randomly stop by here ONLY for food because too hungry, lol. Out of expectation, love their fries, got many varieties. There are even pot stickers~~~in a bar~!! just out of expectation! the owner is so so so nice, treated us pot stickers for free~! :) sadly they don't make fried calamari anymore, heard that it was amazingly good tho!
Review Source:Surf City is a good place to go if you want good pool tables. They're full size and in great condition, but pool is pricey and they don't offer hand chalk, which sucks. The snacks are pretty good, and the drinks are ok. It was freeeeeezing cold when I went in there the other night, though. I couldn't even bear to take off my jacket and barely made myself take off my scarf (only did that cuz it'd be tough to play!). Thought it was me but looked around and saw everyone else was totally bundled up, too... hoodies, coats, scarves, even hats. Asked the bartender if he had anything hot to drink, but no... no coffee, no hot cocoa... he dug out a dusty plastic box of tea from some corner with a couple old looking teabags. There was one black tea, a couple green and one written totally in chinese that he said he didn't know what it was. Since I could only have decaf and I wasn't feeling like chancing the "mystery" tea I skipped it. I mentioned it was freezing and he didn't even comment. The radio sucked (enough another patron actually went to the bartender, said as much, and asked him to turn it, which he wouldn't) but when someone played music it was SO loud we could barely hear ourselves talk! Went there with a Groupon and I'm glad I didn't waste any more money than I did.
Review Source:I love to go here when want to hang with Co-Workers. Â We usually skip the pool and just sit at a table near the bar. Â A bucket of beers and maybe some fries to soak up the Alcohol and we have the beginning of a fantastic night. Â
What you will like: Â Great menu for a pool hall, full bar, and a few good beers on tap. Â We usually also like to get a bucket of beers in a bottle because it is good for sharing. Â It is not a shady dive bar atmosphere so you will feel comfortable. They have TV's hanging from the center of the room so you don't have to stare at a wall to watch the game.
What to be aware of: Â The pool isn't cheep. Â I forget how much they charge, but it always seems to add up really quickly. Â That is probably why we don't play pool when we go. Â The service is good, but sometimes I feel that they need an extra staff person. Â You can also feel the music from downstairs when there is a show at the Blue Lagoon. Â Also, people pick pretty bad music from the jukebox. Not the establishments fault, but all too often I'm saying "Who the hell put Justin Beiber on?"
Thanks to the owners: For moving the shuffle board table. Â I love to play this game, but the space that you opened up by moving the table improves the place a bunch. Â Good call.
I come to this place regularly, and the owner is super friendly. There are many pool tables, 2 dart boards, a shuffle board, and TVs that you can see from every where. Their drinks that they offer are pretty standard, and the same goes for the food. Overall, this place is good to hang with some friends play some bar games, and watch a game on one of the various TVs.
Review Source:I've been coming here regularly with my group of friends for quite some time now. We always start and finish our summer nights with Surf City. A good place to meet up with friends before beginning the Pacific Ave Bar Crawl.
I have had the pleasure of spending my hard earned money on imbibing with all of my friends. Â Be careful though, Freddy is a damn-good, but deadly, bartender. I have walked out of the bar stumbling down those stairs. Thanks, dude!
Freddy, Sylvester, Doug, Francisco, Andy are all great at their job. Â The best part is they deal with all the drunken locals and make everyone happy with their fast service, excellent prices, pool, darts, lots of TVs. Â Makes me a happy guy!!
I've had one bad experience at Surf City, the night that League Darts is playing there... stay away from those old farts!! They act as if they are pitching Game 7 of the world series, it's pathetic. Â Evidently, I stood too close to one of the boards and was detected by a player's peripheral, his loss was all my fault. Drunk old dart players, not something anyone wants to deal with.
All in all, my experience at SC Billiards is pleasant, I love the staff and they show their appreciation for their dedicated patrons (we're not addicted, we're committed).
I'll see you there!
Okay, so this place rocked. I am taking a star off however because first, there were only 3 beers on tap (none of which I liked), but it's okay I settled for one. THEN, they ran out of CO2(right?) so their draft beers wouldn't work anymore. Very frustrating since I wanted lots of beer for my World Series watching! Oh well. I'll let them redeem themselves.
Anyways, besides that, I love this place. It wasn't too crowded at all for happy hour on a Sunday during the WS, and that is perfect in my book! Their appetizers are SO GOOD. Since it was HH(cheap!), we ordered several: Beef skewers, Shrimp skewers, Potstickers and Mozzarella Sticks. Delicious. All of it.
They have a couch area in front of the big tv, many pool tables, darts, and even an assortment of board games. This might be my new haunt!
I loved it, they have these big ass leather couches you can kick it in...the drinks are cheap, the juke box is pretty decent and the owner actually WORKS there so bonus star for that. The girls are so damn pretty in Santa Cruz, and a lot of them hang out here. There are no fat guys in town so I'm out of luck but everyone else should have fun and get drunk on a budget at this place. The cook also makes his chips and salsa, so I'm sure the food is pretty decent he was telling us how proud he is to make everything from scratch.
Review Source:Great place to play pool, have a drink and play a quick game of shuffle board. What I love about Surf City Billiards is the large space with tons of pool tables. They have a good selection of Alcoholic drinks along with one of the best cookies in town. They have an awesome staff. The shuffle board game is fun to play with friends. I enjoy being able to go from pool to darts and shuffle board while hanging out with friends and meeting new people.
Review Source:I am not a bar person, but my baby brother turned 21 last month, and I had to take him somewhere in Santa Cruz, where he attends UCSC.
We stumbled on Surf City Billiards after a greasy Woodstock pizza, and we a great time. Bar is basically a huge space filled with billiards tables, darts, etc. You rent a table and get the table to yourself. No one bothered us.
This place is super clean and non-sketchy. The bathrooms are top notch clean when you compare to other bars - seat covers and all. Probably the first bar in a while I peed comfortably in a sitting position rather than straining my quads in the ladylike squatting stance.
Bartender we had was fast, polite, and loosened up as the night progressed.
Beer is cheap - they also have a mixed cucumber drink that I loved. Had maybe 4 of those. So good and fresh.
They served food, but we did not partake.
Will be back.
I love this place. The bartenders and cooks are super friendly and always work hard to do their jobs and get everyone served, and fast.
I don't really know how much pool costs because I'm usually not paying attention. It's affordable for the convenience of being a pool hall and pub-type place downtown. The food is actually really good! I recommend the zucchini fries.
Surf City is usually my first stop when going out for a night of drinking. It's nice to see the staff, who remember the regulars, and get some free dessert from time to time. I like taking shots at the bar; they've even turned on the Food Network for my friend and me on a slow night.
Get the cucumber press, it's super good. They will also concoct you a good drink based on your preferences for booze and sweet/bitter.
Extremely clean and nice decor for a pool hall. I've been here a handful of times and its a pretty chill place and not extremely expensive. And you can play darts for free if you're not really into billiards too.
Food wise, this place is pretty interesting and tasty too. Â Apps were pretty good. curry fries were very unique and I liked them. Asian beef skewers & potstickers- homemade!
Another great gem tucked away in our little Surf City town aka Santa Cruz.
First discovered this place on our annual Santa Stumble. Our fearless leader rightly stoppped here mid stumble for some substance. And that was clearly the right call. Our somewhat rowdy crowd of 30 or so, snapped up the potstickers, skewers, fries and whatever else they threw at us with great abandon. The kitchen staff didn't seem overwhelmed by our impromptu stop and was nice and quick and friendly.
Had to come back again and so as part of our regularly scheduled 'expose Adam and Katherine' to something new and cool and we took them here.
Adam and Katherine are our friends who are somewhat new to California (been here about a year and a half) live in downtown Santa Cruz now and I love it when I can expose them to something cool and new to them in walking distance.
Unassuming from the street, or should I say really easy to miss. You head upstairs and find a hugh hall with at least 12 pool tables, a pretty good size lounge area, dart boards and shuffle board. The kitchen is amazing for a pool hall, the guys behind the bar are uber nice and super helpful. The food is really good, had more potstickers this time and the curry fries, green been fries and smoked pulled pork sliders. Â All quite super yum. They make some very nice and strong mixed drinks.
My only complaint, maybe not enough sand for the shuffle board, at least I am blaming that for the late come from behind win for Adam and my humiliating loss.
You can bet we will be back the next time brother man is in town to try out the pool tables next.
I remember when I first came here-- a billiard in Santa Cruz? I really didn't expect too much out of it. I mean, it IS downtown Santa Cruz...
but wow! when I walked up those stairs and saw the tables laid out-- in excellent condition and pool cues that weren't misshapen and had tips that were definitely usable. the food here is also amazinggg. and customer service! they're so friendly and make you feel right at home. this is a place I love visiting with my friends when I make trips down there.
great tables, great food, awesome drinks-- even the music is great. if you're interested in any of that, then GO. (:
I come here regularly every Wednesday to take advantage of the 50% off student discount on pool. So it is $5/hr per table vs. the usual $10. Very worth it! Very clean establishment with friendly staff. Their food is also pretty awesome! I recommend the BBQ fries (truly tastes like BBQ potato chips!). Sometimes their food can be overly salty though..
Review Source:Came here the other night and have two magic words...Liquor license!!!
Shot some fun pool here Sat night and have to say this is a great place...they finally have real alcohol, not just been and wine. Â Doug the bartender rocks and this is a real pool hall now.
In talking with some of the regulars, I found out that it is not easy to get a liquor license in downtown Santa Cruz and as such it took longer than expected. Â Very happy to see that they were finally able to pull it off. Â I had some fun games with a guy named Jamie...definitely some great shooters in this place and you can tell that everyone is having a good time. Â This place has a good feel and a great vibe...totally different from the stereotype of the old time pool hall.
Excellent tables, food, and drinks in a fun environment...exactly what you'd expect and exactly what downtown Santa Cruz needed. Â Definitely better with vodka. Â Highly recommended now...five stars!!!
God i love this place. Â Dropped in here this past Saturday after a long hiatus to find they now have a full bar and cocktail specials! Â Nice!!
Anyways, they added curry fries to the menu. Â Those sounded like a tasty companion with the pitcher of stella that was ordered. Â And they were. Â As the guy brought over the fries from the kitchen, you could smell the curry from across the establishment. Â Super nice!! Â The fries were crazy crispy, generously dusted in curry powder and served with a mint aioli. Â It should go without saying that these lil guys were long gone before we left the pool hall.
Surf City, you never cease to please me...
Came here on a Monday night. There were only a few people inside which was fine by me cause that means less chance of bumping into people. My friend and I got one of the corner tables near the couch. The table didn't seem to be level. I also noticed that the felt on the table was loose. It bunched up when I was leaning in for a shot. I still had a good time, however, and I still won haha so it's cool. :) I would come here to hang out again. Oh, and fyi, it was cheap too! I'm used to paying Santa Clara Billiards fees, so to hear the dude say "Seven bucks please" made me wanna do a happy dance on the pool table.
Review Source:This place definitely deserves 5 stars! I come here pretty often with my friends and co-workers and we always have a great time, every time! The place is very clean and the owner wipes the tables down often, usually after a party leaves a table. Most pool halls that I've been to are quite old, nasty looking, and just plain ol' dirrrrty. I always feel relaxed whenever I come to this place because I know that it's clean!
The owner, Doug. is really cool and nice! I always get great service and the food is awesome! I LOVE their sweet potato fries with the yummy sauce!! I've also tried the steak, pot stickers, pork sliders, burgers and a few other dishes...All I have to say is, YUMMMM!! They also serve a few selections of wines and beers.
For the college students, come on Wednesdays!!! It's 1/2 off for all college students with their ID's and they always have happy hour daily. I've been there on a wednesday night and ordered a bunch of food during happy hour and it was a sweeeeet deal!
I HIGHLY recommend this place! =)
Im not much of a pool shooter, so it might be unfair my ratings are low. My friends and I got here around 10 or 11 something. The beers were 5-6 dollars which is not as exciting as their happy  hour specials. Three drinks plus tip ran me up about 20 dollars. But it was worth it getting to hang with a buddy of mine. Another thing I didnt like was that they only sold beer and wine. It was my friend's birthday and it is kind of a tradition to chug some Irish Car Bombs. Unfortunately, we were unable to get some of those irish goodness tonight.
Maybe I will come back for happy hour sometime and boost the star. maybe ...
About ten years ago there was a really nice pool hall downtown. Then midway through my freshman year in college it closed down due to some reason or another (rumors said drugs or something along those lines). When I found out that the attic was closing I had mixed reactions. i never really went there, but when I did it was a super fab place to study or grade papers.. up off the street.. drinking tea.. I mean can't go wrong when I wasn't feelng Pergolesi's or Lulu's. Forever and a minute there was the sign that it was opening (things take a while in this county) and I wondered how it was all going to work out. Â
Good atmosphere.... nice tables..... SIGH...... waiting until the students come back and we will see how the vibe goes... nothing against college students.. I was one myself....
I need to go back and try the food
Surf city rocks. Its super nice inside with a ton of top quality full size pool tables, shuffle board, and free darts. The food they have is AMAZING, its literally gourmet quality appetizers at dive bar prices. If you go during happy hour (4-7 everyday) the prices get even better. They don't have a huge selection of beer, but what they do have is great quality (Greenlakes, Rouge IPA, Sierra). Its unfortunate that they don't have a full bar, but it would sort of ruin the chill ambiance.
The only downside is that it can be a little pricey for pool ($10 an hour) when compared to $1 games everywhere else on pacific, but if you're a student Wed is student night where pool is half price with an ID.
RIP, the Attic, you'll be missed... but at least you've gone to Happy Hour Hangout HEAVEN! Â Seriously, who knew that the glorious place in the sky was just a short climb up some stairs above the Blue Lagoon!? Â There's a whole array of awesomeness to be enjoyed at Surf City, including over a dozen (16) immaculate professional pool tables with light blue felt (there's even a special pink one...maybe for breast cancer awareness?). Â Shuffleboard, comfy couches, board games, open ambiance, darts. Â All the elements required to have a good time are there, it's only missing one thing...YOU!
First of all, as a regular 9-5er who doesn't get back to SC until almost 6, I am eternally grateful that there is a place offering Happy Hour Specials until 7PM! Â Yes, you heard that right. Â Happy Hour until 7PM! Â Here's what that means:
- $2 Draft Beers; $3 Draft Imports & Microbrews
- $1 off Pool Tables by the Hour
- Kickass Happy Hour Menu - Cheap AND Delicious! - who knew!?
Speaking of the Happy Hour menu, here are a few of my favorites:
- Sliders = Pulled Pork Perfection
- Burger Bliss
- French Fry Fabulousity!
My only complaint is that their digital jukebox is a bit overpriced. Â It comes out to almost a dollar per song, if I recall right. Â I guess that means you'll just have to drink cheap beer and play pool until you're drunk enough to make our own music!
what used to be the attic (dearly missed!), the very first thing i did when i entered this room was to count the tables.... 15. that is a lot. this place is an established billiards lounge with a lot of experienced players (older men....) who frequent here. there were plenty of open tables on a wednesday evening and a very pleasant owner willing to break down the basic rules for us (including breaking for us!!). it was a really fun place to play to the jukebox and get into the game! i recommend coming here for some pool if you're looking for a place downtown. there were also a good amount of other activities like darts (no bulls eye for me, i wish!!) and board games. i appreciate a place downtown with a different atmosphere and crowd.
however, dont let the happy hour fool you.. Â i was disappointed because the "2 dollar beers" really only meant coors and bud, not the nicer stuff that they had on tap. awwwwwwwwwww man. but they did have some good food like chicken skewers for happy hour prices. they also have half off wednesdays for students playing at the tables.
I went to Surf City Billiards yesterday with some friends for happy hour. I was pleased to see that unlike most places, their happy hour lasts until 7PM! I ordered a cheeseburger and 2 beers for $8!! What a deal.
One problem: They forgot about my burger :(. I was so hungry that finally after 10-15 mins of waiting my friend asked what was going on with it. They felt so bad and immediately threw it on the grill. My food came out shortly after that perfectly cooked and juicy with great fries! And on top of that they gave me an extra beer- now that is excellent service and made up for my wait time. Total: 3 beers, 1 cheeseburger for $8. Not bad!
The pool tables are perfectly aligned in two long rows and in great condition. Wednesday nights are great to go for students because instead of $10 an hour, it is half off and only $5. Â Another great feature is that the games a prorated so if you are like me only play a half hour and are a student, it was only $2.50.
We also headed over to the dart boards and attempted to play a game, but we would have been there for hours trying to finish. We finally surrendered and left. I also noticed an assortment of other board games.
They accept Visa and Mastercard but not AmEx :(
Overall, it was a really fun experience and I would definitely go back!!
Holy Shiz - this place is amazing! While we were shopping on Pacific Ave. I noticed their sign on the window for their happy hour and was blown away by their prices - $2 beers?! On draft?! Holy Smokes, I'm on it!
We headed upstairs and took a seat at one of the round tables and looked over their menu. Their HH food was extremely inexpensive - 1.99 for lettuce wraps and fries?? 2.99 for satay's and potstickers? Dang!
We ordered up some Hef and started playing Jenga (They have a few games by the dart boards you can play with while you drink and eat) and ordered up Sweet Potato fries, Chicken Potstickers and Chili Cheese fries (I don't know, I was on a starch-craving day).
The food was phenomenal... and for bar food! I couldn't believe how good it was - We were both surprised. The bartender/server was extremely friendly and helpful as well - I wish I could remember his name!
You have to check this place out - Go for pool, watching the game, playing the game and fantastic service and food!
Finally a legit place to shoot pool in Santa Cruz. Brand new table and sticks, big screen TVs, happy hour deals.
Its upstairs right by the Blue Lagoon.
The only downside is the fact that they don't have Guinness on tap now b/c of distribution issues.
Worth checking out ...in these economic times you should get there before they pack it in.
wow, this place really outdoes itself. this upstairs billiards place has an amazing, expansive space and fantastic service. skylights and exposed beams? WHUTT?!? dedicated dart area? shuffleboard? clean bathrooms? santa cruzans certainly are a lucky bunch-- cheap play time AND cheap, quality bar food served until closing. a happy hour that looks killer. a full bar that actually takes credit cards? yes, santa cruz, i don't know why many of your establishments are cash only, but surf city knows that a drink tastes much better when one can just say, "oh, you know, put this round on my tab."
we had green bean fries and potstickers, both of which were fantastic. the potstickers weren't really fried, so my suggestion would be to rename the dish for accuracy (i was expecting a crispy bottom, though they came out like steamed/boiled dumplings). the hot mustard sauce was yum, though.
the pool tables are gorgeous and the cue sticks are straight and in very good shape-- no lopsided/worn padding. it has an ultimate sound system that drowns out the lady gaga playing at the blue lagoon, which is located next door and downstairs. ample playing space between the tables. a digital juke box that allowed me to bump anything from jim croce to the ojays to mac mall to sarah vaughn to sigur ros.
i would definitely recommend this place to relax and enjoy yourself.
Someone I met told me that this place was amazing, so I went there last night during the Happy Hour to check it out. The place is beautiful. The staff was friendly and the service was excellent and quick. The beer was really good and cold. Veggie wraps and shrimp skewers were so amazing, Asian-fusion dishes, and so inexpensive. Â Bathroom was very clean. Lots of nice pool tables and spacious. I'll definitely go back there very soon.
Review Source:Wow. Â I was kinda blown away. Â The Happy Hour menu is awesome. Â I liked the pulled pork sliders and the jambalaya. Â The fries were really tasty too... and it was CHEAP. Â The pool tables are big and beautiful. Â The balls are glossy. Â Everything's really new and sparkly. Â The beer menu is good enough for sure. Â I really really like this place. Â I'll probably come here a lot to suck at pool. Â I like this place much more than that place in Capitola (which isn't close to anything). Â I'm really sorta impressed. Â This place is classy. Â I didn't try darts or shuffle board, but that looks fun too.
It's almost too good to be true. Â I'm kinda worried it'll get too popular and everyone else playing pool there will be a dick. Â Like when you go and try to play pool at Asti or Catalyst. Â Well even if that happens, I'll probably still show up around Happy Hour. Â Man, what a great spot. Â I wish this had opened a long time ago.
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