As I write this, I've never eaten at High Tide before. Tonight will be our first time, so I thought I'd start my review now and, based on some of these reviews, will hope for the best and give an honest review of our dinner. I have high hopes for High Tide. Stay tuned. : ) UPDATE: OK, now that I've eaten there I can give it an honest review. First, the positives: we sat on the patio, and, in addition to the perfect weather that night, the ambience was wonderful. Patio was clean, looked out over the ocean at sunset, and even the building behind us reminded us of Greece or a Mediterranean Villa. Everyone was attentive and polite, although a few of the staff felt young and a bit awkward, probably because they were new to the job. It was more charming than annoying. Next, the food was exquisite. My wife had the Black Cod (not 'blackened', as some reviews have mistakenly called it), and she raved about it. I had the pan-sautéed Sole, which was cooked to perfection. Very tasty. My son ordered a steak of some kind, ordered it medium, and it was a bit undercooked, but he still enjoyed it. The downside: Portions were a bit on the small side, which wouldn't be so bad, but the prices were pretty steep. I understand their property must cost a pretty penny, and the view is spectacular, but be prepared to spend some money for this meal. Our young waiter was very polite. The bartender serve served up beautiful tasty drinks. But the main course took quite a long time to reach the table. And after the main course was delivered, we had a hard time getting anything else delivered to the table. We ordered coffee and desserts, and they just took a ridiculously long time to arrive. Again, the server was very nice, but a meal should not take as long as it did to arrive. It is the right place to go when you want a good memorable evening or to celebrate a special occasion. I'm thinking it should rate three stars for the prices and the wait time, but overall, it's really a four-star meal. read more

Very high end food and very high prices...quality ingredients and presentation but very small portions... The only food that was impressive and I would recommend ordering were the fish entrees. The lobster in the ramen was overcooked, which seems a likely outcome in a ramen dish. Every extra is extra: 10.00 bread basket for 4 pieces of bread, 20% gratuity pre-added, 45.00 corkage, only bottled water offered, etc. The service isn't anything special, and the servers aren't particularly friendly or helpful. After serving food, the did not check by soon after to see if everything was okay, and I had to wave down servers to get an extra small plate to share a bite of my meal and a spoon for dessert. Also, it took a while to pay the bill. Maybe with time, this will change since this is a new restaurant. read more

The food was incredible. I had read mixed reviews but staying at this lovely resort decided we would have dinner here and hundred percent do not regret the decision. We had some wonderful crabcakes and a Wagyu steak and soul and curry sauce. Everything was prepared perfect and service was great. A little bit on the price of your side, but you expect that at a nice resort. read more

High Tide - Sole in curry sauce, incredible - Desserts Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

We thought the food was fantastic! We raved over the crab cakes and devoured the beet salads. I had the mushroom risotto with several kinds of mushrooms. It was a great choice full of flavor. My husband had the blackened cod for his entree and it was cooked perfectly. We were thrilled with the meal. The service was a little slow for what you expect from finer dining. Our requested water was delivered as we were paying the bill. We are thrilled to have such a beautiful restaurant in Santa Cruz with a such talented chefs. The restaurant has great potential to work out the serving kinks since it recently opened. We will definitely return to enjoy the vast selection of entrees on the menu. The space is beautifully decorated and we especially enjoyed the private room for our party of eight. read more

High Tide - The Coconut Crab Cakes - Desserts Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Fabulous! We stayed at the La Bahia and thought we should check out High Tide given convenience and the menu looked great. They have a pri-fix menu with 3 courses for $90pp or 4 courses for $110pp. We did the 3-course and everything was delicious. My choices were: -Crab Cakes (perfectly crunchy and delicious) -Sole (the curry sauce was AMAZING) -Cheese plate (good option if you don't want sweets) My partner got: -Hamachi crudo (beautiful and refreshing) -Filet (spot on cook and perfect seasoning) -Rum Baba (not overly sweet, perfect amount) Everything was well prepared and well seasoned. Their staff was excellent. Our server was friendly and had the perfect balance of attentiveness without being at the table too much. They play as team and the other server explained each course in detail and you could tell really took pride in what is being served. Cocktails also have an Asian flair. I tried the miso martini and it was very interesting and savory. I would absolutely return if we are in Santa Cruz for an elevated dinner experience. Service was much better than the hotel. read more

See all

Very nice place by the ocean the food was really good. We got the appetizer tuna, Hamachi and the carrots dish, everything was very tasty and the sauce and spices around it was unique. We also got the filet mignon, which was made perfect, and it came with an amazing some kind of mushroom mashed potato. When we looked at the menu, I thought things are kind of expensive, but I have to say it was worth it. We had Manuel taking care of our table, such a nice guy and he made our experience so pleasant I definitely recommend the place. when we went to the place it was not busy and we really received very high serviced by the crew. read more

High Tide - Carrots appetizers - Desserts Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

We went with another couple for the special NYE menu. All of the dishes were outstanding. Views from the second floor location are great and we got to see the Roaring Camp holiday train pass by multiple times. I remembered to snap pics of all the dishes as they were served. read more

See all

My wife and I recently dined at High Tide after trying Low Tide a few weeks earlier. Overall, it was a good experience, but we both felt the value didn't quite justify the price. The setting and ambiance are as good as it gets. We sat on the outdoor patio overlooking the main beach and the Boardwalk, and the view is a 10/10. My wife and I decided to split everything we ordered. The oysters (9/10) were small but delicious. I would definitely recommend if you like oysters. My wife loved the coconut crab cakes (7/10), but I thought they were just okay. The biggest disappointment was the Caesar salad (5/10), which was somewhat bland and overpriced for a small portion. It needed pepper, but we were never offered any. The Spicy Lobster Ramen (6/10) also fell flat. The broth was decent, lobster was just so-so, and the egg was not runny. For the price of this ramen ($65+ after tax and tip), you can get two bowls and an appetizer at other ramen spots in SC county that are as good or better. The best dish of the night was the filet mignon (9/10) with the fava scallion pancake. The fava pancake was incredible! For dessert, we had the pineapple rum baba (9/10), which was also delicious and not too sweet. The service was very good overall. The waitress was attentive and checked on us just the right amount. The chef was also kind enough to split our lobster ramen into two bowls, and they didn't charge us a split fee. My only complaint is no pepper for the Caesar salad. My biggest criticism is the value. While some dishes were great, others really fell short of our expectations. The portions are also quite small for the prices being charged. I'd recommend not arriving overly hungry. If we go back to the Bahai hotel for a meal, we'd stick with Low Tide. read more

See all

They promised a refund and never came through. They won't answer or return our calls.

Served undercooked risotto. It really ruined what was supposed to be a lovely evening out at quality resturant. There is really no excuse. Any cook worth 2 cents would have tasted it before serving. Let alone it was not creamy. We're we supposed to get bread? Way overpriced and very bland non decor. Sorry, but this is the feedback. read more

We visited a few weeks ago and wow, the view is worth the visit alone. Though we didn't have a reservation we were addressed and seated promptly though I do recommend making a reservation around sunset so you can enjoy the view while you dine. I recommend the coconut crab cakes as a starter. They're paired with a really yummy sweet and sour sauce. As for entrees, I ordered the petrale sole and my husband ordered the wagyu. Our meal was brought by a sweet girl, Vivian. She was very well versed on the food and engaged with our curiosity. We were further impressed learning about the local sourcing of ingredients and the restaurants efforts to work with ethical farmers. Overall, can't wait to be back! read more

High Tide - The view! - Desserts Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

GF and I went to High Tide for a Friday night dinner last week. Beautiful evening in Santa Cruz and we sat outside which was warm and lovely. Hostess seemed confused about how and where to seat us despite us stating we would like to be outside several times, but the rest of the servers were excellent and friendly, particularly the bartender who generously poured our wines by the glass herself at the table. We started with the crab cakes which were excellent - crispy outside but warm and perfectly spicy inside. The beet salad was citrusy and very beet intensive ( I like beets so that was ok but this is not a beet salad for amateurs). GF had the black cod with mushrooms which was excellent - the delicate flavors of the mushrooms accenting the delicate black cod. I had the sole with the Thai green curry that I also thought was excellent - the green curry was more subtle than typical so as to not overwhelm the sole. The chocolate tart for dessert was very intense and good for sharing . Overall a very nice place one of the nicest in Santa Cruz and probably the best restaurant in town that has waterfront views. read more

Service was excellent and food was delicious. Just wish the options and portions would be a little bigger. read more

High Tide - Starters - Desserts Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Delicious dinner. Impeccable service. Lovely wine list and we found our favorite. Sat outside and were given blankets for our laps! Expensive but worth it . And a big thank you to our excellent and knowledgeable server! read more

Overpriced and portions too small. Service is excellent, staff was friendly, ambiance was spectacular, food tasted delicious but overall we spent about $250/person and left hungry. No bread services- rolls and butter would be nice. We had crab cakes- they were ok, and seemed somewhat Thai style with a unique sauce- there should have been 3 crab cakes based on size of the two served and pricing. Caesar salad had great anchovies and was a perfect size. Two people in my party had the filet and we wished it was about twice as thick as it was and in general larger- not a great cut at all. It completely lacked accompaniments and took about 10 minutes to finish an entree dish. The black cod was even smaller of a portion and sides again felt like garnishes. We tried the chocolate tart and the pineapple baba dessert. The tart was good, the pineapple baba tasted like a panettone with crème fraiche on top- not that great of a dessert, felt like it was missing something. We had a bottle of wine at dinner. We could tell that it hadn't been stored properly- cork broke in half while opening and sediment around the neckline of the wine bottle, probably wasn't stored on its side which dries the cork and leads to spoilage in the wine unfortunately. Normally I don't note these things, but when spending ~$100 or potentially more on a bottle of wine out- it matters. Cocktails were great at the Pearl bar. Overall a little disappointed...as a local I was very hopefully there was a new fine dining restaurant to go to but unfortunately based on the portions and pricing I'm not sure I'll come back. I'm hopefully this will shift as I loved the setting and Santa Cruz needs more restaurants!! read more

The service and food was amazing. Santa Cruz has needed an elevated experience. This is a great place for dinner or drinks and appetizers. The place is high class. Reminds me of top SF restaurants. Beautiful views and inside and outside seating. I look forward for coming back. read more

See all

Best breakfast in Santa Cruz. Great vibe. Stands out amongst all the other options in Santa Cruz.

Came here for a date night review a few days ago. Not sure what the disconnect is. Overpriced food, lacking in customer service and quality of staff. A very expensive dinner for meh experience and meh food it is unfortunate since the atmosphere design is brilliant . read more

My husband and I had a delightful experience last Friday night at High Tide. From the valet service, the gracious hostess and the wait staff, we were very well served. The Spanish style architecture is beautiful and retains the spirit of the original La Bahia. My husband is allergic to citrus which is a part of many recipes . Our waiter and the chef were so helpful in creating a menu that we both enjoyed. The food was excellent and beautifully presented. It's so exciting to have such a beautiful hotel and restaurant overlooking a perfect view. read more

Not a great first experience. We came on 4th of July, granted it's a holiday and we figured they would be busy since most surrounding restaurants were jammed packed. We got sat right away, no wait which was awesome. Once we sat the server that took care of us was lackluster but we were hungry didn't care about being welcomed. I ordered a glass of prosecco and water. Took about 10 mins for the prosecco to make it to the table and once it came, it took another 10 mins for him to come back to take our order. After roughly 15 mins, he came back and apologized that he had lost the paper where he wrote our order down. It was 15 mins! insane. We let it go, we ordered again. Around the 30 mins after the initial 35 mins our starters came. Cold and crunchy wings, and the burrata toast that was not tasty. We waited another 20 mins for our entrees. Corn chowder was cold and my husband's steak was cooked well done when we asked med rare. We aren't the type to complain but there were multiple managers walking the floor and touching base with other tables besides ours which was very interesting. We won't come back. High prices for mediocre food, mediocre service and robbed of 2.5hrs of our night. read more

Reviews of uneven service seem correct. We are local and had dinner reservations on Thanksgiving, expecting to choose from the 3 or 4 course dinner as there was not a special menu on the website. However, the Thanksgiving menu, ($180 per person) was not what we expected. We tried going to Low Tide, but they only had outdoor seating available. The manager did offer to comp a dessert for the confusion. We ended up at the Indian restaurant on the next block which was fun and festive. I hope management finds its way, but wonder whether locals will be among their customers. read more

Food was good to excellent. The best was the filet of sole with mildly spicy jalapeno curry sauce. Service was great. Did not rush us but was there when needed. Elegant ambiance. Happy we tried it. Will go back. read more

The place is beautiful, modern look and feel with terrific views. The food was ok, small portions and overpriced. The service was somewhat slow and uneven. read more

Food poisoning. My dad got really ill from this restaurant. Nothing went right. Had to send our order back 3 times to have it made properly.

Had New Year's Eve dinner and it was off the charts good! Been to many Michelin star restaurants before and this place certainly fits in. Food was delicately plated and tasted delicious. Certainly recommend read more

Ate here last night for the first time. Overall, it is just exceptionally expensive for the quality of the food. Wonderful ambience, and the service was fine. It's the menu and the food coming out of the kitchen that is such a low bar. The best thing was the Manresa bread. The risotto was so laden with mascarpone that it was sweet and sticky. The concept of serving "" composed plates is offputting to say the least. Portions are exceptionally small and just boring in taste and execution. Very limited menu which is a reflection of a lackluster chef and kitchen staff. Such a shame as the room is pretty and the location and views are beautiful. But our dinner for four was over $650. Wine by the glass was between $25 and $31 for a less than 6 ounce pour. Will not be coming back unless there's an overhaul with the menu, the chef and the pricing. read more

My wife and mother in law and I had a really nice meal at High Tide 13 days ago. It was not busy when we visited as I imagine it is so new. Our hostess and waiter were welcoming and pleasant to talk to. Our waiter explained each plate in detail as it was served. The price fixe menu was fun, as one could choose from 3 different plates within each of the 4 courses offered. One could also choose a lesser priced 3 course slate as well. I can't recall all of our dishes, but standouts were mushroom risotto, hamachi, crab cakes, filet mignon. The three of us agreed that everything was fresh, and perfectly prepared. Would recommend that you give this new restaurant a shot! Oh yeah - the desserts were tasty too. read more