So you can read my previous write up of Soif here, which was about as flattering as I know how to be. Sadly, after last night, I can never go to this establishment again and suggest no one else continue to patronize this place. My review of a dining spot I "enjoyed" for the last time tonight. You can scratch 'Soif' off your list, FYI. So Soif, been there about a dozen times. Tonight I asked my girlfriend to join me there for what would be our sixth time there, and we love it there, great food, great atmosphere, wonderful all around. So I made reservations for 730 so we could enjoy ourselves before a performance I had scheduled for the Fringe Festival. And I showed up about 10 minutes late and my girlfriend has already arrived and seated herself early waiting for me. grabbed a table and ordered a glass of bubbly. So, a table of drunken assholes who were there at the same time had been seated near her, as she waited for me, and as she explained to me later, two drunken assholes from this party decided to sit at her table, grab her iPhone, scroll through her pictures while she was in the bathroom, and then insult her and basically sexually harass her while the staff, ownership and management of Soif did nothing. I showed up and these drunken assholes bemoaned my arrival, meaning as it was, that their fun at her expense was now over. Again, the staff and ownership of Soif was not prepared to help a woman seated by herself while drunken assholes, who the Soif staff continued to serve alcohol to, gladly, preyed upon her. And I guess if one of those fuckers had hit on one of their lady servers someone might have done something but if it is one of your customers, tough shit. Deal with it right, Soif staff? So as the wait staff continues to serve more alcohol to the table of drunken assholes who are clearly already too drunk (good job, Soif, you guys are doing a great job!!! These people were clearly loud, obnoxious, literally staggering on their feet when not seated, and loudly making fun of the name of the place, often!) The assholes were Oregon motorcycle/date rape enthusiasts who will never come back to this establishment. But they were waited on hand and foot while regulars, people who used to love coming here and spending their money and tipping well, turns out, they get short shrift. No woman can safely eat here alone apparently, and the staff seems OK with that. I can read people and I saw that the staff knew this group was no good, was too drunk and were making people uncomfortable and YET THEY CONTINUED TO SERVE THEM ALCOHOL. Â Side note: the bathrooms at Soif are behind a closed door obscured from view from the kitchen which is loud. When I went to make sure my girlfriend as OK leaving the bathroom because I saw some of these drunken assholes had also gone to the restroom at that time it occurred to me that someone could easily assault a female patron of this place and no one would be the wiser. Really, it could happen, especially if you continue to serve already obnoxiously drunk assholes who clearly enjoyed making your female patrons feel victimized while you did nothing about it. Wait, you did not do NOTHING about it, sorry, you continued bringing alcohol to drunken assholes, so you did in fact do something about it. Never been so mad or disappointed in my life. Scratch one more place to enjoy a meal in Santa Cruz off the list. Seriously, women, you cannot safely go and eat here alone, the staff is not on your side.Enjoy your shitty new clientele,. Soif, fuck you, seriously, fuck you, you should go bankrupt, you took two people who loved you and made them your enemies. Enjoy losing at business, when you are out of business and wondering why you did not make it, this is why, enjoy your date rapist clientele, you worthless motherfuckers. Enjoy it, fuck you. I perform standup comedy all over the Bay Area every week and will make sure to work into my act what a worthless place you are. Soif, I hope you are out of business soon, I am going to do my part to help, you surely are already doing your part to run off your own loyal regulars, I will help you finish the deal!
Review Source:Recently I joined a friend for dinner at Soif. Â This is one of the few places in Santa Cruz where I have received attentive and prompt service. Â The staff at Soif anticipated our every need and we never had to ask for anything. Â
The food was excellent and well executed.
I will be going back every chance I get!
The porkbelly appetizer was stellar. Â The Ribeye dinner and the duck breast dinner were also good, but some pieces didn't come entirely together. Â The duck breast was fabulous, but it didn't seem to go with the corn puree (which was fabulous on its own). Â Then there was a green sauce my wife and I had to ask what it was. Â Happened to be basil, but the other flavors cancelled any basil flavor. Â All in all, a bit pricy for what you get (small portions) and the service is never as good as the food (I had to pour all but the first pour of my $60 chardonnay for both my wife an myself, and the resturaunt was not busy. Â They need to train their waiters and waitresses better. Â If I'm going to pay $150 for a bottle of wine, an appetizer, and two main courses, I want good service.
Review Source:I tried Soif for the first time today. The wine server was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the wines on the menu and made some good suggestions. I stopped in for just for just a glass, but was offered so many different tastings that I likely ended up getting almost a whole glass for free along with the glass that I ordered. I didn't eat during this visit, but I was impressed that they had fresh oysters as a special. I would definitely return to Soif.
Review Source:if you love food and wine.... Â this is your destination.
we've been eating here since they first opened and we quickly learned to trust their wine pairings. Â whatever my wife orders, she always orders the suggested wine pairing. Â it works, every time!
food here is not cheap, but it's well done using the best ingredients. Â
this, is our favorite place to dine any where near santa cruz.
Food was good. Service was a little rushed. Our entrees were served as soon as our first glass of wine was poured (which was ordered before our entrees). It was almost like they wanted to rush us through, though they were nice. God wine selection and nice atmosphere, though it is also very loud inside.
We had the rib-eye and the ravioli.
We were able to reserve a table via Yelp/Open Table the day of, and I'm glad we did-- it was graduation weekend for UCSC. We started with the cheese plate (yum!) and then tried the lamb chops with glazed peaches on top over a shaved fennel and carrot salad, and my partner had the scallops over gnocchi. Both were delicious, and I'm not usually a fan of lamb chops.
The place is very open, so it doesn't feel particularly intimate, but the tables were not too close together, so that was nice. Servers were friendly and knowledgable, and we enjoyed ourselves. My only complaint is that the panna cotta came in the tiniest container ever, so it felt like a rip off.
The food here is pretty good, and the dessert we had (it was an ice cream and fried pastry dish; sorry I cannot remember the name) were AWESOME. I ordered the duck, but it honestly tasted like pork. And when I asked if they were sure they got the order right, the waitress assured me it wasn't pork. She was a bit snooty about it, but I'm not going to get mad. But it'd probably be good for her to 1) realize that some customers know what a certain meat should somewhat taste like; and 2) offer to exchange the plate, especially considering I wasn't satisfied with my dish. But I do plan to return, but probably only for that delicious dessert!
Review Source:This was my second visit. Â We're in SC every couple of years, and it's always a challenge to find some really good non-touristic food. Â We tried the tasting trio of Roero Arneis - a relatively rare Italian white from Barolo country - and we appreciated the opportunity to taste something unusual.
Review Source:I have never had a bad meal at Soif. Â In fact I usually leave with a huge smile on my face. Â It is a bit on the expensive side, but it is great for special occasions, or if you just want a really good meal :)
The menu is always rotating, yet I often have a hard time picking between a handful of things on the menu - the pasta is great, anything with duck is amazing, and well, pretty much everything else. Â And if you are up for a glass of wine, their wine pairings are impressive. Â I have gotten occasionally ordered glasses of wine that were good, but not my favorite - but I end up loving them when tasted alongside the food. Â And even better, if you want a red when they recommend a white (for example), the servers are really good at recommending a replacement.
Just keep in mind, if you are on a schedule, definitely make a reservation as they can get busy.
This is a very enjoyable place to sit and have some wine. The atmosphere is very calming and the servers are very knowledgeable, which is perfect because I am in no way a Wine expert.
I have yet to try the food since that is a little out of my price range but from what I have seen of others meals, it looks very good.
Small word of warning though this place does close pretty early.
Soif was always one of my favorite places to go when I lived in Santa Cruz.
First, I always loved the wine selection. They always had an interesting list of wines by the glass and wine flights to try. It gave me the opportunity to branch out of my California wine bubble (which I'm completely branched out from now) and to try wines from all over the world. They were the first place I tried Lebanese wine and have since fallen in love with. (It helps that it's easier to get and cheaper where I am now.) White or red, I barely had a bad glass when I came.
And the food was spectacular too. The small dishes were always fun and the manchego cheese stuffed peppers were always a must. (GET THEM IF YOU GO). They are two to and order, so order enough so everyone gets one. These delicious morsels are why I always want to go back to Soif when we visit the area. The food is always interesting and delicious.
Instead of traditional desert, order a cheese plate. They select an amazing cheese board that always goes down a treat at the end of the meal.
If you like wine, Soif is the perfect restaurant. It's a high class place with knowledgeable and friendly staff that can answer any question you might have about the food or wine. The menu has small plates and regular entrees, but is best suited for those who like to share. Big selection of wines, of course. It's fun to try the "flights" which feature three or four tasting size pours of white or reds according to some theme, like whites from a particular region of France.
Review Source:We loved this place and are ABSOLUTELY returning upon our next visit to SC. Â We started with wine (flights and otherwise), ordered the delicious Marcona Almonds - Beet Salad and a Butter Lettuce (?) Salad with beets to start and had the Flat Iron Steak to finish. Their Apple Pie ala mode was a perfect finishing touch.
Review Source:My husband made reservations here for valentine's day. Â We don't usually like prefix menus because we are super picky. He is pescaterian and I am just annoying about what I eat. With that being said, we both found options to out liking. We both did the wine pairing with our meals. Which, makes it a lot more pricy. But, got us to try new wines that we would not have chosen on our own. Totally worth the price of pre-fix!
Review Source:I love soif for so many reasons and would go as far as to say it is the best restaurant in Santa Cruz (not that it has stiff competition... unfortunately). But soif fills a much needed niche for santa cruz fine dining. They have an amazing selection of wines with periodic wine tasting events (so much fun) as well as $5 wine tastings every first friday of the month (great deal! although it gets pretty busy in their little wine shop). Their food is always excellent. Last night we had their duck confit salad, rabbit, and ravioli which were all amazing although I think the salad was my favorite of the night. The only negative thing I can say is that as it was a birthday dinner I informed our server, and although they brought out our dessert with a candle, it was not complementary (eh maybe thats not their policy, but when youre already spending a premium on the meal it would have been a nice gesture) it was also not nearly as good as the actual meal which was disappointing.
Other soif highlights are oysters on monday with live music, and tapas on tuesday I have unfortunately not tried the tues night menu, but it is definitely on my list of to do's. Finally, they participate in SC restaurant week and I HIGHLY recommend going. Getting to have a 3 course prix fixe here for $25 is a steal! I have now been two years and each time has been exceptional.
**Wine Club Note: Although I have really enjoyed the wines picked for the wine club my main complaint is regarding the free tasting given to members. All other wine clubs I have been exposed to have always provided a tasting for your guests. I think Soif should definitely extend at least one additional tasting for a friend or guest, wine tasting is after all a social activity. Honestly, how awkward is it to invite someone to go to a wine tasting with you then be like oh and that will be $20. Do I offer to pay 1/2? do I pay for them?? Overall it does not make any sense. Especially for families and couples! We are not each going to have a membership when we share the wines regardless. Overall this policy should be reevaluated.
Came here with some friends that really wanted to go, even though I warned them. Food was okay but pricey for the bad quality. As for the wines, nothing special for being an over priced cheap wine bar. Tasted a handful of wines and all bad quality. If I will come here again, I will bring my own wine from the cellar
Review Source:Pretentious. Enough said.
Man, what a lame experience. We came for a friends birthday and I think we were all a bit disappointed with Soif.
To start off, apparently they have a 6 person party maximum due to the size of the kitchen. What they failed to do was put this information on opentable. We ended up making two reservations to cover our party only to be informed when we sat down that they don't cater to more than 6 and we should probably just get one entrée per couple and share.
We obliged as to not create a backup in their kitchen.
The wine was "fairly" reasonable at $9 a glass while most 330ml beers came in around $10-11.
Food and service were not impressive. I ordered the charcuterie plate appetizer which, while tasty, consisted of 3 quenelle of duck mousse, 3 slices of pork pate and 3 thin slices of salumi with three tiny slices of toast. It was hardly an appetizer for one, let alone anything I would want to share. My girlfriend got the carrot soup which was surprisingly tasty and well portioned for an app.
Entrée were a different story. We shared the pork belly in dashi broth and the portion was minuscule even for one person and priced at $22. The pork belly was only seared on one side and raw on the other. The dashi was under seasoned.
The absolute worst part, and we really should have yelled and screamed about this, was the birthday girl shared an entrée of beef cheeks and when the two of them were socializing and weren't looking, the wait staff came and took the plate away without even asking if they were finished! There was at least 1/3 of the meal on left on the plate. So they were out close to $8 and everyone left hungry.
I absolutely wouldn't come back. The flavors of the apps and some of the entrées were good, but not enough to make it worth returning.
Everything was cooked to perfection. I had the pork chop which was very tender and glazed with a delicious sauce. I would recommend the cod, chicken, and pork belly dishes because they were all prepared extremely well.
Go here if you're taking someone on a romantic date or feel like treating yourself
We went to Soif last night for drinks and dinner with friends. Our party of four was told it would be a half hour before they could seat us together (there are primarily two toppers throughout the restaurant), which is completely understandable on a Saturday night...although the large table in the middle of the restaurant was empty and during a past visit we had been placed there, sharing it with another party who sat separately at the other end.
We left a cell number with the host so we could walk around town for a bit while waiting (there's no waiting area inside). After an hour without hearing anything, we checked back in only to find they had passed us up without a call. We were told the reason we weren't seated was because they were only seating doubles and didn't want to push two tables together. Â That didn't make any sense. Â When asked to see the manager, Sam informed us he was the manager. At that point we were just done. Â Basically we waited for an hour only to be forced to find another place to enjoy our night.
Since I have been here before, I can say my previous experience was decent, but nothing exciting. Why did we return, you ask? We had a friend with us who wanted to bring her date. My first time here, the service was average...maybe a little less than. The food and wine was good, but not great for the price range and although their atmosphere isn't bad, after exploring other options last night, I don't think we'll be returning to Soif.
This place is absolutely amazing from the trendy atmosphere to the delicate food. It's very romantic and I strongly recommend taking a date here. The service is great and the waiters are very helpful on giving you recommendations and answering questions. I ordered the rib-eye which was cooked near perfect. It was tender, juicy and flavorful. My wife order the duck and she does not like duck... She wanted to try something new and she loved it. I like it as well! It was tasty and it had bold flavors. A+ to the chef at this point. I also suggest pairing your dish with the recommended wine on the menu. It will enhance your taste to the fullest.
Would I come back? Most definitely when I visit Santa Cruz again!
Very nice place, love the pate.
A very nice place in Santa Cruz
1. Food Creativity = 9
2. Food Flavor = 10
3. Food Freshness = 10
4. Food Presentation = 9
5. Service Friendliness = 10
6. Attentiveness Service = 10
7. Location = 9
8. Ambiance = 9
9.Menu = 9
10. Cleanliness = 10
Total = 95
A wonderful little wine bar with super-knowledgeable and friendly staff who can tell you every last detail about the wines on their list, steering you toward something that's guaranteed to please your palate.
Pair your bottle or glass with the cheese plate (five cheeses with appropriate accoutrements) and good company, then sit back and enjoy!
I came here on the day after valentine's day with my boyfriend. I was pretty excited because he had heard that this was one of the better places to eat in Santa Cruz. UM... no. Not only was the food mediocre, but the service was complete crap.
Flat Iron steak w/ roasted fingerling potatoes: 4/5
The steak was alright. Nothing special. A little too salty if you ask me. The potatoes were really the highlight of the dish. Nice texture and great taste. If they had a dish that consisted of just the potatoes, I'd go with that. Portion size is decent, but it will not satisfy a hungry man. If it weren't for the potatoes, I would give this dish a 3/5.
Scallops (entree): 2/5
I'm not sure if the chef had an off day or what, but my scallop dish did not impress me one bit. Not only were the scallops bland, but the "mashed potatoes" had a very  disturbing soupy texture that was topped with what looked and felt like potato pellets. It was not appetizing at all. Above all that, what I disliked the most about my dish was that it wasn't served hot. In fact I would describe the temperature as "cool".
Service: 1/5
When our server first approached us, we weren't ready yet.. so we asked for another minute. He took over TWENTY minutes before coming back to take our order. I would understand if it was a busy night, but there were only 5 or 6 other parties. I expected him to apologize for the wait except he didn't. Instead, all he said was "hey". REALLY? Are you serious? Not even a "sorry for the wait" or a "have you already decided". What pissed me off even more was how after we finished paying and headed for the door, he didn't bother thanking us or saying bye. He honestly did not give an ounce of crap about us. After that, I seriously wanted to rip up the store copy receipt and throw it in his face. Good example of what sucky service is like.
Overall: 2/5
Ambiance was nice. Food needs work. Service is crap. I would NOT recommend this place to a friend, and I am NEVER coming here again.
Not being from Santa Cruz, I was really excited about this place from all the great Yelp reviews. When I entered the restaurant / wine shop I had great feelings that this was going to be a great success. All the wine retail restaurants by me are awesome.
The ambiance of the restaurant was warm and attractive. It's floor is relatively small and gives you a intimate feeling. However the host was not very welcoming. It could have been because I am youngish ~25 years old and I was eat solo. Despite his unwelcoming welcome, The restaurant was full of happy patrons and smiles all around.
In terms of the food, everything was just good. Nothing special or memorable. I had the lamb entree and it was overcooked. The texture of the meat wasn't what I expect from a nice restaurant. Â The wine selections were well priced and the server made some great suggestions. The only wine I didn't really enjoy was the Sauterne at the end.
I think this is one of those restaurants with huge potential and I'm not sure if it is still a new place. Next time I'm up in Santa Cruz I will check this place out to see if it has improved.
If we hadn't had to wait 40 min to be seated for our 7pm reservation, this would have been a 4-star night
I mean, why have reservations if you're waiting 40 min?? Â And it's not like we were even waiting at the bar - every seat was taken so it was standing in the doorway for 40 min.....hmmmm
Jazz band reminiscent of the music they played in "Chocolat".....would have bought a CD if they had been selling! Â Didn't even get their name - shame on me!
Wine prices are as much if not *more* expensive than the plates - so be careful!
We started w/ a Goat Cheese Crostini & Prosecco - pretty small but was actually a perfect way to start our evening
BF got the Quail w/ Butternut Squash puree - those poor teeny tiny little birdies. Â Probably about 4 bites worth total & my appetizer-dinner was bigger than his whole entree
Since the only veggie entree featured spinach (which is DEFINITELY on my naughty list), I chose the Red Wine Risotto w/ Mushrooms, Chestnuts & Truffle Butter - this was an appetizer but the perfect portion as risotto tends to be a rich meal anyway. Â This one was soft, creamy & well flavored - made me secretly wish I had ordered a double portion
Skipped dessert as nothing really tempted us & by that point, we were ready to head back to our room....for more wine
Rundown: 2 Appetizers, 1 Entree, & 4 glasses of wine = $95 before tip
Would come here again but make sure you're not on a timetable b/c rezzies are unpredictable - prices vs portions would also be something to consider but the food was indeed tasty & the ambiance w/ the live band was a true treat.....overall, this was an A-OK evening
I had been anticipating finally being able to make it into Soif - but due to the volume of complaints about the service here on Yelp and general bad word-of-mouth, we went on a slow Wednesday night.
We arrived at 7:45 and there were five tables filled (so plenty of empty seats). They still did not have a table ready (??) but no worries on the wait. After we were seated we waited for 17 minutes and no one bothered to serve or even contact us for bread/wine/water. After asking the busser for a server they still did not get us one so we had to interrupt the lady as she was between conversations at other tables. Even after that she refused to offer us anything and stayed at the other two tables (she only had a few to watch over) having long talks and lots of fun (which I get - just wish we could have been in on the fun with her). Since dinner took over an hour between sitting down and getting an offer for dessert from another server - no dessert.
To keep this short - there was no rush or busy amount of serving, they just didn't care and it was obvious. The wine was great and the food was good so hence the 2 stars. Once again the repeated great service at Oswalds and Lillians makes Soif a non-returner for dinner. I am surprised with the volume of service complaints here and and elsewhere that they would not fix this issue.
While looking online for a place to have a nice dinner while visiting Santa Cruz we found Soif. We called and they had a reservation for 8:45pm that night. When we got there (about 15 mins early) they told us we could grab a drink in the store that is attached to the restaurant. Yes please!
The woman working was knowledgeable to say the least. She helped us pick out a bottle ($10 discount if you are eating) and poured it right there for us. One thing that would be  nice is if they put in some barstools over here. I think more people would buy wine and hang out if they had a little section for this.
Once we were seated I got the roasted apple & celery root soup w/ bacon & basil oil. It was amazing! A perfect way to start the meal. My friends got the beet salad and said it was good. Nothing too exciting. I ordered the pork chop for my entree cause it was suggested. It was very good. I would recommend this. I was missing that sweetness of apple we've come to want with pork. That was the only thing I would have changed. The raisin basil relish was superb on top.
Overall, a wonderful meal and service. We spent about two hours and never felt rushed. The food was paced well and the atmosphere was really lively and relaxing at the same time.
4.5 stars
This  review is for the store, the restaurant was closed when we visited. I would like to give it 5 stars, but feel like I need to go to the restaurant as well. For a small store, the selection is really amazing....and more euro than cali. Some great selections from Jura, Sancerre, Chablis, Loire....really impressive. I could be limited to shopping at this store and still be happy....iI can say that about 4 stores - and this is the smallest.
Will return.
So not my style.
I love wine, interested in learning more about it but the ambiance stinks and the crowd is just not my style. Guess there has to be something for everyone...I prefer to taste wine at Oswalds. Are they French Wine Merchants? No but it is far more fun there.
People call this classy...I call it uptight and quirky from staff to patron.
Had delicious food and wine here last night. Tuesdays are "Tapas Tuesdays", and there are some yummy nibbles on the menu for not too expensive. I tried:
Clams & chorizo (delicious)
Field greens and PT Reyes bleu cheese with beets (perfect)
Curried cauliflower (delicious but a little oily)
Lamb meatballs (plenty for an entree with a salad, I ate too much)
You can make Soif an inexpensive experience or a very expensive one, Watch carefully the wine prices...Service was efficient but a tiny bit chilly.
The last time I was at a respectable wine bar was in Santa Barbara.
Outside of that place, a homeless hippie asked me for some cash. Â
He said it was for dog food for his little lab that was with him.
So, I one upped him, ran across the street, and bought two cans of pop-top dog food.
The guy looked at the food, watched me walk away, and threw a can at me. Â
Stellar move dude.
So imagine my hesitation when I was going to a wine bar in yet another homeless laden beach community. Â
I can't say that I blame the homeless for picking such great spots.
Anywho....
No weird encounters this time, just a great flight of white and reds paired with three appetizers of broccoli rabe, calamari, and fried artichoke hearts. Â
Good prices too. Â
Vintage.
Should you go? Â YES. Â This place is fun and the wine is GREAT. Â Add the cheese plate, try a flight of 2 oz selections and go eat somewhere else. Â Easily 4 stars, almost 5, but well worth the visit.
As a tourist I asked Yelp expert and local Shanna K. and she suggested SOIF. Â Great choice Shanna! Â It's located in the heart of downtown. Â I made a reservation, parked two hours early and enjoyed walking "keep Santa Cruz weird" Pacific Avenue shopping area. Â We saw some weird things, for sure, like strange clowns, bongo players not taking money, some hippies sitting in the back of a pickup truck looking at us looking at them, a guy in a donkey outfit, Hell's Angels, joggers going backwards, and plenty of stores with wild weird things. Â
SOIF chairs and tables are somewhat Spartan as is the decor, but the help is helpful and well versed in wine. Â You get a HUGH amount of printer matter with lots of choices (five pages printed front and back). Â Ignore it. Â Here is the $50 worth of SOIF best bet. Â Order the $14 Artisan Cheese Plate and the $5 Marinated Olives. Â Ask the waiter to select three white 2 oz tastes for you and three different ones for your significant other. Â No entrees, no desert.
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