As locals know this place is a gem. Been here twice for lunch and grabbed a table outside. Service is professional and beyond pleasant. The venue is at the end of a large shopping center but every detail is clearly designed from the doors to the koi pond and all of the plants. There are an abundance of heaters for colder weather and the inside is very modern. Plan on coming back for dinner. Seems like dinner time a sport-jacket would feel appropriate, lunchtime was casual. Great date spot. Oh and the food matched the ambiance. Hard to find a spot like this is SC county that isn't part of a resort or something IMO. read more

BITTERSWEET is in the name so just be prepared to get a bitter taste in your mouth in regards to service. Lets just say from the outside it looks pleasant but not so much when you stop by to eat in. The food was average nothing special burgers and fries. Here was my main gripe, reading the past reviews I see there was a lot said about customer service. Just to let you know it was an understatement, it was a nice day but the outside seating was full, we decided to order and sit inside. There were a good 3-4 couples inside ranging from early 20's to late 50's, all seemed to be tended too and were finishing up. I did recognize it took a fairly long time for a waitress to come by, to place an order, to get a check, to ask for more water. How long would you wait before getting served? Waited 10 min to place order, close to 30min-45min to get our food it seems if you did not sit outside you were forgotten about, sadly there was a couple sitting not to far from us that arrived I'd say 10min after we had been there, hmm to my surprise they also ordered burgers, let me know this. why is it we ordered before them within 10 min they received their order, dunno if they were regulars but that should not matter, whether or not you know your patrons you should not give anyone special treatment. So another 35 min in me and my wife get fed up on waiting for our food, we ask for the plates to go, why is immediately after asking for this our orders were now ready and seemed already neatly packaged. Hmm interesting, again food average I was already irritated so after we left I had no interest in eating. If you want to be disregarded, please come here they will be sure to meet your expectation of failing at common courtesy and at service. You can't give negative stars to restaurants but if you could dam this place would have a new level of fail. Food - if you like food don't come here, they don't serve food Price - should have been free after 45min wait it was actuality 30min but if you like to wait for mediocre food your more then welcome to wait Service - ha (you call that service!) Ambiance - from the outside looking in, great place to have brunch that is if you ever get your food or acknowledged you exist read more

Café Bittersweet - daily specials - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Aptos, California

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One of the servers ran to my car with a bag of moldy tortillas. This was actually a good thing, sort of. The server was being super nice since I had brought the tortillas into the restaurant to feed my twin toddlers. Unfortunately I didn't realize they were moldy. Good thing kids are resilient! Not to worry, none of the food served at Cafe Bittersweet was anywhere near expiration. My husband and I shared the Crunchy Chicken Avocado Sandwich and the Coconut Panko Crusted Tilapia Sandwich. I liked the texture of the chicken sandwich (and the avocado was actually served on top of the bun!) but it was a little bland. The tilapia sandwich was arguably better than the chicken, but barely. It was also bland and I couldn't taste the coconut. Each sandwich was about $13 which was high given the taste, but forgivable given the cost of ingredients. (Note to self for future reference: salads on other tables looked good.) The sandwiches came with fries and cole slaw. (My toddler James upon encountering cole slaw for the first time announced "It not hot slaw! It cold slaw!") We sat outside and it was extremely pleasant, perfect summer lunch. The servers were very friendly and presented the kids with children's menus and crayons. My husband and I shared a $10 dessert, the chocolate banana bread pudding. The price was a little steep but my husband LOVED it so much I think he would have paid double for the opportunity to eat it. It was more like a souffle than the standard bread pudding, and there were berries and chocolate on the plate, too. My kids also liked the fountain in the front courtyard of the main restaurant and were excited to watch the koi get fed. 3 stars for entrees + good dessert, service, and atmosphere = 4 stars read more

Café Bittersweet - My twins watch the koi get fed in the Bittersweet courtyard next door. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Aptos, California

I have no words after reading owner's response. Her retort was with more concern that other restaurants will be going to this model of charging %6.5 service charge and not the nature of her money grubbing fee. Again the food was OK, just not used of service fee on top of high prices. Again, warning service fee was not spotted on menu until we went back and looked after receiving the bill. read more

The mother in law had a gift card and I am so glad we took advantage! The service was fast and frequent. I got the chicken and waffle. A nice rendition and I would order it again. the hubby liked his eggs and sausage. The coffee cup was never empty (or half empty) and the servers were friendly. Highly recommend for groups! Will be back for more!!! read more

Café Bittersweet - Breakfast splurge - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Aptos, California

This is the small Café next to the restaurant by the same name. Service, atmosphere, and food excellent. Prices a bit on the very high side for a breakfast place. This is in an upscale neighborhood of Aptos and the prices reflect that very well. I found the orange juice fresh squeezed and worth the $4.00 a glass. The pancakes were cooked a tad bit too long making them hard and right on the edge of acceptable. Also my Dad ordered extra crispy bacon and got regular cooked bacon; no big deal and not a deal breaker, but room for improvement. I will be back for sure and found our waitress pleasant, polite, and helpful. Thank you Café Bittersweet. read more

Stay away from the menu, just order a burrito from the case. This is a grab and go type of place but they do have a sit down menu. Our party ordered the Steak sandwich, the Burger, and the Chipotle chicken sandwich. None of these left a real positive impression. The steak was tough, the Burger was okay, and the Chipotle was basically a blackened chicken sandwich that had no taste other that "burnt". The soup ( pea soup) was very good but it costs 5 bucks for a teacup portion. Pastries were also good. One thing we did notice was that the locals walk/bike/pull up in their service trucks and order one of the large burritos in the refrigerated case. So if you decide to eat here, the burrito might be your best bet. read more

Avocado and artichoke omelette, YUM! Came to Cafe Bittersweet after a hike on a Friday morning, approximately 10:30 am or so. Sat at the small little bar area up front and was greeted with some nice coffee. Overlooked the extensive menu and i chose to go with the regional ingredients and order the Artichoke and Avocado omelette. Food came out quickly, service was checking on us regularly and very friendly. And my meal was quite good. Fresh ingredients, generous portion, and a cozy space to eat earns Cafe Bittersweet a solid 4 stars. I would certainly return. read more

I really wanted to like this place. I have been to Bittersweet Bistro in the past and always had a wonderful meal. But my first visit to Cafe Bittersweet was very disappointing. First off, I want to say that my food was really fantastic. I had the Pancetta Mushroom Omelet and it was delicious. The omelet was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were crisp. I enjoyed my meal. With the exception of one of the members in our party, everyone else enjoyed their food as well. My problem with Cafe Bittersweet was the horrible service. We were there for a late breakfast around noon. Part of my party arrived about 15 minutes before I did, as I had a farther drive to get there. They were seated and served drinks in a timely manner. They told the waitress that they would not be waiting for the rest of the party to arrive to order and that she could come back and take their order. When I had arrived, they had not seen the waitress since the drinks were brought to the table. I sat there for a good 15-20 minutes before any waitress came back to the table to take a drink order. Finally, drink orders were taken and we waited at least 10 minutes for the drinks to arrive with one of the coffee drinks which took even longer. We waited another 10 minutes for her to arrive with that drink and to take our order. We then waited another 30 minutes, at least, for our food to arrive. And when it did arrive, one of our orders was missing and we waited another 10 minutes for that to arrive. Several of us wanted some jelly for our toast and we asked the waitress to bring some to the table. She came back with two strawberry and one orange marmalade packet for four people. We had to wait to flag down our waitress again to get some more jelly for the table. It felt as if they were hoarding it. LOL. NO JELLY FOR YOU. I understand not wanting the customers to waste the jelly, but seriously, this was rather ridiculous. As I said, all but one of us liked our meals. The one who didn't like it ordered the Chicken and Waffles. What arrived was about a one-quarter of a waffle with a smallish piece of fried chicken on the plate with some syrup. It looked pitiful on the large plate. He did say it tasted good, but it was definitely not worth the $17 price tag. You may think that I am exaggerating on the amount of time everything took, but I am not. Our breakfast/lunch took almost two hours and we did not leave until just about 2 pm, having arrived at 12 noon. The outside patio area was very nice and the weather cooperated, so it was a beautiful setting for a meal. There is plenty of parking in the lot. The bathroom was very clean. I would be willing to try Cafe Bittersweet again and I hope that the service is improved by that time. read more

I am all about the Recession Busters. Although yes, the bar gets very crowded so you have to go after the grey hairs (after 8 or so) for dinner. Remember, you are in Aptos. But, once you get the table you will be happy to get a deal on properly served bar food. i.e. sliders with options such as Catfish (or obviously pork) My favorite is Saturday for the pizzetta deal. You really get a lot for your money. I had breakfast here the other day and had the arti-avo scramble. It came with about 1/2 an avocado, good amount of artichoke, swiss cheese and I opted for the egg white option. My favorite part is the hot sauce options, since I am a looooove hot sauce: house made salsa, tabasco, Tapatio or Pepper Plant. Color me happy! read more

Nice menu with lots of fresh options. Great outdoor seating and kind service. A bit overpriced and the staff could be a bit more knowledgeable but everyone seemed to be trying their best considering the current situation. We had steak salad and chicken sandwiches, sides of fries and Caesar salads. Brussels sprouts appetizer was great too! Again food was delicious, ambiance lovely with an outdoor pond. read more

I've been coming to Cafe' Bittersweet since they opened it up well over a decade ago. I used to get breakfast burrito's here almost every day on my way to work (even though I had to go two exits in the wrong direction to get here). Having relocated to Austin in 2006, I hadn't been here in several years. Stopped in for lunch on Saturday around 12:30 PM with my girlfriend to find they had done away with the deli, and were now only a sit down cafe' (they used to be a combination of the two). It was fairly busy, with just a few open tables inside and outside. We chose to sit at a table outside, and were promptly seated, however service was dreadfully slow from this point forward. My girlfriend chose the blue cheese burger special, and I went for an old favorite - the chicken apple sausage breakfast burrito. The order took about 30 minutes to come out, and while the burger was delicious, outstanding even, the burrito was horribly overcooked, to the point that it really wasn't edible. Eggs were hard, potatoes were uninviting, and the cheese was all but cooked away. I tried to work my way through the burrito, but gave up just about the 1/2 way mark. Our server finally came back by (about 15 minutes later), offered to remove it from the bill, and asked if I wanted anything else. I should have learned my lesson, but I decided to order the BLT to go. This took another 20 minutes to arrive (toast, bacon, tomato, and mayo), even though the restaurant had thinned out by this point. I ate the BLT in the car on the way to our next destination, and while it was ok, I thought it had too much bacon to LT ratio (who complains about too much bacon? I do!), so it was overly salty, and not the balanced BLT sandwhich I like to enjoy from time to time. This isn't the Cafe' Bittersweet I once fell in love with. Hopefully this experience was an anomaly, but I'm not feeling inclined to go back anytime soon. I feel my $30 could have gone further elsewhere, with a higher satisfaction ratio. Meh read more

Café Bittersweet - Chicken Apple Sausage Breakfast Burrito - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Aptos, California

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Last night we went to the Bittersweet for a special birthday dinner, our bill was way over 500.00, we asked our waiter if they could bring out a small desert with a candle so we could sing happy birthday, so he brings a tablespoon of whipped cream and a long skinny candle, that does,t stay lit.. A couple of us ordered salads, that were lettuce only, with dressing on the side, really, this is 5 star, the waiter was the worst. never came over to see if we needed more water, drinks, etc. When the bill came there was a 6% fee added on for keeping the restaurant up, which was a extra 38.00 added on.Looks like we won,t be back. read more

I would NOT request this restaurant to anyone of Hispanic ethnicity. I'm half Mexican American and half Native American. Born and raised in Santa Cruz County and I've never been treated with such disrespect at a restaurant before. I went to this restaurant for a relaxing dinner with my wife, and our waitress didn't even want to serve us. I actually heard her whisper to another waitress that she didn't want to serve us. We were brought glasses of water, and no menus at first. Then brought menus and asked if we were ready to order only minutes later. We asked for more time to look at our menus and the response we got was rolled eyes and disrespectful noises. At that point, we just got up and left. This place is horrible!! I've actually ate here before and never been treated this way. Food is overpriced and not even that good. read more

we have been coming here for over 25 years... and have enjoyed the off turist season with the wonderful sliders and midweek Bar menu. we went about a month ago for a small meal and a glass of wine at the bar...was quite surpriced at the bill...first thought is was auto added tip...but it was not... it was a added cost. a few days ago we went to celebrate a birthday...and I was shocke at the bill. it was 90$ in tip over 40 $ in tax, and then the service charge 40$... I guess we are done with going out to eat for a while.... Bitter sweet.... read more

Had a lovely family dinner 7/25/20. The food and service were both great! Patio seating was nice with plenty of heating lamps. Only negative is that they started adding a 5% charge to every table. The added charge takes away from the tip some customers might leave. (I took that into consideration) They were following all Covid guidelines, we all felt safe eating there. read more

As an avid breakfast lover, I have been coming to Cafe Bittersweet for years. It has become a go-to brunch place for both my family and friends, and it is pretty conveniently located near my home in Soquel. While the quality of the food has stayed consistent over the years, the service unfortunately has seemed to decline. The last few visits have had mistaken orders and incredibly slow service. I have tried a solid number of breakfast items on their menu, and my favorite dish will always be the pancakes! Made to order, these are some of the lightest and fluffiest pancakes that I have ever had! Anytime I order something else, I am always filled with a little bit of regret. Other good items include the panini burritos and the au gratin potatoes. Their coffee is great as well! There are definitely a number of places in Santa Cruz that offer brunch at a more reasonable price, but I find myself coming back to Cafe Bittersweet due to the location, as well as the fact that the food has always been good. I would recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a more upscale brunch location, or if you love pancakes as much as I do! read more

Overall a lot better than we expected!! We went here years ago for a takeout order and weren't impressed. So we haven't been back until now. We came for breakfast and wow, were we impressed. It's a much better breakfast than its nearby restaurant neighbor, Red Apple Cafe, by leaps and bounds. Things I liked: omelet was simple but good ingredients and hot from the kitchen, the flavor of the side potatoes was fantastic, the fruit bowl looked great, and the pancakes were huge and fluffy. Things I didn't like: potatoes were luke warm (compared to the hot omelet), they only offer two jams (strawberry and orange marmalade), they said the steaks are from the soft shoulder (which if you know anything about how cows are butchered this is NOT where steaks come from), and the service was slow (people are running around but it took a while to get our check). I'm not sure whether it's a staffing issue or poor table management/assignment. read more

We came about Cafe Bittersweet by accident, pulling off the freeway for gas. Saw the sign, and checked it out. The decor and patio areas are very relaxing and charming. My wife and I ordered breakfast, starting with fresh squeezed Iranians grapefruit juice. I ordered The Kitchen Sink Omelet- bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, & carmelized onions with cheese. The omelet was cooked to perfection, served with roasted potatoes and sourdough toast. Really a great breakfast. My wife ordered sausage & eggs with au gratin potatoes. The eggs were obviously farm fresh with beautiful fresh yokes cooked to perfection. The best part was the excellent service. I would definitely come here again, and also would be interested to try lunch or dinner. This was a great find. read more

I've been here 4 times in the last year & honestly it's way too expensive for the quality they offer. I wouldn't say it's terrible, and the service has been ok, but the food is mediocre at best. Lunch twice, breakfast once, and sushi when they had it, but they don't anymore. The sushi was actually pretty good though. I wish they were better considering how limited we are in Aptos for restaurants, but maybe they'll read these reviews and make some improvements in quality. read more

Delicious food.... terrible service. Waited for 15 min with not a single acknowledgment. Servers, buses, hostest all walked by multiple time never said one word... not even "hello" or "someone will be with you soon". In fact we got dirty looks as if they did not want to seat us at all. I've eaten there many times in the past and enjoyed it thoroughly. Not sure why the service has declined so badly. We ended up walking out and not even eating the. Don't think I'll be back. read more

Oh, Bittersweet. How I wanted for this place to be one of my favorites, but how I've been let down. I've come here about 4 times in the last 6 months so I've got some consistent data to build my review. Every time I've been here for breakfast/brunch, the service was terrible, some of the worst I've had in the Santa Cruz area. Sad-looking, tired /swamped servers, rushing and seeming super stressed out. We could not get greeted by our server before about 7 minutes went by! The energy was so depressing in here that I had to cleanse myself with a meditation in the car when I left. The food quality has worsened lately in my opinion. The Huevos Rancheros are not even a reason to brave the crappy service anymore. Just sub-par food for prices that are quite high compared to other (good) breakfast around. I'm sad to say I will not be giving this place more chances. read more

Food was OK. Service was bad. Slow and stretched too thin. My wife didn't get the correct order but we never saw the waitress again so she ate it. Feeling a little ripped off for what we paid for and the dining experience we got. read more

I want so badly to like you Bittersweet. You are cute inside and out...some of your wait staff have personalities, and sometimes your food is quite tasty. But my goodness....you have a few people working for you who would be better served as Mortician's assistants. I've met friendler people at riots. And your food....how can you send out one plate of food that is quite good...and the other two plates taste bland and dull? Trying to get anyone at your place to give a darn about our issue was the final straw. Telling me you are sorry and then thanking me for bringing the situation to your attention is terrific. Refunding my money for the bad meal...or offering to comp me the next time I come in would have put some weight to your otherwise worthless apology. I live in Aptos, I want you to succeed, but you are going to have to improve the overall experience to earn a place in my heart. read more

I really wanted to like this place, but was put off right from the get-go by the young zombie girl who, expressionlessly, took my order (bacon burrito to go), took my money, and then went back to doing her thing, which apparently was to assist the smokin' HAWT main server with "back work", folding towels and so forth. No information, like "it will be ready as soon as we heat it up." No "thanks". No NUTTIN! Could really use a lesson in how to engage the public you are serving with just the smallest amount of interaction. Ok, forget that.... now, on to the food. I saw they had something called "our famous Panini breakfast burrito" so that's what I ordered. When I asked for "no potatoes' they told me "sorry, they're all pre-made." I figured that was a good thing in that I would be in and out in a jiffy. Nope... that's where the extra info from the server might have adjusted my expectations. After waiting 12 minutes for something that was "pre-made" and could not be customized, I received a burrito-to-go, nicely wrapped and warm. I asked what took the time, and was told "We cook them in a panini press." Ah, ok.... now I understand! This ought to be good! Well, the first couple of bites were good. I was eating the edge, where the panini press had not had a chance to dry out the tortilla to a crumbly, mealy consistency, instead of the delicate, chewy, flavorful delight I get when I buy a Gayle's breakfast burrito (terrific I might add!). Nope, I waited for a not-made-to-order burrito to be dried out on a panini press, and the result was at best unspectacular. Worse than the dry crumbly tortilla was the bacon, chopped into tiny pieces so it resembled bac-o-bits, not the premium smoked tasty product I was expecting and deserving for $7. Overall, I would have to say I was very disappointed in this visit to Cafe Bittersweet. I love the Bistro... the cafe has a LONG long way to go before it is even close to deserving to sport the same moniker. read more

Had the Hawg scramble. Food was warm not hot like the plates. The meal was undercooked. The portion is large but doesn't over come the lack of quality. The cooks must have been in a rush to get the orders out on a Sunday morning. They focused on quickness instead of quality. The service is friendly enough. For breakfast in Santa Cruz area, it is below average because there are so many good place to go that are much cheaper. Bittersweet has great dinner meals and good bar selection but the express & rotisserie doesn't match up. read more

Very bittersweet. Food was ok, service wasn't. Ate separately from my girlfriend, we came to eat together...not to watch each other eat. I'm supposed to be happy after breakfast, I'm not. Overpriced bland food, very long wait times and subpar service. Will not return or recommend. $50 for a "meat lovers bloody Mary" (bacon skewer tastes like fast food), two orders of huevos rancheros, and a latte. I got jipped! read more

Excellent breakfast. It's a smaller section of the larger Bistro restaurant. The cafe has both ample interior tables plus outdoor patio dining and plenty of parking. We tried 3 other places on a Sunday morning where we could not get a table. We were only passing through town so it was frustrating. Then we found this place. The pancakes were delicious, and not just because of the chocolate and caramelized bananas which were amazing! but because of the pancakes themselves. Not doughy like a lot of places. The toppings though were fantastic! The waitress was delightful, pleasant and attentive. My other half had eggs the way he wanted with a couple off the menu items like grilled onions and tomato slices which was no problem. Coffee was superb! Thanks for turning a frustrating breakfast necessity into a great dining experience. We will definitely be back on our next trip. read more

Nice little place, breakfast was pretty spendy but I guess it was quite a bit of food. $8 if you want a side of eggs and bacon is a little much if you ask me. Overall okay place but expect to pay around $50 for breakfast for two plus tip. read more

I was a little skeptical of this place based off of the reviews, but I went here because a friend highly recommended it. With that being said, I don't know how this place doesn't have a higher rating!! Went here for brunch on a Saturday, and was seated right away. The staff was friendly and very welcoming! They serve their coffee in huge mugs (my favorite) with unlimited refills. Our waitress was on top of refilling my mug, which I couldn't complain about. We asked our server for some recommendations and she suggested a few for us to choose from. We went with the caramelized banana pancakes and the kitchen sink omelette. The pancakes were AMAZING!!! Perfectly fluffy with tons of syrup and delicious caramelized bananas-- a definite must try if you're a pancake fan. The kitchen sink omelette was also amazing-- stuffed with bacon, ham, sausage, cheese and veggies! Will be returning here very soon :) read more

Beautiful restaurant. The hostess was welcoming and warm. She always made sure we had water, and still hustled! Our waitress spoke softly and did not spend time waiting on us. Empty plates sat for a long time. The chicken taquito appetizer is to die for. So good! The salads are large. The chicken sandwich was ok, had potential but needed more. The French fries were definitely just pulled from the freezer which is is disappointing. We skipped on the desert but heard they are delightful! read more

In April I had a bridal shower luncheon for my daughter in their back room. The owner was a pleasure to work with very sweet, professional and accommodating. The service the day of was great and the food was amazing. I highly recommend having an event their. Sharon D read more

Terrible service The food was over priced and bland! Don't waste your time and money at this restaurant! Took 20 mins.for the waitress to come by , and she seemed like she was having a bad day! She was just as rude as the manager! Going to mentioned to all my friends in Aptos that this restaurant has gone down hill and that the food and service was appalling! There are so many better restaurants to go to in Aptos! read more

My most favorite place to eat. Excellent food and service. Lots of choices on the menu. Everything is always fresh.

Good breakfast, we have been there several times and it has not disappointed us. Service is ok, getting better, food is good, and portions are generous. Better to go early, after 10 am service is very slow. They do not have any sense of hustle when it comes to service. It could be managed better. read more

This is quite the find for lunch! 4 of us came for lunch, sat outside, shaded, Heirloom tomato salad, unbelievable!!! Also basil pizza, thin crispy crust, Chinese salad and club sandwich. Everything perfect, great service. Mango mojito/great! Lisa was our incredible server! read more

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Great breakfast today at Cafe Bittersweet. The waiter recommended the Chicken and Bacon Eggs Benedict and it did not disappoint. The eggs were perfectly oozy, the chicken and bacon were perfectly cooked, the English muffin wonderful and the hollandaise sauce was awesomely flavorful with a little kick! I'm so glad I took his recommendation. My kids had the chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and my teenage son should have ordered the kids size because he couldn't finish the 3rd pancake on the adult menu. Never happens but it was a lot of food! My daughter eats like a bird and took most her food to go but loved the pancakes and bacon as well. Hats of to the chef! Very friendly staff and we had no wait. Awesome!! read more

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Decent tasting food. We came for breakfast (group of four) and had reasonably tasty good. Potatoes augraten were very tasty... Unfortunately prices were way out of wack for what you get. Our bill for three adults and one child was over $100. Just coffee, juice, and meals. Turns out they charge $2.50 for any change (add grated cheese, $2.50, substitute potatoes, $2.50, etc). Also their Benedict is about $6 more than most comparable local restaurants. Like I said, food was good quality, but not outstanding and definitely not worth the price. Sadly I can't afford to come back. Not at these prices. read more

Good sandwiches. A little on the $$$ but, its quality, so no problem. Coffee...so-so, as well as the pastries. But it s a friendly atmosphere, dog (outside) and kid friendly. Breakfast burritos are good. I like the place. Just can't ever say that I've had a craving for the place. Its a definite A-Ok. read more

Yum, yum! Came here twice because the food and setting is just so welcoming and nice. Greek omelette was delicious! Friend had eggs Benedict which didn't disappoint, son had the stuffed French toast-- that's two meals in one. We found a great breakfast/lunch place in Aptos! read more