This was my second time visiting the diner. The last family visit over 5 years ago, and again I am back to attend a family wedding and I wanted to come back for breakfast. We parked curbside and was promptly seated. It wasnt busy. The staff was nice and the food was very good and the portions were big. I got the California omelet which comes bacon monterey jack cheese and topped with avocado. I ordered it with a side of pancakes but toast was another option. We were served quickly and the food was yummy. The pancakes were ok. I shared them but only ate a bite or two. The omelet and hashbrowns were delicious.

The food is delicious and the portions are huge! Their old fashion milkshakes are almost a meal in itself. Breakfast can be ordered any time. Masks are required when not sitting down. Service was quick and friendly. This place was a nice surprise!

Had breakfast at this diner and enjoyed it a lot. theres a wait when it comes to getting food as theres many people there and they are a bit understaffed, but the service was great. very polite, attentive, and the waffles are the best ones we have ever had the pleasure to eat. very soft and and the same crunchy, which is hard to do. will definitely come back next time, highly reccomend. also, one free refill for your soda

Absolutely amazing place to visit!!! The Fishermans Platter was HUGE and everything was well battered and fried. The dish came with garlic bread and clam chowder (which were also tasty). The service was also very friendly. They even brought water for our dog without us having to ask. I will definitely be coming back.

We ate here after a hike nearby. First time trying this place. When we were seated and I saw the menu, it was a bit overwhelming. The menu really doesnt make sense. Too much variety of food. Seafood, breakfast, Italian and Vietnamese. I thought it was too much. Too scattered for me. But, I was craving breakfast. The scramble I ordered was ok. Really good portion size. Not the best breakfast Ive had, but good. Our waitress though, was friendly and super attentive. I love coffee and she had that refilled at the perfect time, every time. We had at least 3 or 4 cups, so we know lol That was the best experience out of my visit. Please tip well for service.

Nice place, clean, good and friendly service with good food portions. If you are a foreign, look at my pictures. It looks like those dining places common in TV shows and movies, common for Americans not so much for us. Worth visiting at least once.

Nice employees, good service, and good food. The pho was awesome. And the pancakes were fantastic. I would recommend and I would come again (Im saying I would because Im a tourist here and Im leaving soon.) All and all fantastic place.

Great breakfast, eggs, bacon, hash browns and french toast.

For a DDD you have a certain level of expectation to the overall food. They have a great selection of items to choose from on the menu. The food seemed to be poorly prepared and made with cheap ingredients. Their burger patties were premade and frozen and not cooked all the way, there Curly Fries were over fried and their curry had a very light curry flavor and a very heavy coconut flavor, and the chicken chunks tasted like they where boiled by itself and then added to the curry. The chicken had absolutely no flavor. I have to say it was the absolutely the worst DDD stop I have ever had. I think given the choice I my choose Dennys over this place.

Food, fresh ingredients, and service were good. Very nice way to start a day on the road.

Good food and service at affordable prices. Its easy to find and there is generally no wait. No complaints.

They have great Customer Service. You feel welcomed from the time you walk through the door. The food was so delicious and filling. They all sang Happy Birthday as they brought my slice of pie to the table. That was very special. We enjoyed their food so much that we went back the next day for our breakfast. Great place to eat. We will surely go back there the next time we vacation in Santa Cruz.

This diner has some amazing decor, takes you back to the good old days of jukebox, neon light signs and stained glass lights. The food was great with a good amount of vegetarian and vegan options as well.

Great home kitchen style food. Good portion sizes. Good service. I would return, and I would recommend to a friend.If I were to change anything, it would be to make their waffle batter thicker. Its more towards the crepe end of the thickness spectrum. Overall, excellent!

The down side of my order was dried vegetables with the new York strip. Although, the mashed potato w/ helped a bit to at least get it soaked up. Place is good, just my order came out bleh

They have an eclectic menu which worked well for our family. Everyone enjoyed their meals, the server was really nice and the service was pretty fast. The place was filled with families and they all looked like they were enjoying themselves. We would recommend this diner and plan to return, next time we are in Santa Cruz.

Great food, excellent service & large portions. Very fun interior. We will be returning.

The manager was so polite everyone has good customer service Im a customer service expert and everyone did a great job fast paste very friendly clean didnt see any bad service will be coming back again I always get grilled cheese and fries so amazing might change it up next time

What an unexpected find. Food was great, service was fantastic. They were able to handle a large group with no issues and a warm smile. This will be our go to place whenever we are in Santa Cruz.

This was a hidden gem of a find. I was in the area and I googled places to eat. I was very pleasantly surprised by the pricing and the food is so delicious. Plenty of space for social distancing at the tables. Incredible service. I will be eating here again. Nice and quirky as well. Love it.

This is the worst chicken that I have ever had in my life! They were clearly warmed several times before us! We asked why and they said nobody had any complaints before and they did not care at all!

We read a couple of reviews before visiting. They were definitely misleading. Our experience here was amazing. The service was great along with the food. Food portions were big and just a great place to eat.

The service and food were exceptional.

Recommended to us by the hotel staff. Homey, Old School diner, Great Staff -Service and Excellent food! Great set up for outdoor dining. We will be back.

The kid got the mickey mouse pancakes (mommy stole a bite or two, amazing! 😋). we got the humdinger (western bacon cheese) burger and the fish & chips.

Loved it. My sons pancakes were huge...about 8 in diameter....lol

Customer service was very good.We went for breakfast and I asked the server about the potato pancakes, he suggested them. The potato pancakes were as big as the plate, over compensating, they are a glorified hash brown with parsley and onion. The flavor is still lacking, and still had some raw potato and onion. The rest of the food was definitely sub par quality!I personally would not return but it couldn’t be the worst diner in Santa Cruz. Don’t use the fact that Guy Fieri whet there as a suggestion that ALL the food is good, he sampled two lunch/dinner items.

I didnt like the pho, maybe it was a bad day for it idk, friendly staff

I love Santa Cruz Diner! I used to go there more often when my girls were growing up but it still a place to enjoy a late meal.

Awesome service, delicious food 😋😀

During the pandemic everything is different everywhere but this place is still awesome!! Restrooms are still open to customers, service is still good. Food tastes amazing and prices make sense. My favorite thing is the humor throughout the diner including the quotes on the laminated menus. I cant wait to drive 7 hours to come back again!

Delicious food with outstanding service. Place is very unique and it was featured on Guy Fieri show Diners, drives, and dives. Because of the pandemic place was pretty slow. We ordered the terriyaki dinner plate and it was delicious. It was a bit pricey, but we wanted to try it out. Our server, Bryce, was pretty new, but he was very attentive to our needs. The manager on duty was the opposite, he was inattentive, since it was slow he could of at least see how we were doing. We do look like tourist. But overall it was a good diner. Will come again and try something different.

Over the top yummy blueberry pancakes! Service was grand!

Great food and good prices. Rose the manager was very friendly and attentive. Love the old school dinner experience. Id come back anytime

Good and decent breakfast!

County fried steak was perfect... Eggs too.

Food is nothing special. I like the decor, pretty cool to see all the signs they have hung up inside. I rarely come here, its just a hit or mess.

Great Place. Great Food.

Was at a hotel having a day in. Ordered delivery. Specifically requested utensils since we didn’t have any.Food arrived without any utensils. There was also no syrup for the pancakes. We could see the food, we just couldn’t eat it.Maybe they are good in store! But this was disappointing.

What a great place to eat! The food is great and very affordable. The staff is very friendly and service was fast.

They were down to two servers and we still got our food hot fresh and delicious. The server was kind and on the ball. My wifes sea food fettuccine was the best she ever had and she orders it anywhere that offers it. Great atmosphere and right in town!

A real treat. wait staff is fun and courteous, old style jukebox and the walls are adorned with exciting stuff. and the food is great.....

Love Santa Cruz diner. Their extensive menu has something for everyone including my wifes favorites, the veggie lasagna and teriyaki tofu bowl. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner but the menu is all day menu. My kids like to order their breakfast for dinner. A real local treasure.

Thought I was in fir some hood food. Worst food experience in Santa Cruz so far. Needed a cup of clam chowder. You would be better off going to the Safeway and buying a can of soup and save your money. Watery no flavor. Cobb salad they use chopped up thin lunch meat. Thin sliced salty lunch meat stacked up and sliced then put on the salad disguised as turkey. Cobb salad couldnt even get through half of it. Bad thing is I will never ever go back. Nasty. Save your money and go to McDonalds or Safeway.

A nice diner to visit in Santa Cruz. They offer breakfast all day if thats your thing. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with all the toppings. Tomato, onions, lettuce, and pickles were fresh and crunchy. Meat tasted very good, slight seasoning without overpowering. Fries nice and hot from the fryer! We sat outside under the tent to enjoy the wonderful weather. Portion size is generous, I wasnt able to finish the last couple bites--I was stuffed!

Gonna be honest, nothing special. Which pains me to say because there’s so much character inside this restaurant! The food was very bland, both meat and other breakfast items alike. Not worth the price in my opinion. Didn’t see a lot of the waiting staff, either. Except for the coffee guy. Saw him a lot.

Very friendly diner. The have the usual diner fare with an Asian twist - there is curry chicken stew, Thai curry soup, and other delicious looking dishes. They have a great kids menu as well. The portions are an average size, not the regular oversized portions. Love the onsite parking. Our waiter was great - patient with us and our kids. The decor was fun and entertaining conversation topics

Great service, tasty food, reasonable prices. As an European I was glad I could try typical American breakfast. My companion had Burger and it was also delicious. So if you a tourists, at either time of day it is a place to recommend.

Good food and good service. Really busy on the weekends. I had the eggs Benedict. The hollandaise sauce was plentiful but had a bit too much lemon. The ham and hashbrowns were good.

Great classic diner with a unique twist!

The service is slow but friendly and the food is decent but will serve up a healthy dose an authentic diner experience.

Great dinner. Friendly staff. We ordered a calamari basket, chicken fried steak, and seafood alfredo linguini. Everything was great. Great atmosphere

Great food! I had the Avacado Eggs Benedict ! Excellent service by Cavyn! I will for sure go back when I know SHE is working!

Amazing tiramisu The seafood Fettuccini is amazing, enough olives to even the flavored of a very cheese heavy dish. The fish, shrimp, and mussels were cooked just right without ruining their texture clean plate worthy, The waiter was pleasant and very enthusiastic to serving us its a nice addition to very well prepared food godspeed to Santa cruz diner family. This is a must visit place when you are in santa Cruz

Would not recommend. First of all the vibe is cute but the Place is filthy, service was irritatingly slow. I watched the waiter make my drink and leave it there for 8 minutes I sat at my table and watched my drink melt. That’s not even the worst part. I watched our waiter touch his hair and face multiple times and then take plates to customers without washing his hands. Food was bland and not worth the price.

Cute place. Food was good. When we walked in the song playing was Puff the Magic Dragon. I was sold...

The food was good, i ordered the Canadian bacon Benedict it tasted really good and as i was about to put another bite into my mouth i found a short course black curly hair. i am a blonde with wavy long hair. i also had to request a new silverware as my fork had some sort of leafy green on it, i didnt mind this as i used to work in a restaurant so i get that happens the hair however is a final straw.

Food were good

Been years since I last visited. Still a great place to get a bite to eat in Santa Cruz.

We tried it twice. People working there are very nice. Menu is eclectic, with foods covering many nationalities. But the food itself? DRY!!!! Salmon teriyaki - totally hard, dry salmon. Not much teriyaki sauce. Chicken crepe - so dry that I couldnt even swallow the chicken. The crepe was crispy and dry??? Bizarre. I had to send it back. Fries...again, dry and tasteless.Its a really cute place. But the food is a disappointment.

So much GOOD food for the price ...great service.

I came for the 1st time and enjoyed the corned beef hash combo. My son enjoyed the patty melt. I would come again.

Really friendly staff and a very decent breakfast menu. Decor is what I’d always hoped for an American diner! I had a fried hash with toast and finished every bite! Only possible complaint was that the restroom was very cold, tho they’d only just opened and it was a very cold day!

Good service and great venue! Unimpressed by the food but willing to give it another try.

To the head cook. Pancakes: Tough and flavorless. Pancake recipe: Soft wheat flour, sifted. 3:1 buttermilk to whole milk. Plenty of melted butter, salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, eggs - separated (quantities for you to discover). Mix dry, add wet (except whites) and gently mix together. Fold in unbeaten whites and let stand for 15 minutes.Omelets: Tough, scorched, and not seasoned. Do not scramble your omelet. 2 or 3 eggs not over beaten. Use medium low heat and clarified butter. Gently mix eggs until they begin to set. Season eggs. Add any cheese and continue to cook eggs removing from heat as needed to prevent scorching. Add any other ingredients, remove from heat, and cover pan. Uncover when cheese has melted and gently roll out of pan to plate. Garnish with ingredients from inside.Season your food and good luck.

Breakfast was excellent. Pho wasnt that good (very over cooked mushy noodles).Ciopinno was passing. Ill stick to classic diner dishes next time.

Great food, even better service. They accommodated our massive group on short notice, and there was no drop in speed or quality. Highly recommend.

Good food(large portions) Great service and friendly staff who are devoted to go above and beyond... Hope to see you all again next im in the area.

Cavyn, our server was fantastic! So attentive but not too attentive. She knew just when to refill my coffee. The breakfast sandwich I had was perfect. My husband and sister-in-law had the eggs Benedict and was terrific as well. Thanks Cavyn and Santa Cruz Diner for such a nice experience.

Ive been to this restaurant more than a few times and I finally feel comfortable reviewing it. The fact of the matter is that you just dont get what you pay for here. This place is all about the aesthetic of eating in a low quality diner but the food is closer to what youd expect at a coffee stand. I think this place is great for some people but if youre looking for an authentic diner experience there are far better places that will give you more bang for your buck. I knocked off one star for the prices to amount of food ratio and another star for the terrible eggs. Unless you order your eggs sunny side up dont expect them to be fresh.

Old time diner type atmosphere friendly staff and good size portions

Went here with our family, including little ones and picky eaters...our server let us know from the beginning that the wait for food might be awhile since they were under staffed, appreciated that and it wasnt too long for our food. Good food and most importantly, friendly service.

Food, service and friendly staff all on point. We dropped in for dinner after going to the Boardwalk. Short handed as two cooks didnt show up for work. The cook who was there was fantastic.

Went to where Guy Fieri said to check out if I was in Santa Cruz, food was good...👍😁

Wonderful lunch. More than enough...took some home. There Spring Rolls are to die for!!

I had the steak and eggs after biking from San Jose. They helped me place put my bike in a place where it wouldnt get stolen and were very nice. Also, they substituted chocolate pancakes for the sourdough toast for three dollars. This is a nice breakfast spot when I go to Santa Cruz and I have fond memories there.

Place is very cool, very clean. Food not bad at all!

Old school diner. Great menu.Great vibe.

Been here many times over the years. Foods consistently good, servers are great and do double duty as tour guides as well! The variety of choices is awesome. You can get seafood, breakfast, steaks, Asian and a whole slew of American cuisines. My favorite: the Banana Walnut Pancakes with a side of bacon! Always a good choice! The portions are plentiful. We haven’t been able to clean our plates yet, even after more than 10 years of visits! But we keep trying! Can you say, “Yummy Leftovers”???!

Nice little nostalgic diner. My dad is a baby boomer and lived the 50s surfer vibe the place had and the food was awesome too. Huge portions and the salmon I had was delicious.

Such a wide variety of foods. Breakfast served all day is always a plusWe came down as a family, 25 total. All split into our little groups. I did not catch our waiters name but he worked his butt off. Was friendly and came thru with every request we had. Food was delicious. Great portions and decent prices.

Fun place. Kind of like TGIF not less annoying. The special of the day on Saturday was Cioppino .... Uh yeah!! It was wonderfully yummy. It warmed me up from the inside out. The kids spaghetti and meatballs was enough to feed 2. Hubbys burger was enormous and tasty. Would definitely go again.

Cheesecake Factory of diners. Had a ton of options and the staff were really nice.

I went to this place on a busy weekend. After reading reviews on Google, i was very much excited to eat breakfast here. I ordered Mango Smoothie, Vietnamese Ice Tea, Grilled Sandwich and Veggie Burger with Hash Browns.Unfortunately, i did not enjoy the food. It was very simple, I expected it to be special as it was my first time to visit Santa cruz. I could only taste bread and cheese, no mayo, no sauce. Probably ordinary.

Great food great service definitely go back

Loved it! Great food, great fast service and reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend and will be coming back again. Great job trying to keep things as normal as possible during a pandemic. You killed it!!!

TASTY FOOD - GREAT OPTIONS - GOOD COSTUMER SERVICE - SLIGHTLY OVERPRICED (2 PEOPLE $48 NOT INCLUDING TIP). HERMENEGILDO (JR.) PROVIDED SUPERB SERVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE TO GO VISIT IN THE AREA FOR US TOURISTS.

We used to frequent this establishment, then we moved to alameda 😩Today, drove all the way here for Pho ! Here’s the thing, no matter when we come, the service is IMPECCABLE, the food AMAZING . They are extremely accommodating with my puppy as well . They is NOTHING on this menu that won’t hit 10 out of 10 .Out server tonight was Danny, wow ! Her is super polite, super accommodating, and prompt . Can’t wait to come back again .

Moss landing whale watching

Over the years its fallen off. Not as good as it was, was out of a lot og things.

Worst service ever take forever to bring out food there was people seated before us they finished eating and we were still waiting plenty of better diners around avoid this one

Slow to take our order, but the food was good.

All time classic of the Santa Cruz scene. Chicken Fried Steak is where its at!

Good food and employees. They had indoor dining at the time I went as well as outdoor dining. The fish and chips were good not many people there and they did have the social distancing covid 19 measures in place.

Staff friendly and attentive. Had a party of 15, and they seated us outside - quickly.Food was delicious with large portions. Look forward to going back.

Great food service needs fixing you always have to ask for napkin and water!!

Waitress was amazing. Went on Mothers Day and there was no wait to get a table for 6 people. Food was great and didnt take long to get it! Will be eating there on our next visit!

We arrived on a very busy Friday evening and had to wait about 15 mins which was better than the 25 minutes we were quoted. The meal was worth the wait. We had raspberry tea and an iced Chia while we waited. The Staff was very professional letting us know to order drinks first because the kitchen was a little behind in its oders. I appreciated that because it gave me time to review the menu and discuss the meal choices. My daughter order a Ruben and fries with a non-alcoholic Shirley temple. I order an omelette and coffee with a sampler platter containing onion rings, chicken strips and jalapeno poppers. The sampler was good I would request more then two jalapeno poppers because they were the best part of the sampler. I was also very impressed that all the food arrived at the table very hot. All the food was delicious and flavorful. The onion rings and fries were crispy. The omelette was hot and the vegetables were cook to perfection. My only suggestion would be to cook the hash browns a little more. The staff were friendly and handled the crowd restaurant very well. Definitely a hidden gem.-Yvonne

We went there twice because it was so good. Service was excellent.

It is so nice it is hiring and there is not much staff are food took pretty long but the food is really good I got a strawberry cream love it