Location: Santa Cruz
Top Restaurants in Santa Cruz
Top Things to do in Santa Cruz
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Best Italian food near Santa Cruz, California, United States
Find out what Italian restaurants to try in Santa Cruz. The quintessential California beach town of Santa Cruz! It was here that surfing was first brought to the mainland by Hawaiian royalty. Home to the legendary Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined downtown area, and the historic Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, which stretches out a half-mile into the waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Other highlights include UC Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, and nearby redwood forests.
Things to do in Santa Cruz
10. Bantam
Overall Ratings
4 based on 66 reviews
Reviewed By marfak
This is a tiny place off the beaten path. The menu changes daily and the concept is fresh food, locally sourced. We were impressed. We started with two small plates: grilled leeks with burratta and beets with apples and blue cheese. Both were winners. Great mix of flavors. Then we had a sausage pizza piled with greens, and I had the fried chicken. The pizza had a thinner crust and was very tasty. The chicken was out of sight! Great texture and crunch, and served with a spicy pepper sauce and grilled yams and parsnips. Wow! We topped it off with a solid tiramisu. All in all a fun dinner. It was a tad on the pricey side (they do not take American Express) but well worth it. Would definitely eat here again. Just a note that it was crowded and very noisy; hard to carry on a conversation. The server dropped our two slices of pizza we were taking home so she baked us an entirely new pie!
9. La Posta Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 121 reviews
Reviewed By mangiam0
We've enjoyed La Posta in the past so were looking forward to a great meal. The positives: the staff is excellent - helpful, present, informed. The appetizers (heirloom tomato salad, and fig/melon/prosciutto) were really good although the fig appetizer was very small. Entrees: There were four of us - we shared two pizzas and the halibut. The pizzas were yummy - thin, crispy, lightly charred crusts with a bit of chew and flavorful toppings. The less than positives: the halibut itself, while fresh and perfectly cooked, was overpowered by a large mound of smoked eggplant puree on top, and a base of some sort of tomato broth with chickpeas. The flavor combination did not work at all for me. We also ordered two desserts which were a big disappointment. The chocolate rice pudding was more like a warm soup (it was actually served in a soup bowl) with some rice grains floating in it. To me the presentation was not appetizing and the dessert as a whole was not at all what I expected. The almond cake was moist but didn't have a lot of flavor. The place was packed on a Saturday night, the energy (and noise level) high. When we return, we'll stick with the pizzas and go elsewhere for dessert.
8. Ristorante Avanti
Overall Ratings
4 based on 155 reviews
Fine dining for twenty five years as the farm to table restaurant for Santa Cruz county. We buy the produce, seafood and animals from the people who grew them, caught them or raised them. Local cuisine with a European bent. The finest wines from Europe wi
Reviewed By bl1416
Calamari was excellent, salads were excellent. Main courses were fine.. the fusilli with chicken was very underseasoned. Desserts were excellent.Service was weird. They were attentive. Very attentive. Too attentive. We would barely put our fork down and they wanted to clear the table. And the need to clear EVERY last thing from the table required interupting our conversation several times. Leave it be. There was plenty of time to turn the table over when we left rather than asking us to pass it along and disrupting our meal. Honestly, for that reason alone, I would hesitate to come back. 3 different servers came by. Brought bottles of water to the table, but again, then interrupted to ask to pour more. If you bring big bottles, just leave them to us to deal with.
7. Cafe Mare
Overall Ratings
4 based on 136 reviews
Old world charm in the heart of Santa Cruz, authentic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine list and a full bar. Open for lunch and dinner daily, happy hours sunday thru thursday from 5pm to 7pm, new specials every day. Large groups welcome, kids friendl
Reviewed By Carolyn W
Many pasta dishes, but limited seafood offerings not made with pasta. They had fresh swordfish on the menu but it was unavailable at the time we ate. Very disappointed. Chose a shellfish, with pasta and red sauce. It was dry and blah. My granddaughter had a pasta, but it was a very small helping. My husband had a fish fillet which was excellent.
6. Cafe Mare
Overall Ratings
4 based on 136 reviews
Old world charm in the heart of Santa Cruz, authentic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine list and a full bar. Open for lunch and dinner daily, happy hours sunday thru thursday from 5pm to 7pm, new specials every day. Large groups welcome, kids friendl
Reviewed By Carolyn W
Many pasta dishes, but limited seafood offerings not made with pasta. They had fresh swordfish on the menu but it was unavailable at the time we ate. Very disappointed. Chose a shellfish, with pasta and red sauce. It was dry and blah. My granddaughter had a pasta, but it was a very small helping. My husband had a fish fillet which was excellent.
5. Lago di Como Ristorante & Pizzeria
Overall Ratings
4 based on 120 reviews
Reviewed By Chuck_from_SantaCruz
Just returned to Lago di Como after a few months. It's tremendous. We had the Caesar Salad and a variety of entrees and everyone enjoy his/her meal. I had one of their special chicken dishes with a chicken breast on polenta, with mushrooms, and it was so damned tasty. It made me understand what flavors a sophisticated chef can blend to make an unbelievable dinner. Other entrees were similarly delicious. We had ice cream with espresso for desert, and that was also lovely. The prices, despite our thirst for wine, were very reasonable. I have to say that as much as I like the competition, this is the best Italian in Santa Cruz.
4. Kiantis Pizza & Pasta Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 195 reviews
Reviewed By Heidi H
Loved the pizza (crust esp) and calzone. Salad was fresh and they had a good selection on menu from app's, to salads, pasta, pizza and sandwiches. Service was fast and friendly
3. Tramonti
Overall Ratings
4 based on 119 reviews
Authentic Italian Pizzeria & Trattoria, outdoor patio, wine bar and more, steps from the famous Seabright beach!
Reviewed By Libi K
I like Tramonti's for lunch. they have great lunch specials . The food is homemade and DELICOUS. The people who work here are great!!! and there's always enough to take home.!
2. Lillian's Italian Kitchen
Overall Ratings
4 based on 194 reviews
Lillianâs Italian Kitchen opened quietly on July 4, 2007. Itâs a joint venture of the owners, Joe and Charlotte Moreno and their sons Chris and Matt. Long time residents of Santa Cruz, the Morenoâs dream was to open a neighborhood place that was an extens
Reviewed By Harry W
An earlier TA review led us to this wonderful restaurant! Occupying a older building which might have been a car dealership or other large format retail establishment in past decades, you will find a classic Italian restaurant. The interior is beautifully executed with plenty of tables, a large bar and an open kitchen. There isn't any pizza on the menu, but who needs pizza when you have a staggering selection of pasta and related dishes?The portions are large, the drinks are generous, and our waitress was simply fantastic. I enjoyed the lasagna although was sorely tempted by the spaghetti carbonara and fettuccine alfredo. My wife has the penne arrabiata. Both were excellent! There was a seasonal salad which was delicious. We opted for the garlic bread which I highly recommend.The dessert menu was comprehensive as was the wine list. Again, the wait staff was outstanding.I will seek this restaurant out on my next visit to Santa Cruz!
1. Cafe Mare
Overall Ratings
4 based on 136 reviews
Old world charm in the heart of Santa Cruz, authentic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine list and a full bar. Open for lunch and dinner daily, happy hours sunday thru thursday from 5pm to 7pm, new specials every day. Large groups welcome, kids friendl
Reviewed By Carolyn W
Many pasta dishes, but limited seafood offerings not made with pasta. They had fresh swordfish on the menu but it was unavailable at the time we ate. Very disappointed. Chose a shellfish, with pasta and red sauce. It was dry and blah. My granddaughter had a pasta, but it was a very small helping. My husband had a fish fillet which was excellent.
