La Gioconda

We got to sit in the wine cellar and it was wonderful. Great service and great food. Loved it

Awesome spot, so delicious! Great food, great wine and fabulous service! Such a beautiful garden as well!!! Definitely recommend checking this hidden gem out.

This is our favorite restaurant in town. The food is super deliciuos, the ambience is great and the service is excellent. We love the octopus, the mussels (among the appetizers) and the lamb (as main course). Yesterday we celebrated my birthday here and we got a very nice round table just for the two of us. Look forward to our next visit very soon.

Six years ago we honeymooned in Tuscany and eating here is as close to true Italiano pasta and sauces that you will find. A real treat. What a perfect anniversary meal.
The owner greets you, takes care of you and walks you thru the menu. Wine is crazy good and fairly priced. They do not mark it up like other restaurants.
Enjoy. All is amazing.

I went to the restaurant with a couple of friends yesterday. One friend was there the week before with her husband, and had a great culinary experience. I live in the neighborhood. One of the friends is from out of town.
The staff was friendly and informative. Some things could have been explained a bit more in detail, like how the artichoke salad was prepared. The portions were small to medium. My friend last week had the eggplant parmigiana ordered it again and convinced me to order it as well. It was good with subtle flavors, but came to the table lukewarm.
The part that has me rating it three stars is that my friend ordered the catch of the day and was told it was salmon. Nothing was said otherwise, when her fish came it was white, not pink and not salmon. We had to bring it to their attention. Why was nothing said before hand? Did they think she wouldn’t notice? Just come out and say oh we are out of salmon and what we do have is halibut. Is that okay with you? So that just didn’t feel right or honest. Then there was no comp.…how about a desert or? Yes they said they’d take it back ~ at that point we all have our food. I will go back again. I will make sure things are clear.
The wines were great.

Hmm-m-m…These 3 stars should be read as ‘an OK’, not A-OK…went for a pre Valentine’s Day dinner last Saturday; thought we could beat the rush for Sunday spots and had seen there was a new owner at the old Theo’s…so many kitchens have risen from those wood-​fired oven ashes thru the years and not one has lasted 2… sigh…and such a sweet location! The patio-​then-​garden in the back is such a prize spot for any chef wanting a solid impression. When we got there we were met with a piece of scrawled-​on binder paper, scotch-​taped to the door announcing there would be no walk-​ins; they were booked for the evening. Hmm-​m-​m good thing I had called ahead. Now I don’t want to be picky because I treasure every good eatery in Santa Cruz and want to give them an even-​handed Unilocal as they start out but the binder paper/​penciled note was a good gauge of what was coming. In short, they really didn’t quite know what they were doing. Even the layout of the tables was awkward, sitting at the window and all we saw was a straight shot into the kitchen. Couples had come in despite the binder paper blockade and were turned away even though there were tables that stayed empty our whole meal. There was a party of perhaps 8 couples that had reserved the little alcove for the evening and maybe that’s what spooked the kitchen but I’m sure they had enough notice to get extra staff and make a menu that would have been flexible. And then there was dinner… big sigh… Patti had the Stouffer-​style lasagna rectangle slab or however you say that in Italian. I had a crab dish literally… a creamed concoction served in a shell who’s occupant had been scooped out several days earlier… it had that certain scent… it didn’t smell bad-​bad, just cheap-​eats-​on-​the-​wharf bad… I should have sent it back but I just ate the middle part which had so little flavor and I was sure there wasn’t enough crab in there to do any real damage… you know, salt is not a bad idea… it can bring some tastes up notch without effecting blood pressure… a salad drenched in an attempt at buttermilk dressing… I know… picky, picky, picky… I’d give the evening a C+…The staff who waited on us was kind, the wine was good. I was hoping for a better evening. Good luck, Mona, your restaurant is going to need it…

We discovered this little jewel of authentic northern Italian trattoria on our recent trip to Big Sur. Backed by a working organic garden, it is a lovely restaurant set in a little house, that serves real, wholesome, Italian food. Checking up on Unilocal reviews in the Capitola area where we stayed (just south of Santa Cruz) this one popped up. Soquel, is a mere 4 min. away from Capitola!
The octopus salad was so tender and delicious, we ordered more of it-​even if you don’t think you like this particular seafood, it’s worth a try– ottimo piatto!
I was looking forward for a good plate of vitello tonato, which is rarely found in the States, but they didn’t have it and so I chose their substitute: carpaccio. Excellent meat quality, I had to share it with everyone at the table :-).
Pollo alla Cacciatora-​hearty, well executed, just like my mom used to make. Delizioso! You could just tell the chicken (pollo in Italian) is organic and fresh.
One of us ordered the ravioli, but either they had a little glitch in the kitchen, or it was too strong of a sauce for him. Whatever that was, they graciously and quickly offered to replace it with another dish that was great.
Pappardelle alla Bolognese– although I much prefer this type of pasta with porcini mushrooms, or with cinghiale (wild boar) — they definitely should look into serving it-​the dish was very filling, with excellent ground meat sauce and I believe it was a hand made pasta.
Mauro, one of the partners, graciously offered desert on the house, and although we didn’t contemplate it, it was an absolute surprise. As a person that finds the very idea of panna cotta, a bit funny (I never liked it) theirs was the only one I ever loved, what a revolution! it was lifted with lavender, cooked to perfection– the lightness of being.
Another desert that was very interesting, especially if you are GF, is the chocolate Bonet– divino! I don’t think I have seen it on menus for a long time-​not even in Italy-​great choice! the tiramisu was good too, but the other two were more so.
Service was attentive and atmosphere pleasant and not chaotic. The interior can improve a bit, but all in all it was a lovely dinner. Grazie per tutto e buona fortuna!

Bad Experience
We went on a Tuesday night for my wife’s birthday. The restaurant was less than ½ full but there was no one to seat us for 10 minutes while we stood in the entry way. The waiter than sat us right next to another couple near the kitchen. We ordered salads and entrees and a bottle of wine. They brought us water and bread and came by the table to continually fill the water glasses. After about an hour the waiter said our entrees would be right out. We asked about our salads. They claimed a computer glitch (only 5 tables occupied) made them think we had already received them. The salads were ok but they obviously had just set the entrees aside and zapped them before brining them out when our salads were done. They were were both bad. To make up for the mistake they said we could have 1 complementary desert… not 2. I guess that is the value of a screwup. We ordered a gelato with caramel sauce. It was icy from a long time in the freezer and there was basically no caramel sauce… thanks a lot. My guess is not quite ready for prime time. We won’t go back.

Just went there this past weekend — twice, with 2 groups. Food was great, authentic and creative. Presentation was good. Saw their small garden that supplies some of the greens. Good tasting Italian wines. The owners care about their guests-​typical Italian hospitality. This is a do again. Friday my friends had the ravioli with the beef sauce. After suspending judgement about it not being tomato sauce — Wow. Excellent. I had the seafood spaghetti. (I make my own pasta, so I am a bit of a pasta snob.) The pasta was better than mine and the cream sauce with the seafood was tasty, vibrant, full of flavor and a do again. My wife had the lamb and polenta. Lamb was well done, rustic italian style. I like my lamb rare, but again, it was awesome. The polenta was pretty darn good. The next nite we went with our son. My son and I had the osso bucco (veal shank). Best osso bucco I’ve had in about 8 times in the last 5 years. It is again, italian rustic, and exceptionally done. My wife had the chicken cacciatore. That is a tricky dish because everyone does it slightly different. My wife said it was better than her mom’s. The chicken was moist, the veggies were flavorful, etc, etc, etc. The panna cotta was excellent. We had it twice. The lavender accent was a nice touch. I’d like to order a vat of it. this is a do again. Thanks for being in Santa Cruz.

This little gem in Soquel is awsome! The atmosphere is comfortable, open yet private and welcoming. The staff; very attentive and they worked as a team. All the various waitstaff attended to us whether pouring our water, replenishing our bread or clearing our plates. The portions are large. The small appetizer salad was the perfect size, very flavorful, only $ 7 with lotsa different fresh organic ingredients! The main courses were plentiful, flavorful, great presentation and just plain delicious! The pasta was fresh made, the sauces light yet flavorful and the bread… no butter needed so moist and a slight nutty flavor! Fairly priced along with a nice selection of wines by the glass. We had no room for dessert sadly! Ok, this is our new favorite restaurant… organic, some ingredients direct from their own garden and with a northern Italian flare! YUM!

We had the pleasure of dining at La Gioconda last night. We had family in town and decided to try something new (to us.) We called about an hour before an easily got or name on the reservation list for a Saturday night. When we arrived, we were actually created by two Italian men. Which was a great start; I love the legitimacy.
We enjoyed the calamari stuffed with calamari and shared the shaved asparagus salad to start. They were both light starters and great plates to share. The calamari were the most tender I have ever had… I had the ravioli stuffed with short ribs and a reduction sauce. I’m not a huge red meat eater and it was delicious! For dessert we shared the tiramisu and the vanilla gelato with caramel sauce. I will be honest, a half spoonful of each to form one bite was insanely good. No doubt that we will be back here again, I regret that we haven’t tried it sooner.

Best Italian restaurant we have been too in a long time. The food was absolutely amazing and so was the waiting staff. This will definitely become one my wife and I’s regular date night spots.

A quaint, cozy, fantastic Italian restaurant! Great service (the Italian owner actually waited on us). Prices are reasonable, food is superb. It was a very pleasant experience, and will return again if in the area.

Dined out with another couple here last weekend. I had heard good things about it so my expectations were high.
We started with the Burrata appetizer which was amazing! Buttery cheese with roasted garlic and toasted crostini. We ordered the following meals:
Dungeness Crab Gnocchi: This is served in a crab shell, which looks cool but I kept getting crab shell in my mouth. The gnocchi was amazing and the sauce was too.
Special Pasta with clams and seafood: excellent
Lamb Chops: excellent
Pasta Bolognese: Sauce didn’t look deep enough, too red to be a bolognese but still good.
The service was outstanding and I will definitely go back to try other dishes.

Subtle flavors and a wonderful selection of wines. I had the gnocchi crab dungeness and it was superb. My husband’s spaghetti dish had a sauce that was subtly delicious and wonderful. The staff are friendly and the restaurant is small, and cozy. This is a gem of a restaurant.

I went to La Gioconda last night with my 14 and 11 year olds. The service was amazing. In fact I pointed out to my kids that this was what really good restaurant service was like. We loved all of our food. We started with a mozzarella and garlic appetizer which was fantastic. I had the bolognese and my kids had the chicken and the salmon and we all thought our entrees were fantastic. We ended with some shared desserts, the tiramisu and some amazing lemon dessert. We will definitely be going back. I’ve already called my mom and told her that her and my dad need to try it out!!!

From start to finish, service, wine, appetizer, meals… all was wonderful. We had the specials, tonight it was lamb, spaghetti with clams, salmon, scampi mushrooms, and my daughter had the chicken. Not a bite was left on our plates. The tarte tatin, delicious with house-​made whip cream… mmmmm. Reservations recommended!

I was disappointed after leaving this place. I guess maybe I had high expectations after having read some of reviews. The service was excellent. Friendly, quick and our waiter was funny.
I ordered the pesto and there was absolutely no flavor to it. My husband got a extremely bland tasting ravioli also.
Probably will not be going here again.

We went for the Christmas Eve Prix Fixe dinner and it was really really good. The ambiance was perfect and the service is the best in Santa Cruz County. I didn’t know the menu was set before going there, and I am allergic to eggs and gluten. We let our server know (Michael) and he made it possible for me to get all the courses (including dessert) without the allergens. I really appreciated that. There is a quality that is hard to describe, perhaps it’s a gourmet European thing? Gioconda has it. And for the serving sizes, the prices are very reasonable, considering too that everything is organic. They also grow their own greens and herbs in the back. This restaurant is in my top 2 in the county.

Incredible food — Farm to table northern Italian cuisine. So delicious! Wonderful service! We were on errands and ended up here unexpectedly. I was fairly embarrassed, as I was dressed in my house sweats like a slob due to errands being of the Home Depot nature and occurring after a nice walk in the woods. Happy to report I didn’t get any judging looks or rudeness based on my presentation, and appreciated that, given this restaurant is nice and you’d feel better dressed for a casual night out vs in your ugliest sweats. Lol. Thanks for the amazing food and service La Gioconda!

Service, wine, attention, 5 stars. This was our second visit under current management.
This evening, we showed up around 515, and opted for the cellar rather than the middle table between to other parties (majority of restaurant reserved for a bigger party).
Our waiter and staff were beyond helpful, the appetizer was great. But we ordered two veggie options as mains — artichoke salad and veggie lasagne.
The flavors were wonderful. But…
Artichoke salad — 95% arugula with artichoke shavings. Serious misrepresentation.
The veggie lasagne, flavorful, but was luke wake to cold. I partitioned off my portion due to hunger and ate it. Disappointed. My wife was still hungry from the misguided artichoke salad, and was mad at me that we wait until we point out the problem.
The food was flavorful. Staff handled the disconnect in an amazing manner, which should have happened.
The lasagna — easily fixed, artichoke salad, should be more than a token mention in the dish.
The wait staff /​house addressed the issue, I hope our gratuity reflected such. More a combination of timing and description than service/​attitude:
We will return.

Just went for the first time. Clam chowder was fantastic and unique. It had actual clams in there! The other dishes were equally impressive… salmon and lasagna. Perfect execution and the service was top shelf. Michael was as pro a waiter as you’ll ever get.

Simply put… outstanding. Food was exceptional and the service was great! Ordered the bolognese and it was wonderful. Pasta was really delicious. Pumpkin soufflé for an appetizer was delicious.

Wow. What an exquisite meal. I have tried all of the restaurants in Santa Cruz, and the experience here last night was outstanding. Every recipe that my me, my mom, and girlfriend has was delicious and original. Service and attention was almost too perfect. We’ll be coming back again.

Had an amazing dinner. Excellent service, care and thought put into every detail.
Delicious food & great ambiance! We’ll be back!

Very nice Italian restaurant with great food and service. We needed a good Italian restaurant in the Aptos/​Soquel area — and this is it! The wine list is varied with good value. Lots of fresh local fish dishes, along with more traditional pasta entrees. The restaurant has a lovely herb and vegetable garden right by their outdoor seating. Visitors can walk through the garden while enjoying a glass of wine. This is truly a delightful experience. It’s locally owned and operated. We all need to dine here often and keep them in business!

Food was amazing, service was excellent. This restaurant far exceeded my expectations of what was behind the doors at this very discreet location. We sat outside, in the back. Beautiful view of the garden and we were told that it was okay to go check it out. Food was delish! Looove the beef short rib ravioli! My wife had the lamd shank (nice sized portion too). Couldnt speak on the wine selection as I brought my own. They do appear to be well equipped though and wouldnt be surprised if they had some nice local wines on the menu. We will definately be heading back here soon!

After a long time finally I found a place where I eat just like I am used to do back at home in Italy.
If you ever taste the meat, the vine, and especially the fish (I suggest the «Branzino al Cartoccio») of Luca the mighty chef you will never forget.

On August 8, my family held a party for 26 people celebrating our mothers’ 75^th birthday. Mauro, Francesco and chef Luca proved us with simply elegant garden setting and an abundance fantastic food and drink! I don’t believe any restaurant in Santa Cruz can match the level of outstanding service, ambiance, quality of farm to table Italian cuisine.
Our dinner included: appetizers of salmon quiche, fruit, bruschetta, meatballs vegetables and a garden salad. We had two entrees, one was a generous cut of roasted chicken thigh, roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables and the second entrée was basil pasta with shrimp. For desert we had tiramisu! Everything was served family style which was exactly to our liking.
Thought out the evening they generously supplied us with red and white wine, beer and prosecco. We will defiantly be back and recommend others to visit your little gem of a restaurant.
Many thanks to Francesco, Mauro, Chef Luca and the staff of La Gioconda for making this a special night.
From the Rossi family
Santa Cruz, CA

By far the best Italian experience I’ve ever had. Reastaurant is actually owned by real Italians. Fresh and delicious food, good wine selection, and customer service. Overall Good price for the quality of food.
I will return here again. Highly recommend.

I love this new little Italian restaurant in the heart of Soquel.
Food
The menu has many delectable options that will arouse any taste buds. The high level quality of foods really are something to write home about! A lot of their produce is raised in their organic garden. The rest of the food items are bought from local farmers. I personally love the salmon with those garlic Brussels sprouts (yum)!
Ambiance
They have several options to chose from. The outdoor patios in the front and back are wonderful if the weather permits. The main area of the restaurant is a great option too. For larger parties, they have a banquet room and a wine cellar room. The floors are beautiful hardwood throughout.
I chose the banquet room for my birthday and was very satisfied! It was quite lovely!
Service
The owners take a lot of pride and care in providing a pleasurable experience for all. Francesco is one of the owners who I’ve met and he’s very kind, courteous and attentive! Each time I’ve patroned this establishment, I’ve been very happy with the way I was treated.
All in all, this is an excellent restaurant and I’m happy to write this positive review! I know I’ll be back again and again! Please be sure to tell them Aja from Unilocal sent you!