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I was hungry last night after a "typical night" in Santa Cruz. Unfortunately I did not check yelp reviews for this place. I ultimately regret my mistake! But mistakes is what life is all about right?
New York Cut Steak dinner: The steak was burned and tasted burned. Broccoli looked dry and the baked potato was nothing to rave about.
Patty Melt Sandwich: The beef inside was burned too :( Fries were not salted or seasoned.
Here is how I rated them
1 star for interior
1 star for service
----------------------
2 stars total.
I don't think I am coming back anytime soon.
This might get two stars, except I'd been eating here for years and have noticed a very sharp deterioration so I don't feel like being nice. It used to be a 5! Used to enthusiastically bring friends, try new things, and get attached to yummy favorites.
What happened? It went to hell, over the years.
Who wants to eat slimy, tasteless food served up by haggard, grouchy folks in a dirty environment? Not I. And I know some customers can go overboard with special requests, but to have those lame, insulting warnings about that printed on the menu is just rude. When you're such a malcontent of a business that you're out to offend your customers before they've taken the first bite, I pity you.
The last time we ate here was the last time. There are great places to eat in Santa Cruz, but this is no longer one of them.
Been coming here for years and am surprised to see that I never reviewed it. Used to love coming here for breakfast years ago and still do from time to time, but after a few mediocre meals, decided that there are plenty of way better places to go for breakfast in the area. I love biscuits and gravy, but the last two times I've had it here, the biscuit was tough on the bottom at the very end so I'm guessing that it was microwaved or something. What a turn off.
Anyway, on a fun night of barhopping, shooting pool, and going around seeing friends in various bars, I realized that we hadn't had dinner yet. Okay...whats in the area that we can hit that's decent yet won't upset the rhythm of the night? Limoncello? No, too fancy for in-between bar hopping...Jack in the Box? Nah, maybe later. Oh wait, there's Santa Cruz diner across the street. Okay...why not?
Based on the lukewarm feelings I had towards this place from my previous biscuits and gravy experience, my expectations weren't very high, but figured I'd stick to real diner food and ordered a double cheeseburger with bacon (so much for the diet!)...after all, how can you screw up a burger? Well, I'm happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. The burger came out and not only was it perfectly cooked, but the two patties were way bigger and better than I had expected. I never thought I'd say this, but it was really good. It really filled me up and I was more than satisfied. We shared some chili-cheese fries as well which was typical diner fare...nice portion of fries and chili, but not as tasty as that at Johnny Rockets.
Never ordered the pho here and probably never will, but next time I'm in the mood for good diner grub, I'll be here again, especially if I'm drinking.
(visited on 7/09)
Food is barely ok , not great. I can sense what previous reviewers have said about the servers, however ours was great ( he'll probably find a better place to work and get amazing tips)
Variety is impressive but we stuck with pretty simple fare - burgers, salad, omelet and a chicken dinner. Chicken was way overcooked and potato inedible- burgers and fries were fine, omelet was just ok, not great.
They were packed (great tourist location) and with some common sense changes could be great.
Until then we will not be back.
This was the worst place I have ever eaten!!! I was expecting tastey diner food and even waited for 20 minutes. Little did I know that I was about to be served the most disgusting food on earth. I ordered the chicken crepe, 2 bites in I discovered a hard sharp object in my mouth. Good thing I didn't attempt to swallow, instead I pulled it out of my mouth and it was a huge chicken bone, that probably would have punctured my large intestine if I had swallowed it. I showed it to my waitress and she said she would not charge me for my meal. I asked to keep the fries on my plate because I was starving. When the bill came I discovered that she had charged me 4 dollars for a side of fries!!! This place was amazingly bad, in every way. Horrible service, nastey food, creepy people. I would never go back !!! In fact I get angry every time I drive by this big steamy dump they call the santa cruz diner.
I had heard this restaurant was going to be on Food Network and thought I'd give it a try. Sounded like an interesting mix of foods. Unfortunately, they all stank. Over cooked burgers, overcooked pork on the rice noodles, overcooked chicken in the pho, and rubbery, undercooked potato pancakes. The french fries were the best thing on the table. On top of that, the service was really poor. Not a place I'd recommend or go back to.
Ok,I get it...it's just a diner. Wasn't expecting gourmet. Salty greasy and buttery would have been just fine. But don't advertise boneless chicken breast in the chicken crepe and serve as much sinue and connecive tissue as I got. I couldnt finish it. It was dry and over cooked but most definitely the mushrooms and onions were sauted in real butter so that helped. A diner doesn't have to be fancy but the food should be cooked properly.
The service was good and overall not a horrible experience. Will try it again as it was my first time and will stick to something a bit more " dinerish" next time to give the place a fair shake.
Just wanted to see what specialties they had. See if there was something that made them stand out from the crowd. So far nothing.
Kudos to you Santa Cruz Diner for being open 24 hours!! If it wasn't for you, me and three of my friends would have been forced to go to McDonald's or some other boring fare. I'm a fan of diners and diner food so this place couldn't have really gone wrong.
After a long day at Great America, then the evening spent on the Boardwalk... we were ready to just sit down and have some comfort food. I was surprised at how much they had to offer. I got the Fettecine Alfredo with Chicken... ehh not that great but I don't know what I was thinking for getting pasta at a 24 hour diner. Very extensive vegan/vegetarian menu also... which was important for one of our patrons.
I will definitely keep this place in mind next time we go to Santa Cruz.
The only star this place gets is for convenient location. I went in here hungry and, because the food was so bad, walked out hungry as well. The garlic on the garlic fries was disgusting, and I usually love those. As for my breakfast combo, the eggs looked, and tasted, like fake plastic food and the hash browns weren't any better. The pancakes were alright, but only after heavy syrup.
I understand that this place is just a diner, but this place sucks even under that criteria. Id take a drive thru over this any night.
Having read a bunch of the reviews, I feel the need to shout the following - HELLO, IT'S A DINER
For me, a 14 year veteran of everything American, a diner means:
- a counter
- a large menu
- "interesting" service
- plain-ish food
- a varied menu
This place lives up to my pre conceived notions, and was added to by the fact that the three of us had been mountain biking near by and smelt like we had, yet the staff treated us as if we'd just been bathing in rose petal scented water.
The menu here has masses of variety, from meatloaf to pasta to pho!
I'm very much a when in Rome type of person, so being in Santa Cruz, pho doesn't even get a look in at a diner.
I had the sourdough burger - it was tasty, small-ish, but combined with the smallish prices, was more than enough for lunch.
From previous reviews, it seems service can be a bit hit or miss, but our experience was great.
I'd prefer this place to Denny's any day.
I dont know why I keep coming to this place. Maybe because during finals week I tend to want something to eat at around 3 or 4 am.
This place pretty much sucks unless you go for a sandwich, hard to mess up a sandwich.
1 star because the waiters sounds funny as hell. One of them sounds like Marvin the Martian at puberty and the other sounds like shes been smoking since she was three.
another star because they have Pho that I am pretty sure no one ever tries .... ever.
Ya know--it's better than what it was before--Golden West Diner (Golden Death)--not saying much!!! Yea--a diner is a diner--but, to me, that means basic food prepared simply but well--not chemically drenched faux byproducts that bear no resemblance to what nature intended. How do you screw up an open-faced turkey sandwich, a french dip, a simple pancake sandwich??? I tried the Pho because it was supposed to be a specialty of the new owners' ethnicity---well, it took forever and featured freezer-burned chicken breast.
Now, what was a surprise was trying their daily special dinners--some of them were quite good. And when I tried their vanilla milkshake--I was very impressed--by the price, the authentic taste, and that they gave you the whole metal container.
They need to reduce their ill-prepared entrees, keep to what the kitchen can handle well, and do a thorough re-training of waitstaff with an eye to customer service.
On the way to the boardwalk, instead of frequenting the obviously overpriced carnival food, we opted to eat ahead of time at the Santa Cruz Diner. The place reminds me of those diner stops you stumble upon in the middle of nowhere during a roadtrip.
I didn't know what this place was known for, but I saw they had this salmon and crab cake sandwich as a lunch special so I ordered that. It was a little unusual, but I really enjoyed my meal. It was simple and tasted fresh. (on a side note, i read complaints about the pho, but who goes to a diner for pho honestly? Go here for diner-like food, and just enjoy yourself for goodness sakes)
The waitress was really friendly and I didn't have any complaints coming here. It was a quick bite to eat, and I didn't have any expectations to begin with.
I have been dying to try this place since the two years that I been here since it is across the street from where I live. They always advertise on television and I always see the place crowded. I decided to say sure why not.
I came in 4am in the morning and I had one of those days where I was so tired I feel asleep at 7pm and then woke up around 3am so I can go ahead and study. I needed a good power breakfast and I feel like getting some steak and eggs.
I decided to say lets finally try the Santa Cruz diner, as I came in, no welcome or please sit yourself. I just stood there for a couple of minutes andI had a smile on my face and ready to try this place out and the guy just looked at me and said is this guy on drugs or something? I had to say something like can I sit there and he said yes. I waited for ten minutes for a menu and then the same guy looked at me and I wanted to say "Can I have an f*ckin menu" Anyways I finally got served after 5 minutes and the service was pretty slow. I felt like saying do you want my f*cking business or what.
Anyways I ordered the steak and eggs medium. The good news is my steak was all ready to go and be served. Unfortunately, I had to wait 10 minutes for the waiter to get it and the time I got it my steak, it was cold and well unfortunately raw. The sourdough bread finally came and my waiter asked the waitress to give it to me and she just slammed it on the table and I wanted to say "What the f*ck!!!!!"
I overheard from the waiters that three groups did not pay for their meal and their tips were really bad. Well I felt like saying "Sorry if I caught you at a bad day, but I did nothing wrong" I would compare the service at the Santa Cruz diner worst than Walmart and that is bad.
Anyways I finally got the bill which was pretty fast after I ate my meal and I paid for it ASAP because I wanted to get out of there. Anyways when I signed for my bill, I left no tip. Well I wanted to give them a penny, but I did not want to be that mean.
But he did ask how was my steak and I wanted to say it was raw, but I said it was just okay. Anyways I probably will not eat here again, the only complement I give them is the prices are fairly cheap and I think that is what makes people come eat here and it is open 24 hours. The next time I want breakfast, I rather go to Jack in the Box and wait in that long a$$ drive through, but the service is at least better.
My advice is if you want to eat an okay meal, but want service worst than Wal-mart then eat here or if you want something 24 hours. However, be prepared to wait a lifetime for service and food.
I'm glad I did not consult Yelp before coming here - an average of less than 3 stars for a diner?
I had breakfast here very early Thursday morning - about 6:15 am. Had to get an early start, eat, and get to SFO.
I was given the option of sitting where ever I wanted. I chose to sit at the counter. I ordered the Hand made Corned Beef Hash with two eggs over easy and Sausage Gravy and Biscuit. Plus coffee.
Food came out fairly quickly. I was pleased to see a made from scratch corned beef hash - to many places use the canned stuff. This was honest to goodness diced up corned beef - cooked until it was slightly crispy and carmelized - it needed a little bit of salt - but better to not have it come out over salted. So very tasty! I added a little bit of salt, Tabasco sauce, and a tiny bit of Ketchup.
The eggs were also good - added a bit of black pepper to them. The dish also came with a side of crispy hash browns - very good! The one part of the meal that was a bit of a disappointment was the Sausage Gravy and Biscuit.
The gravy had no chunks of sausage in it - and it needed to be more sausagey in flavor. And the biscuit was more like a roll. A good biscuit needs to be flaky with layers peeling apart. This was not a biscuit. It was a roll. The consistency was like bread.
Coffee was your average, standard diner-grade coffee - not overly strong or interesting - but serviceable. Service was good - my coffee cup was kept full.
I will definitely come back here again!
Ended up there on a rowdy drunken night, it was kinda fun and I was smart about what I ordered so it wasn't too bad. The server was better too.
The service was TERRIBLE. Let me repeat that it was terrible. The food was sub-standard (except the… Read more »
Reviews made me nervous about trying it but we thought it was just fine. Traveling through and wanted a hearty breakfast. Place was clean, saw no sign of homeless let alone anyone throwing up on the floor. Food wasn't fancy but it was filling and the price was right,
If I could give zero stars, I would. This place is god awful.
I ordered a vegetarian omelette (that came with hash browns) & asked our server if they offered Egg Beaters. She said yes, I say great & that I'll have that for the eggs.
What came back to me??? EGG WHITES. That's not the same thing. When she put my food in front of me, I asked her what it was that she was giving me because it looked like a wreck. Like someone literally vomited on my plate. She states it's the omelette I ordered. I told her I requested Egg Beaters & asked to have it sent back.
A few moments later she comes back with my plate & says that the cooks told her that what was on my plate WAS Egg Beaters. Ummmmm NO. I told her Egg Beaters look *just* like scrambled eggs but they're an egg substitute. They're yellow, not white!
I then ask if I could get another omelette with regular eggs (not just the whites). She says sure & heads back to the kitchen with my plate.
2 minutes later she's back WITH THE SAME FOOD and what the stupid cooks did was just sort of "mash it up" to make them somehow resemble regular eggs. Of course, they're still the same egg whites.
I had kept my cool but by this time I was really upset. I told her I was not going to pay for that stuff in front of me. She said that's fine & that she'd leave it for me in case I wanted to pick at it but about 15 min. has gone by with the same damn plate. As you could guess...the food was cold by then.
So I was left with a bloody mess of greasy ass hash browns & "vomit" on my plate.
THIS PLACE SUCKS, THIS PLACE SUCKS, THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!!!!
They have waaaaaaaay too many items on the menu that I think they can't focus on one "specialty".
The person I was dining with got fried chicken & she said it was terrible too and ate only a couple bites of her food. She said it was way too greasy & later it made her sick.
DON'T EAT HERE. Go just up the block to Denny's!
Okay, so an aging digestive system is not going to appreciate this Santa Cruz staple. Here's the good news: it's open and serving hot, or cold if you prefer, eats. As they say, it is what it is.
Classic late night fair in Santa Cruz full of jsut about every drunk person from Salinas to Santa Cruz. I remember coming in here and having half of Santa Cruz high sitting in all the tables after PROM.
SC Diner is a block from downtown and the perfect after hours dinner to grab a bite to eat. I love a Santa Cruz Ommlette at 3am at Santa Cruz Diner.
The food is okay and not the best, the service is pretty much shit as I come in on the grave yard shift and the woman that has been smoking for about 40 years takes your order is well the happiest person you could imagine working the graveyard shift.
I remember her bring our food and I had no hash browns with my omelet, my friend had a huge plate of browns. I asked her hey I have no browns on my place she then proceeded to ask if I would just take some from my friend. hahah makes me laugh but WTF. Pretty much if your drunk and do not care then it is a decent place, but the service sucks its all business when you come here. Food food food and not even that great but it does the job. If you are sneaking drinks under the table at 2 am and she asks you if there are any booz in your cups, politely say NO and she will leave you alone. =) Oh the college days
oh yeah the one funny think is they try to offer Pho at Santa Cruz Diner, and well yeah it is a joke do not try unless you are feeling adventurous.
the one and only experience i had of this place was my second year at UCSC. where i asked a friend friend to-go the pho. I KNOW STUPID IDEA. why would i want pho from a diner in santa cruz? when the 30 minute drive over the hill would have taken me to san jose? ... i was in a moment of weakness!
basically, when i got the brown bag with the to-go packages, i realized they forgot to put in the ...
pho noodle.
GG!
i had pho broth but no pho noodle. how in the world am i suppose to eat it!?
my mistake for thinking that i could have some kind of asian dish in santa cruz without the 20 mins drive to san jose. :/
If you have ADD, you can come in here to sit and look at the walls for an extremely long time before getting bored.
**Caveat: if you have ADD you will never be able to choose anything off the menu because its so scarily extensive that it almost puts Cheesecake Factory's textbook of a menu to shame.
Where else can you order pho, spaghetti, burgers, pie, and denny's-like breakfast platters all off of the same page in a menu? I have only been here once (and it was because I left SCHOOL late, not because of partying unfortunately) so I experienced the 24-hour diner in the wrong state of inebriation.
But I can see this place being a mecca for all that are intoxicated and why this Santa Cruz landmark is here to stay. The food is so-so, but its not around for the remarkable quality--its around for the dependability.
The food served here is either a hit or miss, like I went and got the reuben sandwich and it tally grossed me out, but this other time I got a turkey club and it was really good. Thats kind of how it is with most of their stuff, I just wish the stuff cost like a dollar cheaper especially the sandwiches. The service has been ok, not too bad and the nice vibe with alll the stuff on the walls.
One thing I dislike, VERY MUCH though is if you go during lunch time or any other time its full, expect to sit next to people that have no manners. Its like they go there without having the courtesy of not yelling to people across the place when you are literally sitting to them like 3 feet away. Best time to go here is around 1-4p.m.
This place is 'so-so'.
I came here on a warm Saturday afternoon with my boyfriend and some friends. We were all craving different things. Someone wanted coffee and a beer, another wanted a burger, another wanted claim chowder, and I wanted buffalo wings. We didn't feel like driving or walking around to look for a spot to eat and we were a block away from this diner, so we thought WTH, let's give a shot! :)
We walked into the diner; the decor was okay - seemed kind of outdated. Anyway, our server sat us down. Took a look at the menu and to our surprise, they had everything we wanted. Our waiter was a little slow but he did fulfill every request we had, more napkins, re-fills, hot sauce, ranch, etc.
The food was okay. I've had better. The only reason why I gave this place three stars instead of two is because they had everything that we were craving. Which eliminated the need to drive/walk around for a restaurant that suited all of our apetites.
Food is "Eh". Oddly enough my biggest complaint about this place is the people who frequent it. Homeless people constantly. I've even seen people vomit on the floor. Not really anything they can do about that.. but still!
The food is very hit and miss. So is the service. Certain dishes are only available at certain times (no Pho at midnight). The biggest thing going for them is they are open 24 hours and in Santa Cruz very little is open past ten and even less is open past 2am. They also have beer and wine which is a plus.
Edible... I guess
They stay open late which still is not an excuse to eat here. 7-11 has microwave burritos
I'm on a small vaca in Monterey and my boyfriend and I decided to go to Santa Cruz late at night, we yelped this place and decided to give it a try since it's 24 hours..
Well our food was actually pretty good! I ordered the tofu scramble which came with toast and hashbrowns or pancakes instead of the toast and he ordered like a roast beef sandwich I think. Not too bad.
BUUUT... the service... OMG HORRIBLE!!!!! That's why I'm giving it two stars.
The waiters are like all on drugs or have mental problems, because they are SO weird. Our waiter sat us at the table and then just stood there and starred at us, expecting to order our food as we sat down!! He wouldn't say anything to us, just stare and smile expecting us to say something to him when he hasn't said a peep.
He then forgot to order our appetizer and we got it about 10 minutes AFTER we were both done with our food.
The food was good, just the service sucks ass.. maybe because it was late at night but damn. Freakiest server ever!
3 stars for being open late.
We had no idea as to the quality of the Santa Cruz Diner, but figured if it was crowded on a late Thursday night it should be o.k.
It was not even in the ballpark of o.k., it was sublime.
I will forwarn you: if you expect wait staff to fawn over you, don't visit ANY diner. By the very nature of them, the wait staff are usually efficient, courteous and fast, and the Santa Cruz Diner doesn't disappoint...and as an West Coast transplant from back East, I've been to a TON of diners and this one ranks amongst the best.
We sat at the counter both times and were served promptly and courteously. My fiance had the biscuits and gravy: the biscuits are so big they merit their own area code, so unless you're a sumo wrestler or have danced at a 48-hour rave, order just one. They are HOMEMADE while-you-wait! We returned a second time because he loved the biscuits that much and they were perfect the second time as well.
I ordered the whole-wheat and honey pancakes the first time (amazing, fluffy, light) and the French Toast topped with farm-fresh blueberries with sweet cream cheese the second time. The blueberrries were juicy and the dish delish. To add to the atmosphere, we sat next to an (Anglo) Davis native who works with amphibians and writes Salsa songs.
You can't make this stuff up.
We were so impressed that we proudly christened our car's bumper with the bright yellow "We (heart) the Santa Cruz Diner" sticker. We do.
Beats the hell out of Dennys, but its still no paradise. Unless you're stoned beyond belief, have the late night munchies, or haven't eaten in days, you won't be satisfied with the food.
My latest trip there, i had the french toast supreme: 3 slices of french toast, bacon, and sausages. The sausages were still red on the inside, kinda narsty.
And i'm still scared to try their pho. Just doesn't seem right at a white-washed diner, and I've heard horror stories.
But i love their banana cream pie for some reason. And that will remain the sole reason why I will come back here in the wee hours of the morning.
I'm down with this place.
I wanted a light lunch and had a decent bowl of pho. Did I say decent? Try monster bowl of pho for $5.99, full of super hot steamy meat broth, vermicelli and thin flank steak and a pile of basil, jalapeno and sprouts. I dumped a bottle of sriracha in and cured my sore throat. Pho and hot and sour soup are my favorite sicky throat cures. I came to SC for work, but that doesn't mean I like all the mold spores in the air. It really was not bad, they only have flank steak and chicken versions, so don't go in expecting tendon, tripe and other goodies floating.
I was so impressed they pulled off Giant Pho, we went back for dinner since it was close to the best western. This time I had artichoke chicken. I ate most of it, but eh. I should have gone for meatloaf or something. Although it had a ton of mushrooms. The artichoke hearts were not pickled and it was cooked in wine and olive oil, but this was not my favorite thing.
Things I don't like: iceberg lettuce and syrup on the table.
Things I like: iced tea and people who wipe down the table with a fresh lightly bleached hot towel.
Things I really like: giant free caution yellow bumper stickers and ancient outdated trivial pursuit cards and Open 24 Hours.
4 stars for the pleasant surprises and the nice people working there. Very down home. I took away a star for the clientele. There was a weird couple at the counter who were smooching. The guy was playing with his old lady's bra strap, I had to turn my head to the right to get them out of my direct line-of-vision and I was not enjoying that.
Worse service ever. Always crowded because of the tourist trick. Horrible Pho. Shortest review I wrote period. I'm speechless to how horrible this place is.
Santa Cruz Diner well represents the community. And it completely cracks me up.
First of all, the diner is open 24-7, serving breakfast and lunch all day long, if you fancy. Second, the decor is completely quirky, from nautical memorabilia to sassy signs to the dated, beat-up Trivia Pursuit cards on the tables. This place radiates character. Third, there's something for everyone on the menu--extra vegan love from me for breaking down the vegetarian and vegan options. There's American food, traditional diner fare, breakfast classics, Asian, Indian, etc. The menu is littered with interesting bits of text (don't serve people who are intoxicated, no more than two alcoholic beverages per person, warnings about walk-offs [people who eat and don't pay], inspirational sayings, spiritual sayings, etc...all very entertaining).
I ordered a delicious warm chai with soy milk, a fried zucchini appetizer for sharing, and a tofu scramble with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and hashbrowns. All very satisfying--in quality and portion. The hand-made milk shakes looked scrumptious, and the death by brownie dessert sounded...to die for. Our waitress was a peach! She was so sweet and accommodating.
We've driven past the diner a million times and now that we've tried it, I wish we'd done so sooner.
There's nothing really special about this place but it wasn't terrible either. Their french dip was trash but their chicken fried steak wasn't bad. I'm not sure if I would ever trust a dinner that serves Pho though : / The service was prompt and prices weren't bad either. The location is pretty convenient too.
I doubt I'll ever come back but it was just another stop somewhere on my food journey.
THEY WOULDN'T LET ME TAKE MY PHO HOME!!! Can you believe that?? For those not familiar with pho, it's a huge bowl of broth/noodles/sprouts/chicken and basil+. I'm grousing here because it took 20 minutes to arrive and I was running out of lunch time. Waitress was adament...she wouldn't even put it in a soda cup... said someone had complained about the to-go pho so that was that: you want your soup?? tough....WHAT?????? Someone should clue the Management in as to CUSTOMER SERVICE.
My friend's lunch was also short a side...the kitchen filled the plate with lettuce and a few onions rather than the kraut that was supposed to come with the dog...2 stars says it: *meh* I've had better...MUCH better
Mehh Ehhh uuuhh ok 2.5.....meeehh uuuhhh 2.25..........
Ok Santa Cruz Diner, your Mexican Skillet, really greasy, unhealthy, but sooooo goood.
Steak, Eggs, Potatoes, Cheese, Salsa...What more can I ask? Heart Attack?
That's One point for you.
I also like playing the trivia games while waiting for my food.
One Point.
Your open 24 hours a day. + .25
SCD, you guys are ok. But nothing special. I still have not found anything on the menu that is that amazing other than the Mexican Skillet.
In Santa Cuz you guys compete with Deny's as being one of the few 24 hour restaurants. but your food is not that good.
See at least for Deny's we expect crappy food. And some people will go there just to munch on the cheapness.
But Santa Cruz Diner, is not Deny's.
Other than a few items on the menu, there is nothing that stands out on the menu. Plus its more expensive.
At this point Deny's might be the better choice overall. But I will continue to come here because the Mexican Skillet at 3 AM is pretty unbeatable in Santa Cruz.
This place does not have the greatest food in the world, but they have every kind of food you could ever want, and they have it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Get eggs and toast here at 3am after a night of serious drinking, or get a pancakes for lunch when you're hungover. You could even go there when not under the influence of alcohol in any way. And, you can go there whenever, because they are open. This place is swarming at 4am, and empty at dinnertime.
I appreciate the kitschy decor, including the trivial pursuit cards at every table. Test your smarts while waiting for your food!
I liked to get the pancakes, the breakfast sandwich, and the monte cristo sandwich, but not usually all at once. In addition to breakfast, burgers and sandwiches, they also have vegetarian, italian, and asian dishes. Oh, and they have excellent desserts in a rotating dessert display in the front of the restaurant. The Banana Cream Pie is to die. I'm a poet and I don't even know it.
I'm goin middle ground here, because it's hit or miss.
I have had some nas-tay food here, but I've also had good food here.
I avoid going here after the bars close, because there's just too much going on, the food is worse at night (because it can be) and Zombie waitress scares me sometimes.
However!!! Yesterday I went in for a nice bowl of Pho and was not disappointed. My server was very nice and attentive. My Pho came in a huge bowl, tons of chicken, tons of noodles. My own bottles of Hoison and Scciarraca sauces. There's no way I could finish that bowl, but I tried to! Granted, I ordered this right after 11 am which is when they first start serving it.
A different time, I had the Monterey Chicken sandwich which was great and lots of side options, including cottage cheese!!! Then I split a HUGE banana split....yuuummmmm
Needed to find something toddler friendly, not being from Santa Cruz. Drove past this place, looked decent.
Lots of variety. Food was solid, good portions, decently priced. No one got sick. Good time had by all.
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Diners
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Vegetarian
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Creperies
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Diners
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: American (Traditional)
Welcome masochists! The service sucks here in some…
I eat breakfast about once a week and I want it to…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Where you can find anything under the stars and…
Late night dining in Santa Cruz for students,…
Some of the places I went to do my shopping,…
The Do's, Don'ts and WTFs! Places to go, not…
for a place that i never wanted to move to (for…
