Theo’s Restaurant

I am very sad to say that I never had the opportunity to dine at Theo’s. However, my parents, family and friends all had incredible experiences here. I knew Theo’s as I grew up in Soquel and rode by on my bikeon my way to school everyday. Unfortunately, I was too young to partake in the experience there.
I don’t know what happened to the place in the last couple of years but there seemed to be some bad reviews.
I’ll make you all a promise. When I hit the lottery I will move back to Soquel and re-​open Theo’s and the Capitola Theater. It will be just like old times.
Cheers!

This is quite possibly the 2^nd most amazing restaurant on planet Earth. I can not give enough compliments to do this place justice. All I can say is, for my last meal I would definitely choose lobster mac & cheese. Although I of course can only afford to eat there with my parents, I spend weeks thinking about ordering it. The wine menu is monstrous. The amouse-​bouche are also usually really tasty and original. I could go on and on but essentially this is an amazing spot for anniversaries, birthdays, etc. A bus boy once walked across the street to the local convenience store in order to buy me Fiji water, I mean, how ridiculous and awesome is that!

2.75 stars on a good day.
Went here with a friend for dinner (post Nicci) and the restaurant was completely empty except one boisterous table on a Friday night. I see a future Gordan Ramsey visit!
We arrived at 8PM and planned to order the chef’s tasting menu. But the waiter said that they cannot accommodate the tasting menu during that time. You got to be kidding, right? 8PM? So I was not pleased.
I ordered the lobster mac cheese and the rosemary crusted skirt steak. I mean, they do sound appealing and gourmet, so what happened?
The pasta did not taste like it was made from scratch. Maybe Barilla and over cooked? I like it al dente. But I did taste the lobster and it tasted fresh. The steak did not taste fresh. A little bit too cooked (ordered it medium-​rate) and what happened to my rosemary crust? Bah!
They did make good truffles. Ooey gooey delicious.
The service was attentive. The ambiance was nice. But too bad the food did not match.
We decided not to order dessert and went to Dairy Queen instead. Now that Oreos sundae is worth 5 stars!
Will not return.

Read in today’s paper that the chef, Nicci Tripp, has left to cook at Vida in SC. Maybe that explains changes. We used to go to Theo’s for special occasions because it was wonderful (and pricey) but were disappointed the last time we were there. We will try again.

Fresh and well prepared food but the service was appalling. Having worked in the fine dining industry for eighteen years, I was mortified by the pretentious and flippant behavior of our server. I will never visit nor recommend this location because of the unfortunate experience I had there. I mean, seriously? This isn’t Manhattan.
Wait staff should know better as you never know who you might be serving.

I took my wife here for her birthday a few years ago and we were amazed that a place like this existed in Santa Cruz County. We both ordered the tasting menu and were blown away. The server was knowledgable about the food and the wine. We could not wait to go back!
We then went back two other times and discovered that they no longer had the tasting menu, but a pri-​fixe menu and the service was terrible. And, they close too early…9pm!!! But everything pretty much closes at 9pm in Capitola/​Soquel.
It’s a good place to go and check out if you’ve never been. It is the nicest restaurant in Santa Cruz County, but that’s not saying much.

We had been to Theo’s before, although not for a few years, and went back because we thought it was a nice place to eat with good food. Either the place has changed or we caught them on a bad night.
The setting was every bit as nice as we remembered it. The service was OK. We did have to keep asking for our waiter to bring us stuff that he forgot we ordered or to refill beverages. That seemed to bug him quite a bit. It was kind of strange, but interesting, to hear our waiter talking about us to other staff members a few feet away where I guess he thought we couldn’t hear.
The food was OK but not great. Some stuff, like the prawns, were excellent but the rest was actually not very good. Every dish was literally swimming in butter. Don’t get me wrong, I like butter, even lots of butter, just not by the gallon.
I miss Oswald.

This place definitely gets a 5! It’s a hidden gem (not so hidden now since there are already 19 reviews). It’s the French Laundry in Santa Cruz mountains as my friend described.
The ingredients were incredibly fresh and in fact, some of them were hand picked from the tiny farm in the back of the restaurant. The place is very cozy and extremely romantic atmosphere. The staff was very friendly and casual, yet very professional. They did a great job making me feel like a VIP and they explain everything very clearly.
The menu is simple and refreshing — lots of spring/​summer dishes. I had the avocado crab salad, which is beautifully arranged and came with a very fresh avocado aroma. I was speechless when I had the steak — which was organic and top quality. (Look for the photos I’ve uploaded to Unilocal)
I felt so relaxed and satisfied after the dinner and I was already missing this place the moment I got back into my car. I would definitely go back again and again. (too bad it’s quite far from where I live)
Definitely make reservations — the restaurant has very limited tables. Good for small groups and couples. (not really suitable for large groups) Parking is on the street, but I had not problem finding a space right outside of the restaurant, no stress at all.

The best restaurant in Santa Cruz — and I’ve only been there once. I plan on going back, in fact, I think about it quite often… it is more of a special occasion place, but I’ll be hitting it up again soon.
Word is they have their own garden in the back that they get most of their produce from.
Memorable Dish: Multi-​colored watermelon salad stack with basil oil and feta.

Went there last night for our anniversary dinner (Wednesday night on a non holiday week). First thing we noticed was how empty it was. We got there around 6:30pm and only 1 other table was occupied. We left a couple hours later and total had gone to 5 tables. Ended up talking to the wait staff about that and they mentioned that it was a combination of summer and economy.
My impressions — food was good. Interesting. Inventive. Tasty. Not the greatest, but good. Pricey, IMHO. $ 20+ entrees, both of ours were $ 29 ea. With appetizers, wine and dessert, our bill was close to $ 200. Worth the cost for a special dinner but not some place I would go on a regular basis. Which kinda explains why they are feeling the pinch from the economy — special things like this are some of the first things people cut down on when times are tight.
Wait staff was outstanding. Décor/​ambiance was great. Overall experience was nice. If its a special occasion, without kids, go there. Enjoy.

Since it’s addressed so often I’ll comment on the price first. Is it expensive? That depends. My partner and I are non drinkers and vegetarian. We order a couple of salads, a couple of appetizers, and split an entrée and desert. We generally come in under $ 75 total before tip. Not so bad when you can easily spend $ 12.00 on a mediocre plate of spaghetti at any family style Italian restaurant. So depending on your income level, your alcohol consumption, your dietary preferences and how you prefer to spend your entertainment dollar it may or may not be that expensive.
As for having to need big bucks to eat here regularly it’s simple not true. I’m not a trust fund kid or a dot-​com millionaire. I’m self employed and most of my income goes to keeping the family afloat. We just really like great food and budget accordingly. Some people spend thousands a year on tech gadgets, drinking in bars, tricking out their car or on their favorite sport. Some spend it on food. If fine dining is one of your «hobbies» then Theo’s will be in the range to what you’d expect to spend.
As for the big city snobs. I’ve eaten at some of the best restaurants in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles and Theo’s is on par with all of them. This idea that’s it’s «good by Santa Cruz standards» is just nonsense. The truth is, for a town this small, we have a variety and quality of restaurants that you’d generally need a metropolitan area to have access to.
All the praise about Theo’s is well deserved. The service is impeccable and the food is delicious.
My partner and I often refer to Theo’s a s being «special». Once you eat there you’ll know what I mean. The meal starts of with a nice amuse bouche. Usually a poached quail egg in a nice lemony sauce with chopped chives or shaved black truffle on top. It’s served on a spoon. Another standard amuse bouche is the half strawberry with blue cheese on top with a drizzle of well aged balsamic vinegar. So if you don’t like poached eggs ask for the strawberry instead.
The courses are paced nicely. Before the main course they serve the house intermezzo, which is truly excellent. It’s a scoop of pink grapefruit sorbet with a touch of champagne I believe, served in a little champagne glass.
After you’re all done with your meal they bring out some petite desserts. Usually some fudge but sometimes some shortbread cookies.
The amuse bouche, the intermezzo and the petite desserts come standard with all meals. No extra charge.
I rate their desserts as consistently excellent and their white tablecloth service and attention to detail makes every meal special.
We recently called ahead and had Chef Nikki prepare a vegetarian tasting menu for my birthday. It was amazing. We maxed out our stomachs before the main course and there was no way we could even consider the dessert. The presentation was so beautiful that they just decided to wrap up the plates, as is, to take home. They also put two vanilla souffles with some marinated cherries in a bag and told us to bring the dishes back when we came next time.
The next day for lunch we heated up our entrees and baked the souffles in the toaster oven. They rose up perfectly and tasted absolutely delicious with the marinated cherries.
Seriously, I challenge your to find an experience like this anywhere. There is really nothing like it in the area. This is my number one place to eat in Santa Cruz, followed extremely close by Oswald’s (hope it reopens soon).
Update 9−14−08
Chef Nikki has moved on and is now executive chef at Vida Lounge and Grill. The new executive chef at Theo’s is the former sous chef. Had a great meal with the new chef. All indications is that it will be a smooth transition and the signature Theo’s dishes will remain plus we’ll see some new twists to the menu. For all the fans of the Everett Farm Strawberry Salad, it was just as good as it’s always been.
As for Vida, go check out my review with Nikki running the show.

Well one of my friend’s works here so we all came here to get desert after a birthday get together in SC and because my friend was our waiter I can’t really comment on his service seeing as we didn’t really matter.
Anyway the chef is really cool and really inventive and gives the staff free food all the time so if you have a friend who works at this place you should make it a point to stop by whenever they get off work with a pack of beer or something and snag a great meal… so I have had the food without paying for it basically! w00t…
On to the restaurant. It is small… really small… looks like a house. I hear people do wedding lunch things here often… oooookay…
you should look at the website and see what their monthly brown bag special is… on the first thursday of every month you can bring in a bottle of your own wine (the type is specified online) and have a dinner at about half the cost of normal…
the food is amazing but the price is sky high… just saying it’s not going to be a college kids lunch stop anytime soon…
the desert menu always changes but it is all gooooood… even the churros, I swear they are the best I have ever had!!! I never knew churros could taste so freaking good!!!
and that is about it… if you have a couple hundred bucks laying around then come out here for dinner but if you only have 10 – 20 bucks you should come for desert… either way it is worth it and if I have money someday I will become a paying customer and stop mooching off my waiter friend’s take home leftovers.

«is this a restaurant? it looks like a house …» and once you enter, you realize it is a house — with lots of tables. the inside gives such a warm and cutesy feeling. the place is very romantic and intimate even if the tables are slightly close to each other …
the food is very fresh, they use organic ingredients are since they are near the beach, the seafood is the best. menu changes often, especially to accommodate the availability of ingredients. there are «palate cleansers» between each course
its been 5 years, and i still remember the restaurant! best to make reservations, because it seems like space is very limited

we came in on a Thursday evening and it wasn’t busy. Waitor is really well trained and he is knowledgable on wines. The waitor helped us find a good red wine. Today’s chef is Nicci. My Belgium salad was great and I like the simple decoration of the dish. Yi’s Foie Gras starter was fantastic! For entrée, we had the Lamb and Buffalo rib steak. excellent quality — and surprisingly quanty as well. make sure you had the middium-​rare for both. as for desert, Yi ordered Berry Crisp. She really likes it. I didn’t share the desert but I did have a shoot of expresso.
Overall, I love the food and the service. The service is better than Cetrella Bistro in Half Moon Bay. We definitely go back again.

This place is a little hidden gem, tucked away in the corner of Soquel. It is easily as good as many of it’s bigger cousins in SanFran with all the quiet class and about 2/3’s the price! Not a lot of hoopla, just quality and a staff from chef to busboy that knows what a good restaurant is and does. They have a solid wine cellar and a first Thursday of the month event where everyone brings a bottle of a designated wine. About 20 couples have a great evening with a prix fixe dinner and the chance to compare some fine vineyards and vintages! Wonderful! What a treat!
You’re right, Mike B., this isn’t an ‘everyday’ kind of place but there are plenty of those out there already. This one’s special!

I’ve been dying to come here ever since my girlfriend spotted it a few weeks back when we did our little driving tour of Soquel village. Everyone we’ve spoken to about it says that it’s foodie paradise, especially on the Central Coast.
Only it’s expensive as hell. I have to wait until the next special occasion.
In the meantime I’m giving it 5 stars solely based on the amount of excitement it generated from my girlfriend. It takes a really special place to get her that revved up about a new restaurant.

Overpriced for what you get. Good menu, nice ambiance but the wine list and the service is average at best.
I think the people who give it 5 stars simply do not know better. I’m not being elitist but it just isn’t that great when compared to other Bay area restaurants in this price range. When you charge $ 25+ for entrees you are held to a much higher standard and this place fails in virtually all cetegories.
Sure it is above average for Santa Cruz (does not take much to be above average in Santa Cruz) but you’d expect much better at these prices (especially service — which is nice but they don’t know that much when it comes to qeustions about the food and wine.).
I did love the artwork on the walls :-)

This place is a treasure. Located in the hamlet of Soquel, in a little house with a kitchen garden out back, Theo’s is charming, comfortable, and an incredible bargain for world-​class fine dining. The chef, Nicci Tripp, creates beautiful dishes with the absolute freshest local organic produce (most of it comes from Everett Family Farm, just a couple of miles away), and even makes his own cheeses. The wine list goes on for days, and prices are not the usual gouge, but are reasonable.
The first Thursday of every month is «Brown Bag Night»: you bring an assigned varietal, e.g., Pinot Noir, and the chef will create a three-​course meal designed to complement that wine — for only $ 45, all-​inclusive. Try the multi-​course chef’s tasting: put yourself in his hands.
I cannot praise Theo’s enough. I love the chef, and every meal we’ve ever had there has been extraordinary. I would recommend Theo’s to visiting royalty, given the chance. It is very very special indeed.

I love Theo’s. This isn’t your everyday stop unless you’ve got money to burn. In other words, it’s pricey. But, that said, it’s overall worth it. The ambiance is intimate and the service is good.
My boyfriend and I just splurged for our anniversary and loved (almost) every bite. We started with an array of appetizers (citrus & greens, roasted quail and a cheese plate). He had an excellent fish dish and I chose an unfortunate pork loin, which was very tough.
Between courses we were given little additions to try, including an amazing homemade grapefruit sorbet to «cleanse the pallet».
Despite the pork mishap, we had a wonderful time and ate like the royalty we are.

A must if your a true foodie.
The tasting menu is awesome, some of my highlights were the Lobster Mac and Cheese and Avo stuffed with Crab. Decent wine selection and impeccable service. Our waitress, Carol was fantastic!