The Water Street Grill

Name: The Water Street Grill
Address: 503 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA, United States, 95060
Telephone: (831) 332-6122
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.5

4.5 (317)

$30 and under

American

503 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 7, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 4 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Great for fine wines
Charming

Our local restaurant in Santa Cruz Ca is Family owned, The Water Street Grill is a neighborhood Grill, steak,seafood,burger and wine-Beer Bar offering farm-to-table food, handcrafted drink and a selection of intriguing, affordable Firestone Drafted beers & great selection of wines. We have been more the 20 years in the Restaurant business, we are very committed our restaurant to treat customers with the most respect and let us also handle any event you having, will make it unforgettable moment.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
American, Seafood, Steak
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:30 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm
Phone number
(831) 332-6122
Website
http://thewaterstreetgrill.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Daniel
Catering
Yes we do Catering, please call for more information
Private party facilities
We can host your event we few weeks notice, just call for more information

Location
503 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Cross street
May
Parking details
Rear Parking and Street parking( with no parking meter)
Additional
Beer, BYO Wine, Non-Smoking, Wine

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What 317 people are saying

The Water Street Grill reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.3Food
4.8Service
4.1Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Water Street Grill offers an intimate dining experience with "wonderful food and service." Notable servers like Dina and Shelly enhance the experience with "superb service." Diners praise its "excellent meals" and diverse menu, featuring standout dishes like steak, lobster, and ravioli. A charming spot for special occasions and cozy nights.

317 Reviews

C
CYNTHIA
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
3.0
Dined on June 10, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 2
The service was fantastic. The food was mediocre and overpriced. The place was a bit run down. I don’t know if they will make it, but I think it has potential if they could get the food better and the place cleaned up.
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M
Melody VIP
Sacramento / Sacramento Valley9 reviews
2.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 1
I would like to start off by saying the server was very nice and kind but the experience other than that was poor. It was a dark and dingy dining room but had roses on the table and jazz music playing. I was confused on if it was going for a classy restaurant however all the decor was laid back surfing pics and it didn’t mesh well. The prices were extremely high and the food sounded good on the menu. However when we got the food it was not. We ordered two pastas off the specials menu and they used words like “organic spinach” however it was clear that it was a frozen pasta and it was undercooked. The Alfredo sauce was as thick as pudding and I did my best to eat it but within 15 minutes I because sick from it. The other pasta looked so unappetizing and grey and sloppy that it was not edible. Another person in our party ordered a medium cooked steak and it was cooked completely well and was hard and chewy and inedible. The things that we ordered that were fried were ok so they had the frying machine down but not the actual cooking. There was almost no one eating in the restaurant at prime dinner time so it was apparent that this was not a popular restaurant with the locals. Unfortunately, having nice staff is not enough reason for me to recommend this restaurant at all.
1 person found this helpful
D
Diana
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
4.0
Dined on March 9, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food is always excellent as well as the service. Dina provided us with superb service as usual. The menu offers a good amount of choices. It’s hard to pick, never had I had a meal that was disappointing. The steak and lobster were cooked to perfection when we went for Valentine’s Day. The last visit we had the Water Tower Sandwich, which was really yummy! Reservations recommended as it’s a small charming little restaurant.
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J
Justin
San Francisco Bay Area14 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I love this place. It was extra special as I was there for Valentine's Day with my Fiancé. Our server Santo was outstanding. He took great care of us. He always does. YES. Water Street Grill had a Valentine's Day menu lineup. It hit a Home Run! The food was MUY BUENO!! Spinach Raviolis, Shrimp Pasta, Killer Bread Pudding, Tiramisu. Check all the boxes for YUMMY. Even the leftovers rocked! Thank for making My Valentine Super Duper Happy!
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F
Frank
Hawaii1 review
5.0
Dined on February 13, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Dina was great! Always a great experience and great food!
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P
Phil
Tahoe / Reno Area1 review
5.0
Dined on February 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food, service, everything was top notch! We will definitely go back.
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D
Dan
Oklahoma City7 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Is a small, intimate restaurant with wonderful food and service. Parking in the rear. It was perfect for a rainy night. When we arrived there was a table of 4 and a table of 2. When we left, the restaurant was full. I feel like it’s a IYKYK type of spot
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J
Janie
Los Angeles8 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Who knew this little space was big on great service and excellent meals? We were a little sus about the place being empty on a Sunday night. I made the reservation thinking we would have steaks and other items on the menu call to us.. The artichoke appy was good. The ravioli special with homemade pesto was just as it should be melt in your mouth lick the plate good. The fish was excellent . a must go to next time we are in town.
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J
Janice
Tahoe / Reno Area1 review
5.0
Dined on January 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We found Wayer Street Grill on Yelp and they were able to seat our party of five on a Griday night at the last minute. We are so glad we went there. First And foremost Shelly our server was phenomenal. She was engaging, patient, accommodating for food issues and funny. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. The food was great and a great value. They let us stay late while we finished eating and talking and checked on us the perfect amount. We will recommend them again and again!
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S
Sedona
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
4.0
Dined on January 21, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Our server Shelly was outstanding! The food was pretty good, I got a steak and my friend got the salmon. It was good but didn’t blow me away. Would return
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FAQs

The Water Street Grill is rated 4.5 stars by 317 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 7, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 4 times today

503 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Additional information

Cross street
May
Neighborhood
Santa Cruz
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:30 pm–9:30 pm Sat, Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
American, Seafood, Steak
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Rear Parking and Street parking( with no parking meter)
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Daniel
Additional
Beer, BYO Wine, Non-Smoking, Wine

Website
http://thewaterstreetgrill.com/
Phone number
(831) 332-6122
Catering
Yes we do Catering, please call for more information
Private party facilities
We can host your event we few weeks notice, just call for more information

The Water Street Grill

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Ask Concierge
AI Beta

Menu

What 317 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Water Street Grill restaurant rated?

Is The Water Street Grill currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information