Restaurants in Santa Cruz

The chefs at Surfrider Café don't need to look far for inspiration. Highly ranked by Yelp reviewers, beyond its menu of entrees made from local, sustainably grown ingredients, the restaurant also serves craft beers from its own Santa Cruz microbrewery, Boulder Creek Brewery, during daily happy hours. Veggies such as crispy artichoke hearts and grilled mushrooms find their way into appetizers, sandwiches, and burgers. Desserts range from housemade brownies to organic peanut-butter chocolate pie. Furthering its commitment to the community, Surfrider Café contributed more than $25,000 to local schools and nonprofits during 2011 and 2012.

From a business started in 1979 inside a tiny house on Mission Street, Saturn Cafe has grown into a green-certified restaurant filled with decorated tables, colorful booths, and a retro feel. Every night chefs whip up local and organic ingredients into vegan and vegetarian versions of traditional American diner staples.

In the kitchen, cooks prepare award-winning fries in trans-fat free oil that they recycle into bio-diesel fuel, and craft a BLT on sourdough with fakin' bacon. Skilled hands assemble omelets with organic eggs, red onions, and red chard, and whip up vegan and vegetarian milkshakes to wash down wheat- and gluten-free bites.

Past a rose-red patio and adobe-colored passageway at the old hospital at Branciforte Plaza, Ristorante Italiano Santa Cruz spreads out hearty Italian cuisine, from homemade lasagna to pork tenderloin. Various scenes—a panorama of Venice, a family dining together, the restaurant owner working in the kitchen—play out on the walls in the mural room. In the sunroom, light filters down through glass panels to illuminate tables draped in reds and whites. And out on the patio, benches and deck chairs compete for an umbrella's shade. A family endeavor since its founding in 1980, Ristorante Italiano has consistently drawn praise—Karen Petersen of Good Times, for example, said the restaurant’s “bright flavors and generous portions ensure its distinction as a local favorite.”

Owner and chef Ayoma Wilen took the reins at Pearl of the Ocean in 2010, and that year, the restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by both the Santa Cruz Weekly and Santa Cruz Good Times. Focusing on fresh, organic ingredients, Ayoma oversees the vegetarian-focused menus that outline delectable arrangements of locally sourced ingredients, including some culled from the area’s farmers markets, and Sri Lankan spices. These arrangements are manifested in dishes as colorful and complex as a 20-sided Rubik’s Cube. Pearl of the Ocean’s staff also pours a variety of libations and non-alcoholic beverages, such as the spicy chai tea, and their signature drink, Kiss of the Island Princess, is composed of Montresor Prosecco, hibiscus flower, and love potion.

Since 1994, Wingstop's franchise locations—more than 600 currently operating or in the works—have cooked up and served more than 2 billion wings, and amassed a considerable following. Whether regular or boneless, these modern-day game-day staples come in one of the shop's 10 signature flavors: Louisiana rub and hickory-smoked barbecue have a classic spicy kick, whereas tanginess prevails in the lemon pepper, Hawaiian, and teriyaki.

Because the wings are always made to order, they derive their heat from their seasonings and their recent stay inside the fryer, rather than from heat lamps or tiny, individual Snuggies. The same amount of care goes into the Wingstop's housemade sides, which range from fries that are cut daily at each shop to the bourbon baked beans. Even the honey mustard, blue cheese, and ranch dipping sauces are mixed onsite.

Hawaiian art and vintage surf paraphernalia deck the walls of Hula's Island Grill And Tiki Room, adding to the restaurant's island ambience. In the kitchen, cooks draw on the flavors of the Pacific Rim to craft raw ahi poke, luau pork sandwiches, and spring rolls alongside burgers, steaks, and tacos. More than 30 types of rum wait behind the bar to be poured into a mai tai or dark and stormy.