Firefly Tavern Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz

Review №1

2023-10-08 22:05:03

The place was fun but me and my family ended up waiting an hour for our food. they had 5 staff members, one of which had to be called in as backup during their rush hour. the food was pretty good, but they didn’t create the brisket and fried rice mild or put the bacon on the side of the kids mac and cheese. they definitely needed more than one hostess, one waitress, one bartender and two cooks for their rush hour

Review №2

2023-09-14 00:56:15

Brand new, and (as far as I’m concerned) the BEST downtown venue!! I’m so happy Firefly has a restaurant now, in addition to their coffee shops. I recently read an article mentioning that their Chef is Jose Ortega from HOME & Discretion Brewery!!! After reading that, I couldn’t get in there fast enough. I want to try everything on their menu. So far, tried the Chicken Verde. Chef’s kiss. A generous serving of Mary’s organic chicken breast, cooked to juicy perfection, with insanely delicious rice, fresh pickled carrots, onions, jalapeño…and a verde sauce to die for. SO GOOD. It was Sunday afternoon, so I tried two different sparkling wines. The first: Italian sparkling red(!)—delicious, and offers interesting pairing options. Secondly: a beautiful French brut by Jean Philippe. I could have had that, alone. It was so lovely.The decor is gorgeous. Sophisticated, yet super comfortable. Excellent service. It’s my new fave, hand’s down.

Review №3

2023-12-04 20:00:35

2.5hrs, for food! 1 bartender, 1 cook & 1 hostess/waitress. Staff were good & did what they could. Management & or ownership need to address their wait, host & cook staff numbers. 2.5hrs waiting @ a table of 3. The food is good & beer selection is moderate.

Review №4

2023-10-09 00:06:49

Had been wanting to try this place since they added outdoor seating then noticed they’re open for late brunch. They had a large variety of options that could be made vegetarian, as well as “the best burger [my husband] has had in a while.” I got the cheesy grits without the meat or meat substitute options and both my husband and I loved them. He also ordered the truffle fries and enjoyed them. Our server was super friendly and helpful when trying to accommodate for a food allergy. I was going to post pictures but didn’t think about it until we had cleared our plates! The blueberry lemon curd pancakes were also bursting with berries and served with real maple syrup. Overall very happy with the food, ambiance, and service. They were a bit slow with the food at the beginning, but easily forgiven after trying everything. Will be returning.

Review №5

2023-12-09 03:42:54

Stupid good food. Great Americana playlist. Wonderful staff. Food took a while as we came in with a bunch of people, but the beer and music made the wait a joy.That burger and the truffle fries. Omg

Review №6

2023-11-11 05:07:33

Unfortunately, my visit to Firefly Tavern in Santa Cruz was far from satisfaction. Despite favorable reviews, we waited for over an hour for our food. The portions seemed carelessly assembled and lacked flavor appeal. The tacos, in particular, were excessively spicy, making it impossible to taste anything. Its disappointing that the reality did not align with the positive reviews.

Review №7

2023-07-17 01:51:22

Sunday July 16. My husband and I decided to give Firefly a try after a morning of Refrigerator shopping. The good/Great: Ambience is nice. Not too crowded, or too noisy. Really nice background music. We ordered the Chicken and Waffles and shared it. It was SO GOOD. Whatever they used for the batter on the chicken was delightfully crispy. The waffle stayed semi-crisp from start to finish. I highly recommend this but it seems to only be available on the weekends. Were looking forward to coming back to try something else on the menu. Things that could use some improvement: When we arrived at just after 12:30 we were able to be seated almost immediately. Then we waited for 10-15 minutes before we could even get a cup of water. The water was room temp. Slightly chilled would have been better. I love the little glasses it came in :) Once we got our water we waited about another 10-15 minutes or so before the gentlemen came back to take our order at which time we waited another 30 minutes for our meal to arrive. By this time it was pleasantly but not extraordinarily busy. The gentlemen was nice and very apologetic about the delays so we arent going to hold it against him, but we hope service gets better as this nice new place gets a little more into the swing of things. Despite the slow service we really enjoyed our meal and highly recommend you give Firefly a try.

Review №8

2023-07-17 19:22:41

Stopped in to grab a quick lunch. Was not expecting it to be as wonderful as it was! Service was great, our waitress was very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. The poutine and blueberry pancakes were some of our favorites. It was overall an incredible meal! Could not recommend enough.

Review №9

2023-11-25 22:46:33

The food was delicious. Unfortunately there was a hair in my salad but they took it off. My bill did not charge me and offer to give me something else. They did everything that they should but my stomach was turned and didnt feel like eating anymore. But thats on me and not them. I would highly recommend this place.

Review №10

2023-05-25 00:36:54

Great new spot downtown that has been vacant for a while. After a lot of work they’re now open. Good food and menu. Come on and stop by, you won’t be disappointed. Popcorn is the BOMB.