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    The Midway

    4.6 (53 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    THE MIDWAY ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - The Midway

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    Sumit C.

    Great restaurant if you're looking for high-quality local ingredients, cooked fresh, in a welcoming, warm environment. Everything from the menu, food, furniture, decor, cutlery, and serving plates has all been chosen thoughtfully. All that thought shows in what we ate! The Fogline Farm chicken with jimmy nardellos (long red peppers) and creamed corn was one of the best bites of food I've had this year! Amazing! The flavors were amazing. Heriloom tomato toast was delicious and so was the garganelli pasta. We took a couple of desserts to go and the tres leches cake stood out! We'll be back!

    Menu as of 11/10/24
    Leah Y.

    Such a cute local brunch spot. The restaurant itself is quite small, but fills up fast. The kitchen is exposed and you get to watch as the super kind staff prepare your food. The menu is small, but what they serve is executed very well. Ingredients are fresh, and all of the plates are a work of art. From what I can tell, the menu changes often but they tend to be variations of the same concept. Like the yogurt and granola is always on the menu, but they change what fruit compote is served with it depending on what's in season. I ordered the smoked black cod and it was very delicious. Each of the elements were fresh and colorful, with the buttery fish falling apart when I pick it up with my fork. The seasoning didn't over power the cod flavor at all, and the beats were the perfect sweet to go with the runny, savory yolk and the small pieces of salty olives. Everything balanced perfectly and had a high quality you can taste. My one wish is that the green beans were cut a little smaller to make them a little easier to eat, or cooked a little longer to make it easier to cut with the knife. As for the grilled cheese, my friend loved it. The ricotta was super creamy and paired well with the tangy greens and potato. The sourdough is made fresh in house and is toasted so it has a slight crunch before reaching the soft filling. This is a great local cafe, but fairly easy to miss when you are on the street due to its small size. I would recommend trying it as the food is prepared with so much attention to detail in terms of looks and flavor. I appreciate how the menu rotates often so that there is always something new to try. The price you pay for the food is definitely reflected in the quality, not to say that this restaurant is super expensive, but you do pay a little more than some other brunch spots in the area. But if you're a foodie, or just looking for a good fresh meal option, it's totally worth it.

    Bluefin tuna crudo, miso, cucumber, pluot, shiso, sesame
    Brian M.

    I've been here over ten times since the soft open and live nearby. You can taste the attention to detail happening here. Farm to table gets used a lot but there should be a next level label for these dishes. My dining partner tonight had the Bluefin tuna crudo with miso, cucumber, pluot, shiso and sesame, and the Early girl tomato soup with garlic croutons and parmesan. I had the McFarland springs trout with herbed potatoes, horseradish aioli, and marinated beets. Each of these dishes were fresh tasting and balanced. The Bluefin and miso was savory balanced with brightness of cucumber and sweet pluot. The trout was cooked perfectly just to the point of flake but retained its moist texture and flavor. The trout with the aioli, beets and savory potato was countered with some bitter greens that made every bite a joy. Normally we get the bread and butter which has a texture and chew that is addictive. This time skipped bread in order to enjoy a scoop of Caramel apple ice cream and a Mocha ice cream for dessert. Chef Stern and the Midway are creating art level attention to detail dishes that won't disappoint. Even the curated music is chosen with care. Will greedily continue to dine here.

    Sour cream pancakes
    Emmeline W.

    The perfect beachy brunch nook! Bless the places with small-but-carefully-curated menus for my indecisive ass :'D Awesome food & A+ service. My partner and I were seated immediately on a Saturday afternoon. HOUSE-MADE YOGURT: I am a simple person... I see parfait, I order it. Delicious! The freshness here is remarkable. AGED CHEDDAR & APPLE GRILLED CHEESE: This is one of the best grilled cheeses I've ever had ;_; I was just really intrigued by the apple butter and potato-- despite my minor apple allergy, I decided it was worth the risk LOL. So flavorful & well-balanced. Every bite of cheesy goodness is met with little pockets of tangy, sweet apple. I'm tempted to recreate this at home. So much local flavor packed into one spot! Love that they source from nearby vendors and farmer's markets. If only I lived nearby... I'd stalk their rotating menu regularly.

    Honey yogurt pancakes with cherry compote
    Tamar L.

    This is pure Santa Cruz cuisine; farm fresh, wholesome, delicate, yummy. Lovely new cafe by the Rio theater. We went for brunch. My favorite thing we tried was the honey yogurt pancakes, wow. Service was excellent. A great new addition to Santa Cruz's restaurant scene.

    Nick M.

    We just had dinner at the Midway. Each time the food was fresh, inventive and somehow still comforting. It's a small restaurant so dinner reservations can be helpful. I'm in love with the interior of this spot, it has this 90s beach cafe vibe, but not too "on the nose", also love the art up on the walls. We have always been able to find street parking, but if you struggle with that there is also a public lot between Charlie Hong Kong and Whole Foods.

    Shakshuka
    Guadalupe H.

    You should eat here. I came in for brunch because the photos of the food looked delicious. I was not disappointed! I came here a few minutes after opening on a Saturday and there were already several people, but I got to sit by the window. I ordered the shakshuka and a coffee. The shakshuka was gorgeous and tasted as good as it looked!

    Lemon cream tart w nectarine and sesame brittle. (Minus the tiny bite I took before taking the pic and then devouring it)

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    2 years ago

    Delicious local food that doesn't make you feel like you just ate a day's worth of calories. Love their food.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious farm to table food. Felt so much love and care in all of the details of the food and restaurant. Definitely go support this place!

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    2 years ago

    Amazing foood and very good place with good workers I enjoyed it I recommend peoples to go there

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Midway

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    Of course I've never been here so I checked Yelp reviews and it looked like it had pretty good…read morereviews. We didn't have reservations and it was on Mother's Day. But we got seated right away for three people. We got seated towards the back of the restaurant where the other bar is. I start to look at my menu for a couple minutes and I noticed something weird happened that I was in a different spot. And then I realized that I was sitting on a rotating platform! It was super cool because you always get a rotation to view the ocean many times. I only ordered one drink, because I had a 2 1/2 hour drive home, which was really good and my bistro steak (medium rare) was so good. It had a really nice char and taste to it. I'm definitely coming back to check out their other entrées and hopefully have more time to have a couple cocktails!

    We enjoy Hawaiian food, so we made this our lunch stop at Santa Cruz. It's located near the end of…read morethe pier so it was a little walk to get here. We were seated immediately on a Saturday, which was nice. The AC/fans were blasting so it was actually really chilly inside, but you've got a great view of the ocean and the revolving bar is a bit of a trip to watch! I got the honey macadamia nut prawns, my wife got the tamarind Pua'a, and the kid got coconut prawns. The food was decent- not bad but nothing notable in our opinion. Perhaps our thoughts were swayed by the prices- a little expensive we thought. Decent lunch but a one and done place for us.

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    Lillian's Italian Kitchen - King Salmon - Outstanding

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    One of the best restaurant experiences I've had. I'm not even talking about the food although it…read morewas amazing! We arrived on a Sunday night maybe an hr before closing. Wait was 20 mins. After we got seated we quickly ordered. We had a mixture of lasagna, ravioli, and a sea bass lemon risotto. Food was incredible. But what I want to emphasize is the service. I mean WOW. From the moment I got there, everyone was super kind and welcoming. I didn't get her name, but the beautiful young lady who was all tatted, she made our experience so memorable. She came over constantly to check on my family and I. She made it so personable. This was our last dinner before heading home on our vacation and we hope to return. Thank you for the hospitality.

    Walking into Lillian's, my first impression was its romantic, dimly lit atmosphere. The employees…read morewere attentive, informative about the menu, and made the whole experience feel welcoming. In my opinion, this is one of the better restaurants in Santa Cruz. Black Truffle Stuffed Gnocchi ($25): This dish was creamy and so delicious! The gnocchi was cooked perfectly, and the tomatoes gave it a fresh, nice touch. My only complaint is that the portion size is a bit on the smaller side. Sunday Gravy ($25): This dish included Italian sausage, spare ribs, beef, and pork, served with rigatoni pasta. I loved how meaty it was, yet it didn't feel heavy. Some pastas leave you feeling weighed down after eating, but not this one. It could have used a little more seasoning, but overall, it was a solid dish.

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    Burrata appetizer and cherry sour

    The Midway - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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