Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Santa Cruz by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Santa Cruz area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Santa Cruz were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

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Hanloh Thai Food

1 / 30

#30. Hanloh Thai Food

- Rating: 4.5/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1011 Cedar St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Trestles Restaurant

2 / 30

#29. Trestles Restaurant

- Rating: 4.5/5 (394 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 316 Capitola Ave. Capitola, California
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

Garden Liquors & Deli

3 / 30

#28. Garden Liquors & Deli

- Rating: 4.5/5 (344 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1815 Soquel Drive Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Delis, Turkish
- Read more on Yelp

Pete's Capitola

4 / 30

#27. Pete's Capitola

- Rating: 4.5/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 231 Esplanade Ste 102 Capitola, California
- Categories: Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Holy Cannoli

5 / 30

#26. Holy Cannoli

- Rating: 4.5/5 (161 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 138 East Santa Clara St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Cafes, Caterers, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

La Placa Family Bakery

6 / 30

#25. La Placa Family Bakery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (184 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9280 Highway 9 Ben Lomond, California
- Categories: Gelato, Pizza, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp

Iveta - Downtown

7 / 30

#24. Iveta - Downtown

- Rating: 4.5/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 545 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Italian, Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

MeloMelo Kava Bar

8 / 30

#23. MeloMelo Kava Bar

- Rating: 4.5/5 (101 reviews)
- Address: 1101 Pacific Ave. Ste D Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Kombucha, Tea Rooms, Themed Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Zameen At The Point

9 / 30

#22. Zameen At The Point

- Rating: 4.5/5 (254 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 851 41st Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Bottega Del Lago

10 / 30

#21. Bottega Del Lago

- Rating: 4.5/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 1701 Portola Drive Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Delis, Gelato, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Pretty Good Advice

11 / 30

#20. Pretty Good Advice

- Rating: 4.5/5 (472 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3070 Porter St. Soquel, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp

Arslans Turkish Street Food

12 / 30

#19. Arslans Turkish Street Food

- Rating: 4.5/5 (199 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 113 Walnut Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Turkish, Vegetarian, Wraps
- Read more on Yelp

Sugo Italian Pasta Bar

13 / 30

#18. Sugo Italian Pasta Bar

- Rating: 4.5/5 (313 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1116 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Namaste Grill & Bar

14 / 30

#17. Namaste Grill & Bar

- Rating: 4.6/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 303 Beach St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Pizza, Indian, Diners
- Read more on Yelp

Pretty Good Advice - Santa Cruz

15 / 30

#16. Pretty Good Advice - Santa Cruz

- Rating: 4.6/5 (67 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1319 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Achilles by the Sea

16 / 30

#15. Achilles by the Sea

- Rating: 4.6/5 (423 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1404 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Mediterranean, Greek
- Read more on Yelp

Mad Yolks - Pacific

17 / 30

#14. Mad Yolks - Pacific

- Rating: 4.6/5 (784 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1411 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Left Coast Sausage Worx

18 / 30

#13. Left Coast Sausage Worx

- Rating: 4.6/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 107 San Jose Ave. Capitola, California
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Food Stands, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

Buzzo's Wood Fired Pizza

19 / 30

#12. Buzzo's Wood Fired Pizza

- Rating: 4.7/5 (135 reviews)
- Address: 2510 South Main St. Soquel, California
- Categories: Pizza, Wine Bars, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

Seabright Deli

20 / 30

#11. Seabright Deli

- Rating: 4.7/5 (584 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 415 Seabright Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Delis
- Read more on Yelp

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Mariposa Coffee Bar

21 / 30

#10. Mariposa Coffee Bar

- Rating: 4.7/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1010 Pacific Ave. Ste East Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Cuban, Vietnamese
- Read more on Yelp

Soul Salad

22 / 30

#9. Soul Salad

- Rating: 4.7/5 (133 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7957 Soquel Drive Aptos, California
- Categories: Salad
- Read more on Yelp

Evarista's Comal Restaurant

23 / 30

#8. Evarista's Comal Restaurant

- Rating: 4.7/5 (273 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2-1245 East Cliff Drive Unit A Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: New American, Mexican, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Sampa Brazilian Kitchen

24 / 30

#7. Sampa Brazilian Kitchen

- Rating: 4.8/5 (147 reviews)
- Address: 841 North Branciforte Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Latin American, Brazilian, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

VIM Dining & Desserts

25 / 30

#6. VIM Dining & Desserts

- Rating: 4.8/5 (269 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2238 Mission St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: New American, Cocktail Bars, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

Pana Food Truck

26 / 30

#5. Pana Food Truck

- Rating: 4.8/5 (310 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 118 Cooper St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Venezuelan, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

Miches and Ceviches

27 / 30

#4. Miches and Ceviches

- Rating: 4.8/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 743 41st Ave. Santa Cruz , California
- Categories: Seafood, Food Trucks, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Happy Dog Hotdogs

28 / 30

#3. Happy Dog Hotdogs

- Rating: 4.9/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 324 River St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Street Vendors, Hot Dogs, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp

Carnitas Aguirre

29 / 30

#2. Carnitas Aguirre

- Rating: 5.0/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: Union City, California
- Categories: Caterers, Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Paradise Dogs

30 / 30

#1. Paradise Dogs

- Rating: 5.0/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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