Windmill Cafe

Back in SC and beyond ecstatic that I’ve added this cozy spot into my memories.
Please, stop by the Windmill and enjoy a delicious breakfast at an extremely economically friendly price.
I had the Breakarito — breakfast burrito — and although it was a bit oily, it was freaking fantastic. It is very substantial with the hearty eggs and potatoes. You’ll definitely get a bang for your buck bc the chubby burrito is under $ 6! WHAT? Yes. Believe it, eat it, and enjoy it.
Gluten free options, vegan options, great spot to make this your remote office for a few hours. Stop reading this and go already!

This is a super cute spot, and we were stoked on it at first. Lots of vegan and gluten free options.
We walked in and ordered smoothies which came out super quickly and they were yummy.
I ordered a scramble and my friend ordered a bagel and cream cheese. After over an hour of waiting for our food I decided to get a vegan gluten free pastry to tide me over. Well that was a mistake. I would have rather put that 2.50 towards a root canal, it would’ve been more pleasant for my mouth. It was cardboard.
When our food finally did come it was just another round of disappointments. My friends bagel had been toasted sometime in the last hour and a half. There was no warmth to be found. We had assumed this bagel was taking over an hour because they were waiting to make it in order to bring it out with my scramble. Well they may have waited but not to make it, it’d been sitting for quite some time. My toast that came with my scramble was also cold. The scramble itself was unsavory and lacked a lot of love. Didn’t really know you could screw up a bagel and cream cheese and a scramble.
I get that this is a cute, small café and that’s part of its charm, but usually when a small café is delayed, the perk of it being a small café is getting something additional to make up for the delay. Wish I got that here.

The daily scramble was perfect. Five dollars for reasonable portion of food. I not impressed when I order a breakfast that’s 14 dollars for a huge plate of food, and I never eat all of it. The scramble from here was super healthy with chard, and the jam for toast was so delicious. Love this spot. Also no lines, which is awesome. This place is a hidden gem!

Best breakfast in Santa Cruz. I moved here three years ago and have been to all the breakfast places recommended and found them overrated. I finally found my breakfast spot. The daily scrambled eggs were so fresh and cooked to perfection. Today’s version was a mixture of kale and seaweed. The gluten free bread is made in house… a dark bread with seeds. Can’t wait to come back again and try the vegan waffles. Cup of coffee was also delicious.

Love the location and the relaxing feel. Interesting artwork and nice people.
A little disappointed that they didn’t have whipped cream for my mocha :(
But the do have Coconut, Hemp & Almond milk substitutes!
The Salmon and Veggies was good, although the portions are quite small.
Not a place I would go out of my way for, but a convenient option if passing by.
Pretty reasonable prices.

I love this place. We came into town for a wedding and our Inn was just steps away. Whodda thunk we’d be treated to such a delightful breakfast at the default, don’t feel like driving option!?!
I’ve only been here once so I give it four stars instead of the five it probably deserves.
The service was delightful and the healthy food options were many. I had fakin Bakin, egg and cheese on a bagel. It came reasonably quickly with this really surprising sauce on it that, at first, I was unsure about but once tasted — it was yummish. Trust me, it was good and was just a smidgen so it didn’t mess up the sandwich balance. Eggs were not overcooked (a rarity) and cheesey wuth the bagel toasted nicely. The Fakin Bakin was tempeh strips I think, they were ok.
The atmosphere is casual and really nice with an area to suit whatever mood you’re in. Inside in the high traffic area, inside in the quiet dining area, or outside on the patio.
Love this place! Wait, I already said that. Just go here, eat, enjoy.

THE BEST RESTAURANT in Santa Cruz hands down!!! I freaking love this place; the food, the people, the atmosphere. Perfection! Hemp milk lattes, fresh made gluten free and vegan treats, vegan and gluten free waffles! You can’t go wrong here. I absolutely love the daily scramble with the house made gluten free vegan bread, get it every day I have work in Santa Cruz. They have an organic herb garden outside in which they harvest rosemary, basil, and other herbs to use in the dishes. Beautiful food and wonderful people who work here.

LOVED this place! I was in town for business and stopped in for brunch. The staff was incredibly nice and the restaurant is so cozy and inviting. Not to mention the building itself is so cute! My dog really enjoyed the outdoor patio area. Will definitely return next time I’m in town!

I appreciated finding gluten-​free breakfast food (after our B&B served me contaminated food the morning before). But the service was slow and the portions were small. It’s a quaint little place, though.

Nice selection of gluten free options including gf French toast and a gf waffle. Really great quality food, though somewhat small portions. Hemp milk available for espresso drinks, but make sure you tell them little or no foam. My mocha was borderline cappuccino: delicious, but went down way too fast. Overall great ambiance and service.

After searching for a location to have brunch on our bike ride, Windmill Café surprised us both! Located near the Harbor, Windmill Café offered a cozy, welcoming and unique experiencing.
The environment is super welcoming and the décor is unique and intricate. It has that cozy, warm feel to it and you can tell there is a lot of love, energy and passion that goes into running the café. We were politely greeted at the entrance by the cashier and we also were able to chat with the head chef about some of her recipes.
The menu has a lot of range to it, offering vegetarian, vegan, baked goods and traditional breakfast items. They also have a lunch menu offering awesome sandwich combos, smoked salmon salads and a few others that looked tasty!
We decided on sharing a few of their breakfast items on our first visit. A beautiful egg scramble with seasonal veggies (from their garden) came out with two slices of whole grain toast and a side of avocado (extra $ 1.50). We paired that with a vegan waffle with maple syrup and an almond milk latte. The Vegan waffle was amazing!!! Not something we usually order but «Vegan» grabbed our attention so we decided to give it a try. It was airy, light with an amazing texture and crunch to it, a must if you stop in!
Our total bill was under $ 20, the service was great, the food had flavor and a touch of home thrown into it! If you’re ever in the mood for a great deal, welcoming atmosphere and tasty food, stop by the Windmill Café in SC!

After going to many brunch places in Santa Cruz and not being happy, I looked on Unilocal and tried to find a new place. I’ve always driven by this place, but never actually eaten here. It is a hidden local gem.

Love, love, love!!!
I love the food… and tea… and the atmosphere is so sweet and chill. Once I had an early breakfast with friends and we sat there talking for hours and ended up having lunch there too. I think we were there for 4.5 hours. Owner Mary is a gem and does it right! Thanks for all you do!

It’s a quaint breakfast place with hours 7 — 3ish.
Delicious smoothies, all fruit. Vegetable croissant was fresh and very tasty. We’ll come again when back in Santa Cruz.

Windmill café never disappoints no matter how many menu items I’ve tried. This is easily one of the tastiest cafes/​coffee shops I’ve been to. The best part? It’s healthy! Gone are the days where I feel guilty studying at a coffee shop and indulging in a cream cheese pastry or something else of less than healthy origins. Here I get to eat delicious coconut curries, sautéed veggie croissants, tofu scrambles, and incredible Kabocha squash soup. It is delicious and so nice to sit and eat out in the sun. :) perfect right before a nice hike at Wilder Ranch.

Unilocalers didn’t steer us wrong, SO glad we tried this cozy Santa Cruz restaurant. It was easy to find, given that it’s the only windmill in town :) and there was more than enough parking in the private lot (it was a weekday morning).
CUTEST SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD! I can’t tell you how tickled I was when my grilled goat cheese and smoked salmon sandwich arrived. Check out the photo to see for yourself:

The salmon and goat cheese sandwich was very gooey and extremely rich, but incredible. I was thankful to have shared my table with my favorite companion willing to switch halves :)
Will definitely return for tasty eats at this lovely, local, family-​owned restaurant!
—VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE, VEGETARIAN, and HEALTH FRIENDLY!—

My favorite café in Santa Cruz! cozy in winter, sunlit in spring, short walk to the beach. Friendly service, locally owned and operated by Mara Apra, a real sweetheart who creates a homey atmosphere with a creative healthy menu, fresh, tasty, mostly organic, food, with excellent vegan and gluten free options if you desire. Delicious strong organic locally roasted coffee, smoothies, tea service, homemade soups, desserts, sandwiches, stir frys and daily specials. Always cool and wonderful people there and passing thru. Dog friendly in a low key way. Like its name, the Windmill is idyllic and down to earth real at the same time.

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars and wanted to love it. Everything on the menu sounded good, I like the feel of the place, and love that they are dog friendly with special dog menus.
However, the minute we walked in, we were treated by one of the staff with attitude because they had to walk around us as we stood and looked at the menu. We ordered two scrambles and a sandwich, and the second scramble took almost 15 min to be done when the other two dishes came out within 5 min. When we asked about the third plate, we were BARKED at «SOMETHINGS TAKE LONGER THAN OTHERS». Um, that’s a great excuse except for we had already gotten the EXACT same thing already! The questioning about where our food was earned us no jelly for the toast. Whatever.
It’s too bad. The place has potential, but it won’t matter how great food or ambiance is if you’re an ass to your CUSTOMERS. I wish I could take back my very generous tip I’d left.

Great coffee. Good healthy organic food.
It’s a local joint so you can expect to have chill but satisfactory service. Don’t expect to run in and run out unless you are just buying a cup of their coffee.
The cashier will also probably be the person that cooks your food.
It’s a short walk to the beach and there is plenty of sitting inside or outside, groups or just by yourself.
Dog friendly.

I love this place!
Down to earth, delicious, wholesome foods. Mary, the owner is a dream. I always bring my out of town guests here for a lazy morning breakfast. I also bring my morning meditation buddies here in our post-​meditative glow.
Try the gluten free bread — Mary makes it herself (secret recipe I’ve heard) and it’s hearty and perfectly textured. My favorite smoothie is the Pleasure Point — I feel like I’m in the tropics when I have it. If you like warm drinks, my favorite is the Rose Congu Black Tea, with organic ½ and ½ it is decadent!
The scrambles are great, with garden-​picked veggies, egg scramble, tempeh scramble, tofu scramble I’ve had them all and they are always spot on with flavor and texture. Also try the goat cheese croissant sandwich.
I could go on and on. I’m so grateful Santa Cruz has this gem.