Upon entering, we were promptly greeted and lead through their nice lounge area to the well-appointed dining room. After selecting our drink preferences, bread service was initiated. Attention to details by our host was evident and appreciated. Our entrées arrived nicely plated in a short time. We greatly enjoyed our entrées of Spagetti alle Vongole and Seabass Fish of the Day. Live music was being performed in the lounge throughout our dining experience which greatly enhanced the ambiance of the meal and restaurant. The live music was a contemporary jazz quartet followed by a clarinet and drums duo ensemble. The atmosphere of Obló is conducive to a relaxing rendezvous for a drink or dining with friends, or to embrace the intimate and romantic undertone of their fine dining venue with one's significant other. read more

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Oblo is located in the cusp of downtown, across from Abbott Square where you are close enough to hear (and feel) the music while dining in a circular glass windowed room. Oblo has a family-style warmth with the paper menus and touch lamps that look like candles and yet it also feels like the perfect Date Night restaurant because of the ambiance, cool lighting, top shelf bar menu, great service and impressive food. I was there for a birthday, and Oblo surprised even me with their stellar service when they marched a line of smiling staff members out with a slice of beautiful cheesecake over a zigzag of blueberry compote and sung happy birthday in such a joyful way that the other customers joined along. It was definitely special. We had great service all night -- from the first person we saw to the last. Every dish was delicious! read more

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A rare high end restaurant in the heart of Santa Cruz! Wasn't sure about the parking lot next to the restaurant, but there's a public parking lot a few steps away reasonably priced at about two dollars an hour. The ambience here is warm and relaxing, although it does make taking pictures difficult. The live soft music was a nice touch, and there was one waitress (and one helper) for the dining area; but raising your hand or an "excuse me" usually gets their attention. Menu items can change, and their selection is a right blend of apps, salads, pastas and daily specials. For apps, we opt for the Brussel Sprouts, Burrata salad, Borchetta and Frito Misto. The groups favorite was the Frito Misto (app sampler platter with shrimp, calamari and fried peppers). If you have to give one up, forgo the Brussel sprouts. The Borchetta is a good option but only comes with four pieces. Due to the lighting, the pictures don't do the food justice, but I can assure you the taste is there and spot on, especially the mushroom risotto that didn't look too appetizing with a dark color bowl. Their special (beef with polenta) was cooked to perfection with a wine sauce that accentuated the polenta. The smothered Chicken Parm was done just right but the potatoes would've been better with less seasoning. Of course, a Affogato is a must but the ice cream was on the sweeter side. read more

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Came in on a referral for our 50th anniversary. First off let me say the server was great, she was attentive and nice. From there it was a so so experience. Right Brains martini came wrong, they did fix it though. Our meal choices were not what was shown in the website. Disappointed but hey, we are foodies, we forged ahead. After a less than tasty octopus appetizer I ordered clams linguini for my main corse. Right Brain had a spicy penne something. Looked great but neither of our pastas were cooked.not al dente, but still hard. We were given no bread or starters. Odd. We finished as much as we could, still smiling until Right Brain presented our server with the parking ticket. "No, we don't validate" she said. Right Brain said the website shows validation. He got frustrated but finally found the site with the incorrect info. The meal was a waste of money given it was our big night. I hate to give threes but in this case they deserved it. Food quality is paramount. I did not complain as it would totally spoil the night and delay an already poor meal, but after much though decided to Yelp. Hope this helps as it appears to be an old time favourite. read more

Italian restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz with classic and few unique dishes and stellar cocktails. 3.5 stars Food: 3.5 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Opentableable: yes Return worthiness: maybe Highlights: - Trofie marsala: this pasta shape is hard to find and when I do it's always with pesto so this was an interesting combo. Could've used a bit more depth of flavor and less soupy texture as I'm a fan of marsala. 3.5 stars - Meat ragu: meaty hub thought it was tasty. 3.5 stars - They made my son a fettuccine with chicken and butter he LOVED which I greatly appreciated. - Banana old fashioned: my hub could not stop raving about this cocktail - Atmosphere: tables in one room and bar in the other Midlight: - Bruchetta: fresh tomatoes were great, but couldn't get over the sliced bread not being toasted which lacked that crusty texture. 3 stars Lowlights: - The website and menu framed it as an upscale special occasion italian restaurant. It was fine, but didn't find that to be the case for our family holiday meal. Solid Italian food and cocktails would consider coming back for. read more

Oblò - Trofie marsala: excited as this pasta shape is hard to find. Fine but could've used a bit more depth of flavor. 3.75 stars - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I think this may be a bit of a hidden gem. Very mellow/not busy on a Thursday night. The appetizers were the highlight. Both the Elk Carpaccio and the Fritto Misto were super good. And where do you get Elk? How cool is that. And Fritto misto was very well fried and crispy. Both were very healthy sized portions as well, we were expecting them to be at least only half as large. The cocktails were also very good. Clean, fresh, well balanced. We got a Spanish Paloma and a Girl in Every Port, and both were very tasty. For mains my husband got the Zuppa de Pesce which was good - had a ton of seafood in it and again was pretty large. But the apps were better. I got the special salmon linguine with vodka sauce and asparagus. The salmon was quite good, but the linguine itself was a bit undercooked, and the sauce was a bit too rich. We both were very full though with two apps and a main. The burgers I saw looked good - so since we weren't blown away by our mains, I think that could be the secret - come for cocktails, apps, and the burger. read more

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The best food in Santa Cruz without a doubt! We had dinner here Saturday night two weeks in a row. Last week we started with the Mushrooms, Fritto Misto and House Made Bread. The Fritto Misto is lightly dusted and fried perfectly. The calamari and tiger shrimp are just delicious. They have perfected their method. We had the Lobster Ravioli as our main entree and the Sea Scallop entree. Exquisitely presented and delicious! They do not skimp on their ingredients. Tonight we had to order the mushrooms again and the Fritto Misto appetizer. We also tried the roasted brussel sprouts. Again, it was all served to perfection. We ordered the Seafood Risotto and the Elk Carpaccio. It was beautiful sliced and prepared. The Elk was sweet and savory. It was a delicious complex blend for your entire palate. The Seafood Risotto was over flowing with seafood. Wow! This is the place to go! And the service we received was impeccable. They time the appetizers, entrees and desserts. Oblo has trained their staff in service and it shows. They are attentive and are constantly clearing plates. The servers and staff know what they are doing. I am raving about this restaurant! It is just what downtown Santa Cruz needs. Make a reservation. You will Not be disappointed! read more

Oblò - Seafood Risotto - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Meh Seafood risotto, shrimp dish, three beers, $125. Shrimp dish had a cream sauce that was so rich jo one could eat much of it. Shrimp were nicely cooked. . Seafood risotto had a handful of frozen seafood that didn't taste great. Probably won't come back read more

I'm rooting for this place, but they need to 'step up' their outdoor seating game! We live in a town where people like being outside. The full bar, happy hour deals, and friendly staff are all winners. With a brighter sign/ lights and some outdoor ambiance magic, I'm confident they'll be the 'go-to' spot in no time. Food and drinks are already on point - let's hope they can 'dish out' some outdoor charm soon! read more

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Our first time since they change the name and ownership. The changed is "good". Bar area is so much better, counter is more modern. The table in the middle is a good addition. Our bar guys are so nice. read more

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The good: solid cocktails. Frito Misto app was good ( especially the shrimp). The bad: main courses were meh. Seafood Paeea was mediocre at best. Wife's burger was "disgusting" and over cooked. She barely ate half. Fries sucked. Service was pretty slow, but our waitress was nice and polite. Ambiance: anyone who has lived in Santa Cruz for a while knows this building used to be Hobee's cafe and after that Cafe Mare. Sadly, I can't unsee either of those restaurants. I could see this turning into an "old people's" hot spot just like the previous two restaurants at this location. I can't think of any reason to go back other than maybe to grab a cocktail and an appetizer (maybe). 3 stars might be a touch generous. read more

Oblò - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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We enjoyed Oblò last night. It was super easy to make an online reservation and to note it was for a birthday. We had a group of 8 and the table was ready when we arrived. I had never been here when it was Cafe Mare, but I liked the decor of Oblò. It has a warmer decor than most other restaurants in town. Which truly helped to feel like we were transported to another country. We had the fritto misto app (calamari, shrimp and peppers) house made bread and the brussel sprouts for apps. All the plates were cleared and we even ended up ordering more bread! For the main most the group had the rib eye burger. I had the actual ribeye with the potato gratin. It is topped with chimichurri (which is my weakness.) It was cooked perfectly and delicious. I failed to mention the drinks. The cocktail menu easily racked up our bill. I had a passion fruit martini and the Obló martini. I definitely didn't neeed the second martini. But I have another weakness and it's to try all the espresso martinis in town. This one was the best I have had yet! I highly recommend Obló. It was the best dinner I have had out in a long time. read more

Definitely some of the best eats I've experienced. Service was spot on throughout our meal. We will be returning soon! read more

Oblò - Matcha crème brûlée with sour cherries - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great food, ample portions. Charming atmosphere, especially Sunday night with live music - one man guitar and vocal. Imaginative cocktails. I recommend the one with Mezcal. The menu covers the needs of kids and sophisticated palates, but no crazy exotic expensive stuff. We were a party of 11 so the service was a bit stretched. No worry, when you're loved ones. read more

My husband and I went for thanksgiving dinner. We arrived an hour early but were seated promptly. Staff was very friendly and quick to tell us the specials and take our order. We split the Brussels sprouts and meatballs. The Brussels are a must. It really could be its own meal. You get 2 meatballs which is a bummer but only because the are so good. I had the cornstar martini which was very refreshing & the perfect balance to my very rich & DELICIOUS spaghetti carbonara. The portion size was double what I expected and a very yummy snack a couple hours later. Pasta tasted fresh & perfect al dente. This is the kind of dish you want for a cheat meal. My husband had the salt & vinegar with kettle one. Personally I hate pickles, but the drink wasn't bad. He had the seafood stew which I couldn't try because I'm allergic to shellfish but he loved it, and he's pretty picky about his seafood. The portion was also big and came with a giant prawn on top. There was a lot of seafood in it too which he was happy about. For dessert we had the chocolate bomb & Americano. The chocolate bomb was a chocolate shell with a mousse inside. Not overly sweet at all. It was ridiculously good. One of the top 5 desserts I've had. The Americano was great and a great pair with the chocolate. Normally when I have carbs I instantly bloat...bad. After eating here I was fine! No bloat at all! Everything was high quality and fresh. They really know what they're doing. Everything we got came out hot. I mean blow on it hot. I've never been to a restaurant and had my food come out like that. You can tell it wasn't sitting under a heat lamp. I loved it! Everything we saw come out of the kitchen looked delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

We decided to take my visiting aunt to the Santa Cruz area on Thanksgiving to see the redwoods. While there we looked for a restaurant open for dinner and happened upon Oblò. Words cannot describe how lucky we were to have stumbled onto this place. My husband and I definitely enjoy going to unique and good places, but have noticed something in almost all but three Michelin three star restaurants; usually not all the course are good. The restaurant either has amazing salads, incredible appetizers, fantastic mains, mouthwatering deserts. But this was not the case for Oblò. Each course was top of the line. We shared two salads: a beet salad and an artichoke one. For our main course my husband had mushroom risotto, my aunt had carbonara, and I had gnocchi. All the dishes were incredible beyond words. for dessert my aunt had tiramisu and my husband had a chocolate ball. Both were in Heaven. My husband and I cannot wait for more relatives to visit or for another great reason to return. Hopefully for you, you will east at this amazing place before we do. read more

Oblò - Beet salad - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Very good dishes and priced right for an Italian restaurant. I would definitely recommend and come back again here.

The Thursday night bar special ribeye hamburger is the best deal in town, bar none. Went back to do it again. Won't be the last time either. You are missing out if you don't go in for this. $15 for the best burger, steak fries and a beer cannot be beat. read more

I noticed a new restaurant name while driving to meet friends for dinner downtown Santa Cruz. I suggested it and we were all happy we tried it out. We don't have reservations and they were booked but we were able to get drinks and food in the bar area. The bartenders, waiters and owner were very welcoming and made great suggestions to order. The drinks were great. We highly suggest the Cornstar Martini, it was refreshing. For dinner we had the Oslo Burger which was perfectly cooked medium and the Brie and Apple complimented it very well. The Ahi was highly suggested by the waiter and my friend loved it. The Ribeye was cooked to perfection and the parsnip and potato gratin was soooo good. We finished off with the profiteroles and chocolate mousse. Very tasty. We will be back to explore the rest of the menu! read more

The polenta was to die for! and so was the pistachio bomb desert. A new Italian experience for me here in Santa Cruz. I've been to the other Italian restaurants, and this is the real deal. Absolutely lovely. And so is the staff! I highly recommend Oblo`!! read more

My favorite Italian restaurant in Santa Cruz!! Food is fabulous!! Always get one of the specials. Pistachio bomb for dessert was amazing.

Great food with spot on cocktails. Service was impressive. Love this spot for people watching. These guys are good with large groups too.

My husband and I were in town for only one night and wanted to have a nice meal. We walked to Oblò from our hotel across the river. The ambiance was quite lovely. There was live music, which is usually a bad sign to me, since it's so often too loud. But this music was acoustic (or at least very minimally amplified) and we enjoyed all the songs as background music without having to raise our voices to hear each other. Our server, Caleb, met us just inside the door and showed us to our table. He was friendly and engaging, but professional, and gave us thoughtful responses to our questions. Caleb offered us bread and we accepted. It came with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in, but the bread itself was pretty flavorless. We ordered the fritto misto appetizer to share, and then the steak special entree to share. We each had a cocktail with the first course--I had the Salt and Vinegar (their version of a Gibson martini), which was very nice, and he had the Blackberries and Cream (I think that's what it was called), which was delicious, topped with a crown of fresh whipped cream. We had a glass of wine with the steak. The fritto misto was plentiful, and came with a few shrimp, a lot of calamari, shishito peppers and a house made tartar sauce (very nice.) The steak came with a spinach and potato gratin that was delicious. The steak itself was slightly overcooked (we asked for medium, and it was more like medium-well), but it came with mushrooms and that gratin. We didn't have dessert. Even though we were sharing it was more than we could eat and we took the remaining steak back to our hotel room. I'd give this place a 4.5 stars if I could, but it was more than a 4-star experience. Ambiance: excellent Service: excellent Bread: bad Cocktails: excellent Appetizer: excellent Steak entree: good read more

I really wanted to like this place but was let down multiple times during my visit last night. My husband and I walked in at about 7:35pm and it took a little while for anyone to notice or greet us, even though they sat another woman who walked in right before us right away. I let them know that I had a reservation for 8pm but they said they could seat us early. It took nearly 20 minutes for any of the staff to come to our table and acknowledge us and give us water. Normally I wouldn't even wait that long, but each time a waitress walked in the dining area I assumed they would stop at our table, but no. It almost felt like we were being purposely ignored and it was getting to be comical. Finally a waitress came to our table and we placed an order for 2 cocktails, and appetizer and a salad. My gut told me to hold off on ordering our entrees. The cocktails we ordered were perfect. We had the Salt & Vinegar and Pornstar martinis, both delicious. After almost 40 minutes of being there our appetizer and salad came out and I immediately noticed plastic in the salad. I flagged down a another waitress let her know about the plastic and that we would like check so we could get out of there. She apologized and took the salad away. Our waitress came back, apologized and tried explaining why the plastic was in my salad, which at this point didn't matter. It was almost as if she was justifying why it was there? Lol They offered to remake the salad, which I declined and again I had to ask for the check. They ended up only charging us for 1 drink, but they somehow made paying the bill awkward too. Our bill/my card were brought back to us by the bartender, and he seemed pretty confused, "I guess you guys are all set?" were his words. I got the feeling that our waitress didn't even wanna bring my card back so she had the bartender do it. It also seemed strange that the manager didn't bother to come out and apologize. Again, I really wanted to enjoy this place but their staff is really lacking. read more

We wanted to try this new restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz. We walked in, without a reservation, and were graciously welcomed by bartenders Julian and Zoe. We couldn't resist first sitting at the elegant curved bar, and having a drink, before sitting down to dinner. The restaurant's menu is quite extensive, and we had a tough time deciding what to order. Our server, Jasmine, was friendly and helpful. We chose the artichoke salad--plenty big to share--fresh greens, perfectly dressed, with yummy slices of fried artichokes and carrots. The seafood risotto was good and included tons of clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp. The star of the evening was the scallops dish--perfectly seared scallops with a couscous-like rice and arugula, served with a magnificent sauce. The scallops dish demonstrated that the Chef truly knows what he's doing. The wine list is well thought out, featuring mostly local wines. We enjoyed the Integrity Pinot Noir. This restaurant is a welcome addition to downtown Santa Cruz. Prices are reasonable. We will definitely be back! read more

First they updated the space which gives the main dining area more privacy from the bar area. Second the cocktails were yummy and creative! I appreciated the number of local wineries represented. Finally the food was so good! The scallops were excellent quality and perfectly prepared. All the staff were happy and attentive, ready to get back and enjoy more of the menu. read more

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We were excited to try this place as it had good reviews. Honestly, a bit disappointed. Service and cocktails were great The food was pretty mediocre. Got the carpaccio to start and the meat had no flavor and could have used a bit of something more. They also tell you, you really need to also order bread, which should be included as it would not be much of anything without it. The iceberg salad was good. The seafood paella not at all. It had no flavor and they had no hot sauce available so we put some salt and pepper which helped. Some of the rice was uncooked and one of the mussels essentially tasted like a sewer and had to spit it out. Don't think we'll return. read more

Celebrated my 5 year anniversary w my Jo and had an amazing experience. We started off w the mussels and the house bread which caused an out of body experience in both of us. I can't say enough about how delicious they were. For our entrees, i ordered the ribeye steak. I left the plate spotless. 10/10 would recommend to anyone trying to find santa cruz's lacking food scene read more

Oblò - ribeye steak - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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The burgers and drinks were delicious! Came here with friends on a Friday and it was not packed, service was great. Just a heads up- the bread does come at a cost but it was worth it. read more

Oblò - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Came here for a date night with my wife and everything was wonderful. The location and ambiance make for a great vibe, the cocktails and the food are delicious, and the tiramisu is the best I've had. The staff was attentive and extremely helpful when I was deciding between entrees. Definitely recommend. read more

Everything about this place is a winner! Great food! Great ambiance! Great service! Party of 3, we ordered meatballs and clam appetizers. Mains of gnocchi, seafood pasta and chicken parmigiana... all excellent! We ate here because our intended restaurant was closed and we just happened by... serendipity is a good thing! read more

Came for a "date night". Place hasn't changed much since being Cafe Mare. Selection of cocktails and NA fun drinks was plentiful. My husband got the banana bread old fashioned and it was tasty! We both got the specials, which were Orecheete pesto pasta and the chicken parm. His was really good, while mine lacked salt. Service was great except our waitress was a little quiet, but other wise did a great job. Odd accoustics in there and you can hear tables on the otherside of the room near the fishbowl windows clear as a bell. read more

We went for my birthday . It took 2 hours for the main entree to arrive after a couple of times asking the waiter about it. The food was nothing out of the ordinary Italian restaurant that we've gone to. In fact I was expecting better from this restaurant but I was disappointed. Some of our entrees were salty. Ambiance was nice and quiet especially with a big group. Would never go here again. They didn't even apologize and not even a credit for a drink or something to alleviate our disappointment. read more

It's the whole package: great food, amazing service, chilled ambiance. The gnocchi was Devine. Get it.

Still dreaming about these cocktails from a trip to Santa Cruz. Great drink menu to choose from. read more

Oblò - Espresso Martini, Berries & Cream - Beer Bar Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

One of the most well- cooked and juiciest ribeye I have ever experienced. The food here is honestly amazing. Everything tastes on point with so much flavor. -octopus tentacle : octopus was tender, with so many components to this simple dish. the sauce was addicting, it paired so well with everything in each bite. - french onion soup: the soup was very beefy, perfectly salted, the cheese was thick and the caramelized onions made it so worth it. -ribeye: one of the best cooked ribeyes ever, it was tender, perfectly cooked the way we asked, and the juices was everywhere. the scalloped potatoes, were heavenly... -lobster ravioli: the amount of popping lobster i ate with each bite was sooo good. you can taste the natural sweetness of the lobster , and the sauce wasn't overcoming the taste of the lobster. it was creamy and very good. read more

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Excellent food, truly great food! wonderful atmosphere and staff are so friendly and make you so comfortable

Our swordfish special was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. We also shared the risotto and loved it. Best of both worlds sharing two mains. Service was excellent and so was the Pinot Grigio. The atmosphere was classey and romantic. We definitely look forward to another special occasion to go to Oblo. Congrats to the relatively new owners. read more

I have been to Oblo three times now and feel confident to write a review. I like the urban atmosphere and location. Haven't spent any time in the lounge however it seems very cozy. All three times we have had great and very personable service. Food has been excellent but tonight (a Saturday) it was exceptional. It was very busy and I thought things would take awhile longer but everything was very prompt! We had 4 appetizers and all were delicious. Cocktails are outstanding. So glad to have a good restaurant downtown! read more

The food was great, we tried several dishes: the bacon wrapped shrimp, the fettuccine with Bison ragu, the spaghetti and meatballs, and brussel sprouts. All were super tasty. Our server Sep was very friendly and helpful. The bar and dinning room was warm and inviting. I will definitely be back. read more