21 Best Italian Restaurants near Scotts Valley

“Everything was amazing! So many gluten free pasta options, the ravioli was so delicious. We had a time constraint due to a concert, and our server Morgan made sure we got all our food extremely quickly. I would give it more stars if I could, will definitely come back“

“Very good food and amazing customer service.“

“We had not been to La Posta since the beginning of Covid over 4 years ago. We really enjoyed our night out, starting with a fantastic appetizer of blue cheese, velvety prosciutto served with puffed dough (hard to describe but delicious). I had Ravioli with fresh peas and grilled asparagus that tasted like spring itself. The other main courses (halibut and paprika pasta with clams) were similarly spot-on. We shared the coconut rice pudding with blueberries for dessert, simple but so well executed. Our waiter tryied to steer us into a pricier wine than we wanted, but we let him keep talking until he got down to the range that we wanted, and were very pleased with the selection.“

“The atmosphere is so friendly and the food is so fresh and absolutely homemade.“

“Scrumptious Italian deli with delicious sandwiches made to order in Santa Cruz. Awesome selection of Monin syrups also, in addition to ready made salads, sauces, and pastas. The sandwiches were delicious. I really enjoyed my Castroville Italian sandwich and my husband scarfed down his Eggplant Parmesan sandwich. My kids had the cranberry turkey sandwich. They also had the voodoo chips I rarely see and love.“

“Husband and I went here for our anniversary dinner and brought our 10 month old daughter along. Cannot say enough good things! It's always nerve racking bringing a baby to a nice restaurant but the staff were so sweet and accommodating and interacted with our daughter often. The food is out of this world. Got the Sunday gravy with their house made fettuccine and the short rib ragu with house made fettuccine. Easily the best pasta I've ever had in my life. Short rib is so flavorful and tender, sauce has a really deep flavor profile, and the pasta so tender. The atmosphere is what you'd expect for a bustling authentic Italian restaurant. Loud, low lighting, and high spirits.“

“This place is wonderful! We both enjoyed the friendly hostess and server. Our appetizer and both entrees were perfect! One was ordered "spicy" and turned out to be the perfect amount of spiciness. This was a special night and we were grateful for the sweet, quiet ambiance.“

“Don't judge a book by it's cover you conceited silicone valley masters of the metaverse! The wood fired pizza will knock your stocks off and leave you salivating for more, as well as the rest of the menu. The beer selection instore and on tap stands tall with your Highbrow compatriots downtown. Not to mention that if you're in a pinch for some propane, you can get your fill at Nonno's as well. The atmosphere is way relaxed and the outdoor seating is perfect on a warm night for guzzling some cool brewski's on tap and that occasional need to squeeze one out. Cheers!“

“Pretty darn solid brewery in Soquel/Santa Cruz area. More inland, so more locals than tourist. Looks like they invested and built the facility for themselves with a metal barn-like building for the tap room and brewery, equipt with solar energy to power their operations. Their outdoor area is much more impressive than their indoors and seems 85% of the action happens out there. There's table seating, counter seating and communal benches, most are under a cover. Lots of dogs and locals, you can just feel the buzz of the community here. I only did a quick sampling of several beers here as I had plans to eat in the neighborhood for dinner. But they do have a small menu with appetizers and sandwiches that looked really promising, and the pics prove that I'm going to have to try some on my next visit for sure. I loved their website before I even ventured in. It has their story in a concise manner and the way they describe their beers are very entertaining if not poetic and creative, which I have to pound my chest and nod to. Like they describe their Shimmer Pils as having "a shimmery depth, like light on a fathomless sea.' Lol. And their Ten Million Flower's Kolsh is called so because it took ten million flowers for bees to make the honey that goes into this brew. If James Joyce and/or Walt Whitman lived in this town, I could see them being patrons here. Their beer flight you can choose up to six from their current tap selection, which I think was around 16 taps. That's a lot, like it was hard in making a decision and it would probably take me at least 6 visits to get a full grasp/opinion on their body of work. They also have brews in cans in a fridge that may not necessarily be on tap. I went last summer and their current line up is much different than what was being offered on my visit. So FYI things are in a constant state of flow here, hope you're flexible and adventurous. If you get cans to-go, you can mix and match whatever flavors you want, which I thought was a nice bonus. I really liked 2 light brews I tried. The above Pils and Kolsh were remarkably light and crisp and clean. I liked the Kolsh a tad more, had more depth and uniqueness. Liked their Mosaic hopped Pale Ale as I like a strong hop presence, but I often don't want the malt and gravity of IPA's. I did try a couple of IPA's as well as most of my buddies are into them, and I had to bring something back. Also tried a Black Lager and that was pretty much true to style. I also bet that my tasting would have evolved and been more complete with some bites of food, but that'll just have to wait for the next out. Digging their style and their efforts, so an inevitable return is on queue.“

“Best service and food in Santa Cruz county!!!!!!“

“Great scone mixes - even my BIL now likes scones! Very fast delivery (I live out of state) for mixes. The Lemon Curd is delicious - on top of scones or licked off of a spoon.“

“We absolutely love Tramonti the owners their staff and atmosphere! Lindsey Matteo and their crew are amazing! Best Italian food in the Santa Cruz area by far!“

“Scopazzi's is the best. The staff is always great, the food is always great, and the atmosphere is one of the best the county has to offer, maybe the best, in fact. If you are coming from far away, it's worth it. Make the drive, have an amazing dinner or brunch or whatever you are in time for. Take your time, and enjoy the place.I'm going to take a moment for a criticism though, so you all don't think I'm just some kind of shill... Don't order the sausage with the Fettuccine Alfredo. The sausage is tasty, but you will pay $5 for literally six tiny pieces of sausage. You will think to yourself... What kind of sausage costs $1 per quarter inch? You will be pretty upset.Okay, that aside, everything is great. Thursday only for Lasagna, and I think Saturday only for the prime rib. Both are great. If you aren't there on either of those nights, the lamb is fantastic.Final warning: this is not a cheap restaurant. For most of us, it's a place for anniversaries, prom dates, and marriage proposals. Still, it's worth it. If you are looking for someplace really special, and have saved up a few coins for that, you will get what you pay for here and have an evening to remember.Kid-friendliness: We have gone there with a toddler, and they found us a quiet space away from the other diners. They did everything they could to accommodate us, but we're also rightly and justly sensitive to the other diners. They couldn't have done better with a difficult situation. I think they even made him something completely off the menu, just for his tiny picky toddler self.“

“Calamari and chips. Only thing we order . 30 + years“

“Stopped by at 7:55pm on a Saturday night, and got a table right away. We picked it because it was open and one person wanted pasta, another wanted a salad. The host says, "Just in time for the show." We had no idea what a treat we were in for! Moments later, what seemed to be a majority of the staff donned hats and boas and burst into a dance routine that lasted for 15 minutes! It was hilarious and fun and energetic - I didn't know where to look! I have no idea if this dance show is scheduled or we were just super lucky, but it made our night. The staff appeared to be enjoying themselves, which made it even more fun for us to watch. The food was just fine - we were all happy with our meals. But it was the dance show that prompted me to give the 5 stars! Hard to find dinner and show these days!“

“The best! Great Italian food in an energetic setting. Buon Appetito!“

“We decided to stop in Aptos after a 14 mile hike in Nisene Marks forest so we weren't really dressed the part, but everyone was nice and very attentive. For two of us, the beet salad, soppressata pizza, and lemon curd dessert was the perfect amount. I loved the unpretentious atmosphere with high class food and friendly staff.“

“Excellent food, amazing service. The duck served three ways was the light bulb and the accompanying salad was the perfect counter to the richness of the duck. The fried chicken as always was amazing with a wonderful stack of fluffy potatoes.The only challenge is parking, however, the service from walking in the door through the entire meal will make you come back just to say hi“

“Real hit or miss depending on what you get. Sicilian Square - Solid pizza. Better that most chain pizza shops. Decent rise on the dough/crust. Acceptable for price. Thin Crust - Worth avoiding. On par with red baron or other store bought frozen pizzas. No rise or color on the crust/dough. Not sure if it's the oven or the proofing time but they just can't seem to make a crispy thin crust. Not at all worth price. Service - friendly and quick“

“I love olive garden. I have been coming here for years. Today I got my favorite lunch special.The spaghetti with meat sauce.And it came with the bottomless salad bowl with ranch dressing and their very yummy and heavily addicting breadsticks .Plus a diet coke Everything was very good.The service was awesome I recommend this place..“

“We went for Mother's Day brunch and really enjoyed it. We were seated quickly, service was very friendly, and the food was timely. Eggs Benedict were quite good, but the waffle did not seem freshly made (seemed just a little old from sitting in the kitchen). All in all, we liked it and will return for dinner.“