The Crow's Nest Reviews

I found a hair in my food, it happens. I asked if I could get a new one made, I had only taken 2 bites out of it. I didn't want a discount or anything like that, I just wanted it remade. The dish they brought back to me I could tell was the same one I had returned... For the amount you spend you would think they could accommodate remaking your dish when you find a hair. I spent 360$ not including the tip which I left 70$, would have left more because I like to tip well but I can't be sure the waiter didn't have something to do with giving me back the same food I had returned. It was the Ahi tuna appetizer.

I thought I would never post this but something is going on at the Crows Nest, our food and service was not good, I always order sand dabs, but this time they were to big to be sand dabs and they tried to pass them off, shane on them, they were over breaded and undercooked. Won't be back.

Wonderful experience. Food unusual and perfect. Staff very friendly and professional. My favorite place to dine in Santa Cruz.

This is a great place to grab a bite right on the water. The rooftop has a bar and outdoor seating with beautiful views of the ocean. The downstairs is a little more formal and or is a nice option on a hot or windy day. Happy hour M-F 3pm- 6pm / Wednesday 3pm- closing with live entertainment. Came on a Saturday for lunch, good vibe, busy atmosphere. Ordered the Chargrilled Ahi Brochette (shish kabob style) and the specialty bloody mary, enjoyed both of them.

Great food and atmosphere. With a billion dollar view.

This place is very good & the environment is very clean the food was very excellent.

Excellent food, excellent service, we would and will go back

Great place for brunch. Delicious veggie omelette with a nice beach view

Great restaurant by the marina. Yummy appetizers, great service, food is pricey but expected for the location. We went there for their super famous calamari but honestly I think the crab cakes and crab cocktail taste way better. It's best to make reservations, it is quite packed on the weekends as they have live music so without reservations the wait can be quite long... 40mins +. Love that they have great options for kids menu, healthy and varied. Draw back is that they don't validate parking and the parking lot is very strict, my friend got $80 ticket for being late for almost 5 mins.

It's all about the location and the view, which are outstanding. The outdoor terrace upstairs is best. Be sure to try the Nikon binocular telescope. Food and drinks are ok, but there are better places nearby. Live music is fun and sometimes gets a lot of dancing.

Clams yum yum by the sea go there when ever were in town

Service is painfully slow. Mediocre food for the price point, with a nice view. Layout is comfortable, parking lot layout not so much.

Very nice eating outside, with distance in place. Also covered area on the beach too. Food was awesome.

Truly an iconic restaurant experience great food and service. Don t miss the little cafe/store out by the harbor perfect little trinkets and snacks!

The atmosphere was appealing, near the ocean, you could get a table view of the subletting. However, dinner was another
Issue. worse crab cakes I ever had, the hot chocolate sundae, I dont know what to say, except after a long day, the food - dinner was disappointing. Something as simple as a hot chocolate fudge Sunday wasn't hot - not warm, the fudge was cold and clumpy, no pleasure or delight, wasnt hot! Sorry, I just can't get over it!

Went for the beach BBQ and some great music. Food was so good and the service was quick.

Best calamari around! I've never had a bad order here. Everything is good!

Gorgeous view with warm and welcoming staff. Their prime rib was incredible and my companion wouldn't stop going on and on about how amazing her meal was. I was very pleased with what I got for the price of the meal as a whole. Once again, the staff were super accommodating and attentive. There wasn't a moment where my wine or water glass wasn't topped off. Stay Hydrated!

Nice beach atmosphere and good service. Poor food. Had fish and chips. Dry and nearly burnt crust. Overpriced overall

Always a great place to eat and drink and sit ocean side. They have Vegan choices as well
The super cute waitress Rachel was way helpful and vegan too!

Parking on a Sunday is HORRIBLE!!! Waited 10 mins and still could not even get in the parking lot so we went somewhere else.

The ambiance and food and staff are all top notch. Great for special celebrations or a romantic date. Pricey but appropriate for the fine cuisine and view. Didn't disappointment.

It is as nice as it's photos show. Great staff and bartender. The view of the harbor with all manner of boats being launched is unsurpassed. Prices are reasonable and compare favorably with other restaurants in the area.

Food is always consistently good as is the service... this restaurant used to accept the passport dining card and that brought us to the restaurant once a month for food deserts drinks and oftentimes with our friends. They stopped accepting the card and we stopped going to the restaurant as often as we used to maybe once every 3 or 4 months. nowadays we just stopped in on Saturday mornings to check out the ukulele players on the beach from 10 to 12 next door and we move on to somewhere else to eat. Passport dining really did make it an incentive for us to come eat there because we drive 50 miles one way just to get there so we must have an incentive

Justine is awesome and always takes great care of us when we visit the Crow's Nest!!

Good food, fast service. The bread served before dinner was also delicious.

Great restaurant on the beach. Excellent service and fresh and very tasty food. There are some good beers on tap and a nice souvenir shop nearby.

Fine dining at it's finest! Great view of the ocean. Great food. Great environment.

Pretty views, okay food, well intentioned but mediocre servers, standard touristy spot.

A superb restaurant with a great menu and incredible chefs. With wonderful views as seen in attached photo.

Service was good. Drinks were good. Food was basic pub food and overpriced. Granted, I was at the bar upstairs and not the dining room below.

Lovely place, real good food and wonderful service.

Great atmosphere watching regatta, and food was much better than it used to be!

Everybody's favorite place in Santa Cruz for cocktails and calamari on the deck.

What an a amazing place with some of the best Grouper I've EVER had !!! Sit outdoors on the patio since the heaters work awesome and they have the plexiglass up to block the wind. Take some photos with your sweetie and play footsie while eating the awesome bread there!

Beautiful location.Good service. The steamed clams were just o.k. but the clam chowder and fish and chips were EXCELLENT.

The food was not that great and the service was horrible. Once we got our food the waiter vanished from sight and didn't seem to care about giving us our check.

Just had a great breakfast on the outdoor patio. Beautiful views good food keep in mind if you want breakfast get there before 11:30 AM

My husband and I have been going to the Crow's Nest since we the late 1970's. We were in our 20's then. We take friends and family there when they are in town. It is located right next to the Santa Cruz harbor so boats are coming and going. We've always enjoyed it. The food is fabulous and the specialty drinks are exceptional. We were there last night for a friend's birthday and sat upstairs in the bar which has two outdoor seating areas. One Wednesday Night's Happy Hour appetizers and well drinks are half off all night. It can be busy and has open seating but if you keep an eye out you can snag a table without much of a wait. It's worth it. Our service was fist rate, (Thanks Allison). They have live music and a dance floor. A great time was had by all. You gotta go experience it for yourself.

Happy hour specials are a great value. Great atmosphere. Live music sometimes. Check it out!

Can't beer the views, great staff. The bloody Mary's and potato chips are main meal.....

The food is decent, but it's pretty pricey, which wouldn't be so bad if the server wouldn't keep forgetting about you! Some servers are attentive, but most aren't, so it's kind of a rip-off to go there just for the views.

The food is great! If you sit outside you stay warm, and the servers were very kind and helpful. I got the prime rib, and I cut it with a butter knife. Very easy to eat and quite tasteful.

Wednesday All night happy hour is the bomb! Great drinks and food.

Good dining experience. The service was good. Meals came in a reasonable time frame. Service was good. Price was $25+.

The food was even better than promised; my fish was flaky with a sumptuous beurre blanc.

Excellent food excellent service love the chocolate martini

OK, but could improve things. Be prepared for lots of noise there. Service is good, food is good depending on what you order.

Great food and right on the water. Breakfast was top class.

The dungeness crab cocktail was delicious. Best I've ever eaten. Fresh and clean...It was so good, I ordered two. The crab cocktails were on the Happy Hour menu the time I visited. Very reasonably priced. Highly recommend!

Elegant decor, tasty food and decent service, albeit at premium prices, the Crow's Nest is a must if you are visiting and looking for a great dining experience. You get a fantastic view of Santa Cruz Harbor if you dine on the outside deck or have apps and drinks upstairs.

Excellent food and an excellent view throughout. The service here was excellent. Be sure to check out the daily specials as they are a really good value.

One of my fav places for quality american food. looking forward to returning with my coworkers. prices are decent for the quality. menu is similar to a restaurant in el paso i liked.

American food, mmm, very tasty. Service is consistently good.

Great place, just be prepared to pay at least $100 for 2 with tip.

Try the calamari and pear salad. Freitas food in Santa

Always pleasurable to have brunch by the harbor. Was seated on outside and enclosed patio area. Food is always delicious. The views included sail boats, fishing boats and paddle boarders up and down the harbor. Just beautiful!

Great place to enjoy a meal or drink on the bay. Friendly staff and wonderful lunch and dinners.

Crabcake hollandaise with fruit and potatoes. Veggie hash. French toast with loganberries. Great ocean view. Great service.

Great food great views of bay and harbor. Fun place to go for music on the weekends.

Delicious food and beautiful views. Food is reasonably priced.

Excellent food, moderately priced. Nice terrace seating overlooking the Ocean and lagoon.

With a proper update of the interior and the menu it could be good as the location has so much potential. As it is though not so much. We were seated at a table in a walk way of sorts. Way too many tables and people packed together like sardines. The waitress hit me in the back while trying to squeeze through to her tables. I would think that the restaurant may have exceeded an occupancy level to maintain safety. Regardless, it was not comfortable for dining. The service was quite slow. The food felt like something I'd get in a 1980's cafeteria. Sad to say that this place was a big miss!

Good as usual but the quality can fall off during busy times on weekends. Even so I will certainly go back - the house wine was good, the fish was good.