Aldo's Harbor Restaurant

The French toast is on my top 5 list of best French toast in the country. We had to wait for our table…but due to the location we were able to take a nice walk to the lighthouse. There were plenty of benches nearby facing the marina. Beautiful view, great food, friendly people.

Great staff. Lots of shade available. Having a bar window available while you wait for your table was a HUGE hit. Offering breakfast items until close was another win. Fish and chips on point. Breakfast scramble (bacon) a great brunch option. Bloody Mary’s were worth it. View and vibe worth the wait. We’ll be back all summer.

The waitress was great. Kind and friendly. But food and drinks coming out took forever. The food itself was good but not amazing. Top level of mediocre. Had the chowder. Flavor was good. But everything was run through a food processor so the texture was like relish. Again the flavor was there. But It was just like a build up to something great that did not materialize.

The food here was really excellent! We had a party of 4. Calamari appetizer to start was very good. 2 sets of fish tacos that were excellent. Cioppani seafood stew was amazing. The blackened fish sandwich was so good also. Having an amazing location right at the harbor was such a nice ambiance. There were a bunch of dogs, very dog friendly! Washrooms were just public washrooms and the parking situation is a bit awkward. Would highly recommend just based on the food!

Aldo's is one of our favorite brunch spots..great drinks, amazing bread, and you can't forget the fried calamari with ample tentacles! Everything we've ever ordered there is delicious. First come first serve so expect to wait on beautiful days but the harbor provides a nice place to hang out and they usually have a side bar where you can grab a drink and find a bench while you wait for your table. Highly suggest the John Daly!

Great place right by the marina. They are super laid back in their attire and allow pets which makes them even more inviting. We reached around noon and were able to get seated right away. The weather was pretty nice so sitting outside was pleasant. We got the coconut shrimp and onion rings as appetizers and the clam chowder and crab cakes Benedict as the entrees. Everything was delicious! I also got a hot chocolate and it was quite good. The entrees are decent sized so again, I didn't finish so this shall be my dinner :) Do recommend them if you're planning to come to Santa Cruz..

A nice seafood place with all outdoor tables overlooking the marina. The cioppino had all the crab meat taken out from the shells already and was very tasty, and the Fisherman's Platter not bad. Many customers brought along their dogs. Note that we have to park in the visitor side of the parking lot and we have to use the machine to pay for parking. It doesn't have its own bathrooms as it is just a shack and a trailer. We have to use the marina's public bathrooms.

We were looking for a local outdoor dog friendly place to grab lunch so we decided to try this Yelp recommended eatery. Unlike the other reviews, I didn't think the calamari was the best ever, it was just ok. The clam chowder however, was really good! We ordered fish and chips and I'll give that 3 stars. They use a panko style batter and I prefer a beer batter. The Bloody Mary's, I'll give 4 stars. They were pretty tasty. The ambiance is 5 stars because the waitress was friendly and you're seating right on the harbor. I'd recommend you try it.

Came here because we were headed to Walton Lighthouse. Their clam chowder is not creamy but nonetheless good. I never thought a non-creamy chowder could be good until this one. Fish and Chips were bland, and you would not want to eat it on its own, but when dipped in tartar sauce, then it's ok. I understand most would dip them anyway, but I like tasting the ingredients as it is so I rarely use sauces. If you wanted to seat in their outdoor seating, make sure you get seated first before ordering. We were hungry and made the mistake of ordering first before we listed our name in their waitlist, then was told that we cannot seat there as our order is being made to go. Which is just fine, there were plenty of benches facing the harbor very close to the reataurant. We came at lunch and there were a lot of people. Their outdoor seating was pretty much full so we waited quite a long few minutes to get our food, but it is fine. Giving 3 stars because I did not like the service when I came back to ask for tartar sauce. I came to the order window, a guy said he'll get back to me... I waited in line as if I am ordering a full meal bcause he did not seem to care, when it was my turn, the guy asked me what I needed, when I said it again, he pointed to a lady and said she'll help you. How hard was it to get a tartar sauce?? Or to actually get back to your customer??

A must visit if you are in the Santa Cruz area! We went for lunch on a Monday, about 11:30am and we're able to be seated right away. For drinks, we ordered a spicy bloody mary, spicy pineapple margarita, and a hot chocolate. My bloody mary was delicious and lived up to the "world famous" claim. For food, two of us ordered the Fisherman's Platter, and one ordered the Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Benedict with hashbrowns. Having a taste of the hashbrowns, and they were the best cooked and tasting hashbrowns I think I've ever had! The seafood was delicious on the platters, but the coconut shrimp were not coconut tasting at all, even though we could clearly see the coconut in the breading. My onion rings were the only thing that could have been better. Three of them were onion skins and inedible. Our waitress was great and a lot of fun. The hostess was also very nice and accommodating. This is a completely outside restaurant, and the bathrooms are a public restroom as you head to the boat slips. Our tables were clean, and all had umbrellas, which was great when the fog rolled out as we were finishing. And very dog friendly! To top off my meal and final day on vacation, I ordered a dungeness crab cocktail to go. The market price on 8/5/2024 was $20.95. The amount of crab that was in the cocktail was way more than I expected, making the market price very reasonable in my mind. Lots of fresh onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos, with some capers made up the cocktail sauce. They threw in a packet of oyster crackers, sliced half an avocado, and a couple of lemon wedges. It was amazing!

After Whale Watching, we stopped by Aldo's because I wanted to try the Clam Chowder, which was just okay for me. We also had Calamri, it was fresh and cooked perfectly, the zesty white sauce it comes with was really good, also comes with cocktail sauce. The Dungeness Crab Cocktail was really good, crab was so fresh and tasted sweet and delicous. Was pleasantly surprised to see Guy Fieri's photo next to the menu. Because we used to watch his show "Diners, Dives, & Drive-Ins" a lot when we lived in Las Vegas, and whenever we traveled we tried to check out the places in the show. We ate at the park benches close-by, because we had brought our own food for the Whale Watching, and eating near the docks on a nice sunny day in Santa Cruz was such an excellent experience.

Second time this Summer to Aldo's and it was not disappointing. Outside seating is the best I feel, the Harbor view the fresh air. The service is good normal we felt. The food was delicious good portions, its definitely $$ food & drinks. We found for this birthday occasion very worth it. Our server Inga was nice. Good variety menu Breakfast or lunch. Family friendly and pets allowed for sure.

Service. Aldos please do better. Maybe I'll come back. I was the first person seated for a weekday breakfast. The gentleman seated next to me that came in after, was asked for his order by two different service people and I had not been asked for an order or even offered a glass of water in that time. I walked out. I go there even though the food is mediocre. for me it's the ambience. But the ambience level is zero when I'm snubbed like that twice. I had my menu down on the table so obviously I was ready to order. If the other table had not been attended to twice I wouldn't be too worked up about having to wait seven minutes.

Best Calamari in the County. Always has been. Always will be. I've been eating Calamari for 85 years. I know good Calamari.

Great food, excellent service and beautiful views! Will be back for sure. Make sure to pay for parking and don't park on the line of parking space because you'll get a ticket!

A nice outdoor-only restaurant right next to the marina in Santa Cruz (on the north side of the harbor). Seating is on a patio and every table has an umbrella a a great view of the harbor and the parade of boats passing by. We arrived around 12:30 pm on a Saturday. Naturally there was a crowd and a wait for a table (about 40 minutes). Parking is in the Harbor lot for about $1.50/hour (park, buy a ticket from a machine, and put the ticket on your dashboard). We did see someone checking parking tickets and giving issuing fines for overtime parking or parking in the wrong spots (about half the spots are reserved for "slip renters"). In our two hours of prepaid parking we had enough time to wait for a table, enjoy a leisurely lunch, and a short walk looking at the boats. My wife had the Benedict with Dungeness Crab ($25.95, which is $5 more than the crab benedict, but the server said for the extra charge you get Dungeness Crab and lots more of it). My wife said that it was worth it to get the Dungeness Crab version. She really enjoyed this. I had a taste and I found it tasty. She also had a side order of bacon ($5.50) which they prepared perfectly to her specification. I had the Grilled Rock Cod Sandwich, which was a large size and delicious with a nice piece of grilled fish. It normally comes with French Fries, but I upgraded it to replace the fries with a cup of clam chowder soup. (Sandwich with soup $17.95). The soup was good, but not great. The fish sandwich was very good. The outdoor patio is very pet friendly. Dogs are served a water bowl by the staff. A nice relaxing lunch with a great view and good food.

Great place right by the marina. They are super laid back in their attire and allow pets which makes them even more inviting. We reached around noon and were able to get seated right away. The weather was pretty nice so sitting outside was pleasant. We got the coconut shrimp and onion rings as appetizers and the clam chowder and crab cakes Benedict as the entrees. Everything was delicious! I also got a hot chocolate and it was quite good. The entrees are decent sized so again, I didn't finish so this shall be my dinner :) Do recommend them if you're planning to come to Santa Cruz..

Food is decent, they allow dogs, and it's a nice location. The service can be extremely hit or miss. Like you might only see your waitress once when you first order, and end up having to go ask someone else about getting your check after failing to flag down your waitress. So, pay for extra parking time to avoid getting a ticket & maybe order 2 cups of coffee instead of assuming you'll ever get a refill.

Came to Aldo's for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon in the spring. It was a weird weather weekend, so Santa Cruz wasn't as crowded as it could be, but Aldo's sure was! Arrived around 1:30 and was told it would be about a 30 minute wait. This was the perfect amount of time for us to walk out to the light house and hang for a little bit before coming back just in time to have our name called! We opted for the fish n chips and the mahi mahi sandwich. Waited a little while for the food to come out, but despite the wind it was a nice sunny day so more time spent on the patio was nothing to complain about. The fish n chips were breaded instead of beer battered - which myself and my stomach really liked to see. The mahi mahi was grilled and even had some char marks to show for it. Overall the food was a lot lighter than I was expecting and I really appreciated that. The bread on the sandwich was their special fugasa bread which tasted similar to focaccia, and was also a nice change up. The mahi mahi didn't have a lot of flavor, but I added the tartar sauce to it which added a great punch of flavor. Definitely going to come back here and order from the breakfast menu next time to try something different.

I ordered the Blackened Mahi-Mahi sandwich with a side of Onion Rings and Ranch Dressing. The fugasa bread was amazing (5 stars), pillow soft but strong enough to hold up the sandwich stuff. Everything was really fresh. The fish was perfectly cooked, not dry. The tarter sauce was really good . The Onion Rings were beer battered and perfectly deep fried golden brown (5 stars). The Ranch dressing was decent, but could have been thicker. My wife has the Chicken, Pesto, Bacon, Jack Cheeses Sandwich, which was also very good. The chicken could have been season more, but still good (4 stars) The servicer was really nice and attentive. The location next to the Harbor was great, great view of the boats. Great food, I'll be back for more...

The food was amazing, the staff were super friendly. We're definitely coming back here to eat. Best part it's pet dog friendly so our pup got to enjoy lunch with us. 10/10 for sure.

This place is a food truck and a trailer on a plot by the marina. The seating is all outdoors with a fenced off area with tables, chairs, and umbrellas. The food choices are very much what you'd expect from a restaurant by the marina. It's a simple menu with several seafood choices. Beer and wine are also available. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful. When I sat down, my brain instantly thought about grilled fish. It was on the menu as a sandwich. Even better. I also had to try the clam chowder. One of the kids ordered a fried seafood platter that included fish, calamari, shrimp, and fries. I honestly don't remember what else was ordered. The one who ordered the platter noticed everyone else was absolutely enjoying the clam chowder and asked for a taste. His seafood platter became a sampler for everyone. He talked about the chowder for a solid month. It was a little thick, loaded with clams, and had just the right proportions of celery and potatoes. It was amazing. The batter on the seafood was also perfect. It was crispy, added just a touch of seasoning, but wasn't greasy at all. I thought the fish was the best, but it may have been a craving. My pan grilled fish sandwich was 100% what I was wanting when I sat down. This fish was grilled with a little coating that crisped up just right. The coating is different from the fried fish in the aforementioned platter. I squeezed lemon on the fish and had the first bite. The combination was just right. So simple, perfectly cooked, and "Dayam" was what came out of my mouth. The bread was the perfect delivery platform for this. It's that sandwich and friends that will encourage me to come to Santa Cruz more often.

Cool concept Brunch by the boats Our last day at Santa Cruz, we decided to visit Aldo's with my bf Aldo xD! Wait was long, food was mediocre. We sat down and waited and no one offered us the drink menu, when others that sat after us got it. It was definitely an experience. I wouldn't come back tho..

Well ... took forever , hostess called names to many times , two calls and you miss out! My butt hurt cause we sat to long to get our food, food was not even ok, ugh . The only good about this place was maybe the view, food was ugh. I could have made it better then them.

I've been there multiple time fish tacos great but the burgers have no flavor at all. The last time I was there I had wait half hour for my food. I the location but I'm not sure I'll go back

On a beautiful spring day, sitting right next to the small craft harbor docks, this is a wonderful place. I had crab cake Benedict and my son had their homemade French toast. The Fugasa bread is like a focaccia, but baked in a fire oven, not in a pan, so less oily. The food is delicious. Guy Fieri liked it too. My Bloody Mary was strong with a few interesting pickles. I don't know how they cook everything in such a small kitchen area, but all was excellent. The service was excellent too. Dog friendly. Parking is only a dollar or two. I'd give them 5 stars, but it's outside seating only.

This is such a sweet outdoor restaurant tucked away in the harbor and away from the town hustle and noise. I've been here for both breakfast and lunch and both were satisfying. I will say, Italian restaurant or not, it would be nice to see a few more allergy-friendly dishes. It seems like they are willing to subtract things from a plate to accommodate allergies but I think in this day in age, some gluten-free friendly menu items (even just one or two) can be really awesome for us gluten-free humans. That's really my only feedback. They do get busy on the weekends so plan accordingly.

We love Aldo's for the ambiance (Marina, sailboats and laid back atmosphere.) They make their bread fresh with an in house bakery and they food is delicious. We love their bloody marys! You can bring your dogs as well although the spaces are a tight squeeze so do your servers a favor and leave your pooch at home. Easy parking however you do have to pay.

Gayle has been coming to Aldo's Harbor Restaurant for years, mostly as a meeting place for her annual LLB (Lady's Lunch Bunch) get togethers. This time, she brought me plus her Son Dave (and family) to this picturesque Santa Cruz Harbor on a glorious sunny and warm day. Decent paid parking is available at the Marina parking lot, and as the outdoor seating (with available shade umbrellas) came into view, I knew this would be a great lunch at the Mariner Park Lawn. The "restaurant" itself has the look of a food truck plus an shaded prep/staging area, which maybe reflects that this was intended as a temporary location while work was being done on their former spot atop the Santa Cruz Marina Sea Wall. I found out later that Aldo's was featured on Diners, Drive Inns, and Dives, which is always a plus. Aldo's is primarily a Breakfast (open 8 AM on some days, 10 AM on others) and Lunch (closes at 3 PM), and we came about 1 PM for a nice mid-day meal. Our service people seemed happy to be here, were attentive at the right times, and we appreciated the extra TLC in helping us get some shade at our table. We were just a couple minutes too late for a Marina-side table, but in many ways, there's not a bad seat in this house. All of our food choices were delicious and in some cases of enough quantity to take some of it "home". I had the Calamari and Chips and appreciated the great taste and minimal breading. Gayle and Shauna were equally impressed with their fish tacos (and mimosas), while Dave thought that his chicken, pesto, bacon, and cheese sandwich was one of the best he's ever had. The teen kiddo enjoyed here fries and Caesar salad, while the little kiddo chose a predicable favorite (plain pasta). A good family time was had by all. I hope Gayle invites me back!

FYI there are 2 harbor restaurants so make sure you are looking at the right one! This Italian spot is on Northside of harbor. The cafe is outside seating and dog friendly. We had a nice stroll to get there so started with a refreshing guava mimosa. A friend had the pineapple Mimosa and that was delicious as well. For food choices I think I hit the winner. I ordered the muscle steamers and an addition separate order of bread the bread it is garlic with Parmesan cheese and yummy you need the bread to sopup the delicious broth in the steamers.

This was a pretty lousy experience. You have to pay for parking. $1.50 an hour. Paid $2.00 so we should receiver an hour and twenty minutes... but our spot was good for an hour? Alright, parking maybe out of their control, let's have a positive attitude. First sign of struggle: Hostess sat the couple behind us first. Why is that? Oh well, we got our seat. There are only two of us. Second sign of struggle: Took quite a while for the waitress to come. We waited so long we were able to order drinks and main at the same time. And then.... we W. A. I. T. And we W. A. I. T. It's just wow. Third sign of struggle: the food comes. We got gnocchi add prawns half Alfredo half marinara. The marinara has capers in it. Just weird. The fish and chips were also not good. Four pieces of fish, breaded in possibly in Italian bread crumbs? And the fries had ZERO salt. I tried to salt at the table but they were of such texture and temperature that the salt sort of bounced off. It was pretty sad, disappointing if you will. So, the check comes, $71, for two people, lousy service, plus parking. It's just so bad. Skip it. You'll be better off eating like a McDonald's or Jack in the Box out of the bag and just parking in the lot with your windows down. Save you a smooth Fifty. I'm going to say there may be something to prior reviews involving lack of diversity and treatment. It's pretty pale around these parts. Good luck folks.

Beautiful location. Great prawn quesadilla at a great price. Good service. No extra fees!

Great outdoor dining experience, good service and excellent food, on a nice day this is a wonderful place to eat breakfast or lunch, it can get a little warm in the sun but they have umbrellas which save the day, wonderful views of the lower Yacht Harbor!

Best crab sandwich! I come here every time I come to the coast. The crab is sweet and moist, the bread is soft and chewy!

Great food in casual outdoor setting. We enjoyed fresh crab Benedict, which is a treat when it is available. The staff were helpful and efficient. Happy customer!

Came here with a group for an outdoor breakfast. Because it was mid-week it was not so crowded, which was good. I believe it's outdoor seating only. The food was fine, nothing spectacular. All the breakfast basics. Since it's next to the harbor, great view :) Service was prompt. Large parking lot.

Nice outdoor dining by the sea. Friendly staff and the chorizo breakfast burrito & hash browns dish was good and filling. Went there August 2023 and look forward to going back. No extra "surcharges" on the menu which is nice.

The reviews seemed great and there were plenty of locals here. We chose breakfast options and they were terrible. Would not come again. Pros: fantastic view and friendly helpful staff members Cons: we ordered the Harvest breakfast, crab Benedict & huevos rancheros. All of our food came out cold. Not even warm, which was odd. Harvest breakfast - mediocre, Average eggs, cold thin bacon and mediocre French toast Huevos rancheros - came out with a lot of excess watery juice from the tomato sauce Crab Benedict was the biggest disappointment. It was a loaf of bread with crab sprinkled on top. That was it.

While there was a short wait, We can think of a billion worse places to wait. We watched little kids in sail school and walked the harbor. The beauty of the harbor was outshined by the beauty of the cioppino. Our taste buds took a sail boat to Atlantis and we came back changed people. The slight bitterness of the greyhound perfectly cleansed my palette in between each bite of cioppino. The bacon tomato avocado Benedict was cooked to perfection... runny like Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. If they sold merchandise, we would have bought t shirts. Though we can see the ocean, water ain't free. Pro tip: order a side of fugasa, bring sunglasses and your own water. P.s. The triple umbrella by the bar is an engineering feat.

I've enjoyed every meal I've had here! The location is a huge highlight for me. You walk up to the dining area and are met with a beautiful view of the harbor. The staff has always been friendly and attentive, even when it's busy. I highly recommend the eggs Benedict for breakfast and I also love their lunch options. I usually get the fish & chips or a salad but I almost always start with the calamari! The drinks are also delicious. The mimosas aren't too sweet and the Bloody Mary has a great kick!

We loved this place! Went in the mid morning before taking a whale watching cruise. Ordered breakfast and it was delish. Nice portions and cooked well. You can request a umbrella for your table if you want. Service was nice as well. Location right on the harbor. Don't let the fact that its a dinning car with outside eating deter you. Food and drinks are excellent restaurant quality. We would def. go again and recommend.

My go to place for a bloody Mary paired with a fresh Dungeness crab salad. Sun, boats, fresh air, and happy.

A really quality breakfast place to visit. Along with nice views of the marina, Seabright Beach is just a couple minutes of a walk away from Aldo's. You do have to pay for parking since it's part of the Marina, but it's not too much (less than $3 for 2 hours I believe). The servers are always really nice and makes sure that we need everything. Their benedicts are amazing, and they have a special homemade Fugasa bread for the benedict instead of the normal English Muffin, which just elevated the dish. It's soggy (with the hollandaise sauce) and crunch in the right areas. I always order the Crab Benedict, and I thought that was crab cake, but they use actual crab, which is amazing. I've never been to a breakfast place that sells a Crab Benedict, but they do it very well here. The hash browns are also very yummy and crunchy.

The food was good. The calamari was light breaded, tasted fresh, and crispy. I had the crab sandwich. Dungeness crab was good. A little to be desired though. I'm used to crab sandwiches in Oregon with cheese. All in all I'd go again based on the location, service, and all in all good food. Thank you Aldo's.

Always love this place. We feel fortunate we can enjoy off season. Food always yummy. And we love bringing our rescue fog

We love this place! We have only been for breakfast (I want to try lunch soon) and it's always good food. I like the crab Benedict! The wait staff is always friendly, and service is prompt. Go early though because it gets busy.

Wish I could give this place zero stars because of the racial discrimination I saw happen. This is the post so will be sharing. Not only looked down upon because of my race, but for bringing my service dog in, who was provoked by many people. Not to mention customers and employees who touched her without consent and pulled her tail. After she was provoked, I was then kicked in for everyone's wrong doing. Please read the photos below to share this incident. Not happy at all, owner only provided, "free food" to make up for the terrible treatment. Hope this restaurant can learn to do better and put racist remarks as well as understand to not provoke or touch service dogs without consent.

Harbor ambiance is very nice.Prices moderate but in line with food and location....location....location. Service very friendly, though they do get busy.

I waited 15 minutes to be seated when the seating area was less than half way full. After getting my drink, there was a bug inside. I asked for it to be remade and then asked for a straw, the waitress said yes and didn't return with a straw for about 10 minutes. The food was lacking flavor and left me feeling sick afterwards. The tartar sauce was the only good component if I'm being honest. Will not be returning.

terrible bad service. very distrispectfull. i think that they were very rude to us becuase we had 7 people and sat us down at a 4 seater table the table next to us had 4 people at a 8 people table very rude i ordered mickey mouse pancakes and also oerders whipping cream and never came with it. very rude

I love this place. I just wish they stayed open longer. they have great seating outdoor and the food is delicious.

Nice sunny day with only outdoor seating with view of harbor. Bathrooms next to parking lot. Fish and chips good but prefer batter and not panko. Calamari was very good. Mahi mahi sandwich was good. Did not bring out food at same time. Half our table was half way done with their food when we got our food.

Found this place on yelp after searching for some good looking fried calamari in Santa Cruz and this place is IT. The calamari is tender and well prepared. I've also tried the french toast and ABLT and they are 10/10. The crab benedict however wasn't fresh crab which was a little disappointing. Anyway, the staff here are very nice and the ambiance is great. I like coming here for sunday brunch. The mimosas here are great too!

Underwhelmed. Came for seafood but very few unique options for breakfast. Disappointed to have to pay for parking on top of the meal. Can't beat the view, but that's about it.

I had never eaten here before and I was surprised at the quality of the food coming out of the food truck. The weather was beautiful and sunny and the harbor is a nice view. My server was sweet and attentive. There are some other things on the menu that I want to try so I will be returning.

Great food & services. Perfect little spot on the water. I had their smoked salmon Benedict super good.

Yesterday was my first time at Aldo's on the pier, not sure how it was before this all outside seating setup because it looks like a big food truck with a bit of setup stations and all outside seating. Pay parking was right across the restaurant so it was super convenient. We were seated right away on a Saturday at noon for lunch but the place quickly filled up afterwards. Our waitress Amy was nice and helpful. We ordered 3 omelets and the calamari & fries. The food came fairly quickly and all was hot, fresh and delicious. The only down side were the dogs and there were a few of them. I love the idea of being able to dine with your pets but the barking was a bit much.