Santa Cruz Diner

Santa Cruz Diner is a true gem with a rich history that spans over 28 years, starting as a humble waffle house and growing into a vibrant, eclectic treasure. Every meal here exudes the warmth and care of genuine home cooking. The diverse menu caters to every craving, blending classic diner staples with unique, flavorful twists that make every visit exciting. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, with a charm that reflects its journey from modest beginnings to a beloved local institution. Whether you’re indulging in hearty breakfast favorites, comforting lunch options, or satisfying dinner plates, you can taste the dedication and authenticity in every bite. The staff are friendly, attentive, and clearly take pride in keeping the diner’s legacy alive. Santa Cruz Diner is more than just a place to eat—it's a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and good food bringing people together. A must-visit for anyone in the area!

Great authentic diner experience. Food was great and everyone was super nice. I got a strawberries and cream waffle and I’m pretty sure it had a whole quart of delicious strawberries and an impressive amount of fresh whipped cream. Glad we found this place!

The food was great. The Dinner was very clean and super nice inside. The staff was very helpful and our waiter was friendly and very good.

A lovely dining experience. Feels like taking a step into the past. Interior decor is very nostalgic. Food quality and taste is also amazing. Definitely recommend trying the Salmon Sandwich and their heavenly Tiramisu. Lots of veggie options for vegetarians and vegans too.

And...The primary reason I'm in Santa Cruz is because my pal Peter Puncãneater told me if I'd bring him the Skididdlehopper he bought from a Craigslist seller in Yountville he'd pay for the fuel, and pop for lunch at the Santa Cruz Diner! And that in itself is worth the trip! I got the Chicken sandwich on sourdough and asked them to make it look like the Philly Cheesesteak....It was Amazing! ☆☆☆☆☆

Awesome place! Came here to eat, nice AC in here, very nice employees everywhere!! Nice comfy seating ❤️ i just got the chicken basket menu item and it's good y'all IT IS GOODDD!! Crispy chicken tenders and well seasoned fries 😋 PERFECT!!!

The food was good, I had the corn beef and hash but it didn't taste like corn beef, they got my order wrong and my son's, the gentleman who gave us drinks put all 6 glasses of water in front of me and waved his hand and said pass them out . I was like "really" the service was weird.. we got a lot of food but really wasn't impressed.. not sure if we'll go back, but thank you.

This place has an unforgettable awesome atmosphere inside. Outside there was someone overdosing on the sidewalk, which was very sad. Super friendly and prompt service. Really good sized portions as per usual. Prices to seem to have gone up, like everything else in this world. Love love all their breakfast stuff, great place for breakfast for dinner

I come to the Santa Cruz Diner every once in a while for a good american breakfast and a mimosa. The price of a simple scrambled eggs hash browns and bacon plate with toast has gone up from 14 to 16 to 18 to now 20$. Seems wild for a simple breakfast. Coffee was 5$. Food is still good, might ask for bacon on the crispy side next time. One of the workers there always greets me and says hi which is nice. Now, I went to the bathroom and I even purposely left a strip of bacon and a piece of toast so they wouldn't think I had left. I come back my food and drink is gone, and my server sheepishly looking at me smiling telling me we thought you left ect ect. The bill hadn't even been dropped? You just expect me to dine and dash? They gave me another mimosa on the house. Kind of them. Normal surfy diner vibes, nice ambiance, and again I feel welcomed and recognized when I come in. Normally have a good friendly experience here, prices are on the rise however. Guard your food. Food: 3.5/5 Drink: 3.5/5 Service: 2.5/5 Ambiance: 3.5/5 Price: 2/5 Overall: 3/5 -Dubs

Pancakes were overcooked. Pho was the worst dish ever - probably better if they do not offer it. All I ate was the meat. The Chicken nuggets on kids menu were just the Dino nuggets from Costco. Will never come here again.

Family friendly dinner with many options including a Asian dishes. Cute restaurant with lots of Characters. The service was great. The food was scrumptious. However, I could use a little bit more of the linguine noodles in my seafood pasta.

Super cute vintage diner vibes. I came here for an early morning breakfast and was pleasantly surprised after reading some of the negative reviews. Everything I ordered was delicious and the French toast was amazing. Service was also good. They checked on me several times to make sure all was good with my meal. Prices were about the norm for California and they have a nice size parking lot.

My boyfriend and I had lunch here today and the pleasure of having Angie as our server. She was not only very attentive but also a complete cutie pie. We had nice conversation and she felt more like a friend which as a former server I greatly appreciated. We will for sure be back and hopefully have the joy of her as our new friend as she is much more than a server- she made our experience very memorable. Check them out!

Really fun! Great decor, clean, quick service, friendly place. Food was great! Rootbeer float, curly fries & burgers rock! Bring friends!

Wow! Never had a breakfast so bad 1) please clean grill, scrambled eggs and hash browns tasted like fish ? 2) bacon all fat and undercooked 3) pancakes burnt Complete disaster

VERY disappointed!!! I would say even Dennys is better. Crazy expensive. Please save your time and not come here.

We just had dinner at Santa Cruz Diner .First of all we waited 15 minutes to be served.We should have known then .that there was trouble ahead. We ordered and my plate was not what the menu showed.It was a scramble but I got eggs over easy.I sent it back and got what the menu showed but It tasted terrible.It was suppose to be a scramble.The potatoes were GROSS and cold.. The chicken was dry and potatoes were disgusting,The server did everything wrong.He gave everyone the wrong orders. Had to ask for the coffee. Will never go back there.Was very dissapointed

I got the french toast special, my boyfriend got the Mexican skillet. Both were good, service was good. Nothing to complain about :) This place has a huge menu, we were only looking for something super basic for brunch. Interesting they had pho and asian type cuisine choices on the menu.

We had exceptional service, our server was thoughtful and kind. The decorations were adorable and the food was so good and large portions for the price. Our server took it even further and brought out some scrap ham and water for our dog and stopped to pet her. I'm not local to the area but will definitely return in the future.

Visiting Santa Cruz. Actually came to see the boardwalk but it was closed. Sooo we decided to eat dinner here. My husband had the Monte Cristo. Nice big portion. It's good for two people. I had country fried steak. Wasn't anything GREAT. I make this at home with the same steak I buy frozen at the grocery store. BUT it was still delicious. Mashed potato and gravy were great. The steamed veggies had no flavor. Our waitress was very nice. A little pricey. But this is California.

This is a typical diner that served typical diner food. Like every restaurant in SC, it's expensive . Don't order the pho. The noodles are clearly not pho noodles and the broth is different too. It's more like a light noodle soup.

I came in for breakfast and got the 2 Egg Special with Over Easy Eggs and NY Steak. Everything was cooked to perfection! The plate has just the right amount of a serving. The steam was so delicious and well seasoned I never once needed to break out the A1 Like I normally would with steaks. The service was prompt and attentive and my food came out super fast. I also enjoyed the sailor/seaside traditional diner ambiance as someone who is not from the area. 10 /10 Would absolutely recommend this spot to friends visiting in the area.

We stopped by the day after Thanksgiving. The staff was busy, but very friendly & helpful. We love all the diner staples plus the added Asian foods. Love coming here over the years. Highly recommend.

I really wanted this to be wonderful but it wasn't. I ordered the blueberry pancakes, side of pork links, and coffee. Now, I like blueberries as much as anyone but holy Jesus, there were a lotta blueberries in those pancakes. To the point where those poor pancakes were unable to sustain the massive weight of the blueberries and every forkful was in danger of falling apart before it got to your mouth. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious but a lot of effort to eat. My pork links were sad. Two tiny little links in the middle of this big ol' plate. And cold. Coffee was decent and replenished regularly. Total, with tip, $30.00.

Good food and kind service. I would totally go there again. The decor is super cute, I had lots of fun reading the signs all over the restaurant.

We're 4 old farts traveling cross country in a van and dropped into the Dutchman because it was close to where we were staying. Glad we did. We had great service and even better food. The ambiance of the place is retro beachy. We took and shared many pictures of the things on their walls. The spaghetti sauce had fresh herbs and freshly grated cheese. The fries were perfectly crispy and the cheese steak filled to the brim with juicy tender meat, peppers and onions. The fruit bowl was probably the freshest, tastiest we have had. This is not a heat and serve restaurant by any means. Would recommend to anyone who loves fresh prepared food done right.

Let's start with the service. The greeter who seated us was nice and acknowledged us right away. Our waitress, however, took over 15 minutes to say hello to us and take our order. She was very nice and friendly, though. I ordered the teriyaki salmon rice bowl. The teriyaki sauce is not bad. A little heavy on the ginger. The veggies were good. The salmon was so overdone. They felt like bricks. I also ordered the fresh spring roll. Meh. Not bad. Bit great, either. My son ordered the humdinger burger. This boy loves burgers. He said it was just alright. It's so messy to eat. The bun didn't hold the burger well. My son's friend ordered chocolate chip pancakes. He said they were good. He also got a lemonade, and my son got a root beer float. All of this came out to about $100 plus tips. I definitely think the diner food we ordered was not worth $100. Three chocolate pancakes for $17????? I know times are rough, but it seems most of the food here is overpriced. Not going back again!

I've always enjoyed meals here. I went with a friend, my husband, and my mother, and they also enjoyed it. We have never had a bad experience. Danny, helped us a lot when we needed assistance with our friend who is disabled. The decor is funky, but interesting. Lots of signs, a giant hamburger, and a giant shark. I appreciate that there's plenty of parking. Oh, and I have to mention that the chocolate shake today was the best I've ever had. Very rich and creamy. My husband loved his root beer float. As Arnold said, we'll be baaack.

Came in here with high hopes and they did not disappoint! The waiters here were really nice, and the service was incredibly fast. I've heard that people complain about the pricing, but you definitely get what you pay for. I ordered the New York steak, and it was absolutely amazing. Thought it would be just the steak and onion rings, but it came with a clam chowder that was one of the best things I've eaten in my life, as well as some Texas toast, mashed potato, and veggies. The whole aura the place gave off was so nice. They had a classic California diner sense, and had lots of cool beach and surf signs hanging all over the diner. The overall feel of the place was just so nice and comfortable.

The diner's interior boasted a unique ambiance. We came on a Sunday Evening and were not busy. The food was decent, and they had generous portions which is always a plus. Regrettably, the service aspect left much to be desired. The staff's demeanor was markedly lacking in warmth and hospitality, making for a rather uneasy dining atmosphere. Notably, I dined with a female friend, and it was discomfiting to find the staff consistently and very obviously staring at us throughout our meal. Such behavior certainly detracted from an otherwise potentially enjoyable visit. Will not be returning.

So so bad..came with 7 ppl & not a single good dish. If I could give 0 stars I would Ordered: Quesadilla Bfast burrito Potato pancake Breakfast scramble Super combo Every single dish tasted like nothing & the salsa was rancid. Their hash brown wasn't seasoned or crispy. And to top it all of its pretty expensive for having no meat in a lot of their dishes ..big no thank you

Guy Fieri should demand to be disassociated from this place. Maybe it was good once, but not anymore. Let's start with the fact that the food is clearly just microwaved. Two plates of spaghetti, a burger, and a French Dip sandwich in two minutes? Come on. The waitress told us when we were ready to order that they were out of hamburger buns. Seriously? Go to the local grocery store and get some!!! So my son had a burger on white bread. Then there is the "surcharge". To make up for losses during Covid? It's summer 2023 - how long are you gonna charge this? Finally, a soda - in a VERY small cup - is $4.53! And if you ask for a refill, they will happily refill it and charge you another $4.53! The food was edible but mediocre at best. The service was, while not outright rude, not great. The bill was ridiculous. I highly recommend going pretty much anywhere else in Santa Cruz!

While visiting Santa Cruz, we decided to try this place since it was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". It is really easy to find and there is alot of parking in the back. We went there about 6pm and the place only had a couple of other customers eating. We were seated right away and what jumps out at you is the menu has ALOT to look at. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all have many things to chose from. The waiter who took our order patiently explained to us which of the menu items were featured on the TV show and it was still a hard choice. My wife chose the teriyaki chicken and I had the beef pho. Both items came out in about 15 minutes. The teriyaki chicken was tender, tasted good, but lacking a little of the ginger taste I'm used to. The pho was hot and steamy with lots of flavor. Why the 3 star review? When we first were looking at the menu, I noticed that there was a statement printed on the front that read that a 4.3% fee will be added on to the final bill to help recover costs and losses from COVID-19. I have heard this happening elsewhere and this was the first time I saw it and I still am not sold on the idea.

We had high hopes for this diner. Good was ok our server came once and left didn't check if we need anything. Food was ok decent prices service needs to get better. 7/18/2023

Typical diner, perfect for breakfast. Service is always excellent, decor is fun, and food is good. Servings are pretty generous, too.

Heard about the diner from a good friend who had wanted to try this diner for years Came in the late afternoon and was promptly seated. The menu looked promising and I went with the Monte Cristo and my gal ordered the open-faced turkey sandwich. The restaurant was a little slow but our food took a while to arrive. The food was piping hot and looked good. I noticed not getting a jam with my sandwich nor did it have the dusting of powdered sugar. There was plenty of turkey and ham but the french toast was a little soft to mushy. My gal's meal was also "ok". It came with mashed potatoes that were flat and flavorless. The gravy was an instant brown type. The turkey was deli meat instead of a hand carved feel. Overall the meal was "meh" with no feeling of culinary skill, more assembly & cafeteria style

Stopped here only because of the Breakfast All Day sign and I'm a breakfast girl!! They have quite an impressive menu! Very international and very good!! Their pancakes are huge and fluffy!!! Great service- very old school ambiance!

Had the Turkey Avocado club sandwich with fries , everything was so delicious food didn't get a chance to take a picture of it

Used to come here a lot because it was great food. Huge portions and really great prices. Place was always packed and a really friendly staff that took the time to take your order and get to know you and treat you like. Family. Just went in after not going for a long time and could not believe at how crazy the prices were. The service was blah at best. Server came over and just gave a big heavy sigh and then asked kind of annoyed what we would like. $18 for a tuna melt is insane. If it was gourmet and came with lots of stuff and was a big sandwich I could understand it but it was literally sloppy and just thrown together. So does were $4.79 for a very small cup that only got refilled once. Overall a really terrible experience and so sad to see you. Such a great place become what it is now. And add injury to insult. There is a surcharge fee now added to the bill.

Came by for my lunch break. It was pretty slow for a Thursday but the food is great. Prices are very wallet friendly and i just love the staff. Everyone is just so nice and kind and i didnt feel like they ignored me at all. I really hope more people gravitate towards here as it truly is a gem of a place. I love coming here regularly and they never let me down. I feel so warm and cozy and i just love that santa cruz has a place that makes me feel alright to grab a meal without any rush or stress.

Looking for few vegetarian options after visiting the boardwalk at Santa Cruz, I stumbled upon a diner and headed to try it out . We were warmly greeted and directed to our seats. I must say I just loved the decor, they have a lot of old signboards throughout the restaurant and spent sometime reading them while we waited for our food Food : They have a whole variety of options which was very surprising to me considering it was a diner. So they had all day breakfast, Asian, Italian , seafood, Mexican and Steak !! I was a little worried on the quality of the food considering they had a variety of food options but wasn't disappointed at all. We ordered- Omelette was light and fluffy, which a bunch of toppings to choose from Lasagna was great - it comes with soup/ salad and the chicken soup was delish. Oh my god the curly fries are of one the best I have ever tasted! Overall I would definitely give a 5/5. Service 4/5 - We were promptly seated and order came in pretty fast as well. The only downside was our waiter was busy and dint really check on us to see if we needed anything Miscellaneous - They have only street parking which could be limited depending on the time of the day so might have to park a little far off. It's open for 24 hours !! Overall I was very pleased with the experience and food. Definitely must visit !!

Had a good steak and egg's breakfast. The sirloin was perfectly cooked and tender. The hash browns were crispy and delicious. No complaints. I'd eat breakfast here again

Good food comfty can't get meatloaf til after 4 but hey I came back at 4 for it the customer service is good food good had to say it again

Look at the bottom left corner of menu cover... in a barely legible font size. The Diner adds a 4.85% service fee to cover labor costs. I asked Rose to remove it and she said she couldn't. She said this money goes to the owner. I think this is a bad business practice. The labor costs should be incorporated into the menu prices. We won't be going back.

Got food poisoning from this place. Me and my boyfriend came to Santa Cruz for Valentine's Day, and were hungry from the drive. All we ate that day was sandwiches from this place. The second we checked in our hotel after lunch, he started feeling sick and had horrible food poisoning all night and was throwing up. All he ate that day was a sandwich from this place. Be careful coming here

Love this establishment. Quick service and always great service! Plus they have a jukebox! Food is yummy, love the pho

I had the club sandwich and it was pathetic. The Turkey was very low end prepackaged and slimy. Granddaughter had a cheeseburger she couldn't eat. The only thing edible was the pho. This is not a diner. It is a Vietnamese restaurant with diner food on the menu they don't know how to prepare.

I have written a 5 star review in the past but came back because of my most recent experience here. Before I start, I'll say that this diner has been one of mine and my families favorite places to eat while we are in Santa Cruz. In the past, we have always enjoyed our visit, the food and the people here. However, our most recent experience was not like the ones we have had in the past. For starters, the food was completely different. It might be due to a change of staff or maybe because we usually go for dinner instead of around lunch time, either way, the food was different and you could tell that it was not made by the same person because of the taste. Our order: Calamari, onion rings, chicken wings, fried chicken, clam chowder and cheesy bacon fries. The calamari had no seasoning on it and no flavor. The chicken wings were very salty and soggy because of the sauce that they put over it. Both the Clam chowder and fried chicken had a sweet taste to it, which totally caught us all off guard because those have actually been our go-to items to order whenever we visit. The cheesy bacon fries, as you can see in the picture, was not fresh at all. The cheese was so dry and so was the bacon. The fries had a stale taste to it as well. Sadly, the only thing I enjoyed was my Berry lemonade and the onion rings. We were all pretty disappointed because of how positive our previous experiences have been.

It was good. Fair prices and decent service. Nothing crazy....just a solid breakfast. I do recommend.

This place was great because it was not that busy. I will add that the service was excellent and very helpful and personable. We ordered two eggs Benedict's, and they were cooked as ordered. This place is also reasonably priced.

Would not recommend this place my family and I wanted a late night snack so we got the jalapeño poppers and the mozzarella sticks just for late night snack and it cost $30! Just for two appetizers and they weren't even that good

Food was great I loved The chicken Fried steak and eggs. They even complimented my haircut

- Menu: 3/5 (not the biggest diner menu I've ever seen but a decent amount of variety!) - Service: 3/5 (friendly staff, not necessarily the smoothest operation but, hey, it's a diner) - Quality: 4/5 (everything came out as ordered, up to diner expectations!) - Cleanliness: 2/5 (dirty bathrooms, sticky tables) - Value: 4/5 (decent pricing) TL;DR: I'd come back for breakfast, but with the expectation that, during a busier time, it wouldn't be a quick meal. The Bad: 1) We went during a slow period, after the lunch hour on a weekday. They were at about 15-20% occupancy, not too busy. Yet, we stood there at the host station for a while, several staff walking by, without any acknowledgement. I understand if they're slammed but that didn't seem to be the case. 2) The bathrooms were dirty and the table we sat down at was sticky. The Good: 1) Variety: The menu offers a lot of options. Satisfies a lot of the typical diner type foods you'd want and expect. Then they have this small corner of menu offering Asian food: fresh spring rolls, soup, curry, teriyaki zbowls. Cute kids menu, too. 2) Food: Came out hot and tasty; definitely met diner expectations. 3) Our server was very good; attentive, accommodating, pleasant.

Came to town and it was the first food I saw, the parking lot was large and empty so that was nice after driving a long way. I didn't expect much, you know a typical American diner etc. food was good, service was nothing to complain about. About twice as expensive as it should be though. They have a 4.85% fee to recoup from Covid 19 losses... we all need to recoup from it, this is just gouging. As previous reviews mentioned, none of it goes to the staff and the owner keeps it. It's clear that the wiener ship is only focused on short term profitability and has no sight of long term customer retention.

What happened? We ordered through DoorDash and several items were wrong. Pho tasted off and pretty flavorless, milkshake was ordered but not delivered, chocolate cream pie was horrible, dry texture and didn't taste chocolate (add on of whipped cream forgotten). It was overall a huge disappointment and I won't make that mistake again.

The service here is amazing, very friendly inviting and comfortable atmosphere. The waitress is very friendly joking and laughing with us. Every time we come here we always stop by this diner. However.... I asked for coleslaw with my sourdough supreme instead of fries and I got fries.. I also asked for tomatoes on my sandwich and didn't get any.... I didn't correct them (I'm sure they would have been very kind and apologetic) I just happily ate my food. To be fair the waitress didn't have a pen and paper and tried to remember our large order by memory. There were also three 1 inch long black hairs on my plate that I noticed after I finished my food. Me and my partner both have long brown hair. However I still love this diner and have always had good experiences in the past!

We order Santa Cruz Diner from DoorDash, and we only order breakfast items and Vietnamese coffee (yum). Best items are Country Fried steak and the other country style breakfast items. I like their country gravy.Sometimes I add extra black pepper myself. it's good over their big biscuits. They don't overcook the scrambled eggs which I appreciate. French toast and pancakes are solid with a few different options for toppings. Hashbrowns are crispy and creamy on the inside. For the price, I wish they'd include a bigger portion of Hashbrowns. They have a big menu but I can recommend for breakfast only.

Typical diner viber with the nostalgia pieces as décor. They have a jukebox at the end of the bar. Place is ok, clean and all. But the FOOD and the Service is not great at all. We ordered the steak, Monte Cristo sandwhich and the corn beef hash with eggs and potatoes. The dishes tasted bland and unappetizing. We love diner food, so was a bit surprised how the food turned out. Took forever for the food to come as well. I am happy though that they allowed our dog inside. First time I am going to rate low for a diner. Should have known from the reviews I read.