crow's nest restaurant

leisurely lunch at the crows nest. this is a beautiful location in santa cruz. the views are to die for and the seafood is really good. we sat in the outdoor enclosed area upstairs and it was a lovely place for a leisurely lunch. i ordered the smoked salmon as an appetizer and the ahi tuna salad. the smoked salmon was quite different, but tasty. the ahi tuna salad was fantastic! my honey ordered the special prime rib sandwich, suggested by the waitress, but it turned out to be pulled pork. sometimes its best to stick to the menu items. the service was slow but the lunch was very good as were the prices.

great food, awesome view. the seafood is very fresh and the sourdough rolls are outstanding. the restaurant is located right on the beach with a very scenic view of the beach and lighthouse. staff was friendly with good service.

the restaurant is typical “big night out” with white tablecloths, medium-toned wood, dim lighting. it didn’t have much personality, though i imagine the ocean gives it plenty in the daytime. the blue-lit engraved glass panels around the entryway made it feel dated to me.

a beautifully located cliffside, multi storey restaurant building with the most gorgeous view - the crows nest. major hunger pangs at lunch time, got us to this very loved eatery. it has a huge, ultra spacious, lavish seating - both indoor and outdoor. of course we sat inside, the sky was overcast and it was a very windy day. on such a day, a spread of hot delicious food is what you need to satiate that hunger! we ordered:

clam chowder
nachos
tomato basil crostini
veg. burger
bloody mary

a smoking hot soup is the best kind of recharge you need on such a gloomy, wet day. the clam chowder was exceptional. a huge serving - by itself or with bread, every last drop was slurped clean.
for appetizers we ordered their nachos and tomato basil crostini. the nachos topped with beans, onions, cheese, olives, jalapenos and salsa were absolutely lip smacking good. it came with some additional salsa, guacamole and sour cream. even after it had gone completely soggy, i enjoyed eating it!
the tomato basil crostini came with a cheesy tomato basil vinaigrette and sliced sourdough bread at the side. so delicious! the bread was exceptionally good.
i love that all the burgers in usa always come with fries at the side. when the burger arrived, i was a little more than half full. but holy smokes, i still managed to finish the entire burger because it was so bloody good. every single thing in that veggie burger was amazing. the fries too were crisp, well salted and not oily at all. a big thumbs up for all the food here!
the bloody mary wasn't for me, but i still had some. if you like bloody mary as a drink, the sour spiciness, then you will love this one. smooth drink, good flavours, great presentation.

food and drinks - 4.5/5
service - 4/5
ambiance - 4.5/5
value for money - 4/5

crows nest restaurant is every bit amazing. a versatile place, you could come here with your family, on a date or even for work and this place will surely serve the purpose of your visit.
a great place with great food and an even greater view - definitely recommended :)

service was rushed. they brought my entrée while i was eating my salad.

one star is stretching it. terrible dining experience
from soggy cold calamari to cockroaches on our table
need i say more. avoid at all costs. go have a sundae at maryanne’s on sea cliff.

this place is a must!! breathtaking views, gorgeous sunset, awesome service and incredible food. go on wednesday and all their appetizers are half off for happy hour. absolute best calamari i've ever had. it's ruined all other calamari for me!!

got a last-minute tip to drive from san jose to santa cruz.   the crow's nest sets along a channel with a great view of the ocean and - at sunset - what a great place to be while enjoying a great dinner.

the service was flawless, the food was cooked just right (i had the seafood risotto, wonderful).  they had a summer dessert special - strawberry shortcake.  how can you go wrong with that.   the ambiance - sitting outside on the patio with a cloudless sky and stunning sunset - was great.  there is also live music upstairs where many of the locals were mingling in song and dance.

overall, a great experience.   a 4 for now until a return trip can confirm consistency for a higher score.

the location is beautiful. i had one of the specials- grilled yellowtail with mango salsa. the cut had the bloodline in it, but other than that i would say it was average. service was very slow and we had to ask for refills every time. plates and glasses were not cleared from the table timely, making it a little uncomfortable. parking can be a challenge as well. overall, i would say this was an average restaurant, but slightly overpriced for the food quality and service.

i went for lunch with my daughter on a weekend. tho the food was good. the wait person a tall blonde girl was very unpleasant. would have had to pay her for a smile. and the girl did not come back to our table without us yelling at her except when she dropped off the check. horrible person!!we did not leave a tip! i hope if u see a tall blonde you can move to a different section with a nicer wait person.

host can be the key!. food was good. service a bit slow. server may not have seen us because we were seated behind a wall. table of 10+ who arrived much later was served before us. note to host in red tank top and management. seat guests in the order that they come in! we were told that it would be a 15 minute wait. it was much, much longer! we recognized 2 parties that at arrived much later than us, but were seated first and they had no reservations. this host specifically asked if we wanted "first available" and we said yes. when my husband checked to see our status, she gave a curt response "yes, you're on the list". we waited another 5 minutes while she kept looking where to seat us. we saw available tables outside! as patrons were leaving, some reached into an empty bowl on the counter. a man finally said "this was filled when we came in". this same hostess said," i know". when he was out the door, she grabbed the bowl and filled it with mint!!! really...patrons are observant. don't show preference.

conventional food, well-executed -- good for breakfast. the crow's nest serves the old standards for a seaside restaurant, but they execute well and service is generally attentive. it can be extremely busy, and i have no doubt that service occasionally drops a cog under those conditions. the one time it happened to us -- the kitchen forgot our order -- they comped our complete bill. generally we've found them accomodating in every way.

the crow's nest now serves breakfast daily from 7:30 to 11:30. they cook simple and well-prepared breakfasts -- scrambles, omelletes, even eggs benedict if you must -- at affordable prices. the view is superlative, and we don't often have trouble getting a table even on weekends.

for a romantic dinner, we chose this oceanfront restaurant. its atmosphere with its professional service made the evening remarkable. we ordered a chardonnay with a tomato basil crostini as an appetizer. for the entree, i had the stir fry vegetables. that was a weaker dish in my opinion. for $16 for a scoop of jasmine rice with vegetables, the price was steep. however the environment made up for it.

good and not so good!. the mahi mahi had a very heavy sauce that overpowered the fish. the server compd our entree when we said we didn't care for it which was very nice. creme brulee, clam chowder and other entrees were enjoyed by our group. we didn't get to see the view which i've heard is pretty. we will be back for drinks and apps but will probably pass on dinner here. :)

nice view of the harbor. large plates and it's kid friendly.