The Crow’s Nest Restaurant

My boyfriends parents live in the Santa Cruz area and this is one of the go-to’s for lunch. It’s right on the water so you get the view of the beach-​goers and the marina. Parking is a definite challenge especially on a beach weekend.
We usually sit upstairs where it is first come, first serve with a smaller more «bar» like menu. Downstairs is more formal and has extended food options. As far as the food upstairs goes, it’s mostly fried food and sandwiches and isn’t anything special, in my opinion. Their french fries are really good; nice and crispy and their other fried foods are done well.
Downstairs menu is a pretty good choice for seafood and they have the option of a salad bar, which I personally always enjoy. Overall it’s a good place with great ambiance.

Very very disappointing!
Brought an out of town relative for a special Bön voyage dinner. The prime rib cut was so bad that we had to send it back. You could tell it was a cheap cut of meat just by looking at it. The two seafood dishes, halibut and yellow tail were over cooked, dry, and tasteless. We should have returned those two dinners. The chocolate cake was dry and yucky. The key lime pie was so overly sour that two bites were all that we could manage. Although the waitress was pleasant, it was difficult to get her attention.
A very expensive and sub par dining experience.

Service was nice but the quality of food did not match the price. I went in for breakfast knowing it would be a bit more expensive than a «greasy spoon» diner but hoped for a great meal and was disappointed.

We took my Dad to Crows Nest for Father’s Day breakfast. My Dad loves going to breakfast there so we thought it would be a good choice. He was very happy with his crab and shrimp omelet, but my veggie omelet was unfortunately another story.
I was on my third bite and I noticed something that looked like a fish bone but determined it wasn’t, we weren’t really sure what it was. I discarded it and continued eating.
I was about half way through and there was something sticking out of the omelet, it looked like the spikey part of an artichoke. I pulled it out and we couldn’t believe our eyes. It was a portion of bristles from a cooking/​basting brush. We immediately called over our server who took it back to the kitchen. She came back out a minute later and confirmed what we thought. She asked if I wanted to finish the food on my plate and I politely said no thank you. I wondered how many other bristles I would find. She said my breakfast would be comped and brought me a thin slice of cheesecake that was thrown into a cardboard to go container, I suppose that would make up for the awful experience?
We are Capitola natives and grew up going to the Crows Nest for special occasions. I am a bit grossed out now knowing the chefs are so nonchalant about the meals they are serving. If your paying attention how can you not notice a 2 inch clump of bristles? It would have been nice if the manager had come to our table and apologized, maybe we would consider returning for a meal.

Came here recently for a wedding reception dinner with follow on drinks and appetizers.
They did a nice job for the wedding reception. Service was really nice. All main dishes were great. Afterwords we sat on the out door patio upstairs for drinks and appetizers. The Calamari is great — not prepared the usual way also enjoyed the crab cakes. My only suggestion is to offer the restaurant menu upstairs as the appetizers are limited.

Sitting outside on a beautiful day is just lovely!
However… be prepared with a wide-​brimmed hat (a Sharks hat will also suffice, if not, be ideal), some sunblock, and hopefully a little shade. Yes, it’s by the water but it gets really toasty if you’re just under the sun trying to enjoy a meal.
Food was nice and fresh. The mimosas came with their own bottled sparkling wine. Calamari was thick, as previously mentioned in multiple reviews. I had the crab cakes, nothing special, but they weren’t bad. Parking was horrible though…

We’re at the harbor a lot and so often eat at the Crow’s Nest. It’s a local institution.
I’m a creature of habit, and these are the things I always order: the salad bar. Best in town. The ahi brochette, juicy chunks of ahi tuna in a sweet/​spicy chili glaze, always terrific. The smoked salmon — they do it themselves, fabulous. They used to make good chowder but last time I had it, it was a little thick and floury.
Only downside is, it can be very noisy. Especially upstairs, happy hour is very noisy and sometimes they have very loud music (I’m old). When it’s busy, try to eat in the «back room», or outside. Also the seating thing is a little confusing and disorganized: you can make reservations for some parts of the restaurant but not others. Also you can’t reserve a window seat, you get what you get.
It’s a lovely place to take out-​of-​towners, because the view is so delicious.

The crows nest is a great restaurant! Have been going here for so many years and it is always great food and amazing service :) this is a really good spot for celebrating a birthday or anniversary.
Perfect view of the ocean, it’s legit like you’re on the beach. Good for coming for a sit down dinner or just drinks and snacks ;)

I went to Santa Cruz a couple weeks ago & came here for dinner. The restaurant is right on off the beach, and in a private lot you pay for. Idk what people are complaining for, you’re about to spend $ 100+ at this spot, and you’re tripping off of $ 2?
We enter & we’re greeted by the front door staff, they seem kind enough. We take the outdoor seating where they have heaters, had a nice view of the water. We were the only colored folks, so I kept feeling the stares of all the other people eating out doors with us. Couldn’t tell if it was because they weren’t used to seeing a young urban colored man eating at a fancy location at this or because I was throwing up gang signs as I was getting my picture took with my food. Either way, it was fine.
Our waiter came, very very nice guy, and he had this cool Yoda tie on. We ordered our drinks, I got some beer I never heard of but it was good. Unfortunately it wasn’t as cold as I like my beer to be, it was cold, but it wasn’t ice cold. No real complaints.
We ordered the crab cakes & calamari for appetizers. For $ 10 I expected more than 2 small crab cakes, but they were DELICIOUS. The calamari was great too, it wasn’t greasy at all. Idk what kind of wizardry they’re doing back there, but it’s working. The calamari is a must get if you don’t know what appetizer to get. Although the crab cakes do taste better. You get more bang for your buck with the calamari though.
I get the sea scallops with jasmine rice & vegetables. Pretty good, although I was hungry again after about an hour (Which is why I ended up ordering pizza as soon as I got back to the hotel). The sea scallops were delicious. I tried the fried prawns, they were good but a bit heavy. Whoever made the calamari, they should be doing all the frying.
Then we ordered the Mocha ice cream cake which was of course good, you can’t mess that up.
Bill for 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and a dessert, I paid about $ 120. If you’re looking for a special treat or you have a trust fund, this is a great place to eat. Although I’m more of a Oakland taco truck kinda guy, I could buy like 12 giant burritos for that price. Although it was cool.

If they would honor their reservations then this would be a much better place. I understand that they are busy. I called, made reservation, did not ask for anything special and was offered a small table that was unacceptable. Potted plant took more room than table and was an issue. Hostess told me I would have to talk to person who assigned us the table. She was a little surprised when I asked if she could do the communication and negotiate a new place. I didn’t feel that it was my role and really feel put off by the lack of customer service.
So do your thing and enjoy the food. Good music, bar tenders rock, Hostess needs to learn her role is customer service.

The best view, convenient. Food is hit or miss. Appetizers and the upstairs bar menu are the best bet and better service. Happy hour Wednesdays are a super deal. I live nearby and go there a couple times a month.
The service is one or two stars. It’s either slow and apathetic, or if it’s a weird time, like a Tuesday afternoon, they don’t have what’s on the menu. I think that the iced tea is instant, and you’ll need to ask for refills and for water frequently. Maybe if you’re not raising your bill by drinking booze, you’re forgettable. If it’s a busy night and they want your table, expect the server to push you in to finishing up, by dropping by every few minutes asking if you’re ready for dessert and the bill, when you still have half a plate of food. This has happened every time I’ve dined in the downstairs area instead of the bar upstairs. The menu is pricey, so being rushed is not cool. The food is forgettable. Not awful, hardly mind blowing.
I often take visitors there and they’ve always been in awe of the view, but disappointed with the service and food downstairs. I guess you’re really just paying for the view. Too bad! So much potential!

Don’t get lured into the trap of sitting inside, downstairs. Head upstairs to the bar and the deck. The view is awesome, boats coming in and out of the harbor on one side, big sandy beach with breaking waves on the other side.
Got the fish tacos and pear salad with a lagunitas IPA and still managed to get out of there for under $ 30.

Decided to try a local fave since we were in town and was quite disappointed.
Fish and fries — fries were delicious and crunchy but the fish was mainly batter
Clam chowder — sadly to say, Boudin in SF beats it by… a lot!
Crab cakes — may be the only decent dish we had
Buffalo wings — wings were small and barely any meat
French dip — it was SO SO dry… even with the au jus
Was not worth the money and time we spent there. It came recommended by my salesperson and I am quite disappointed in his judgement

Love the Wednesday happy hour! Great prices on half off appetizers and drinks. The boutique next door is adorable and has great little gifts as well.

Not the best place to eat in my opinion. Little pricey, service was lacking, and food wasn’t fantastic by any means.
Also felt discriminated by the server as we are younger than most of the crowd in the restaurant. The table next to us seemed to get much better service than us. The server would strike up a conversation with them but not us. Felt like we were just there, not a valued guest.
I ordered the swordfish and it came out overcooked and dry. The dish itself was very bland and lacked any good flavor profile. My girlfriend ordered the salmon which came out well cooked but wasn’t anything amazing. The only dish that stood out to us was the crab dip appetizer.
Wasn’t a terrible experience but definitely wasn’t a good one overall. But I personally wouldn’t be returning.

I had the bouche something that was actually really delicious. It’s like French toast but with a different bread. They had this syrup that was really good. Not sure what it was but just perfect with the meal.
I also shared a crab and shrimp on letter with spinach that was just meh. The crab and shrimp was tucked in between the omelette like a sandwich not mixed in it. Flavor was bland.
They did seat is by the window which was nice to see the waters. Parking was 1.50 since we were there less then an hour.
They didn’t have a large menu I assume it was probably too early for lunch? We came around 11am

Kind of dated, family style seafood restaurant. Service was a little slow but our waiter made up for it with a free calamari. That calamari was very tasty too. The broiled lobster tail was dry. They also have a very nice salad bar. Ahi kabobs were very tasty too. Geriatric lunch crowd. Difficult parking. Great water views and beach access.

We were fortunate enough to land a table on the deck for sunset viewing thanks to a couple that was willing to lose one of their small tables!!! It was smack dab middle happy hour and the waitresses/​waiters were running! After a rushed day trying to get out of town and on the road, this is just what the doctor ordered… I’ve never been to Hawaii. .but I do believe we were on their time! Great service, an attentive and kind waitress… and our appetizers just in the nick of time. The food was good, and the atmosphere unbeatable… love love Santa Cruz!

The service was very attentive. The food good, and excellent ambiance. This is my third visit and I will come!

What had happened to the UPSTAIRS service here? This is the WORST service in SC by far. I actually had a waitress, after my third request for ice in my water, say to me, «You know I get a lot of requests for a lot of things all night long and I’m sorry, I got it messed up. Ice. Straw. Water. Lemon. No water…»
Ummm… Isn’t this HER JOB? This was the icing on the preverbial cra.p.p.y service cake. And the drinks have sucked for a long, long time and no one, NO ONE seems to give one flying cluck. No matter what beverage I’ve ordered in the last year or longer it always has a lingering taste of dirty dish water. Always. Gross. It just isn’t worth it anymore. Not on all day happy hour day, not ever. Nothing is good about this place anymore. So sad. Everyone used to love it.

HAPPY HOUR!!!
FAVORITES: crab cakes, calamari, crab cakes, ahi, crab cakes and ahi again.
Great deal, fun vibe my favorite Thursday treat!

4 stars for the salad bar, 3 stars for everything else. Honestly the salad bar is the reason I first went here, and the reason I return.
Entrees are mediocre, and ordering the most simple things on the menu is wise. The menu upstairs at the bar is better in my opinion (more sandwiches instead of wannabe fancy entrees).
Salad bar has everything you could want. Croutons are homemade and really good too!
Atmosphere is nice — warm, comfortable, lively. A little crowded, but not horribly so.
Reservations are recommended!

I best suggest a different place. The restaurant has a nice scenery and a great waitress BUT the food was not great. The food was terrible. The lobster tail was unseasoned. I’m telling the truth, it was overpriced for a flavorless lobster tail. I’ve had better. The seared ahi tuna was dry and had no flavor. The complimentary bread was firm and tasted like pretzel.
If I had known I wouldn’t have let my boyfriend take me there. We could have spent the 130 dollars on good sushi.
Thanks guys. I hope this helps.

Filet mignon — dry, tough, flavorless. Ordered rare came out well done.
Norwegian salmon — same as above, overcooked and bland. Have eaten here many times and finally had to leave a review, will not be returning.

I’ve been here around 8 times. The happy hour is the only reason to come back. The food is average, if not below average. I would say the below par food was a fluke, but I’ve been here a few times with a similar experience. The service is fine, I almost dare to say this place has become a tourist trap.
The major thing this place has going for it, is the amazing view and deck they have overlooking twin lakes beach and the yacht harbor. If your going here to get a few drinks on a warm day then you’re in for a great experience. If you going here expecting to have good food, you may want to try something else.

Absolutely gorgeous view! The Crow’s Nest is certainly a landmark in Santa Cruz and it shows. Every time I’ve come, there’s been a wait no matter if it’s a weekend dinner or a weekday lunch. The inside is dark rich wood with HUGE windows. There’s a glass patio area and an informal bar up stars for those who want to just hang out with a cold beer or a tasty Salty Dog. In the evenings, they even have live music and dancing!
This particular afternoon I came with my mom and my 90 year old grandmother for lunch. Gram’s wanted to have lunch by the water and this gave her just that. Parking is hit or miss but we lucked out which is good since Gram can’t walk to far these days. Be aware, this lot is a pay per use and you can’t get the restaurant to validate. One the bright side, it’s not expensive and the toll taker is super nice.
Our wait time without a reservation was only about 15 minutes and only that long because we requested a window seat. Nothing but the best for my mom and grandma. From the hostess to our server, we recieved very friendly service. Because it was a tad busy, getting our check seemed to take a bit long but other than that, I have zero complaints.
We ordered:
Chinese Chicken Salad: HUGE! My grandma ordered this and she literally only ate half. And this woman can eat! She said it was very good. I tasted the dressing and thought it was pretty tasty.
½ Spinach Salad and a cup of Chowder: Chowder was creamy without being to thick. Nice flavor my mom said. Her spinach salad was simple but tasty.
Combo Louie Salad: HUGE! Lots of crab and shrimp. So much so that I really didn’t eat the lettuce at all. Although the seafood was fresh, it didn’t seem to have a whole lot of flavor. Not that I wanted fishy but you know, that sweet shellfish flavor? Anyway, I ate every bite. If i had to pick something to change, it would be the dressing. I live my dressing more tangy and less sweet. This one was on the sweet side. Other than that, I think we left full and happy.
If you’re in Santa Cruz, looking for clean fresh seafood, a white tablecloth and a spectacular view … come to the Crow’s Nest.

The food is pretty good and the ambiance is wonderful. In fact, this is my number one restaurant in all of SC. Yet, this rating comes with a bias. You see, I came here during the summer with the foreknowledge that in just a few months, I’d be attending UC Smoking Cannabis which, if you’re familiar with the school, is basically a cluster of concrete marooned on a hill, intertwined with a maze of roads, in the middle of a forest. On top of this, I wasn’t familiar with the town at all. So you understand that when my parents took me here after visiting the campus, it ended up being the highlight of the day.
Fast forward a few months to when I was packing for school and cleaning up my room. Somehow, I found myself going through some photos of my late grandfather and happened upon a picture of him standing inside of a restaurant with his buddies (who loved to go out and eat whenever their wives would let them). And guess where the picture was taken? Yup. The Crow’s Nest. In fact, I went on to learn that it was one of his favorite restaurants as he would gather up all of his friends from Hewlett Packard and make the drive all the way from Cupertino, around the 17, to Santa Cruz JUST to enjoy a cup of coffee with potato soup and a bowl of pasta at The Crow’s Next. So while I still felt iffy about going away to college, I felt a little more secure knowing that I could swing by here at any time for a quick bite and a small reminder that I wasn’t alone.

Came here for work multiple times. Love this place. More than just the view, the food and the ambience are wonderful. If you want to «WOW» a girl, this is a place to take her. Make reservations, because the wait can be long. We got VIP status; I’m kidding.
So, I order the Monday special, enchiladas and steak with the salad. Not too often, you go to a nice restaurant where they have a salad bar in a buffet style. Fresh produces. Fresh ingredients. Delicious dressings.
I also had the house red wine. The enchiladas were cooked well. Not overcooked, nor were they just two tortillas and cheese, but these enchiladas were soft, tastey, and well made. The steak was cook well too. I ordered it medium. Goodness, it was juicy. Loved it.
Rating:
Food: 4
Ambience: 5
Service: 4
Price: 3 (It’s pricey, but well worth it.)
Overall: 4
Coming back here everytime I visit Santa Cruz.

My wife and I have eaten here 2 – 3 times over the last 10 or so years and every time we say never again but forget and come back.
This time is our last with out a doubt. And we only live a mile away
Service was fine but food is not.
We split the Calamari and it was ok… ish…
Wife ordered some mahi mahi special
Came with broiled fish that was totally bland and had a small smear of hoisin sauce on it with mango salsa. The salsa was the only thing on the plate worth eating.
It had a side of steamed veggies consisting of Broc and Carrot with no seasoning of any kind and a lump of Jasmine rice which is just plain in itself.
I had the Sirloin Steak from the regular menu
The steak was cooked how I ordered mid-​rare but had no seasoning
There was some sort of sauce with the meat which was in a little cup and refrigerator cold
Had garlic mash which was so hot in the middle I would guess it was microwaved.
The mash was ok when dipped in the sauce.
it also had the same steamed veggies that was with the wife’s food.
once again we left saying NEVER AGAIN next time I will look up my own review to remember why.
Also just to top it off this meal was 95 bucks with a 13 tip we had 1 glass of wine that was ok and I had a lagunitas ipa which is always a win.
We had no deserts… this price would have been fine if it was outstanding which is what their price demands but does not deliver…

Just celebrated Leslie’s birthday at the crows nest. We had Alissa as our waitress, and she was awesome. We were a party of seven kids and five adults, and we took up five tables. She accommodated all of our crazy requests, including something that she probably should not have done! It was an absolute pleasure, and made our night outstanding.
The combination of a great view, enjoyable food, and an excellent server made the night so perfect.
If you have small kids and they behave well, you can ask for the treasure chest and they can pick out a toy.
Thank you Alissa for making the night so special!!!

This will always be a favorite of mine for the views and nostalgia, since it’s been around as long as I can remember. Over the years it’s become slightly outdated with the 80’s style salad bar and all, but the service remains good and the menu items consistently good.
I typically get the seared ahi salad, but recently branched out and ordered seared ono with champagne cream sauce and trumpet mushrooms over risotto. I was quite impressed.
I highly recommend either the crab cake benedict or corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast.

Breakfast was awesome… gonna go back for dinner!
The view is spectacular and totally made my morning. Coffee, crab and shrimp omelet — the view. Best Sunday to enjoy the awesomeness of Santa Cruz and the glorious world we live in.
#ExperienceTheCoast

While on the beach I Unilocaled what place was right behind us and found it. The place offered happy hour and an upstairs bar. That was exactly what I was looking for. Cheap food and somewhere to watch the game.
They have a parking lot, but we were unsure of the cost so we parked on the street.
This place is beautiful. It’s right on the beach. Our view was romantic. You could see the sunset and the light house. Next time I go to Santa Cruz I plan on hitting this beach.
When we walked in it was hot and I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay. In addition most of the good tables were taken. He found a table under the TV and seemed happy. I was there for him so if he’s happy then I’m happy. The waiter came up and we asked if we were in time for happy hour. We had 3 minutes. I scrambled and ordered 4 appetizers and missed the one that everyone had that looked really good (Tomato Basil Crostini). I ordered Homemade chips (He said these were the best chips he’s had in a long time and that’s saying a lot. He loves his chips), clam chowder (very good), calamari (Fresh not fried. I’m not a big fan of calamari, but that was good. Not too fresh. Breaded and tasty), Dungeness Crab Cakes (Very good, probably the best I’ve had in a long time). I wished the waiter had come back as I would have ordered dessert and maybe some more food and another drink. He did save us lots of money and we got an amazing deal for all we ordered.
The place finally cooled off as the evening went on. They opened the windows and the breeze passed through. The several glasses of iced water helped.

C était vraiment très bon. Les plats étaient généreux, le saumon fumé était délicieux !
Service agréable, et cadre magnifique en terasse.

Sehr leckeres Essen und eine großartige Aussicht aufs Meer. Sehr gute Desserts, ein riesieger Kundenparkplatz und netter Service. Die Preise sind etwas gehobener aber ich denke das ist gerechtfertigt.