The Crow's Nest Reviews

Excellent meal and friendly service. They don't validate.If you lose you ticket it's $50 for parking

So fun eating out near the ocean. The food was prepared exactly as we asked.

Update from previous review..
We went back the next day and the service was outstanding when we sat inside and the food was still great.
The food is pretty good. The service was ok. We sat for quite a while before someone even brought us a menu. The view was gorgeous from the deck.

People are pleasant & food and drinkd are consistantly great.

The Crow's Nest is fantastic! My neighbor and I go there every year that we are in Santa Cruz...usually around September! We always go for the Aloha Burger that is always available on the upper floor! Also, the prices are much more reasonable! The waiters are great, and if you have a birthday; be sure and mention it because you get a free Dessert after your meal...yummy!

Eat at the bar to save money and get better views. This is a locals secret!!

Thursday is sand dancing by the Santa Cruz harbor stunning

Had an amazing dinner, my Seabass was tough so we sent it back and Bryon our waiter took both the seabass and the replacement dish (opaka paka, incredibly delicious and highly recommended) off the tab.

Great traditional restaurant right on the harbor and beach, with a variety of casual to more formal dining options. The menu is a bit dated, though. Full bar, live music, breakfast.

Good service, terrible food. I can't understand all the amazing reviews, based on what we received and saw at others' tables, it was like...home t0wn buffet quality? At best? Clearly frozen, poor quality and presentation , drowning in sauce...just gross and disappointing all around. There is lots of outside seating for covid.

Great if you have big dogs, as picnic tables and space is available. Very DIY place, you go inside to a counter to order a few items. Breezy location, great view!

When in a tourist town...be a tourist. Good food...a tad pricey but not for a tourist...it's all comparative...

Lovely spot for lunch or dinner. Right on the water. Watch boats coming in and out of the harbor.

Great food and atmosphere! Poor parking and prices are a tad high.

fablous in every way. Great food, entertainment, great beach view. and drinks.

Nice setting. Food was ok; tasted like a home cooked meal, nothing special. The live music upstairs is nice.

Great food! Highly recommend their clam chowder! Mmmm mmm yummy!

Take me to heaven! By far one of my most favorite place to be!

Views from the restaurant are so beautiful! Foods are awesome!

Nice view. Good food. Great service. Get there early. It gets crowded

Excellent seafood and service. The view is incredible as well.

Breakfast was a delight. Parking was a breeze. Good views.

Very beautiful restaurant mostly for them who likes seafood but there are other options also

everytown has a place like this..but this one has great location

Your typical oceanfront restaurant with lots of fried food, which is decent. The view is great and the staff is attentive as well.

Our server Doug was great. Came in for Easter. They accomodated us by making my son chicken strips even though it wasnt on the easter menu. Crab Cake Benedict was pretty good but seemed really salty. Everyone else enjoyed their food. We would come back again.

Great high end restaurant that offers a variety of different types of food and all are delicious! I had a prime rib steak that was cooked perfectly medium rare and came with a side of au jus and mashed potatoes with garlic. My girlfriend had a seafood dish placed over the top of risotto with Alfredo that was also amazing!
Get there early and enjoy the beach area outside of the restaurant that often has live music with a bar that is always fun to hang out at.
The reason I took a star off is because the waiter was not very helpful and seemed to be rushing us out of the restaurant. If I am paying for nice food I expect the service to be helpful and kind, but he seemed like he could not wait for us to leave!
All in all though I have been here multiple times and this is the first time that the service was sub-par so still worth the visit and I will be going back!

Waited 2 hours before we were served. They forgot to provide us with a server for 40 minutes once we sat down. Food was OK...but not for the price and poor service.

Classic harbor side restaurant. Decent drinks and varied menu. The second floor is more casual and has a great view of Monterey Bay. Find a comfortable afternoon and watch the sunset with a beer and panko prawns.

My review is based on a number of visits. Prices are expensive for the quality of food. It is very uninspired and mediocre at best. Service isn't much better. Whole experience feels like a business going through the motions and lacks passion. I only dine here when a family member has a strong preference. Otherwise, there are much better options nearby. My $.02.

Ambiance, nice views, friendly staff. Food was good but paying more than $22 for a dish of food I expected it to be better. I ordered the prawns and spinach raviolis. The raviolis were good but tasted like any frozen ravioli you might purchase at Costco for instance. The prawns were quarter size shrimp. And the tomatoes on the plate were not ripe.

Good appetizers and a decent salad bar. Menu is overpriced for the quality and quantity of food you get but the view of the beach makes up for any shortcomings. Brought the family there for Father's Day. Had a standing reservation which was pretty easy to get despite the fact that I called a few days beforehand. Ordered the fish tacos. For $23 I would expect them to be better than the two tacos I received. The fish reminded me of frozen fish sticks and they tasted burnt to a crisp. Was not impressed at all with the food. What I think benefits this restaurant is the fact that their closest competition recently closed down. They can sort of skate by with average food and high menu prices. There are better options in the Santa Cruz region - I just wish I took that advice!

The food and service is good! Fresh veggies and seafood options. They also have a big variety of homemade desserts!

Food was so-so at best. Service was slow. Was full of intoxicated people. Not worth going back to.

Great food, service, and live bands are always fun to dance to, really liked that Ten O'Clock Lunch Band

8 of us with 2 kids. Service was spot on & food was really good. Will go back & recomend

Excellent service. The steak is a must when coming here, and the beer selection is great.

Nice setting. Food is basic and unimaginative. Save a few bux and head upstairs for standard bar food.

I always love meals at the Crows Nest. Never disappointed, always a treat.

God caual food. Bar has nice energy. Great location to watch sunset.

Came for breakfast, pretty good service, good food, good vibes all around. Definitely will come again

Great location on the channel leading into the harbor. The food is good but offset by the inefficient unfriendly staff.

Seating is not a problem. The hostess tried several spots before we found a suitable spot.

The waitress was slow, didn't know much about the menu, and took quiet offense at our questions. The kitchen must be nearly a mile away because her trips back to the kitchen to ask for help took 10 minutes, each.

Management is obviously not hiring based on a deep service industry resume but on looks.

Breakfast, you pay for the view and it's a good one.

Awesome food. Great atmosphere. Excellent service. Very inviting place.

Overpriced & overcrowded. The service was good overall, but the amount of food for the price was quite dismal.

Ordered the Ahi Poke (which was delicious) appetizer & the Fish Tacos for my main course (below average).

Overall a very touristy location (with the prices & crowds to match), but not that great of an oceanic view & very long waits for seating & food.

My husband and I always stop here when we are in Santa Cruz and enjoy the beautiful views, wonderful food, and friendly staff. This is our special dinner place for a romantic evening out.

Always love the view. Service good. More on the spendy side, but food is generally good to excellent. I did have to send back my breakfast because it was nearly cold, but they fixed this right away.

best chicken wings and love their salad bar. staff is very friendly

Great views, nice food at decent prices served by professional servers. A class act! The salad bar was a pleasant surprise - so fresh!

Very good service and friendly people around.nice beach.

Gorgeous views from the upstairs terrace. It is worth of taking a table in that place. I went in January for a Saturday's brunch and the temperature was comfortable.
After taking a look to the salad bar downstairs, I ordered the individual salad + a cup of chowder. The chowder was just ok, but the salad bar was awesome. You have not only a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, seeds and dressings, but also pasta, cheese, and some meat (bacon). If I came again, I would order just the individual salad bar (skip the chowder cup) for $10.95. You can return and grab more salad as often as you want. The only problem with this choice if you are upstairs is the location of the salad bar (downstairs).
My friend ordered the Chargrilled Ahi Brochette, and he said that it was perfectly cooked. I strongly recommend this place if you are around this area. Come early on weekends, it is always crowded after noon.

The food is overfried, greasy, feeling bad for hours after eating. Children didn't enjoy their meals either. Service is good, view is nice.

Love coming to the Crows nest in Santa Cruz. It s always great food, great service and great ocean views. I highly recommend the Crows nest

We were uneasy at first because people were staring at us when we came in. The area was predominantly Caucasian and we are Asians. The servers even seem to be uncomfortable taking care of us. The food was okay. The ambience is great. Beautiful views. We were not prepared for the way people reacted to us. They did give a complimentary appetizer because it was our first time there. Having mixed feelings about the place.

One of the nicest spots in Santa Cruz to eat. Great service, great atmosphere, and the food is fabulous. Highly recommend!!!!

Great view and delicious food... the upstairs is open seating.

Beautiful setting. Food awesome. Been here many times. It's never a disappointment.

Great location & good food. It's usually crowded so allow extra time.

Ate upstairs no waiting but also limited selection on menu. Had the balsamic skirt steak. It was Awesome. 6 adults $135 ! Omg too expensive

Great breakfasts and Sunday brunch. Try a Pama Mimosa while you are there!

Crow's Nest has been kind of a standard stop for people visiting Santa Cruz beach since they're next to one of the main parking lots.

Had the French dip with crab cakes.

Pretty standard crab cakes, nothing tasted out of place.

French dip was straightforward, but I actually liked the wasabi sauce that came with the au jus. Gave it a needed kick to take it from just a regular sandwich.

View on the second floor deck is pretty nice, can definitely see this being a nice place to hit up at the end of a long summer day.

Comfy lots people..cold Spring evening! With full moon coming update I can see many different types of dining downstairs or formal upstairs inside outside a real establishment. When I wanted a steak upstairs they sent me downstairs they were saying that downstairs has a better selection of steak and prime rib well I could see the sunset and the moonrise we're out of my grass so I went downstairs and had a prime. Nice place with parking.

Great food with a beautiful view, ask for a window seat

Food not up to standards for price..yes..view nice..but tired if unsatsfactory dinners..always served cold!!..maybe tourists dont care..but locals still like a good meal.last two visits..with guests..food was cold and had to be sent back!!..sorry crows nest..well go somewhere else for the view:(:(:( don't go for the food..lol!!