Restaurant Week is back and better than ever for its 18th year. Get your toothpicks ready and put on your bib because it’s time to go out for a scrumptious dinner at one of 26 Santa Cruz County restaurants this week, October 21-28.
The concept is simple: for one week, restaurants offer a fixed-price, three-course menu for $45, $55 or $65. The menu includes three options each for appetizer, entrée
and dessert. This is an opportunity for Santa Cruz County restaurants to showcase traditional or new menu items to new and returning customers. And support your local restaurants!
Across the industry, everyone agrees: rising prices and pandemic-era ordering habits have made diners more hesitant about eating out on a regular basis. Slightly less than 50% of American restaurants do not turn a profit, per the New York Times. But not to worry, Santa Cruz County gourmands: during Restaurant Week these restaurants are a testament to the fact that fine dining can be delicious and easy-going without the chef or you needing to mortgage your house.
For our 18th Restaurant Week, you’ll recognize plenty of returning restaurants and chefs you love. Some restaurants like Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen, the Point Kitchen and Bar, Back Nine Bar and Grill and Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub are experimenting with a few dishes while sticking to their true-and-tested basics and offering good deals. Others like Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Westside, Hula’s Island Grill, the Laughing Monk Brewery, Johny’s Harborside and East End Gastro Pub are launching dishes never-before eaten at their restaurants.
Bittersweet Bistro makes a splash with its first entry. Chef and owner Thomas Vinolus’ classic menu oozes refinement with dishes including blackened cod and cookie crumble for $55. First-timer Will Lucas of Makai Island Kitchen and Groggery, already two months in, turns seafood staples on their heads with exotic twists through tiki-fusion. While down the wharf, Raffaela Cristallo of Riva Fish House cooks like an old-school Stagnaro, and serves up fresh fillets to generations of Riva devotees.
Some commonalities emerge across menus. Affordability is in the zeitgeist, Brussels sprouts in gooey glazes or dry rubs are popular, and restaurateurs see ribeye steak as a loss-leader plate to get diners in the door and hopefully coming back for more.
There is only one minor problem with Restaurant Week. There is not enough time to try everything! You would have to eat at more than three restaurants a day like a professional restaurant critic to get through the entire 2026 cohort. The time to revisit old stalwarts and sample new favorites is indeed slim. We hope you get out there this week and give Santa Cruz’s culinary scene a discerning taste.
Here is a list of what the participating restaurants are most excited about to help make your decision a little easier:
What are you excited for the most during Restaurant Week?
Bittersweet Bistro
“We want to keep it really kind of simple and clean. I know how people are hurting money-wise, so we’re able to offer things like a stea/k and fries right now, and then we’ve got a blackened local cod. We’re going to be doing cheese ravioli with butternut squash, and for the second course, we’re doing French onion soup that we make. It takes about 50 pounds of onions to make that for one, which is really nice with apples, pomegranates and gorgonzola cheese. The third course we’re going to be doing is our fried Brussels sprouts. Then for dessert we’re going to pull out the stops. We’re doing a pumpkin creme brulee with chocolate mousse and vanilla with a lemon pudding cake, and then we’re doing something we haven’t done before: cookies and cream, which we have some outrageous chocolate chip cookies, our house-made vanilla ice cream, house-made chocolate sauce, and then crumbled cookies on”
—Thomas Vinolusef, Chef and Owner
The Point Kitchen and Bar
“We’re excited for sure that we’re going to have our award-winning clam chowder. We competed in the chowder festival in February. And we got first place in People’s Choice, so that’s a big, big accomplishment. I think over 2,000 people voted for us for first place. That was fun and great, and got us a lot of business and recognition so we’re excited to serve that.”
—Erick Gonzales, General Manager
Hula’s Island Grill
“Masubi. A lot of our guests have wondered whether we’d ever serve it. It’s going to be our 20th year anniversary in November, and we haven’t had Masubi on our menu since then. So you know, we thought it would be cool to finally give it to them. So we’re doing a katsu style spam masubi. It’s traditional with seasoned rice wrapped in the crisp nori, and then we’re gonna add two sauces. It’s gonna have a tonkatsu sauce and then our teriyaki glaze will go in there as well.”
—Francisco Cervantes, General Manager
East End Gastropub
“We have been open for over 10 years, so we always have people asking us to bring some old stuff back. So we’re bringing our Brussels sprouts back for Restaurant Week as one of the appetizers and we’re bringing our bow bun back, but we’re doing a crab bow bun because we always had like the four bow buns, so it’s a single bow bun, like as a starter for the person. We started a new happy hour maybe about a month and a half ago. So we’re actually going to feature one of our happy hours dishes — Philly sliders. They’re small, mini, like our regular burger, but tiny. So we’re going to put those on the appetizer menu, and then for the entrees, we’re doing a new charred sweet potato dish”
—Quinn Cormier, Co-Owner
Chocolat
“We were part of something in April called the Vegan Chefs Challenge, and it inspired us to do some experimenting with vegan cheeses and other new menu items. And now we’ve got a whole new vegan menu, and so we’re including in one of the three appetizers, entrees and desserts one of each being vegan.”
—David Jackman, Chef and Owner
Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Westside
“This year will be really fun. It’s the first year both restaurants are doing their own menu. I’m excited for customers to come and try out the different dishes at both locations. We have two new dishes that after this might go on the menu, depending on how it’s received. We have a short rib birria, so like a play on a Mexican dish and a traditional French dish, kind of making a fusion between both cuisines, served on hominy grits. We also have a chipotle bucatini that’s actually mounted with Aries cheddar cheese, barely buzzed, so it’s covered in coffee. So chipotle and coffee are making really interesting appearances in both of these dishes.”
—Carlos Perez, Chef
Sanderlings Restaurant
“The standout dish is the salmon.”
–Jae Moon, Director of Culinary at Seascape Resort
Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub
“Honestly, I love all three [dishes]. I love our pasta but I know people love the steak more.”
—Jorge, Chef
Laili
“Downtown Santa Cruz is very unique, especially Abbott Square. A lot of families come there on weekends, and so for people to know about Laili Restaurant and especially locals, and that our patio is really a great place. The menu is very unique because it’s Mediterranean, but I’m originally born in Afghanistan, so it’s of Afghan fusion, Central Asia. We call it silk rot flavor sometimes. So it’s unique; it’s different. It’s a good addition to Santa Cruz. It’s our home. It’s our town. I want Laili to be part of Santa Cruz, part of the community.”
—Wafi Amin, Owner
Johnny’s Harborside Restaurant
“I’m just excited for people to come out and experience the restaurant. I think the best part about Restaurant Week is it brings in a lot of clientele that might not normally come to the restaurant. That’s what I’ve noticed. The tuna tartare dish that we’re doing has been a favorite. I haven’t put it on the menu before, but I’ve made it for a lot of my homies, like VIPs or like regulars. And then the petrole sole schnitzel is a dish that I put on when I first came to Johnny’s. We ran that for a few months, and I just don’t think very many people in Santa Cruz are doing a dish like that. It’s a throwback to my days when I was growing up in Iowa, and we’d do the crispy pork sandwich, and it’s basically like a giant pork schnitzel on a tiny bun. There’s something about that. It’s a little bombastic.”
—Jeffrey Wall, Executive Chef
Back Nine Grill and Bar
“I’m just excited for all the people to come out and enjoy good food. I’ve seen places where they do a very special menu, and it’s really good and really awesome, and then you can never get it again. That’s why for my menu, it’s favorites, like most highly purchased items. We’ve put on the coconut prawns and the ginger prawns, as well as all of our really good salads that we serve. We do a little half salad for the appetizer part. So we have a ton of options for section one. I think you get to choose from like six or seven different things. On our menu you can interchange any side. There’s super healthy options, and then there’s options like our scallop potatoes, which are delicious and probably not on very many diet lists”
—Ben Kralj, Chef
Mozaic
“We want to refresh people’s memories, like when people come back and say, ‘Oh, Mozaic!’ And I’m excited to introduce the lamb shank too— the Lamb shank this year is a local Special. We simmer it in the sauce for a few hours. So it pretty much simmers in the sauce all day. It’s a very decent size as well. People rave about how it’s pretty tender as well.”
—Jay Dib, Owner
Kianti’s Pizza and Pasta Bar
“We have a pizza and two pastas for the entree, and our cinnamon sticks and Chianti’s cookie and a root beer float for dessert. And then we have her meatballs and breadsticks and a Caesar salad for the Starter. And we do have our “Nightmare Before Christmas” performance going on right now, which is our show that we do from October to the New Year”
—Tracy Parks-Barber, Co-Owner
Riva Fish House
“Every time it’s Restaurant Week, we want to show our best. We’re offering three different menus, $55, so there’s a variety to keep everybody happy with the food. It’s my rebirth here, and you know there is something about this location that you can’t beat. It’s a monument. People bring their families. This place has people that have built memories with their own kids. They come here so we keep it reasonable for the older folks, and they bring their kids here, and there is so much more than just the food”
—Raffaele Cristallo, Chef
Pete’s Capitola
“We’re moving into the fall season with some crispy Brussels sprouts and a cider glaze with rosemary, and that’s new and special for Chef Ethan and the autumn season. Then we also have our butter-poached Maine lobster roll that is just classic, been on Pete’s menu, and that people know and love with us. I mean, it’s Maine lobster, so it would be cool if it was from this side of the country, but it’s also kind of sick that it’s from the other side.”
—General Manager AB
The Laughing Monk Brewery
“It’s nice that Restaurant Week brings a lot of new faces in, and then a lot of times those new faces become old faces because they keep coming back, which is always my favorite thing, is to see people that are like, ‘Oh man, yeah, I came for Restaurant Week once, and we love you guys, and we just keep coming back and coming.’ This year it’s going to be a seafood pasta dish with probably some breadcrumb sauce. We test the public if they’re gonna like it or not and enjoy it. And if so, then it does make the menu and then sits. It’s kind of more like we use this as like a voting competition silently behind the scenes because I always like to run the numbers and just see what the most ordered was, what was the best, and what were people kind of going for.”
—Matt Laughlin, General Manager
Makai Island Kitchen and Groggery
“I’m most excited to figure out what that is. I’ve never worked a restaurant week anywhere. Most of the places that I’ve helped are like the Hotel Utah when they reopened from COVID. I was there for a year helping them. Helped open a billiards hall that wanted a kitchen in it, a gourmet sandwich shop at a bar in Pacifica. So I haven’t really ever worked at a place where they have that kind of event, so it’ll be fun to see what the flow is, what people are interested in food-wise. So I’m going to do one of them [one of the three entrees], like a twist on something Americana. One of them I decided to do this month is Filipino. Traditionally, Filipino food is very vinegar-heavy, but you know for the tastes of the clients who come here, they might not be as into that, so I just like to give it a little a little twist and then I haven’t decided on a third set yet. But I’m sure it’ll be something fun.”
—William Lucas, Chef
Avanti Restaurant
“We’re really excited about Restaurant Week this year! For us at Avanti, it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our farm-to-table Italian cuisine, highlight the incredible local farmers and producers we work with, and introduce new guests to what makes our restaurant special. What excites us most is the chance to create a seasonal menu that reflects the best ingredients the Central Coast has to offer. We love combining traditional Italian cooking with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and bringing a little creativity to the table.”
—Tatiana Glass, Owner
Hook & Line
“Restaurant Week is always a great opportunity to introduce guests to our food, whether that’s someone discovering us for the first time or a regular trying something new on the menu.”
—Lejla Borovac, Co-Owner
What have you learned from past Restaurant Weeks that you are bringing to the table this year?
Chocolat
“One thing we’ve learned is it is not a time to make money but it’s a time to let people know who we are and delight people with acceptable prices”
— David Jackman, Owner
The Point Kitchen and Bar
“What I’ve learned is people want to get a fair deal for their money and they want to be able to come in and they want to make sure it is actually worth $55. So what we try to do is try to give you a little more for your money. So one of the entrees we’re going to have is a New York steak, which normally at our restaurant retail around $45 to $50, depending on the type of sauce it has and the type of pairing. So we’re going to have a 12-ounce New York steak, and we’re going to pair it obviously with veggies and the starch. And that alone, like I said, that alone that placed around $50 for us. And you factor in the appetizer, you factor in the dessert, that value exceeds $55. We want to have people try our food out. Not all three options we’re going to have here are loss leaders, but definitely the steak one’s a loss leader.”
—Erick Gonzalez, General Manager
Gabriella Café
“We’ve learned that Restaurant Week is busy and fun…diners are peppy.”
—Paul Cocking, Owner
Hula’s
“We have brought new recipes that we have tried during Restaurant Week, and you know what we’ve learned is that it’s a good way to kind of advertise. You know, it helps us advertise our new recipes, and it gives us a little bit of an understanding if our guests are going to like it or not. In years past, we’ve had a couple that were very popular during Restaurant Week that we just put on our menu permanently.”
—Francisco Cervantes, Manager
Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Westside
“As for what I have learned, it’s more of what we have fine-tuned with experience to make the experience more enjoyable for our customers. It’s actually a good experience because we have a bunch of culinary students from Cabrillo, from the local program that I went through, and I think it is all three of their first times doing Restaurant Week. All 3 of the cooks I got also went through the program and are performing at a high level thanks to the program!”
–Carlos Perez, Chef
Sanderlings Restaurant
“It’s great to attract people that have never been before, and it’s crazy because it’s such a beautiful place. And like some people that are locals will say, ‘we’ve never heard of it.’ So I’m just excited for people to really see it and enjoy it. We invite you to enjoy the best view in Santa Cruz County.”
—Sally Locke-Paddon, Restaurant Manager
Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub
“I learned people like steak”
—Jorge, Chef
Laili
“Our menu is unique and it’s different, and when people usually come and try the Restaurant Week, then they usually come back when they have a birthday or anniversary. So that really helps us a lot. Restaurant Week definitely is something that, for me, is for the community. And this year, with everything that goes on around the world and the country, business is a little bit slow, but that’s why we lower the price from $65. This year we have it for $55. So because it is kind of a tough time right now, we lower the price a little bit”
—Wafi Amin, Owner
East End Gastropub
“I think we’ve kind of learned that people like to go to their favorite restaurants for Restaurant Week, and so they expect sort of what they’re used to there, but they also expect something new and special.”
—Quinn Cormier, Co-Owner
Johnny’s Harborside Restaurant
“I never did it at Alderwood, to my knowledge. It didn’t really fit our price point there. I’m really stoked to be doing it this year, and it’ll be a lot of fun. We have regulars who live in the harbor, like on a boat, and they literally just take their tiny boat and park it and come off the back and walk out. I have the luxury of watching the fish that we serve get pulled off the dock, and hand-selecting, in a lot of cases, the fish we serve. Since I live a couple blocks away, I walk to work. I learned that in Atlanta. The west side of the bridge is open now. If you have a good product, it’s worth the drive, and I think Johnny’s fits the bill because of the quality of product that we’re getting.”
—Jeffrey Wall, Executive Chef
Back Nine Bar and Grill
“I jokingly say that the longest quarter mile in Santa Cruz County is between Highway One and Pasatiempo. It’s literally one quarter mile from Highway One to Pasatiempo right? Anytime I bump into you people in Santa Cruz, and I talk about Back Nine Bar and Grill, people are always like: ‘Oh, you mean all the way up in Scotts Valley?’ And I’m like, ‘No, no, we’re right here in Santa Cruz.’ You know our address says Santa Cruz. There’s probably 80,000 cars that drive by every day. You have to get off the exit and check it out.”
—Ben Kralj, Chef
Mozaic
“I’ve seen many locals doing Restaurant Week. What we do is an appreciation for the locals. If we do volume, I think we break even and I am using it as a marketing tool so instead of spending money on marketing I’d rather have the locals take advantage of it.”
—Jay Dub, Owner
Kianti’s Pizza and Pasta Bar
“Honestly, it isn’t a huge thing for us. I believe it’s because of our pricing and atmosphere. I feel like people are going to more higher end restaurants because they’re getting a better discount. I just keep hoping that maybe this will be our year.”
—Tracy Parks-Barber, Co-Owner
Riva Fish House
“I joined last year, basically a little over last year. But I did have my own restaurant, Casa Nostra [in Scott’s Valley and Ben Lomond]. I was born in Torino, which is in North Italy, but my whole family come from Puglia, the hill of the boots. And imaging this wharf a hundred years ago was all Italian … Rivas started as Italian, and the colors are still Italian. He was from a town in Liguria, in our Italian Riviera. So Riva Trigozo is the name of the little town, and that comes from the Stagnaro family when they split, and all the cousins and family. It sounds like it was a lot of fun and a little bit of drama, to tell you the truth, because between the Italians, we always have old dramas. But I can feel the history. I’d like to trace it back at some point.”
—Raffaele Cristallo, Chef
Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen
“I haven’t done it in a couple of years, but usually I do three completely new starters, three completely new entrees, three completely new desserts. But it’s kind of a bit much all the time. You’re basically adding nine completely new items to your menu. So what I’m doing this year is I’m gonna do two desserts and then one of our normal desserts, two entrees, one of our normal entrees, and probably two starters and one of our normal. So at least that way we’re only adding six items”
—Ken Drew, Executive Chef
Avanti Restaurant
“One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned from past Restaurant Weeks is that guests appreciate dishes that are approachable but still feel special. We’ve found that focusing on quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and a well-balanced menu creates the best dining experience. This year, we want to build on that experience by offering dishes that reflect our culinary philosophy: simple, seasonal, beautifully prepared food that allows the ingredients to shine. Most importantly, Restaurant Week is about celebrating our local dining community, welcoming new faces, and giving our regular guests another reason to come together around great food.”
—Tatiana Glass, Owner
WHERE TO GO
Avanti Restaurant
1917 Mission St, Santa Cruz 831-427-0135, avantisantacruz.com
Back Nine Grill & Bar
555 Hwy 17 at Pasatiempo exit, Santa Cruz 831-226-2350, backninegrill.com
Bittersweet Bistro
787 Rio Del Mar Blvd, Aptos 831-662-9799, bittersweetbistroaptos.com
Chocolat
1522 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831-427-9900, chocolatesantacruz.com
The Crow’s Nest
2218 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz 831-476-4560, crowsnest-santacruz.com
East End Gastropub
1501 41st Ave., Capitola 831-475-8010, eastendpub.com
Gabriella Cafe
910 Cedar St., Santa Cruz 831-457-1677, gabriellacafe.com
Hook and Line
105 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz 831-225-0434, eathookandline.com
Hula’s Island Grill and Tiki Room
221 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz 831-426-4852, hulastiki.com
Johnny’s Harborside Restaurant
493 Lake Ave, Santa Cruz 831-479-3430, johnnysharborside.com
Kianti’s Pizza and Pasta Bar
1100 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz 831-469-4400, kiantis.com
La Posta Restaurant
538 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz 831-457-2782, lapostarestaurant.com
Laili Restaurant
101-B Cooper St., Santa Cruz 831-423-4545, lailirestaurant.com
Laughing Monk Brewing and Gastropub
262 Mount Hermon Road, Unit 103, Scotts Valley 831-226-2870, scottsvalley.laughingmonk.com
Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery
490 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz 831-466-9766, makaisantacruz.com
Margaritaville
231 Esplanade, Capitola 831-476-2263, margaritavillecapitola.com
Mozaic
110 Church St, Santa Cruz 831-454-8663, mozaicsantacruz.com
Paradise Beach Grille
215 Esplanade, Capitola 831-476-4900, paradisebeachgrille.com
Pete’s Capitola
231 Esplanade, #102, Capitola 831-453-0801, petescapitola.com
The Point Kitchen & Bar
3326 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz 831-476-2733, thepointkitchenandbar.com
Riva Fish House
31 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz 831-429-1223, rivafishhouse.com
Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub
1220 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831-426-9930, rosiemccanns.com
Sanderlings Restaurant
1 Seascape Resort Dr, Aptos 831-688-6800, seascaperesort.com
Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen
7500 Old Dominion Ct, Aptos 831-688-8987, sevysbarandkitchen.com
Sugo Italian Pasta Bar
1116 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz 831-431-6965, sugoitalianpastabar.com
Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen | Beachside
131 Esplanade, Aptos 831-688-8917, venusspirits.com
Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen | Westside
200 High Rd, Santa Cruz 831-600-7376, venusspirits.com
Woody’s at The Airport
100 Aviation Way, Watsonville 831-722-7077, woodysmontereyairport.com/woodys-watsonville-airport
