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Gabriella Cafe, Santa Cruz, CA

Gabriella Cafe

4.7
4.7
980 Reviews
$50 and over
Italian

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2 people
19:00
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Romantic
Zagat rated as "OUTSTANDING". Gabriella Cafe is a 50 seat, picturesque and romantic dining experience in downtown Santa Cruz.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00–14:30 Lunch Tue–Fri 11:00–14:15 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:00–21:00
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Parking Garages are very close
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Gema Cruz

What 980 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

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 Ambience

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Innovative

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Great for fine wines

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Romantic

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Gabriella Cafe offers a "charming and intimate" dining experience, perfect for romantic evenings or special occasions. Guests rave about the "delicious food" and "friendly service," with standout dishes like butternut squash ravioli and lamb shank. A "European dining experience" in downtown Santa Cruz, this cafe is a must-visit.

980 Reviews
  1. Roberta

    Washington DC26 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We went to Gabriela cafe after a long hiatus. The food was excellent! We particularly enjoyed the bouillabaisse and the cauliflower. It is a small cafe with tight seating, and we had a noisy group behind us but they left shortly after our arrival and conversation became more comfortable. Our server brought our food in a timely, relaxed manner, consistent with our mood. However she did not give us a wine list, which was a serious omission, given that we would have ordered a nice bottle but instead had several glasses (the regular menu offers glasses and half bottles). Highly recommend.

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  2. Steve

    Central Coast33 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good food and service. A very nice menu. There is indoor seating in a quaint setting as well as an outdoor courtyard and on the street parklet. We've always had a good experience here and excellent food.

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  3. Abbie

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 2 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of my favorites in Santa Cruz! Cozy, delicious, and always kind folks working there. Thank you! We split everything and they even split our main into two plates making it easy. So great.

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  4. Roy

    San Francisco110 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is great and the staff was super nice and helpful and even stepped over our dogs (who took up way to much space on the patio)

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  5. joseph VIP

    San Francisco66 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 5 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is always great and the service is always wonderful.

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  6. donna

    San Francisco10 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 27 December 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Our dinner was OK! We were expecting something a bit different. It was not bad but it was disappointing that it was not more of a traditional Italian menu. My husband ordered the pork chop and thought it was very tasty. I got the butternut squash raviolis. They were a bit dry and could of used more flavor. The Caesar salad was just ok. Needed a bit more flavor. I know they have good reviews so we probably just ordered the wrong dishes. I would try them again some time.

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  7. Beth VIP

    San Francisco12 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 21 December 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food and service were great! We shared the focaccia bread, the arugula salad and the mushroom ravioli with chicken apple sausage. All were excellent. I recommend this restaurant.

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  8. Liz

    Portland20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 8 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful meal. Each dish was delicious and nicely presented. Service was good and the atmosphere is lovely, good for groups or a romantic evening. Standouts are the roasted cauliflower and the salads. Fish and meat perfectly cooked. Highly recommended.

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  9. Melinda

    Palm Springs6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 4 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our whole dinner was delicious from the appetizers to the dessert.

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  10. Stacey

    San Francisco3 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 29 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Arrived a few minutes early for our Thanksgiving reservation and were finally seated at a "temporary table" 30 minutes after our reservation time. Twenty minutes later moved to another table. Our requests from the prix fixe menu were taken and drinks were served. Thirty minutes later, our entrees (course 3) were brought out. We explained we had not yet received our 1st or 2nd courses. They apologized and 15 minutes later we received courses 1 and 2 together. The entrees they brought out were the originals they had tried to serve us earlier so dried out on top on scalding hot plates. First two course tasted great. Entrees and desserts were not great. An 18% tip was automatically added and no apologies provided. We so wanted to love this experience but it was definitely subpar. At least those 3 hours were spent with people we love.

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FAQs

Gabriella Cafe offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 457-1677.

Gabriella Cafe is rated 4.7 stars by 980 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Google Map for Gabriella Cafe

910 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00–14:30 Lunch Tue–Fri 11:00–14:15 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:00–21:00
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Parking Garages are very close
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Gema Cruz
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  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
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