Cafe Mare

Anonymous Nov 3, 2017 at 4:04AM

Food is great. Service is slow.

Anonymous Oct 13, 2017 at 11:23AM

So first out, this place is an Italian restaurant. A little bit American but basically Italian. Criticizing it for being what it says on the label is a bit, well, whatever.

I had to insist a little bit to actually get it served in the Italian way with a primo and a secondo but they quickly got the message and were flexible.

The primo was spaghetti mistomare, a variant on spaghetti alle vongole. It was divine. This is a really hard dish to make and to keep warm with just the right amount of moisture and they pulled it off to a tee. Perfectly seasoned.

The bread was amazingly good. I never had better.

Secondo was orata scapece, a creative preparation of filleted red snapper with mint and thinly sliced zucchini. This was also very good although arguably the fish was slightly overcooked. But I am a perfectionist. What was not good were the accompanying caramelized Brussels sprouts, which were a bit burned and probably not the greatest idea to begin with: spinach or similar, or fennel would have worked better.

I took two local wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay. They were both amazing. The Chardonnay was, though, served at the same temperature as the Sauvignon Blanc whereas it would have been better a little less chilled. I warmed it up with my hands and confirmed this.

The service was a little too hectic, especially for dinner; could have been a bit more relaxed. But everything came that needed to come so fine.

The price was reasonable given the quality. Cheap it of course isn't.

In short, some amazing moments and in all certainly over 4.5, so rounded up to a 5. If there hadn't been the problem with the sprouts it would have been eligible for a Michelin star honestly (which I believe only takes into account the food and not the service but I might be wrong).

Anonymous Aug 1, 2017 at 10:07AM

We just had a plate of bruschetta and cocktails. The bruschetta was medium, as were the cocktails. Beautiful building. I would return to try a real meal here, but not with great expectations.

Anonymous Jun 30, 2017 at 12:49PM

The food was okay, but the drinks, atmosphere, and SERVICE was awesome. Daniel was phenomenal to me (on my early birthday) and my entire party.

Anonymous Jun 15, 2017 at 5:46AM

Place is kind of dated, food was ok, server was very nice. Maybe more traditional people would like it here but this place is certainly not my cup of tea.

Anonymous Jun 13, 2017 at 3:41AM

The food is excellent. The restaurant is a bit fancy, which is good or bad depending on what you are looking for. Me and my wife have been there three or four times, every time we ordered something we haven't tried there before and every time the food tasted really good.

Anonymous May 19, 2017 at 6:44PM

Be prepared to dish out your money and appetite. Waiters are from Italy, so they know their stuff! Great service experience, delicious food, and amazing desserts, especially the tiramisu. Housemade bread is hard to chew on and the butter comes in packets, which detracted from the quality a bit. Otherwise, great experience and would recommend for a romantic date night.

Anonymous Dec 28, 2016 at 2:52AM

I love this place!! Best restaurant in Santa Cruz. (This place even rivals Shadowbrook.) The staff is very knowledgeable with the entire menu, Keith (the head bartender) is an amazing mixologist, and I have never been disappointed in coming here. I have tried everything on their regular menu, and everything is made fresh from scratch, cooked perfectly, seasoned beautifully, and served swiftly.

Anonymous Dec 11, 2016 at 2:13PM

I went here with the Mrs. for her birthday for dinner on a Saturday night. The whole staff was very friendly. Daniel was my exceptional waiter who took care of my table and others with first class quality. The food, wine, and service were top quality. The venue was kid friendly. I highly recommend for a number of occasions.

Anonymous Sep 25, 2016 at 3:05AM

Really great food, enthusiastic friendly service. Wonderful experience. No crowd at lunch Saturday. Do it.

Anonymous Jul 7, 2016 at 10:56PM

Fantastic Italian restaurant! Incredibly friendly wait staff, absolutely wonderful food, and comfortable decor. This is another of my must eat here restaurants when I am in Santa Cruz.