Special occasion dinner in or near Aptos, CA?

September 10, 2022 11:59 AM

I’m looking for a nice place in or near Aptos (Capitola or Santa Cruz work) to have dinner for my wedding anniversary. We’ll have our 7 year old with us, so while I’d like something good and very pleasant and I don’t necessarily need a kids menu, I’m not after super high concept. No food restrictions and would be nice if there are cocktails, though that’s not a requirement.
posted by vunder to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

Shadowbrook
posted by caryatid at 12:07 PM on September 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

To amplify Shadowbrook, at a recent dinner in August, at least half of the people in the dining room were there for an anniversary. And the food was really good.
posted by the Real Dan at 12:20 PM on September 10, 2022

Sanderlings, the restaurant at the Seascape beach resort, is a nice place, quite child-friendly, with a lovely walk down to the beach before or after dinner.
posted by dum spiro spero at 1:46 PM on September 10, 2022

Shadowbrook is the default for good reason.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:34 PM on September 10, 2022

Yep, Shadowbrook is lovely and has all kinds of cool stuff that I loved as a kiddo (funicular, fish tank, gardens, creek views and a tree growing through a dining room). There's also the Shadowbrook Shuttle, which is a free ride in a vintage cab/car if you're within a three mile radius. Even if you don't use the shuttle, you will want to leave plenty of time to walk or ride down to the restaurant and/or wander through the gardens.
posted by annaramma at 11:00 PM on September 10, 2022

David Kinch's Mentone! Kids love pizza, right? Outstanding food and cocktails, casual but very, very smart.
posted by wnissen at 8:37 AM on September 11, 2022