. I don't think I would return given all the other eateries there are to explore around.
L T
Rat droppings under the table and on the chairs.Filthy Air vents.What appears to be some sort of animal hair on glasses and on food.Great View of the water.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Lupe Arechiga
Great views!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Sean Maxwell
I was with a group of 7 guys and we tried to get a table downstairs at Makai. Thanks to Makai being super slow (and sorta unfriendly), we headed upstairs to all Olitas.What a find!! it was bright, had a beautiful views, and every single employee in that restaurant had a huge smile on their face & was glad to see us.Our server was Mack, she was just the nicest person, and put up with all of our crazy energy, and was super fun to work with.The food & drinks were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. We did mention that one of the entrées (the tamale) wasn’t prepared to our liking, and she discounted the dish, even though we didn’t ask her to. Super thoughtful!!Every dish that came out of the kitchen was huge & looked delicious . Yes, the prices were sorta high, but given the location, the food quantity & quality and the extraordinary staff, it was worth every penny!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Fried Calamari, Crab and Shrimp, Blackened Fish Tacos, Rice and Beans, Blue Corn Tamales with Shrimp and Scallops
Absolutely the worst tasting Mexican food I have ever had in my life. Ordered the beef burrito. Weird taste to the meat. The beans were super runny and flavorless. The rice was dry and also flavorless. I'm going to stick with Manuel's moving forward. I'm surprised this place is still in business to be honest. I guess the tourist crowd keeps it afloat. I will NOT be returning.
Diane LoVerde
Huge portions, very nice staff, nice views. Server forgot my beverage. Other than that was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kimberly N Jason B.
10 out of 10 We are in California from Texas. We have had so many horrible experiences!!!! This is the first meal we have absolutely enjoyed. The food was amazing, the staff was amazing and the atmosphere was perfect!!!!
Jenny Wei
We go here a couple times each month for the Tuesday/Thursday taco special and the lobster quesadilla. The food is very tasty. The view is great. The taco special (one taco and a margarita or beer for $10) is a great price, and the lobster quesadilla is pricey but absolutely stuffed with meat, so it's worth it. The service in the bar area is awesome (we love Mac). The service in the general seating area is hit-or-miss.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rice and Beans, Lobster Tacos
Jenn L.
Food is bland, came out late, husband's meal was forgotten. Salsa tastes like bland enchilada sauce. No one in our group liked their meal, no flavor at all. Will not be back.
First off, their chipotle Caesar salad with carne asada is the best salad I've ever had. Beyond that, their salsa is delicious and their taco Tuesday and Thursday is a great deal for the size and quality of tacos you get. We are locals and come here a lot. I'm surprised that the reviews aren't better. We bought a locals wharf parking pass just to come more often.
Love Olitas! Go for a late lunch, great window seats look out onto the ocean. Watch seals,gulls, pelicans and of course surfersFood is fresh and delicious and the service is so attentive and greatMeet Cedric the gull :-)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always a great time to be had here and great views too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Fish Tacos, Tacos Olitas
One of our must-stops when we visit Santa Cruz. Love the margaritas. I was pleasantly surprised by the citrus shrimp with red chile risotto.
Reading the positive reviews, I have to wonder if the people ate the food. Like several negative reviews, the food was unbelievably tasteless and bland. No seasoning, no spice, nothing remotely good to say about it. The view is great but there are many other choices here and this is not worth it.
For Mexican food,...it was ok. Nothing impressive. Nice service and good views of the Boardwalk.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
All I had to eat here were their salsa/chips and their ahi tostada stack. The chips and salsa were pretty average, the upside being that you can get several refills. It took a while for the tostada stack to come out and this was the more disappointing part of the meal. The tuna wasn't very fresh, the tostada itself was almost soggy, and it was really difficult to eat without making a mess trying to bite or cut into the stack. The greens and black beans that come with it didn't add much. I would say the best thing on that plate was the vinaigrette. It just felt like the dish was not very coherent. I don't think I would return given all the other eateries there are to explore around.
Rat droppings under the table and on the chairs.Filthy Air vents.What appears to be some sort of animal hair on glasses and on food.Great View of the water.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great views!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
I was with a group of 7 guys and we tried to get a table downstairs at Makai. Thanks to Makai being super slow (and sorta unfriendly), we headed upstairs to all Olitas.What a find!! it was bright, had a beautiful views, and every single employee in that restaurant had a huge smile on their face & was glad to see us.Our server was Mack, she was just the nicest person, and put up with all of our crazy energy, and was super fun to work with.The food & drinks were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. We did mention that one of the entrées (the tamale) wasn’t prepared to our liking, and she discounted the dish, even though we didn’t ask her to. Super thoughtful!!Every dish that came out of the kitchen was huge & looked delicious . Yes, the prices were sorta high, but given the location, the food quantity & quality and the extraordinary staff, it was worth every penny!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Fried Calamari, Crab and Shrimp, Blackened Fish Tacos, Rice and Beans, Blue Corn Tamales with Shrimp and Scallops
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely the worst tasting Mexican food I have ever had in my life. Ordered the beef burrito. Weird taste to the meat. The beans were super runny and flavorless. The rice was dry and also flavorless. I'm going to stick with Manuel's moving forward. I'm surprised this place is still in business to be honest. I guess the tourist crowd keeps it afloat. I will NOT be returning.
Huge portions, very nice staff, nice views. Server forgot my beverage. Other than that was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
10 out of 10 We are in California from Texas. We have had so many horrible experiences!!!! This is the first meal we have absolutely enjoyed. The food was amazing, the staff was amazing and the atmosphere was perfect!!!!
We go here a couple times each month for the Tuesday/Thursday taco special and the lobster quesadilla. The food is very tasty. The view is great. The taco special (one taco and a margarita or beer for $10) is a great price, and the lobster quesadilla is pricey but absolutely stuffed with meat, so it's worth it. The service in the bar area is awesome (we love Mac). The service in the general seating area is hit-or-miss.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rice and Beans, Lobster Tacos
Food is bland, came out late, husband's meal was forgotten. Salsa tastes like bland enchilada sauce. No one in our group liked their meal, no flavor at all. Will not be back.