Murugan Gunasekaran is a chef with a background in technology who transitioned to the culinary world. His parents are from Chennai, India, and he has experience cooking at Masala y Maiz in CDMX and Bantam in Santa Cruz.
Insights
Highlights
Insights are still being generated for this restaurant. In the meantime, check the latest reviews below.
My favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz. The fried chicken is always good and I’ve loved every pizza I’ve tried here. Their seasonal nettle pizza was the best pizza I’ve ever had. The Caesar salad is unbelievably good.
They have great drinks, though they are so expensive. I find the food to be fairly priced, but the drinks (like everywhere it seems) are way too expensive. Still, I just love this place so much. I love the ambiance and the energy.
I actually like that you can’t make a reservation — it opens it up as more of a spontaneous option for me, whereas some places that take reservations I don’t even bother going if it’s on a whim. That might be more of a psychological quirk on my part than anything else though.
Absolutely my favorite restaurant in CA for now.
We had an amazing experience at this restaurant. Everyone we interacted with was incredibly friendly and welcoming. We ordered a sparkling water, fried chicken, and pizza. The chicken was absolutely delicious. I can’t even begin to describe it. The pizza was equally incredible. The thin crust was incredibly tasty, and the tomato sauce was something special. I’m not sure if it was fresh tomato mixed with canned Italian sauce, but it was spectacular nonetheless. Overall, we had a fantastic time and highly recommend this restaurant for its excellent service and delicious food.
5
Dined outside and the vibes at Bantam were perfect - great food and service!
The sweet potato was an incredible dish, such a delicious and unique take. The Margherita Pizza was also great! Definitely hope to come back soon to try the rest of the menu!
5
Alexis was our server. Incredibly considerate to a member of our party with allergies. I have never seen or heard of anyone being so careful to ensure all food items would be safe. Food was amazing and the venue is super cool - outdoor seating is inclusive of our dogs. Love this place.
3
Bantam has dropped down a few notches for me. They were one of the best Santa Cruz restaurants, but the last few times I’ve been there, it has deteriorated.
1st - Whatever is happening with the sound system needs to get fixed. The music goes from a normal level to uncomfortably high throughout the night. Meaning, it becomes hard to have a conversation. Our server said the sound system is broken. I seem to recall this happening the last time I was there alone.
The service is usually great, but last night the server was less available and the food took a long time.
Cocktail - Perfect margarita, thank you!
The food. Cesar salad, solid. Especially with those amazing croutons. The halibut over cooked and it had this light yellow thick sauce across the top that had zero flavor. Loved the tomatoes in the bowl with the fish. The margarita pizza. Not as good as I remember. Toppings were nice but the crust seemed too thick. I’d rather go to the sleight of hand cart next door at Stockwell.
The bar is no longer first come first served, but on the wait list.
I hope this was just an off night. But based on this, I won’t be running back.
