Loved this place! Food was yummy, place was cool, coffee was better then Blue Bottle, and the owner is super chill! Can't wait to go back and try their other items! read more

River Cafe - Chicken Panini and coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Service is good and kind. Food was not what I expected, perhaps, business is under new management ? and menu seems to differs quite a bit from what I remember! Only item I enjoyed was the momos! Ambiance is relatively neutral, nonetheless, I don't think I am coming back again! read more

The best little tree house cafe in town! The Momo's are amazing and the service was brilliant. Thank you for everything.

Great MoMos, great service, personable people. Can't wait to go back and try the Noodles. Owner even gave our dog some chicken! We will for sure be back to this gem. read more

River Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Small menu but amazing and delicious food. We got the chicken momos and the chicken panini which were so yum yum. The service was also incredible. The people there are so friendly. I had a great experience there and definitely recommend stopping by. read more

River Cafe - Chicken Momos - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

A great spot to grab a quick bite. I was a fan of their momo's when it was just a food truck so I am happy they have a permanent location. We were also pleasantly surprised with how good the breakfast burrito was as well. Everything tasted very fresh and the service was friendly. read more

Our Nepalese American family planned to visit River Cafe for the Tibetan community's "Day of Joy" on July 6 in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday. The Tibetan community and friends would provide food and drink. But, life got in the way, with my adult daughter feeling ill so we ended not going. However, in hearing of our disappointment, her sister-in-law visited the restaurant and brought us two take-out meals that were provided free of charge to patrons on the Day of Joy. Each meal included three vegetarian momos (round steamed dumplings filled with kale, cilantro, garlic, bean noodles, tofu, and potato), a side spring salad (greens, dried cranberries, walnuts, and dressing), dry noodles with spinach, green onion, carrots, and sauce, a wedge of watermelon, and a creamy pie dessert (not sure what it was, but it was yummy). Thank you, River Cafe and the Tibetan community in Santa Cruz. We appreciate your generosity -- and plan to visit River Cafe in person in the near future! Based on how good these meals were, we must try out your chicken and beef momos and chai! read more

River Cafe - Day of Joy Meal. July, 2024. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I had a great experience being in this cafe. Me and my wife tried chicken noodle soup along with chicken momo . Soup was delicious and made our morning feel better and ready to go on our adventures of the day. Chicken momo - juicy, we loved it. The vibe in this cafe was calm, friendly and welcoming. I recommend everyone to go try it in the morning. It's a good place to start your day read more

River Cafe - Main lobby - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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First time here and I was impressed! I had the momo beef sandwich and an Americano, both were delicious. The café is cozy and comfortable, and the owner is very kind and welcoming. I'll definitely be back! read more

River Cafe - Beef Momos - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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River Cafe is this small glass-walled cafe with lots of outdoor seating. It has cute decorations inside and is centrally located near shops and close to downtown. I went there for coffee and tea with my family after lunch, but we will definitely be back for the momos (dumplings!) because those look FIRE! The service was super friendly and professional too! River Cafe may have to be in my family's restaurant "rotation" because we love dumplings! read more

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Overall great experience, the staff and owner were really friendly and hospitable. Their momos were delish, definitely will be back to try more food items! Matcha was nice and frothy too read more

Found this cafe half a mile from Santa Cruz Pier. Found the place calming. We gave it a try. The cage advocates for Tibet awareness. Love their beef momo !! read more

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We were excited to try this place. I thought it would be similar to a small diner. It had more of a hole in a wall aesthetic. They had a small panini maker and kitchen. We got some noodles and a panini. Neither was anything to rave about. We felt that for the quality we got it was over priced. Perhaps we should have tried something else from there as many people seem to highly recommend this place. read more

They actually open at 9:00am, which was a pleasant surprise since we wanted to grab a quick bite before heading to the Boardwalk. The veggie panini is delicious. I also got the chai tea with oatmilk. It was not sweetened, which I loved, since most places make it way too sweet. If you want, they have sugar and honey. read more

I came across this quaint and unique, family owned cafe while making my way to downtown Santa Cruz, and I was very happy that I stopped in. I was greeted almost immediately and my order was promptly taken soon after. They were very friendly and all food was made to order, cooked to perfection, very delightful flavors, fresh ingredients, and served hot. I ordered the bacon burrito and deliciously refreshing, local, aloha kombucha. They brought me my order where I was sitting, which was another plus, but I noticed my burrito a vegetarian one, filled with tofu, french fries, well melted shredded cheddar cheese, spinach, scrambled egg, and I added avocado. It was delicious, and the chef even said he marinated the tofu himself, so good! However, the burrito had no bacon as I ordered, so I asked for a side instead and they were more than happy to oblige. In fact, they gave me extra bacon! They are very kind restaurant owner who cook and serve well! Also, apparently they are a neighborhood favorite too! As I was waiting for my food I could here a family vehind me saying how they love going there because it feels like home, and I can definitely see that. I am a happy customer who will return and recommend this place to friends and family. read more

River Cafe - Aloha kombucha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Great food! It's all outdoor seating, but it's covered - no rain to ruin your breakfast burrito! Dogs are welcome and given water and chicken bits by the owners. read more

I love the River Street Cafe! Some friends and I frequent this place for lunch, and the food is delicious. I really love the vegan dry noodles. The owner and staff are really sweet and welcoming. Highly recommend! read more

Excellent handcrafted food! These guys really care. The food is fantastic. Nothing fancy. outdoor tables, mostly to go, but you won't be disappointed!! read more

10/10 food holy smokes, I got the chicken panini... fantastic! The environment is fun and the chefs were the most high energy happy dudes, very helpful with all my questions. Cute little inside, big windows so perfect for a rainy day. The menu looks delicious and everyone loved what they got. I cannot recommend this place more if you're looking for good vibes and yummy food. read more

My husband and I had breakfast around 11 am PT on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the River Cafe. We ordered two large coffees, one sausage breakfast burrito and one chicken panini sandwich and one blueberry muffin. The quality of each item was very good and the portions were very good. We came with our service dog ‍ who got a little bit of chicken "on the house". The service was very friendly and we could sit outside on their patio which is nicely decorated with flags (I believe) from Tibet. We will be back! read more

I was looking for a quick healthy lunch option and found River Cafe. Excellent, fresh and healthy options. 2 thumbs up. Highly recommend. I will come back often. read more

River Cafe - Beef noodle soup - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I ordered the Grilled Veggie Panini and Chai. I loved the veggie panini, me and my friend thought it was very filling and yummy. The chai wasn't to my taste, but it was still pretty good, my personal preference aside. The service was pretty fast. I think the interior is charming, its a bit small. Overall we really enjoyed this place, I hope to come back again to try the Momos. read more

River Cafe - half of a grilled veggie panini (i ate the other half) and the 12 oz chai - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Coffee was decent. Ordered the yogurt parfait which was just verrrrry few blueberries, one banana and a spoonful of granola. Also ordered were the veggie dumplings which lacked tofu and left my tongue so dry from all of the salt. Service was okay. read more

This small cafe blow my mind. I tried two sandwiches last time, and I definitely not a sandwich person, but I love them. One tri tip and one ham and cheese. Both are great. Their ham and cheese sandwich is the best ever. Grilled ham steak, bri cheese and crispy apple plus greens??? Which genius invented this. No other ham sandwich could beat this. This time I tried the momo and dry noodle. Momo is decent but the noodle is so yummy with the chili paste coming with it. The cafe also offer good espresso. If there is a problem, it will be you have to be patient. It tends to be slow. But you can make the time to visit Patagonia outlet next door. read more

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The service here is so friendly and the food is great. We especially like the chicken momos, chicken apple sausage breakfast burrito, and cappuccinos. I also think the chicken pesto sandwich is really tasty. read more

Wonderful service, very tasty food in a nice area to sit outdoors or inside. The chicken sandwich was made with love and the dumplings were delicious and the sauce was ! read more

River Cafe - Chicken panini and dumplings. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Yummy tiny spot where the momos and sandwiches are super popular. We had the chicken panini, and it was really yummy The beverages were good too but not as amazing. Staff is super friendly, we recommend! read more

A darling gem in the rain, old stomping grounds, a favourite pit stop when rolling through my old hometown, all in one. A complete treasure. Joyful noise, but never too overcrowded. read more

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Took 20 minutes to make a toast and all the other orders came after me were done. And dinner order the matcha latte. It is green but no matcha taste. Absolutely a disaster read more

Incredible food, some of the most delicious vegan food in town, and a great staff! Highly recommend the vegan noodle soup

Wow !! What a great find!! We just got back from the Himalayas and was hankering momos! Momos are Tibetan dumplings served in Nepal, Bhutan or Tibet! This was such a friendly welcoming little cafe with owner Rabjee. We had the beef and veggies momos that are served with fresh salad! They were yummy! The chai was super delicious!! We just loved everything about the restaurant! If you are looking for a new experience- very inexpensive - 9 momos for $12 And super filling or just a fun place to go , I recommend you going to meet Rabjee! He's got lots of locals that love him too! Can't wait to try everything on the menu! read more

River Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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They have dumplings. Small place with a fantastic assortment of food for a quick stop. Noodles, sandwiches and breakfast. They have my espressos too. Yesssss read more

We really enjoyed eating our Nepalese momos and noodle soup outside at picnic tables under the trees on a sunny afternoon! The cafe owner was nice and friendly. Service was quite quick. The chai isn't very sweet, but you can add honey, and it's nice and hot and flavorful with various spices, as it should be! There are sandwiches and burritos if you would like something more traditionally western. It's all good! read more

The place smelled good when I walked by. I was hungry, and thought I'd give them a try. They immediately got some points with me as they seemed concerned with cleaning an already clean counters. I ordered a few Paninis for my wife and I. It took a short wait, but the food was incredible. When I went to pick the food up at the counter, the chef quizzed me on what I needed. It seemed like he may have been the owner. He was committed to making sure I left happy. Very friendly, and wanted me to be a return customer. You can't ask for more from a restaurant. Super good food, cleanliness a priority and friendly service. 5 star from me all around. If I took time to write a review, it's gotta be good. read more

Great Guys! Great food! Love this place... and there is Patagonia Outlet beside River Cafe.. ...Rabjee is Awesome... read more

River Cafe - The look inside River Cafe... cozy... - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This little cafe is a hidden gem! Conveniently located to World Market and a couple of other great stores. Great for a quick bite to eat/lunch! The dumplings and beef noodle soup had so much flavor and were delicious! They have a little outdoor seating area you can have your dogs at. And the workers there were so kind!! read more

Great, cute, local spot. They have breakfast and lunch. They have coffee, tea, beer on draft, and canned and bottled beers and other drinks. We ordered a breakfast burrito and the momos (we got a sampler). We got draft beers, today they were both blondes. Several outdoor tables to eat here, very little indoor seating. Super nice folks! read more

River Cafe - Breakfast burrito and all 3 momos, with their handmade hot sauce. Mmmmm - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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My 1st time here I had the chicken momos and an iced matcha 10/10 fresh food the momos had so much flavor by far the best I've had. The sauce they added on the side was amazing. read more

River Cafe - Chicken momos and ices matcha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Delicious Momo dumplings - so excited this place is under new ownership. I've been by twice in the last month and it's been great both times. I hear the new owner is thinking of changing the name - possibly to reflect his delicious food truck Nomad Momo. It's obvious he puts a lot of care into the food and service. The vibe here has definitely improved. My toddler was dancing heartily to the Tibetan music. read more

River Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Highly recommend this place. Heard amazing things about this place and finally got to try it. The food and service both great! I had the chicken momos and oh my!!!!! I can't wait to go back and try the veggie momos and other items on the menu! read more

River Cafe - Chicken momos - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California