such a vibe there! I love how chill everyone else is.The age group (from that night) ranged from 70 yr olds to 33 yr olds. Everyone had a great time listening to live music.. a lot of ppl were dancing. The only thing that I way would say is maybe have a ladies restroom in the near future? read more

Food that hits the spot. You thought you've had fish and prawn tacos before but then you eat at The Sand Bar. One bite into the tacos and ceviche and enlightenment surrounds you. Inside the main bar and restaurant is dark with some friendly buzzing flies. The restroom is artistically painted with some stickers and graffiti to make it feel homely. The jewel is the outdoor patio with a view of the Venetian Court colorful homes. Server was super friendly and accommodating for a family of young kids. They automatically charged gratuity for my group of six. Would definitely come back again. read more

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I want to say the waitress that helped us was so sweet and patient during a busy Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately my whole family got sick after eating here. We had the seafood sampler and burgers and we did NOT feel good all night. Just a heads up before you decide to eat here. read more

I have beet to the sandbar twice and both times have been outrageously good. Kylie, our server, steered us to, what I experienced to be, the best breakfast of all time. Excellent sourdough, the perfect crispiness, perfect eggs, cheese and sausage mixed in. And the Denver omelette, perfect. Thank you Kylie! This is my favorite breakfast on Capitola and the table on the beach made for a perfect breakfast view. read more

The Sand Bar - Denver was letter u close, perfect hash browns. Breakfast sandwich half devoured for the Mrs. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We sat quickly. Service was prompt and friendly. We ordered ceviche and the full breakfast. The sausage patty was interesting but tasty. The pancake was so good: buttery with a light crispiness which was tasty. Coffee was drip but still good. About six or seven tables inside and more outside with a nice view. read more

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We see concerts here frequently and we enjoy the venue. They have great local bands playing here and good selection of beer. Good bartenders but it gets busy here so sometimes there is a wait. We like being able to go out on the patio or step outside on the esplanade during concert break. We have tried the food options too including clam chowder, sesame chicken salad, and shrimp tacos. The clam chowder tasted more celery than clam. Everything else was good. We'll keep coming back. read more

The Sand Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Food avg, view is the best at the Esplanade. We were fortunate to grab the outdoor patio seats that directly faced the colorful Venetian houses. Ahi tacos were ok, steak tacos slightly gamy, tortilla wraps not fresh. Salsa was too watery but tasty, chips were ultra crunchy. Calamari sandwich good. Prices reasonable. read more

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My friend lives close to Capitola so we ride our bikes over when I visit...that hill is a killer going back to Santa Cruse, but well worth not fighting for parking. There is not a lot of parking in Capitola. We often go to the Sand Bar for their cute back patio view and sea air. I tried the Alex, which is their blackened chicken sandwich and it was the best thing I've had on their menu. They also have great fish tacos, my friend's favorites were the salmon and mahi mahi. I'll definitely eat that sandwich again. They also have fun music in the evenings. One works of caution...their water/soda water has a very heavy sulfur taste. It's overwhelmingly often so I'd advise don't order unless it's bottled. read more

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Stopped in for a quick lunch while in Capitola. This is one of several restaurants along the waterfront in Capitola. They have inside and outside dining. The outside dining is nice as you get the fresh breeze from the ocean air and some sun! They have live music and a bar area as well. We ordered the ceviche and the fish tacos. Both were good. Next time we are in town we will have to come by when they have some live music later in the evening or try breakfast. The service was good, they were a little busy. We totally understand that though. The food came out pretty quick though. read more

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One star cause i cant do zero I walked upon this establishment asking if i could use the restroom, the (obviously very drunk bouncer) told me there was a cover charge. I then asked if i could just run to the restroom (my bad) and he he bounder lunged at me and started SCREAMING "get the fuck out of here!!!!! Do you know where you are?!!!!!" I was so confyused by how fast he switched and how aggressive he was i was thrown off. I asked if he was serious, and he kept screaming "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!" I turned and gtfo of there. It was the weirdest interaction. read more

Visited the sandbar during a trip to Santa Cruz and it was a nice little American Grill/bar on the beach. our server was super nice and the view was the best part. It's located right next to Margaritaville and Pizza My heart in Capitola. The parking can be a little tricky depending on the time of the day that you come, but if you're just looking for some simply good food, then this is the spot to be. We didn't stay late enough to see the live performances, but they do have a schedule outside of live music that happens inside of the bar, which would've been nice to see. Pricing was pretty standard and I got the piña colada, which was a little less creamy than I would've hoped for, but it was still good. I also got the happy hour burger and fries, which was delicious as well! read more

The Sand Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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My Hubby and I decided to take a little drive to enjoy the sunshine in Capitola. We drove from the Bay Area and as brunch was approaching, we opted to try The Sand Bar. We have walked by this little location a few times and have enjoyed a sip nearby at the neighboring business. I have always wanted to try this spot and this would be the perfect day to do just that. We shared an order of 2 beef tacos. When the tacos came to the table, we looked at each other like it wouldn't be enough to satisfy us. I think the server noticed our faces and asked if there was anything else she could get us. We laughed and told her that we would let her know if we were still hungry. To our surprise, the tacos were small, but they were filling. My Hubby had a beer on draft and I had a margarita. The server was pleasant and the view was amazing. I had a great time and can't wait to come back with friends. Cheers! read more

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(Note: this review is for the evening bar portion; not the dining portion) Overall, I think The Sand Bar is a solid place to visit when there is a band you know playing. The cover charge is usually $5 per person, and drink prices are reasonable. Frequent customers are mostly made up of older adults and retirement ages with a sprinkling of younger adults. What is wonderful is that everyone is super chill and there to have fun. You will always find people dancing and laughing, regardless of age; and there are groups as well as singles. The atmosphere got pretty hopping' and happenin' after 10pm, so if you don't like crowds, go before that time. And if you like people-watching or socializing, go after 10pm. The only reason for the stars knocked off is for the venue. I think it works for a daytime brunch or lunch place because it is beachside, but the venue lacks a certain warmth in the evening. Chairs of different sizes are casually strewn about, there are tables but not many, and there are stacks of supplies overflowing on the sides. There is a single bathroom in the back corner with what looks like thin walls and a makeshift door that Uncle Bob put it together (haha), which gives camping vibes. But honestly, none of that matters when you're having a good time with good music, happy people dancing around, and good drinks. Another reviewer said this also, and I agree: I think the place would be pretty "dead" in the evening if there wasn't live music, so I'd check to make sure there was a band playing before heading there. read more

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3 1/2 stars. Son and I both tried their Sand Bar Breakfast Burrito. The size was decent and taste was good, but it was extremely greasy. The bottom of our serving boat was covered in grease by the time we finished. The chips that came with it were pretty plain. No chocolate milk, so my son got orange juice, which came in a cup slightly bigger than a shot glass. Service was excellent. read more

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Capitola Califa's downtown is spread out like LA though not quite like LA , and like LA most of the action takes place where the water meets the land. In Capitola's case, that would be the Esplanade. A stroll along here will reward you with a number of places where you can wine & dine. I suggest dropping in at the Sand Bar. Not the one at the end of Soquel Creek where all the sand is, but the one that opens on to the Esplanade. Here is a dive bar, in all the good ways. Often the bar is manned by Eric with the lovely long & tall Jill waiting tables. The burgers & fries were outstanding, and filling. Lots of beverages to imbibe in. Sitting on the deck rewards one with views of the bay and the antics of the shore birds. Try it, you'll return. read more

Great location. While visiting Capitola we wanted to grab a quick drink and relax near our hotel. This place looked cool. The bar is in great location for the area. And the outside seating has a nice view. We ordered a few drinks and an appetizer. Everything was reasonably priced. Inside has plenty of seating. And they have live music in the evenings. Definitely worth checking out next time. Service was good and fast. If you are in the area it's worth stopping by and getting a drink or something to eat. I'll be coming back next I'm in Capitola. read more

The Sand Bar - View outside. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Horrible food. Clam chowder bread bowl was oily and too chewy and there was a giant chunk of celery in my clam chowder. I got their grilled mahi tacos which they claimed were very popular and my mahi was overcooked and unseasoned. They took the dish away before I could take a pic or even just eat the fish off because I still had to pay for it. I also got fries and they were soaked in oil and not crispy. It's a nice view but there are other restaurants. read more

The Sand Bar - I said the mahi was dry and they took away the whole plate after I ate a few bites of just the fish. and then only took off $1.70. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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I'm a longtime local musician. The musicians at the jam bands are extremely selfish and abusive towards sharing the stage time that the jam is set up for. Musicianship is not how well you play your instrument Dennis Dove. It's how you treat other musicians. Giving someone 20 seconds of playtime when they spent four hours to be there and giving the rest of the band consistently over and over again endless playtime is abusive and I'll never come to the jam ever again. Great food great location same selfish, egotistical, narcissistic, musicians over and over again. read more

Great place for lunch on the water! I ordered the Mahi Mahi tacos, and they were excellent with tons of flavor, beans, and salsa. They came with chips and salsa as well. My daughter got Fish and chips, and it was a large serving! She loved them and had a nice doggie bag for later. My other daughter enjoyed her burger and fries. We sat out back and had a nice view of the water and umbrellas were up for shade. The server was quick, and prices were reasonable. Parking is crazy so go early for lunch. We will be back! read more

We enjoyed a good lunch, ahi salad was very good. Service was fast and efficient. We didn't visit in the evening but we could hear the music clearly from our hotel room across the street. Monday (5/18/26) night was good music and we listened until we closed the window to sleep. Tue (5/19/26) it was dreadful band and so loud earplugs provided by the hotel barely helped. Maybe it was karaoke night? Good lord, don't book that band again. read more

Went for the weekend to enjoy Capitola wanted to catch a live band and let me tell you those bartenders they had working the weekend of July 25th were extremely unprofessional not welcoming and rude. First of all the female bartender was absolutely rude to my husband when he asked where he was suppose to order because he wasn't even being acknowledged. She said if you ask again I might not even get to you!!! So then I go over to the other side of the bar and try well ignored once again. Helping everyone who showed up after me. Seems they only took care of locals or something. Bartenders looked drunk or on drugs worst service ever. My family owns bars and this isn't what customer service should be like especially in a tourist town. I'd reconsider who you have working there. read more

Been here a couple times for a drink and finally stopped in for lunch! I've always liked the drink menu here with all the local brews, but now I'm a fan of the food too. And of course it doesn't get better than the view here. All of the esplanade restaurants have a similar view, but because of the additional bar seating outside I find it easier to get a seat outside here than at some of the other spots. Menu has a decent bit of seafood options as well as burgers and sandwiches. It was a tough decision between the crab sandwich and the fish n chips, but after seeing a basket of fried seafood, I had to go with the fish n chips. I find that fried seafood can often be super greasy the way it's battered and fried, but that was not at all the case here. The seafood all came battered in panko, which made it light and super crispy, not greasy at all. The fish maybe could've used a little more flavor, but a nice squeeze of lemon and the tartar sauce helped liven it up. Food came out quick and service was super friendly, the food here also seems to be a little less expensive than some of the other restaurants on the esplanade. We will definitely add this to our rotation of restaurants to dine at down here. read more

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The punk band was great. But something needlessly shady/confusing about how they charge for tickets. The guy at the door says it's $10 a ticket, cash only. I didn't have any. So he said I could go see the bartender to pay. I asked for a ticket and water. He charged me for my bottle of water, and 3 tickets $5.00 each (total of $15 in tickets). Before signing the receipt, I asked him what was going on.... "Oh I thought you wanted three tickets", was his response (clearly I was alone). So he then removed one of the 3 tickets from my bill ($bringing it back down to $10.) Either way however you look at it, none of it made any sense. And was needlessly confusing. Good band.. though. Enemy of my enemy was great. And the band prior (don't know their name) was great too. I read more

The Sand Bar - Punk band.. Don't know the name but they were fun. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Amazing view + nice outdoor seating!! As 2 people we shared (I think it's called) the big basket- it has cod, shrimp, fries, and calamari so instead of picking just fish and chips or separately ordering a bunch of stuff you can get a mix of a little of everything to share read more

The Sand Bar - Big basket- includes calamari, shrimp, fries, cod - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We came here to end our day date, I ordered the blackened mahi mahi, and my husband had the mahi mahi tacos, we also ordered the crab cakes for an appetizer. Unfortunately we were extremely disappointed, everything lacked flavor, the crab cakes barely had any crab, my mahi mahi was drowning in butter, I ordered it with rice but they were out and I settled for the mashed potatoes that had zero flavor, it's like it was taken out of the boiling water and mashed no butter no salt no flavor, my husband picked at his tacos, he said there was no flavor in that. The staff was friendly and attentive, but the food lacked flavor and wasn't appetizing. We won't be back. read more

Not sure why this place wouldn't be higher rated. We stopped with average expectations -- assuming that the tourist laden location would produce lackluster results... we were thankfully wrong. We visited in a Friday mid-morning. Parking wasn't easy but we walked right in and were seated and served quickly. I ordered a breakfast burrito and can honestly say it was the best breakfast burrito I've ever had. In addition to the eggs it had sausage bacon chilis avocado and hashbrowns INSIDE the burrito and tasted phenomenal. Other family members had burgers, fries, salads and a vegan sandwich and everybody loved their meals. Two of us "split" a meal and the kitchen divided everything up and served the burger and salad divided equally on two plates -- a nice touch. I'd definitely go back. read more

Definitely not a great experience for the price. Like many others have said, food lacked flavor. All items we ordered were burned literally black (and not in a good way), fries were soggy and undercooked, with absolutely zero salt and service was eh. They were nice enough, but inattentive. Waters were not refilled even once and only saw the waiter to order and deliver our food. Was charged a mandatory 20% gratuity for having 6 people, despite only having 2 adults, one being under 2 and the other 3 all under 14. Would not have minded the mandatory gratuity, had we seen the waiter, but to take our order and bring food one time never refilling ... . read more

We had a nice brunch outside watching the sea gulls & pelicans. Breakfast sandwich was good & gorgeous day to be outside with water, bird & beach views. Our server was nice & friendly. read more

The Sand Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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Food is really good. I have a large dog & nice to be able to bring him & eat out on the deck.

We made the mistake of thinking this was a restaurant, when really it's a bar, with food. And the food was disgusting. I think if you're just going for cocktails it's fun and a great location, but don't order the food! I had fish and chips that tasted like they pulled it from the freezer and put it in the microwave. There was NO flavor or seasoning on anything and even the onion rings were terrible. read more

We went yesterday. Randomly decide to go this place. Simply loved the food. Everything we ordered was delicious. Our server was sweet, great service. Highly recommend this place. read more

The Sand Bar - Fish taco Chicken sandwich loaded nachos, quesadilla - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Great waterfront brunch in Capitola. The Sand Bar offers a good menu of affordable dining with amazing views. I've enjoyed many meals here over the years and have yet to be disappointed. Today we enjoyed brunch, the veggie scram and salmon benedict. The food was solid and the service was great. read more

My wife and I stopped in here this morning around 10:30. We were so happy with every aspect of this place! The waitresses were super nice. The restaurant/bar is adorable and has a lovely view. The food was excellent! You won't regret coming here. read more

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The Sand Bar is a great place for a lunch, with casual, but tasty food, reasonably priced and good sized portions. Plus it has a patio where you can have a nice view of the beach or the colorful row of homes. read more

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Sound system sucks and takes forever to get a drink at the bar, but it's the only place with live music 5 days a week. With a $5 cover charge. Outside patio is mostly occupied by smokers but you find a good spot to enjoy the view and open air while not getting your ears blasted with the mediocre sound system. read more

The Sand Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

A bit too much cumin in the salsa for my liking but still pretty good. Service is really good! Wish the salsa bowls were a little deeper as the salsa to chip ratio was a bit read more

The food, service & view amazing! Robbie provided great service! The food tasted good & the chef cooks delicious food! If I'm able to come back to Capitola I would eat here again! Prices were fair. Thankfully they don't charge more! Although they could. read more

We came in to grab a bite after making the trip down to Capitola. We were greeted and told to sit wherever we'd like as the place wasn't busy. We sat outside on the little patio they had and boy it was toasty out there! We ordered the steak nachos to share. My friend ordered the clam chowder and I ordered the fried chicken sandwich. Everything came out quickly which was great as we were pretty hungry. The nachos were the highlight for us because of the meat. The fried chicken sandwich and fries were good but the sandwich could be a little lettuce heavy. The clam chowder tasted like it was out of a can and didn't have a flavor. The outside view was great and this is a good place to pick up a quick bite but not sure I'd come back. read more

The Sand Bar - Chicken sandwich, nachos and clam chowder - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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Could give this 0 stars if I could. The hostesses and waitresses are beyond racist, extremely rude, and profiling. One lady had the nerve to raise her voice at us because a table was moved even though we were given approval to move the tables from another waitress.We left and as soon as we left they began to boast and cheer that we were leaving. Do not spend your money on this business they are extremely unprofessional. Fire the older waitresses they think they're so entitled to treat people disrespectfully. I've never felt more unwelcome in a restaurant. Train your employees better. read more

Great place by the water and have tvs so you can watch Sunday football games. Full bar . We got seated right away. Service was good. The clam chowder was good. Maui Mahi sandwich was also good. read more