Best Open Kitchen Restaurants in Capitola

We had lunch outside yesterday. The food, service and ambience were wonderful as usual. We've dined here many times over many years, and have never been disappointed, seriously! We both selected from their Lunch Specials menu (which changes frequently). I had to try the Huevos Rancheros. Theirs is close to, if not the best rendition of the dish that I have had. Thin, crispy tortillas (whole, not chips), layered with black beans, lightly spiced and smokey ranchero sauce, topped with two perfectly cooked fried eggs, sour cream, 1/2 of a sliced avocado. Just delicious! My wife had the Grilled shrimp salad with super-soft gorgonzola cheese with balsamic drizzle and sliced poached bartlett pears. Salad had arugula, shaved brussels sprouts, and dries cranberries. Also, simply delicious! We live locally and it's wonderful that we have Cafe Cruz in our back pocket to dine at whenever we like.

There’s a bar on your left as you walk in, the space is laid of beautifully. The open kitchen anchors the room and there’s fresh persimmons hanging to dry. Despite the kitchen being open, the noise level was minimal. Looking up the ceiling, I saw that the noise is managed by acoustic paneling that absorbs the sound. The staff is welcoming, friendly and attentive. We started with the Santa Cruz greens which is a bowl of salad greens and dressed simply in a delicate vinaigrette. It’s light, citrusy and the leaves were fresh. Delicious. We had the hamachi lettuce cups next. The crispy rice was a nice counterbalance to the delicate fish. We shared the ribeye katsu Sando with caramelized onions. What a great bite! Milk toast toasted perfectly and the rib eye cooked medium. The Brussels sprouts with pickled garlic and balsamic/maple glazed and pork belly was the surprise hit of the evening. We couldn’t stop eating it! We also had their version of margarita which was light, citrusy and not overly sweet. We really enjoyed dining here. It’s perfect for a date night!

A very solid/reliable spot. My fries were fantastic. Sounds basic but a well executed french fry served in the right way is remarkably uncommon. My burger could have use a bit more mass on the patty and less on the bun but was overall good. My date had the scallops and she seemed to quite enjoy them. Cocktails here are solidly above average. We sat away from the bar and enjoyed a pleasant ambience; lively but not loud, so that we were able to have a conversation easily. For whatever accidental reason we just hadn't been there in a while. We'll be back.