Awesome Eggs Benedict, superb mimosas (histrionic and current). Order side of carnitas for an extra bonus for your Eggs Benedict 😎. Carnitas omelet is solid!

Great brunch spot. The breakfast burrito was a 10/10! Loved the pineapple mimosa. I will definitely go again!

5 stars! Good was great, service was quick, and this place gets busy for a reason. This is a must go to place so get there early.

Your typical Bay Area chill food spot. The staff was really friendly and enthusiastic and “real”, you feel like you could have em sit with you and not mind. The quality and amount of food you get for the price is more than adequate. Didn’t plan on coming here. But now that I have, I’ll keep it in mind next time I’m in Santa Cruz.

Great food. Delicious meaty omelet. Coffee is awesome. Love the outdoor seating! Best bloody mary this side of Peppermill Reno! You won't be disappointed

The food here is absolutely wonderful. Cannot go wrong with the Meat Omelette with a side biscuit. The service is top notch. Molly is an absolutely wonderful person, She always has a smile on her face, very friendly and makes you feel welcomed. Thank you again for the wonderful meal and wonderful vibes!

It's a nice quaint eating spot. More often than not there's a wait, but well worth it. Food comes out quick, portion sizes are huge, and the staff is very friendly. Parking is a little hard to find. Overall a good spot to take family and friends for Breakfast or Lunch.

Food delicious and a couple unexpected items on there. Recommend the polenta benny and a table waffle. Good drink selection for both alc and NA! Plenty of outdoor seating and dogs allowed! No ressies though but you can take drinks over to the waiting area

Absolutely loved our food! Long wait but it was worth it!

What a great place to have Breakfast. I kept telling myself to take a picture of the food while I was watching others receive their meal. Man it all looked good. Well they served my chicken fried steak with side of bacon , What can I tell you, I forgot the picture. Thought about posting my completely cleaned plate.

Bacon bomb, get you one. I will never drink champagne the same again! The service was friendly and fast. The carnitas omelette was superb 😊

Harbor cafe is one of the best brunch spots in Santa Cruz. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great and the drinks are strong! The only downside to Harbor Cafe is the parking. Most of the time I have to park in a small Cul-de-sac nearby. My personal favorite items here are the breakfast burrito (with shrimp added) and the grapefruit mimosa. Try them out if you can't decide.

Wow, what an incredible dining experience! Harbor Cafe has truly earned a 5-star rating from me. The food is absolutely amazing - every bite was a flavor explosion! The service was top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff who made us feel right at home. The ambiance is fantastic, with a cozy and inviting atmosphere that perfect for any occasion. But what really sets Harbor Cafe apart is the warmth and hospitality of the staff and owners. They are so sweet and personable, making us feel like valued regulars from the moment we walked in. I can't recommend Harbor Cafe enough; it's a must-visit for anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. Don't miss out on this hidden gem!

I had the eggs benedict. It was the best so far in town.

Legendary Santa Cruz eatery. Great service, food, and atmosphere. I had the Mexican tofu scramble which waz suc 🔥🔥. House coffee wasn't so good today...

Top notch breakfast, fresh well prepared and served properly. A must visit.

Food is sooo good. Attention to details!! Very impressive!!!!

This place is an amazing breakfast/brunch place. Has a lot of tasty food and drinks. Would go again every time I visit.

Perennially one of the BEST breaky/lunch spots in Santa Cruz - maybe on the West Coast! Delicious food! Christy, Lindsey and the rest of the staff are wonderful! Polenta fries!!! Check it out!

Came here came for Thurs brunch 21st bday with a large party of 8. Drinks and food amazing as was the service by Christie. What a pleasant time!

Worth the wait if they are busy during weekend brunch! Highly recommend the huevos rancheros and churro waffle (pictured)

Serves Breakfast and Lunch. Good food. Expect lines on weekends and holidays.

+2

Incredible food and amazing service. Everyone was so friendly. Highly recommend this spot for brunch or lunch!!! The avocado Benedict was out of this world.

Very cute café! They have seasonal specials!! But if you want to sit outside bring your sunglasses and maybe a sweater! But the service and location is amazing. Parking a little tricky but overall, well.

Definitely coming back had a great time!! Once I get a second home out here I can definitely walk to get a mimosa at the outside bar that they provide while we wait for our table and they provide a coffee bar while you. Thank you! Come again!

+5

Is my first time at harbor Cafe and it is my absolute favorite breakfast place in Santa Cruz now. The food is fantastic. I had the frittata and it was just perfect. Huge serving. My mom had the pancakes and they were so fluffy. I can't wait to go back and try their polenta! Jordan was the hostess and she was so sweet. And I loved our server as well but can't remember her name. Anyway, definitely good breakfast place! Super busy and parking is difficult. But, completely worth it!

Food was amazing!! So so good! They have like 5 different flavors for mimosas (we did O.J. and pineapple) they were delicious and the environment was perfect.

Habit Cafe definitely lives up to their high rating review! Amazing and friendly server, fast quality food, not over cooked. I'll definitely come here again!

Good vibes!! :) Excellent customer service! Food was delicious! I got the Carnitas Omelette! The apple juice was the best I ever had!! Yummy! 🤤 You gotta try it. So fresh! Thank you!

Our favorite place to eat breakfast in Santa Cruz!!! We love the food, staff, atmosphere, and always look forward to visiting!!! Note: the cafe is small, so the wait can be a bit long. Get there early!!! :)

Great service and an enjoyable lunch. The eggs Benedict were perfect for my liking the hollandaise sauce was on point. I will say best one I've had.

Great location, very good food, awesome staff, they were super friendly and gave us great tips what to do in the area. Food was very good, atmosphere was really nice, inside and outside!

+1

Great breakfast. Friendly service. Come early as this place attracts many people.

This place was so good! My family ages 2 to 62 enjoyed the menu. The service was impeccable and safe eating outside:)

Great find! Food is spot on. Simple, fresh and delicious. Dog friendly which is a big win!

Recommended by locals we spoke to. Food was excellent. Try any of the Benedicts. Saturday morning queue for opening, but swiftly dealt with by excellent staff. Superbly looked after by Tyler our server. Definitely worth avisit.

This place has such great reviews so I was excited to give it a try. It’s a cute little beach restaurant with a great menu. I ordered a breakfast burrito bowl and it was just ok though. I saw many other wonderful dishes come out while I was there so will definitely give it another shot.

Delicious food and great service! I wish my stomach were bigger every time I look at the menu. Plus the added bonus of mimosa Friday 😁

Sunday’s are fundays to roll out of bed and go get breakfast at local spots. We have formed a tradition of doing this once per month. So far, we have been to Harbor Cafe twice, and the experience has been top notch. The prices are pretty reasonable and the food, staff, and cocktails are amazing. I highly recommend this place even though selfishly, I wish it were less crowded.

Very delicius food, I was so hungry, that I forgot to take pics of the breakfast, but the egg benedicts was so good, I mean, excelent, the frut perfect... Excelent attention.

+3

Always our favorite breakfast place in Santa Cruz. Great food and service!

there was a 25 minute wait for a table at 10:30 am on a Friday morning, which is testament to how popular this place is- and deservedly so! The atmosphere is great and the food is absolutely fantastic! our server was very attentive and friendly and the ketchup bottle lid was sparkling clean, which in a diner type place really shows that care is taken daily to keep things sparkling. we loved it and if we didn’t live so far away we would be back regularly. 10/10

Legit brunch spot. Very good food good service. Really like the country steak breakfast. Don’t forget to get a bloody mary, it was so tasty.

I love Avocado Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise souce and Hass Brown is Awesome great taste nice taxture. Near opposite TWIN LAKES PARK and Pretty good Service from Staffs here. Will back here again. I waited for q about 15 minutes. Great restaurant for Breakfast Recommend,

+1

Fresh food , casual atmosphere, creative food choices , dog friendly , great service 12/26/2024 We had the pleasure of being served by Lisa, she was a delight! Our family of 6 was promptly seated at an outdoor table. The hostess was very accommodating to help place us at at a table to give us plenty of room and comfort with a heater for our family member in a wheelchair. The server promptly visited our table, took our drink order and the food server quickly brought the drinks. Lisa came back soon and took our order, the wait wasn't too long for our meals. We ordered a variety of food, Churro French toast, Polenta pesto Benedict with polenta fries (so tasty with a little spice) , Chicken and Waffles, Avocado Benedict, Country Benedict (biscuits were delicate and tasty) . Our dog joined us and was welcome on the patio! What a pleasant attitude ALL the staff members demonstrated. They sincerely appeared to enjoy having us in their restaurant and serving us our meals. This restaurant has been a favorite of our for at least 7 years when I wrote my first review.

+3

I love this place! Nice big dog friendly open outdoor area as well as bar service for people while they are waiting to be seated. The indoor area is quite small and the wait times here can become very lengthy on Saturday and Sunday mornings but it is worth it! They have great vegetarian options with faux meats. Service is always great and got to love a place that always uses their local coffee Brewers

+2

We love the Harbor Cafe! We try to go there every time we end up in Santa Cruz. The eggs Benedict are my favorite. Atmosphere is beach’s vibes with lots of outside seating. Unless you get there really early, there is usually a little bit of a wait. But worth it!

One of the best option for breakfast, brunch and lunch around Santa Cruz. Great food, great serve and nice atmosphere. Plan ahead to go there and be ready for a little wait, even more during weekends but it worth the waiting. I went there sundar around 11:30 and I waited 10 min to get a table. I highly recommend a visit.

+1

The food and service are excellent. Pro tips: The parking is limited. Be prepared for a wait most days (well worth it). A very popular spot.

Decided to wait 45 minutes to be seated … 100% worth the wait. Delicious food !!! The fruit cups are impeccable. The eggs Benedict was cooked to perfection

I love the atmosphere music of this place, the servers are so friendly, and the food is quite delicious. So far we can recommend the breakfast burrito, hash browns, and the bacon! The eggs benedict's going out looked amazing so we'll have to try those next!

You know it's a great place if there is a wait with free coffee refills. They also text you when the table is ready. The food was very tasty. Had their crown jewel dish Cali Croissant and open faced sando. They also had latkas fried in peanut oil as a special. Great experience!

My boyfriend and I ate here for the first time and the food was incredible and tasty. Not to mention Lisa was absolutely amazing. She was so sweet and attentive! We will be back!

Kristian GonWay

One of the best places in Santa Cruz to have breakfast and lunch. It is a very friendly environment, the food is outstanding and the service is unbelievable. People that work there are super cordial and friendly as well as super helpful. The outdoors sitting area it is dog friendly. I have been at Harbor cafe throughout the years and it gets better every time. Thank you again for the great experience 🤙🏽 Christian

Michaela Gist

We had a great experience. Sunday brunch. Lots of options. We had a party of nine. She estimated a 30 minute wait and we were seated in 25. The kitchen coffee was exactly what I needed to perk up! I also enjoyed the California Benedict. Eggs were poached to runny perfection! 🤤 Everyone in our party enjoyed their choices!

L

My partner and I live in the East Bay but we come to capitola for easy getaways. Whenever we can make it to town for more than a day, we make a point to come here for breakfast/brunch once. We've ordered different things from the menu over the years but personally we love the breakfast sandwich and breakfast burrito. Fun environment, dog friendly, kid friendly, good for single dining to medium size groups. There's usually always a wait of some kind, and typically a line in front of the restaurant in the mornings. I've gone on different days and there's always people. Servers are nice, it's a small place but fun and lots of seating options. Hate to encourage more people to come to lengthen the wait time LOL, but IMO it's a must stop for anyone visiting from the Bay and beyond.

Maximiliano Sanfelippo

Great Food ! Great outdoor seating Area !! Full bar inside and small bar outside that you can order drinks while you wait. Plate big , good size portions .

+2

Alex Story

There was a 15 minute wait on a Monday at 12:30 for a table but it was worth it. Nice ambiance and the food is decent. The frozen coffee drink with whiskey in it was outstanding and I wouid come back for that alone.

Beach Town Traveler

I was fortunate to get a table at the end of a busy Fathers Day. I ordered the Cali Croissant and a Kitchen Coffee, and I swapped the hash browns for a salad, which was a perfect choice for brunch. Christy was incredibly kind and friendly, especially after what must have been a hectic day, as the restaurant was full. I really appreciate her warmth and service.

A L

I was in heaven eating breakfast here on the patio. The service was wonderful, the food was wonderful. I highly recommend the Cali croissant. The avocado was perfect in season and flavor and not stingy with the proportions which was what I needed.👌 Will definitely return and recommend. Pictured- Churro belgian waffle with added berry Cali croissant Harbor bowl with added chicken Chicken tenders and fries-from kids menu

Phuong Vu

The place was absolutely beautiful and cozy, with a warm, inviting atmosphere. The food was delicious, and having a hot chocolate in the winter was the perfect choice. The cup kept the chocolate perfectly warm. We enjoyed a Meaty Omelette and a Traditional Benedict, both of which were fantastic.

Alex W

The Cali eggs Benedict was delicious. One of my favorite breakfast places in Santa Cruz. Spicy bloody mary was perfect in the morning, highly recommended adding bacon. Breakfast burrito was full of flavor and we added bacon to it. The Nutella French toast with strawberries was a hit, same with the churo French toast. One of the best breakfast places in Santa Cruz. Highly recommend!

+2

M C

Drove to Santa Cruz for the day. Found Harbor Cafe online. Good choice. It was busy, which is a good sign. We got in fairly quick, before the 30 minutes we were told it would take. The outdoor patio is cute and roomy. Service was good. Food was tasty. Good size portions. Staff was friendly. We saved money by ordering a la carte, as we opted out of the hashbrowns. Cali Croissant was filling and my husband liked his biscuits and gravy.

Jo R

We got the Cali Benedict (all 3 of us), it was amazing! Loved it on top of a croissant, which was toasted perfectly, the hollandaise was delicious (so many places don’t do it right), the hash browns were perfectly crispy. Excellent service and cute atmosphere. It’s a popular place so we waited 15-20 min to sit down. Parking is difficult. Drop someone to get on the waitlist while you look for parking! Looks like they do a good bit of take out business as well. Best breakfast I’ve had in Santa Cruz!

Scott Normandin

Such a cool spot! Food is incredible and staff is amazing. It was packed on a Sunday morning when we went and for good reason! Definitely worth the wait. You can even order coffee and cocktails while you wait! Gotta try the churro waffle!!

Blackberry BB

Fish tacos are absolutely delicious! Need to order every time! Also love love the fries. Would recommend it! The salmon benedict has very few salmon (also in chopped pieces) and too cooked. Not the best. Revisited many times with friends. Can be very busy

Kelly Ess

We ended up here after a disaster of trying to find a breakfast spot this morning. First, the staff? OUT OF THIS WORLD. It was our sons’ 10th birthday and they brought him a churro waffle with a candle…we didn’t even order a waffle 🥹 they were so incredibly sweet to our 3 year old, food came out hot and quickly, drinks were made to perfection. I have no idea who got this group of people together, but we loved it here and our experience.

+2

Daniella Xu

We arrived Harbor Café at 12:00 pm and waited for around 35 mins. This is a highly-rated brunch spot! We ordered: ▫️ Cheese and bacon potato pancakes: The cheese was generously served! It was so satisfying, and the portion was quite large, so my friends and I shared it. ▫️ Chicken sausage omelette: This was good too! The sausage was fried to perfection, and it tasted amazing rolled up in the egg! The service is also very nice !

+3

angelica reda

Great brunch/ breakfast place . They have good quality dripping coffee. Great service . Casual / country ambience , fair price and parking in lot. The food coming out of the kitchen was well prepared and presented . Iwe had the california croissant and the chorus waffles. Conveniently located near the shoreline . I enjoyed my visit and highly recommend this place.

+1

I had the breakfast burrito. It was good and reasonably priced at $8. Eggs, cheese, hashbrowns, sour cream and pico rolled into a tasty sundried tomato tortilla (or something along that nature) served with a side of green sauce. I was turned off by the high price of adding bacon or another meat to it though ($3-5 seemed a tad steep). I opted for the original which was filling enough for a guy my size. Easily shareable though!

Nice local place, the food is good, the price is fair, and the service is just excellent.

Such a good brunch spot. It can get busy so come early or be prepared to wait, aka order drinks. I ordered the steak omelette. Delicious! Will come again.

I definitely recommend going Tuesdays for their 2 dollar banana pancakes. The banana taste is so fresh. They're also really big, so worth the money.

+2

Tried Harbor Cafe in Santa Cruz. Looked promising. I got their meaty omelette with sausage and my wife got their chilaquiles. Overall, it was good. We were both filled with what we got. Highlight for me was their made from scratch biscuit! That was the best biscuit I’ve had! If only they made them a little bigger!

This place is so unique definitely one of a kind place to eat. Have to love the environment, love all the people the excitement just a happy place to be..... We had eggs benedict hash browns breakfast burrito everything was excellent service was fairly fast the line was long but it went quick...definitely worth the wait will be back again always a great place to stop in Santa Cruz.

+1

Andrew Dixon

What to say about this place. Let's start with my wife's eggs Benedict it was delicious full of flavor and great hollenday sauce. My son's French Toast was good but nothing spectacular and same for my other sons pancakes. I got the chicken fried stake and that's where it starts to go down hill. By no means was it bad but everything was very bland lacking salt and pepper and yes they had it on the table but it's different adding it when it's done compared to when it was being cooked. The staff was so nice amd friendly.

Katrina Jenkins

Love this little gem. My uncle and aunt came to visit from Idaho to celebrate their 30th anniversary. I wanted them to be able to eat near the harbor, and this spot was perfect. I started to get mad during the lunch because the waitress seemed to be ignoring me come to find my uncle already paid and he just wanted to see my blood boil. The cozy feel was beautiful, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and the food was delicious. It made their special day even more memorable. Highly recommend for both locals and visitors looking for a great food.

+17

If you call your grandparents meemaw and peepaw you’ll probably LOVE this establishment and should definitely make it a point to eat here. Everybody else, I guarantee you’ll be underwhelmed.

Great place for a lazy Sunday brunch. Food was good.

+1

It was a cute spot. I'm assuming the specials are what gets the 5 star reviews. I love Belgian waffles, but there's was more like pancakes not a waffle.

Food was excellent, but sitting on the front porch while the sun is rising is equal to sitting on the sun ☀️. I had to eat as fast as I could just get out of there. Nothing like sweating and eating.

There's usually a long wait, but they have an outdoor bar you can order drinks at while you wait. We put our names in and asked to be seated outside. Hostess sat us down inside and we asked if she could please sit us outside because we had dogs and she never came back. We ended up having to put our dogs in the car. She was rude and not a good hostess at all. Our server ended up being great. Checked in frequently and was very nice. There were 4 of us and we ordered a variety of things. We started with the bowl of fruit, it had pomegranate, Mandarin, BlackBerries, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and melon. Probably the best thing we had. We got the polenta bene with avocado and pesto. Fresh but lacking in taste. The breakfast BLT had a fried egg on it, with a side of hashbrowns -really tasty. We also got a side of fries that were delicious. Plus - full bar, dogs allowed, outdoor seating, fruit is great, french fries Minus the 2 stars for hostess and taste

Service was good, food is pretty average. It’s a good spot if you want to drink in the morning. They have two bars for a small place

We ate here for breakfast on a trip we made to Santa Cruz. Extremely popular (waited 20 minutes just to speak to someone). When we we're finally seated liked the decor food was good not great. Might pass on this place next time.

+1

Makenna Brown

I love Harbor Cafe. I always have. When I'm feeling patient enough for the wait it's my go-to spot. I'm writing this review though, unfortunately, not to give praises but to say that I was disappointed after ordering the scramble special and found less than half my plate full. For $22 I thought I'd be getting a little more food than that. I will say though that the service is consistently 10/10 and the food is delicious. Also, their drinks are very reasonably priced and excellent quality. Most of their plates are fair in terms of price to portion ratio. Maybe they were short on eggs today but I wouldn't order the scramble again unless they increase the portion size to a full plate or drop the price to $16-$18.

Kathy Escott

We were unpleasantly surprised at how mediocre the food was, considering how nice the service and atmosphere were. My husband was not happy with traditional eggs benedict. The hollandaise sauce was separating from the start. The croissant, certainly not traditional, was soggy. The plating was sloppy. My tofu scramble was okay. Once I added pico de gallo, it brightened up the flavor a bit. I was so happy to find bread from Companion Bakery, the best bakery in the county. The hash browns were the best I've ever had, but again, plated sloppily. May I recommend some type of garnish, such as, slice of orange and/or a sprig of parsley. The bloody mary was not the best I've had, but most I've ever paid. $1 more to make it spicier wasn't worth it. Bruno's in Scotts Valley and the Crepe Place have better bloody marys for less.

+2

The good thing about this place is that the atmosphere is really good and the service is very prompt But the food is not as great as some people are mentioning in the comments. The c Benedict was just okay 😢 and the kitchen coffee was just way too sweet. A coffee should first and foremost taste like coffee and not sugarcane juice.

Totally let down by my experience here. Went for a spontaneous breakfast out and eager for french toast I decided to go for it. But my French toast was basically toasted bread with syrup. Minimum egg dredge that seemed to only be on one side. My partners buiscut and gravy with a side order of sausage was decent. But his drink took nearly 45 minutes to get, despite others after him getting drinks from the same window. Our waitress came across pushy and rude as well. I totally understand it was decently busy there, I don't blame for that. But the pressure to "order quickly" almost as soon we were seated was rude. As well as wanting us to pay and leave quickly, despite giving others around us more hospitality. Wanted to like this place with so many other good review! But sadly our experience was not that.

This was my first visit to pick up & I ordered the harbor bowl with tofu. There was an excessive amount of Ranchero Sauce that smothered all the food and added no taste other than spice The entire bowl was bland. At over $20 a bowl it was over priced and I wouldn’t return.

I have been going to Harbor Cafe for about 10 years. It is a place I go with my friends to enjoy a wonderful breakfast experience. However on my visit today this was not the case. One of Harbor Cafe Specialties is there eggs benedict. I ordered that today looking forward to this sumptuous Delight that was going to hit my taste buds. Instead I was offered a stale English muffin topped with avocado and 2 soft boiled eggs. When I asked for a replacement I got back the very same thing. On their third attempt they finally brought me to nicely poached eggs for me to put on my now cold food with about a teaspoon of hollandaise sauce. They offered more Hollandaise sauce which I gladly accepted until I took a bite of it and they had forgotten to add lemon. It was simply the most disappointing breakfast I have had in Santa Cruz 10 years. I would be remiss to not tell you about the highly over-seasoned Bloody Mary with a bad pepperoncini. When I went up to tell the bartender he told me no it isn't bad no my pepperoncinis are fine and as I was walking away asked if I would like another one. I just kept walking. Well they did take the Benedict off my meal, I can say I will not be returning anytime soon.