Reviews for Vinocruz Winebar + Kitchen in Soquel, CA
We were wine tasting at Bargetto up the street and decided to try this place out. We were pleasantly surprised by how great... their food and wine were. I had their burger and my wife had the fish tacos. Both were fantastic, and paired well with the winesthey recommended. Read more
Dining companion had the house salad with fish adder as a protein - salad was fine, but the fish was burnt. Not blackened, burnt... - as in smelled burnt and black in color. The server was kind enough to replace the salad, but my partner was off the fish -just the salad. The cook (not a chef, clearly) throws a mental. Comes out of the kitchen to take a tub of dirty dishes from thebar, and loudly - I mean REALLY loudly bangs the dish tub on the counter right behind us - not once or twice, but threeincredibly loud pound-smashes. The entire restaurant stared and went quiet. Still, the fish was on our bill when brought, andwhile we paid, the tantrum continued. We mentioned we were surprised that the burnt meal given to us was still on the bill. Theserver said that “Matt” the owner would be alerted to this scene. Ultimately, it’s a complete bummer for us, because VinoCruz was our “go to” for years, we’ve probably eaten there 20 times. We probably won’t make 21, however. Photo ofTantrum Man attached. The counter edge in the lower right endured his abuse. UPDATE: the restaurant has responded. While theyindeed were kind enough to remake the salad and send truffles we did not ask for, the restaurant response does not fully addressour concerns about the essentially violent actions by the chef towards us, banging a bin of dishes and silverware on the counternot three feet from us, because he was angry be burned the fish, apparently. And yes, we have dined at this restaurant a lot.Not with this new cook at the helm, however, so we won’t be going back. I encourage all readers to “sort by lowestrating” for this restaurant and read the reviews. I would suggest that Kevin start looking for someone cool-headed andcompetent immediately as chef. Read more
Loved the ambiance and simplicity of the restaurant. The food we received was Happy Hour and the prices were unbeatable!! We had... the best service from Francisco. Sat out on their patio with our doggie!! Read more
Came into Vinocruz as I heard it was a great date place. Wine selection was on point, cheese & charcuterie plate was great.... Really nice redwood bar. Had a larger selection of food than I thought they would, and a decent beer selection for those thatprefer that. Read more
I am sorry to have to post this, but I feel like I would have wanted an honest review to follow. Maybe it was the time of day we... went at 3pm on a Tuesday during Happy Hour (glasses of “vino” not included), but the food and service was lackluster to saythe least. The man behind the bar admitted not knowing what he was doing. The food was bland af. He asked how it was and I toldhim it was so so and used the universal hand gesture to confirm what I was saying and he just walked away. Never asked what waswrong (no salt, everything was dry and mushy). The owner was sitting at the end just staring at my husband after she caught onthat we were not digging it. We felt very unwelcome like we just walked into someone’s personal home office. They charged usfull price. We did not tip. I’m so disappointed to write this and I hope this helps the restaurant improve. The outside anddecor inside was lovely. Part 2 (post restaurant response): Thank you for your response. It seems there were a fewmiscommunications about wine being on happy hour. The man behind the bar told me it’s just on beer on tap and fish tacos andthen he gave me a menu to back it up. I asked for wine on happy hour, but no dice. If ur not the owner, there’s someone at theend of the bar with a computer who the man behind the bar claims to be dating so unsure what’s going on there, but apologiesfor the assumption. My comments about the chef describe a feeling of incompetence. I could be wrong, but I also tasted thefood. Discrimination is not something I need to avoid as a paying customer. That sounds like more your problem employinghim. It was more than a social queue that let your man behind the bar know. Two people saying it wasn’t good should be enoughto prompt an inquiry, but he avoided the situation. It sounds like your response is combative and not well received so I’lllet it go. We went to the grocery store after and just gave up. Going to enjoy some of those infamous artichokes from the loc Read more
Big shout out to Sally, the manager at Vinocruz! Sally took care of the Strock team from the moment we walked in the door - she... even made us a welcome sign! The service was outstanding, the food was delicious, and the wine/beer selection was the perfectcombination for our team. We will be back!! Read more
Great place for wine and food. I really enjoyed their flatbreads and the fish tacos were delicious. Brandon was our server and... totally killed it. Knows his wines and didn't steer us wrong on the beers or wine. Read more
We had a beautiful dinner at Vinocruz. Their meatballs were so good and I could not believe how delicious the Brussell sprouts... with grits were. We had a board with cheeses and meat, very nice. The service is amazing! Whenenver I come back to Santa Cruz,Vinocruz will be part of my itinerary! Read more