Betty's Eat Inn on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz
Betty’s Eat Inn, the newest venue from popular Santa Cruz restaurant Betty Burgers, is serving up some great food after opening on Pacific Avenue in April 2011. In contrast to the two Betty Burgers locations in the Capitola and Seabright areas, this location has a full bar and an expanded menu.
I’ve eaten at this downtown Santa Cruz restaurant three times now, and the food has been delicious each time. The service was good two out of three times; when I sat on the Pacific Avenue patio the last time I was there, the waiter was slow to take our order and to bring the food.
The other times I sat in the main room, and in the back room (I was with a large group and we’d reserved a special area). Betty’s Eat Inn has a festive atmosphere. The main dining room is open and airy, and features flat-screen TVs. With the big group I was seated next to an Airstream trailer and that was fun. It’s worth noting that the restaurant is open late, until 1:30a.m. on weekends and 10pm on weekdays.
Here are some tips on food, including comments from me and my dining companions:
- Texas Two Step, $8.49, 1/2 lb. burger with onion rings, bacon, cheddar and homemade BBQ sauce – very satisfying and decadent
- Point Grinder, $7.95, 1/2 lb. burger with bacon, blue cheese, and sautéed mushrooms) – one friend ate this “bareback style” (lettuce wrapped as opposed to a bun; you can order any burger this way) and said it was “fabulous, 4 stars.”
- Fish in the Sea, $8.95 (Tuna Melt) – generous portion, and tasty. A nitpicky comment: the menu says “open-faced” but it was not served that way
- Best Ever Oven-Roasted Turkey Sandwich, $7.95 – two of my friends ordered this, and both enjoyed; the restaurant roasts its own turkey. One said “very good, but very big” (two people could easily share this)
- Chicken Noodle Soup, $3.49/cup, $4.95/bowl – homemade and “delicious”
- Sweet Potato Fries, $3.25/reg, $4.95/basket – yummy and well-cooked, and the aioli served with it goes perfectly
- Rough & Ready Salad, $3.49/side, $5.49/full – side salad was “plentiful but dull”
- Pork in the Hay, $8.95 – I definitely recommend this unusual entrée salad which includes a huge portion of savory slow-roasted pork atop apple and red onion coleslaw
- Veggie Mash, $3.49 – this side order alternative to mashed potatoes didn’t meet my expectations. It was okay in flavor and texture, but tasted very rich as opposed to being a vegetable dish and I personally wouldn’t order it again.
I’m excited to return to Betty’s Eat Inn, as well as the two original Betty Burgers which serve consistently great burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
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