crow's nest restaurant

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,greatpresentation.

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.
agreatplace withgreatfood and an even greater view - definitely recommended :)

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

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, agreatexperience.   a 4 for now until a return trip can confirm consistency for a higher score.

wednesday night. i've been going to the crow's nest since i was a kid, i've seen it grow in size and popularity. i've had somegreatfood there, but not this time around. first i have to mention, their parking lot sucks! it's impossible to park medium-sized car in a spot without having to climb out of a window.
we order the crab & artichoke appetizer that was suppose to be warm (it wasn't but it did taste good). for my entree i ordered the tempura "scallops" (i don't believe they were real scallops), i hated the tempura batter, it was thick and tastless (i picked it off). it came with bland soggy veggies. blah. the service was okay. the plus side was that it was a warm evening so we sat out on one of the patios and the view and sunset was the highlight. because i'm a local and i've had good food there before, i will try it again in the future.

great fresh seafood. all i can say is i loved it. prices weregreatfor the scenery and the fare. no service complaints at all. i hope to go back one day.

i don't live here, but when i do my twice a year visit this is a mandatory stop.greatspecials and if you're in santa cruz in the beginning of october go during restaraunt week. you'll get a fabulous priced meal for $25. they also have one of the better wine selections. 2 thumbs up.

incredible location.greatfood. really well priced. this place knows what they do well, and they keep doing it. a must for out of town guests and for cruzers every month or so.