50 Best Vegan Restaurants in Santa Cruz

“The food was absolutely incredible! I’ll definitely be back!!!“

“This is my favorite booth at SAP when I go to Sharks games. You can see the arepas being grilled fresh and the fillings are so flavorful. The owners are very welcoming. I’m looking forward to the opening of their San Jose location since I haven’t been able to make it to Santa Cruz.“

“Great tacos and great view🏄‍♀️“

“As a Brazilian I can say without a doubt this is the most authentic Brazilian food you'll get in Santa Cruz. Excellent staff/ service, yummy traditional Brazilian dishes, amazing appetizers, excellent selection of drinks and oh may the deserts!!!! This place rocks and will hopefully be with us for a very long time. Family owned.“

“Great food, atmosphere all the waiters are nice. Great location.“

“great service! delicious, authentic Oaxacan food. We will go back!“

“Amazing! That’s all that needs to be said. See you next visit!“

“Absolutely delicious, we cleaned our plates ☺️ we got the chicken and beef brisket plates and they were both fresh and perfectly balanced. The pomegranate matcha latte was excellent as well.

ETA: the food was so good we also got a shawarma wrap to share. It was SO good; I usually hate dill but these chefs are such experts that it actually complemented the flavors of the wrap and I found myself enjoying the flavor of dill for the first time in my life 😆“

“This restaurant is amazing. Definitely worth visiting. Small and romantic. And the food..... Fantastic. I visited from out of town, had a late lunch. This is a place worth going to. The staff is warm and welcoming. I would definitely come back.“

“Always so good and the owners are really nice to my dog and I. I have no problem suggesting this place to anyone. Every time I have the person has been very thankful“

“Easy 5 star. Staff so pleasant and happy and inviting. My kids were like I wish all restaurants were this nice to you! The food was great! The omelet, the Mikes's Mess!, the waffles and pancakes to die for! We loved it all! Thanks for the starter! My wife is obsessed and the Twins say Hi!“

“Wow, had the beef with plantans and avo sauce. Bring an appetite!“

“Traditional Tibetan cuisine heavily
dishes are momos (dumplings), thukpa (noodle soup)🍲 must try this awesome place if your in the town. Try to great coffee and food, friendly staff, and a welcoming atmosphere. Positive reviews frequently.“

“The best Taqueria in town! Definitely overall service and the food 20/10 ! The team is beyond the amazing. The ambiance is chill and good for family too! This is one of my fav. Un taco crispy al pastor con aguacate y no habichuelas ! Enjoy! Thanks Guys“

“This is a cozy cute place with delicious café de olla, and Mexican dishes, live music and kind owners, convenient location to have food before walking to the beach.“

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

“My husband and I had a great breakfast I got a breakfast burrito and a frittata. Both were very good and big great food for a great price and the customer service was amazing.“

“We went there last week and it was a great experience. We came in just in time because it wasn’t busy yet. We got the only table by the window and it made it special for our occasion. The drink I had ordered wasn’t available so they suggested another one which was ginger beer and I liked it! It was a refreshing drink. The charcuterie board was delicious too! Everything was amazing. My girl and I had a great time and the waitress gave us a complimentary drink with our dinner. Thank you. We will surely go back again!“

“Best service and food in Santa Cruz county!!!!!!“

“During our 2 night mini vacation in Monterey this week, Feb 2 & 3, 2023, we bought a package of these cookies from a liquor store, on Lighthouse Avenue and now consider them to be our all-time favorite cookie.“

“My wife and I had a great time. The pizza was awesome! Highly recommend 🍕“

“This place has some really delicious drinks and great food. I also love how dog friendly it is. I came back twice in a weekend.“

“We stopped here on a rainy day for lunch. Soup, pasta and home-pickled gherkins were delicious. The owners were warm and welcoming to all, even if all that you were looking for was some shelter from the rain. A great, trully local place, great food served with love for community.“

“very friendly staff, clean restaurant and delicious food.“

“The vegan options were awesome! They were understaffed and couldn’t remember our two drinks we ordered. Which took a while had to go remind them, Just two coffees. The food was very good though. Probably need to hire more people though to handle the amount of traffic and remember the orders. Updated from previous review on 2026-02-27“

“tea tea tea puer puer puer puer real deal, no electronic devices human devices. analog music.“

“Go, because you will love the food, the delightful owners who make it, and because this is my family’s favorite Santa Cruz restaurant for evening dine-in and take-out.

The ingredients are fresh and freshly made in-house, the portions are generous, and vegetarian, vegan, and every other dish I’ve tried has been delectable.

The owners (always there!) are skilled, knowledgeable and happy to explain their cuisine, so you will enjoy your meal.

My favorite menu items are:

1. Ceviche- A lime-lover’s dream paired with chilled sweet potato and large kernels of corn, served chilled, as well as freshly roasted- imagine fresh, lightly toasted, corn nuts with an addictive nutty flavor.

Rolls- Yam, Gilroy, California- all tested and retested many times.

Sashimi- you can't go wrong with the generous Hamachi and Maguro plates.

The homemade house salad dressing and hot Peruvian tea are also tasty.

There is a cheerful vibe here. Larger parties may want to call ahead, as the venue is cozy, with tables seating 2-6 people.

We spend $20-40 per person depending on whether we dine in or get our food to go.“

“A very delicious but reasonable price Chinese Restaurant. The regional flavor is mainly Cantonese taste that is what we prefer. Recommended.“

“very good and Shelby s sunny disposition makes it even better. definitely our new favorite place for breakfast.“

“Great service, great food“

“The food was fantastic and the service was on point!“

“Feels like Portland bottled up in a little pizza joint. The real star, whatever red sauce they use on the pepperoni pizza. Is that cheddar cheese they bake into the crust?

Perfect place to eat after a day at the beach, biking, walking, or if you’re looking for a quality detroit style.

We will definitely be returning and this place has made it onto our list of recommendations for our friends looking for a bite to eat.

Chipotle-Pineapple Cider is 10/10

Thank you Bookie’s! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time.“

“We decided to venture out from our usual noodle spot to Chloe's Kitchen and weren't disappointed! The Spicy Beef Noodle Soup was delicious, with a flavorful, savory broth and tender shank meat. Would prefer a bit spicier though, or some Szechuan peppercorn. We also tried the vegetable dumplings in chili oil, which were also very tasty! Only downside is the price is pretty steep ($18 noodles, $13 dumplings) compared to noodle and dumpling places in SF ($13-$15 noodles, $7-$10 dumplings). Kind of takes the fun out of dumplings when they are so pricey.“

“I ordered two crispy carne asada tacos rice and beans. It was really good and put together well. The crane asada was tender and of course it was all delicious. I go often and I do recommend Salsas to fam and friends. Five Star every time I go.“

“Delicious food, kind servers, true authentic Mexican food. No hassle, no frills - so far, I've had the Siete Mares and Pescado Fritos and both were the best I've tasted in all of Santa Cruz County. I got my order as To Go so the atmosphere I didn't really get into but there were people there enjoying their food and sports on TV. A nice surprise.“

“their meats are out of this world good. some of the best I've been going to tons of taquerias for years. tacos are legit. burritos are huge and balanced perfectly. my new spot! ORALÉ !!!!“

“My new favorite Mexican restaurant! Try the complex and delicious pureed/smooth sauces: one is red (a bit spicy) and one is light green (the tiniest bit spicy). I bought a half pint of the light green avocado sauce to take home. It goes with everything- from my roast chicken to a pot of black beans.“

“Enjoyed the beers, #3 #5 and #11. The wings were delicious. Tried the “up the hill” sauce and We really liked the spicy flavor. Also had their grilled sandwich which was the one with turkey, mushroom, avacado and would highly recommend trying it with the BBQ fries. The atmosphere was chill and the waitress was adorable . We started by sitting out but it was getting a bit chilly, she readily moved us in with a smile. Overall a wonderful place and friendly ambience.“

“I love Canton Restaurant. The food is delicious and the service is great!👍“

“The staff is amazing! The food is amazingly fresh and flavorful. Hands down this Restaurant was a huge highlight of our vacation. Thank you for an awesome dinner, and making us feel right at home!“

“Staff is always friendly and the food is great! Thank you“

“Delicious food Love eating here …“

“Great fresh food and quick friendly service. Had the Beef-Teki combo with a salad & drink. Yum!“

“I’m from Tennessee- I ate at this restaurant once, 13 years ago when they were an unassuming restaurant in a tiny yet charming, building down the street. You had to walk through the kitchen to use the bathroom! But food was so crazy incredible that I had to look it up and come back again on my next trip to Santa Cruz 13 years later.

They have upgraded their venue, but the charm is still there for sure. The service was stellar and the food was just as good as I remembered.
Possibly the best lasagna that I have ever had. Better than my mothers’. Lol.
All of the apps we had were amazing. The pesto primavera was sooo good- love the broccoli in it. And the chocolate pot de crème was an outstanding finish. Ugh. Wish you guys would open a branch in Nashville. :)
Thanks!“

“My husband and I love coming in for the lunch buffet. It's so delicious!“

“★め★
★★
1 hour ago
So the place is really nice, decent interior and good outdoor seating options. And the staff is really nice. Also the menu is usually Mediterranean options. The portions were HUGE. Very generous hard to finish. I got the chicken shawarma and gyro bowl. It tasted great. The hummus and falafal came as well complementary. I got a chance to ask about the halal meat source: its a mix of 3: restaurant depot, sysco, and santa clara factory and its machine slaughtered. They also sell alcohol here as an fyi. They have turkish desserts as well and turkish coffee, very interesting place and located in santa cruz“

“There were two young people at the front greeting guests. There were plenty of seats available for two, but we had to wait while one of them greeted their family, while the other just stood there. Once we were finally seated, the two waiters (POC- possibly the owners?) were very sweet and welcoming.

The coffee was delicious. The steak was good but could’ve used more seasoning, and the potatoes were tasty. Overall, a nice spot with great coffee and friendly service once seated.“

“Penny ice cream is a great ice cream chain in the santa cruz area.

Definitely sample all their flavors before ordering.

The 3 scoops for $1 more seems like the best seal of them all if ur not full.

Their cone is super nice and crunchy.

We got their cranberry sorbet and verve coffee which was a great individually. Nice and crunchy coffee flavor with chocolate chips. The sorbet was not too sweet which made it a nice flavor for the holidays.

Parking might be hard outside but easy in the nearby area
Definitely recommend for anyone in the area!“

“This is always my goto coffee shop when in Santa Cruz. The Americano (or any other coffee we get) is always on point. The bagels... Ohhhhh the bagels. You have to try for yourself but they are always fresh and amazing. Go check it out! You will not regret it.“

“Engfers is the best Pizza in Santa Cruz - No question about it!!! Great staff as well. My partner is from Brooklyn, she knows pizza - she agrees, it's the best in town!“