Places for the Best Brunch and Breakfast Santa Cruz – whether you are looking for eggs benedict, Chilaquiles or somewhere to indulge in Bloody Marys or Mimosas, then have a look at our suggestions for the best brunch in Santa Cruz.
The Crêpe Place
1134 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
The Crepe Place has attained “43 years of continuous business in Santa Cruz, the restaurant’s long-time customers can expect to enjoy the same delicious food that’s kept them coming back for years. The Crepe Place has late night hours so swing by for a cocktail or late night dinner from our full menu anytime until midnight.” Weekend brunch is served from 10am until 2pm and dishes include SMOKED SALMON BENEDICT (Smoked salmon and poached eggs on an English muffin, smothered in our own hollandaise sauce), CHILAQUILES (Homemade chips, sautéed in homemade salsa, 2 over medium eggs, avocado and feta), CHEESE BLINTZ (A crepe with a bit of white cheddar and cottage cheese cooked inside. Topped with sour cream and your choice of strawberry, apricot, or blackberry jam) or SPINACH (Spinach, onions, mushrooms, white cheddar cheese, Swiss gruyere, cottage cheese & garlic. Served with sour cream on the side). Make it a boozy brunch by a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa.
Denny’s
1515 OCEAN ST. SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060
Denny’s has always been a brunch favourite. They have a seriously huge breakfast/brunch selection. You can go all in with a ‘Slam’ like the LUMBERJACK SLAM® (Buttermilk pancakes, grilled ham, bacon strips, sausage links, eggs*, hash browns and choice of bread), ALL-AMERICAN SLAM® (Three scrambled eggs with Cheddar cheese, bacon strips, sausage links, hash browns and choice of bread), or the FIT SLAM® (Egg whites scrambled together with fresh spinach and grape tomatoes, plus turkey bacon strips, an English muffin and seasonal fruit.) which can be made gluten-free. For those with a sweet tooth you could opt for pancakes like the DOUBLE BERRY BANANA PANCAKE BREAKFAST (Buttermilk pancakes cooked with blueberries and topped with fresh seasonal berries, bananas and whipped cream) or SALTED CARAMEL & BANANA CREAM PANCAKE BREAKFAST (Buttermilk pancakes cooked with shortbread pieces and topped with vanilla cream, bananas and more shortbread pieces. Served with a pitcher of warm salted caramel for drizzling). There are some fabulous Crepe choices too such as BANANA CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT (One crepe folded with vanilla cream and topped with fresh seasonal berries, strawberry sauce and powdered sugar) or what about the vegetarian option of the LOADED VEGGIE OMELETTE (Fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed zucchini & squash, tomatoes and Swiss cheese).
Zachary’s Restaurant
819 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Zachary’s Restaurant is “the favorite of locals, students, and visitors alike, our menu is built on an “everything homemade” philosophy that starts with our three styles of house-made bread (oatmeal-molasses, sour white, and dark rye) and our unique home-fries; specialties include our original “Mike’s Mess”, one-of-a-kind sourdough pancakes (our sour starter is purported to date back to the Alaskan Gold Rush –ask for the story!), coffee cakes from our bakery, and daily omelet specials. Our burgers are served on our house-made sourdough buns; our sandwiches on your choice of our breads; and our chowders and chilis are from scratch.”
