Local Santa Cruz Restaurants that UCSC Students Can Afford

When I first moved to Santa Cruz, I had no idea of where to dine. With no guidance, I of course had a few experiences of wasting a lot of money on mediocre or just plain disgusting food. Hopefully this guide that I've developed through trial and error can spare you some of the hassles of arbitrary restaurant selection. All the restaurants listed here are not terribly expensive, without compromising good taste. Each also offers some good vegetarian options, as is common in Santa Cruz.

Breakfast: Zachary's- 819 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz
Save the greasy food at Santa Cruz Diner for late-night breakfast. Instead, try Zachary's if you're awake before 2:30 pm closing. It is very popular, especially on weekend mornings. They serve American style breakfast food, including various egg or tofu concoctions, pancakes, amazing home fries etc. If you're not feeling breakfast, they've got sandwiches, soups, salads, and homemade desserts. Price range from about $2-$3 for ½ order of French toast or a cup of soup, to $5 for a basic 2 eggs, potatoes, and toast breakfast, up to around $9 for the more elaborate omelettes or burgers.

Mexican: Taqueria La Cabaña- 2332 Mission Street, Santa Cruz
La Cabaña is a rare gem nearly hidden in a Westside strip mall across the street from New Leaf. This traditional Mexican taqueria has a menu with a few more options than usual. You can have your tacos, burritos, etc. made with things like shrimp, cactus, mushrooms, or octopus. I love their artichoke burrito and its really two meals. It's a little more expensive than some of the gross taquerias in town, but it's absolutely worth it for the unique flavors.

Tea House: The Attic Art Gallery and Tea House Café- 931 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz
The Attic is an artsy loft space offering tea as well as lunch, dinner, and desserts. Here you can sip on exotic teas such as the wild Armenian mint, which is only gathered during a full moon, or an organic tea called Lapsing Slouching that is cured in the smoke of Chinese pinewood, or a sweet Taiwan Beauty, or an Anxi Tikuanyin "Iron Goddess of Mercy. If you don't fancy tea, they also have Santa Cruz Roasting Co. coffee. Tea prices are roughly $1.50-$4.50. As far as the food goes, the Attic prides itself on their fresh, local, and organic ingredients. A cheeseburger made from all natural, grain fed, hormone-free beef costs $6. $10 will get you a half pound burger made from real buffalo meat. In addition to burgers and fries they have steak, fish, salads, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.

Chinese: Yan Flower- 617 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz
This casual Chinese restaurant is on a less crowded part of downtown's Pacific Avenue. It's a great place to stop in after touring the headshops or rifling through the racks at Goodwill. You can choose from many entrees that are served family style, or select one of their combination plates. These combinations are a great value. The huge combo dinners include a cup of soup (try the hot & sour), spring roll, and a fried prawn all for around $7-$9. If it's before 4pm, try a lunch combination. It's smaller than a dinner, and still includes soup and a spring roll, costing around $4-$7 dollars. The service is excellent, and often provided by Yan or her husband.

Thai: Sawasdee- 5050 Soquel Drive, Soquel
If you ever feel like venturing just outside of Santa Cruz City proper, this little house is a nice place to enjoy an occasional dinner. Depending on your choices, it can get a little pricy, costing about the same, if not a little less than other Thai restaurants in this area. That said, Sawasdee outdoes the competition because of its pretty purple-walls, lovely Thai decor, and an extensive menu offering probably over a hundred items. Their coconut soup is the most flavorful I've ever had.