Barman Steve has excellent customer service - attentive, friendly, and always with a smile. Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA is a gem that I haven't found at any other pubs in the area. Steak & kidney pie was ok - needs a bit more sauce and flavor to equal those in the UK. Three stars anyway as I wasn't expecting to have happy hour pint and grub at a British pub in oh-so proper Capitola.
Review Source:I had a terrible experience here today. My sisters and I decided to take our Mom for lunch on the beach, her favorite beach.
We ordered drinks first; for me, a Guinness, my favorite. Mom, an iced tea. I was served a terribly flat Guinness, little to no head and dull tasting.
Mom was never offered a refill, in fact, our waitress reached over her empty glass to set down the bill. To make that offense worse, a couple newly seated at a nearby tale were given refills back to back then the pitchers of tea and water were left with them for them to help themselves.
Of the four of us, three asked for waters, only two got them, one in a plastic cup. My sister's "plain" burger was brought with all the trimmings and had to be taken back. The rest of our food was great, especially the fish and chips, the portion was huge.
I was absolutely willing to discuss what was wrong with having flat beer on my tab with the responsible party, until the bartender poured a bit, sipped some Guinness and handed me the same glass expecting me to drink. He then handed the same glass to a regular customer and she drank the rest, declaring the Guinness just right. Â
I've read that soap residue will cause the head to dissolve, and results in a flat taste, and this would explain why regulars think it tastes normal, but i could not tolerate it. He took the flat beer off my tab with much grumbling and was completely unprofessional about the whole thing.
As an English mum, the steak and kidney pie was a joke. It was mostly gravy, with perhaps a 1 X 1 inch piece of kidney cut up inside. Suggest a new British purveyor of Bangers and beans (Canned pork and beans? Really?) for more authenticity. Will not be returning - very disappointing.
Review Source:Prepare to be insulted by the owner, Andy. Here is his direct quote "I hope nobody has to f@ck the fat one"! Â
Here is the back story-
I have been a very loyal patron of Britannia Arms since they moved into the Capitola Village a couple years ago. Honestly, I have brought friends family & talked up this joint!! The Ruben truly is awesome- kudos!
My father brings his classic 1956 jaguar to park in front of his restaurant during car shows etc... I eat there twice a month on average.
Needless to say, my friend is having a huge birthday party & 10 of his closest friends meet at the Brit for dinner for pre-party fuel up! One guy didn't get his beer for 20 minutes or more. The waitress was sweet, but was rushed and auctioned our plates and drinks as if we were picking up to go orders. We had made a reservation for 10 & our tables were set for 8. I had to pull another two-top table into the group and locate and move chairs myself.
Wait.... It gets better-
As we leave our fellas are talking with Andy (the owner) outside, when the ladies walk out. Andy says to the guys (and I quote) "I hope nobody has to f@ck the fat one"! Â
For the record, and not that I need to substantiate this... But I am a size 16 and I am 5'6; It's not like I am freaking Honey Boo Boo's mom!
I guess we know why he recently closed a couple of his other locations: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsantacruz.patch.com%2Fgroups%2Fbusiness-news%2Fp%2Fbritannia-arms-in-aptos-closes-without-warning&s=e59f115659032a7f743220c34b9f25756c72bebd569b5f2f7297f3cd28e1f778" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://santacruz.patch.c…</a>.
It's worth noting that we had a several hundred dollar tab and left a 30% tip
Good luck with that Andy!!
Caveat Emptor:
You may be judged, ridiculed and insulted to your friends behind your back.
You may get your beer, but then again, maybe not.
Andy, I may have something BIG... It's my mouth and I will use it to let everyone know what kind of person you are! I was born & raised in Capitola and I know EVERYBODY!!
Cheerio 'ol chap!
This is easy!
If you are in Capitola and want quality food and service; come here!
They have an outdoor seating section which is awesome!
Ocean views, waves, women and a great vibe.
We felt like we never left home when we were eating!
The owners are locals and have young kids so children are very welcome!
The bar drinks were mixes purrrrfect, and the food came up super fast.
An above average service joint.
Most places in Capitola treat you like a disposable tourist but NOT here!
This is a place we will be returning to!
Great happy hour and try the Ruben Sandwich!
Thanks for such a great experience!
We will tell all our friends!
The Crew!
This review is really for the server named Irene with the thick irish accent. My friend and I have been here for lunch a couple of times on a Sunday and both times had Irene as our server. She was an aboslute joy and made our day. The food was good but it's Irene (and sipping mimosa's on the patio with an ocean view) that will keep us coming back.
Review Source:Comparing Monterey to Capitola...my review for Monterey....
3 stars written for Monterey Brit and posted hence the quotes
" You guys get a 3 because the one in capitola is much nicer! Outside has the view of the ocean, hot minx for a bartender (blonde, bobbed hair and one sleeve tatts) and a sweetie hostess. Love it! Plus, it is soooo much sexier and cleaner. Outside smelled like an old keg never cleaned, but better. Now, if only that hottie owner will come here in his infinity and hang for a minute. I have yet to piss off the bartender here and be friends w/ the bouncers ;)"
Up on the food too. I order the tuna appetizer thingy.
Great, its def too big for one person and not a left over item.
beautiful views. Ok, not the best, but compared to Monterey...Ocean view baby!!!
Actually,..I wrote this a month ago and I am posting now. I am feeling a little Brit tonight.
yeah buddy!
Me and 2 of my friends went here one night because we wanted to sing karaoke. We sat down at a table and ordered a drink, we were sharing the drink each buying one and sharing it. The guy sitting next to us had ordered nothing at all. The owner of the bar comes up to us and kicks us out for not ordering enough drinks, mind you we had probably been there for about 30 mins and we WERE ordering drinks. He kicks us out and does nothing to the man who had been sitting next to us and bought nothing. We were being completely respectful and waiting for out turn to sing when he did this. He is crazy and I have never encountered someone who was so rude for no apparent reason. The woman who was working the karaoke machine's father had seen what happened to us and was so appalled he left himself. Do not go to this place, the service is terrible and the guy who owns it is ridiculous!! Seriously STAY AWAY!
Review Source:Monday night FISH & CHIPS SPECIAL of big real cod fillets, BIGGER THAN MY ADULT HAND!!, all you can eat ,I recommend, tho the batter is thin brown "sam adams" vs golden crispy. $13.95.
Add Happy Hour $3 Lost Coast Tangerine am. pint and Fabulous sunset ocean view,,, and this Brit.Arms has a winner meal !!
Can we now get traditional batter option?
And traditional cut pieces of golden batter-GOT IT ON SECOND VISIT!!- calamari vs processed "sticks"?
Wonder how the ceasar salad is,,,
That would be great!!
Best value on fish and chips on Monterey Bay , I have found so far!!
Was skeptical after reading some of the reviews here, but figured it was worth a try...who doesn't like a little pub food and beer?
At 6, the place was fairly busy, but there were still empty tables. We were seated right away and were given menus.
After 10 minutes, no one had come by to offer water or take a drink order. Plenty of waitresses/waiters passed our table - and yes, I did try to flag someone down, but to no avail. After 25 minutes of waiting, I'd had enough.
I won't return.
This place is awesome!
I loved the food: I had a chicken hamburger huge portions
the environment: Casual
the location: I ate outside great view of the beach
The prices was extremely reasonable for the big portions.
The service was quick and the staff was friendly we the water recommended a few beers and they were so smooth and delicious.
Great experience!
Fun and casual atmosphere! Â Lots of locals, but gets a good fill of tourists as well. Â Great place to watch sports games, they label which games will display on each TV so that you can situate yourself accordingly.
Food wise, fish and chips are excellent, the thickness of the fish is great and the beer batter is not overly coated, not greasy. Â The shepherd's pie was the first I ever had and the only one to date, I thought it was done really well however I have not had any other. Â Surprisingly, the pork chop dinner is amazing. Â The chops are a rather good size and have never been overcooked, nice and moist with great flavor. Â If you're feeling like a sandwich, the corned beef on rye is extremely tasty, not dry at all. Â The chicken sandwich is pretty basic, but is an excellent offering as well.
Pretty amazing view if you're in the Capitola area. Â Owners are often on site and the staff is very accommodating and friendly. Â
I more than happily visit the Brit in Capitola, definitely recommend it if you have never been. Â Great way to spend a Sunday during football season!
Honestly people are sure hash on this place. I lived in Santa Cruz for some time and it's actually really hard to find a place to eat in town that has good atmosphere and good food. Though the Brit has many perks
1. In my opinion the Best sports bar in town. there are a lot of TVs and lots of seating.
2. The food is pretty good, and different options depending if you want to go for the good and greasy British style, or something on the healthier side. The fish and chip is quit good and what it should be. The hot wing are great. I'm a healthier eater so I love love the ceviche! The beet salad is amazing, as well as the Oriental chicken Salad.
3. It is a clean British Pub.
4 Amazing friendly Staff! Plus a pretty cute waiter named Mike ;)
I went there on a Sunday to watch some football since they have multiple games going on. I went with my girlfriend and her daughter. Â When we walked in, surprisingly, it was smaller than I expected. Not a big deaI though because we found a table right away. Anyways, to get to the point, we ordered a cup of clam chowder, BLT, Chinese Chicken Salad, and a turkey burger. Â The clam chowder taste like watered down, canned, Progresso Clam Chowder. Not very good! As for the BLT, it was burnt toast, with bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. The turkey burger was good. Pretty juicy and flavorful. Â As the for Chinese Chicken Salad, by far blew the other items we ordered out of the water. The dressing was what made it so good. Â But that's not what's keeping me away. Â While eating our meals, we noticed a waitress carrying a salad to a table and she dropped two little cups, one with green onions, and the other with nuts, on the floor. After she noticed, she came back and scooped the food up with her bare hands! I continued to watch her, and she then dumped the remaining into the trash right next to the bar. Â After that, she wiped her hands on a bar rag then grabbed two pints of beer by the rim of the glasses with the same hands she scooped up the food off the floor!!!! NOT SANITARY!!!!! I will not be returning!!!!
Review Source:Went into the restaurant and ordered a pulled pork sandwich with fries.  The fries were ok, but the pulled pork sandwich was HORRIBLE.  mashed up meat with BBQ sauce  and wilted old lettuce on a hoagie bun.  Should have just made one myself as it would have been much more enjoyable.
Review Source:This review is only for the Karaoke on Saturday nights. It is awesome!
Eve is the gal who owns the karaoke company and she is total doll and has the pipes of an angel. She is amazingly fun and draws in the crowd. GO, and bust a move.
Don't remember much about the drinks, except the pours were generous. ;)
I enjoy going toThe Brit. It's relaxed, has a really nice staff and the patio is dog-friendly. It's a good place to hang out with friends, talk and watch a game, listen to some karaoke, or sit outside and enjoy the esplanade.
Everybody who works there is friendly - Lyndsey stands out for me as a top-knotch waitress .
I like easy-going, laid back, welcoming atmospheres ... This is that place.
We came here for lunch during the Begonia Festival weekend (labor day weekend). It was one of the few places in the area that was dog friendly, so we decided to try it. We split the fish and chips.
Pros:
1. Food was hot when it finally came out
2. Dog Friendly
3. Fries were good
Cons:
1. Food took FOREVER to come -- I think we must have waited 45 minutes, which seems ridiculous for fish and chips.
2. I am pretty sure the diet "coke" is RC cola or something cheap like that (this is a major pet peeve of mine).
3. Fish was kind of chewy/rubbery
This review is for the karaoke on Saturday nights.
Pros
+ Really fun, welcoming crowd that seemed to be a mixture of locals and out-of-towners
+ Get there early and they'll give you extra sheets to put in your song requests
+ As the evening progresses, they clear away tables so there's more space for dancing
Cons
- Room setup is not ideal because the screen with the lyrics is facing the same direction as all the patrons, so you have to turn your back to everyone if you don't know the song by heart
- They charge $3 for each soda water, which seems a bit steep, especially since my group spent more than $100 on other drinks
This review is for the customer service, and the Banger n' Mash meal.
I have been coming to the Britannia Arms in Aptos since I was a little girl, my family was excited about a new one being opened in Capitola since it is somewhat closer to where we live. Tonight was the first time I came to dinner at this location with my family, who've all had fish and chips there, and have raved about them. I can't go to a British restaurant without ordering the bangers and mash, so that's what I got. The bangers were O.K, the vegetables were whatever. However, the mashed potatoes were instant. This, in my family-- born mostly in Ireland and England, is a crime. I politely inquired about them, the waitress was nice and went back to speak with the manager, who told her that they were real.
Listen, potatoes have been a major part of my diet for my entire life, it's a primary factor is most British and Irish meals. They were instant, and I would bet a lot of money on that. I confronted the manager and told her how disappointed I was about them, and then to be deceived. She frantically denied it, and said that SHE would go back and taste them to tell me if they were instant. Well, we saw her go back to taste them and then she never came back out, so we left. They were instant, she lied, and it was incredibly unprofessional to treat loyal customers in this fashion.
My family love the fish and chips, so they may return; but I won't.
I was so excited to see that Brittania Arms had opened up in Capitola, the Brit in San Jose is such a great and fun place. Â Was in Capiola on a day that the SF Giants were playing. Friend and I walked into the Brit, asked if they Giants game was going to be on their TV. I hadn't heard my friend asking a moment before I did..... the manager Andy yelled over his shoulder......"we heard you the first time, just wait a minute". Â When he saw that I had a cafe latte in a cup from a coffee shop in the village there, he looked and me and said, "you can't have that in here, give it to me. Maybe you should go to Starbucks where you bought your coffee and watch the Giants game", then he took my drink. Â I will never go back there again......and I have told all my friends this story, they will not patronize either.
Review Source:This is a sports bar, not actually a pub. The Crown & Anchor in Monterey is a pub.
Servers/bartenders here never tell you when they're doing last call, nor do they post regular kitchen hours - it's a crapshoot as to if they'll be serving food, drinks, or both.
Food is iffy and overpriced.
Basically only the place to go if you're nearby and absolutely craving a pint.
As a local, went there to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympic games as advertised on the outside sign. Started out good enough, but then became loud and boisterous with what must be the Friday night DJ and his posse of hoodlums. So was completely unable to enjoy the latter half of the show (but did our best nonetheless). Â
After dropping $300 on drinks and appetizers, just mentioned to the owner that he shouldn't have advertised an Olympics evening and then superseded it with the house music half way through the show. We thought it was just a little constructive feedback. His response was to tell us to f"*% off and never come back. Then he physically grabbed one of us and literally kicked (with his foot) us out of the place. Felt compelled to file a police report afterwards...
Needless to say, will NEVER be back and advise all others to avoid this hole in the wall. Shame since the service wasn't bad. But can't deal with business owners who refuse to take a bit of feedback from their patrons... Just can't believe how he over-reacted to our comments, which I thought were delivered in a non-threatening and constructive manner.
Warning.
I was just assaulted by the owner of the britannia arms in capitola. I filled a police report with the capitola police department. Â Let's see if justice is served for the little people. Please do not go near this place as it is owned by a thug. If I could give it negative stars I would.
We walked in at 11:30 to empty restaurant (except 2 people sitting at the bar and 2 on the patio). The bartender was busy talking to the 2 guys at the bar and ignored us. A waitress came out and ignored us as well. We had to step up to the bar and stand there to get someone to pay attention to us. We asked if we should seat ourselves. We were told yes. I grabbed a menu and we and onto the patio. The 2 patrons out there already had their food. We sat there for 5 minutes. Then we noticed 3 guys walk in and sit down inside. Within seconds the waitress was there, waiting on them.
We decided not to wait to see if we would ever get severed and left. Excellent service across the street. Will never return to BA again. RUDE!!
It is a pub/sports bar so set your expections accordingly. Just because it is beachfront does not mean it is anything more. I took the family here for dinner last week and we were able to get seated fairly quickly. Our server was really nice and she was on the ball. We got seated next to some locals who chatted with us most the time. It is weird to me how almost all the locals are so nice in Capitola. Not like San Jose at all.
Food was mediocre at best. I had a steak and it was overdone and not all that tasty. The side veggies had to be frozen and nuked. My wife had the fish & chips which were ok. Not the best, not the worst. What is great is they have a really good Pinot Noir for like $30 a bottle. That is a heck of a deal at any restaurant, let alone one that has the location they do. I would go back just to sit on the patio and drink that wine.
It's a pub, so you probably wouldn't expect anything special from the food, and you would expect loud, very loud tables of boisterous men who the staff let yell and be generally troublesome - so, that's what you get. Â
What you don't expect is poorly washed glasses that leave a decidedly chemical-floral taste in your mouth glass after glass. Â Yuck. Â I thought a fluke, but then it happened the next time I visited.
The staff busts butt to give good service.
If you dig sports t.v., you'll have lots of screens to look at - if you don't, it is very distracting.
I've had the fish and chips (overcooked, greasy) and the 'BBC' (Bangers, Beans, and Chips - little taste and the sausage was textureless oddness)
The price is right for a beachside establishment, but I think I'll go elsewhere from here out.
I came here with a group of people to eat breakfast. It was really packed because there was a car show going on. We put in our order and received our drinks fairly quickly. The food on the other hand took FOREVER.. I understand that it was really busy and that's why we were as patient as we were. There seemed to be 5 or 6 waitresses walking around but it didn't seem like that was even enough. We were helped by Lindsay and she was amazing. Probably the only reason why we didn't just get up and leave. She was really pleasant to deal with and tried everything she could to keep us content. Irene was also wonderful, quick and efficient.
Some of us asked Lindsay if they could get their toast first because they were starving and just wanted any small part of their meal to hold them over until the breakfasts arrived and upon returning from asking the cooks, she said no. Does that mean the cooks in the back couldn't take a minute to throw toast out, scratch it off the ticket and continue on to help a party of six stay seated? I don't know. Maybe they were understaffed in the kitchen and not well prepared for the business the car show was going to bring in. I still don't know.
There was talk of leaving when I got up to ask Lindsay how far along our order was. I knew she couldn't do anything about speeding it up and I didn't want her to. I just wanted to know if it was going to be sooner or later. She said sooner and I believed her, so we stayed. When our food finally arrived an hour and a half later, it was just okay. A couple of people didn't really like their food that much. My eggs were over done and toast was not toast. And, to be honest, everything turned out to be overpriced. $10-$14 breakfasts and not much food is definitely not what I want to wait an hour and a half for.
After a highly disappointing experience (except for Lindsay and Irene) I tried to speak with the owner, Andy, just to let him know that something needs to be done in that kitchen because our wait was much longer than it should've been for  overpriced, not-well-cooked breakfast foods on a busy day and that we were handled wonderfully by Lindsay and Irene. And his response was like a "what do you want me to do?" kind of shoulder shrug and a "thank you" about complimenting his staff. I wasn't looking for a free meal as we had already paid before I spoke with him. But the I-don't-care attitude portrayed by the owner makes me never want to come back here or suggest going here to anyone. It would've been better if he fed me some bullshit apology about the inconvenience and thanked us for our patience and business. But it's okay, now we know.
First time here and I'm a fan. Â This location in pretty new (a year old in June '12) from what I'm told, but the way it was packed on a Friday, you'd never know it.
My friend lives up the street and is a regular. She sits down and the Cider is waiting for her (that kind of regular). Steve, Ryan, and Noel were great and efficient behind the bar. Hats off to them for being top of it all on a busy night.
The Blackthorn Cider on tap was great! My friend and I got in for Happy Hour, so the apps we got were half off. Always good!
The calamari was great. Tender and grilled to a nice brown color. The cocktail sauce was flavorful without being too overwhelming. Well done Brit! Â The sampler basket was killer too. It was filled with fried zucchini, mushrooms, and onion rings.
There was an outdoor patio on the side of the Brit, so if you want to sit outside, knock yourself out.
Sunday I took a group of 10 friends (and their dogs) to eat on the patio at Britannia Arms in Capitola Village. It was a GREAT experience!
I was a bit hesitant after reading the other reviews, but I was impressed and surprised by the service and the food.
Our waitress was wonderful - friendly and so attentive. She kept our drink glasses full, and even brought a pitcher of ice tea to make sure we got enough. The ice tea was tasty and had a slight fruity hint. They have a huge selection of beer here... many that I never heard of before.
We were all impressed with the amount of food that was on each plate. A few people took half their sandwich home because they couldn't finish it all. I ordered a corned beef sandwich and it was so stuffed with corned beef, it was hard to wrap my hand all the way around. The person next to me ordered fish and chips and there were three large pieces of fsh with plenty of chips (it actually fed two people nicely). Someone else ordered the fried zucchini appetizer. The zucchini was lightly coated, then fried so that the zucchini still had a bit of crispiness to it... just the way I like it.
The view from the patio was awesome and we were all entertained by all the surfers coming and going from the beach. There are also heaters to keep you warm on chilly days. Did I mention the patio is also dog-friendly? Yup, we brought our dogs.
We've all eaten at Britannia Arms in Aptos and this was better. We will return. My biggest complaint is that it is so hard to find parking in Capitola Village.
Great location, good atmosphere, decent food. Â High prices though but it is a tourist town. Â NOT an English pub but rather more of an American sports bar. Â Typical, run of the mill beers on tap. Â Stella, IPA, Guiness, etc. Â Everything else is in a can or bottle. Newcastle, Boddingtons, etc. Â Supposedly they are getting more taps soon. Â U20 World Cup Final and at least 2 MLS games were available but they had the pre-season 49ers v Raiders game on and then let it go to some sitcom after until I finally reminded them to change the channel.
I'll probably go back for the view, but I was disappointed for the most part. Â For my regular fix, I'll go to the Aptos Brit.
this place is awesome! I have always been a fan of the other britts around the bay area but this one being by the ocean makes it that much better.
Every Saturday a few of us friends go down for breakfast which is always amazing. Eggs benedict is the best Ive ever had. But I think the reason we are always going back is for the bottomless mimosas for $9. They are always good about refilling when needed.
I've only been here a few times during the night hours and is usually pretty slow, (maybe the place is still a little unknown) but they have most of my favorite beers on tap. If you havent been by here check it out!
Overpriced, lousy service, mediocre food.
Calamari, mussels, fish & chips, 2 glasses of juice: $60
At one point, a waiter walked out on the patio and called out: "Anyone want anything?" Then turned around and went back inside. Our order came after 25 minutes.
Fish & chips: fish seemed ok, but hot fish came with cold rubber chips. Left an awful taste.
Go somewhere else!
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
