La Posta

The best Italian Cuisine in Santa Cruz and don't get me started on the exceptional service Thank you for a memorable evening

Had a wonderful time celebrating Valentine's Day at La Posta. The staff handled a full house with ease and the atmosphere still felt intimate. The food was delicious. My favorite was the polenta, it was so smooth and creamy. Everything was really excellent, though. I highly recommend La Posta.

This was a wonderfully romantic, simple yet elegant dinner spot. The food was fantastic, there was a good variety of things to choose from, and everyone on staff was extremely attentive and kind. Highly recommended

We decided to meet a friend in Santa Cruz and because of their dog we chose this restaurant that offers outdoor seating restaurant is Quaintance small but the backyard is pretty large parking can be somewhat of a challenge, but we manage to find the location quickly. The selection is entirely Italian wines so if you're looking for the New World wines, you're gonna have a hard time finding anything, they have a large selection of Italian wines depending on your budget you can spend over several hundred dollars or you can find one for around $50-$60. The menu changes regularly and this particular night I decided to have the squid pasta with seafood I was disappointed to say the least because the flavor and when I asked for Parmesan, the waitress told me that they charge extra, part of the meal was the appetizers were very good and fresh made bread with butter a great start. They have heaters in the back which kept us warm. The short ribs were excellent

Love this restaurant they always have some new freshly dish , food is delicious! And the costumer care is amazing! I haven't been there in years, can't wait to go back and try something new and delicious

We sat outside at La Posta. Their outside seating is a transformed parking area. It isn't fancy, but is comfortable. All of the dishes we tried were fresh and perfectly prepared. The service was pleasant and prompt. As a starter, we shared market greens with a sherry-shallot vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan. The greens were fresh and the dressing was light but flavorful. We also had an order of the homemade sourdough bread, which had a perfect crust. For main courses, we ordered the halibut and the lamb chops, sharing back and forth. The proteins were perfectly cooked. Both had a nice sear and were still moist. The halibut was served with pole beans and fingerling potatoes; both were delicious. The lamb chops were served with small beans and tomatoes. Also delicious. We ended our meal with the chocolate panna cotta with cherries. It was light, but flavorful. All of the food was so good that my husband ordered a pizza to go for the next day!La Posta is a casual Santa Cruz spot that is using the freshest ingredients and perfectly preparing them. The setting isn't glamorous, but the food is better than you find at some of the fancier places.

***Updated 3/22/2023***It doesn't get any better than this! We had a birthday dinner here last weekend. From the moment we walked in, we could feel the welcoming warmth of the staff. Ehrin was a wonderful waitperson looking after us throughout the meal. We started with the fresh green salad. Wow was the produce fresh with just the right amount of dressing and flavors. We moved on to the main courses. I had the special fettuccini in a rich Bolognese sauce. Not to thick and not to thin. So amazing! which was just outstanding! It rivals anything else I have tasted including that from a 3 Michelin star chef. The others had the Gnudi - ricotta-spinach gnudi, brown butter, sage, parmigiano and the Corzetti ai Frutti di Mare - herbed corzetti, rock shrimp, clams, mussels, chili, capers, crushed tomato. Both perfectly prepared. I forgot to mention the amazing bread. I'm a carbaholic and this was my fix...a Walnut-Rosemary Brown bread.I cannot remember when we has such a perfect meal. I chose not to include any photos as it was a special birthday dinner and didn't want to distract from the evening. Anyway, photos wouldn't have done it justice.Many thanks to Ehrin, the kitchen staff and others for making this one perfect meal.

Simply wonderful. First the food is a 5 star experience- the dining room, setting is a 4. This is a neighborhood restaurant and a fine experience.We started with a glass of red each and ordered a sausage pizza. Very thin crust and rest was history. Just Wow! Next the burrata salad. One of the best we've had in a long time. Tomatoes so sweet and tasty. Very high quality burrata accompanying. Both pastas were excellent/ I couldn't believe how much pork was in mine and thought the Ragu brought out the green fettuccine flavor very well. Pesto pasta was a winner. They have outside seating behind the restaurant- a leftover from COVID. Not my favorite since it's in the parking lot but it is separated and there are umbrellas. It was warm night but they leave the front door open and likewise the back and that made inside the restaurant super comfortable. Prices are extremely fair. They even do their famous home made bread for $3! Are you kidding me? Go. Now. Enjoy.

Let's start the new year off right, with a review of my favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz, La Posta. We were here shortly before Christmas, and it had been years since I had eaten here last. I am happy to say it has kept up its high quality. The food is amazing, and the fresh pasta is always top-notch. They have a fantastic wine list as well. Gavin, our server, was great. He gave us some some funny anecdotes and offered to help with wine suggestions if we needed them. He was attentive but not overbearing. The ambiance is fantastic; it is relaxed and friendly. There is no pretension or stuffiness, just friendly folks and good food, and the night we were there, they also had live music. It isn't cheapest, but it also isn't "break the bank" expensive. Considering the quality, I feel it is actually a bargain. Anytime I am in Santa Cruz, I will be sure to stop in and get my pasta fix.

We dined here about 10 years ago and I could not remember why we had not returned. I was reminded last night. We happened to come here on their 18th anniversary. How did they choose to celebrate 18 years of fleecing their cherished guests? A $55 mushroom and pasta dish and a 2 oz glass of wine (the volume noted on the menu so as to reduce your shock when you get your two sips of wine). There are already plenty of expensive wines on their list. It's telling that this is the way they choose to thank their customers for putting their kids through college. Not sure if the bread here always goes for $1 per half slice. Maybe for their 20th anniversary they will throw in a mint with the bill.We were seated on plastic chairs, at a plastic patio table, outside in a rundown patio that was composed of all the random furniture you might expect to find unsold at the end of a garage sale. Imagine: zero ambiance. Indoors was nice but the patio should have come with a different menu or at least different prices.The waitress betrayed exhaustion with a barely suppressed agony bubbling underneath, as if she had been forced to leave children at home without a babysitter. It was a little distressing to watch but she was nice enough. I certainly was not going to skimp on her tip. I'm guessing the owners are as stingy with their employees as they are with their guests.I had a glass of their house Montefalco Rosso and it was delicious (hence the 2 stars). I ordered the gnocchi with oxtail ragu. Flavor profile was okay. I received an unacceptable amount of tendon and globs of unrendered fat which should have been picked out before plating. At $30 for mostly boiled potato dough, the portion was truly pathetic. In all fairness it does appear as though we got smaller portions than some of the pictures seen here. Perhaps they were spread a little thin for their big anniversary night but in that case we should not have been seated. My partner got about 6 small ravioli on her plate. They were good but not great. Combined with the miserly portions, a truly underwhelming experience overall!So, until I start feeling philanthropic about the owner's net worth I will be staying away. There are other Italian restaurants in our area with better food, better service, better ambiance, and bigger portions. And they do not gouge their customers like La Posta.I think what's going on with this place is that it has a very loyal local following made up of retired folks with faltering taste buds, tiny appetites and a penchant for routine, who stopped noticing the difference between $20 and $50 about 18 years ago, or they just like forking it over for the right amount of personal fawning from the owner. Again, I'll pass.