We had a lovely time at this spot. Good wine!…read more Friendly service- the gentleman there was so personable and helpful. Bathroom - single person bathroom in the back~ Decent parking in front and street parking around.

Cute winery and outdoor garden, nice staff, but terrible wines. $20 for 5 wines. None of us liked…read moreany of the wines. A couple tasted like they had already gone bad so we poured those out and we hardly ever waste alcohol. Outside food is allowed. Walked in on a Saturday afternoon and it was not busy at all

Most of the wine has a Santa Cruz Mountains flavor profile; I am not so fond of that style. But…read morethree items stand out: - Raspberry mead: sweet and complex. Sparkly backbone. - Sierra foothills port. Very complex. - 2023 old vine Zinfandel from Lodi: very savory.

Really lovely experience at Bargetto Winery. The outdoor area is dog friendly, so we enjoyed our…read morewine on the patio looking over the redwoods with our pup. Great energy, peaceful and serene. Would for sure return!

Great landscaping that is hummingbird friendly. No picnics allowed. They have lighter bodied wines…read morewith a heavy acid/citrus note. My favorite wine was the 2022 Cabernet Franc from pleasant valley.

Amazing service and people!!! We came here for my bachelorette and they were so nice and the winery…read moreis BEAUTIFUL!!!! The wine was fantastic and we had an amazing time thanks to the amazing people who run this place! The best part of our trip and I would highly recommend going here!!!

I visited Armida Winery when they were open and had a very pleasant experience. The tasting room…read morehad a cozy local feel, and the atmosphere was calm and welcoming. The wine selection was interesting, and the staff made the tasting feel relaxed instead of rushed. I liked that the place felt personal and not too commercial. It was a nice stop in Capitola, especially for a quiet wine tasting with good service and a comfortable setting.

The gals here were knowledgeable and very nice! Left with two bottles of wine to enjoy on our…read moreAirbnb patio. Met some really friendly people at the bar as well tasting wine.

We had a wonderful time. It's a beautiful restaurant, we loved the cable car, and the staff was…read morevery responsive. We had a party of 5 including 2 teens and one kid. We were able to find vegetarian dishes easily and loved the desserts! It was very special!

Shadowbrook is one of those "must try" restaurants when visiting the Capitola area. Not only do…read morethey have delicious food, but their dining environment/scenery by the riverbanks makes it almost mystical. Service was fantastic. Staff were all friendly and they cross-cover one another to ensure ongoing service is provided to each table. Our main server (Sean) was courteous in explaining menu items to us, humorous, and kind, which really made our overall dining experience pleasurable. 1. Complimentary Appetizer Bread (5/5) The bread was soft and fresh. The butter that came along with it appears to be house-made whipped butter. It was creamy, airy, and not too oily. They are great to eat on their own as an appetizer, but they also pairs well the Artichoke and/or clam chowder soup(s). 2. Artichoke Soup (5/5) Pureed artichokes in chicken stock garnished with Creme Fraiche, leeks, and potatoes. Aesthetically, it's green in color with an "S" insignia from the heavy cream. I'm not really sure how to describe the flavor of this soup other than it had a "familiar taste," a bit vege-like, but not quite like a green pea soup, creamy, yet lightly tangy from the Creme Fraiche. You don't see this soup often, so I'd say, GET IT! 3. Clam Chowder (5/5) This is probably one of the best clam chowder's my family and I have had. The soup was creamy, yet too too salty like a lot of other chowders we've had in the past. The clams were super tender (not rubbery) and fresh (zero "ocean/seafood" taste). It's lightly sweetened by their over-roasted sweet corn, then topped with some fresh rosemary. There is option to add crispy bacon for extra charge, which we did not opt for. 4. Artichoke and Pear Salad (4/5) This is a seasonal/weekly special menu item. It's a really special dish that's not for most people to be honest, especially if you are not use to healthy eating. It's quite literally fresh artichoke with slices of fresh Bartlett pear that's dressed lightly with blood orange flavored vinaigrette to give it a bit of tangy citrusy notes and a generous dollop of whipped goat cheese. The pear was on the hard/crunchy side, was juicy and subtly sweet. 5. Roasted Baby Beetroots (4.5/5) Another wonderful light dish that is not for everybody. If you know the flavor of beets, you'll know that it has a sweet earthy, dirt flavor profile. To cut the earthy-ness, they serve it with 3 generous dollops of goat cheese, which actually does balance out the flavor quite well. They serve 2 types of beets - the traditional red beets, but also yellow beets. Other than the color difference, the flavor is the same. It's topped with pepitas, walnuts, balsamic dressing, and fried mint leaves. We all loved the fried mint leaves, which were crispy, yet not too herbally/minty in flavor. 6. Black Truffle Gnocchi with Filet Medallions (3.5/5) The gnocchi was perfectly soft and pillowy, chewy, but not stick to your teeth. I'd say, the gnocchi was "cooked to perfection." As for the truffle flavor, it was very, very subtle, mostly from the truffle oil. Wish they actually used real truffle slices, especially at the dish's price point. They give the option to add filet mignon, which we did. The filet mignon was just "ok." It was not tender, juicy or seasoned very well. 7. Blackened Lamb (3.5/5) The blackened lamb name comes from the heavily black pepper seasoning on only 1 side of the lamb. The lamb was not tender, nor juicy. The seasoning was subpar. Comes with honey-glazed carrots, parsnip chip, fresh garlic paste and mushroom bread pudding. The highlight of this dish was the mushroom bread - had good mushroom flavor but with the consistency of bread pudding (A+ concept) 8. Lobster Tail (5/5) The lobster tail meat was super fresh and pleasantly sweet. It was poached to perfection - not too rubbery in texture. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and dip it in the melted butter = happy taste buds. Served with sides of house-made whipped (not mashed) potato and broccolini. 9. Beef Wellington (3/5) Beef filet medallion, mushroom duxelles, cooked in puff pastry. Served with sides of garlic-Whipped potato, green beans, Veal demi-grace. 10. Mahi-Mahi Filet (3.5/5) Another weekly special menu item. Mahi filet served on top of a bed of Butternut squash puree, walnut-parsley salsa, lemon oil and topped off with parsnip crisps. The fish was fresh, but was really nothing special in flavor. 11. Creme brulee (5/5) Creme brulee made right. There's a very dense shell of torched brown sugar with a very rich caramelized flavor covering over a bed of smooth, vanilla custard. A+ that their vanilla custard did not have any eggy flavor. 12. Coconut-Lavender Lemonade (5/5) House-made coconut cream and fresh lemon juice. Super tropical in flavor, refreshing and pleasantly enjoyable.

We stopped by on a Saturday afternoon with our pup. The patio is cute and spacious, and we were…read moregreeted with a splash of Riesling (which was great!). The service was excellent and so was the wine. We would definitely come back here next time we're in town.

We did a tasting at Big basin wine bar in Santa Cruz on Saturday afternoon. It was a very laid back…read moreand chill atmosphere. There were several tables filled and most people were eating food as well as drinking wine. I enjoyed every wine I sampled and because of that, I really want to visit the winery property. I definitely will return here. Great location and the food looked good, too.

Lovely little spot that's finally open on more regular hours. Stop by on a Friday or Saturday…read moreafternoon for pleasant wine and ocean views. I think reservations are required these days, but they're very easy to do online. The seating is in a nice outdoor area in the redwoods overlooking the ocean. A great setting and all of the wines we tried were good as well. Grapes aren't grown on site but are mostly sourced locally which is cool. We enjoyed everything so we were happy to purchase a few bottles. To sweeten the pot they apply your tasting fee to bottle purchase. It's really a no brainier to leave with a wine or two. They're priced pretty reasonably and it's nice supporting a local wine maker.

The scenery is stellar and the lady helping us was nice. Just got a weird feeling when the the…read moresupposed "guy that makes the wines" visits with every party there except for ours. Made us feel a little unwelcome. Then towards then end I'm not sure if we've been spoiled by every other vineyard but she didn't ask if we wanted to re visit any of the wines we tried. Was only asked if we would like to purchase any bottles. We asked if we could try a wine that wasn't on the flight and unfortunately they didn't have an open one. No worries but still wasn't offered anything else. Was a very relaxing experience would maybe come back it's just minor details. Overall had a fine time. To sum it up quickly the wine overall was I'd say a 7.5 out of 10. Some good, others were a bit mute but not bad.

MJA Vineyards Wine and Tasting Room....I love you! I always…read morehave a wonderful time when I stop by, and I am always treated like family; Marin's energy and generous Aloha spirit make customers feel welcome. There are all kinds of varietals--seriously, there are so many to try! Plus, it is easy to leave having made new friendships. I also love being part of the wine club and the perks, and I have been a member for about ten years. The wine club member parties and movie nights are a great time. There is a wine for everyone. The Cabernets age very well. I just opened a 2013 Cab this week ("Still Horny" ????) that was awesome.

Ambience is convivial. I sipped by way through a wine tasting. Here are my rankings on a 5 point…read morescale. The 2019 Cab from MJA vineyards (Suave) had the best value: 4.7: 2018 Cab "Penetration". Serene Cellars. Vermouth note. $135. 4.7: 2018 Cab "Too risque". Serene Cellars. Deep and smoky. $135. 4.6: 2019 Cab "Suave". MJA vineyards. $80. 4.6: 2019 Cab "Lei'd". Serene Cellars: $135. 4.5: 2011 Cab "Distraction". Serene Cellars. Almost gone. 4.5: 2017 Cab "Foreplay". Serene Cellars. $135. 4.5: 2020 Pinot Noir "Wink". Davine Cellars. Nice layer of smoke. $48. 4.4: 2020 Cab "Debonair". MJA Vineyards. Concentrated and peppery $85. 4.3: 2018 Malbec "Sneaky". Davine Cellars. $58. 3.0: 2017 Merlot "Elegant". Davine Cellars. Too sour. $58. They also had a pizza popup on Saturday by Italia Fire, a wood-buring pizza popup. I tried the chicken pesto pizza $22, but it was lacking in flavor, and the crust was doughy and undercooked.

We stopped in to Aptos Vineyards tasting room on a Thursday afternoon. What a beautiful little…read moretasting area! Everything about it was lovely. We started as the only two people in the tasting room, but very shortly the entire room was full of all kinds of return customers, mostly wine club members. We sampled their beautiful wines, which were quite good, and enjoyed them. There was no pressure to purchase wine, the tasting room server was as pleasant and knowledgeable as she possibly could have been. She was swamped with people, and someone did come to help her. I loved the location of this tasting room and even though it was small it was nicely appointed and felt akin to someone's living room. I would recommend stopping at Aptos vineyards tasting room next time you are in Aptos!

The wine is excellent. If you can put up with the staff. Rude and pretentious…read more I went in today to purchase my favorite wines as a gift. Not only did the male employee fail to make eye contact or greet me. The female employee made a comment about how "wow - you are really making me do my steps today...". The place is very small. I dropped $200.00 and was never offered a sample. The atmosphere was pretentious and unwelcoming. I highly recommend the wine - but know that if you go - you want to get in and out get out.

Excellent beer/Ale, cool vibe, Every time we come to Capitola I stop in for an ale - or two if we…read moreare spending the night in town. They have some quite tasty offerings. The slushies come and go - there was some sort of issue with the city and licensing last year, but I think that has all been resolved. That said, I have never ordered one - I go for the beer and ale.

This past weekend, we visited Capitola and found this cool place. Friendly bartender. Loved the…read moreEnglish-style vibes and of course the beer. I ordered a margarita slushie and it was good. My boyfriend ordered beer and it was smooth to drink. It tasted like vanilla ice cream. The decor and place itself is so cool. Love the mug collection! Definitely will be back!