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Chocolate the Restaurant, Santa Cruz, CA

Chocolate the Restaurant

4.6
4.6
101 Reviews
$31 to $50
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 9 times today
  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for outdoor dining
Now celebrating 25 years, Chocolate the Restaurant provides an attractive dining environment for couples on dates, friendly meetings, and special occasion meals. Dine outside on the heated garden patio. Celebrate special occasions with up to 25 guests in the private street-side party room. Maybe start with a Chocolate Martini or a Passion Fruit Margarita. Chef David Jackman's fresh baked pasta rosettes, slow-roasted meats, and delicious seasonal organic vegetable dishes are all a prelude to our many chocolaty desserts. Our wine list focuses on local and on Italian wines. Our cocktails are all made from scratch; often using locally distilled spirits, and always using fresh house-made mixers. We are at your service for dinner every night! Afternoon walk-up cafe' service Friday thru Sunday. . We are open for dinner every holiday except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean, Dessert
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Large multi-level public lot one half block away. Also, several parking spaces in front of restaurant on the street.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    David Jackman

What 101 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Ambiance

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Best Value

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Innovative

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Healthy

  • Santa Cruz / Capitola / Aptos

    Great for outdoor dining

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Chocolate the Restaurant is a delightful spot where "desserts are simply delicious" and the "food is ALWAYS well done." Regulars rave about their weekly visits for "chocolate artisan designs" and "fresh pasta so tender." With a cozy ambiance, it's perfect for dessert lovers seeking "luxurious food at a very decent price."

290 Reviews
  1. woodburymom

    Minneapolis

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I’ve needed to eat GF for 20 years. This is the best place ever for anyone that lives gluten free. Like a dream come true.

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  2. Eddie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    2/28/2025. Weekly Friday visit. We both had change from usual to both having chicken parmesan - huge breast with red sauce and of course parmesan cheese. Had the hot miniloaf with butter WOW! Highly recommended fornboth. Finished with chococlate mousse pie, chocolate sundae and Victoria hot chocolate.

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  3. Eddie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on February 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    02/21/25 weekly Friday dinner. Pasta rosettes and handrolled fettuccine with black truffles. Excellent and so fresh. Had foccacia bread basket and finished off with two slices of the special mocha mousse pie and Victoria hot chocolate.

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  4. Wendy

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is a spot where the food is ALWAYS well done. The deserts and meals are simply delicious. I’ve been going for years and I’ve never been disappointed

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  5. Eddie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Feb 14,2025. Full up with Valentine's Day crowd. Reservations highly recommended. We are here every Friday so we were prepared. Had freshly baked mini loaf with butter, main two meals of Oaxacan Mole chicken dish with salad and corn pie. Followed by chocolate desserts - ectasy sundae, special chocolate strawberry tiramasu, and Victoria hot chocolate. Always great experience.

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  6. Gary

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 1
    This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. My wife and I came here for Valentine's Day. It was very cold and windy. We requested to be seated inside. There were empty tables inside, but we were told that we couldn't sit there because the computer system assigned tables. We were seated in the wind away from the outside heaters. We complained twice to be seated near heat at empty tables we were staring at, but were told no. After I requested to speak to the manager, we were seated at a table that had reservations for an hour and a half later. It was still too cold and we were unable to enjoy the food as we were freezing with the wind chill. I cannot blame the waitstaff for the this poor service policy from the owner or management. I have never experienced a restaurant not accommodating customers to sit at available tables. Unfortunately, they have lost any future business from us.

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  7. Alyssa

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We always love going to Chocolate on special occasions - the new specials are always amazing, but we go for the dessert more than anything else. Treat yourself to come luxurious food at a very decent price (comparable experiences in Santa Cruz are always at least 30% more expensive than Chocolate)!

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  8. Eddie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    2/8/25. Our weekly Friday dinner - pasta rosettes for 2, hand rolled fettucine with parmasan, foccacia bread basket. Finished off with usual sin cake and gelato, coconut cheese cake. Excellent.

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  9. Eddie

    VIP

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Weekly visit Jan 31,2024. We have our usual meal of pasta rosettes and hand rolled fresh fettucine with parmesan cheese. Topped with our usual desserts of hot chocolate, chocolate sin cake, dulce de leche torte. Great service as usual. Rainy day doesnt stop us from coming from San Jose tonight.

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  10. Jennifer

    Denver

    12 reviews

    4.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on January 20, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Fun, unique & really good selection of gluten free options. Awesome desserts!

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FAQs

Chocolate the Restaurant is rated 4.6 stars by 101 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 9 times today
Google Map for Chocolate the Restaurant

1522 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean, Dessert
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Large multi-level public lot one half block away. Also, several parking spaces in front of restaurant on the street.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    David Jackman
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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