Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos
  5. Santa Cruz
The Water Street Grill, Santa Cruz, CA
The Water Street Grill, Santa Cruz, CA
The Water Street Grill, Santa Cruz, CA
The Water Street Grill, Santa Cruz, CA
The Water Street Grill, Santa Cruz, CA

The Water Street Grill

4.5
4.5
316 Reviews
$30 and under
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Romantic
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.

Restaurants you may also like

View all

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

What 316 people are saying

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
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Overall

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Food

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Service

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Value

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Good for groups

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Healthy

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Neighborhood gem

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Romantic

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Water Street Grill delivers "superb service" and "delicious food" in a "cozy and romantic" setting. Known for its "amazing staff," the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes, including standout steaks and seafood. While the intimate space may get busy, reservations are "recommended" to enjoy this "hidden gem" in Santa Cruz.
316 Reviews
  1. Melody VIP

    Sacramento9 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    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.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Diana

    San Francisco1 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.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Justin

    San Francisco14 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!

    Is this helpful?

  4. 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!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Phil

    Tahoe1 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.

    Is this helpful?

  6. 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

    Is this helpful?

  7. 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.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Janice

    Tahoe1 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!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Sedona

    San Francisco2 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

    Is this helpful?

  10. Danielle

    San Francisco6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on January 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was fantastic! I ordered the steak with roasted garlic and it was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful. Service was also fast and our server was lovely. I would definitely go back!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Water Street Grill is rated 4.5 stars by 316 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
Google Map for The Water Street Grill

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
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo