Santa Cruz
40 open around Around the Bay
The north end of Monterey Bay, over the mountains on Highway 17: the town itself, then south through Capitola, Soquel and Aptos to the orchards behind Watsonville.
The towns
Restaurants26
Aptos St. BBQ
Listed · Restaurant · Aptos · $$
walk-inthe room’s own account
Local kids built dirt jumps behind the Aptos post office in 1986 and the course went world-known.
Cafe Brasil
Listed · Restaurant · Santa Cruz · $$
walk-inthe room’s own account
Cocota is toasted white flour let down with milk and cut with Tabasco and Worcestershire, poured over two soft poached eggs.
Crow's Nest Restaurant
Listed · Restaurant · Santa Cruz · $$$
book aheadthe room’s own account
Two rooms in one building on the harbour mouth: a dining room downstairs that starts serving breakfast at eight and takes bookings, and the Breakwater Bar & Grill upstairs that takes none and runs to live music at night.
Pono Hawaiian Grill
Listed · Restaurant · Santa Cruz · $$
walk-inthe room’s own account
The recipes came off Maui with the owner the room calls Braddah Timmy, and the stage has carried Willie K, John Cruz, Makana, Led Kaapana and George Kahumoku by the venue's own account.
Zachary's Restaurant
Listed · Restaurant · Santa Cruz · $$
walk-inthe room’s own account
The sourdough pancakes come off a starter the kitchen says is purported to date to the Alaskan Gold Rush, and they will tell you the story if you ask.
Markets1
Provisions1
Craft beer3
Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Solid · Brewery · Capitola · $$
walk-in
Tim Clifford and Adair Paterno brew saison in a Capitola industrial park on used dairy tanks and a kettle built out of a Lipton machine.
Humble Sea Brewing Co.
Listed · Brewery · Santa Cruz · $$
walk-in
The cans are surf-kook nonsense and the lagers are decoction-mashed in copper and lagered horizontally.
Wine1
Coffee2
Verve Coffee Roasters (1540 Pacific Ave)
Listed · Coffee · Santa Cruz
1540 Pacific Ave. Details to come.
Bakes & sweet1
The Buttery
Listed · Bakery · Santa Cruz · $
walk-inthe room’s own account
It rolls its own pot pie crust, roasts its own red peppers and simmers the soup daily, seven till five, seven days a week on Soquel Avenue.
Producers5
Gizdich Ranch
Solid · Producer · Watsonville · $
walk-inthe room’s own account
Vincent John Gizdich came out of Croatia and bought five acres of apples on Peckham Road in 1937.
Elsewhere around Around the Bay