Cafe Bittersweet

Tiffany Flores

Incredible service!! The team at Bittersweet Bistro might be the best team in Northern California. Everyone is friendly, professional, & paid attention to every detail. They really made our experience perfect!!! The food. WOW!! Our party ordered fillet, chicken Parmesan, halibut, raviolis, short ribs, scallops, and every single dish was delicious!! The dessert . Next level. The dessert platter is one of the best dessert platters ever served. They make everything in house the lemon number amazing. All of the sorbet flavorful and delicious . The strawberry sorbet was my favorite. The brownie so good. Bottom line you will not be disappointed with any dessert you order. Now the dessert martinis. Absolutely delicious. Strawberry rhubarb a table favorite. My photos really do this place no justice bottom line, you’re gonna love it!!

Anil Turkkan

We tried mostly the chef's recommendations and they were all super tasty.

Karl

What can I say but "Wow", this place is really great. It is one of my favorite places to eat for multiple reasons - I would come much more often in fact, if I lived closer than San Jose. I usually stop here after a relaxing day at Rio Del Mar State Beach nearby since it is just around the corner. But it is close to many places south of Santa Cruz, so I highly recommend trying it out when you are in the area. The place is gorgeous, both outside in the patio area, beautiful layout and beautiful decoration makes for a very relaxing place to hang out with friends and enjoy great food. The koi pool in the corner is very pretty as well as watching the fish swim. Outside is well lighted from the sun and surroundings, however there is enough cover to keep you in the shade during the summer and there are heaters to keep you warm during the winter. The inside is also very spacious with separate different areas with lots of room between tables so that you can have a nice dining experience with plenty of company and yet feeling in your own space. The bar is also very nice with vaulted ceilings and a beautiful bar. The food, drinks and dessert are all really excellent. There is an enormous selection of different foods of all types, pastas, appetizers, meats and fish as well as various seafood too. There's a huge cocktail menu including CBD options both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The mocktails are well thought out and appetizing for those who don't want alcohol. There are many things I would recommend, but I really recommend the beat salad or the roasted brussel sprouts, the French onion soup, and the sesame crusted ahi tuna - You can't go wrong with any of these. But there are so many options that if you are in a good group of people, you can share and really enjoy a wonderful selection. The staff is always perfectly friendly and willing to meet your every challenge 🙂. Once again, one of my most recommended restaurants especially down in the Santa Cruz area.

Chris Ulicki

Amazing experience. Found this little gem on a google search. The food was amazing and loved the indoor decor. The drinks were creative and it was affordable for the quality. We had a great anniversary dinner. We will be repeat customers for sure.

Garnet Shepherd

Delicious dessert spot! We'll have to come back to try more of them.

Evan Johnson

Best food and very cool koi pond. Highly recommend truffle pasta and banana bread pudding. Highly recommended if in the Aptos area. Locals recommend it as well.

Ross N

Attended a big party dinner at this spot. The food was all good. Nice spot. The dessert was amazing, Crème Brûlée was sooo good.

Json “J-Gante” Salas

Romantic spot for the couple, a great hangout for the locals and super pet friendly for the animal lovers. Great atmosphere and ambiance.

Rafael Morataya

I never had a Calamari salad and was delicious, the Hawaiian & the Italian pizzas was yummy as well; plus they allow dogs on the patio and offer menu for them, my dog ate all.

Pam Salsgiver

Above excellent food and presentation! They offer small plates on many entrees. Beautiful patio with cozy heaters and lighting. Staff is personable and very accommodating! Do not leave without sharing a dessert! One of the best in Santa Cruz County by far.

Alyssa Humphrey

Bittersweet is one of my favorite restaurants in the area! Definitely a little pricey but worth it for a fancy feel dinner or morning Bloody Mary.

They went above and beyond to help me out with my private business event. The room setup was perfect, a spacious room with nice tables. They offered my guests free bites to start the night (dynamite shrimp was exceptional) which was followed by delicious salad, main course, and deconstructed cheese cake for dessert. All in all an amazing experience! I will definitely go back for my future events.

Ultimately enjoyed the experience. Went here for my fiance's birthday. Had a reservation, got seated a few minutes early, all good. Our server seemed a bit overwhelmed despite there not being too many folks seated. Not an issue. We were patient. Another server asked if we had been helped, we said no but one said he'd be with us shortly. (Our mistake there) He eventually returned and asked what we wanted to drink. The first drink we asked for from the menu and he wasn't sure what we were talking about. Had to point it out. Still not a big deal. He asked what we wanted to eat. We ordered one each of two different apps and waited to pick an entree. He left, came back out, and delivered a drink to a nearby couple. My fiance noted that there was a lot of spillage on his tray. He then came out with our drinks, one of which was half spilled on the tray. I stared, somewhat in disbelief, at the tray, at him, at the drink, and back at the tray. When I looked back up at him, he nervously and slowly dumped the tray out on the ground and walked away. Nothing to say of the spilled drink. He later came back with two of the same app, which we pointed out was incorrect. He apologized and took one away. It was at this point I was done with the shenanigans and went to request a different server. Luckily, the rest of the staff were great and accommodating. We ended up being seated in a new location and served by Summer. She was able to turn the experience around and took great care of us. The correct food & drink came out in a timely and unspilled manner. No further issues at that point. Thank you to the the staff who handled the situation swiftly and without incident.

Thomas is a master of desert. No better restaurant in the county for desert and the best of "farm to fork". Doggie friendly too. Friendly dining at the bar if you are solo.

John Tuttle

Thomas is a master of desert. No better restaurant in the county for desert and the best of "farm to fork". Doggie friendly too. Friendly dining at the bar if you are solo.

x420NinjaBearx

Ultimately enjoyed the experience. Went here for my fiance's birthday. Had a reservation, got seated a few minutes early, all good. Our server seemed a bit overwhelmed despite there not being too many folks seated. Not an issue. We were patient. Another server asked if we had been helped, we said no but one said he'd be with us shortly. (Our mistake there) He eventually returned and asked what we wanted to drink. The first drink we asked for from the menu and he wasn't sure what we were talking about. Had to point it out. Still not a big deal. He asked what we wanted to eat. We ordered one each of two different apps and waited to pick an entree. He left, came back out, and delivered a drink to a nearby couple. My fiance noted that there was a lot of spillage on his tray. He then came out with our drinks, one of which was half spilled on the tray. I stared, somewhat in disbelief, at the tray, at him, at the drink, and back at the tray. When I looked back up at him, he nervously and slowly dumped the tray out on the ground and walked away. Nothing to say of the spilled drink. He later came back with two of the same app, which we pointed out was incorrect. He apologized and took one away. It was at this point I was done with the shenanigans and went to request a different server. Luckily, the rest of the staff were great and accommodating. We ended up being seated in a new location and served by Summer. She was able to turn the experience around and took great care of us. The correct food & drink came out in a timely and unspilled manner. No further issues at that point. Thank you to the the staff who handled the situation swiftly and without incident.

Arvand Asghari

They went above and beyond to help me out with my private business event. The room setup was perfect, a spacious room with nice tables. They offered my guests free bites to start the night (dynamite shrimp was exceptional) which was followed by delicious salad, main course, and deconstructed cheese cake for dessert. All in all an amazing experience! I will definitely go back for my future events.

We went to Bittersweet Bistro for my wife’s Birthday There were four of us. We have been looking forward to going there (down the street from our house). We did make a reservation over the phone, but they could not find it. The hostess found us a table and seated us. She was apologetic about not finding the reservation and was very helpful in making food recommendations when my wife asked her. We ordered some drinks from the bar. My drink was just ok. We ordered some starters. We ordered Arancini (excellent) and Burrata & Focaccia (looked good, but just OK). Two of us ordered the French Onion Soup and that was good. For dinner, two people ordered Chicken Parmesan and it was tasty and the chicken was moist. One person ordered the Short Ribs, and they were OK, and one ordered the Paella. The Paella was loaded with seafood, but if you are looking for a hearty paella with the right spices, don’t order here. And then we ordered the desserts; Lemon Tiramisu (special tonight), Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse, Classic Crème Brulee, and Warm Banana Bread Pudding. The desserts were out of this world. I think next time we will just come for those desserts. We all enjoyed them, and it was a great close to the evening.

The patio dining was beautiful. The service was very friendly. The food was very nicely presented. With the exception of the crusted Brie, everything was delicious. This restaurant was a nice treat after staying indoors due to the California fires and smoke.

Came on a Thursday evening and was seated right away. We chose to sit in the bar area so we could watch a game on the TVs. Had a few cocktails that were very good. I really enjoyed the chicken piccata. A little pricey, but it was a very lovely meal.

John Mukhar

We went to Bittersweet Bistro for my wife’s Birthday There were four of us. We have been looking forward to going there (down the street from our house). We did make a reservation over the phone, but they could not find it. The hostess found us a table and seated us. She was apologetic about not finding the reservation and was very helpful in making food recommendations when my wife asked her. We ordered some drinks from the bar. My drink was just ok. We ordered some starters. We ordered Arancini (excellent) and Burrata & Focaccia (looked good, but just OK). Two of us ordered the French Onion Soup and that was good. For dinner, two people ordered Chicken Parmesan and it was tasty and the chicken was moist. One person ordered the Short Ribs, and they were OK, and one ordered the Paella. The Paella was loaded with seafood, but if you are looking for a hearty paella with the right spices, don’t order here. And then we ordered the desserts; Lemon Tiramisu (special tonight), Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse, Classic Crème Brulee, and Warm Banana Bread Pudding. The desserts were out of this world. I think next time we will just come for those desserts. We all enjoyed them, and it was a great close to the evening.

Nina V

The patio dining was beautiful. The service was very friendly. The food was very nicely presented. With the exception of the crusted Brie, everything was delicious. This restaurant was a nice treat after staying indoors due to the California fires and smoke.

Amy Dahlberg

Came on a Thursday evening and was seated right away. We chose to sit in the bar area so we could watch a game on the TVs. Had a few cocktails that were very good. I really enjoyed the chicken piccata. A little pricey, but it was a very lovely meal.

Their service is slowly going downhill ruining the experience for a higher end restaurant. This use to be the place that we went to, but one of the staff members is very slow at the bar (I leave if he is working). We went to try it again as friends invited us for lunch at the cafe. We had a few problems again. The two coffees we ordered were served in dirty cups. The black napkins were not only filled with white lint, but we're dirty as well. Last the service was very slow - the waitress had about 30 people to attend to. The food quality is very delicious and I have no complaints on that end. I don't think I will return as I don't see the value of spending top dollar for not so great service. Update 3.17.2019: My wife really wanted to give this place another try so went went on a Sunday morning. We had bad service again, but the food was delicious. Our waitress NEVER came to wait on us. The waitress nearby was the one that consistently kind of helped us. This is the first time I've ever been to a restaurant and not know who my waitress is.

Micah Arnold

Their service is slowly going downhill ruining the experience for a higher end restaurant. This use to be the place that we went to, but one of the staff members is very slow at the bar (I leave if he is working). We went to try it again as friends invited us for lunch at the cafe. We had a few problems again. The two coffees we ordered were served in dirty cups. The black napkins were not only filled with white lint, but we're dirty as well. Last the service was very slow - the waitress had about 30 people to attend to. The food quality is very delicious and I have no complaints on that end. I don't think I will return as I don't see the value of spending top dollar for not so great service. Update 3.17.2019: My wife really wanted to give this place another try so went went on a Sunday morning. We had bad service again, but the food was delicious. Our waitress NEVER came to wait on us. The waitress nearby was the one that consistently kind of helped us. This is the first time I've ever been to a restaurant and not know who my waitress is.

I was very disappointed with my experience at Bittersweet. I took two friends out for a special celebration, thinking it would truly be special. Unfortunately, it was not. When I got to the outdoor patio , waiter told me to go inside and ask the hostess where I should be seated. When I went inside, there was no one in sight. I then just picked a table to sit at. When I asked the waitress what the happy hour pastas were, she didn’t know saying she had just gotten there. I believe she should have known before she got out onto the floor what her specials were for the night. She took our orders and very soon after delivered our salad. There was no silverware on the table! and I had to go inside and literally find someone to get silverware. We waited at least 15 to 20 minutes(too long) after we had finished our salad for the main course. Tasty yes but so over priced as are their drinks which were not strong at all. Two of us were having pasta, and I felt like we should have some bread. The waitress recommended the focaccia. I know what focaccia is as I make it at home and this was anything but focaccia. It was crunchy, dried out bread. We all agreed after one bite it was not worth eating. Not going back

[Pictures of Filet Mignon $70, Steak and frites $30] Price to portion was insane, food quality was mediocre at best. Vegetables were simply warm, not cooked. Potatoes tasted/had the texture of $2 boxed au gratin... cups used had to be sent back due to old food being stuck to the glass... waiters were curt and seemed annoyed.

Howl Pendragon

[Pictures of Filet Mignon $70, Steak and frites $30] Price to portion was insane, food quality was mediocre at best. Vegetables were simply warm, not cooked. Potatoes tasted/had the texture of $2 boxed au gratin... cups used had to be sent back due to old food being stuck to the glass... waitters were curt and seemed annoyed.

The ownership is the problem. The staff is great the chef is good. But you can only be so good with cheep ingredients: The prices are CRAZY! I’ve been going here for 20 years and with sorrow I will never go back. The owner has shackled her staff with her greed and ego. Cheapest product sold at the highest price. No wonder the place was empty. I hope the owner can see the light and bring what was once great back to life. If she can put her ego aside and see that she is the problem then maybe, hopefully,, this can once again be a great asset to the community. I am truly rooting for her because I miss what Bittersweet once was.

Chris Harris

The ownership is the problem. The staff is great the chef is good. But you can only be so good with cheep ingredients: The prices are CRAZY! I’ve been going here for 20 years and with sorrow I will never go back. The owner has shackled her staff with her greed and ego. Cheapest product sold at the highest price. No wonder the place was empty. I hope the owner can see the light and bring what was once great back to life. If she can put her ego aside and see that she is the problem then maybe, hopefully,, this can once again be a great asset to the community. I am truly rooting for her because I miss what Bittersweet once was.