Gabriella Cafe

We did enjoy our Christmas Eve dinneer, but wished we had known it was a select menu with a designated price per person, when booking it on Opentable.

Great food and wine list. Relaxing atmosphere and cozy dining. Intimate and special night dining with loved ones.

Nice spot for conversation with very good food and service!!

Gabrriella is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz. The food is fantastic, the staff attentive, and the ambience is marvelous.

Food is delicious, service is great, but the meal would have been perfect if bread was included. It just felt glaring absent from the meal. With great sauces it felt almost criminal to leave the remainder from our ravioli and bolognese on the plate. A quick mop up with some fresh bread would have made the meal a true 5 star experience.

Lovely cozy and romantic spot. We had been there many years ago and were dying to get back. It didn’t disappoint. The salad, pork and sole were heavenly. Nice people, intimate atmosphere.

To be honest, we were in Santa Cruz for thanksgiving and there wasn’t a lot of choice. These guys looked like the best bet and we were not disappointed. As it was a holiday and these folks should have been home with their families, I can’t begrudge the fixed menu - as there were 3-4 choices for each course and 3 of us, we sampled almost everything and it was all delicious including the turkey. Staff was courteous and efficient but still friendly. We’ll be back next time we’re in town. Loved it

We went to Gabriella on Thanksgiving and were not told it was a fixed menu at $55 each until we got there. The fish was overcooked, the bread seemed store-bought, and the desserts were boring.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. It is our go to bistro/restaurant not only for Thanksgiving, but other times during the year. Paul, the owner, is a joy.

We were there for thanksgiving dinner and it was perfect! Cozy with excellent food & wine. I especially appreciate that the food comes from local, organic farms, it makes it extra special!

The best Italian food I’ve had in Santa Cruz! Very fresh, local ingredients.

I am an OT power user and a foodie, so was suprised at the attitude I encountered here when I arrived after I’d adjusted my res time in the app (note:they were NOT busy, with open slots every 1/4 hour). The hostess rudely parented me with an eye roll and a “oh you’re finally here” comment.Her waitesss colleague piled on with a “should we put them outside?” [as punishment| dig... really? I’ve generally found folks in SC to be super friendly, so was suprised with the condescending attitude at this place. Food was good but...

I was very disappointed, the food was tasteless, the service was bad and the meal was way overpriced. $135. lunch for three. I wouldn't mind the price if the food was good but as I said, it was tasteless. Sorry, I wish I could give a better review.

Food was good but the service was poor. We had to ask for service and water. This was an anniversary dinner and we will not be back.

Lovely dinner! Great value for restaurant week. I had a beautiful Caesar salad with the duck confit and chocolate cake for dessert. Excellent and well priced.

The fried cauliflower in chili oil was perfect with just the right amount of seasoning, the little gems salad was so fresh with crunchy pomegranate seeds and roasted squash slices, Yum! The entrees we had the rockfish with creamy polenta and perfectly coked vegetables made my tastebuds happy. The sauvignon blanc from Napa paired great with my meal. I finished it off with a frenchpress and was not too full but perfectly content. Thank you.

Consistently good food in a very comfortable space with friendly staff. There is a reason that they have been there for more than 20 years.

Love this spot. Amazing food, ambiance, service and overall quality.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Santa Cruz and always has been! Such stellar quality and service even during restaurant week when you won’t eat there without a reservation. It’s packed and we got our food so fast & it was delicious.

I went for restaurant week and it was fabulous as usual. I’ve eaten at Gabriella many times. They serve consistently great food along with attentive service. Their menu for restaurant week was outstanding. Im looking forward to my next dinner there. I prefer to eat outdoors because the restaurant is small and can get pretty loud when full.

We loved the feel of the place, the food and the service. We'll be back!

REally good food. Amazing desert. small and cozy and a little noisy, but great experience overall.

we enjoyed a busy sunday night at gabriella - everything from seating to exit was excellent!

Excellent service, especially considering it was Restaurant Week and the place was packed. The meal was well-balanced and delicious. Ceasar salad is a test in my book; this was up there among some of the best. Menu changes frequently, so won't go into detail. The only disappointment was the desserts; the tres leches cake would have been better described as mocha cake. Wine selection was very satisfactory. Our server was a delightful woman; very knowledgeable and engaging.

Every aspect of our meal was a simply and truly a delight. As the cook in the house, the best meal out is one where every part of the menu expands my understanding of culinary adventure. Gabriella Cafe is absolutely the best 5-star restaurant in Santa Cruz.

Birthday, food and service was excellent as always

Hi Paul!

Thank you so much for a lovely dinner for my sister and I last Thursday. The food was amazing and your staff are so nice!

Best,

Candice

The food and service was wonderful as it has been at all our visits. We went for the Restaurant Week prix fix menu and they did a wonderful and creative job. We all ordered different things so we could taste as many of the offerings as possible and everything was great.

fresh, good ingredients wasted in a bland tasteless preparation. ambience is nice, service was poor, and the live music wasn’t there. if you want a nice date place for a nice conversation, have money to spare, and don’t care about the food, this place is fine. if you want good value and delicious food, go somewhere else.

We went for the first night of restaurant week. The food was excellent, but the waitress must get by in life on her looks. She made my Kir Royale with Chardonnay, then seemed surprised that I wanted one made with sparkling wine (as described in the menu). She forgot our coffee. There were a few other minor glitches. She never apologized for her mistakes even though I was unerringly polite, almost sweet, when asking for corrections. Too bad. We usually get better service there. This was the first time in ages we have tipped under 20%. She was very pretty, though.

Seated on time inside, and amenable to choice of table, efficient service, outstanding food presentation and flavours.
Definitely coming again, and encourage giving them a try!

Gabriella never disappoints, whether it is a special date night or a casual meet up with friends. It is the first restaurant I go to during Restaurant Week, and it leaves me not wanting to visit other restaurants. Thank you for the quality and creativity!

Fairly casual location near downtown Santa Cruz; nice food selection that we both enjoyed.
Attentive service and a welcoming feeling.
We enjoyed the evening and plan to go back soon.

Amazing food! Fresh ingredients and great staff.

The food was good. The service was inadequate. And even sitting outside, feels too close to other tables

This was my second visit and it definitely wasn't as good as the first. Our reservation time was at 8:15pm on a Saturday night, which unfortunately meant that the restaurant was out of the seafood pasta, which we had planned to order (they were out of a 2nd dish too, but I can not remember which it was, since we weren't going to order it). The service was extremely slow. I am not sure if our server just forgot about us or if she was too busy covering tables inside. She also never apologized for being slow or for the restaurant being out of some of their menu items. I also noticed that the order was eating his dinner and the first 4-top as you entered the restaurant, which meant our party plus another 4some had to wait until another table opened up.

Gabriella had yummy food, a wonderful ambiance, and kind staff. However, my whole meal was a bit thrown off as soon as I saw the menu. When planning where to eat, I researched Gabriella online and looked at their pricing - seemed reasonable and fair - important considerations as my dad was taking me out as a special treat. Instead of the mushroom ravioli being $18 as advertised, it was $24! I didn't want to make a scene that evening so I didn't saying anything, however it made me think about price the entire meal. If you can't keep pricing on your website up to date, just don't include pricing on your website!

Very quaint and romantic Italian restaurant with great food. Not your everyday spaghetti joint. Quality original Italian

There were three of us and we all thought the food was exceptional

Charming little restaurant with delicious, high quality food and generous portions! Great for a fun date night!