Best Craft Brewer (local)
Discretion Brewing
- A local community-oriented business, Discretion Brewing is operated by generations of the local Genco family and their brewers.
- Discretion Brewery uses only organic ingredients in their brews, and also has a beer-centered kitchen operation specializing in snacks and shareable comfort food.
- The first brewery in Santa Cruz to invest in solar power to brew its beer.
- One hundred percent of all the used grain goes to local pigs instead of in the trash. That adds up to 225,000 pounds diverted from landfills annually.
- Discretion hosts “Love Monday” each Monday, where they feature—and donate to—a local non-profit.
Best Live Music Venue
Moe’s Alley
- Moe’s features live music four or five nights a week, often from nationally or internationally prominent performers who’ve been making regular visits to Santa Cruz for years. Among those who have played Moe’s often enough to be honorary locals include Dave Wakeling of the English Beat, Jerry Garcia sideman Melvin Seals, reggae stars such as the Mighty Diamonds and Sly & Robbie, and blues greats like Chris Cain and Coco Montoya, among many others.
- Moe’s originally opened its doors in 1991, first as a straight blues club to showcase the surviving-but-often-overlooked masters of the mid-century blues boom, such as Pinetop Perkins, Albert Collins and Jimmy Rogers. The club also provided a stage for underappreciated local greats like Bob Lowery and Virgil Thrasher.
- The club soon diversified its sound and gave local audiences the opportunity to experience a number of amazing acts they could not see otherwise, like the kitschy Russian surf band the Red Elvises. It also became the home stage for such acts as SambaDa and B-Side Players.
- Moe’s was the organizer of the Santa Cruz Blues Festival during that festival’s 20-plus-year run in Aptos. The festival gave locals a chance to experience such giants in concert as Ray Charles, Etta James and B.B. King.
- Among the treats in store at Moe’s in 2019 is a two-show night with Los Lobos (pictured), a performance by Shooter (son of Waylon) Jennings, the great California roots rockers the Blasters, and back-to-back shows with Metalachi, the world’s only heavy metal mariachi band.
Bar
515 Kitchen & Cocktails
515 Cedar St., Santa Cruz, 425-5051, 515santacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP The Crow’s Nest, Red Room
Bartender
Molly McVeigh @ Rush Inn
RUNNERS-UP Manny Mescalito @ Front & Cooper, Josh Youngblood @ Oswald
Craft Brewer (local)
Discretion Brewing
2703 41st Ave. Suite A, Soquel, 316-0662, discretionbrewing.com
RUNNERS-UP Humble Sea, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Dance Club
Motiv
1209 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 429-8070, motivsc.com
RUNNERS-UP Blue Lagoon, Moe’s Alley
Fancy Cocktails
515 Kitchen & Cocktails
515 Cedar St., Santa Cruz, 425-5051, 515santacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Front & Cooper, Oswald
Happy Hour
Hula’s Island Grill
221 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz, 426-4852, hulastiki.com
RUNNERS-UP The Crow’s Nest, Shadowbrook
Karaoke
Boardwalk Bowl / Coasters Bar & Grill
115 Cliff St., Santa Cruz, 423-5590, beachboardwalk.com
RUNNERS-UP Blue Lounge, I Love Sushi
Live Music
Moe’s Alley
1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz,
479-1854, moesalley.com
RUNNERS-UP Catalyst, Kuumbwa Jazz
Local Band
Extra Large
extra-large.net
RUNNERS-UP Coffis Brothers, Sambada
Local Musician
Jesse Daniel
jessedanielmusic.com
RUNNERS-UP Alex Lucero, Joe Ferrara, Patti Maxine
Margaritas
El Palomar
1336 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz,
425-7575, elpalomarsantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Margaritaville, Tortilla Flats
Place to Play Pool
Fast Eddy’s
4300 Capitola Rd., Capitola, 462-1882, fasteddysbilliards.net
RUNNERS-UP Brady’s Yacht Club, Surf City Billiards
Place to Play Darts
Poet & Patriot Irish Pub
320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz, 426-8620
RUNNERS-UP One Double Oh Seven Club, Surf City Billiards
Pub
Parish Publick House
841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz, 426-8620, theparishpublick.com
RUNNERS-UP Poet & Patriot, Rosie McCann’s
Tap Room
Beer Thirty
2504 S Main St., Soquel, 477-9967, beerthirtysantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Lupulo Craft Beer House, West End Tap & Kitchen
