Trestles Restaurant - Capitola (CA)

4 /5 byers: We ordered every appetizer, the Dirty Girl salad, and the market fish ($38). We also got hibiscus marg ($17?) & hot and dirty martini (&17?), a sidecar, an aperitif, the crème brûlée cheesecake, and s’mores mousse (small portions)…$284 not including tip. Not cheap. The best food (obvi subjective): oysters & mushroom toast. So good. Everything else was good. But only just good. The hibiscus margarita was a delicious (sweet) beverage. The others were boozy but ~basic. To me, it’s all about ratio of enjoyment to dollar. If you’re loving a $10 burger that’s a fantastic ratio. If you love a $20 burger equally, that’s not nearly as good of a ratio. Stick with the $10. The meal was good, for sure. But the ratio made it not great for me. —If you love to blow money on restaurant food, you’ll enjoy this place. It is nice.

4 /5 Alexandra Hirku: I was fortunate to be seated relatively quickly without a reservation on both Friday and Saturday evenings, although the restaurant was quite busy. The food was excellent, but the service on both nights could have been better. On Friday, the server was average but friendly. On Saturday, I was seated at the bar, and, well, I only stayed because I was hungry. I received very little attention and was never asked if my meal was satisfactory or if I needed anything. As I was finishing my meal, the hostess asked me to move down the bar to accommodate a larger group. This request could have been handled more politely, especially since my card had been on the bar, ready for payment, for about five minutes. If the service could match the quality of the food, this would be a truly exceptional establishment.

5 /5 Monique Clark: Absolutely one of my TOP favorites in Capitola, the food is amazing with good portion amounts delicious cocktails and friendly fast service. I went with some friends for a bday dinner, we had the oysters which were so meaty and delicious, incredible truffle fries with the perfect crunch sprinkled with fresh finely shredded Parmesan( this one was my favorite), fried green tomatoes that were incredibly flavorful. I enjoyd the Ribeye that was seasoned and cooked to perfection. There were some young kids with our party and they had some great options for them ( that were not on the menu) like chicken tenders, butter noodles and Mac & cheese. I highly recommend for a special occasion or whenever you are wanting some good quality food.

5 /5 Ron Hadar: Excellent dinner – Creative dishes with outstanding flavors and top-notch service made for a memorable experience. However, the acoustics in the room created a high level of noise, making conversation challenging. Improved sound dampening would greatly enhance the overall ambiance.

3 /5 Shelley Ingraffia-Puzin: We had made early Thursday dinner reservations for our 43 anniversary. As locals, we had wanted to visit this restaurant to see what the rave was all about. The atmosphere is clean, modern, comfortable-but small. Thankfully, we made early arrangements, as it tends to get loud as the tables became populated. When we arrived we were pointed to our table. Apparently the table where we took a sit was the wrong table, so we were asked to move. The restaurant had only been open an hour, so the restaurant was pretty much vacant. When our waiter arrived he informed us of the fresh fish was Halibut for the evening special. When the waiter returned we ordered a half set of oysters and our drinks. It took a while to get anything to the table, which was pretty surprising considering he only had one other table. Upon delivery of the oysters we both decided to order the pork belly with scallops, a fan favorite. Again, no one came by to check on us, let us know of a delay, refill our drinks..nothing. When the plates arrive the presentation was sloppy!! I plate better at home than this chef. (Pictures attached- left is what we was served-right is what others posted/website) The waiter dropped, left without asking us if we wanted another drink or a refill on water or tea? Nothing! The food was tasty, just poorly presented. I want to say that the waiter and the chef were just having a bad night. Certainly, a price point per serving needs to come with a bit more care in preparations and service. Probably won’t be recommending this place anytime soon!