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Hoffman's Bistro Reviews List
Hoffman's Bistro
The Hottest new restaurant in Santa Cruz is Hoffman's! With a spacious new wine bar, fabulous new menu and trendy new look Hoffman's is ready to show the Bay Area how great dining can be in Santa Cruz. Brunch and dinner are served 7 days a week at their downtown location with cuisine ranging from their famous Eggs Benedict to distinct tapas menu served during afternoon and dinner hours. Chef Jayson Holzworth displays culinary mastery in the kitchen and Sommelier/Beverage Director Marie Hoffman compliments the cuisine with a spectacular wine list! Live Jazz starts at 6:30 nightly! Make your reservations now and see what all the hype is about!
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14 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
Rating Breakdown 14 reviews
5 stars
(7)
4 stars
(2)
3 stars
(2)
2 stars
(1)
1 star
(2)
Food
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
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Diners classify this restaurant as:
- neighborhood gem(6)
- great for brunch(5)
- fit for foodies(4)
- kid-friendly(4)
- great for lunch(3)
- good for groups(2)
Hoffman's Bistro Reviews List
Review 1 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Wonderful Mother's Day Breakfast
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Hoffman's is an outstanding local restaurant. Great food and friendly service. Very comfortable, although the metal chairs at some of the middle tables feel cheap and out of place. With Open Table, we got right to our table with minimal waiting. They do a good job of handling busy crowds."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 2 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Live Music was good...
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Robert Irvine would have been disappointed with this visit. Stuffed chicken had no flavor with a very poor sauce. Though pear salad was nicely executed while the special salmon was just okay. Also on a Friday night when down town Santa Cruz was bustling to population limits our table of four was was quite noticeable in a restaurant that was otherwise 2/3rds empty. Watching and rooting for this local restaurant to turn around on Restaurant Impossible was exciting but unfortunately not sure it is going to make it. Will not go back."
Dined on 04/19/2013
2004
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Review 3 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
This was my second visit.
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This was my second visit. The first we went for lunch. We were very bad brunch guests. Nearly half of our party of nine showed up 30 minutes late; okay when we arrived - no line; not so cool by the time we left - a number of people waiting, The staff was more than generous about it. Our food came out promptly. I had a scramble with ham, bacon, cheese, mushrooms. Really yummy! I saw chilaquilles and benedicts being devoured at the table so I would say the feeling was pretty mutual. Very attentive wait staff. We'll be back. Want to try dinner next time with my husband. We'll leave the kids behind this time."
Dined on 04/07/2013
2006
Special Features: great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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Review 4 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Hoffmans is our favorite....amazing
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Hoffmans is our favorite....amazing food, quiet ambience, good prices for excellent quality, and the service is usually world class!! Our whole family is known by name and treated like part of the Hoffman family every time we're there. Everyone is kind and attentive! JUST GO...you won't be disappointed! :)"
Dined on 03/31/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
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Review 5 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Terrific brunch experience
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We thoroughly enjoyed our 3rd visit to Hoffman's. The food is always a cut above the usual brunch offerings: housemade bread and scones, a delicate touch with filler ingredients such as cheese in omelettes, and well-judged seasoning and hollandaise rations. Service was impeccable: Amanda was friendly and upbeat, attentive without being overbearing, and the rest of the team supported her with seamless efficiency, bringing food and refilling coffee. And considering the restaurant was full, the noise level was still very low.
How much did we enjoy it? We bought one of the house's signature "Eggs Ben-Addict" t-shirts, and we don't offer to advertise restaurants' brands as a rule! We love this place to kick off a day out in Santa Cruz."
Dined on 03/24/2013
2006
Special Features: good for groups, great for brunch, kid-friendly
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Review 6 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Nothing to talk about
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Poor)
1
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"What a disappointment! Had made reservations and on arrival was told "No table for you yet." 40 minutes later we were seated only to be ignored by the staff until somebody asked for water. The food was nothing special and one of the group ordered the lamb Stew to brought a bigbowl of what looked like runny dog food. When asked if we could have more bread were told "You have to pay for it." Won't go back and won't encourage others to either. The family who owns the resturant was nothing short of making my group feel like we should be lucky ther're letting us eat at their resturant."
Dined on 03/17/2013
2010
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Review 7 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Don't let the menu deceive you
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
"Had a reservation, and they walked us right past the table marked reserved and put us by the kitchen and waiter/bus bar. Food is barely
Adequate for a level below what thy are trying to achieve. The waiters (we had several trading us around) could give me no real suggestion between two of the salads. I had to resort to the black bean burger over the ravioli because the pasta was more expensive than some of the meat (which unfortunately I've given up for a while). Shoulda gone to saturns for a better burger, better service and better ambiance. The appetizer we got was hard to eat to. The orange salad was good, the pacific salad looked adequate. if you want fried calamari and steak this is a maybe, if you're a foodie stay away!"
Adequate for a level below what thy are trying to achieve. The waiters (we had several trading us around) could give me no real suggestion between two of the salads. I had to resort to the black bean burger over the ravioli because the pasta was more expensive than some of the meat (which unfortunately I've given up for a while). Shoulda gone to saturns for a better burger, better service and better ambiance. The appetizer we got was hard to eat to. The orange salad was good, the pacific salad looked adequate. if you want fried calamari and steak this is a maybe, if you're a foodie stay away!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2013
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Review 8 for Hoffman's Bistro
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
We love Hoffman's Bistro!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We love discovering new restaurants and Hofman's Bistro is now our favorite. Our waiter was extremely pleasant, helpful and attentive. The food was excellently prepared to our taste and served beautifully. They even had a jazz quartet on the evening we were there.
We would certainly recommend this downtown gem to everyone!"
We would certainly recommend this downtown gem to everyone!"
Dined on 02/12/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, great for lunch
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Hoffman's Bistro
Based on the average of (6) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
1 out of 1 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic