Michael’s On Main

Went for family-​of-​nine (9) get-​together dinner… food was very good, but service was poor; AND they were OUT of the wine we ordered, OUT of a menu selection, and OUT of a dessert selection…“3 strikes and you’re out?” How slow was the service? A couple of the desserts finally arrived as we were getting up to leave!

This is a wonderful music and dance venue. One of the bartenders Eric is amazing, attentive, and kind. Listening to live music and dancing on a Thursday, or weekend day at this Soquel restaurant/​bar, is so much fun. Great atmosphere.

Great restaurant, friendly staff, and excellent food. They refer to themselves as «cutting edge comfort food,» and they’re right on target with the menu. Every now and again the place gets so busy service slows down a bit, but it is always worth the wait. The bar is also excellent. Give the bartenders a chance to make something special for you.

It’s Thursday the 5^th of November &@2:10pm.
I got odd tasting seared ahi.
I mentioned that it taste freezer burned, but asked for no replacement, and ate it because we were in a hurry.
Our server let the kitchen know.
The «chef» came out and circled our table menacingly like a child.
This is the second time I’ve been here. The last time, I had lamb, and got sick, but chocked it up to the bug going around at the time. I’m now starting to think it may simply have been the lamb.
Th server was polite, but the low and vulgar banter coming from the kitchen is unwanted.
Lots of potential here, poor execution.

We ate at Michael’s last night during the Santa Cruz Restaurant Week. We had a reservation for 5:30 and were promptly seated. All three in our party had the house salad. Two had the pistachio crusted salmon and one had the steak. For dessert, two ate the brownie sundae and one ate the cheesecake. Everything was delicious and outstanding. The coffee was outstanding. Justin, our server/​waiter, was very friendly and informative, and provided excellent service. We look forward to dining again at Michael’s.

Great customer service!!! Went there to celebrate my girlfriend and I anniversary. Made a reservation through open table, was seated immediately on arrival. Food was outstanding. Live band was great. Will definitely come back

Service was ok. Food was just ok. When my friend left his Patagonia sweater there by accident they denied it was still there. So he drove back after hearing the lies from the staff over the phone and was stern on recovering his sweater. Wouldn’t you know, he got it back. I guess if you don’t look like a «Santa Cruz local» then you get treated bad. That sucks for them because we do live here and we have the means to eat where ever we want. Café cruz we love u !

We had lunch at Michaels yesterday. It was a hot day for Soquel– 91 degrees. So, drinks were going to be a necessity. The beer selection isn’t the greatest, unless you are a lager fan. They have a full bar for mixed drinks. Iced tea refills took forever to get, and I had to meet our server at the bar in order to get another beer. Food was great, though! I had the turkey club and you can really tell the turkey is smoked. My wife had the pulled pork panini and it was tasty, too. Food is on the pricey side, but you have to pay for quality.
One side note, it’s an outdoor/​open restaurant and could definitely use some dusting. The light fixtures overhead are very dusty and the bottles on the bar back were dusty also. Utensils and plates were clean.
I’ll try it again.

Service is horrible, the facility is run down. The owner must of lost his passion. I’d pass on this place.

I’ve had great meals here in the past. I wonder if they have a new chef?
I had the Rib Eye. This isn’t a cheap dish, $ 29. Presentation looked like a Sloppy Joe (messy). Gravy was like Salisbury Steak. It had a charred taste and was fatty. Blu cheese mashed potatoes was like a box mix and I could barely taste the blue cheese.
On the plus side:
The zucchini was flavorful and cooked exactly right. Service and surroundings were great (we were outside in the back by the creek). My mom and sister had the Lamb Popsicles and said they were good.

Buffet on tuesday not worth the money simply due to atmosphere. Good food good wine good music, served in a spartan buffet event hall. Also some of the worst coffee ive ever had… asked for another cup… again awful.

Terrible service, worse food. My husband and I went on a Tuesday night for the «wine and food pairing» and live music on the patio. We had reservations, but when we arrived there was no place for us to sit. Evidently the chef/​owner and his large group of friends had taken over the table reserved for us. They tried to accommodate us, but we didn’t want to sit DIRECTLY in front of the musician or isolated way back in the cold gazebo. Finally they brought out a small bar table and squeezed us in.
On the phone we were told there was an Italian Buffet to accompany the wine samplings. We stood around for about ten minutes waiting for anything to arrive on the «buffet» table. Garlic bread, Caprese salad (which was tasty) one pasta dish and one seafood cassoulet comprised the entire buffet. The pasta, sadly, was stone cold even though we were served a fresh batch – fresh out of the refrigerator, I think. At any rate, it was not a food and wine «pairing.» It was more of a wine flight served with little regard to food/​wine complement. Not sure what wine does pair with a mushy white bean casserole topped with gritty mussels or cold pasta Alfredo.
Had to ask for water, had to ask for salt and pepper which never came. We finally borrowed it from a neighboring table. Service was pretty non-​existent. The dessert that came with the buffet was about ½ tablespoon of mousse in a mini-​cupcake paper.
Some of the people around us were ordering from the menu and the plates looked tasty. We might have been happier if we’d done the same. But we won’t go back to find out. Many other better places to eat in the area.

No Complaints here! good staff, friendly, professional and more.
WIFI a plus, Great Bartender (Dena) rocks it! always a smile with her!
wish I was made of money, would be in there more often, but not made
of money, nope! Good Local scene there.

The two star review is generous and is only because the server was truly lovely. I came here years ago and really enjoyed the place but now the place is looking pretty run down. The place has a funky smell that is not inviting or appetizing. I am guessing that pride of ownership doesn’t exist as the décor hasn’t been modernized in years and the building is looking run down. The windows had cobwebs inside and out which was a major turn off.
We went on a Sunday evening around 7pm and we were the only table… huh…that should have been a warning sign. We split an app, soup, and entrée. Again the server was really great but the food was pretty bad and extremely overpriced. The soup was a seafood bisque that was way over salted and I love salt. it tasted as if it had been reducing in a chaffing dish for 7 days. The app was a seared ahi salad. Ok this one was really bad. The tuna was seared on all of the small sides but not the largest side. then it was put onto of large pieces of raw cabbage and raw red onion with now dressing. even if it had a dressing the raw onion and raw giant chunks of cabbage made this inedible. The main was pot roast and it was really sad. Over steamed zucchini along side wet mashed potatoes with pot roast that tasted days old and then microwaved.
Dated food with no creativity, no modernization of the building an no pride means I will not be going back and would not recommend this place to anyone. Oh and the price was shocking for what we got.

One of the best lunches I’ve had in a very long time. Lisa my waitress was awesome the calamari, ahi and house salad off the charts! I would come back in a heartbeat. Never miss this experience again. Next time wine pairing!!!

***This review is for a special event small party that went poorly. I do not know what a normal time at this restaurant is like. With that said, I do not recommend this restaurant for a special event, nor would I come back.
This last year my husband and I were married. What a special time! With that, we needed a rehearsal dinner spot for the night before. About nine months ahead of the day, I booked this restaurant. Everything was set. Then a few months before, everything changed. Policies changed. Options of menu items changed. Our contact changed. While this wasn’t terrible, it isn’t what you quite want before your big day.
Ok, then comes the night of. It’s sprinkling — boo. But not their fault. So, our original reservation for outside is moved inside. It is in this small room off to the side with a domed ceiling. Clearly, our group was too large and now squished together. It was difficult speaking or seeing people correctly. No one was a fan. We should have been given a part of one of the larger rooms, so we could all be together in a nicer way.
Ok, then comes the dinner and staff (DREW G). My husband to be and I were served last each time and even his entrée was forgotten. Drinks were slow, so slow in fact, that people got up to go to the bar because it was taking so long. Water was spilled all over our table — TWICE. While these things were not the end of the world. .. it did not make things better. Finally, the only thing that came on time was our bill — right?
The food was just alright. My salmon was under-​cooked and his beef was over. The only great thing was the spinach dip for a starter. The salad barely had dressing and nothing to it. So of course, the food to cost ratio just did not match.
POOR EVENT COORDINATION
POOR SERVICE
POOR FOOD
Do not book this location for a special event.

Just lost my business forever
They just canceled a reservation for a group that has been meeting approx every two months for the last 4 years in order to take another reservation. This date and time had been committed long ago. Bad move management! They lost my future business and a star for that disrespect.
Ignoring the bad taste that just left in my mouth…
The locale is nice – the back deck is lovely and they accommodate dogs out there nicely. The wine list is nice and the other people I’ve been with enjoy the cocktails, but the food is uneven – sometimes good but sometimes even the same item is not consistent. I’ve had better luck with the bar menu than the main one.
On the plus side, the staff does a VERY good job handling large groups with aplomb and I have great respect for them. They also do a good job with normal sized groups.

Michael’s On Main was on our «restaurants to try list» and the weather was beautiful Friday so we went for lunch. We walked into the bar and it was surprisingly busy. The hostess was seating a party ahead of us so the bartender greeted us and seated us outside on the deck under a nice shady tree. We were brought our iced teas quickly and we ordered just as quickly. The lunch menu has a little something for everyone. Seafoood, small plates, pizza, sandwiches, salads, even mac & cheese. There is a nice wine list and of course, a full bar.
I tried the «Feel good spinach wrap.» It consisted of diced avocado, carrot, apple, lettuce, pickled onions, tossed in a tarragon vinaigrette with goat cheese and pesto, all wrapped in a spinach tortilla. It came with tortilla chips and a small cup of pico de gallo for dipping. The wrap was light and just what I was craving. It was also huge! I ended up taking half of it home. Husband had the ½ panini of the day and soup of the day: pulled pork, bacon and melted cheese on a ciabatta roll, grilled perfectly. The soup was cioppinno-​like: white fish and veggies in a tomato-​based broth. We both thought everything was just delicious.
We sat outside on the wood patio/​deck, with a fair number of other diners, and enjoyed a totally unhurried meal. They also have a classic brunch menu with eggs benedict and shrimp & grits. We will definitely keep this on our list for visiting on nice days just to enjoy eating on the deck.

A review disclaimer as I never actually sat in the restaurant to dine– we stayed in the bar area both times I visited Michael’s on Main.
My first impressions were ok. the grounds surrounding Michaels are really gorgeous, and the outdoor patio is very scenic and lovely. The interior is kind of dated– but not terrible. It could just use some sprucing up. Another bonus: parking is a breeze, and FREE.
Ok now onto more important things, like FOOD!
I honestly really liked every single dish that I had at Michaels. I really appreciate the effort to use local and in season ingredients. I can really tell the quality of the vegetables is top notch. I really enjoyed the seared Ahi Tuna as well as the brussel sprouts. The sweet potato fries are super yummy as well! I had an omelette as well for brunch, and it was great! Tina the bartender there was also very wonderful and gave us great service.
All in all– its a good place that I will visit again when I am back in the area!

Lovely brunch that accommodated 20 plus people.
We got there when it first opened in the AM. We were immediately seated and got the drink orders taken care of:
Shrimp and Grits were yummy
Kale salad was also good
Omelets were stellar
Coffee cup was always full…
Everything on the menu was amazing and I want to go back.