Aldo's Restaurant

Jeff Meyer

We love this dog friendly outdoor restaurant along the harbor. Their hours are limited to breakfast and lunch. They also aren’t open on rainy days. But on a sunny day it’s a great spot to get a bite and Fido can come too! Mahi tacos and blackened fish sandwich are both recommended. Beware of pigeons they’re a tad aggressive and can drive my dog nuts.

Tobias Smulders

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!

Teresa Mersereau

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.

Danny Duarte

Such a cool spot where one can enjoy the amazing weather and the views of the harbor with all the boats. Dog friendly restaurant for sure - all the servers were exceptionally and helpful. It’s gets really back once lunch hours started. Love how you are not rushed but encouraged to chill and enjoy the moments. Be present and enjoy the journey. They have some tasty greyhounds with homemade grapefruit juice.

Kelly Drake

Great fresh seafood. Excellent thick New England Clam chowder. Wish they would have served the calamari appetizer and soup before bringing out the main courses. Took a while to find since they moved away from their old location and now more in the harbor.

David B. Karpf, MD

Lovely location, overlooking the Santa Cruz Harbor. Great service. My Prawn quesadilla was delicious, as were our cocktails, but my wife's Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos were less than spectacular. We will definitely come back (just won't order the fish tacos again. Had brunch there today. Tables spaced very well, service good, as usual. My wife had the harborside breakfast with two eggs, two pancakes, and two slices of bacon, with OJ. As I had previously had their huevos ranchero (OK but not great), and their classic eggs Benedict (OK but not great), I went for the prawn quesadillo again, along with a spicy bloody Mary, and it was GREAT! (Sorry, the photo was done after I scarfed 3/4 of the delicious quesadillo). And the boody Mary was pretty good sized, and tasty, with 3 gherkins an olive and an onion. Great to be able to walk to Aldos!

Jim Holtan

Aldo’s is a wonderful restaurant on the Santa Cruz harbor. Displaced several years ago by seawall reconstruction, they haven’t lost a beat. They’ve set up kitchen in a modular building along the harbor front with a wonderful patio area. Menu has pretty much stayed the same, which is wonderful. They offer their full drink menu as well (love their bloody marys). Their Italian sausage is house made and delicious and they’re famous for their fugazi (and raisin fugazi) bread. Wonderful selection of omelettes and scrambles as well. Everything’s fresh and delicious. Staff has transitioned well to the temporary location and service is excellent.

Bonnie Robinson

Delicious breakfast, family and pet friendly, nice view of the boats. Remember to pay for your parking and get there early for good parking spots and seats.

Monica Ifland

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.

Leslie and I enjoyed our breakfast. She had avocado toast dish and I had the pumpkin tall stack. Everything was great. Scenery was very nice. Cozy place with an extensive menu. Our server was Daniel. She alone made it worth the trip. She was wonderful. Friendly and sweet. We had a great morning there.

The service was radiant! The women who were working were sweet, charming, and mischievously funny. Their presence alone warrants return; they made hospitality feel like a homecoming, not a transaction. The food was great; very fresh and perfect portion sizes. My only criticism would be that my French toast, though tasty, was a bit under-saturated, the middle was untouched by batter denying it the custardy goodness the outer edges offered. The atmosphere was magical, alive with marine life. As we ate we watched the sea birds fish and caught a few glimpses of a lone sea lion weaving through the boats in the harbor.

Greg G

Leslie and I enjoyed our breakfast. She had avocado toast dish and I had the pumpkin tall stack. Everything was great. Scenery was very nice. Cozy place with an extensive menu. Our server was Daniel. She alone made it worth the trip. She was wonderful. Friendly and sweet. We had a great morning there.

Jessica Ward

The service was radiant! The women who were working were sweet, charming, and mischievously funny. Their presence alone warrants return; they made hospitality feel like a homecoming, not a transaction. The food was great; very fresh and perfect portion sizes. My only criticism would be that my French toast, though tasty, was a bit under-saturated, the middle was untouched by batter denying it the custardy goodness the outer edges offered. The atmosphere was magical, alive with marine life. As we ate we watched the sea birds fish and caught a few glimpses of a lone sea lion weaving through the boats in the harbor.

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..

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.

It is very dog friendly. Open air seating with umbrellas right on the marina. We had a 15 min wait for a table. Serves breakfast til 3pm. Must pay parking at kiosk 1.50 hr. I advise purchasing a 2 hr ticket.

The Aldo is a small outdoor diner that locates right by next to the water. It is a seafood restaurant, so cioppino, seafood fettuccini, fish and chips are the dishes to go for. The service is average, and you might feel get left off sometime. The food quality is average, not thing special, but not too bad. The only great thing about the restaurant is the environment, by the water. You are looking at average 40 per person for brunch with no drink.

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.

Pranjali Sharma

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..

Vincent L

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.

Debra White (Realtor at ReaL Broker)

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.

Melody Fuhrman

It is very dog friendly. Open air seating with umbrellas right on the marina. We had a 15 min wait for a table. Serves breakfast til 3pm. Must pay parking at kiosk 1.50 hr. I advise purchasing a 2 hr ticket.

Kailiang Huang

The Aldo is a small outdoor diner that locates right by next to the water. It is a seafood restaurant, so cioppino, seafood fettuccini, fish and chips are the dishes to go for. The service is average, and you might feel get left off sometime. The food quality is average, not thing special, but not too bad. The only great thing about the restaurant is the environment, by the water. You are looking at average 40 per person for brunch with no drink.

Paul Stephens

Outdoor place for a breakfast and lunch complete with bloody Marys and mimosas. It's been there since 1977 and I can see why. Overlooks the Santa Cruz harbor so lots of activity with boaters and yachts entering and leaving. Not at all fancy, but great food and great service.

Aldo's is one of the few harbor restaurants that attract tourists due to its scenic views of the water while enjoying some breakfast, a sammy, or seafood. We had a 30 minute wait coming on a Saturday afternoon and were seated an hour before their closing at 15:00. Since I am plant-based, I had to ask some questions with their veggie related items. Their default bread is unfortunately not vegan so I opted for sourdough in my veggie burger, removing the cheese and mayo. The food here was decent but nothing to write home about. My veggie burger came quite bland with just the sourdough sandwiching it, and the condiments all on the side. I wish they had helped put everything together and sliced it in half for me to make it easier to eat. The fries on the side were okay and went well with the vibes of the day. I'm happy I got to come and experience this place once but I probably wouldn't come back given the price and lack of creative veggie items.

I love how dog friendly this restaurant is. The homemade garlic fugasa and clam chowder are crowd pleasers. If you like prawns, you can order them in a quesadilla or over linguine. Don’t forget the Bloody Mary! The service is quick and accommodating for special requests. The wait on weekdays is minimal, but if you have to wait at least you get to enjoy those harbor views.

Good food, bad service. Tried again for father's day. Well service still bad. But food got tasteless. No pepper,salt or anything to give any flavor. There was way too much pesto inside the omelette and the raisins in the bread tasted rancid. Well I thought coming back a few years later would make a difference but it didn't at least the view was nice.

Debbie Pieracci

Good food, bad service. Tried again for father's day. Well service still bad. But food got tasteless. No pepper,salt or anything to give any flavor. There was way too much pesto inside the omelette and the raisins in the bread tasted rancid. Well I thought coming back a few years later would make a difference but it didn't at least the view was nice.

Andy Ng

Aldo's is one of the few harbor restaurants that attract tourists due to its scenic views of the water while enjoying some breakfast, a sammy, or seafood. We had a 30 minute wait coming on a Saturday afternoon and were seated an hour before their closing at 15:00. Since I am plant-based, I had to ask some questions with their veggie related items. Their default bread is unfortunately not vegan so I opted for sourdough in my veggie burger, removing the cheese and mayo. The food here was decent but nothing to write home about. My veggie burger came quite bland with just the sourdough sandwiching it, and the condiments all on the side. I wish they had helped put everything together and sliced it in half for me to make it easier to eat. The fries on the side were okay and went well with the vibes of the day. I'm happy I got to come and experience this place once but I probably wouldn't come back given the price and lack of creative veggie items.

J. P.

I love how dog friendly this restaurant is. The homemade garlic fugasa and clam chowder are crowd pleasers. If you like prawns, you can order them in a quesadilla or over linguine. Don’t forget the Bloody Mary! The service is quick and accommodating for special requests. The wait on weekdays is minimal, but if you have to wait at least you get to enjoy those harbor views.