When you’re on vacation, it’s nice to treat yourself to a meal out. In this case, it’s a meal out in beautiful Santa Cruz County. You won’t have to do the dishes afterward, and there are new food options to try. You might even find a new favorite hangout.
When you stay in affordably-priced Santa Cruz beach house rentals, you’ll find you can still enjoy eating out without breaking your budget. But you might grow tired of dining out all the time, and it can get pricey if you choose high-end places to dine, so it’s nice to have the option to eat in too. Here’s more info about eating out and eating in while you’re on this California getaway.
Eating Out
With so many great dining options in Santa Cruz County, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about choosing where to eat there. That’s why we narrow down the list for you of the most popular local restaurants, according to the type of cuisine.
Firstly, for seafood lovers, check out Johnny’s Harborside Restaurant. It has a casual atmosphere, specializes in fresh fish made how you want it, and offers views of Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. They incorporate fresh local ingredients into the menu and are open for lunch and dinner daily, with brunch available on the weekends. You may want also to stop by for Happy Hour to enjoy a drink.
Looking for a Mexican meal out? El Palomar Restaurant offers modern Mexican cuisine and is close by vacation house rentals in Santa Cruz, CA. The recipes come from the state of Michoacan in southern Mexico, and they feature locally sourced vegetables and fresh fish caught in Monterey Bay. Feast on fresh tortillas, salsas, and sauces that have been handed down through generations of the Espinoza family. It’s no wonder El Palomar earned the “Best Mexican Restaurant in Santa Cruz” award.
If Italian dining is on the to-do list, head to Café Mare downtown after a full day of sightseeing. The relaxing environment is the perfect way to end the day before hitting the hay in one of the comfortable Santa Cruz County vacation rentals. Café Mare’s dishes are simple, flavorful, and fresh. Seafood and pasta dishes are the specialty of this authentic Italian restaurant. The selection includes fettuccine primavera, spaghetti carbonara, and calamari steak.
Eating In
To help balance food costs, try to eat in if you can. Making meals yourself while on vacation can also help you eat healthy too. Plus, you can make the meal exactly how you want it, from the ingredients to the way it’s cooked and the portion size. Thankfully, Santa Cruz beach house rentals have full kitchens that are equipped with basics you would likely find in your own kitchen back home.
From pots and pans to cooking tools, plates, bowls, glasses, and utensils, they are all ready for your use in the rental. The ability to make a meal with ease is a major advantage of choosing Santa Cruz County vacation rentals over hotel rooms. Likely all you would get in a typical hotel suite is a microwave and bar fridge, but a vacation rental provides a full kitchen, meaning it has a stove, oven, and regular-size fridge, at the minimum.
Depending on the size of your Santa Cruz beach house rental, its kitchen may even be the size of your real kitchen. You can move around the home without feeling cramped like you would in a hotel room and also get ample counter space for preparing the meal.
Santa Cruz County vacation rentals are not far from grocery stores, and there can be good deals to be had by checking for sales in-store. Markets are another place to get fresh local ingredients, including those you’ve never had before. From Nob Hill Foods and Safeway to Whole Foods Markets, there are lots of choices.
Eating In and Dining Out
Make the most of your trip by staying in vacation house rentals in Santa Cruz, CA, where you have the option to make your meals within the kitchen there, and you can also treat yourself to a meal out now and then. Eating local can include buying fresh local ingredients in-store to cook yourself in addition to eating meals at restaurants specializing in local cuisine. Stretch your dollar further by eating out and eating in, while still having a fun time!