Where to Eat in Boulder Creek Right Now

The short version

• Sit-down restaurants (four): Scopazzi's (Italian), the Red Pearl (Chinese), Tae's Edo Sushi, and the Sawmill (pub fare and craft beer).
• 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. Taqueria Los Gallos is a sit-down taqueria if you'd rather eat inside.
• 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. 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 trip over the hill. 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. 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. 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 Sawmill Restaurant & Alehouse at 15520 Highway 9, a few minutes north of downtown, does burgers, pub fare, and craft beer, with a big outdoor area and a music stage under the redwoods. It takes online orders through its site. Posted hours vary across sources right now, so go straight to the website or call 831-610-8196 before you head over.

Counter service, tacos, and hot dogs

El Rey Leon at 12890 Central Avenue is a Mexican food truck that stays parked at that spot, with outdoor seating, counter service, and online ordering. Posted hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 to 3 and again 4 to 7. Sunday isn't on the schedule they publish, so call before a Sunday run.

Taqueria Los Gallos at 13070 Central Avenue downtown is a sit-down taqueria and 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's genuinely 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. Its own page posts 831-338-7008 and hours of 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays, 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. Its Visit Santa Cruz County listing shows daily 8 to 2, but that listing predates this year, so treat the hours as a starting point and call 831-217-5070 to be sure.

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. Hours are Monday through Thursday and Sunday 8 to 9, Friday and Saturday 8 to 10, which makes it the latest food in town most nights.

Wild Roots Market at 13159 Central Avenue is the natural grocery, open daily 9 to 9, with a deli kitchen turning out prepared foods alongside produce, meat, and seafood sourced heavily from local farms.

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. It appears on Visit Santa Cruz County's current dining pages, and its listing shows daily hours from 10 a.m., though that listing hasn't been refreshed recently, so confirm by phone at 831-338-9417 if timing matters.

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 states plainly that it doesn't deliver, and El Rey Leon and the Sawmill run online ordering for pickup rather than delivery. 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 we couldn't verify them to a current source, and a wrong hour is worse than no hour. 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.

Last reviewed July 12, 2026. 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 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.