Aquarius

Went there to share a nice dinner with friends. The wait seems extra long and the bread on the table was in 4 small pieces in the basket. We asked for more and was told it was coming several times. After we got our food the same small amount of bread appeared. None of us predicted bread would be in such short supply. The person filling water glasses was attentive but touched the rim of every person’s glass with the side of his bottle. We ordered a nice fish plate. It came to the table with what seemed to be nicely prepared fish but it was on top of a small bed of very cold grain with vinegar. It was so cold it must have just come out of refrigeration. It doesn’t seem clear why a restaurant would put hot food on top of cold. Even a kid can see the costly fish highlight of the dish would quickly become little more than a room temperature leftover. And we noticed a toy sized dog under a nearby table that the customer was feeding.

The stunning views do not excuse the tired, overpriced food. Our breakfast featured tired potatoes from the night before (or the night before that), bland eggs, dry bacon, old coffee with low fat milk instead of cream. We asked for pancakes instead of toast and got rubbery cakes and a $ 4 surcharge.

If I could give it 6 stars I would! Thanks to Curtis (Über) for the recommendation! Valentine’s with my baby… Great bar… Great views… Scallops and Salmon to die for. It was crowded but worth the wait. Best restaurant in Santa Cruz by far… blows away Oswalds! Don’t walk, run to Aquarious… it will knock you Out!

Great views and nice ambience. Prolly the best in Santa Cruz.
Loved our food .
Salmon with Brussels sprouts and quinoa,
And fettuccini seafood pasta.

Just came for after dinner drinks. but this place was amazing! A very nice ambience we had the cocomo which has grey goose.mint.pineapple juice. and coconut water. It was soo good! A definite must try!

Met some friends here last night, they ate I just had a cocktail the 515 is my spot for cocktails the mixologist here have NO idea what they are doing worst Sazerac I have ever had it was sweet and tasted like lemonade the cocktail is simple 1 teaspoon sugar
3 or 4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
a few drops water
2 ounces rye whiskey (such as Sazerac Rye)
1 teaspoon absinthe
lemon peel. There was NO absinthe in it and a Sazerac is a VERY STIFF cocktail it should not taste like a girly candy drink if you guys read this pass it on to the guy working last night. 515 is WAY better IMO best mixologist in Santa Cruz. Oh yea my Sazerac was shaken it should be stirred… there was chunks of ice GROSS and lazy of him.

My husband & I stopped by here for breakfast yesterday. The meal was fine, although the coffee a little stale and bitter. However, our server was one of the poorest we’d experienced in several years. As she poured water for us, she spilled it all over the glass & table, with no apology nor offer to clean it. When I picked up the stemmed glass, it spilled water on my lap. I had to ask another server for another napkin after I mopped. Breakfast was served, then she disappeared until we were finished. She did not ask how our meal was, nor offer more water or coffee. She was most affable when she delivered the check. A neighboring table had to search for her to request their check.
Dream Inn has a captive client base, but were we staying there, we’d definitely find other places for dining.

Breakfast review: I’ll admit that the views here are amazing. It overlooks the Pacific Ocean and you can hear the waves crashing in and out as you dine. However, the service is so subpar that the experience warrants just three stars. I sat in the lounge for breakfast as it was just me and I wanted to get in and out. No one came over to me for 20 minutes, then when I finally got drinks, the server never came back. I had to ask another server if I could place my order with him. He took it, but seemed bothered that I’d asked. I’m not a snobby person by any means but when I dine out, I don’t think I should be the one chasing down the staff.
TIP: go to Zachary’s for breakfast. Much better service, much better food, and you’ll even save a couple bucks!

Fantastic dinner, absolutely amazing staff. The food is exceptional. Went here for Christmas dinner and it was absolutely delightful. You cannot find better food in Santa Cruz than here. The petite tenderloin was cooked so well, the purée they made… I wanted more. Would come here again.

Some things are ok while others are a huge let down. There are many scrumptious places to dine in SC and this place isn’t worth it. Go somewhere else! I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights, which was nice.

Let me start by saying I looked at other reviews about breakfast here. I found nothing wrong with the waitstaff or the managers. What I did find something wrong with was the taste of the eggs Benedict white wines does not belong in eggs Benedict. I don’t want to feel like I’m drinking wine at breakfast the eggs Benedict had a very strong taste of alcohol which I assumed was wine. After asking the waitress if they added wine and speaking with the manager I confirmed that there was wine in the Benedict sauce. I have eaten eggs Benedict at countless restaurants and have never had to turn it away.
The manager and waitress tried to correct the problem and did discount our meal. The only reason I am leaving 2 stars is to get the chefs attention. You do not need to try in over gourmet eggs Benedict by adding white wine it doesn’t taste right!

This place is paradise for extremely reasonable prices.
We got:
— clam chowder
— garlic prawn (5 ct) and garlic bread appetizer
— Seared scallop (2 ct) appetizer
— seafood cioppino fettucini
— chocolate ganache dessert ($ 7)
The scallop and prawns were cooked to perfection and extremely tasty. The clam chowder and seafood fettucini were also five stars. The chocolate ganache dessert was a bit boring and a bit too rich. We shared everything, along with 2 glasses of wine and a cappucino, and the bill came to under $ 100.
Oh, also gorgeous view with live music in the back. But they didn’t factor any of that into the price somehow. Overall, a great value for a fantastic night.

Had a chance to check out this place that is connected to the
Dream Inn. We wanted to drink and not worry about driving or cabs,
So we checked it out.
The oysters were amazing and very fresh, albeit tiny. Our server
Alec was very gratuitous and funny, we love that, a server can affect
the whole dining experience in my opinion.
We had a amazing strip steak, carrots and killer mashed potatos.
(I never eat these) special treat for the holidays only. They were
perfect with just the right amount of lump ratio.
Great atmosphere and good old fashioned «down home» dinner
Fun!!!

Six of us truly enjoyed this dining experience — the food was good, but the jazz combo was even better.
The flourless chocolate cake was more chocolate fudge, but we ate it all. Enjoy the view and a nice evening.

Everything was good. A beautiful view of the boardwalk. Very good and friendly service. Great parking. The food was good. I just wish they had a couple more speciality item on the menu. Outside of the hard drinks, it’s a pretty simple menu. There was no soft drink on the menu. But, in the end, a pretty good experience.

Food is good. Nothing extraordinary. The views are amazing. Good service. Good portions. High prices. The chicken and waffles is not traditional. I was hesitant but glad I ordered it. The chicken sat on the waffle and therefore made a good part of waffle soggy. If I ordered it again I would ask that the chicken be brought on a separate plate. Overall, it’s worth a try. :)
Oh and the crème brûlée is really good!

Aquarius does not have much to set it apart from most other trendy seafood joints in California… but what the state in general has going for it is the assorted scenery provided to each unique dining establishment.
As it pertains to Santa Cruz, Aquarius sits right across the boardwalk, en route to the beach road. So, as you enjoy your so-​called sustainable ocean fare, you have a boatload of people-​watching to accompany your meal. Heck, you certainly overpay for a meal here, but you must come to expect that in any California city… unless you are sticking to In-​N-​Out.
Food errs on the pretty standard end, with fries, scallops, beet salads keeping the evening for my wife and me fairly affordable. Nothing to write home about, food-​wise; but, in full disclosure, Santa Cruz lacked some real gusto in its dining scene.
On the whole, I have no qualms about recommending this establishment, save for the fact that it is bread-​and-​butter seafood. Nothing too crazy. Besides the live musicians, of course.

Food is actually excellent and seems to be the highest quality in vicinity.
— Wild salmon was tasty and served with well prepared quinoa that had texture and wasn’t too mushy
— Scallops came with four pieces not just one or two, and the corn mash was tasty and hearty that it came with
— Clam chowder was a hit
— Also tried the cheese enchiladas off the kids menu, least notable dish
— Nice views
— Also had a nice breakfast here

Ok people– it’s a full moon– it’s 9pm on a Sunday evening– I’m overlooking the ocean with a full moon at a restaurant called the Aquarius. Gary Wright’s one hit wonder «Dream Weaver» is playing in the background.
And I ask like a rookie Unilocaler–
«if you were to have one meal ever here, what would it be?»
Nichole said–
«For me I would go wild and crazy– I would go for the waffles and fried chicken!»
Ok– so I saw it on the menu– and candidly I have been to the vaunted Ezelle’s in Seattle — and roscoes in LA– yes they could make some fried chicken. Then there is the «south» which kinda laughs at these places.
And so it was that I ordered waffles and fried chicken at a restaurant named Aquarius on the beach in Santa Cruz–
And then in an ironic twist that would make «Dream Weaver» seem like Musak, «Simple Man» came on.
My meal came almost immediately. How would that even be possible???
First there was this deal about taking a bone out then hammering it flat and some sort of cooking prior to dredging it in a corn meal and whatever dressing served with a waffle…
I was sold with «wild» so this was going to be interesting…
Nichole delivered my meal.
First the waffle–
It had something green in it. I thought «what in the world??? A real waffle and chicken is traditionally a great waffle with a great piece of chicken! This has green leafs in it!»
I calmed down– I was in California after all and let’s face it– they love to fuse everything here– I bet they have a Thai fused PB&J!
So the first thing I tried was the waffle…
I thought at first that there was a mistake– I am not kidding. I stopped and thought «what’s going on here???»
First of all, it has a distinct taste of corn meal minus the gritty texture– next it absolutely tasted like chicken and then there was this sour taste like buttermilk that was then subdued by a sweet after math of syrup– one word. YUM! Admittedly it confused me.
Then the chicken–
Ok Nichole talked about how a bone was removed and the dark meat ran in the center of the cutlet and had a distinct something or another–
Well let me say this– I’ve had the «Real» fried chicken and waffles down south. It was spectacular there and the 72 year old proprietor was an artist. This had a huge upper expectation.
Boom–
And just like that– waffles and chicken redux–
The dark meat had a distinct taste and texture as well as the white. It was sublime. As much as I wanted to not like this due to tradition, Nichole had it right. The wild side of Aquarius is the chicken and waffles–
Fortunately this will not be my only meal here– but there is a good chance it will be the chicken and waffles again.
Ps–
They make a mean cranberry and vodka — just saying!

Yup. Liked it, worth a revisit…
I get teased for verbose reviews so here goes
— food was excellent. Wife had Chestnut soup, tenderloin and foggy pud. I had duck’n’scallop, char and foggy pud… Mine won on starters, hers was the best entrée and a drawer on the sweet.
— location is excellent, lovely sitting by the beach, ambience was really good
— price was a little pricey compared with Bay Area gastronomy BUT in Santa Cruz and with that location …
So not full stars as we have eaten better and we have eaten as well for less but a great way to spend a few dollars and avoid xmas washing up !

Excellent restaurant mais avec en prime une vue imprenable sur la baie de Santa Cruz. Situé dans un hôtel du bord de mer, ce restaurant et bar vous proposera des mets relevés et bien préparés. Rien de particulièrement original et les portions n’y sont pas particulièrement généreuses, mais la qualité des produits est évidente.

My sister took me here for my birthday. She told the gal when she made the reservation that it was my birthday. When we arrived the hostess wished me a Happy Birthday and that was that .
The service was very mediocre, food was expensive but very good, the view goes without saying, it’s the Pacific.
I am sad to say that the restaurant has turned into a last stop before tourists make their way home, so it was loud with small children running around uncontrolled!