Pono Hawaiian Kitchen & Tap - (Near Santa Cruz, CA)

Avant Lard Travel - by Houston Porter Soooo good! We dont dine here often enough especially considering its one of our favorite restaurants IN THE WORLD!!! (...and for context, we do dine all over the world, are food and travel writers, food and drink tour guides, and international food and drink judges.) The quality of the meat is amazing especially considering the prices (some of the best filet anywhere), the food is always quick and delicious, and the staff is great. I wish they had a nicer location and more comfortable seats, but they are still easily in our Top 10 list of favorite and realistically are probably in our TOP 5. (Sorry but our Mains photos arent great because we already started devouring the food.)

Albert Vo Food: my wife and I were highly impressed by their chicken Khao Soi and beef Pad Thai, thanks to the authentic flavors and perfectly al dente noodles. Mango sticky rice was also sweet and delicious. Service: the owner is genuinely kind, personable and approachable. Atmosphere: a nice ambient atmosphere to sit and enjoy our food while letting our newborn sleep.

Grace Augustus We love Batter Up! The food is always hot and fast. The servers and hospitality are always super nice. Be mindful on Sundays when they packed and can be a 45+ minute wait. I take that as an opportunity to run a quick errand at Target, Walmart, or Vons. Also, beware that the seating area can get tight and claustrophobic when its packed. For my fiancé and I the average cost is about $60 out the door and I usually get a water and the Home Plate meal and he gets an omelet of some sort with a soda. Overall, Batter Up is one of my top two places for breakfast.

A A Food is always as aspected and nothing less; service was great and price was good; never had a complain out of 10 times I been there

Marc H Awesome local place for breakfast. They have a long counter service, with 9 booths along the windows for larger parties. I got the impressively-constructed breakfast quesadillas with eggs, ham, cheese, and tomatoes with a side of skillet potatoes.

Sarah Haight Great tequila selection! We never make reservations and always get sat pretty quickly. Even if it’s busy. Love the vibe here. The bar is great. The food is super tasty. It’s all outdoors which is awesome and different. Parking kinda sucks across the way in a dirt lot but at least there’s security watching the cars. I’ve been here a handful of times. Never disappointed! Staff is great too!!