50 Best Vegan Restaurants in Santa Cruz

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

“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.“

“Great tacos and great view🏄‍♀️“

“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.“

“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.“

“Sampa served me the one of the best meals I’ve had so far this meal. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area and I would drive from San Jose to Santa Cruz just to get their muqueca.

Their muqueca is a wonderful coconut seafood stew served with farofa (toasted cassava) and I subbed rice for black beans. Their hot sauce is great as well. Every bite was delicious and I can’t wait to go back. Would also love to try the torta de frango (chicken pot pie) next time.“

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

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

“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“

“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.“

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

“Love Zachary‘s I get my vegan plate the tofu scramble by far. I think one of my most favorite. It’s also nice that they do offer dairy free butter for the bread and soy milk for the coffee. That’s a win for me.“

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

“Lillian's Italian Kitchen is an absolute treasure! The authentic Italian dishes are made with love, and every bite is a burst of flavor. From the homemade pasta to the rich sauces, you can taste the quality of ingredients. The ambiance is warm and inviting, perfect for a cozy dinner or a special celebration. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, making your dining experience truly memorable. I can't recommend this place enough—definitely a must-visit!“

“The food here is amazing! It changes often. I've been a handful of times and loved everything (my wife loves it too!). If you're reading this, you should go here. It should absolutely have a Michelin star.

The dishes are unique, have interesting ingredients, and are always excellently prepared. The deserts are amazing as well.“

“Great service, great food“

“As a vegan believe it or not I struggle to have variety in Santa Cruz, the options are limited. Today I visited this European interior (like a Scandinavian cafe) amazing eatery n downtown Santa Cruz. The man that assisted me was extremely hospitable and helped navigate the vegan menu he offered me. The falafel had incredibly bright flavors and not only the first few bites but all the way through. The mango matcha was too die for and you guessed it vegan as well. Please visit this impressive place whether vegan or not“

“Hidden gem! Be sure to do their 5-pounder burritos challenge, I thought it's either a typo or I was in Vegas. But it's a real thing, I was shock by the size of it (that's what she said), and If you can eat it in 10 mins then it's free!

Also shout out to Jonny what a great guy, 10/10 recommend this place“

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

“Traveling through Santa Cruz and stopped here for lunch. We're fans of Detroit style pizza so we're excited to give it a try.

Couldn't have been happier with the food. Bookie’s will definitely be on our short list for places to eat if we're in Santa Cruz.“

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

“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 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.“

“We had a very enjoyable brunch at Cafe Brasil… we loved their eggs Benedict and the rancheros!
Both were delicious and very satisfying.
The place has been around forever and the staff is very friendly and welcoming.
Parking is tight, but it’s worth it.“

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

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

“It’s the best, most authentic Italian food restaurant in Santa Cruz, and the ambience is so comfortable and inviting.“

“The team, the chili, the turkey cranberry, the prairie bread. . . The decades long story...so much keeps me coming back here. So appreciate the yummy meals and positive welcoming each time, team.

Super gratitude. 🪄💫❕“

“Great place for mid week date night or to see live music. a Santa Cruz must“

“The consistent line out the door should be your hint that this spot is a must if you're in need of a grab and go breakfast. Sure, Zachary's is fantastic, but waiting for a seat and having a full sit down meal isn't always an option if you want to get to the monthly vintage fair before the crowds. Grab your bagel melt to-go and eat as you walk. Or, my personal favorite- the lox deluxe, but be sure to sub their house made pickled onions and grab a Natalie's Orchard juice to go with it.“

“It’s always nice to have an abundance of options on a menu, and Pretty Good Advice delivered here. I got one of the vegan breakfast sandwiches and a friend and I shared the Brussels sprouts and the cucumber sides. All good! Updated from previous review on 2026-09-05“

“Great tasting dough! Fake characters to get to the 25 requirement“

“Had the mushroom tacos today and they were delicious and well crafted. I was impressed how a vegetarian version of these can be so fulfilling and hearty.
I recommend it even for the traditional meat lovers to give it a chance for a change once in a while.
Also tried one of their mushroom tea , cookie and red orange kombucha . All very tasty and flavourful.
Definitely worthwhile my 40 minutes trip from San Jose.
Will return whenever I can

Thank you for your service guys 🙂“

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

“Good food really good vibe“

“Honestly I’m really amazed! I asked for the vegan Fruity Mango because I’m pregnant and can’t have raw fish and this was Oh wooow

Really helped with my craving and was so delicious
Definetly coming back! Thank you so much and the service was so nice“

“I cannot recommend Chloe’s Kitchen enough. Fantastic food, exceptional service, and people who clearly care about their customers. Huge shout-out to the employee who went the extra mile for our family... You deserve 10 stars!

Here's why! I recently had an incredible experience at Chloe’s Kitchen in Santa Cruz.

We placed an order later in the evening and mentioned to the staff that my family and I were planning to have our meal at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. After picking up our food and arriving there, I received a call from the restaurant letting me know they had accidentally left one of our bags behind.

What happened next completely blew me away. The staff member immediately offered to bring the missing bag directly to us at the Boardwalk, and she arrived in less than 10 minutes!

That level of care and customer service is incredibly rare. She went above and beyond to make sure our family had everything we ordered, and it genuinely turned a small mistake into one of the best customer service experiences I’ve ever had.

And to top it all off, the food was absolutely amazing.“

“One of the best sushi experiences we’ve had in California! The fish-to-rice ratio was absolutely perfect, with generous portions of fresh, high-quality fish. Everything was delicious, and you could really taste the quality in every bite. We’ll definitely be coming back here in the future!“

“Awesome“

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

“Toasted marshmallow topper 👍🏽“

“Okay - out The gate friendliest guy at the counter I’ve ever seen and not just personable, but funny, and he actually prevented me from ordering a wheat noodle dish in lieu of the soup that had a rice noodle saying that the wheat noodle tends to anchor people down and make it hard to stay mobile for the rest of the day, so I appreciated that you went with the rice noodle dish when it came out it looked very presentable and like I wanted to terror right into it first spite of each dish we have the Momos and the rice noodle soup with tofu both very vegetarian options but first bite of the soup and I was a fan. Somehow they made this tofu taste like a really tasty meat. I do not know how they accomplished that but they did and then the Momo’s hot I had to blow on it, however just bursting with flavor and I couldn’t sing enough praises about it.All the stars from merely two bites. I will be finishing all of this and be returning to River Cafe soon. As the GM of a popular local restaurant myself, I just love discovering local eateries that still know the value of customer service, high quality ingredients and executing each dish with careful precision. Hell yeah- River Cafe does it right. Just eat there, you’ll be stoked you did.“

“Excellent gyro with lamb and beef. I had a black tea drink with it. Outdoor seating was perfect.“

“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 !!!!“

“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!“

“Food is too delicious and everyone is friendly“

“This is a fantastic neighborhood Mexican restaurant. It is family-owned, and everybody is very friendly and helpful.
The food is great! Wonderful dishes like machete taco or the super burritos.
They serve wine and beer.
We live in the area so we go to either dine in or take home. Always delicious!“

“My go-to ice cream fix anytime I’m in Santa Cruz! Organic, delicious, home made flavors. Burnt cinnamon, dark chocolate sorbet and salted caramel toffee are among my favorites!“

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

“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.“