Jack O'Neill Restaurant & Lounge

It was a beautiful experience. We decided to break down our meal into two parts, we went for fresh oysters from Tampa bay and as usual they were served with finesse and the taste was smooth and buttery. Absolutely satisfying appetizer. Then we head over to our well within spa booking and came back for our dinner reservation. Omg the meal was beyond bliss. We ordered fresh catch of the day/week from southern California served with seasonal squash soup, which to my surprise had a quite paprika kick and the taste was marvelous. The second dish was miso cod which was mouth watering and super soft, with every bite we savored the blissful taste and ambiance of this all time favorite dining spot of our family during every trip to Santa Cruz. We wil absolutely come back and dine here again. The se

10000/10 Compliments to Chef Adam and the entire team. From the moment the fresh, warm bread hit the table, we knew we were in for something special. The charcuterie board was beautifully curated, the crab cakes were perfect (crispy, flavorful, and packed with fresh crab), and the Caesar salad was hands-down the best I’ve ever had. The entrées were outstanding. The steak was cooked flawlessly and bursting with flavor, while the miso black cod was pure perfection delicate yet rich paired with an exceptional black rice and the abalone cassoulet was impressive with a balance of flavor and comfort. Every dish felt intentional and elevated without being overdone. Knowing that everything on our table is locally sourced made our experience even better. To finish, the dessert course was creative

I think you need to come here during the day when you can see the water and the beach and boardwalk. When it's dark.. it's all about the restaurant and frankly it feels like a cafeteria.. or maybe lobby of a Hyatt place - very character less. 2 stars for nighttime atmosphere. We had the crab cakes, fish and scallops. Crab cakes were not flavorful. The fish and scallops were made well but the sides were just the wrong match and didn't work. The risotto was just mush.. the squash puree tasted like baby food. Overall, very underwhelming for the price. The desserts tasted like they were premade/boxed dessert from frozen section of local Safeway. Not $12+ worth. If you come when you're distracted by the views, the whole thing may feel different.

This place incorporates some of the history of Jack O’Neill the surf pioneer and creator of the O’Neill surf brand; it serves various fish based dishes in a family friendly restaurant. The staff is super nice, polite and helpful. The fish dishes share an interesting trait: fish is very fresh and cooked to perfection, however little attention seems to be paid to the rest, leaving you with a great piece of fish floating in an insipid bouillon and undercooked beans. The place itself is an older vibe hotel. The restaurant has put effort in decoration but it still feels a bit old, they could make good progress by changing to couches. At the end of the day, you get a decent but overpriced meal in an OK location.

Chef Adam David prepared a delicious dinner that included clam chowder with bacon, a small charcuterie appetizer, focaccia bread, seasoned with rosemary and herbs, served with a truffle butter, and for dinner, stuffed ravioli with local garden vegetables, including porcini, zucchini, in a fresh cream thyme sauce and topped with grilled tender scallops and the other dinner was a short rib perfectly juicy and tender that easily fell apart with your fork. The cheesecake was also delicious and a special shout out to those yummy candied pecans. Service was wonderful and the views were amazing.