A barrage of restaurant closures rocked Santa Cruz County restaurants and their followers this year.
Here appears an RIP rundown on the departed, plus a handful of spots that shuttered but found new life, and a legendary destination that’s got flavor left in the chamber.
English Ales Taproom (111 Capitola Ave., Capitola) represents the most recent shuttering. The Marina HQ is up for sale and the mini-but-mighty village hangout is done.
FLASHbird Chicken, the fried-chicken joint from the Alderwood team, discontinued its Scotts Valley (245 Mt. Hermon Road, Suit Z) and Pleasure Point (830 41st Ave., Santa Cruz) locations last month, though the Abbott Square spot is still flapping (725 Front St., Suite 102).
Rock N Roll Donuts (1335 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz) dropped the curtain on its downtown Surf City and Cannery Row spots last month too.
Cruz Kitchen & Taps (145 Laurel St., Santa Cruz) and its take on microbrews plus contemporary-comfort-Californian grub poured out in October.
Popular Café Sparrow (8042 Soquel Drive, Aptos) was grounded in spring, citing rising costs and inflation.
New Bohemia Brewing Company and its social taproom (1030 41st Ave., Santa Cruz) said so long after nine years on a high-trafficked corner.
On the renewal front, some restaurants went away only to be reimagined or replaced, pronto. Barceloneta became Ibiza (1541 Pacific Ave. B, Santa Cruz), shifting toward daytime hours and offerings, like blessedly messy falafel wraps and chicken schnitzel salads.
West End Tap transformed into Izakaya (334 Ingalls St., Unit D, Santa Cruz), channeling the Japanese training and family history of restaurant partners Quinn Cormier and Geoff Hargrave.
Firefly Tavern closed, allowing for the debut of CT Lights, which morphed into Tarros Mexican (110 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz) with its Michoacan- and Guanajuato-based plates and mug club.
Café Mare is now Oblo Cocktails and Kitchen (740 Front St., Suite 100, Santa Cruz), from Sugo partners Marco Paoletti and Andrea Loporcaro.
Palapas rode into the sunset, clearing the way for Cali-Mex inspired seafood and cocktails with Dos Pescados (21 Seascape Village, Aptos).
Uncie Ro’s Pizza, sayonara; hello, Ozzy’s Pizza (1036 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville), purveyors of a fine wood-fired sourdough pie.
Capitola Bar & Grill now sleeps with the fishes, while Pete’s Fish House (231 Esplanade #102, Capitola) splashes a raw bar program, great wine list and lots of seafood, from the family behind neighboring Margaritaville.
And, finally, Mackenzies Chocolates (1492 Soquel Ave Santa Cruz) is grateful for four full decades sharing inventive and luxurious chocolates. The final day, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, is still two weeks away. So there’s time for some celebratory—and therapeutic—chocolate.
DISH DISPATCH
Crab season, as predicted, has been delayed to at least Jan. 1…Chef Jessica Yarr of the Grove Cafe (6249 Hwy. 9, Felton) has intro’d a collection of cooking tools and pantry go-tos for the Grove Kitchen Corner a few steps from its sister spot, open Friday–Sunday. This Sunday, Dec. 15, the cafe hosts a traditional roast for neighborhood night, with rosemary-crusted roast beef or pork, roasted root vegetables, brown gravy and two English desserts, $40, thegrovecafe.org…
Big Sur Foragers Fest happens Jan. 24–26, 2025, bigsurforagersfestival.org…Speaking of, gifted foragers lead an adventure through Soquel Demonstration Forest’s towering redwoods and magnetic huckleberry bushes to teach local mushroom identification by way of hidden habitats and ethical habits, followed by a grazing platter and insider tips on preparing your own finds, Jan. 4, floraandfungiadventures.com…Author-educator Alan D. Wolfelt, sweep us out: “Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”
