Barceloneta

Name: Barceloneta
Address: 1541 Ste B. Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, United States, 95060-3948
Telephone: (831) 900-5222
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.8

4.8

106 Reviews

$31 to $50

Tapas / Small Plates

Top Tags:

Barceloneta in Downtown Santa Cruz features expertly made paellas, tapas, cocktails, sangria and churros. We pride ourselves on working with local farmers and sourcing specialty foods directly from Spain. Most popular dishes include seafood paella, patatas bravas, jamon croquetas, ibiza hippie salad and harissa ribs. Locals know we have the best vegan and vegetarian options. We are known for freshly juiced cocktails, sangria pitchers, an extensive list of Spanish wines, sherries, vermouths and gins. Diners love our cheery, bright space, open kitchen and bustling bar scene.
Owners Brett and Elan Emerson are husband and wife team who previously owned Contigo, San Francisco. They are known for hospitality, authentic service and delicious, memorable dishes.
*Winner Best New Restaurant, Best Small Plates, Best Tapas Bar, Best Spanish Restaurant North America*
Chef Brett Emerson has been featured in Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetite, Time Out, Financial Times, Via, Plate Magazine and more.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 24, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 27 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Cuisines
Tapas / Small Plates, Spanish, Farm-to-table
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(831) 900-5222
Website
http://eatbarceloneta.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Private party facilities
We host private events for 35 - 95 guests. Our favorite events involve passes tapas, custom cocktails, enormous paellas and platters of chocolate and churros. We work with your budget and offer support every step of the way to make your special events memorable.

Location
1541 Ste B. Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3948
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Cross street
We are on Pacific Avenue at Plaza Lane, directly across from Verve Coffee.
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 106 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.6Service
4.5Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Francisco Bay Area
Tapas / Small Plates
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Overall
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Food
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Service
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Best Value
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Good for business meals
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Kid-friendly
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Innovative
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Good for groups
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Healthy
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Great for fine wines
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Good for special occasions
Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
Most Booked

106 Reviews

BO
BrookeO
San Francisco
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined today
overall4food5service4ambience4
Fabulous food, drink, crowd. Really busy and vibrant.
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EJ
EricJ
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Sooooo delicious and friendly! The owners are sweet, the food is amazing.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
We celebrated our anniversary here and after not being here for a long time. It’s was delicious!
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C
Cynthia
Los Angeles
14 reviews
vip
5.0
14 reviews
Dined on September 16, 2023
overall5food4service5ambience5
Santa Cruz needed this fun, delicious place. The atmosphere is fun and lively but not overwhelming. The design of the interior is wonderful--customers can see the fascinating drinks being made at the bar and the kitchen as well, which is wide open, sparkling clean, and brimming with interesting dishes.
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L
Laurie
Los Angeles
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on September 2, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Lovely welcoming staff. Beautiful sparkling clean interior that made us feel we were indeed in Barcelona. The food was delicious. Special shout out to the ribs that were among the best we have ever had, and we have eaten a lot of ribs! Also the most delicious basque cheesecake for dessert. We can’t wait to go back and try the paella! Thank you for a wonderful evening.
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CC
CandiceC
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 26, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Lovely ambience; nice presentation; friendly staff and overall will be back.
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KM
KMacleod
New York Area
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Love this place, delicious food attention to detail and they had an off menu kids plate for our 7 year old. Our new favorite spot in Santa Cruz.
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J
Jules
San Francisco
9 reviews
vip
4.0
9 reviews
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall4food5service3ambience4
Outstanding small plates and delicious cocktails. Shout out in particular to the roasted carrots and Ibiza hippie salad, though everything was delicious. Only giving a four because the service was lackluster particularly given the price level. We had two or three plates arrive before the first round of drinks, which we saw sitting on the counter for quite awhile before anyone bothered to bring them to us. And one of our party ordered a glass of wine that arrived only after a reminder, and after we were done eating. I recommend working on service (and the dessert menu).
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JY
JustinY
Exclusive
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 16, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience5
My girlfriend came here for our 2 year anniversary, our 2nd time coming here and it did not disappoint on both occasions. Highly recommend!
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NL
NoraL
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 10, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Love this place! I’ve been here many times, and this was a fantastic meal with some lovely friends.
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MM
MMichele
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 4, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
We had a great dining experience at Barceloneta. Our server was very pleasant and helpful. My husband and I started by sharing patatas bravas which I always love. I had a vegan bowl with garbanzo beans, a tasty broth, cooked spinach, pine nuts, and currants, served with toast. It was wonderful. The currants real set off the other flavors. My husband had the slow roasted pork ribs with harissa spices. He thought they were great. We ordered wine by the glass and were very happy with our choices, a Tempranillo for me, and an Albariño, followed by Tempranillo for my husband. Everything was delicious.
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GD
GracieD
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great dining experience for my family! I highly recommend this restaurant.
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H
Haineko
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on July 30, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Little on the loud side, but that's probably down to it being very busy and having hard ceilings. Still was able to have normal conversation and the food, as always, was stellar. Extremely highly recommended.
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GK
GigiK
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great strawberry sangria and tapas. Loved it all, and wished we had room for dessert.
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DL
DonL
Hawaii
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 9, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Good food, Reasonable cost and very fast food-to-table
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AB
AudeB
Central Coast
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 7, 2023
overall4food5service4ambience3
Food quality improved signicantly 😊. On another note : The level of noise is quite disturbing
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j
jchat333
Orange County
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on July 2, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
So good! Small plates and good cocktails!
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F
Foodlover
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on June 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We LOVE Barceloneta! Great food, excellent service and fun atmosphere!
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RE
RalphE
San Francisco
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on June 16, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Food and service were excellent. We've tried almost everything on the menu and haven't been disappointed. For these old ears the noise level was higher than I prefer but we were able to converse. A very enjoyable experience all in all.
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VV
VeganV
New Orleans
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on June 11, 2023
overall2food3service2ambience3
While the food is tasty for American palettes, it lacks some authenticity for those who have been to Spain. The portions are ridiculously small in ratio to the prices. $8 for 2 2.5 inch long croquettes???? Over the top overpricing. 4 of us spent $200 and left hungry and only had 1 drink. My husband only had about 8 lil'potato triangles and 3 croquettes with a handful of olives. Never again. They raised prices and americanized menu too much.
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HE
HEIDI
San Francisco
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on June 10, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
The best Kale Salad I have ever had!!! The waitress helped us with our selections, and she was right on the money! My husband is a very picky eater, and not adventurous when it comes to foods that have different spices and flavors. He LOVED this restaurant. Everyone friendly, food excite, ambiance great. I highly recommend dinning early, 5-5:30pm. We will definitely return.
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MB
MBrody
San Francisco
31 reviews
vip
5.0
31 reviews
Dined on June 4, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
My wife and I loved this restaurant! We went there for dinner. We thought the atmosphere was very nice. We also thought the food was exceptional. We started with Jamón croquetas. Two come with an order and they are small, however they pack a huge flavor punch. I cut mine into four bites and savored each and every one. Next we had and shared the Spring Chop Salad. There was plenty enough for two. It too was excellent. So many different flavor profiles. For our main dishes we had the fried chicken and the carrots +cumin yogurt. My wife thought it was one of the best fried chicken she ever had. I thought it was fabulous. The thigh meat is cut up into chunks. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside with lots of flavor and a delicious dipping sauce. The Carrots were an excellent accompaniment. In fact, not only did I dip my chicken into the provided dipping sauce I also dredged some of them through the carrot’s yogurt, pistachio, dukkah and arrow syrup sauce. Yummy! We finished the meal with the homemade Churros and chocolate sauce. We ordered the vanilla soft, serve ice cream to go with the churros. Great combination! The churros are delicate. Smaller in diameter and length than typical street ones. The service was outstanding. We were well attended, and the dishes came out as ordered and in a timely fashion. Jose, who was our primary server, was very knowledgeable about the menu and helped us have a terrific evening. He was a star. My son has also eaten there, and he told us that he thought the restaurants paella is one of the best he ever had. My wife and I plan on returning soon.
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f
foodie
San Francisco
36 reviews
vip
5.0
36 reviews
Dined on June 2, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Excellent food, fried chicken wonderful. Friendly service.
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KK
KevinK
San Francisco
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on May 24, 2023
overall4food4service4ambience4
Seafood paella was very good. Also had potatoes bravas, roasted mushrooms, a stew with garbanzos, spinach, and currants, and some olives. Service was efficient and knowledgeable. Sangria was also had.
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DD
DiscoDean
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on May 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Very good food! All of us loved every dish and every bite.
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NS
NatalyS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Ask for Amanda! She had amazing energy and gave great recommendations!
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K
Kris
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 12, 2023
overall5food4service5ambience4
The smoked salmon montaditos and the hippie Ibiza salad are fantastic :)
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KM
KathleenM
San Francisco
30 reviews
vip
4.0
30 reviews
Dined on May 11, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience4
Great food, outstanding service. Wish the menu was a bit bigger, but we found some tasty bites.
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LS
LeahS
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on May 11, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing food and awesome service every time Hippie salad is a must try
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on May 6, 2023
overall3food4service1ambience2
Food was really great and at the end of the day thats what we’re all here for. But the quality of service was very poor and the ambiance has much to be desired. Good food, poor dining experience.
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SC
SmallChange
Central Coast
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on April 29, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
This was my 3rd time at Barceloneta and it again did not disappoint. It is in my top 5 restaurants in Santa Cruz County. This time I enjoyed Sangria, Ibiza Hippie Salad, Smoked Salmon Montaditos, and Vanilla Soft Serve ice cream with olive oil and sea salt. So gooooooood!!!!! Wonderful service. Clean and bright, fun atmosphere.
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KT
KenzaTem
San Francisco
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on April 22, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience4
My favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz. Always excellent. I love the flavors and appreciate how the keep some favorites on the menu and also make some changes. Full bar and excellent cocktails!
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M
Mannegishi
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on April 22, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience4
We ate at Barceloneta last night. I thought we were going to be taking leftovers home, but nope. We managed to put ourselves around everything we ordered. We had three tapas plates—bombas (chorizo-stuffed fried potato balls), smoked salmon montaditos (I would never have imagined putting honey on smoked salmon, but it was delish), and potatoes bravos (crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside with delicious sauces). We also had Maitake and trumpet mushrooms with a crispy fried egg and parsley-garlic picada, shrimp in garlic-butter sauce, and harissa honey fried chicken. Everything was yummy and reminded us of our trip to Spain. The service was friendly, although we did have to wait a while for the check. It was extremely noisy, but that seems to be the current fashion in restaurants, and if the food is exceptional—it is—you’re going to get a crowd.
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P
Peter
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on April 19, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience3
All four of us concurred that it was an excellent meal we had last night for our first dinner at Barcelonetta. We shall return.
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C
Christine
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 16, 2023
overall5food5service4ambience4
The food was interesting and tasty. Good and friendly service.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
A great place to go. We love going to Barceloneta! such an enjoyable experience for food and drinks.
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JH
JanetH
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 12, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
The food is incredibly fresh, tasty, delicious. The best croquettes in the world. Staff and owners are warm and hospitable. Barcelonetta is the best Spanish food in Bay Area and Santa Cruz. Noise level ranges from quiet to moderate. Perfect for normal conversation. Wine selection is superb. I highly recommend!
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B
Bijapuri
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 5, 2023
overall5food4service5ambience4
Not a big choice of stuff but very good food. Menu says paella takes 45 min so we skipped it. Recommended if you like Spanish food.
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ML
ML12
San Francisco
4 reviews
vip
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on April 2, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience4
We had a wonderful experience and the food was good but really expensive for what we got.
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NW
NancyW
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 26, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Delicious food and cocktails! Stellar service from all the staff.
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Barceloneta offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 900-5222.

Barceloneta is rated 4.8 stars by 106 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 24, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 27 times today

Order delivery or takeout

1541 Ste B. Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3948

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
We are on Pacific Avenue at Plaza Lane, directly across from Verve Coffee.
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Cuisines
Tapas / Small Plates, Spanish, Farm-to-table
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://eatbarceloneta.com/
Phone number
(831) 900-5222
Private party facilities
We host private events for 35 - 95 guests. Our favorite events involve passes tapas, custom cocktails, enormous paellas and platters of chocolate and churros. We work with your budget and offer support every step of the way to make your special events memorable.

Barceloneta

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Menu

What 106 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing

Screening

FAQs

Does Barceloneta offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Barceloneta restaurant rated?

Is Barceloneta currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information