Presentation on Map Reviews Nearby

BAD ANIMAL in Santa Cruz

4.7 (100) 1011 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States

Categories

Used book store
Restaurant

Location on the map

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, US

Phone: +1 831-900-5031
Site: http://badanimalbooks.com/

Opening hours

Monday:Closed
Tuesday:Closed
Wednesday:12–9 PM
Thursday:12–9 PM
Friday:12–9 PM
Saturday:12–9 PM
Sunday:12–9 PM

Edit info

Total reviews rating 4.7

100 Reviews for BAD ANIMAL 2024:

Review №1

2021-10-07 16:40:46

How many more ways can I say YES!!! the new chef is superb, bringing great fare back into this amazing book shop space. Love the comfortable nature of the bar area seating and the completely welcoming vibe the staff provides. I know nothing about wine but they kindly walked me through the selection with simple/relatable concepts that allowed me to find a perfect choice (multiple times!)

Review №2

2023-07-31 23:42:53

Amazing place! Beautiful restaurant, AMAZING local food (Thai), and just fantastic vibe of being in a book store (which has a great selection of books for reasonable prices). Cod was delicious.

Review №3

2023-08-27 04:52:28

This is an incredible used bookstore! Very well-curated and unique selection. The prices are also surprisingly reasonable. I discovered a lot of super interesting books here. They have a lot of specific genres like literature, art, philosophy, religion, and architecture.

Review №4

2023-07-09 01:57:50

The best of Santa Cruz. The food from Hanloh is next level delicious, and the environment of Bad Animal is unparalleled. This place is pure delight.

Review №5

2023-07-12 00:14:49

The books, the wine, the FOOD! Everything was absolutely amazing - still thinking about that meal a week later! The Halibut crudo was divine, as was the thai tea panna cotta. The flavors were incredible, and the service was great! Well definitely be back - new favorite in Santa Cruz!

Review №6

2019-06-23 04:12:48

Quite impressed. Everything was very good - or better. And the Schnitzel, was like butter! interesting wine list with some great bottles. Will definitely be back.

Review №7

2023-09-10 03:19:10

Crazy overpriced thai street food. Tastes just ok. People working here are nice. Ambiance is nice. For the price, probably one of the worst places I have ever eaten in my entire life. Would pay $3 to maybe eat these dishes again, if that. Instead, they charge $30-40 a dish! Hahahahaha absolutely absurd. Waste of our time.

Review №8

2023-10-23 22:23:37

I’ve been book shopping here a few times since moving to Santa Cruz. Truly one of my favorite shops I’ve ever been to. Great selection, knowledgeable staff, amazing place to escape and enter a unique space. I’ve eaten here twice and the food and wine is delicious. Wonderful waiter last night- seriously 10/10, excellent service, but the woman we closed the tab/paid with was rude and impatient, although there was still over an hour until close and only one other couple dining. Besides that, I would give it five stars.

Review №9

2023-05-28 07:50:28

Tried all but 1 thing on the menu. Apps & desserts superb, mains good but less outstanding. Setting in a bookshop is delightful. Good wine selection.

Review №10

2023-09-18 17:58:31

More for locals. I enjoy a glass a wine at times however, this wasnt the time. Like I said more for the locals to enjoy because I did not feel the good vibes. Snooty only

Review №11

2023-10-08 06:25:35

Very creative cuisine. Not precisely Thai food, but definitely heavily influenced by Thai style cooking.

Review №12

2022-05-08 02:04:23

Lovely book and wine store. I enjoy browsing for books since they have a very unique selection, so theres always something to discover.

Review №13

2023-05-15 18:02:26

The food portion was just small but very pricey. We were attracted by the theme of enjoying Thai food in a second-book store at first but were disappointed by the food portion and quality. Very few choices for vegetarians. The only vegetarian main dish ( the one with lion mane) was so salty that we kept drinking water and had to rinse our mouths when we finished dinner. Expensive but not worth the money. We will just visit the book store next time.

Review №14

2023-06-09 03:52:30

Overall, I had a poor experience at the restaurant in Bad Animal. From food, to service, to ambiance, all aspects of our experience left a negative impression. I never leave reviews but this was so especially bad that I felt compelled to.Food:We ordered three savory dishes and one dessert.1. Mieng was a set of 3 small nasturtium leaf wraps with toasted coconut, peanuts, lemongrass, apples, ginger, shallots, tamarind sauce. They were nearly falling apart, composed of chunky items rough the size of a peanut and these items were not held together. This made the wrap awkward to eat, as it was a small round leaf filled with large loose items that had to be corralled, lest they fall out either end. To to add to the awkwardness, the wraps arrived already dripping out excessive tamarind sauce. The items should have been lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle or chopped finer and held together by some kind of a binder—perhaps some sticky rice.2. Yum makua was a small salad on a bed of fire-roasted eggplant, with minced pork, fish sauce, celery leaf, mint, fried shallot, cilantro. The dish again was unbalanced. The pork had a overly-strong aroma of pork characteristic of boar taint, and this flavor was not balanced out by the aromatics. It should have been cooked with plenty of lime leaf and the sauce should have had more lime juice. It also sorely needed more mint, cilantro, and celery leaf. It also lacked fresh allium to balance out the heavy pork flavor, such as minced shallots and scallions. And strangely the mint was cut in a chiffonade, when it most certainly should have been torn to limit oxidation and preserve a fresh flavor.3. Gai Tod hat yai was coriander rubbed fried chicken thighs, served with a Laotian roasted tomato relish. First of all, the chicken itself was bland and slightly dry, and had minimal coriander flavor. It needed an accompaniment but unfortunately became nearly inedible when dipped in the sauce. The sauce was overpoweringly salty. I know Laotian food can sometimes be salty but this was beyond that and unreasonable. We had a couple of bites and did not touch the rest. When our server came to ask us if we were done after a while, we said yes we were done, and that no, we did not want a box. I even added, this dish is not working. It is overly salty and not balanced. The server ignored me, avoiding eye contact and continued clearing the plates. The server did not apologize, inquire further, or defend their cooking, and, of course, they charged us all the same when it was time for the bill.Despite a poor track record we decided to try dessert, partly because we still held a kind of cruel optimism that the restaurant would redeem itself, and partly because we simply needed to cleanse our palate after an extremely salty dish. Water alone wasnt cutting it, and something sweet helps to relieve an overly salty taste. We ordered the pavlova which was composed of a meringue topped in strawberry & rhubarb compote, lime cream, toasted coconut. Unfortunately, the meringue was not optimally fresh—it had a stale texture, as if it had been sitting around for too long in the humidity of the Santa Cruz air. The dish did the job at cleansing the overly salted palate but was poorly executed.Service:The nadir of the service was the moment I complained about a dish and the server ignored my complaint without any sign of recognition or apology. This was characteristic of our entire experience that night, disaffected service in which the front of house and the servers seemed like they could barely bother to give us any thought or attention.Ambiance:This is the least important aspect for me, but somehow they still managed to offend. Visible piles of dust and debris in the corners of the room, below their sofa, and a very dirty rug. All these issues make one feel icky and question whether or not this establishment ever sweeps and mops their floor.

Review №15

2023-07-25 23:07:36

Great spot in Santa Cruz. Had a few glasses of wine, browsed the store, and had a delicious meal. Service was also excellent sitting at the bar.

Review №16

2023-07-22 05:54:11

Great food and a wonderful setting. 👌

Review №17

2022-12-27 02:34:08

Great experience here - I love the setting (and that you can buy beautiful and affordable books). They currently have a Thai chef and the vegan food is amazing. Wine lovers will love the list of options.

Review №18

2023-08-14 02:48:16

They gave me $10 store credit for selling two books worth $30+... but the vibes are cool in there I guess🙄

Review №19

2022-11-30 18:24:28

This is a great used bookstore. Wine bar. Restaurant. Good music. Cool vibes. I’ll be back.That said. I’m not sure who the knowledgeable staff are but they need more hours. The bored guy selling books on my last visit was not helpful. Wouldn’t help me find a title as they don’t catalog their books, he gave me a ridiculous large cardboard box for three books, and he didn’t know anything about the event space booking process. Instead referring me to the website. Really? Know your store, its inventory, and its policies or find another place to be unhelpful

Review №20

2023-04-21 14:04:36

Popped into Bad Animal for dinner last night and was absolutely blown away! We ordered the mieng, fried chicken, and pavlova to share. Every single dish was an explosion of flavors and textures. Definitely going to need to come back before the spring 2023 menu changes!!!

Review №21

2022-08-19 18:53:59

Whenever I see a used bookstore I check it out, and Bad Animal is one of the two or three best bookstores Ive ever visited. It has a super well-chosen stock of books that are organized and presented well (e.g. there is an entire section for New Directions books), it has reasonable prices, and it has nice lighting, decor, and places to sit. The food and wine are also really good. Overall, its one of the coolest places (bar, restaurant, or store) Ive been to.

Review №22

2022-04-10 01:15:16

Cool concept of a wine bar and book store in 1!They have a good selection and little bites as well!

Review №23

2022-11-06 05:07:37

The current Thai chefs are amazing. Stepping in you are readily welcomed by the unmistakable scent of steamed glass noodle in clay pot (a traditional option with shrimps would be amazing). The steamed fish with lime is fresh and black cod is the perfect fish for this dish. The price is rather steep, but you do get what you pay for.

Review №24

2023-03-11 06:46:51

A unique concept: mostly a well-curated used book store, and also a wine bar/fine dining experience. Great selection of poetry, eastern spirituality, sexology, and the occult.

Review №25

2023-10-24 08:06:00

My favorite place in SC. I removed a star because despite the great atmosphere and the quality of the food, it is a bit overpriced

Review №26

2023-02-04 20:38:41

Great atmosphere, wonderful unique books and magazines. Awesome exotic wine selection. Have eaten there couple of times. Extremely small portions to the price 🤔.

Review №27

2022-12-05 05:32:55

Interesting place, a bookshop, wine bar, and Thai cafe. Very short menu, they only have 3-4 entrees on a given night. I had the half roast chicken, which was interesting but a bit dried out, served with a very salty Jaem dip, and a sweet/hot red chili sauce. The highlight was probably the Roti appetizer, with a sweet potato filling and a little dish of a cucumber and onion on the side. It kind of reminded me of street food but at sit-down prices

Review №28

2023-11-20 06:32:32

Nice atmosphere. Put reserve signs on reserve tables to help clients navigate seating.

Review №29

2023-06-08 03:24:58

Found a great book to buy, $4.00, signed first edition. This place has tons of books, great spot for a bibliophile.

Review №30

2022-07-24 13:27:47

My tab came out to $64, gave the person behind the bar $80 Cash.. I never saw my change. Not even a receipt. We waited around and they just ignored us. Very presumptuous of them.My friend kept asking for a sweet wine and they kept giving her tart sour wines..Book selection is decent. People attending book area are nice and knowledgable, found some yummy reads.

Review №31

2022-04-19 13:01:28

Truly memorable and unique place to spend an evening.Excellent selection of books and wine.MUST visit.

Review №32

2022-10-13 19:33:34

This place is a place to be Grateful for.You got a quaint ol bookstore full of great titles paired with a euro/ol world style cafe/restaurant.The stillness and calm of the bookstore brings a subtleness to the hustle/bustle of the cafe/restaurant that creates a quint comfortable vibration to be within; especially while dining. As if time doesnt matter and my seat isnt needed by another immediately. A great place to relaxThe staff are quite friendly and willing to help whenever asked for it

Review №33

2021-12-20 08:52:25

This place is awesome. Was happy to find a bookstore open so late on a Sunday. I enjoyed the blues music playing and the down to earth eclectic vibe. I did not eat or drink anything, but the options sounded interesting and there were customers that seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Review №34

2022-03-03 02:15:28

Bad Animal is my favorite place in Santa Cruz. I would give 100 stars rating if I could. The ambiance is amazing, and the food is beyond divine. Im so impressed by the talents of their chefs. Their menu is creative, and fresh as it changes every week. I cant wait to go each week and discover new sensations in my palet. The music is topnotch, and the crowd has so much style. Bad Animal is a true gem!

Review №35

2023-09-16 16:48:15

I dont know if I could love Bad Animal more - the food, the wine, the staff, the books - ya nailed it 🤌🏼

Review №36

2021-07-03 04:35:50

This was an adorable and posh place to grab some snacks and wine. Be prepared to spend some money! The food was delicious and creative but the wine is mostly by the bottle and on the pricier side. I was super disappointed with the terrible service. Our waitress was busy talking to her friends for most of the evening which seriously impacted our experience. It seemed like the majority of the crowd was friends of the staff members working there. Im glad to have tried it out but for sure wont be back (unless its to just look at books!)

Review №37

2021-11-08 06:37:54

The concept is interesting and I liked the atmosphere with the books and art, so I wanted to like the place as a restaurant, but was overall not impressed.The dining setup was confusing with the requirement to secure a table from the host but then go order at the register. It left me feeling less relaxed about the experience of eating dinner.Overall, the food is pretty good, but it’s not enough to satiate someone. I ate a three course meal and went home hungry due to the small portion sizes.Finally, as others have stated the service is sometimes a bit lacking. I spent a lot of money here on books, art, and food, so when I ask for an extra couple pieces of bread to supplement the two insufficient cracker-sized pieces provided, so that I can finish my dip appetizer, then just bring more: Don’t tell me no. How much is the bread? What restaurant cheaps out on freaking bread? If it’s really too much, offer to bring more for a fee, but don’t tell your customers no. Not a great look for you.

Review №38

2019-07-29 02:59:56

Great food and atmosphere. Highly recommend. Also reasonably priced. Manager knows how to accommodate guests and strike a good conversation.

Review №39

2023-02-18 04:01:54

Delicious food and really cool ambiance. Prices are on the steep side. The book curation is great; an adventure to wander around in.

Review №40

2023-06-04 03:48:11

This place is great, really good food at very reasonable prices, and a killer used bookstore with great prices.

Review №41

2021-07-25 05:45:55

Is this one of the best wine bars Ive ever been to? Yes.Is this one of the best book stores Ive ever been to? Yes.If you like eitherof these things, go here. The wines lean to the natural variety, and are fantastic.

Review №42

2022-08-22 20:56:51

Unique offerings of fiction classics and well known non fiction writings. Books are clean and some are packaged in acrylic covers. Currated offerings that will appeal to hipsters, and those seeking deeper reads.

Review №43

2020-02-05 21:45:44

Amazing food, wine, and ambiance! This charming new restaurant is half fine dining, half book store. Stop in for happy hour drinks and delicious dishes (often sprinkled with edible flowers). Make sure to try one of their unique orange wines!

Review №44

2021-11-07 04:35:04

Santa Cruz badly needed a spot like this. Its an outstanding third place, serving as a harbor of refuge from the storm of commercialism while satisfying most, if not all, of my mid-afternoon hedonistic desires. I found the staff to be beyond helpful with thoughtful recommendations. The ambiance was on point and the entire set and setting served to enhance my state of consciousness. I thought the decadent snack and dinner menu paired extremely well with the carefully selected French and California wines on offer.Bad Animal has successfully penetrated my short list of local spots to drink wine. I never cease to be romanced by the fact that while I enjoy a finely crafted wine, I am able to nibble innovative cuisine and peruse an impressively curated collection of literature.Importantly, Bad Animal has NO SCREENS to distract from the earth-shattering flavors that are exploding all over your palette. There are ZERO TVs to avert your eyes from the sometimes revolutionary and often subversive texts woven through the space. This place is old school cool.When I exited Bad Animal after a long afternoon session, I felt as though I were a new man. Dirtier. Rowdier. Stronger and more virile than before. Let Bad Animal inside you, just this once. Maybe twice if you like it.

Review №45

2021-09-24 04:49:12

As a bookstore their curation is always focused and meticulous, especially for a fiction lover. Tonight i had the best meal in Santa Cruz Ive had all year. The food is elevated without being obnoxious and puts alot of other places in town to shame. The addition of Midway team is a home run. For those turned off by the natural wine aggressiveness of Apero Club this is a welcomed respite for grape juice drinkers.

Review №46

2019-11-03 19:40:15

It’s about time Santa Cruz had a place of class and intellect like this. #serenity

Review №47

2019-09-13 20:21:02

Very good for having just opened recently...the schnitzel was Great, recommenced. Had the shishitos and watermelon which were a little off—the basil did NOT work with them, and they used way too much of the whole leaf too...raspberry peach granita dessert was super good but made awkward by the almonds sprinkled on top...also too many and didn’t use slivers they used the long chopped “Spears”...so the texture was off with the granita and too crunchy.Will return though, very nice environment and great wine list! Nice to see a new spot downtown and then used books made it even more special

Review №48

2023-01-29 03:19:17

The Hanloh Thai residency is delicious—well be talking about it for ages—and the wines by the glass offer something for everyone. Loved it.

Review №49

2021-05-02 15:54:59

What a cool bookstore with very knowledgeable staff! Bad Animal has filled the void that was left gaping open when our beloved book pushers Logos shuttered its doors a few years ago. Andy is a rare breed that I thought died out, it was refreshing to chat with him!

Review №50

2019-06-01 03:36:03

What a gem! We just stopped in. Awesome wine list, waitstaff- and the food is amazing. Try the chicken liver toasts and the schnitzel. The book selection is well curated and there’s lots of interesting decor.

Review №51

2022-11-21 19:20:14

Awesome bookstore. They serve coffee too. The selection of books is absurd in a good way. Will definitely be back.

Review №52

2020-03-16 03:42:06

So thankful for these talented folks who bring a beautiful space for gathering, learning, enjoying awesome wine and feasting. Friendly inclusive knowledgeable staff that are deeply rooted in the ethos of this place. Ive also gotten free dessert twice now!

Review №53

2019-07-22 01:13:50

Bookstore and au natural small plates. Excellent local wines.

Review №54

2022-07-07 04:05:08

Wonderful natural wine bar. Enchanting to take your glass of wine and browse the eclectic used books here. Very knowledgeable and enjoyable staff. The truffle popcorn was to die for.

Review №55

2020-05-30 17:25:19

Had excellent pizza last night. The morels and asparagus took the spotlight, which is what I was hoping for. I also ordered a Caesar salad and tiramisu, the latter had an unexpected almond flavor(maybe from a liqueur) that was really nice.

Review №56

2022-08-22 05:05:57

So good. My friend and I came here and we were absolutely delighted!I’m so glad for the small menu and smaller but perfect sized perforations, it shows quality ❤️

Review №57

2019-10-05 23:09:19

Weird place. This is the place you go to if you want to go to a bar but dont want everyone to think you want to go to a bar. Its ostensibly a bookstore too, but nobody ever looks at the books and instead spend their time in the dark drinking wine. The books are unusual too, not a lot of familiar titles to talk about

Review №58

2019-06-10 01:35:06

Stepping inside Bad Animal feels different. It seems to be the only place Ive been to which is driven by passion. Every single person there, in both fields (books and wine/food) is an expert, but not an aloof oracle, but rather a down-to-earth and helpful resource. I went on opening day, and I plan on making weekly trips, if not for the the food, at least as an exercise in knowledge.

Review №59

2019-06-21 14:57:08

Impressive combining taste and intellectual reading, the mind can shape itself than be stamped..

Review №60

2021-11-20 07:26:32

Thoughtful menu, tagliatelle just introduced to the salt. Intense book collection you can buy from. They know what theyre about and you should too.

Review №61

2021-07-04 20:19:37

Great atmosphere, small but excellent wine selections, horrible (!!!) service. They should also have some vegan items in the menu.

Review №62

2019-09-01 02:13:39

The book store is an English majors dream! It looked like my own library of favorite authors and poets.The food and menu, not so much...

Review №63

2020-02-26 16:12:13

Unlike any restaurant Ive been to. We met a friend for wine and small bites, the service and ambiance was top notch with hipsters roaming the book shelves.

Review №64

2019-07-01 20:30:58

Really enjoyed this spot for its ambiance, wine list and fantastic food. Perfect upscale / casual spot, lots of attention to detail. Schnitzel was awesome, as were the artichokes. Thanks guys!

Review №65

2019-11-02 21:41:28

It has a special feeling, partially because of the books and partially because of the amazing food. The folks who work here were friendly and knowledgeable so it makes for a pleasant experience.

Review №66

2023-03-22 04:13:40

My favorite place on earth.

Review №67

2022-03-27 02:08:12

I only bought books. Very helpful and personable clerk. Will be back, maybe fir a glass of wine and a meal next time.

Review №68

2022-07-25 00:18:08

This place is wonderful- excellent atmosphere, book curation, and stellar wine at a fair price.

Review №69

2019-07-06 02:36:42

The wildest book store Ive ever been to. Books you simply wont find anywhere else. Bad Animal is in a league of its own.

Review №70

2023-03-04 04:56:22

Just had a wonderful meal. Great service and great flavors !

Review №71

2022-07-26 04:24:46

Great (natural) wines, good books, very nice people. Go there!

Review №72

2022-08-20 17:21:32

Great books and food makes Bad Animal always worth a stop when in Santa Cruz.

Review №73

2022-05-14 22:33:16

No Wi-Fi, no coffee, just people who love books, good food, and good wine. I love this place.

Review №74

2022-02-13 03:07:38

Unique concept, great atmosphere, fantastic dinner in an actual book store

Review №75

2021-09-04 07:16:33

This store is gonna empty my bank account. So many books, most of them good, some of them rare

Review №76

2021-06-28 00:21:26

The owners of this establishment are beyond cool..... highly recommend a drive by if books/wine/good vibes are your jam.

Review №77

2023-03-16 04:21:39

Beat place in Santa Cruz. Good food, drinks, wines, books, people.

Review №78

2019-08-31 04:39:54

This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever wanted to eat with my nose first. No pictures because we obviously destroyed any food that came our way.

Review №79

2023-03-20 02:50:28

Everything is so effing incredible

Review №80

2019-07-21 00:59:07

Wonderful ambiance, great books, wine... Wish more places like this existed.

Review №81

2022-08-21 20:47:20

The vibe is amazing here!

Review №82

2019-10-14 05:46:53

Amazing space with incredible food (Im never disappointed!). Great staff and service :)

Review №83

2019-07-31 07:14:01

These folks know good books and theyll part with them for very little money!

Review №84

2023-09-29 19:27:14

Yummy

Review №85

2022-08-27 20:16:11

Love this place!

Review №86

2023-05-30 05:30:56

Great!

Review №87

2020-02-23 03:08:09

Great books great vibes and great wine!

Review №88

2019-08-10 18:09:10

Interesting collection. Worth a visit for the serious reader.

Review №89

2019-07-22 01:29:05

Delicious small plates and local wine.

Review №90

2023-03-13 04:35:18

An absolute must-visit.

Review №91

2020-03-04 06:04:15

The book choices were interesting.

Review №92

2023-05-29 04:30:00

Wow

Review №93

2019-11-09 03:54:10

Great talk tonight on creating community and in times of oppression.

Review №94

2023-02-09 04:30:28

Cool

Review №95

2022-07-20 04:56:08

Good book :-)

Review №96

2020-02-10 00:52:37

Best Church in Santa Cruz.

Review №97

2019-10-13 23:47:32

The granola was really good

Review №98

2019-11-24 17:18:28

Nice environment and pleasant staff.

Review №99

2020-02-04 02:11:58

Full of themselves and over thought.

Review №100

2022-06-17 23:18:47

Heaven on earth.