If you are rich and like to stand in tiny bars with unfriendly locals and tourists depending on the season, this is the place for you. The view is beautiful and the staff is friendly but the prices and the crowd make this a very unappealing destination. Also, they have pool tables but if there are more than 5 people I there, you can't play.
Review Source:I was told about this place by a friend. It's walkable from my house and I had no idea which place it was in the village. We went after Cava. It was definitely more of a 20-30 something crowd like we were looking for... The bartender was super friendly and the door guy ran over to the juke box and started up some Biggie. Pretty stellar start... You may ask 5 stars? But, in my opinion I weigh the ratings against similar spots aka other bars and for the category it ranks tops! I may have a new favorite watering hole.
Review Source:Compliment to the Bay Bar - I left my backpack and jacket behind - totally forgetting I brought it in. Â I had important documents and belongings in my pack. Â about 24 hours later I walked in to inquire on whether my pack was there. Â
The bartender thoroughly questioned me on the backpack and identifying features. Â I approve of this kind of behavior, as many work supplies were inside of the pack. Â I trust this place.
Since that time I've gone in with my friend regularly to discuss work and good times... and it's a locals place. Â One evening I watched one unsavory individual walk into the bar and start causing trouble. Â The Staff confidently and calmly handled this problem child and extracted said person without incident. Â
I will definitely make this my regular local hang out with cool local people and responsible staff.
Thanks Bay Bar.
What is with the overly RUDE message for giving  a low star review??
I get a message after I posted from the guy who argued what he was looking for and how he held a "BLACK LIGHT along the back of the license." Â And went on about how he looks forward to not seeing me there again, blah blah blah. Â The guy took more time going out of his way to be a complete condescending jerk than he did trying to check our IDs.
if there was ANY large concern of "protecting the liquor license" at the bar, then I would think we wouldn't have been allowed to stay within the bar and rejoin our friends who already had beers, or be told to try to "peddle them at some other local bar." Â
It's one thing to be AWARE of who you sell drinks to, but it's another thing to go out of your way to be condescending and rude about it and continue the rudeness on yelp messages. Â
Maybe get better people skills and learn how to not be a complete jerk....
or at LEAST be trained better to know how to scan for IDs, or get a computer system if you can not tell the difference and know what the hell to do.
Great place to meet locals and have a drink. First time there was on a Friday night and this place was packed and drinks were strong. The reason it's not a five star is because the music choice is pretty slim to on genre and really loud. The other reason is there is only on bathroom so you have a line and men pissing in or on the toilet and not flushing
Review Source:Great local hangout, I had a few good beers and ate some fries and a mushroom burger with extra cheese and grilled onions, it was good. I would have given it another star but it took forever for my food to come out and the wait staff wasn't too friendly. The bartender on other hand was cool
Review Source:As a local, I see this place as a hole full of drunks, rude people, and smoking liter makers. Â The front of this place looks like a war zone every morning. Â In spite of multiple" no smoking" signs on the Esplanade, the patrons and EMPLOYEES constantly smoke on our street, mostly throwing their buts on the street 10 feet from our precious ocean. Â It's time for these owners to show some respect to this town and God's earth. Â I wish they would close them down.
Review Source:now the owners sent me a private message and called me "bitchy" and a coward after my last review!??? Very rude! He wanted to know what was so bad about the service.
Okay  I can be more specific. When we were there a few months ago I went outside to answer a phone call. Then the bouncer who reeked of booze(!!!!) wouldn't let me back in.Saying I was too young. I am 22. When I showed him my ID he wouldn't accept it because it was from "out of state".Okay I thought.... ignorance is not a crime....The fact that he might have never seen an out of state ID may be excused... he also was very sleazy at first and wannabe flirty. He was stroking my hair and my face with my ID. I started tom get freaked out.  I wanted get away from this situation and  go somewhere else  But he wouldn't even let me call for my husband and friends through the door. He was just laughing at me and blocking the entrance in a very physical and very inappropriate way. I mean the way he was blocking the entrance was he was touching me. he wasn't groping me but he was like rubbing his upper body against mine.  This was not okay. . I am a tiny girl. He was very physically intimidating.  By the was I was not drinking.When my husband finally came looking for me I was already crying. He complaint at the bar but nobody seemed to care. One bartender said it was okay and we could come all back in (like it was a reward) which we of course didn't want anymore . They completely ignored what we were telling them.  That night my husband wanted to go to the police to file a report but I convinced him that we should just contact the owner the next day. He went in the  next day and left a phone number but we never heard from them.  I just tried to forget about this. We own a local business too  and I know how hard it is sometimes to control staff. SO  I was going to leave it with a one star review and a hint to the "bad service"  But after the rude message from the owner we are over it! we are pretty down to earth people and I am not a cry baby. The facts are I was inappropriately treated that night. It was so inappropriate that I probably should have gone to the police that night. We failed to do so!
I would never send any of our customers to this place. There are many other places around in Capitola.
Awesome hang out spot!! i visited with my girlfriend to Capitola and we found ourselves ending up in the Bay Bar towards the later hours. The bartender was a real cool guy, got drinks quickly and the prices were good. All the locals where real welcoming which can be pretty hard to find so all and all id recommend this place to anyone!
Review Source:I LOVE THIS PLACE. I've lived in Santa Cruz my whole life and this is my number one spot to hang at now. The owner Pat and his wife always come out from behind the bar to give me a hug and say hello, and the whole staff is fucking rad! Super friendly, fun atmosphere, awesome drinks :-)
Review Source:This place has always been my go-to place when I'm out on the esplanade. The staff are very friendly and they make good drinks. Although mostly a local hangout, there are always a fair share of newbies. The jukebox has tons of good tunes and there are a couple pool tables, which are small and kind of in the way. All in all if your out in the village u should definitely make an appearance.
Review Source:Very much a locals hangout, the Bay Bar & Grill has two pool tables that dominate a lot of the space. As it gets later, this place fills up so forget about playing pool or you'll end up queuing much more than an 8 ball.
I'm much more cocktail lounge than casual bar, but this place was a-ok. The bathroom (emphasis on the singular) has a huge window that stays open for the most part. Luckily for women the window is placed just strategically high enough. If you're a guy, just don't turn around. I did see a guy out the window standing on the beach smoking a cigarette and watching the toilet goers.
Drinks were about $8 and fairly strong. I hadn't done the bar scene in years (even when I was in the market) and it felt strange to be chatted up by guys much younger than me, but then again it was also an ego boost.
For a great burger, a solid drink, some conversation and the best tuna tower (ahi, slaw, fried won tons) around, this is the place. Â I've never played pool here, but the crowd it draws nightly is always a pretty interesting, amicable mix. My wife and I end up here every few months for a cheap night out and we dig it.
Review Source:I actually really like this bar. Â It's my favorite bar in the village. Â When I go to Capitola to visit the pods I go to this bar. Â In fact the last time I was at this bar was game 1 against the Phaillies. Â Actually went there with the pods to watch the game. Â I like this place because it is low key and chill and there is a good jukebox. Â They have a pool table which I have owned on one occasion. Â All in all I think it's awesome. Â It also just recently changed owners. Â The last time I was there it was game 1 of the NLCS series and the Giants won.
Right when the Giants won the bartenders happened to change shifts and we happened to leave. Â The bartender who also at the time was the owner said to us as we were leaving "The doors right there, thanks a lot" in a sarcastic and snide way. Â I turned around and looked back like "what the Fuck? Â Where did that come from." Â Mind you that was after we watched 6 innings of baseball had appetizers and dropped about 80 bucks in a bar that was EMPTY. Â
I thought about saying something back to her but decided not to. Â I figured the bartender that was relieved who was sitting down and having a beer would clue her in to the fact that we paid his wage and her rent for the time we were there, and nobody else was.
Any way that was a long rant. Â We're thinking about going down to Cap this weekend, we'll probably go to the bay bar, maybe not, but I hope that the new owners are less bitter towards their clients than the old ones.
This is a great place to be assaulted at. After a fight broke out night before last me and several girls where shoved outside by large black bouncers, we asked them why we where being shoved and they gave us no answer. We then continued outside and began to watch and video tape how these bouncers treated other patrons trying to enter the bar. One male asked if he could respectfully enter the bar to finish his drink and grab his girlfriend he was then pushed to the ground one man said "whoow careful guys I'm not involved in this" he was then push to the ground. The bouncers then chased two small males across the street and beat them unconscious.. I continued to video when bouncers returned they took my video phone pushed me outta the way and told the police I was unwilling to leave. My friend who showed up later was then assaulted in the bar by a young man claiming to be the owners son. Witch I am assuming is true since the bouncers agreed with him and allowed him to do so... The worst security display I have EVER seen. If I had the video still I would be filing assault charges and a lawsuit to the owners for allowing there son to play security..
Review Source:This little place was along the street in the Capitola Wine Festival.. GREAT location. It's walking distance to the beach on the cute little street with all of the wine booths, they also have pool tables, good music, easy access to the bar... When I went, this place was packed because the wine festival was starting to wine-down (hahaha) and people (the cool ones, at least) wanted to keep drinking. Me and a few friends headed...no, stumbled over to this place... and ended up having a great time. It definitely has a beach-y feel to it and at least makes you forget that it's around 55 degrees outside on a July night.
I can't comment too much on the drinks except to expect bar prices. Also, it's not really possible to play pool unless you're there during the day (it was seriously that crowded when I was there). The pool table was our drink and purse holder and bench (oops. sorry if it's now uneven...corner pocket?) All in all, seems like a nice bar, but I'd have to say my review is biased as I was there on a pretty busy day.
well what can i say good drinks great bar tenders and the juke box is always playing. Â i went here last weekend and had one of the best times i have had in a while. everyone one in there was cool. i suggest you try the rum called THE KRACKEN its well worth it good stuff. i cant wait to go back when the weather is good and the music is playing gotta say go there and appreciate it
Review Source:I love that this place is right by the beach. Â It was walking distance from our hotel so that was extremely convenient. Â I lost my ID and had to use my out of state ID and the bouncer was pretty relaxed about it. Â I didn't pay for one drink while I was there so I dont know what the prices are like:) Yay for me!!
But I love that they had pool tables and lots of windows to view the ocean. Â The atmosphere is pretty awesome. Â There were a ton of people there and we altogether had a great time. Â I would totally go back here again. Â The only downfall was that they seemed to close earlier than I'm used to and the guy that was working there would not shut up about them closing and we had to leave. Â Can we finish our drinks first? Â Damn.
But other than that, it was cool.
I remember one time a bunch of us went over to Il Piratta on a long weekend and the wait was just insane. It took so long and the hostess kept bs'ing us on the time that I just walked out and ate here instead. No wait, no bullshit and the people were super nice. Good bar food, decent drinks and more importantly a bad time flipped to a good one.
Review Source:it's funny cuz they have a "yelp love's us" sticker on their window..so figure i yelp this place.
the place is very small..can get really crowded cuz there's two  pool tables in the middle.  people are trying to play with a bunch of people standing around trying to get to the bar.  i liked how there were a bunch of mirrors making it look like the place was bigger but its not. Â
went here on a saturday night and the bar was not fully loaded..lame..come on its a saturday night..bars should be fully stocked. Â although the bartenders were really kool.
warning..there is only one toilet for men and women. Â so expect a very crowded place with a very long line.
i will most likely stop by this place again whenever im in capitola
Nice couple own this bar. Been here several times on the weekends and week days ( prefer lighter nights). The owners are very friendly and entertaining if they are not too busy to talk.
Nice music selections on their juke box, Good selection of booze and beers. I really had some good burger here as well.
Best memory: went in on a week night after an evening class,. Things started off quiet with a good conversation with Matt. Little did I know some of the owner friends came in and the real party started. Yikes, I'm almost afraid to go back on week night. But good times...
The Margaritaville bouncer said,"Check out the Gay Bar down the street, they like your type in there" so off I trotted, Â It turned out to be the Bay Bar. Oh well, I still had fun, I'm straight anyway, I just dress funky. The pool tables are a nice addition to Capitola Village, I think the last table was at Larry's Surf N Turf. The owner is here a lot and looks like a villain from an old silent movie. Cool. Brings back memories of when Capitola was a tighter knit party crowd.
Review Source:This place is the spot to go if you're looking for a down home bar that capitalizes on it's beach location!
I went to Capitola by myself for a weekend away...I wandered down to the Bay Bar to grab a quick drink about 10pm. Â It was happenin' with locals and you can definitely see it's like a beach "Cheers" bar. Â The bartender who waited on me was new...really new...it was his first night. Â He was more than helpful and the drinks were fantastic. Â Not too strong, not too weak! Â It seemed the staff also enjoyed themselves and their customers and made it a great place to hang out. Â I can't wait to go back and plan on it many times over the summer!
Thanks Bay Bar for a great time!
Yup this is the place to be during summer time.. I Â practically lived there throughout the summer. If you're a local (East side) hehe go here. I think it's the best bar in Capi. Owners are so nice and usually the ones working the bar. Always great music and drinks are average price. Also a great bar to go to during the day, but like I said summer is when it goes off, during the winter it can be a hit or miss.
Review Source:My bro and I went down to Capitola for one night with my 2 year old daughter. Â We partied at the Bay Bar & Grill from about 5 til 10pm. Â We met a bunch of really friendly locals and had a blast. Â The bartender Christal was super sweet and helpful. Â She obviously took a lot of pride in her job and taking care of the bar. Â Towards the end of our visit, we met the owner of the bar and he is a really nice guy also. Â In our many visits to Santa Cruz and Capitola, we have spent a lot of time and money at bars and restaurants that completely take their customers for granted. Â So I had taken the time to get on yelp and read about the bars on the Esplanade to see if there was a good one. Â The reviews on here didn't lie and I will definitely be back to this place again...hopefully soon!
Just fyi, the place is right on the water overlooking Capitolas main beach but does not have an outdoor seating area. Â The decor is tropical, fun and classy. Â There are two pool tables, a well stocked bar, a great jukebox that the owner plugged when no one else was... Â The food is actually really good... definitely better than your typical bar food. Â Yummy chicken quesadilla and my bro ate the burger with pineapple...I cant remember, maybe it was called the Hula Burger. Â But some of the locals were picking up slices of pizza at Pizza My Heart and bringing them in to the bar and no one seemed to mind. Â Really chill, really fun, good vibes. Â Definitely a gem there in Capitola. Â
Cheers!
Nice sunny day and no better place to spend it than on the outside patio drinking a nice Newcastle Brown Ale. We were seated quickly and had the last table outside. I had the steak sandwich which was very good, nice fries, but I had trouble keeping my eyes on the food as the girls who seating everyone where very distracting, in a good way. Overall a very pleasant experience in Capitola.
Review Source:I feel I can't give this place the justice it deserves by simply writing a review for it. Â So I am going to make a list of why this place rocks:
the crowd is soooo laid back, why because this place is full of locals
I stand out like a sore thumb when I go here, I have had people call me Nikky Hilton and I have had people tell my friend he knew we were from out of town because we had nice shoes on.
they have pool tabels
the bartenders are fun and make really strong drinks!
they have a colorful chalkboard menu with all their drinks on it (and the drinks have cool neat beach names)
the place is right by pizza my heart and Margaritaville, great for the tourist like myself who loves those places
there is no cover charge
and last but not least, the crowd is always fun!
The boyfriend and I drove in traffic from San Jose to Santa Cruz today in hopes to visit the Mystery Spot. The place was full and wouldn't let us in.. booo.. So it was 1:30pm and I was starving. We decided to travel a bit further down to Capitola, a frequent place we visit.
We walked around the area and looked at the menu of Bay Bar and Grill and decided to go in. We were in a hurry and didn't have enough time for a sit down restaurant, so this was perfect.
The Bay Bar and Grill has a view of the water and has a bar area, two pool tables, with two tables on the side of the restaurant. They also have a jukebox. Anyhow, when we came in, this place had a good amount of people in it drinking and hanging out. My boyfriend and I had a Heineken and I had the two cheese quesadillas and he had the mushroom burgers. The food portions here are huge and are very good. I would definitely come back and hang out. Nice space area with great bar food. I can imagine drinking up and chowing down on their yummy food to pair along.
This was the second stop of our night after Margaritaville and I think we caused quite a stir. First off its pretty small because the pool tables take up a lot of room so 8 drunk girls walking in are sure to make a scene and take up most of the room. Â People here were really friendly locals who were buying us drinks and asking all sorts of crazy questions and telling us they knew we were from out of town...what gave it away you ask? It was the "fancy shoes", we were not aware of the shorts and flip flops dress code, but are we ever?? Â Beware of people taking their pool game seriously. Â My roommate accidentally bumped into this guy's pool stick as he was hitting and the ball went haywire...he was pretty pissed and reluctantly accepted an apology. Â Also, you cant lean on the pool tables or put your drinks on them which sucks because there is not that much regular table space to do that!
Off to Pizza My Heart....
Casual bar with two pool tables and a couple of good bartenders. Â Only 3 beers on tap (I remember seeing Fat Tire) but a pretty full bar otherwise. Â Gets loud and full on a Saturday night but the crowd was laid back and friendly.
Again, be warned... heavy police presence on the Esplanade so be very careful driving home.
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