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!"

"Been twice in about a 2 week span, and impressed both times. Dishes sampled include the chili verde bowl, poutine, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy. Definitely as good as anything I’ve had in town for this type of food. Actual drumstick and thigh for the chicken and waffles, not a boneless breast or chicken tender as one most often encounters around here. On that note, they do do a very good job with their chicken, the chicken called in the chili Verde bowl was also excellent. Very good beer and wine selection as well including a Lambrusco which is generally hard to find. Now, if only they could get a hard alcohol license and do cocktails…"

"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."

"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"

"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."