Where to Eat in Boulder Creek Right Now

The short version

• A local's defaults: Los Gallos is my weekly stop, the former Sawmill was where we met friends on weekends, and when I'm sick, nothing but Jenny's hot and sour soup at the Red Pearl will do.
• Open sit-down restaurants (four): Scopazzi's (Italian), the Red Pearl (Chinese), Tae's Edo Sushi, and Taqueria Los Gallos. The former Sawmill operation is listed separately as closed.
• Quick and casual: El Rey Leon, a food truck parked downtown with outdoor seating, plus River Dogs for Chicago-style hot dogs by a fire pit.
• Coffee and baked goods: two coffee shops (Jenna Sue's and the Tree House), Bella's for a sit-down breakfast, and three bakers who work by order or market stall rather than a shop counter (Dessert First, Butter Late Than Never, Wildstone).
• Markets, deli, and a drink: two full markets and a deli (Johnnie's, Wild Roots, the Redwood Keg), plus Joe's Bar and Big Basin Vineyards' estate tasting room up the mountain.
• Before you go: hours shift with the season and staffing. Where we couldn't confirm hours to a current source, we've left them out and listed the phone number instead, so call ahead.

For a town this size, Boulder Creek keeps a real kitchen running. I've eaten my way through everything on this list, some of it weekly, so this is a local's guide, not a compiled one. If you're hungry today, downtown and the stretch of Highway 9 just north of it can cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a drink without a drive down the valley. The sections below group every spot by type, with a link to each business's own page where one exists. Just remember that mountain-town hours move with the seasons, the weather, and the occasional staffing crunch, so check before you drive.

Sit-down restaurants

Scopazzi's Restaurant & Lounge at 13300 Big Basin Way is the historic special-occasion room, an Italian restaurant and lounge that's fed Boulder Creek for generations, mine included. Every December since 2006, the partners of the fire department's volunteers take over a table there for our annual ladies night, and for years I ordered the same plate of gnocchi. It's off the menu now and I still crave it, but the menu runs deep enough that losing a favorite mostly means finding a new one. Breakfast runs Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 to 2, lunch Wednesday through Saturday, and dinner Wednesday through Sunday starting at 4. It's closed Monday and Tuesday. There are private rooms if you're planning something bigger than dinner.

The Red Pearl at 13151 Highway 9 handles Chinese food for the whole valley, dine-in or takeout, Wednesday through Sunday 11 to 9. When a cold gets me, nothing else in town will do but Jenny's hot and sour soup. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, and the site is clear that it doesn't deliver, so plan on picking up.

Tae's Edo Sushi at 13271 Highway 9 is the sushi bar in town. Dinner runs 4 to 8 Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday add a lunch window from noon to 3 ahead of the usual dinner hours. It's closed Monday.

The former Sawmill Restaurant & Alehouse at 15520 Highway 9 served burgers, pub fare and craft beer around a large outdoor area and music stage. It closed after service on August 14, 2026. No successor, reopening date or future format has been confirmed, so it is not a current dining option. The Sawmill article preserves the former operation's history.

Counter service, tacos, and hot dogs

El Rey Leon at 12890 Central Avenue is a Mexican food truck at its downtown spot on set days each week, with outdoor seating and counter service. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 to 3 and again 4 to 7, closed Sunday. Order at the truck or call; online ordering is currently unavailable.

Taqueria Los Gallos at 13070 Central Avenue downtown is a sit-down taqueria and, in my house, the weekly quick stop. I could eat Mexican food every day of the week, and this is where it usually lands. It doesn't keep a website, but it's on the Boulder Creek Business Association's current food listings. Call 831-217-5000 for hours before you go.

River Dogs of Boulder Creek at 123 Forest Street, tucked behind Joe's Bar and Scarborough's, is an outdoor stand doing Chicago-style Vienna Beef hot dogs and sausages, with a fire pit and a small stage for acoustic music. Its posted winter schedule is Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 to 3 and Friday through Sunday 11:30 to 5. It closes for bad weather and special events, which is what you'd expect from a place that is actually outdoors.

Coffee, breakfast, and lunch

Three cafes cover the morning shift. All three are small enough that calling ahead beats trusting the internet.

Jenna Sue's Cafe at 13090 Highway 9 is the downtown coffeehouse, pouring Java Bob's coffee alongside breakfast, lunch, and baked goods. The oatmeal, loaded with fresh fruit, is the breakfast I keep trying to replicate at home and keep failing to match. My partner doesn't even open the menu; the astronaut breakfast wins every time. Call 831-338-7008; posted hours are 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekends.

Bella's Cafe at 13132 Central Avenue is the sit-down breakfast and lunch spot downtown, a diner rather than a coffee bar. It serves 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and closes Mondays.

The Tree House Cafe at 13266 Highway 9 sits creekside at the north end of the business district, with coffee, breakfast, and sandwiches. It runs on Facebook rather than a website. The business association listing has it current at 831-610-8912.

Bakeries

Dessert First Bakery makes custom cakes and desserts with all-natural, locally sourced ingredients. There is no shop to walk into: it works out of the kitchen it shares with Jenna Sue's Cafe, so you order through the bakery directly, and some of its goods turn up in the case at Jenna Sue's.

Butter Late Than Never Baking Co. is a licensed cottage bakery working out of a Boulder Creek home kitchen, which means online orders rather than a storefront, and no published address. Expect cookies, brownies, mini donuts, and cookie cakes, with seasonal flavors rotating through the shop page, local delivery, and California-only shipping under cottage food rules.

Wildstone Bakery is Boulder Creek's naturally fermented bread and pastry maker, also without a storefront. You'll find its loaves, bagels, and seasonal tarts at the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 5, and at the Ben Lomond Village Market on first Saturdays, June through October 2026, from 10 to 2.

Markets and delis

Johnnie's Super Market at 13225 Highway 9 has been the town grocery since 1938: produce, meat and seafood, a deli making sandwiches from family recipes, a bakery case, cheese, and a deep beer, wine, and spirits selection. The market is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; deli availability can end before the store closes.

Wild Roots Market at 13159 Central Avenue is the natural grocery, open daily 9 to 9, organic and heavily locally sourced, with a bulk section of beans, grains, and dried fruit worth bringing your own jars for. For a few short weeks each summer its dry farmed tomatoes arrive, sweet enough to eat like fruit, and locals plan around them. The deli's prepared case is our first stop when a last minute gathering needs feeding: a fresh kale salad, some veggie empanadas, done.

The Redwood Keg at 12980 Highway 9 is the local liquor store with a deli counter, listed on the SLV Chamber's food and takeout page. There's no website, so call 831-338-2727 to check deli hours before you make the trip for a sandwich.

A bar and a winery

Joe's Bar at 13118 Highway 9 is the downtown bar and live music room, the sort of place locals will tell you defines the town. Boulder Creek Local confirmed daily 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. hours directly with the business on August 6, 2026. Call 831-338-9417 if timing matters, and check the bar's site for the current music calendar.

Big Basin Vineyards' estate tasting room at 830 Memory Lane pours its mountain-grown wines at the vineyard itself on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5. Reservations go through the booking system on its site. This is the Boulder Creek estate, separate from the winery's Santa Cruz tasting room.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's open on Monday in Boulder Creek?

Monday is the quiet day. Scopazzi's, the Red Pearl, and Tae's Edo are all closed, and River Dogs' winter schedule starts Tuesday. Your reliable Monday options are the markets, with Johnnie's and Wild Roots both open daily, plus El Rey Leon's posted Monday hours.

Which restaurants deliver?

Plan on pickup. The Red Pearl does not deliver, and El Rey Leon takes orders at the truck or by phone, for pickup only. The closed Sawmill operation is not a current ordering option. The exception is baked goods: Butter Late Than Never delivers its cottage bakery orders locally.

Where can I eat early in the morning?

Jenna Sue's posts the earliest open in town at 6 a.m. on weekdays. Bella's listing shows 8 a.m., and Johnnie's opens at 8 daily if a deli sandwich counts as breakfast. Call the cafes to confirm their current opening times.

Why aren't hours printed for every place on this list?

Because a wrong hour is worse than no hour, and some of these places don't post a current schedule anywhere. Where a business's posted schedule conflicted across sources or hadn't been updated recently, we left it out and gave you the phone number instead.

A place I know is missing. Why?

We list businesses we can point to through their own site or a current official listing. A few local food makers without any public web presence didn't make the cut yet, and we'll add them as soon as they have a page we can point to. If you run one of them, get in touch.

Hours and details here follow each business's own page or a current official listing where one exists. Call ahead for anything time-sensitive.

Hungry for more of Boulder Creek? Browse the full business directory for hours and contacts, check our bakery guide for the town's bread and dessert makers, the events calendar for live music and pop-ups around town, and see the rest of our Around Town guides. Spot an hour that's changed or a spot we missed? Tell us and we'll fix it.