The Water Street Grill. The food here is absolutely delicious! Every dish we tried was bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. Service was great, prompt and efficient.

Was so happy to have found this 'hole in the wall' restaurant. Not the best location or the best ambiance. It scores high on the food, service and price scale. What a find when two can have a real diner for under $100. Couple glasses of wine, Caesar salad (split) shrimp w/ garlic butter fettuccine and chicken Piccata with the best Yukon gold potato's with heavy cream and butter I have had. and asparagus. The server said I could start a diet tomorrow. If you don't mind a chip on the plate or water with lemon slice in a Mason jar. You won't be disappointed! Great people. You'll fell like friends instantly.

We had two dinners at The Water Street Grill and both were delicious. The fish & chips were perfectly battered, hot and crunchy. I'd been craving that dish for awhile; it didn't disappoint. My son's spaghetti carbonara confused me: It seemed like Alfredo/half Carbonara. It had the lardons and cheese but it was this mega size and it looked like the sauce broke. That said, my, son had zero complaints and devoured every bite! The second night I treated myself to the ribeye and lobster tail platter and it was perfect in every way: The steak was the perfect temperature (rare) and the lobster tail was succulent. Don't miss the desserts, especially paired with ice cream that's homemade (the owner has an ice cream shop in town). Choose the killer chocolate cake - and don't forget the ice cream! (And it travels well, we took it to go). Ambiance is laid back, casual yet intimate. Service is friendly and wanting to please, you'll feel spoiled. The Water Street Grill is a nice place to unwind and enjoy good food paired with attentive yet unfussy service.

This low-key restaurant has been in Santa Cruz for over two decades - - maybe three. Cozy and snug, this is a great little place for an excellent meal! Seafood and shellfish are fresh! My daughter took me here for my birthday and I splurged on a filet mignon and lobster tail combo. It was excellent! She had a seafood fettuccine pasta that was also delicious! We also split a delicious arugula and feta salad that was super yummy! The service is friendly and down to earth. If it's crowded, you might have to wait a little longer for your dinner to be served, but they're on it. Although food quality is five stars, I rated this restaurant with four stars because the bathrooms and walk up are surprisingly dismal. Parking seems ok--possibly tricky on parking regulations, but not certain about that. We got lucky and were able to park alongside the restaurant.