Took my mother here years ago; the restaurant has been consistently on-point (i.e. great food, customer service, etc.) Always a must if you seldom visit Aptos Village. read more

Lovely restaurant with fabulous service. Homey and comfortable yet still a little fancy. Open kitchen, high ceilings and an Italy-meets-France vibe. I loved it. Offerings were diverse and plentiful. Once again, I was struck with wanting all of the things. My server was accommodating with my request to taste two different white wines and two different reds throughout my meal. I opted for the Chardonnay to go with the special halibut crudo, which was outstandingly prepared. The fish itself was a bit on the fishy side (especially for halibut) but I don't fault the restaurant. The treatment of the fish was perfection. I'm a bit of a Caesar salad aficionado and considered skipping Mentone's mostly because I'd just enjoyed one the night before. But I just had to try it and I'm glad I did. It was certainly not traditional but it was very well made, even better with the added anchovies ~ although I did suffer some sticker shock when I got the bill and found that those little fish were $2 each. Ooof. Switched gears to some Pinot Noir and went for the ricotta sage browned butter ravioli, which were fabulous. I probably should have stopped there but ordered the tiramisu and it was a miss for me. Just way (way) too boozy and totally lacked balance, although it was pretty. All in all, a very nice experience ~ although very pricey for a single diner. Appetizer, salad (with the pricey little fishies), entree, dessert and two 5-ounce pours of wine left my wallet $185 lighter (with tax, tip and 4% kitchen wages surcharge). I know everything is very expensive these days, but whoa. Definitely a special occasion kind of place! read more

Mentone - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

See all

Overall positive experience at Mentone! The stracciatella was fantastic, with very high quality olive oil on it. Loved the focaccia that came with it, too. The pizza was really decent for the area, too. The only thing I wished was that it had more marbling. The sauce and crust were both excellent though, definitely some of the better pizza in the area! The ox tail was decent, though not mindblowing. Similar to the desserts, all decent but not amazing. Similar to other reviews the only thing I would say is that everything felt ~20% more expensive than it should have been. The food was quite good, but at the pricepoint I'm not sure I'd return. read more

See all

This review is much over due. While the visit was a bit ago... the memory is like yesterday. It was that satisfying. Elegant, classy and romantic. Full bar, casual atmosphere with exceptional food. Brought to you by Michelin Chef David Kinch and Santa Cruz local. Mentone is located in the newer Aptos Village area. A sweet addition to the Santa Cruz region dining scene. My food was delicious. An elevated and untraditional caesar salad started off the meal. I loved it! Radicchio... yum. Then the star of the show. A wood-fired, delectable Margherita pizza. Crust soooo fantastic. Memorable to the last bite. And of course an unforgettable, lovely Italian red with which to savor it all. Service was impeccable. Professional and our waitperson was knowledgeable about everything Mentone. Checking in just at the right times. She definitely added to the pleasing rhythm of the meal. The ambiance is stunning. Low lights and exquisite art work. Nice spacing between seating. My fondest memory... being able to meet David Kinch and share a photo at his very cool bar! Such a nice and approachable person. I want to go back soon! 2026 here I come:). You will want to also. read more

See all

5 stars just for the eggplant. All the food was good but as an eggplant hater, this restraints eggplant has single handedly changed my mind. It has a special place in my cherished food memories. read more

Mentone is our go-to spot for celebrating, every single time! The space is open and airy, the art is effortlessly cool, and the whole place hums with that perfect mix of energy and ease. We never skip the Caesar, and if the ravioli makes an appearance, it's non-negotiable. Yes, the portion is small, but each piece is a delicate, flavor-packed pillow that absolutely earns its place on the table. We've also enjoyed the oysters, pizza, and eggplant. Honestly, it's hard to go wrong here. Dessert is a ritual: the decaf affogato (bless them for the decaf espresso) is a must, and a recent lemon mousse with pistachios was bright, balanced, and memorable. The service seals the deal: warm, personable, and perfectly attentive without ever hovering. And here's a pro tip: no reservation? Show up a little early and you'll likely snag a bar seat. Once it fills, they switch to a waitlist system, so you can relax without anyone hovering over your shoulder. It's the kind of place that makes any night feel like an occasion, and we are thrilled to have it so close by! read more

Excellent service but ...the food was less than exciting. Ordered chioppino and a pizza. That was not chioppino. Please try harder. read more

What a great place in Aptos Village. When you walk in the restaurant is nice and bright and welcoming. My boyfriend and I visited on a Friday evening. We luckily found a spot at the bar and ordered drinks and the stracciatella with local olive oil and focaccia. OMG this was delicious! I would come back here just for this! We also had the margherita pizza with mozzarella di bufala and parmigiano reggiano. This was rather tasty too! The staff was very attentive and friendly throughout our visit. Overall a great spot and I highly recommend it if you're in the area! read more

Mentone - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

This place blew me away. I was on a local girls trip in Santa Cruz and my friend made us a reservation here for dinner. Everyone from the hostess to our waitress was super friendly and the food was phenomenal. I had the mentone martini which I highly recommend. For food we ordered the Margherita pizza, sardenaira pizza, arugula salad, eggplant starter (my fav!), stracciatella (yum!) and broccolini. While everything was delicious I absolutely loved the eggplant. Overall, it was the perfect setting for me and my high school besties to catch up and have a wonderful night. Thank you Mentone! I hope to be back soon! read more

See all

The young woman at the front desk was so kind and pleasant. But the food was not. I don't get the hype at all. I'm not sure if it's the vacation-effect, where people become attached to a restaurant when they visit for the weekend. Cute location, cute interior. Limited menu, and wildly overpriced. The pesto with green beans and potatoes, ENTREE, at $32.00 was barely the size of a side. The flavor of the pesto was delicious. The pizza was so thin and soggy that it could blow in the breeze when you held it up. The crust was puffy, so that was nice. I get it, this is a hipster restaurant, so no bread (no one wants to think that they're in Olive Garden, for heaven's sake!) Nor is there any dessert -- not a great special occasion place for that reason, but you could always dip out later to get ice cream at Marianne's. If you like the experience of being in an exclusive restaurant, then you'll enjoy it for the ambience, and the flavor, but the actual food itself is NBD. read more

This was our second time dining at the restaurant. Our first visit was back in 2020 during Covid, when we sat outside. We'd been wanting to return to experience the indoor ambiance, so we decided to visit again for my birthday. Unfortunately, the restaurant did nothing to acknowledge the occasion, which was disappointing. The cocktails were excellent, and the pizza was delicious. However, the portion size of the gnocchi felt small for the price. Service was inconsistent. Our server disappeared for long stretches, and we noticed several staff members gathered behind the bar chatting. I asked a server to describe one of their sparking wines & she was unable to do so. She mumbling something, then walked away. Overall, the experience fell short of expectations. A simple gesture, like a candle on the dessert, would have gone a long way. Sadly, we won't be back. read more

Mentone - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

Love love love Mentone! What a gem in the heart of Aptos Village. Chef Grubbs creates not only delectable Italian fare, but also beautiful plates as well. I've always appreciated plates that consider the visual of a contrasting colorful drizzle on a plate or the impressive towering shavings of cheese on a salad, for example. They're beautiful without trying to be. Right when you step inside, the restaurant transports you to Italy with its large room, filled with the sounds of happy people eating, and framed posters decorating the walls. Mentone is one of the only restaurants where everything I order is delicious, from salad to dessert. Everything. And the service is always excellent and authentically homey. Mentone is truly a special place. read more

See all

I've been here a few times now, including one instance at the bar for cocktails and light bites. The food here is consistently excellent, as you would expect from a place started by a 3* Michelin chef. The irony is, I have yet to have the pizza here. I will try on my 4th visit - I promise :). One of my favorites here is the polenta - such great flavors and texture. The cocktails here are also meticulously and deliciously prepared. Mentone will not disappoint! read more

See all

Mentone is always a 10/10. Staff, food, service is always excellent! The margarita pizza is a standout. read more

See all

Great service, very attentive and quick service. Right when we got there they asked what kind of water we wanted. Server explained specials to us and she recommended some starters as well and yummy drinks. Will be back soon! It's such a cute little fun place inside even though it's still fancy. read more

See all

For my husband's 49th, we had the ceaser salad, pasta bolognese, cheese ravioli, and the best dish I have had forever, the oxtail w/polenta Best service & meal we have had in 10 years since moving here from New York. A hundred stars if Icould read more

Had an amazing dinner experience tonight. We arrived around 6 PM on a Friday night. The restaurant was obviously quite busy. They have a small smaller space that the ambience of the restaurant is very cozy and lively. We put our name down on a list to sit at the bar for two and we're able to be seated within 15 minutes. Started off with one of their guava Mezcal cocktails and a red wine both were delicious. I especially loved the cocktail. For our entrées, we had a Caesar salad salad and a Bolognese. They were very attentive at the bar and service was all around great. We then decided to get dessert and landed on they lemon curd with pistachios and got a wonderful recommendation for a charters pairing from our bartender. I think it was one of the most immaculate desserts I've ever had honestly so delicious. Overall, would definitely recommend for a nice date night if you did want to come with a larger party definitely would recommend making a reservation as their pre-limited on space. read more

Been wanting to try this place out for some time now, and finally got the chance. It was a bit of a colder night with drizzle, so it was indoor seating only. We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation, and were told we couldn't get seated until the time we reserved. It did look pretty busy, and seems like seating is somewhat limited. We were quickly greeted by our server, who walked us through the menu. We went with a Margherita pizza and a Caesar. I believe all food options are meant to share. The Margherita was delicious, I just wish it had a bit more cheese. They did offer to add some type of special cheese, but I decided to opt out of it. The Caesar was delicious. I loved the croutons. Parking is limited, but there is some street parking. Overall, I really enjoyed my dining experience here and am extremely happy with the food! read more

Mentone - Caesar - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

See all

The eggplant appetizer was hands down the best eggplant I've ever eaten. We followed with an arugula salad, that was bright and crisp. The soppressata pizza was highly recommended and did not disappoint. Just the perfect amount of spice. Finished with the lemon curd which just writing about makes my mouth water. Can't wait to come back! read more

Mentone - Old Fashioned - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

Amazing dinner again!!! Bartenders Jillian and Mathew gave us great suggestions and helped us navigate through the menu! Amazing cocktails and food but better yet service! Can't wait to come back. Until next time! read more

We had tried coming a few times but never had reservations and didn't want to wait. It's definitely worth the wait! Great cocktails, appetizers, and food! The building is beautiful and classy and the artwork is great. read more

Having tried Manresa a decade ago, I have been excited for Mentone for a few years. Finally able to pass through. My cocktail (Tokyo Drift) was nicely balanced and not too sweet, which is a rarity. Tripe and polenta was a pleasant surprise. Polenta was creamy. Tripe was tender and did not disguise what it was. Always good to see some offal on the menu. Anchovy pizza was great. Dough had right mix of chew and crunch. Tomato sauce cut through the oil of the fish and olives well. Seems like a lot of the reviews for this place are grading on a pretty harsh curve. Overall, easy to recommend for a classy happy hour stop. read more

Mentone - Tripe & Polenta - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

See all

This was by far our most disappointing dining experience at Mentone. The Strachiatella was good as always, though we did not appreciate the extra charge for three extra slices of focaccia. The beef Crudo appetizer was extremely salty. The ravioli appetizer was disappointingly boring. The very thin pasta served with the Genevese pesto was undercooked to the point of being inedible. The markup on wines was extremely high. The prices have gone up as the portion sizes have diminished. Quite certain we will not return in the near future. read more

Went to Mentone as a party of 6. Decided to order family-style and shared everything we ordered. This was fun because we got to try so many things. The slushy spritzes were a fabulous way to start! Not too sweet and really delicious! We got some appetizers: focaccia with burrata, pickled cauliflower, and eggplant. While I am not a huge eggplant fan, this was my favorite dish of the night! The focaccia and cauliflower were also excellent. We ordered three pastas: sage brown butter raviolis, pesto gnocchi, and the bolognese. All were great but I think the raviolis and gnocchi were the stand-outs. We also got two pizzas: Margherita, and one with salami and Calabrian chiles - my favorite of the pizzas. The food was excellent as was the service. Will go back for sure! I want to try their Caesar salad and I would definitely get the eggplant and focaccia again! read more

My husband and I came here on Labor Day without a reservation. We arrived before they opened at 5:00 and were able to get one of the few tables that weren't booked. And despite having read a recent negative review about service we found the service EXCELLENT!! Friendly and super fast! We had great cocktails, the special appetizer of tomatoe confit over stracciatella cheese with balsamic glaze (OUTSTANDING!!!) Calabrese pizza and octopus. We were in and out within 45 min. The fast and friendly service couldn't have been more excellent. So ignore the other negative review. Give this place a try. Cute Italian vibe, great food and cocktails. Just a limited menu. But you can do that when you execute everything well. My husband said the octopus with butter beans was so tender and wished he could lick the sauce off the plate! read more

Mentone - Pizza with salame and Calabrian chili - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

See all

The food is great! The portions are very small so you end us spending a lot to try many dishes. Wait staff is wonderful

Party of 4. We stopped in around 6pm with no reservations on a Friday night after a day of sailing (so fancy!). We were graciously accommodated with a high top. Started off with the fresh peach and prosciutto appetizer and a Caesar salad. The peaches were perfection and carried the dish. Normally I would t order a salad as it takes up valuable real estate in my stomach, however this was the best Caesar I've ever had; so fresh, crisp and light tasting. Moved on to the black cod which was divine. Two pizzas and two bottles of Barolo later we left with full tummies and happy hearts. Wine list is impressive and fairly priced. Service was warm and friendly and although the restaurant became extremely busy we never felt rushed. Definitely returning when we are in the area. read more

Mentone - Happy sailors. - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

Been wanting to come here since they opened. Pizza was good and the Cesar salad was very cheesy/Parmesan Cheese. The Gazpacho soup was excellent. Drinks was good read more

See all

The food can be good, but the service is the worst. There are way too many incompetent employees bumbling around. I used to recommend Mentone but I can't do that any longer. The last couple of times the food was a mess, soggy pizza, the crudo taste like bile and laughable portions. It feels like a joke when a spoonful of food arrives on a large plate. Several dirty areas in the kitchen made me think they're not as clean as you'd expect. Be careful. read more

One of the best meals I've had. Each ingredient in every dish was excellent. From the appetizer to desserts, my wife and I could not believe how delicious the dishes were. We also had our two little ones: 3 and 2 year old kids. This was the only meal that week in which everyone ate all their food. That is saying something when it comes to our kids. We had the Stacciatella to start off. Wife had the Tagliatelle, I had Trenette and the kids split the kids cheese pizza. I had a slice of their pizza and it was the best slice of pizza I might ever have eaten. We finished the night with chocolate gelato and the lemon curd. Wow, wow, wow! I can't wait to come back. read more

Fantastic!!! Located in a charming area of Aptos, with a view out the back bar into a yard full of beautiful trees and native plants. Really good vibes, great staff, and definitely finely made foods. They make their own vermouth and have a couple selections of Negronis. While pricey, the quality of each bite matches up. Definitely a place we will add to our regular line up for delicious authentic Italian. Best bite of the night was their special - fried anchovies - hope they keep it on the menu a while longer so we can enjoy it again. Kinch has done a wonderful job with this place. read more

See all

Came back post-covid to try the full menu and eat inside. The menu isn't big, but it has a good variety of choices. Also some specials which were great. My wife started with the special soup, a chilled spring pea soup, which was herbaceous, bright and floral, studded with crisp croutons. I started with the beef tartare, which had incredible mouth-feel. But was way over-seasoned. Both too salty and too much vinaigrette in particular the vinegar. It was quite bracing and a little hard to finish, which was unfortunate because it was beautiful meat. I then had the polenta with grits which was perfect. Very cozy dish, well seasoned and balanced tomato ragu with slivers of perfectly cooked tripe, with I think little chunks of pancetta as well. My wife had the gnocchi with peas and morels which was light and bright. Service was attentive. Nice they had sparkling water on tap and the frozen peach fizz cocktail was really well liked by my wife. read more

Mentone - Beef tartare - Italian Near Me - Aptos, California

Stopped by for dinner the other night. Parking is tight but can park on street pretty easily. Inside is clean and spacious. Ordered quite a bit to get a variety of the menu. Service was prompt so if you are here to hang out make sure to space out your orders. Tried the frozen spritz which I liked. The stracciatella was good and decent portion. The coppa charcuterie was also fresh but it had pieces of salt on an already cured piece of meat which made it a little too much for me. The margarita pizza was well cooked. No flop on the bottom and was crispy which seems to be rare for wood oven pizzas these days. I will say the sauce is a little weak and also sort of sweet (at least it wasn't overly salty). Cacio e Pepe was also very salty. I love salt but it was a lot I felt. Noodles are cooked well, but again the dish is just a little too salty. The pesto ravioli is fantastic and would get again. But both of these dishes being around $30 (Apr '24) was a little much in my opinion. Deserts were all great. The lemon one was v refreshing. The butterscotch was really good, and the affogato with hazelnut gelato was also delicious. Overall I would come again for pizza and some deserts. Pastas are a little pricey, and especially for a family style menu (so it says) I don't think it was enough portion per plate read more

See all

Mentone is a genuine delight! I have been multiple times and always leave wanting to come back the next day. The food is delicious, especially the pizza. Rarely have I found a pizza that I enjoy to this degree, the sauce is fresh and perfectly balanced flavor wise and perfectly matched with the sourdough crust. I also really enjoy the tagliatelle bolognese which I love to pair with the stracciatella and ciabatta. The ambience is lovely and the partial open kitchen is fun to see. The only downside is the price but that can be mended by simply eating family style. All in all Mentone is definitely worth its place in the Michelin guide and worth a visit. read more

Good pizza for when you're in the mood for wood fired pizza! The dough and red sauce have great flavor and taste like fresh ingredients. Great crust texture too. We got an asparagus pizza too which was different and good but lacked something saucier. I was surprised at how much I loved the strawberry lemonade. I wanted to drink 5 of them. Staff was super nice and attentive. read more

We went there in a group of 6 so I was able to try many different dishes and drinks. Service and Ambiance: 5 stars Servers were excellent and kept coming back to check on us. Very friendly and nice. Fairly busy on a Thursday evening and nice atmosphere. Food: 3 stars (5 for pizza and 1 or 2 stars for other mains) First, get any of the pizzas. Pizzas are excellent. Crust/dough with ingredients are amazing. 5 stars for pizza. The arugula salad and a couple of the appetizers are very good. Unfortunately, the other mains were actually not good. Do NOT get the scallop. Worst scallop dish in long time. It came literally with 3 small, overcooked scallops for $30 something dollars. I got the duck which was good flavor, slightly overcooked/tough but only 2 smallish sections. Cocktails: 4 stars Good cocktails and the wine by glass were good choices. However, at $18/cocktail and wines, pricing was a bit high. I would go back but only for the pizza and maybe a couple beers as good location, ambiance and service, but a bit expensive. read more

Where to even start with my review? I booked this place for a corporate event I was a part of and the entire group absolutely loved our experience dining here at Mentone. They aren't usually able to accommodate larger groups, but they were able to get our group of 15 seated by pushing two high-rise tables together. We had needed to make a change to our reservation last minute but they were able to accommodate this. Our main waiter was super friendly and mentioned that they usually didn't get a lot of corporate events and was interested to know more about what we did. He had a couple of other staff members assisting him throughout the meal who were great about making sure our waters were always filled and that dirty plates were replaced quickly with clean ones. Our waiter gave several of us at the table some recommendations of which drinks to get and also let us know about a special pasta dish that a chef from over the hill had specially prepared only for this evening. However, he was truthful that the plate was a bit lighter and if we wanted something more filling, he could recommend one of the other options off the menu. For our apps, we had some rustic, fresh focaccia bread paired with their fresh, chilled stracciatella, which was a creamy, delicious cheese. We also ordered their caesar salad which was the best caesar salad I've had in my life - the parmesan was super fresh and there was just the right amount of creamy dressing drizzled over fresh greens and crispy home made croutons. We also ordered some olives which were fresh, and tart and made for a nice palate cleanser. Do you notice how fresh is the key theme here? For my main, I decided to get their trenette pasta, based on the waiter's recommendation. This was a linguine pastas with clams, some type of sauce that reminded me of brown butter sauce, and a generous amount of breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Oh, the breadcrumbs. This dish was heavenly - before you even put a bite in your mouth, your tastebuds already get the taste of the clams and the breadcrumbs give a nice crisp to each bite that complements the texture of the clams and pasta so perfectly. My mouth is watering as I'm writing this review. This dish was the perfect amount of food as well - it filled me up but didn't leave me feeling like a total glutton. Some others at our table ordered a variety of fresh-baked pizzas. You can see them cooking it in the open kitchen with their huge oven kiln and the pizza is absolutely perfect. The crust is nice and crispy but still has a good amount of doughyness to it. The toppings pair perfectly together and everything is super fresh. Mentone received a Michelin star in 2021 and this is a well earned star. Everything we had here was amazing and I would absolutely come back. read more

First visit here after years of wanting to try it. Came for a bit of a date night with my wife and this place delivered in spades. We had a special melon salad dish with prosciutto and mint and a champagne vinaigrette which was a really great balance and contrast between all the melons and the richness of the prosciutto. Then we had Caesar Salad which is the best version I've ever had. Extremely flavorful dressing with very high quality Parmesan cheese, a great selection of lettuces and hand torn croutons that are hard to beat. We had the gnocchi, which were perfect texturally, with a nice chew but still delicate. The basil pesto was mild, but extraordinarily delicious, we lapped it up with a spoon after the gnocchi were gone. Next up was the sopressata pizza with Calabrian chili and Parmesan. The pizza was perhaps the best we've ever had. We loved the texture of the crust, the consistency of the cook, and the quality of all the ingredients, particularly the tomato sauce. We finished with the lemon curd, which was extremely flavorful and vibrant, paired with a delightful fior di latte gelato and pistachio crumble, every component perfect. We also tried the strawberry lemonade, Sbagliato Bianco cocktail, and the Grenache from France. All fantastic drinks. The service was very attentive, and they had great advice and they were friendly. One of the best start to finish dining experiences I've had in quite a while. Bravo! read more

See all

Stopped by Mentone for the first time yesterday for an early dinner, and loved it! One of the best restaurants in the area. The Caesar salad was one of the best I've ever had-- wish I could get the dressing recipe!:) The croutons in the salad were also spectacular and perfectly crunchy. We had the Margherita pizza which was sooo fresh and light-- simple, but delicious. We also tried the beef ravioli which was amazing. The portion size is small, as some have mentioned, but it was perfect as part of our shared dishes. I love getting a bunch of small things to share, so this was perfect for that. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and not pretentious at all, which I love. It's a vibrant and cozy spot. Also, the service was impeccable. We didn't have to wait long for anything-- the food came out quickly and the servers constantly checked in to make sure we were enjoying our meal and had everything we needed. I didn't have any drinks this time around but I was eyeing the cocktail menu for next time! read more

See all

I've been wanting to eat here for a while. I just don't understand how this restaurant is so well reviewed. The ambience is great (although SUPER bright lights all night long). The decor, plate ware, vibes...all really nice. Our server took a very long time to greet us. So long that we almost got up & asked if we had a server. It was odd because she had walked through our section a couple of times but never acknowledged us with even a glance so I thought she didn't see us. After that service was fine...she was pleasant but there wasn't a lot of interaction. Food: First, two pieces of bread (no butter or oil) is $6. We got the Caesar to split. The lettuce mix was 98% radicchio which is very bitter. Not sure why anyone would enjoy that. Plus, they were full leaves which is very hard to eat without cutting it up at the table (with a butter knife) Pizza: I mean I guess I'm just not a fan of that style. The crust was floppy & so thin it was hard to eat. Flavor was bland. Bolognese: super small portion for like $35. It was ok, nothing special Half chicken: just literally roasted chicken on a plate. No veggies or potatoes. It tasted fine but was also $35 I believe. Definitely not worth that Something's gotta give in this industry. We can't continue with tiny portions of "ok" food & fine service while paying extremely high prices. It just doesn't work. Oh shout out to the hostess. She was super sweet & hard working read more