Our writers give their own awards to standouts of the Santa Cruz music and nightlife scene.
Best Beer Garden
Tyrolean Inn
Far up the winding San Lorenzo Valley, under the redwoods and a world away, the Tyrolean Inn beckons. On cold nights its cozy Old World interior warms the soul every bit as nicely as the schnitzel and sauerbraten on the menu, but on warm summer evenings the place to be is the beer garden. An enclosed porch where accordion music reigns supreme and large groups gather at long tables for noisy, good-natured celebrations, the beer garden is the perfect place to raise a stein of strong, deeply flavored German pilsner and eins, zwei und trinken. (TH)
9600 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond. 831.336.5188
Best Free Shows
The Abbey
This spacious café’s free concert series is unrivaled in Santa Cruz: it showcases acoustic talent from here and abroad as well as hosting regular open-mic nights. We already said “free,” right? The music tends toward the folky side and includes jazz and rock; a bowl of soul (warm soymilk with honey) or a cup of rich coffee or tea from the extensive beverage list enhances the intimate musical experience. Between the café’s comfortable couch-to-table ratio and covered outside patio, there’s space for everyone; the fact that the café is part of a church is irrelevant. (MW)
350 Mission St, Santa Cruz. 831.429.1058
Best Gay Dance Party
Thursday Rainbow Room at Madhouse
Every Thursday since it opened, and every Thursday until the end of time, the Madhouse fills to capacity with people who love to dance. The crowd is as diverse as the rainbow flags that hang from the ceiling—singles and couples range in age from fresh 21-year-olds up to partiers in their 30s and 40s. “At least half of the people who come on Thursdays are here every single Thursday night. Some of them I know drive over the hill,” says bartender Molly McVeigh. DJ AD keeps the party hopping until the dance floor steams—literally. Dress for heat and dress to dance. (MG)
529 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz. 831.425.2900
Best Mountain Music
Don Quixote’s International Music Hall
The hills are alive with the sound of music almost every single night of the week, thanks to Don Quixote’s. The breadth of musicians is staggering: folk hero Bonnie Prince Billy, avant-garde ax man Nels Cline, Jerry Garcia Band co-founder Melvin Seals—and those are just the bigger names. DQ also sees a steady stream of up-and-coming indie, bluegrass, jazz, rock & roll and R&B talents, playing for a song, as it were, and creating a vibrant music scene in the unlikeliest of little mountain roadhouses. (TH)
6275 Hwy 9, Felton. 831.335.2800
Best Seasonal Cocktails
Oswald
You won’t find a more urbane bar in Santa Cruz than Oswald. Where most bars settle for the same old cosmopolitans and lemon drops, ace mixologist Hans Losee and his fellow barmen shake up a menu of cocktails that change with the seasons and his free-ranging creativity. Cheers to you, Hans. (SH)
121 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz. 831.423.7427
—Paul M. Davis, Maria Grusauskas, Stett Holbrook, Traci Hukill, Cat Johnson, Eric Johnson, Stephen Kessler, Tessa Stuart, Christina Waters, Maya Weeks
