Abbott Square Market

Awesome spot to hang on a weekend evening! The outdoor area is lively yet cozy—definitely good for groups since the market has several vendor options (pizza, paninis, fried chicken, beer/wine, cocktails, etc.) and it's spacious. There was live music outside when we visited, seems like it's a recurring thing? We got the pizza and it wasn't anything to write home about, but I'd go back again and even get the same pizza just for the good vibes!

What a great location in downtown Santa Cruz. This has quickly become one of of my favorite places to visit with groups, since it is so easy to purchase different meal options and drinks and hang out in a comfortable outdoor space. The food options are reasonably priced for the quality, and the two I visited were friendly and accommodating of doetary restrictions. Music and events several night per week.

Chill spot with great food and drink choices. Something for everyone, you can't go wrong! But I gotta say the arepas are outstanding and the pizza looks legit too but I didn't try it.

Re the pizza place opposite Cat Cloud coffee at Abbott Square This is a bit concerning - yesterday while getting coffee we sat by the pizza place & I noticed a big open tub of sauce sitting on the counter - no lid… ewww - left overnight obviously. Ok that was kind of gross. Today we sat in same place & there was a stack of pizza trays, with the pizza still on them - uncovered off to the side of the counter!!! Ready to be heated back up & served today I’m guessing! So disgusting - no covering on them - rodent ready! Guess I’m going to have to cross this place off my list of good pizza! Yuck! I’ve been here several times over the years and now I can’t unsee that lack of care for the health of unsuspecting customers!

Lots of food to choose from. A good family place as everyone can get different items. We went on a Friday and they had live music. Lots of people but we still found seating without a problem. Had a portobello mushroom burger and fries. Very good. No table serve. You get called for pick up.

Had to pick up some coffee at Cat and Cloud so we decided to grab some food while we were at it. So we decided on the Abbott Square location for the option of grabbing a variety of food in their food court. Of course the coffee was amazing. The square has a ton of outdoor seating that has a system in place where people come clean as you leave. We all decided on Belly Goat burgers. I've had the pizza place before, so I was excited for something new. The Seoul burger was so damn good. Pork belly, Kimchi and a fried egg over a perfectly cooked patty. The bun was perfectly thick and held the contents well. We got two different kind of fries. I highly recommend spending the two extra bucks for garlic fries. Just enough garlic to compliment and not over power.

Super cute food hall vibes with multiple offering… cheese shop, wine and beer bar, pizza shop, chicken sandwich spot and craft cocktail bar. Definitely grab a glass of wine and hit up the cheese shop for a super reasonable charcuterie board. Highly recommend!

Great spot for good food and people watching. We had panini sandwiches as Press. Highly recommended.

Every employee is on the take. You will openly watch them take whatever they want home. And they mistreat customers in a conceited way like a hatred. You get sloppy, half sized what you pay for, and then they scowl at you and are arrogant and mean. Complaints to the management get you zero solutions.

Quality/Quantity - We came across the street to Laili Restaurant for dinner, see other Yelp review, and discovered this event here today. So cool. A few (9) food and drink options, also a beer tap and full bar available. See pictures. Atmosphere - Decent size public market. I really liked the outdoor space, see pictures. Open 7 days a week from 8am to 10pm or 11pm. Also check individual businesses for their hours. Plenty of paid metered parking, or paid garage parking. Not sure if they validate parking... Pet friendly, since it has a huge outdoor seating area. Free wifi which I did not use. Many events, see website. The DJ was playing salsa music, see video. I love the fact that so many people participate and dance! Again, see the video. You can also rent for private events, see website. Service - Good. Counter service. Depends on what you do, eat, or drink. Well, you can sit at the full bar. Price - Reasonable. It also depends on what you do, eat, or drink. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2017. Looking forward to our next visit.

Been here several times in the past, and it's pretty quiet compared to other food halls I'm used to, such as in SJ. On our recent visit, we had the bbq-grilled chicken sandwich and onion tangles from Flashbird, the new ahi tuna burger and pork belly fries from Belly Goat Beef Burgers, and a couple cocktails from Front & Cooper. The food from Belly Goat was pretty good, the ahi tuna nice and charred on the outside, raw and flavorful inside, and the pork belly fries with plenty of tasty toppings and zesty sauce. The food from Flashbird was okay, nothing worth mentioning. And the drinks were fantastic, even though they were currently changing the menu this past Sunday while we were there. Not the biggest food hall, nor the greatest variety, but the atmosphere was clean and inviting, there was indoor and outdoor seating available, and at least they had different options for food to choose from and some good drinks at the bar, along with decent service, allowing us to have a positive experience.

Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe I was, but this is an abbott square meh-ket. Having been a huge fan of my local San Pedro Market (San Jose), Spark Social (SF), Time Out (Chicago), 505 Central Food Hall (Albuquerque), Anaheim Packing District (near Disneyland), and the granddaddy of all, the Grand Central (Los Angeles), this was a let down, even when comparing it to smaller sized ones like the Barn at Hickory Station (Albany Oregon) or Kuhio Avenue Food Hall (Waikiki). I think a few food trucks would help with choices and atmosphere. On paper, this is a great place to take a date, meet up with friends, or begin or end a pub crawl, especially when they have entertainment, or if you only want drinks, but I didn't like the food, nor find it comfortable. I ordered three things from three different restaurants (Pizzeria La Bufula, Billy Goat, and Flashbird Chicken), each earning three star reviews. Great location and idea, but it's just a mall food court with half the options and a third of the chairs.

Love the casual and fun vibe of this place. Came here before a concert, just what we needed. Drinks and small bites. Recommend.

We really enjoy the live music, hanging out with friends and family, and mostly VEG ON THE EDGE, which is our fave for the music and people. We wish there were more affordable options for just coffee, tea, healthy snacks, and drinks. But it is a fun place to meet friends and support your fave bands.

The service and food at Goat Belly was great! Downside is the tables inside were lacking cleaniness as they were sticky and gross. I'm glad we got our order to go. Also, my shoes were sticking to floor inside and the outside patio.

Nice selection of dining choices. City parking is nearby and inexpensive. The only downside is that the patio seating is really loud.

Went there today with my family. I enjoyed having a variety of opens to choose from. These is more than enough seating inside and outside. The burger place was definitely the best. Overall good food and chill ambiance.

The market place is nestled in the heart of Santa Cruz downtown, which offers a unique experience of a gathering space, food courts, and live music performance. It's crowded over weekend nights, limited street parking and there's public parking garage nearby.

Great spot!! Read my 2021 review, still the same fantastic gathering place that it was becoming again in 2021. Definitely worth a visit.

Super cute food hall vibes with multiple offering... cheese shop, wine and beer bar, pizza shop, chicken sandwich spot and craft cocktail bar. Definitely grab a glass of wine and hit up the cheese shop for a super reasonable charcuterie board. Highly recommend!

Abbott Square has become one of my go-to spots for lunch when visiting downtown Santa Cruz. The variety makes it easy to grab lunch with a group when you can't all agree on something to eat. Though there isn't a huge variety of restaurants they still seem to have most of the basics covered. There's pizza, coffee, a full bar, a vegan eatery, burgers, and I believe one or two more. Front and Copper, the cocktail bar, is my favorite spot in the the market. Though I usually try a different restaurant, I ALWAYS go to F&C. There's ample seating inside and I usually see someone cleaning the tables when I'm eating there so it is well-kept. They have two sections on tables outdoors, one in the main entrance and one to the side next to the museum. The seating near the museum is a bit more quaint and quiet, however gets a lot of sun. The seating in the front is where most people go so it's a little louder and more crowded and loud.

I hung out there on a Friday night with the Cooper friends. They had a band that was playing and it was so great that there were so many options of different places to eat and drink and it was a lot of fun. It was a great time!

Great place for delicious food, and live music! I visited on a Saturday, and "Matt Masih and The Messengers" were performing. Such a cool vibe, too. There are so many options for things to eat. I ordered from 3 different establishments: pizza, gelato, and a delicious beverage! Great place for a date night! I even saw families there with their children. It was a nice crowd, and everyone was having a great time.

As soon as I walked in I felt the cozy and lively atmosphere and the scents of all the diverse food wafted upon me. I knew I found a dependable market - perfect for any occasion and cravings. I got pizza from the pizza place, they do half and half which I loved, and my vegetarian family members ordered from the vegetarian place. All the food was great.

The square had limited food options but, I liked it. They also have shopping and entertainment options. It is home to the Museum of Art and History. Some of the Market's vendors include: Raux Dat, Billy Goat Burger, Central Coast Creamery, and Veg on the Edge. There is a courtyard that has tables to eat. On chilly nights, they have heaters out. There is also some limited indoor seating as well. While I was there they had a decent band playing on stage and people dancing. The Market is relatively clean, but the courtyard could use a good power washing on the cement. They have friendly staff working hard to bus the place and keep it clean. There is metered street parking available, that is free after 8PM and there are garages nearby. This is a nice family spot that provides hours of eating and shopping. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in the downtown Santa Cruz area.

We got a good coffee drink from some friendly young folks in the Cat and Cloud here in the Market. The large door of the place lets fresh air in, but there are some cozy warm spots. It's a warehouse vibe with some tempting eateries (Gelato, pizza, ETC!) and a beer counter with many taps. The little plaza you enter from hosts the Museum of Art and History, where we are headed now. Just passing through town--hope to try some of the food after our museum visit!

Abbott Square Market has a variety of different food offerings. Been here recently and tried Cat & Cloud Coffee which was amazing. Highlight for me was also the burgers at Belly Goat Burger. It's a great place to hang out with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

This place is always my go-to recommendation to friends visiting the Santa Cruz downtown (and surrounding) areas. They're drinks from Front & Cooper are remarkably refreshing. The bartenders always seem to make a concerted effort to provide a lounge-like experience in the crafting of cocktails - despite the "order-at-the-counter" status quo. Option to keep the tab open, or pay upon receiving beverage. Cash and card accepted. Some seasonal menu rotations. Cat & Cloud Coffee closes earlier than the other places, unfortunately. Pizza LB is open the latest/longest. Belly Goat Burger is my favorite!! (See photos) Front & Cooper is the token cocktail bar at this spot. Live music on most Saturdays. The Market is a hybrid indoor-outdoor situation. Tables and chairs are all Outdoor seating arrangement. They have a few heat lamps. You bus your own table when finished, if choosing to dine at Market. Right outside the MoMa! All ages eatery; casual, yet chic ambiance - very fun! Free restroom for patrons (there is a door code provided on receipt). Dogs allowed on patio and masks are worn indoors by staff and patrons

Nice place for family to go on the weekend for dining, shopping and entertainment. Great selections of food and restaurants inside and additional outside. Love this place downtown Santa Cruz!

A quintessential downtown Santa Cruz experience- great, peaceful place with tons of healthy food options. It runs all year long. I had a dentist appointment this morning and to kill time I stopped here, when I used to work downtown I would hang out here a lot. Their most popular day is Saturday, and that's when they have most vendors as well. But I will say this if you're looking for good products, the best is to come early in the morning. I try to but these days I have a full-time job so I can't do that anymore. If you come later in the day most of the good stuff is already gone. Overall a very inviting place, they use to have live music on the weekends but with covid they can't do that right now. All in all, truly a part of downtown Santa Cruz culture and it wouldn't be the same without it. And it's impressive that it's open during these unpredictable times...thank you!

5 words for you...gather, eat, drink & be merry! There's something for everyone here: they have several different dining options, 2 bars, lots of indoor and outdoor seating, and weekly/monthly community events from art (it's part of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History) to live music, and more! Such a great addition to the Santa Cruz community, and a great spot to visit if you're from out of town. I first learned about Abbott Square Market from one of my favorite coffee shops in town, Cat & Cloud. They're one of the mini-restaurants here and they teamed up with another one of my local faves, Companion Bakeshop, to give you Cat. Cloud. Companion, a coffee lover's/fresh baked goods lover's delight. Also here is a great variety of other dining "outlets": Veg on the Edge (healthy fare highlighting local organic farms) Milk & Wood (fancy popsicles and açai bowls) Pizzeria la Buffala (handmade pizza) Poke It (Hawaiian poke bowls) All Aboard (oysters and other seafood) If the kids drove you a little crazy while visiting the museum, the Boardwalk or the beach, they have 2 very hip, yet chill bars to fix you right up! Front & Cooper (awesome craft cocktails) and another that serves up local craft beers & wines on tap. Cheers to that! We even popped by for their 1st ever New Year's Eve party last week. Live band, cocktails and champagne flowing, a few of the eateries were open, and adults and kids alike seemed to be having a ball without cramping each other's style! ;)

I love Abbott Square. It is such a great place to go to with friends, family, or significant others. Lots of outdoor seating with heaters. Some indoor seating, but it gets very crowded. This is a fair place to go to if you have dietary restrictions. Some cheaper options and more vegetarian options would be nice to see.

If parking was better in downtown Santa Cruz, this place would be a major HIT. I just love the patio. Great place to bring together all the various eateries inside and it's a great gentrified Santa Cruz feel here. On the edge of downtown, you're able to enjoy this patio area while also being walking steps next to the shops nearby. They should do more outdoor entertainment here (acoustic vibey music) as I think it would draw more people here to come for a place to chill outdoors. The only drawback getting here is the parking so I hope they find ways to entertain w/ more than just the limited dining options. This courtyard / patio I can definitely see expanding into more of a "must visit" area if they utilize their prime location space better.

This is an AWESOME location if you want to chill solo, dynamic duo, or a group of friends. They have a variety of food options (including vegan) and drinks (coffee, wine, hard liquor). You can sit anywhere you want regardless of where you get your food. I highly recommend the pesto grilled cheese and the tomato soup. SO NOM! Then park yourself at "Front & Cooper" bar. They have a HUGE cocktail menu that is very unique! The bartenders are very friendly, talented and knowledgable! I highly recommend the widow's kiss and negroni if you like bitter, strong drinks!! Will definitely be back!!

Perfect day to hear some music and enjoy a drink. Plenty of options for food and a great event space.

Cool little food hall with quite a variety of quality eats and drinks. If you can't find something here you'd like, you must be looking for a reason to hate Abbott Square. Sure it's shiny and and bright and trendy, but I had some $1 oysters alongside some Neapolitan pizza and a fancy-ass take on a vodka soda (the "vod sod") and everything tasted damn good. So besides the oysters, pizza and crafty cocktails, there was a coffee shop, poke place, vegetarian joint and an ice cream stall. Place is rad and we even ended up giving half a leftover pizza to a starving teenager who hit us up outside on Pacific.

This place is really cool! I forgot to take pictures. what I love the most about this place is that they do live music! I don't know if they do this every day but I was there for the weekend....

So this is the hot new public eating, drinking, social, and art space right in (and named for) Abbot Square. Parking is street only which means there is no parking, but there are a number of parking garages/surface lots scattered around. The closest being a parking garage not even a block away on front street. This is a public/private partnership with the MAH (The museum of art and history). So while all the businesses are for profit, the space's owners are no exactly. It's a little bit of a confusing relationship, but are you really need to know is that the whole thing is tied up with the museum, which just means there are some super awesome event tie ins-public music, lectures, openings, kids congress and just about anything thing the MAH puts on will have a public access part in Abbot Square. This is an open space that several restaurants, a coffee shop, and a bar share seating in, both inside and outside. The wi fi is blazing fast and free thus this has become a popular spot to show off how much you are working to the public. There are a fair amount of seating choices which while not being terribly imaginative, are all bran spanking new and fairly comfortable. All in all it's and innovative shared space which has rich potential for public events. .

The ambiance is modern and fresh. Lots of seating inside and out with tons of shade. There are two places for alcohol, beer and wine place and a cocktail bar. Pick your poison. The target audience is American, a chicken sandwich, pizza, veggie, and hamburger front. The food itself is nothing to write home about. Come with friends for a cool, modern experience, but do expect a forgettable cuisine adventure.

I was able to get over to Santa Cruz after work last night with some friends, WOW what a fun place!!! Great food and wonderful wine "Shackteau" it was a really good wine. We sampled from each eatery. The flautas were the best but that corn was off the hook and all the food was amazing! The music was very cool and fun. It was a really great night I highly recommend ABBOTT SQUARE!! Big shout out to that taqueria!! Fun Times Cat.

Out and about on a warm Wednesday evening enjoy the summer weather, my husband and I came across Abbott Square Market. We decided to grab a seat at the counter/bar top at Front & Cooper to enjoy a beer. Very relaxing ambiance and great service, the bartender Danny was welcoming and friendly. I am not sure how long it has been there but definitely a great addition to downtown Santa Cruz, we will definitely stop by again soon.

I'm really not sure why the reviews here are so low. Three new restaurants are opened and one more is coming. Loved the Cajun fries from Roux Dat. The ice cream was super good and got a great cocktail from the bar. Such a great place to just come and hang out. Something for everyone and there's nothing else like it in Santa Cruz

I was skeptical about this space at first since it's primarily commercial, but it feels like a part of the community now.

I've been going to this place pretty regularly and have recommended it to anyone who will listen:) My favorite thing WAS duck tacos and the watermelon agua fresca. The atmosphere is very relaxed and cafeteria style in that you pick up your food from one of the 6(?) restaurants, seat yourself, and clean up after yourself. One of the reasons my roommates, friends and family love going there, especially when there's live music, is a very bubbly and super friendly busser that we always run into. I thought we might be biased because we love her sense of style and vibrant hairstyles, she seems to just fit with the whole MAH vibe but any time we've been there otherwise staff seems too busy to even look our way once we're done paying. Well, I'm only giving this place one star because as it turns out that friendly face from abbot square is apparently gone, the duck taco place has a new chef who makes the tacos waaaay too salty AND then the pizza place gave us a pizza with a giant HAIR cooked into the dough. Management? I can't say I've ever seen a manager since the other vibrantly haired lady who left a while ago. Needless to say, they just lost a few customers :( Turns out the abbot square market is just another corporate hole where they don't appreciate what a friendly atmosphere does for returning customers.

The staff was incredibly rude to our children. We were there with an infant, a two and half year old, and a three year old. The place was virtually empty at about 4:45pm and the little ones were apparently being "too loud". A bus boy approached our children and said, "you two need to be quiet". I don't think it's appropriate for someone else to discipline our kids. Period! They should have said something to an adult in our party if there was a problem. This was followed by someone telling my wife that she couldn't change an infants diaper on her own lap. We used to really like this place. Unfortunately, we won't be going there any longer and I would recommend that parents with little kids think twice about it too. I spoke with the manager Kate this afternoon about our experience and she said that our children made her staff uncomfortable. I didn't need to continue the conversation with her if that was going to be her stance on the situation.

This place is cute and definitely something unique to Santa Cruz, but I just feel like it could be so much better. It's the same idea as San Pedro Square in San Jose or Anaheim Packing District in Orange County, but it is so small and there's only a few stores to it. I think small is okay, but there's too little to choose from. The place is very new and gives off a cozy vibe which is a plus. I just don't think it'd be a good place to hang out at unless more food options open up.

That shitty, shitty Poke Bar is the absolute worst. I know! lets hire brain dead teenagers and let them work together on a busy Saturday Night. Lets train them with US Weekly magazines and fake nail design catalogues. HELL-LOH! $15 to stand around waiting for the slowest woman ever to look up from her private conversation with her co-worker and help me? And don't get me started on the other girl who ignored everyone in the shop and just quietly (read:zombie-like) filled condiments with the speed of a sloth in slow motion. It was more excruciating than to be at the DMV on a Friday afternoon. #neveragain

I love coming here! The staff is ALWAYS on top of it when it comes to sanitizing and cleaning everything. Love the vibe, love the service, the food, the drinks. What can I say, it's always a good time. So glad they're opened back up again

I love the food and drink vendors. The museum is nice. The music is unbearable. Loud and obnoxious. Even if you liked the music, the people shouting over it would keep you from listening. A public space downtown is needed. This place is one "off" switch away from success

Very cool new space in Santa Cruz. My friend and I made a little trip around and tried wine, pizza and oysters. Definitely get the oysters and go on a Sunday when they do a $1 per oyster all day HH. I hope that they add more shops of the current caliber cause the pizza was fire, the oysters were fire, the wine was fire and of course Cat & Cloud coffee was also fire. FIRE FIRE FIRE

We came here for an early dinner at around 5pm and we were super excited to come here because all the markets I've been to in the past were all pretty decent. But when we got here we were a bit disappointed, there were maybe only 3 or 4 choices of something to eat for dinner, the other things were like bars or coffee shops. Out of the things that qualified for dinner, they were kind of expensive and didn't look that appetizing. There wasn't anything that excited me. In the end, we decided to get a Margherita Pizza from Pizzeria La Bufala that was $14 which is expensive and nachos from a place that is no longer opened. The nice thing about this place is there is a lot of seatings and tables both inside and outside (with heaters outside) they even have staff to help clean up your dishes and tables after you leave. I think they can make this better by adding more options, making it more competitive so restaurants here innovate and provide better quality food. The food here was below my expectations.

Kinda bummed. Abbott Square has the potential to rival city center squares. Think Ferry Building SF but scaled down. When it first open it had a high end on a budget feel. Very hip. The restaurants have rearranged and all aboard and Poke together make no damn sense. The poke used to be laid out and build your bowl. Now it's an underwhelming experience to say the least. While you once were greeted with an ice cream spot is vacant and leaves the whole thing reminding me of the beginning days of Capitola malls decline. The taco place looks like budget on a budget. This used to be where I sent my friends from other countries, to showcase the best of Santa Cruz. From now on I'll stick to sending people to Ingalls Street on the West Side and hope that next time I visit they will live up to the potential.

Third Visit -- I want to love this place but it just sucks so bad each time. If I wanted uninspired, brainwashed fare from San Jose I'd like, go there. First Visit: Halloween Was given a cocktail in a chinese food take out container It leaked everywhere, all over my costume. Waited 20 minutes in line to get a real glass and they didn't say sorry or re-make the drink. Just dumped it in a glass (spilling most of it) and pushed it back to me and went to the next customer. (P.s. It was 5pm and not that busy yet) Second Visit: January Spent $60 on snacks and we left to get real food elsewhere that was actually significant and filling. Nothing stood out and we tried many items (party of four, each person put in $60). Third (and last) Visit: Yesterday POKE BAR IS FILLED WITH HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WHO ARE UNTRAINED AND RUDE. You should greet customers and say hi, I'll be with you in a mo. But no, the girls had an intense conversation with each other then slowly commenced filling green onion, ginger and corn containers oblivious to customers waiting for 8+ minutes, patiently. Who ever runs this stand should take a hard look at the brainless Kardashian tribe running the show. Particularly the dark haired girl in mid riff top who filled the Spring Mix bowl in the slowest possible fashion, almost leaf by leaf. Painful to watch. The lights were on but nobody was home.

This place is not very inclusive and the staff has a negative demeanor to the point where you are made unwelcomed. Personality was absolutely stand-offish throughout the ordering process; when the individual asked for our IDs he just looked and said "IDs," while we were asking questions about the varieties of beers offered he said "they're processed differently," and once we sat down with our beverages it took 2 individuals to come out and ask 1 of our group members for their ID. This establishment belittles individuals and caters to only certain, you are better off going somewhere else if you want to have a good time.

Great place to meet up before the pandemic and even more so afterwards as you can sit outside and socialize depending on how crowded it gets.

Sometimes people are rude. Sometimes people think people are rude. Sometimes people that are rude are rude because those people deserve rude service (matching energies thing). Sometimes people look for an excuse to bash a place. Sometimes bad service happens sometimes. The point is I had a great experience. I had pizza with a transactional based customer service experience...don't want to know someones biography but credit accuracy in placing an order. ASM is a nice quiet place downtown which is great for talking (discussion between two or more people) vice texting (perfectly legal) or shouting (really annoying). No loud music etc....except background music which is soft in volume and tone, think pop 80's music.

A lot of places here to get good food and drinks. Outdoor seating and live music on the weekends! A place to really check out when in downtown!