Clean, narrow beach. Got video of a juvenile humpback whale feeding just offshore! At least two of the bathrooms are closed for maintenance (June 2025). Lots of picnic tables, many need maintenance. Amazing views from upper parking lot. Seals and otter play in the surf, and you can sometimes spot a young Great White shark.

Easy to get to. Family friendly. The ship wreck makes a great photo backdrop. Good place to walk the dog or bring the kids. Wasn’t too crowded. A couple of ways down to the beach. One not so bad with a few stairs. One with lots of stairs from the parking lot.

Very nice beach, clean and family friendly. You need to pay $10 parking fees. You can park next to the beach and the parking lot that you see next where you pay it is an over flow parking if you didn't find parking down next to the Beach you can go up again and park there and use the stairs to go down. Bathrooms are clean and there is a lot of bathrooms. Also there is a picnic tables first come first serve with shade they are amazing.

Great local beach to catch the sunset. Visited and walked down the beach from upper parking of state beach. Nice staircase to walk down and back up. You can even view sunset and sit down to have a glass of wine eat a picnic :-)

Great place to spend a day with your family and friends.We were able to park in the upper parking lot and walk down the stairs to the beach. Lower Parking lot gets full during weekends and holidays so plan accordingly. A clean beach and you can spend hours watching the birds nose diving to catch fish!

Very nice beach. Best part is it has some shaded picnic area with barbeque tables . Plenty of sitting available. If you like ,you can take a staircase to get to beach or you can directly park at beach level. Stunning views,there is structure right near the shore . Looked interesting.

It's pretty, but if the lots are full below then you have to park at cliff level where you'll have to walk down and eventually up these flights of stairs. I was not prepared for that. My legs and calves were very sore the next day.

We ordered the Otter 841 & Heaven recommended by the very sweet Arthur! Hubby and I really love the flavors that were mixed together! There are a lot of flavors to choose from so anyone would be able to enjoy it! A great little pit stop after the beach!

We have been going to Marianne’s for years, our kids love it. And now with the new dairy free ice cream menu, the parents are also loving it!! Thank you Marianne’s for introducing the amazing new coconut milk flavors to the menu, they are AMAZING!!!

Last time I got chocolate chip and macapuno (coconut). The coconut one was really good, but the 1020 is God. Take it home and make a brownie with ice cream. Nothing can beat that

Yummy Ice Cream. Lots of varieties for myself a double scoop in a cup: Salted Caramel and Black Raspberry Marble.

Love the vast amount of flavors, love the take a number method, love the generous scoops, everything about it i love yummm

Not usually an ice cream person but this is really good! They offer so many different flavors. My friend got lavender and peach and loved lavender especially. They also have some zero added sugar options such as vanilla beans. I loved it!

Marianne's is one of the lost wonderful institutions in Santa Cruz county. I remember my father taking me and my brother to the original (Santa Cruz) store 40 years ago. The Aptos location isn't as old, but the ice cream is just as great in a quieter neighborhood. The people are always friendly and the place is open very late. I think they may be the only place open in Santa Cruz County after 9pm that isn't a bar. Anyhow Marianne's is a treasure. Try the "4am Truffle", you won't regret it!

Met for a delicious lunch. We had drinks, salad, pasta & pizza. I even bought a gift card for my cousin. We lucked out & got one of their parking spots. The indoor dining room is a bit noisy.

Cute restaurant with good service and food. Pasta is good but the pizza is arguably better. Drinks are excellent and unique. Overall a wonderful place to have dinner and drinks.

This is one of the best dining experiences I've had in years. Honestly. Food: A+, service A+, atmosphere, wonderful. Here are some details: First off, I had the sole and it came with some potatoes. Sure, the sole was excellent, but the side of potatoes were the best potatoes I've had IN MY LIFE! I didn't actually think there was much room to improve on the way potatoes are served, but this proved me wrong. If they had "Potatoes" as a dessert menu item option, I would have ordered them again. I'm not a drinks person, but the people I was with gave them high marks. Arugula salad was large - (split one between two or three people would be advisable) - and wonderfully balanced with some unique touches. Mushroom pizza was so awesome. No "button" mushrooms here! Each of the three species of mushrooms, from experience, require different cooking times and methods. They somehow managed to get them all right on one pizza. Pretty amazing. For an unassuming place, I was floored. Great stuff. Staff attentive and had good recall about who had what, but not hovering. Personal and connected.

We had our rehearsal dinner at Mentone and it was great! Wide variety of food, service was prompt but spaced things out well so we weren't abruptly deluged in food, service was also attentive but not smothering. Great house cocktails in terms of variety, creativity, and quality. And the food itself? Delicious. I generally don't like eggplant, but there was an eggplant appetizer that I could have eaten a pound of. Ingredients taste fresh and flavorful. Pizza has a great balance of flavors. Staff all look significantly cooler than me but are so friendly that it doesn't make me feel lame (half joking about the cooler than me part, completely serious about them being incredibly friendly). Thanks for helping make it a perfect weekend!

I love their Caesar, of course! Also, whenever I dip the margherita into their aromatic olive oil, I feel an unexplainabl3 sensation!

Sardenaira Pizza - yummy ‘cause anchovies! Caesar Salad - great croutons, great salad. Polenta - super nice!

My family said they had tried it before and didn’t like it, but since it was Michelin recommended, I still wanted to give it a chance. I ordered two items: an eggplant appetizer, which was okay, and a pesto pasta, which was honestly not good. I’ve made better at home myself. It was also the most expensive pasta I’ve ever seen, such a tiny portion for $30. Absolutely ridiculous. I won’t be going back.

Nice ambiance with live country music, and parking is easy to find. The food was decent, though nothing special, and the service felt a bit chaotic at times. Overall, I’d say it’s a fair place to visit.

Top tier BBQ place for sure! The way they nailed their brisket shows they are for real - proper knowledge and technique! Good service, great food and cool venue! I ordered: - Brisket 1/4lb (phenomenal! Absolute perfect fat render and great bark. Flavor all day! Looks like well trimmed before smoking) - Chicken 1/4 (very moist and flavorful chicken) - Ribs 1/2 rack (well cooked ribs with a little sweetness to them) - Hot link 1 pcs (good semi coarse sausage with a kick) - Mac&Cheese full pint (flavorful with a cheese pull) - Potato salad 1/2 pint (also a good side dish) . Total cost 85$

The juiciest brisket in my life that melts like ice cream on the hot day and amazing live music with the local musicians! These 2 things made my day there! Fabulous! Oh yes and staff is adorable and charming!!!

We came late an hour before closing and they were sold out of a lot of things. If you want to get a good selection, come earlier! I got a brisket sandwich special - I think the last one that they could make for the day. I really appreciated knowing what’s left because it really felt limited! We also got a half rack of ribs, meat was really tender. We also got a potato salad and Mac and cheese. Personally I prefer the potato salad, the Mac and cheese was just ok for me. Looking forward to coming back and trying more meats!

4 of us rode backroads from Oakland here for lunch. Place is awesome. Good food and staff. Nice outdoor seating too. Will definitely be back with more riders.

We love smoked BBQ and we had one in Texas that was yummy and really delicious, but we can't find that kind of food anywhere near our place. We drove more than 7 hours and were tired and hungry when we found this spot. We googled it! Obviously, it was our first time, so I had to know what they offered and had a hard time choosing what to order. I kept asking the staff, but had to order whatever I could, as I could tell that she wasn't helpful at all. I get it, but if they don't have time to explain the menu, I hope they have menu recommendations for first-timers. It would be nice though if she wasn’t rushing and very accommodating! Now, I realize we didn't get the chance to taste some of their recipes, and of course, we can't go back since we live far away. Food? 10/10 Service? update when we get the chance again in the future Place and ambience 10/10

Super friendly staff, wide variety of menu items, nice atmosphere including live music. The food was tasty and filling. Inside seating can get noisy. There’s a nice outside seating area as well. Offers carry out. Parking is limited on the property with added parking on the street. Good food, positive vibes and good times.

Delicious food in a comfortable setting. Friendly welcoming staff, the whole menu is fantastic. Brought several family members and friends here for birthdays and never dissapointed

This intimate and delightful restaurant never disappoints. Chef Danny is personable and creative always using fresh organic local fare to please the palette. The staff is warm and friendly and very attentive. The food is hands down delicious! Definitely one of our go to’s.

Great food and welcoming service, really great execution! I'd recommend ordering anything that sounds interesting, I bet it will be better than you imagine!

Quant Cafe, delicious fritata. The potatoes were so flavorful, I want the secret. Sorry I don't have pictures of the food .

What a delightful Cafe. Kathryn was extremely attentive and the cuisine was excellent.

Super lovely place and the food was great. Good wine list and friendly staff. I would say the prices are fair

Excellent choice around here. Bread pudding is a must and worth going back for

Nice beach with plenty of room to spread out. Shipwreck is interesting, although I wish the pier was still there. Lots of little places to grab a snack, drink or meal. Cute area to explore.

This beach sits in front of Beach Drive with lots of open space for walking, walking dogs, and playing in the sand with my grandson. A lifeguard stsndssits near a Beach volleyball area. No restroom in the public Beach

Wonderful beach with easy access and parking in the neighborhood. Dogs are allowed. Enjoy the waves, the sunshine, walk or look for treasures in the sand.

This is a fine beach along a string of continuous beaches from New Brighton down to Pajaro Dunes, over 10 miles. The Aptos Creek empties on one edge of this beach. Many of the reviews mention the concrete ship, but that’s the next beach over, Seacliff. The only reason for 4 vs 5 stars is Seacliff is better and adjacent.

I love this beach because of the easy access to the sand and bathrooms near by. Also there amis a convenient little shop for things you have forgotten and a deli.

The beach was very pretty and not terribly dirty. People do have dogs off their leash and they poop wherever. Also, bring a roll of TP. The bathrooms are beyond disgusting so now you have been warned. They are not the type bathrooms you change in. My sister wouldn't use the bathroom so she went to a nearby bar. We did have pizza delivered to the beach. Also, tons of great whale watching.

Still quite messy after the last storm, lots of driftwood and sand piled up, and sidewalks need fixing up. Helped clean up a bit by collecting some free unique driftwood samples. Nice beach 🏖 to take a stroll and enjoy the views. Some of the homes on the Bluffs were hanging over the edge.

The restaurant was hopping on Saturday night. Without a reservation, we waited about 40 minutes to be seated. It was well worth the wait. This was our first visit to Manuel's. The service was excellent. All the staff was friendly and efficient. This was the best Mexican food we've had in years. The rice and beans were seasoned well and absolutely delicious. The chili relleno was light, eggy, fluffy, and so good, almost like a souffle. This set them apart from others we've had in the past. We can't wait to go back for more. Tomorrow perhaps? ;)

We came in as a party of 7 — my visiting family from Colombia experiencing Manuel’s for the very first time — and it could not have been a warmer welcome. Three of us were celebrating birthdays in the same week, and the staff surprised us with ice cream and sang with such enthusiasm that the whole restaurant lit up. Everyone was inviting, friendly, and genuinely happy to have us there. The food was absolutely delicious, as always — fresh, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. I also love the little details, like the fresh flowers on every table, which show how much they care about presentation and atmosphere. Manuel’s is more than just a restaurant; it’s a place where you feel celebrated and cared for. Highly recommended for locals and visitors alike.

Absolutely love this sit down Mexican restaurant amazing food great lunch specials good portions and the best service I have experienced in Santa Cruz in a while. Highly recommend the Chicken Chimichanga lunch special.

Multiple members of my family had talked up some great past meals they’d had here, but after today none of us will be back, ever. We had the three worst Mexican meals we’ve ever experienced—bland, dry, and burned—and terrible customer service when we asked them to make it right. This was not just a horrible dinner, but an awful experience.

Manuel's has classic big plates with melted cheese, if no al pastor. Good service, sometimes the restaurant is a bit musty. The seafood tostada $28 July 2025 is pictured.

Great service, simple menu with amazing flavorful entrees. You will not be disappointed.

Manuel’s is a classic Mexican restaurant that knows exactly what they’re doing! The second you walk in you are greeted. The second you sit down, you have water and chips and salsa. Drink and food orders are taken and brought out super fast. The food is hot and tasty!

Tried The Belushi Burger, absolutely amazing. I had the fries with it which were also good. My friend had the deep fried artichoke hearts and said they were good. Definitely will be back.

We had the pretzel bites and beer cheese for an appetizer and man was it bomb.com! I was eating light so I had the Dave O'wrap and it was very flavorful. Not pictured my husband got the out and in burger as per usual I always steal a bite and it was delicious 😋

Good selection of beers, salad was fresh and delicious, extra plus for good kids menu. Burgers looked good but we opted for beer battered salmon that was just ok. Overall good pub. 4.5 out of 5.

Meh, definitely not a Irish Pub, and the selection of draft beers is limited. They only had one stout on draw. Salmon fish n chips is not exactly appealing. The burgers and fries were much better and tasty

"Be careful they are hot!" our waitress said so I immediately stuffed a fried pickle in my hole and burnt the roof of my mouth. The first couple layers of skin hung down like those drape things in a car wash, I continued to stuff pickles like busses into the carwash that was my mouth. Their house made ranch (is that a touch of dill I tasted in there?) soothing my blistered pallet.. I have never had fried pickles this good or this painful. I may never order them again but I know I've had the best. Our burgers, the Belushi and Huckleberry came before we could finish playing carwash with our molten pickles. They cut our burgers in half so we could share. They were both decadent and juicy, the toasted bread on the Huckleberry really gave it to the roof of my mouth and unfortunately I finished my half before I noticed the horseradish sauce in a cup on my wife's plate. That would have been good. The Belushi was so over the top and the pocket of Blu cheese was entirely on my half (score!). Then I remember awesome onion rings and incredible garlic fries, everything was a blur at this point, maybe my arteries had clogged or all the blood had gone to my gut or both? What an experience, just what we were looking for. As we stumbled out on a food high we noticed others having drinks, talking and laughing. They had not even ordered their meals yet. We were so focused on our amazing burgers, I hope we gave them a good spectacle. Next time we will split one burger (not fried), with a side salad, order a couple of their great looking cocktails and take it easy. Oh, the parking... Forgetaboutit!

Omg yum! We tried this spot for the first time and we were not disappointed. The fried pickles were amazing! Fries crispy and delicious. Wings were good not as hot as expected but still good. And the maiden club was my favorite. So tasty. We got take out, easy online ordering and friendly service.

Typical beer/ hamburgers atmospher- BUT the absolute BEST hamburger I've ever had! Onion rings superb. Dog friendly. Inside outside seating with heaters outside for cool nights.

Fantastic local breakfast and lunch spot. Don’t sleep on their breakfast burritos or their fries (big bag of them). They’re a small deli with a good selection of sandwiches, snacks, and drinks (beer and wine too). They’re never gonna win an award for being the fastest spot but that’s not what you come here for. 100% worth a visit if you’re in town and my go to order is the pixie club and my wife loves the wild salmon sandwich. Note lunch menu starts at 11am so plan ahead.

Great deli on the beach. Outdoor seating. Relaxing in the sun. Eating a sandwich. Smelling the salty air. Very nice

I visit Rio Del Mar beach maybe 2 times a year. I always look forward to a burger as big as your face from Pixie. Sadly the burger is different now. Tastes like paper and the texture to match. No more nostalgic crinkle cut fries. Just cardboard shoestring fries. I'll be bringing our own food when we come down from now on. 😞

Severely mediocre food. Absolutely flavorless tuna salad, slapped onto a falling-apart piece of rye bread, with the ends of a barely ripe tomato in the center of the sandwich. For the amount they're charging, which is quite a lot, there should be at least a little bit of pride put into the food and preparation. I won't be back. The atmosphere is the only redeeming quality of the place.

Tacos 🌮 Friday and Saturday nights made to order! Yum 😋 And loved the cream cheese topped cinnamon roll!

Reasonable prices with food you would expect from a deli. Service was friendly and prompt. A very nice patio with too little shade in the early afternoon.

Lovely breakfast - The best so far in the US! Miss fresh juice - else its purrrrfect!

Seascape resort is a beautiful stunning resort, nice accommodations, lots of room to play and explore and yet the most memorable part of our stay here was our dinner at Sanderlings. Memorable because the food was so horrible. Clam chowder was thin and soupy bot chowdery, and the two bites of clams in it were sandy, I’m not really sure how you manage that 2/2 bowls. The entrees were… flavorful but not the kind of flavors that would make you want to come back. I had the fish which was fine and aesthetically pleasing I guess but somehow dry and bland despite all the sauce they added to the dish. My husbands dish was by far the most unforgettable. Have you ever left chicken in the croc pot for too long and had it come out dry despite all the sauce that was added? Thats what this reminded me of, aesthetically 0/10 for the sloppy skin that seemed like it was just thrown on there. And what are those giant beans? My god, just because they are unique doesnt make them fine dining. And perhaps this place wouldnt market itself as fine dining but the menu is priced as such, nearly $300 for our family of 5 to have this unforgettable meal. Kid menu is mid, not horrible but unimpressive as well. Overall the menu is trying too hard and not succeeding, maybe add a burger? I’ve paid $30 for a dry burger before and been less disappointed. Waitress was very nice though.

Sanderlings Restaurant has a gorgeous views on a warm, sunny day. The kind of setting that makes you slow down and actually enjoy the moment. Coastal breeze, relaxed energy, and a space that feels elevated without being stiff. Surprisingly the food was solid across the board. Every protein at our table—steak, chicken, burgers, and fish—was cooked to perfection. Tender and juicy. The drinks were also solid. Not heavy-handed, but balanced. Could’ve used a bit more punch, but nothing that threw off the experience. Service was friendly and attentive. Staff matched the vibe—welcoming without hovering. Overall: Sanderlings delivers a scenic, well-executed dining experience that’s more than just a pretty view. The kitchen respects the protein, the staff respects the guest, and the drinks hold their own. Worth a visit if you’re in Aptos.

Higher than my expectations with hotel restaurants! The special menu Iberico Secreto is really crisp and aromatic :)

Loved everything about this restaurant. Food was delicious, steak was cooked perfectly, staff were so kind, and the views were incredible. Throughly enjoyed this restaurant.

Lovely food and drinks, with amazing views over the Pacific. We came here with a local friend and the food delivered on every level. I had the beef, which was seriously tasty and tender - the speed at which it disappeared off my plate was testament to how great this was. The others had the scallops and the halibut and both were also fantastic and can be recommended. The cocktails were also forthcoming and very well received! The only negative to report is that without a reservation - even though the restaurant was virtually empty - they were apprehensive to seat us, and made it seem like they were doing us a favour to be seated.

Dinner was delicious! It was a 10/10 experience. We wanted a calm and positive ambience which is just what we got. Our server Alejandra was also super kind and attentive.

The view is breathtaking. Beautiful area by the beach, just a bit windy even if it's sunny. Service was great. Very helpful and polite staff, had answers to any question I had. Reason for only 3 stars is from the lack of seasoning and flavor in the food. My family and I came to a Mother's day buffet and were all disappointed. Most of the food was cold and bland. The only food that was warm was the soup and steak. I'm sure the food's temperature would improve on regular occasions but for buffet style, it did not work.