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Oakes Café
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Oakes Café
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Oakes Café

Coffee · Santa Cruz

4.2 · 39 reviews Google
dining.ucsc.edu

About Oakes Café

Oakes Café in Santa Cruz offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere perfect for breakfast, lunch, or working on your laptop. Guests praise the pristine quality of comfort food and signature items like manressa breakfast burritos, lemon blueberry muffins, and refreshing Pure Leaf Sweet Tea. The friendly sta...

Oakes Café in Santa Cruz offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere perfect for breakfast, lunch, or working on your laptop. Guests praise the pristine quality of comfort food and signature items like manressa breakfast burritos, lemon blueberry muffins, and refreshing Pure Leaf Sweet Tea. The friendly staff provides excellent service with free drink refills, while the environment celebrates Latino culture through music and eco-friendly practices. Whether enjoying outdoor seating or a solo meal, visitors appreciate the accessible entrance, comfortable spaces, and fresh, high-quality ingredients that make every visit feel like a dream come true.

What Customers Say About Oakes Café

Oakes Cafe is praised for its friendly staff, good music, and overall positive vibes, especially among young people embracing Latino culture. The service can be slow and the food quality inconsistent, with some finding it overpriced. The Lemon Blueberry muffins on Thursdays are a highlight.

Popular Dishes

fruit smoothie with whip cream blt Lemon Blueberry muffins manressa breakfast burritos chicken strips fries guac burger

Best For

Solo Dining Groups Casual Quick Bite

Tip: Visit on Thursdays for the Lemon Blueberry muffins. Be aware that service can be slow, especially during peak hours.

Features

🌳 Outdoor Accessible 🌅 Breakfast 🍽️ Lunch 🌙 Dinner 🥗 Vegetarian Coffee
🎯 Casual 👥 Groups

What to see nearby

McHenry Library
A 815m

McHenry Library

biblioteca

View details

Data from Wikidata

Frequently asked questions about Oakes Café

Oakes Café is located at Oakes Cafe, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, Santa Cruz.
Oakes Café offers coffee cuisine.
Oakes Café has regular opening hours. Check their profile for updated schedules.
Oakes Café offers the following services: dine-in, takeaway.
The most recommended dishes at Oakes Café based on customer reviews are: fruit smoothie with whip cream, blt, Lemon Blueberry muffins, manressa breakfast burritos, chicken strips.
Oakes Café is ideal for solo dining, groups, casual dining, quick bites.
Oakes Cafe is praised for its friendly staff, good music, and overall positive vibes, especially among young people embracing Latino culture. The service can be slow and the food quality inconsistent, with some finding it overpriced. The Lemon Blueberry muffins on Thursdays are a highlight.
Visit on Thursdays for the Lemon Blueberry muffins. Be aware that service can be slow, especially during peak hours.
39
Reviews

Oakes Café Santa Cruz Reviews

4.2
39
5★
56%
4★
23%
3★
8%
2★
5%
1★
8%
Reviews (40)
C
Charissa Zeigler

Most of the times I ask for cheese melted on top of my rice and most of the time that happens but one time they diced up raw yellow cheese and then diced up the chicken so it was a strange and unnerving rice bowl

C
Cole

Oakes Cafe is where dreams come true… and hopes are renewed. Oakes Cafe, where the Pure Leaf Sweet Tea flows like water and the manressa breakfast burritos grow on trees.

J
Josh Petchmak

Amazing service, polite and friendly staff. Food is of pristine high quality, warm and fresh. Comfortable seating and utilities. Eco-friendly recycling and trash seperation. Music that makes your day.

J
Jack Hanson

Best food on campus. The Lemon Blueberry muffins are exquisite on Thursdays.

C
Caesar K

Best place to eat on campus fast service free refills for fountain drinks.

N
Nick Hetter

Good vibes good music love this place. good blt.

W
Waleska Herrera

Love to see all these young people embracing Latino music and culture. Bravo!!!!

K
Keith Smith

Great place to eat lunch overlooking a nice view

K
Kenneth Galdamez

The fruit smoothie with whip cream😍😋 10/10 recommend

J
James Ross

Excellent service. Professional approach to dining and service.

Charissa Zeigler
Charissa Zeigler

Most of the times I ask for cheese melted on top of my rice and most of the time that happens but one time they diced up raw yellow cheese and then diced up the chicken so it was a strange and unnerving rice bowl

Cole
Cole

Oakes Cafe is where dreams come true… and hopes are renewed. Oakes Cafe, where the Pure Leaf Sweet Tea flows like water and the manressa breakfast burritos grow on trees.

Jack Hanson
Jack Hanson

Best food on campus. The Lemon Blueberry muffins are exquisite on Thursdays.

Nick Hetter
Nick Hetter

Good vibes good music love this place. good blt.

Kenneth Galdamez
Kenneth Galdamez

The fruit smoothie with whip cream😍😋 10/10 recommend

Josh Petchmak
Josh Petchmak

Amazing service, polite and friendly staff. Food is of pristine high quality, warm and fresh. Comfortable seating and utilities. Eco-friendly recycling and trash seperation. Music that makes your day.

Waleska Herrera
Waleska Herrera

Love to see all these young people embracing Latino music and culture. Bravo!!!!

James Ross
James Ross

Excellent service. Professional approach to dining and service.

Keith Smith
Keith Smith

Great place to eat lunch overlooking a nice view

Caesar K
Caesar K

Best place to eat on campus fast service free refills for fountain drinks.

M
Megan Marie

Open late, nice place for something hot and fried :) service slow but friendly staff. Would recommend chicken strips, fries and guac burger.

E
Emily D

Good selection of food, but a bit pricey for college cafe and slow service. Otheriwse, tasty dishes and great study and chatting spot

r
rolo francia

Great place to chill out. Wish it was cheaper tho.

Megan Marie
Megan Marie

Open late, nice place for something hot and fried :) service slow but friendly staff. Would recommend chicken strips, fries and guac burger.

rolo francia
rolo francia

Great place to chill out. Wish it was cheaper tho.

Emily D
Emily D

Good selection of food, but a bit pricey for college cafe and slow service. Otheriwse, tasty dishes and great study and chatting spot

D
Donovan Waggoner

They somehow lost my entire group's orders last time I was there. Only real benefit of this place is it's convenient and takes Slug Points

S
Sam Feng (Sam)

It's alright. Food isn't really worth the price.

Donovan Waggoner
Donovan Waggoner

They somehow lost my entire group's orders last time I was there. Only real benefit of this place is it's convenient and takes Slug Points

Sam Feng (Sam)
Sam Feng (Sam)

It's alright. Food isn't really worth the price.

C
Cap’n jazz

Its good food when its made right but unfortunately very hit or miss. They serve undercooked meat or just hilariously mess up certain dishes by not adding some ingredients.

A
Asta Baker

Food is mid, soda machine only has zero sugar and diet options???? Infantilizing, sometimes I want something with sugar thanks. My go to campus cafe because of where I work, but I wish there were more options and also that it was open on the weekends. Where are people supposed to eat on the weekends????

Cap’n jazz
Cap’n jazz

Its good food when its made right but unfortunately very hit or miss. They serve undercooked meat or just hilariously mess up certain dishes by not adding some ingredients.

Asta Baker
Asta Baker

Food is mid, soda machine only has zero sugar and diet options???? Infantilizing, sometimes I want something with sugar thanks. My go to campus cafe because of where I work, but I wish there were more options and also that it was open on the weekends. Where are people supposed to eat on the weekends????

A
Ana Melissa

The coffee is really bad. The espresso drinks always come out burnt and bitter without fail. They so badly need a new espresso machine or something. I just tried their drip coffee and even that was burnt… come on

S
Sam Hirsch

Don’t waste an hour. Lines are long, service is slow, and often the food is questionable in quality. Go to literally anywhere else for better service.

L
Logan Stratton

Took 30 minutes for 1 sandwich

Ana Melissa
Ana Melissa

The coffee is really bad. The espresso drinks always come out burnt and bitter without fail. They so badly need a new espresso machine or something. I just tried their drip coffee and even that was burnt… come on

Logan Stratton
Logan Stratton

Took 30 minutes for 1 sandwich

Sam Hirsch
Sam Hirsch

Don’t waste an hour. Lines are long, service is slow, and often the food is questionable in quality. Go to literally anywhere else for better service.

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About Oakes Café

How to get there

Oakes Cafe, Santa Cruz, CA 95064

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Highlights

Good Rating
4.2/5 stars
💰
Budget Friendly
Price level
👨‍🍳
coffee
Cuisine type

Services

🥞 Breakfast
🥐 Brunch
🍽️ Lunch
🍾 Dinner
Coffee
🍰 Desserts
🥗 Vegetarian Options
🥡 Takeout
🍴 Dine-in

Dining Options

🍽️ Dine In
🥡 Takeout

Restaurant Info

Status
Verified by owner
🕐 Hours Today
8AM-8PM
Rating
4.2/5
💬 Reviews
39
💰 Price Level
$
📞 Phone
+1 831-459-2640
🌐 Website
dining.ucsc.edu

Amenities

🌿 Outdoor Seating
Wheelchair Accessible
💳 Credit Cards
🏘️

The Neighborhood

McHenry Library

library at the University of California, Santa Cruz

A 815m
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