I had the worst father's day and GRACE AND KAI made it all better, they took care of me, everything…read morewas clean and amazing and they made it feel like home. I've been here before and haven't met them but I did tonight and this was the best. Visit them, tip them, hell yeah

There's nothing I love more than a good old-fashioned salt of the Earth dive bar…read more The bartenders here are super friendly and the people hanging out offer the same vibe. They have an amazing outdoor patio, a pool table, and their front bar is perfect for a quick drink and a chat about the days activities. My wife and I stayed here for about two+ hours and just soaked in the local conversations. Drinks here will set you back about $5 each, which is a steal in today's rough economy. I've only been to Santa Cruz once, but I feel like this will be my go-to spot every time I'm in the area.

There are two floors! Downstairs and upstairs…read more Upstairs lounge is bigger with more tables and sofas for large groups. I like the red lighting throughout the whole place. It's a fun and unique vibe

Was my fav in college and now a must when I'm in Santa Cruz. The red room is pretty chill, although…read moreit does get busier on weekend nights. Friendly bartenders, ideal red everything vibes, and two rooms for seating options.

Dive Bar with heart and standards. Great drinks, fun live bands and entertainment, and impressive…read moreservice. I believe its because its under new managing ownership with Amy at the helm, leading by example. An industry OG who cares about delivering great drinks, service, and experience while also making sure her staff are well supported. Any bar can make a drink, Mission West makes a fantastic one, but the service and overall experience is what differentiates Mission West.

I've lived in Santa Cruz county for almost 10 years and haven't really visited a lot of bars in…read moretown. My sister came to visit so I looked up a few to check out and she liked their drink menu here so we checked it out. Walking in its divey inside, but I always love a good dive bar. The bartender was super friendly, happy to chat and offered us the drink list to look over. They had a pickle martini on the menu and that's what we opt'd for. I never had one before, but I DUG it. It's savory and a bit sour, love. We sat outside and they had pizza to order back there and line dancing happening. It was fun to watch the environment and people dancing. Good crowd of folks and friendly to conversation.

We decided to try Low Tide for breakfast, and the experience started off well. The wait staff…read moregreeted us right away and let us choose our own table, which we appreciated, especially since it meant avoiding the nearby family with screaming kids. The restaurant has an open, beachy décor, and everything inside looked clean and well maintained. The food is definitely on the pricey side, but we did enjoy what we ordered. Service was excellent: we were seated quickly, given time to settle in, and then the waiter took our drink order. He even offered a small sparkling wine tasting so we could choose the one we liked best. We ordered the breakfast burrito, which was very flavorful. The chorizo added a great kick, and the avocado we added really rounded everything out. The small cup of salsa was tasty and added some heat. The burrito itself had a nice char on the outside, giving it a well‑done finish. We also tried the Seaside Benedict, which was both beautifully presented and delicious. The potatoes could have been cooked a bit longer, but they were still edible. We liked the fresh greens on the plate, and the English muffin had a sourdough‑like flavor that worked really well. Overall, we enjoyed our experience.

We had the absolute worst experience last night. Highly do not recommend…read more We were intending to go to a delicious taqueria around the corner, but they were unexpectedly slammed at 8:30pm on a Friday. Instead we walked around the corner toward the boardwalk. Since the Bahia hotel is well rated, the menu looked ok, we thought we'd try it. Big mistake. The hostess seated another party - slowly without acknowledging us. Then she told us the kitchen closed in 30 min. Shouldn't be a problem, right? Our waitress came over and seemed very friendly. We ordered fish tacos, the smash burger (on lettuce with grilled onions and an egg) and chicken tenders with fries for my daughter. While sitting we noticed there were extra plates and silverware and bowls stacked on tables, they were just moving them around from table to table, which seemed odd. Another couple was seated right after us. The people before us and after us got food. Our food still hadn't come out by 9:02pm and our waitress was nowhere to be seen. We asked someone to get her - she came out and told us our food was almost ready. Never asks if we want something else before kitchen closes. At 9:15pm, it finally came out. Fries were cold, smash burger came out with egg, barely grilled onions... plus cheese, sauce, and mushrooms (which I don't like). Fish tacos - mid. We called over the waitress. She said our food took so long because there was one kitchen for four places and she couldn't control when the food came out. Then she proceeded to tell me that the Smashburger came with all of that and I could look at the menu. Why hadn't she mentioned that when I just ordered egg and grilled onions??? She offered to replace the cold fries. Then we asked for the manager - I could see my husband starting to boil over. Another 10 min. Manager comes and talks to the people who came in before us, apparently they had something wrong too. Goes to do something and the finally returns to our table. Asks what is wrong. Does not explain why it took so long, asks if she can give us a free dessert or remake the hamburger. Obviously we don't want to wait another 30 min plus kitchen is now closed. I ask her to comp the burger. Should I have had to ask??? Then we wait another 10 min for her to never come back with the bill. I send husband and child out, get up from the table and go looking for HER. Seriously considering walking out without paying- which I've literally never done. She says 'oh, we comped your bill'. Great news! Perhaps you could have walked over the 15 feet to tell us. Just a hard NO all around. Ambiance is ok, could be nicer but this supposed to be there less expensive area. I will say that people seemed to be enjoying the service at the bar.

Jury room- came here because of the history IYKYK.. the serial killer in the 1970's... anyways…read morestopped in with a buncha girls during a bachelorette weekend in Santa Cruz! Your typical dive bar! The cocktail was disgusting, the woman working was pissed 10 beautiful women walked in, not clean bathrooms. Good music. The vibes!

Showed up to this bar on a cold, Friday night. It's the kind of dive bar that you just instantly…read morefall in love with: gregarious bartenders, welcoming regulars, and a space that cultivates a real community for musicians. I overheard just how passionate the bartender was about taking care of the bands who come in to play. And it really showed. I caught a line up with Supernaut, Peace Pipe, and Dead Engine. All of them were amazing live, and the crowd was super supportive, too. So, between the heavy pours, friendly folx, and a great venue for live music...I found a new watering hole in Santa Cruz. It's been around forever, so I'm happy that some live music could put it on my radar. Next time, I'll bring a $1 bill to put on the ceiling.

This place is rated way too low. 3 out of 3 drinks were amazing and the bartender helped guide me…read moreto the third one and was spot on. And they were friendly. So cool and in a sweet center that was better than the dock I was on the night before. Seats open each time I went. Highly recommend!

Shout out to Maxine for all the best recommendations and peak info regarding the brew and story…read morebehind each drink! The taste of each is so unique i am most definitely coming again specially after my friends boasted about the service and ambience being so welcoming and uplifting!

Great times, good vibes! I forgot to take a pic of my Mr.Makai drink but it was delicious, strong…read morebut flavorful. The servers were very nice, just a bit busy with all the tables so it did take a little while for service but nothing unreasonable. Loved the loco moco I would say it was a little hot for medium well perhaps the toppings made it cook a little more after plating but it was proper juicy and seasoned. The bbq plate was great, the flavors were pretty much the same but different textures depending on what meat you were trying. The kalbi was really thick! Would definitely stop by again to see what's going on with the food or drink menu.

Makai is located almost at the end of the Santa Cruz pier. It's a cute tiki themed restaurant with…read morea revolving bar and a small outdoor patio. The drinks here are very eye catching and palate pleasing too! I got the mahamellow (non alcoholic) and my fiancé got the Mr Makai. For lunch, I ordered the Hawaiian fried chicken and he got the loco moco. Both meats were severely under-seasoned, like zero seasoning. That was sad. The Mac salad hit though. Super creamy, just the way I like it! Our server was Liam and he was excellent. He checked on us just enough and was nice too. It was a bit off putting there were bunches of flies congregating in parts of the restaurant. $3 per 20 minutes of parking but I think it maxes out at $24/day. I'd come back for the drinks and would dabble apps in the future.

We finally ate here and it's definitely our favorite restaurant now. From the welcome going in to…read morethe food was very nice. We had a window seat which made the experience even better. For the appetizer we ordered the grilled octopus ...best ever. Then I had the short ribs which melted in my mouth and my husband ordered the Ribeye cooked just right. Summer is an amazing waitress. Professional and attentive. We will be going back very soon!

What a fantastic stop during our West Coast road trip! The food here was (surprisingly) delicious;…read moreevery dish was flavorful and completely exceeded our expectations. Besides the fantastic food, the service was absolutely top-notch. The staff was prompt, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed. What really made this experience complete was the location. The view over the Santa Cruz coastline is simply impressive. Great food with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean--what more could you ask for? Highly recommended if you are in the area and looking for a great dining experience with an unforgettable view!