Red Restaurant & Bar - Santa Cruz, California

Pedro Díaz

Muy rica comida y abierta la cocina hasta tarde! Parece lugar para jóvenes pero igual estuvo bien, español e inglés

Jose Diaz

Opens at 5pm. The best kind of place to sit and relax and have a cocktail with a friend. Has a great red gothic feel to the place without being over the top. The drinks have a nice range from simple and traditional to "oh, that sounds different, I want that". They also have a food menu which tasty. The raven burger was suprisingly light. Big enough for a single serve but we shared it with the truffle-rosemary fries. Drinks pictured: L- Midnight Rose. R- Open Casket.

DOWNSIDE... Needs repairs, the bathroom needs a heavy* remodel and the carpets needs extra heavy cleaning.

Eddie Santos

This review is for the upstairs bar, not the restaurant nor the downstairs Red Room. I've only eaten at the restaurant once or twice and don't have too many memories, and the downstairs warrants its own review.

I've gone to the Red many, many times over the years, and you can get basically anything you seek there. In terms of drinks, they have a nice selection of draft and bottle beers. They have an extensive selection of liquor whether you're looking for a classy glass of whisky or you're just looking for cheaper mixed drinks. On the topic of mixed drinks, they have a decent menu of cocktails, and I've always found the bartenders to be fairly knowledgeable of the classics.

On the topic of ambiance, it all starts with Red, which stimulates different emotions in different people. For some people, it sets a more amorous tone, and for others, a more aggressive feeling for which if you stay long enough during the night, you're bound to see a confrontation or two. Earlier in the evening, you're likely to run in to groups of friends getting together for happy hour and light appetizers, and stay late and you'll get a mix of local surfer bros and UCSC students, both undergrads and graduate students.

lindsey Ruzicka

This is the best hole in the wall find ever! The food is amazing, their specialty drinks are the perfect hint of flavors. Our waitress was amazing, very observant and kind.

Jack Kim

This place was a pleasant surprise. Comfy clinches, fire place, good selection, and the music was at a good level where you can hold conversations. Something about the red lights makes you feel fancy

Betty Haller

Sticky dive bar, but the food and vibe was perfect. We got tacos and brussel sprouts with balsamic glaze and everything was delicious and really nicely plated. We were able to sit by the fireplace on a couch, which was cozy & romantic- especially after dark when the red lights came on. The music was all perfect throwbacks and really made it fun. We had such a great time here and would absolutely go back.

Brian DiGiorgio Zanger

This place is unique, but that doesn't necessarily mean good. It has lots of sitting areas with various antique style couches and tables that are well suited for groups of 4 to 8, but these are usually not super comfortable or well laid out. The building is historic and aesthetically nice, but there are holes in many windows and it gets very cold on winter nights. The drink selection is good, but the food selection is not and is overpriced for what it is. They definitely go all in on the "red" theme, but this means it's often difficult to see anything in the dim light. The service is always very good and their bar trivia is also good

Bacon Linden

I went here last year for restaurant week and was very pleasantly surprised. I have been back a few times in the last year and I have enjoyed it just as much each time I return.

The last time here my wife and I had the macaroni and cheese as well as sharing a burger. While the burger was good, we wish we had just ordered nothing but the mac and cheese. It was so good, we ignored everything else to enjoy the rich creamy noodles and cheese. The best part of this dish and a tip if you order it, is to be sure to add on the Bacon. Now that is my name and so I am pre-disposed to love it, but no kidding this made the dish twice as good as it already was....

The ambience in this place is fantastic too. Unique place with couches and lounging areas that are so comfortable, but also more formal dining room with regular tables and chairs. I especially like that the chairs around the dining tables are plushly padded and comfortable. They also do great decorations around holidays. Halloween decorations when we were there recently were awesome, but also they get into the Christmas spirit equally well.

I highly recommend this place as a friendly, classy bar/restaurant for anything from drinks and a appetizer to a formal dinner.