Firefly Tavern Santa Cruz

We stumbled upon this place when looking for lunch. We were very happy that we did. A great selection of dishes. It was on the weekend and they had some great brunch options. We had the fried rice and shrimp tacos, and truffle fries. Nice beer selection, wine, craft sodas, and more… looking forward to our next visit!

Great food and service!
Very tasty classic style food with a fun twist. Indoor/outdoor seating with brunch available until 5pm. We loved the chicken and waffles, lemon pepper wings, and loaded fries. Some of the best fried chicken I’ve had in a long time. The strawberry soda was really refreshing and tasty. We will definitely be back to try some other options.

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.

Went for my Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 and it was Fire! Also Bottomless Mimosa were delicious!

Food is awesome. Best biscuits I ever had. Pork on tacos so good. Service a bit slow but friendly and so smart. He helped us order everything just right. Nice place inside and some small tables outside.

Customer service was great, drinks were amazing, bottomless mimosas are well-balanced and our servicer did not shy away from offering to get me refills guava was my favorite. Food was amazing and flavorful. We got the chilaquiles and chicken and waffles. We also had the biscuits-butter-bacon which were very good. Everything was top notch! Definitely will be coming back soon!

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.

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 didn't feel like eating anymore. But that's on me and not them. I would highly recommend this place.

Absolutely delicious burger! Gorgeous decor and perfect service. Nice lounge upstairs and bar downstairs.

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

Checked out this great new addition to Walnut Avenue downtown!!!! Had a great meal with friends Friday night, we shared four dishes from their eclectic menu (the portions are very generous) and we loved everything ( thanks Chef Jose). Great selection of wine and beer by the glass. Lovely, knowledgeable staff… the owners Hans and April made us all feel very welcome. The decor is warm and inviting with good music. We will be hanging here a lot.

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.

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.

Great new spot in town , food was great and staff friendly. Well priced and chill atmosphere. If you’re looking for a good beer and great food , this is your spot.

I'm a big fan of Firefly bagel sandwiches, so I was excited to check this place out. We stopped by on a Friday, early evening for dinner and really enjoyed our experience. The staff were super friendly, the food was SO full of flavor and generous portions. I will definitely be back frequently. A great addition to Walnut Ave!

Cool spot with great food. Conveniently located near a parking garage. Service was lovely as well. Menu is small but changes often and they are very open to making changes. Several items have a vegetarian version available. Have beer and wine and are working on full liquor license. They also serve brunch every day until 5pm! All the people waiting an hour for brunch next door should come here. Can't wait to go back!

We were looking to walk to dinner somewhere downtown and remembered that Firefly Tavern had recently opened. We decided to check it out and were more than pleasantly surprised. The food is GREAT! We started with a chopped salad that was good and perfect for sharing. I got the chicken chili verde and my partner got the cheesy grits.

Both entrees were outstanding. The grits dish was rich and HUGE with prawns and delicious andouille sausage that was had a perfect crispness to it. We took about 2/3 of it home. The chili verde was done with an awesome chicken confit over slightly crisp jasmine rice. I took about half of it home, but I could have kept eating till I burst.

We'll be back repeatedly!

As far as parking goes, it's conveniently right next door to a large parking garage. Also, the background music is great. Very hip, very indie, not overbearing.

The food is absolutely fantastic! They’ve got very unique and spot-on flavor combination and I just dream of their chicken and waffles.

We’ve lived in San Francisco and New York City, and the food at Firefly would be a standout in either city. The fried chicken has an extremely unique and delicious fry, and comes with a delicious sweet and sour dip sauce, the meat was juicy and falling off the bone. We also get the Korean Fried rice whenever we come, and it’s amazing. Generous portions of delicate meat with very flavorful kimchi/gochujung rice. Service was also lovely! Great spot for indoor or outdoor dining in downtown with noticeably better food than its surroundings.

Great restaurant to enjoy food, and a nice selection of beer and wine. My friends and I ordered the burrata and arugula salad with chicken confit, brisket tacos, truffle fries, fried chicken and salad, and the cheesy grits. Although the menu isn’t large, the options are fantastic. Everything was delicious and we will be back!