Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Westside - Santa Cruz, California

Monica I.

Wonderful lunch on the patio. Cocktails top notch. I did not like gin before trying Venus Spirits years ago. Now theirs is my favorite. Our lunch portions were huge and our server was fast, attentive and friendly. We look forward to returning again for more menu items. Our group had the Banh mi, pulled pork and fried chicken sandwiches. Fries and house made potato chips were also great!

Danny D.

Great place for date nite or lunch. Had a great time with some amazing friends here. Didn’t feel rushed and service was on point. The salad with salmon was amazing- burger was ok. Good beer selection and cocktails were delicious.

Nicholas K.

I've been craving a quality elevated bar food restaurant since moving to Santa Cruz and I finally have it. My family had a fantastic dinner at Venus ordering mostly off the happy hour dinner menu. Staples like the burger and Brussels sprouts were as good as the dishes get! Our drinks were great too. Venus was very accommodating of our energetic two year old. So happy to have this restaurant here!

Celeste R. (. E. G.

Can brussel sprouts really taste that heavenly?
I love brussel sprouts, but the way they are served here is a new addiction. My taste buds experience pure pleasure with the variety of flavor they have. Beyond words.

Cornbread with bacon topping is delicious too. Last visit, I had a tastebud explosion with the shrimp & grits. Unlike any I've had before. The super large prawns were perfectly seasoned and cooked.

I also enjoy the creative mocktails offered from the bar. Unique flavorful blends that offer new craving possibilities.

Service is always friendly. Recommend to make a reservation because it gets busy, and for good reason.

Sandra R.

The food was disappointing for the price with the exception of the Brussels sprouts. They were delicious. The corn bread was not eatable. It was refrigerator cold and very dry. There were no promised jalapenos. The chicken was about the size of a pigeon. It wasn’t cooked enough for me.

Brian H.

Venus Venus Spirits and Kitchens left me feeling utterly disappointed. I hoped for a delightful dining experience but experienced a lackluster one instead.
The smash burger special, a classic beef patty, was dry and flavorless. It lacked the juicy, savory qualities one would expect from such a dish, and none of the flavors mentioned in the special description were present. Similarly, the macaroni and cheese fell flat, featuring overcooked pasta and a distinct lack of seasoning. To add to the disappointment, the eagerly awaited pork and Cambria chili, meant to be in the macaroni and cheese, arrived separately and proved to be a waste of both money and taste buds, as it was dry and uninspiring.

The wedge salad, another underwhelming offering, desperately needed additional blue cheese to bring it to life. It also was missing the egg and bacon, which were supposed to be present. The lone glimmer of hope in this culinary experience was the brussel sprouts, which boasted good flavor. However, their saving grace was overshadowed by an overabundance of sauce that rendered them disappointingly mushy, removing the satisfying crunch one would expect from brussel sprouts.
Thankfully, the cocktails proved to be a redeeming. They were well-crafted and enjoyable. If your primary objective is to indulge in expertly prepared cocktails and are content with subpar appetizers, Venus Spirits and Kitchens might suffice. However, if you seek a memorable meal experience, it is best to look elsewhere.

Overall, my visit to Venus Spirits and Kitchens was a regrettable one. The lackluster food made it a dining experience I won't soon forget, though not for positive reasons. While the cocktails were enjoyable, they weren't enough to salvage a disappointing and costly venture.

KC C.

We had such a lovely Mother’s Day lunch at Venus. The hubby and I have been to the distillery at the old location a few times, but we have not been to the kitchen and new distillery location on High Road. Everything about our visit was awesome.

Upon arrival, we were seated right away. It wasn’t super crowded, but shortly after we sat down, the restaurant filled up and I can see why.

The food is really good, craft cocktails awesome and the service was over the top. Our server Matthew was nice and friendly, knowledgeable about the menu (helped me pick out my cocktail) and was also very attentive. It was REALLY busy, but he came by to check on us a lot.

Fun fact, Matthew looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr, Prince Harry and maybe a little of Ed Sheeran. My mother-in-law was so enamored by him, she actually walked as close to the kitchen as possible to wave goodbye to him. It was cute.

Ok, the food…..super yummy quality eats, and the libations are delish. After four cocktails, six entrees and a mocktail, it was about $240 after tip and tax. Not bad!

I would definitely come back for dinner.

Note: Parking was easy as it has a dedicated parking lot.

Becca G. F.

The cocktails at Venus were divine, especially the Laura Palmer pictured first with Venus Gin N.01, hibiscus tea reduction, rose water, lemon, and seltzer.

The Rum Buzz I had for dessert was also fantastic with rum, lime, coconut cream, coffee, coffee liqueur, orgeat, and cinnamon.

The share plates were less impressive, or rather, overdone. The molé baby back ribs served with grilled pineapple, just had so much char that fell off in large chunks, and the pineapple seemed under ripe.

The brussel sprouts were tastier, especially the date and jalapeno cashew cream sauce that came with them. But I admit that the goat cheese panna cotta did not offer much for an $18 plate and the panna cotta texture reduced the joy of creamy goat cheese.

Our friends did enjoy their hamburger and the creamy basil bucatini, which looked fantastic. I would totally go back, but maybe more for the tasting room.