Avanti Restaurant

Best food imaginable. Everything on the menu is perfect. Even the beer selection (local, delicious)!Daniele gave outstanding service. This is my go-to spot in Santa Cruz!

They ruined one of my favorite dishes of all time. The meatballs have been going downhill for a long time but on my last visit they may as well have been bread balls. The pasta was still decent but when you go to a place for years and look forward to enjoying your favorite dish there and it basically sucks, and keeps getting worse it's really heart breaking. I'm never going back.

Located off Mission, it's a hard to miss 'nice' restaurant, the elegant simple sign drew us in and the hunger made us stay. For the first time ever we have a table of no meat eaters. And luckily Avanti caters to those of us who prefer beet juice over bloody meats. Highly recommend the vegetarian lasagna-- made with slices of beets and drenched in a beautiful rich crimson and cheese that melts. The kale salad was surprising-- every bite has a little bit of plumpy citrus and chewy kale. The cheese plate came with a delicious quince jam. And the smallest slices if fresh ripe peach. Yum!! I just wish there was more!I don't know what it's normally like here but it seemed like most of the busboys or uniformed staff are all noticeably inexperienced and young. The very fit owner/manager lady did mention they're short on staff. They just were all so young, ill prepared and possibly first dayers. Bottom line- food is fantastic, very cool and well decorated atmosphere but the service is.. cautiously over-tentative.

Delicious meal, beautiful ambiance, great service. We were seated quickly and our server was so kind! Lots of seating options- bar, classic indoor, and a garden patio (dog friendly!). After ordering, our food came within 10 minutes.The focaccia was delicious- warm, perfectly salty, and great rosemary flavor. A bit pricy for what it is, but delish. The caesar salad was basic but did the job. They didn't skimp on the parmesan cheese, although more croutons would've been nice. I had ordered the pappardelle... SO delicious. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauce had great depth of flavor. Meatballs were amazing as well. The portion sizes for the pasta were great, I was so full after mine and my friend was able to save some of hers for later.Great place for a special occasion, we left happy and our stomachs full.

Nice restaurant located on the west side of SC. We sat in an area where it felt like the outside but had glass looking out to the outdoor dining area. We ordered fried calamari and spiced cauliflower for apps. The calamari was very good but we have had better cauliflower. Our dinners were all good but some were small quantities. Our cocktails were just ok and at $15 per we expect more. We ordered desserts which were good but quite pricey at $15. If we came back, we would be thoughtful with what we order so the bill wouldn't be so much.

The food was really was tasty and we were not sure what to expect since we picked this as a whim. In town for a volleyball tournament. My daughter had the duck breast and she really liked it. I had the hanger steak. The star of the dinner was the grilled calamari. The service was nice and little slow but picked up as the meal was ready timely. The ambiance was fun eclectic. The bar looked fun I didn't have a drink since we have an early start the next day but the drink offerings looked really good. Next time. Family friendly although did not see any diners my daughters age - 14.

Such a gem! The food was spectacular and the drinks amazing. Everything was fresh and delicious. The wait staff was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu items that contained Gluten as I have a severe allergy, which is always so reassuring. I'm unsure how this was our first time here, we will be back ASAP!

Came here for a Valentine's day reservation at 7 and left very upset. Our server took our order for drinks and appetizers and they came out about 10 minutes later. As we were finishing our appetizer, a busser came to take our plate and asked if we wanted a desert menu so we told him we haven't ordered yet. We noticed our server was checking on tables around us while completely ignoring us and wouldn't take our entree order. At 8:15, she came to our table and said "You ordered, right?" We said no and asked for the check because we did not want to wait any longer here. She brought the check out and said "Gratuity is already included, sorry about that" and walked away. Very rude and horrible service, will not be coming back.

Went there on Valentine's and the place was a sh$t show. Overbooked, understaffed and worst of all, they charged a 20% "large party fee" for 2 people! Totally unfair to the server, who didn't have any support, and many people left without tipping due to the ridiculous large party 20% service fee for groups of 2.

Went there on a Sunday night, great cocktails and tasty food, we had a drink at the bar and a bite at the table and both the bartender and the server were really attentive and nice. The ambience is simple yet welcoming, the location is right on a busy street, but plenty of private parking. Recommending the carpaccio, focaccia, calamari & lard, fried chicken (special).