Last minute Valentine’s lunch

We go every year for Thanksgiving so was happy they had covered outdoor dining with lots of warming lamps that was all wonderful! but we had reservations 6:15pm- sat down right away. We could tell the wait staff was understaffed- this is a pandemic- totally understand that. BUT by 6:15pm they were out of their Thanksgiving Turkey dinner. The main reason we came. Very poor planning!!!! I also love their Prime Rib dinner and that was excellent too- but I have to say that 2 of the 4 of us in our party that wanted Turkey we're dissappointed.

Good service, good good, great view. Nice place to watch the ocean. My sever was terrific.

Overall, everything was great. Food was yummy and our server was extremely friendly. There were just a few little service details that slipped through the cracks - dropping appetizer without share plates; including only one set of chopsticks with appetizer, even though there were two of us; not bussing or cleaning table before bringing the dessert (knives from entrees, used salt and pepper packets, empty glass from a cocktail, and half a carrot were all left on the table). These are little details that make a big difference.

The outdoor seating is great and the service was AMAZING!

It was ok at best. Bonus points for outside seating near the water. Food was bland and under seasoned. Clam chowder was a hit with my husband. Price point did not reflect in the quality of the food.

The calamari was delicious. Seabass was tasty but they ran out of spinach! Our waitress Shelby was a cheerful and organized
Server. We enjoyed our evening.

Great view, close to boardwalk. Nice place to grab a snack & relax.

Over priced, expensive food that tasted as though it was microwaved. Garlic bread was chewy and stale. The chicken was gristly with cartilage, and the ribs were lacking any flavor. Almost $80 for chili’s / Applebee’s standard food. Lovely location and atmosphere, however the food was very disappointing.

Wonderful, helpful waitress for our Wednesday Maine Lobster birthday dinner. Very fun experience.

Stuffed salmon was delicious and service was good, definitely will return for more stuffed salmon, the whole meal was delicious!

First off : Ideal Fish (as Iv'e always known them) is a landmark location in Santa Cruz with a stellar reputation for good food. So after many years since the last visit, we made the long dangerous journey from Soquel and went for a birthday meal. Tonight they definitely lived up to their reputation.
Having said that; the bar was empty but I had to walk over to the bartender to get service after a few-too-many minutes without even an acknowledgement. Then,when while waiting at the reception area, a waiter acknowledged us and said she would tell the receptionist we were there waiting. The receptionist came, but we were waiting a bit longer so, upon me saying something she said, "oh, I thought you were just waiting for the bathroom", (what the?).
Okay, now were seated at a nice table with a killer evening view of the ocean and pier. The waiter came (super nice), food ordered, drinks on the way. Cool!
The food was fantastic. The highlight of the meal was the app, Roasted Garlic & Brie. When it was time to go, or at least time for the waiter to come back, she was, um, busy. She was seen hurriedly walking all over the dining room but even arm-waves and a loud "miss" didn't get her attention. A bus-boy saw we were trying to signal so he stopped, then brought us a to-go container. After a while with our napkin in our plates and the to-go package all set, there we waited, and waited, and... well you know.
After a bit, we went to the register area and found a MGR. She was predictably apologetic and turned-on the charm with experienced enthusiasm. The waiter showed up pretty quick now, with the bill and having comped the app for "our trouble". This was their Birthday Bash night (free preset dinner entree if it's your birthday month) so the customers were likely all locals, like us. I have to assume that a promotional gig like this is to bring locals in, and to get them to want to come back. We'll definitely be back; but maybe just to pick up our To-Go order.

The restaurant was completely empty when I got there. Staff was friendly. Had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and it was the most bland food I have ever had. The chicken was inedible and the pasta was fine because it just tasted like nothing. I never thought I would have to put salt on Alfredo but I did that night.

essen geschmacklos
ohne jegliche liebe zum detail
(keine tischdecke zum silvestermenu?)
schnelle abfertigung, rechnung kam
dann ohne aufforderung

preis/leistung geht gar nicht
200 usd für 3 hauptspeisen , 3 tassen suppe
und ein kinderteller??!

es sollte unser silvesterabend highlight werden

nie wieder !

We were just starting to wonder where our food was when our waiter came over to tell us he forgot to put our order in. Any points for honesty that we awarded him at that juncture disappeared later; when he brought out our food, he brought out crab-stuffed salmon instead of horseradish salmon, and he questioned whether my wife had put the order in correctly. She had, in fact, put the order in correctly TWICE. At that point we just said forget it and left without eating dinner.

We usually have Thanksgiving or Xmas dinner at the Ideal.
This year it was Xmas. The choices were very good. Lobster and prime rib and more.
We had a reservation for the first time and were seated by the window.
Dinner and drinks excellent
We will be back for sure

Made a last minute Christmas dinner reservation, but had never dined here before. We were pleasantly surprised. Our server Kyle was outstanding and the food was better than we expected. The venue is definitely beach casual and some of the menu items may be a bit more challenging than the kitchen can handle, but nothing was awful and most items were darn good. I personally hate a salad served un-tossed with a portion of salad dressing on the side, so that was my first negative food experience. There were 3 of us dining. I had the cioppino, my spouse the pot roast and our guest the Jerusalem chicken, each served specially for Christmas. Each was good enough to satisfy, but none was good enough to rave about. We will likely return in the summer to dine amidst the beach goers.

It’s always great being at Ideal. It was a busy night and I thought the prime rib was over cooked.

Love the lobster special on Wednesdays - the best!

Amazing. Had a very pleasant experience.

Service was excellent, but food was so-so. Lots of folks, so pretty noisy, too.

We've gone for the last 4 Thanksgivings. Their Prime Rib is delicious and good value. Nice window seat and attentive service.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for some time. I was glad I did. The food was very good. Our waitress was very attentive. The atmosphere was very cool.

The Wednesday night lobster special is excellent! Waitstaff is really good. A fun place to go!

I booked dinner to celebrate my sister’s birthday. For starters, we had oysters which were fresh and sweet. The clam chowder was thick and tasty but not enough clams in it. My sister had the NY steak. She ordered medium rare but it came out medium. It needed steal sauce as it lacked flavor. I had the stuffed salmon with island rice. The stuffing was supposed to be a mixture of crab and shrimp. It was mostly starch which I did not eat. The rice was cooked with coconut milk and shredded coconut which tasted sweet and did not go well with the salmon.

The restaurant is located at the Santa Cruz Wharf area with a great view of the sea. However, what I paid for the food was not worth it. Overpriced.

Convenient to boardwalk and wharf. Indoor & outdoor seating with nice view. If your party is larger than 4 then you cannot sit by window. Apparently they can’t push 2 tables together. The larger parties are put to the back of restaurant which has a huge draft with the door to outside being constantly opened with servers going in and out. Overall it’s. Ice they take reservations and nice location on beach. As for the food and atmosphere just ok

Portion sizes were generous. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. The menu had a wide variety. People of all ages are welcome here.

Good food, good service. A little pricey. Calamari is great.

Noisy place with average food.

Very friendly staff. Oysters were great, a bit small but very delicious. Great atmosphere. Comfortable with my family and parking was easy at Cowell's beach surf shop.

Great service. Wonderful night for sitting outside.

It was nice

Food was delicious as always. Wait staff was fun and helpful. A busy summer night so waiters were spread thin but our party was understanding and enjoyed the evening very much.

The service is super slow, but I want to like the restaurant

We thoroughly enjoyed a recent dinner there. Food was well prepared and fresh, service was very good, and outdoor seating was comfortable. The restaurant fronts right on the beach providing great views of the ocean and the wharf. Prices were reasonable, especially given the quality of the food. We look forward to returning next time we are in Santa Cruz.

Bad service, barely edible food & overall would not visit again here voluntarily :(

This restaurant is right on the boardwalk. It definitely has the beachy vibe due to there being sand on the ground and the smell of the ocean in the air. The food is amazing and has great flavors. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely recommend reserving a table in advanced due to the wait time can be up to 30-45 without a reservation.

In Santa Cruz for the weekend for Wharf to Wharf race. The restaurant was very busy but our waitress was amazing! We were a 6 person party and she never missed a beat. Food was consistently good for everyone. The ice cream at the end was a huge hit. They had a flavor called 10/20 that was to die for. Overall a really nice experience. Would eat here again!

The service was great, cheerful, responsive, and attentive. It was very busy, and I felt the service was adaquate to the ratio of people frequenting. Overall, a great place, great atmosphere, and the Prime Rib was excellent!

Service was excellent. Location is excellent. Value excellent. Only bad thing....and it is major....food was not at proper temperature. Lobster served to us was room temp. We thought it was supposed to be hotter but we were tired and hungry so we didn’t send it back. About halfway through our meal the lady next to us got hers and as she tore it in half there was noticeable steam. My husband and I both had digestive problems early the next morning .