Gilda's

We came on a Thursday afternoon for happy hour. Got a drink and beer for $8 each. Server was very friendly and noticed my husband didn’t like his beer so she asked if she can replace it with another kind at no cost to us. Second beer was much more delicious compared to the first (light) one that tasted watered down. Very old and “tired” building inside and out, it’s dated and due for a makeover; the atmosphere is of a “cafe/diner” rather than an oceanside restaurant. Got the $16 salmon special to go.

Mahi mahi over cooked and lacked flavor. The shrimp was the better meal, not pricey for the tourist location. Building is dated but staff was friendly. In a pinch and at the pier its a fair place to eat

The dinner food was good. The crab cakes and calamari were good but a little peppery. I would've liked a bigger portion for the cost. The snapper was good, and my daughter loved the shrimp and crab sandwich. The rest of the food was good. It was really cool to sit next to the window and watch the sea lions play in the ocean during the whole meal. We would go back again however I'd probably try a different place on the wharf next time. We all enjoyed the whole experience.

My rule of any Pier I walk on, "Walk to the end to spot out any hidden gems," and that rule has once again successfully scored me a great time. Was the place near empty when we cane in, yes, but don't let that fool ya. I wasn't really hungry, so i just got a Bloody Mary with a side of fries. My boyfriend got an IPA and the chowder. The food was awesome. I wish I had room in my stomach. I would've gotten more! Collin was our server, and he was not only very professional but courteous. When we told him it was our birthday week, we were given a birthday ice cream. I really appreciate the sweet service. Next time, I'm in town. I'll definitely make my way down.

Last week I was in with family, the food was great. When we left I realized and were already on the road, I realized I had left my designer glasses at the table we ate at. I called and was told by Kaylah that the manager took them home. (why would they do that?) following day Kaylah meets up with me in Capitola to hand them to me. Now tell me there isn't something shady about this waitress/busser girl. I wasn't born yesterday. There's cameras are all around the building inside. This girl should honestly have been fired after pulling what she did. I don't appreciate a young worker girl thinking that, because some lady left her expensive shades she can just snag them. That is not ok and shitty work ethic. As for the manager, i do keep trying to call to have a conversation with you personally but Gia seems to be the only one whose willing to talk, I know she's not the manager, lovely women you are Gia, ty for willing to talk to me about this, but I would greatly appreciate the manager stepping forward and speaking with me. specially since Kaylah accused you, whoever the manager is, of taking them home. Please see something done about this employee of yours.

Wonderful views of Monterey Bay along with West Cliff Drive - food is well prepared and often scratch made, service is spot on. Still family run - you are not alone at Gilda's, the original Stagnero family.

This is a historic place on the Santa Cruz wharf. Unfortunately the food was average at best. Typical diner/cafe quality. The staff and views are amazing. I'm sure Gilda started out with amazing food in the 70's, but sadly it's not what it was.

First of all, the service was GREAT. Ismael was our server, and he was so nice to us. Secondly, the food was AMAZING!!! You should really try the fried clam strips, and the clam chowder was lovely. Also, they got the food to us so fast. We actually had enough time to finish our meal. There are many more reasons why this restaurant was so good. Next time you are at the Wharf come here.

From the moment we arrived at this waterfront gem, it was clear we were in for a special experience. Nestled right on the wharf with sweeping views of the harbor, the atmosphere alone could have carried the evening. Sailboats drifted by as the sky turned pink with sunset, it was truly postcard-perfect. But what made our visit unforgettable was Gia, our waitress. Warm, attentive, and effortlessly charming, she struck the perfect balance of professionalism and friendliness. She made thoughtful recommendations and checked in just enough to make us feel well cared for without interrupting the flow of our meal. The seafood was nothing short of phenomenal: fresh, expertly prepared, and full of flavor. The oysters were pristine, the grilled halibut was buttery and flaky, and the ciopinno was rich without being heavy. Each dish was beautifully plated and served with perfect timing. And the drinks? Absolute standouts. The craft cocktail list was inventive and well-executed. We tried a "Modern" Speakeasy withChivas Scotch, Sloe Gin, lemon, sugar and orange bittersand a cold brew old fashioned. Both were balanced, creative, and complemented the food beautifully. Between the stunning views, outstanding seafood, exceptional drinks, and the top-tier service from Gia, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. Highly recommend--ask for Gia if you can!

I'm glad the owner of The Crow's Nest bought this restaurant to keep it going. Great ocean views! However, the decor is still the same, the food is mediocre, not as good as when in Gilda's family, and it's highly expensive, like the Crow's Nest. I won't be going back.

We went to this place for dinner the other night because of the happy hour and kid menu, plus the special of the day menu. I had a bad feeling when we walked in and it was pretty dead, while Riva next door was hopping. We sat down anyway. Lesson learned. Service was forgetful, but that happens. The real problem was the food was terrible. My cheeseburger eater couldn't eat his cheeseburger because it was really bad. So was the clam chowder. I could go on, but why. I was debating posting this, but if I can spare another parent a meal here with their kids, it's worth it.

Stepping in to this place it is clearly pretty worn down carpets filthy tables and chairs are well worn past their prime, but I was hoping that the food was decent. Well I was wrong, no flavor bland crap. Only beers on tap are bud and Sierra Nevada. Also service sucks waiter just seemed to walk around looking busy not really doing anything.

I've been going to Gilda's with my family for years. They have great service and tables that can fit 8 people. They consistently have delicious food. I love their eggs Benedict, spaghetti with meat sauce, clam chowder, and free bread. The ocean view booths are to die for!

Nothing was great about this place. The decor was old and felt dingy, kinda like a 50's diner with worn Formica tabletops. We should have known better, since it was a very busy night on the wharf yet there was no wait to get in here. The service was mediocre at best. I was seated facing the kitchen and watched another table's food sit under the heat lamp for almost 10 minutes before being taken to them. Crazy part about that is that they had to move it down to make room for more food, why not just take it to the table? They had plenty of staff, just about all of them looked like they were pretending to be busy to avoid having to actually work. The prices were expensive and the food was nothing to write home about. I've had better quality food at pubs in Reno and at numerous other restaurants around Santa Cruz. My sandwich meat was dry and had an abundance of gristle and fat in it. I guess you're paying for the view, but in the end still not worth it with several other much better options in the area.

Wanted something family friendly. Found this little place after a day at the beach. My sons loved their spaghetti and tenders (thankfully they weren't over cooked dry tenders). The pesto pasta was delicious! Highly recommend. Also the salmon was nice and fresh great flavor. Great location to view the ocean the staff even let my littles borrow some binoculars so they can spot some seals. Would definitely stop by again.

Went here for dinner on a Sunday night, ordered the clam chowder, dungeons crab cocktail, and the fish tacos. My waiter Spencer was awesome! He recommended the fish tacos. And they were excellent!

Santa Cruz Wharf generally has touristy seafood restaurants. We ordered the cioppino Friday special and it was good.

Always nice to visit Gilda's on the wharf... whether dinner in the evening or breakfast on the weekend. Staff are attentive. Food is fresh and delicious! A nice bright place to dine, with a few accessible tables.

I've been to this place several times for breakfast. Food is good; poached eggs cooked perfectly and the Seafood Scramble was delicious, filled with shrimp and fresh crab meat. Could use a little salt but I prefer less salt than too much. Good coffee too. Friendly service.

The food here was bland and different temperatures. They ran out of bread bowls for the clam chowder. Our waiter was whatever we felt invisible in this place. We checked out all the other restaurants around the area and chose the wrong one. My advice, go somewhere else. Overpriced and underserved!!

When Gilda's was owned by the Stagnaros, it was great. Dependable specials each day of the week, open daily from 7 to 8, and yes the Wednesday night prime rib was well known in Santa Cruz. I have been eating here since 2005. But since Gilda's was sold to the Crows Nest, it has gone from bad to worse. They are inconsistent with their hours, and some days closed on their advertised open days. They eliminated three of the popular weekly specials. And the service is abysmal. I walked in a couple of time to get a table, and nobody would acknowledge my presence. After walking out a second time, I have said no to Gildas ever again.

I absolutely love GIlda's. This trip I had fish and chips and a cup of chowder, which were all very good. The fries had a little seasoning on them but not drenched in it, so they were perfect. And the fish was perfect, just the right amount of coating, thick cod filets. Partner had the Jambalaya and was very happy with it. Our server was very sweet, and on the ball. She was in "tourist tips mode" and suggested a lot of good things to do and see, but once we told her we were local-ish and frequent visitors to the Wharf, she was happy to indulge with us on talking about our favorites. It was a friday so it was a slow, nice lunch. We did not sit at the window, which is the best place really, but that was by our choice, since we did not want to wait for one to open up. the place is still the same inside, which I honestly love.

The view was fantastic! We saw the sea lions playing out the window. They said they saw a whale earlier. The food was fine. I had the salad and baked potatoes, others had the fisherman's catch which he liked; and the vegetarian pasta (with Alfredo sauce) and it was good. The server was really nice. We enjoyed our time relaxing.

What a great time!!! This place is an old restaurant in the boardwalk . The service was amazing. Brandon at the bar gave an stellar service at the bar for a Saturday happy hour. The food and drinks were great We can't wait to be back.

Food and service were poor. I was informed that I needed 85 characters to post so here we go.

Was hesitant to try the prime rib special but so glad I did. Great flavor. Would recommend.

It has been my wife and her mom's tradition to go to Gildas every time they visit Santa Cruz so we are passing that down to our children. The ocean view tables are highly sought after so make sure you go early, and there's only 4 booths. They open early at 7AM so make sure you go early to get the view. My kids love the food and the chicken fried steak was pretty good. They have a full blown bar too on the other side and hosts football games.

The food was ok. The atmosphere, well, kind of 70's. Kind of reminded me of a Diner. It was cool sitting by the window next to the ocean. Our server Morgan was great. Very attentive.

Great tasting food and great service. Nice choice of menu items. The waitress and bus boy were very nice.

How sad Gilda's Seafood Restaurant is today since the owners of the 'Shadowbrook' have taken this old classic dinning wharf place to eat over. They no longer offer scallops on the menu nor do you get a choice of salad or soup, everything is extra $. The long missed full turkey dinner is no longer available every Monday as a special. At least they still have the Prime Rib special on Wednesday's but for how long. The worst was my lunch this week I ordered a salad and a bowl of soup extra and no longer did It arrive the main entre arrived. It got cold till I was ready to eat It. We like to finnish our salad/soup first and not be rushed out of the place. Gilda's is not crowed much anymore with their cutback on service and food. Most other fish restaurants out on the Santa Cruz pier near 'Gildas' still offer scallops and your choice of salad or soup that comes with the lunch or dinner and they are getting the local and tourists inside. Wake up 'Gildas' and bring back many of the items you have taken away, charge more If you have to these days, the turkey dinner is not going to cost you that much to make. Please hold the main course till we finish our soup and salad, tell the young slow wait staff or bring back some of the older waiter/ waitress help that will know better.

We had an awesome day at the annual chili cook-off and decided to bar hop on the pier. It was my first time but my primos have been here before. We we approached there was sign saying bar clised in which a friendly blond haired lad said we are closing at 7:30 which was 15 minutes. He kindly let us have a seat and ordef from the sppoky season menu. Brennan who was the one that gave is the green light was the one tending the bar. He made some recommendations and was very attentive. He asked how everything was and how are day was. Truly an asset and will come again to try some else from their food menu. A++ Brennan

Our family was drawn to this establishment because we saw the happy hour menu. Once seated, we were handed menus, but nothing including the happy hour. It seems like only the happy hour food is served at the bar and not available when seated in the regular restaurant. This was highly disappointing and unexpected. The food options on the menu were extensive, but the prices were a little higher than I expected. The server did her job but nothing spectacular are going above and beyond. I'm only giving this place three stars because there is nothing exciting or extraordinary about it. I wish we chose somewhere else to eat.

This restaurant is another victim of the crows nest buyout. Zero management, zero care for patrons, or food quality. Wish they'd just sell it to someone who actually put some effort into their business. It's a shame because Gilda's used to actually be a great place. To see its named shamed with such neglect is hard to watch.

The main waitress was ok. We got our food in this order, Entree, soup, bread (oops wrong order) Horrible margarita, my husband had to add sweetener to it. Chowder was so, so. Bill was $50 more than the day before for a similar meal. And, no toilet paper in the woman's restroom. We won't be back.

Old diner on the wharf but food is solid. Service was quick to sit down. Little bit of a wait to get food, was not too busy inside. Different items came out at different times. Lots of seating. Entrees come with veggies, fries, soup or salad which is not seen much anymore.

Three stars for our waitresses effort and fresh food. Gilda's has been around a long time, and my parents go out of habit/tradition. I go to make them happy, but it hasn't been the same for some time now. The food was fresh but nothing fancy. Gilda's has a basic diner vibe to it. Service is lacking and slow. It took a while to order. We had to ask for refills because the servers weren't coming around. The lack of ice in the cups means you must also ask for a cup of ice every time. The waitress herself was sweet, and you could tell she was trying to do her best. I'm not sure if she was the only waiter or if the two guys were slacking by the soda machines, or if they were only bussers, but our waitress could have used some help. My dad's prawns and my mom's salad came out first. About 8-10 minutes later, my and my daughter's sandwiches came out. I saw the waitress asking the cooks and mentioning she needed the sandwiches. Again, she was trying to keep things rolling. The highlight was that they had real crab in the crab Louie salad. My mom was happy and couldn't finish her salad because it was about half size of a head of lettuce. My dad's Prawns were small, and he ate all 7. He didn't say much about them, either way, good or bad. I had the Napa Chicken sandwich, which was okay. The waitress highly recommended this. It was a grilled chicken sandwich with some sauce (supposed to have it anyways) with grilled onions. It had a slice of tomato and one leaf of lettuce, but no sauce or anything on the bread. The waitress said it was her favorite; it was okay. All the fries were unseasoned, not even salt. Sodas are $4.45 each. My mom's crab Louie was $26.95 (with real crab meat). However, if you look at Riva Fish House or Stagnaro Bro seafood (both on the pier), their Crab Louis salads are $18.95 and 22.95. So Gilda's is about 25-30% higher in cost. *** Note that they are charging a 3.85% surcharge for eating there to help with the cost/loss due to COVID. They don't tell you this and add it to your bill. We were slapped with an additional $3.62 with no mention of it. Not cool! They need to give the carpet a facelift. It's stained and DIRTY!! With new owners, this should have been done immediately. It is an eyesore and makes you wonder what the "behind the scenes" look like, such as the cooking area. The sugar jar had dried jelly and other gunk on the top and where the sugar poured out. The salt shaker had NO salt in it....how long does it take to empty a salt shaker, and why aren't they checking or, more importantly, cleaning these items daily?! On numerous occasions, I noticed the cooks, bussers, and the hostess on and off their phones, and yes, the cooks were handling their phones while cooking. The hostess was eating in between sitting people, so not sure if she was on lunch or eating while working, but the lack of service made me aware of all the annoyances. We sure did miss some old faces that were always around chipper, friendly, and talkative. We didn't receive any of that with our meal.

It was our first time in this place I orered fresh oysters the entree pirtion whild hubby ordered fish and chips . Collin our server took my order wrongly instead gave me fried oysters instead. But the manager Alicia was able to make my order turned into fresh oysters withsteaming hot rice and veggies. Since they were apologetic - apologies accepted. The fish with coleslaw was appetizing for my husband. It was nice for the manager to step in and solved my cravings for fresh oyster and let me have the fried oyster for free as well . Service was excellent. We were seated by the window which made the atmosphere great while watching the kayak

My wife and I visited Gilda's, which ostensibly is associated with the Stagnaro Bros restaurants by virtue of the late Gilda Stagnaro's name. We had the clam chowder in bread bowls, which generously came with 4 to 5 extra slices of sourdough. The chowder was extremely hearty and tasty. If you prefer yours more on the soupy vs chowdery side, you'll no doubt still enjoy it, but that may be it for your meal depending on how hungry you come, because you will be filled up. The service was impeccable, the manager came by and asked us how or chowder was, and to us, those little things add up to a lot in terms of how we feel about the overall experience. Only reason for not 5 stars, is the fact that we only were able to have the chowder. With that, we do plan on going back to try their other items.

What could be better than sitting on the Santa Cruz wharf looking out at sea lions playing while eating an affordable but delicious meal served by the friendliest people? Gildas is halfway down the wharf and has a humble exterior, at night it's the least brightly lit and you could walk by it without noticing, but do look for it. It's a Sabra Cruz classic you won't regret finding!

Great place for breakfast. Beautiful views. Delicious food. Biscuits and gravy are amazing. Staff was very friendly. Will come back whenever we are in town.

Do not eat here place is old and gross inside Food is gross everything taste like old hospital food ordered shrimp scampi could not eat it absolutely disgusting!!!!!!

Best Hidden Bar with epic view in Santa Cruz County. Bartenders are friendly and pour graciously. Zucchini fries are worthy of an Appetiser

Saw the sandwich board advertising prime rib special and their posted menu said they had deep fried oysters, so wife and I decided to try. Hardly anyone in the restaurant on a Thursday afternoon, which is usually not a good sign, but we got good service and the food was decent. Our only complaint was that the prime rib cut was pretty thin. The deep fried oysters and fries were good, but the coleslaw was pretty tasteless. The restaurant itself is a little run down and could use a makeover. Not a place I'd go out of the way to visit, but if on the pier this place serves its purpose.

The carpet and furniture might be old, but don't judge a book by its cover. We just walked in without any expectations. Was quite surprised by the friendly staff, good juicy prime rib on Wednesday special, yummy fried seafood basket and creamy chowder!

If I could rate this restaurant no stars I would. This place has gone down hill over the years. My family and I would come out every year and this has always been our breakfast spot. Immediately the vibe was off as soon as we walked in. We were seated immediately but I our server didn't tend to us until 10 min after. She got our drinks and my coffee was Luke warm. She never came back around to check on us. I had to get up several times to ask for a HOT coffee and straws. When I approached her for a new cup of coffee she seemed annoyed and gave me a dirty look. She never came to check on us for refills, not friendly, and def not attentive. Our food was extremely cold w no flavor at all. Save your money as this restaurant is expensive and the food was nasty. Service was horrible so horrible. The sausages looked gross just please save yourself the bad experience.

First, the service was great. We had the full attention of our server and she was attentive with coffee fillups and clearing away items. Could have been because there were only four tables in use on a busy Saturday afternoon. The food - very dissappointing. We ordered the Seafood platter and it was supposed to have Oysters, prawns, calamari, cod and salmon. It had one oyster, couple of prawns, one piece of calamari, two small pieces of cod and no salmon. The fish was not fresh. The oyster tasted strange. We were not happy with the quality of the food, especially since they advertise fresh fish. Sadly we will not be coming back and it probably will not be in business much longer anyway. We have eaten there many times in the past and are sad to see it in its current state.

Perfectly ordinary, decent breakfast. Standard Santa Cruz service (inattentive and cold).

Had a family dinner here on Wednesday (prime rib night) and Gilda's 2024 exceeded my expectations (which were lowered due to recent reviews). The wait staff seated us despite not having our full party and were responsive to all requests. Prime ribs were prepared to individual preference, snapper was fresh and the cioppino was hearty. We'll be back.

It went downhill after the owner of Crow's Nest bought it a few years ago. Service has been okay but the food has been inconsistent to say the least. Oh they also increased the price on everything and removed items that used to come with the daily specials. They took away the charm that Gilda's once had.

Great spot for breakfast!! Drinks and service from Alicia was great!!! Also very nice view of the ocean.

Wow! Poor attitude right off the bat from the hostess as we were greeted. We were one of two parties in the restaurant with 5 staff behind the counter. After several minutes we ask the server to come over. The hostess is our server & gets us luke warm coffee, when I ask her to bring hot coffee she rolls her eyes & has the same awful attitude as if we're putting her out to do her job. Needless to say we walked out immediately. We are locals & business owners & will not be returning to Gildas. We went to Zachary's & got excellent service & great food.

Gildas is Absolutely horrible since sold to Crow Nest. No onsite management, no table busers , waitresses have to do it. Only 5 seated tables, took 20 minutes to clean one table for us to be seated. Shame shame on falls running this place.

Old timey "diner like" family restaurant. We had been here years ago and happy to see it's still around. Can here day after Thanksgiving for dinner. This place does not disappoint. Good food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. Highly recommend & will certainly be back again.

French toast and waffles were excellent, But the California Benedict's with homemade hallandaise was the show stopper. We would come back next time we visit. Very cute old school diner.

Gilda's was nothing special. It was somewhere we went to after hanging out at the beach for the whole day. I've had so much seafood in the past and this place did not stand out to me. The food wasn't special at all but it wasn't bad. I had a calamari steak with clam chowder which I would say was a 3/5. The reason why I am giving it a 3/5 is because of the service of one server. I do not remember her name but she was very kind and supportive of our specific requests. She definitely made the experience there much better. If it was not for her, I probably would rate it a 2/5.

Nice place to have meal and view, I do love New York Steak. The service is also great!

Popped in on a Monday afternoon with the family. The customer service was outstanding! Clam chowder was pretty good. Mahi tacos could use a lot of love. They were dry and flavor less, even after adding the salsa on the side. My son enjoyed the spaghetti and boyfriend didn't care for the salmon scampi. Left a big tip for our server because she was amazing. (Young girl with blonde hair, thick eyelashes). The view was pretty great. Menu may need an update.