Dinner in Boulder Creek: Every Sit-Down Option in Town

Once the light goes off the redwoods, dinner in Boulder Creek comes down to six kitchens: El Rey Leon, Red Pearl Chinese Cuisine, Scopazzi's Restaurant & Lounge, Tae's Edo Sushi Bar, Taqueria Los Gallos, and The Sawmill Restaurant & Alehouse. That's the whole evening roster in town. It runs Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and American pub fare, and it ranges from sit-down dining rooms to counter service to El Rey Leon's Mexican food truck. The thing to know before you head out: most kitchens close early, and several take Monday and Tuesday off.

The short version

• Six places serve dinner in town, from Scopazzi's special-occasion dining room to a taqueria counter and a food truck.
• Nobody runs late. The kitchens that post hours close by 8 or 9 p.m., and El Rey Leon wraps up at 7.
• Monday is the quietest night: Red Pearl, Scopazzi's, and Tae's Edo are all closed.
• We don't have confirmed hours for Taqueria Los Gallos or The Sawmill, so call ahead before you count on either one.

Scopazzi's Restaurant & Lounge

Address: 13300 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek. Phone: (831) 338-4444. Dinner hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 4:00 p.m. to closing. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Scopazzi's Restaurant & Lounge is the historic Italian restaurant and lounge in town, the special-occasion room that's fed Boulder Creek for generations. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday starting at 4 p.m. There's a lounge on site, plus private-event rooms if you're planning something bigger than a table for two. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, so a weekend reservation is the safe bet.

Red Pearl Chinese Cuisine

Address: 13151 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. Phone: (831) 338-9800. Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Red Pearl Chinese Cuisine handles Chinese food for the valley, dine-in or takeout, from downtown Boulder Creek. The kitchen runs to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, which makes it one of the latest dinners in town on the nights it's open. Like several places here, it takes Monday and Tuesday off.

Tae's Edo Sushi Bar

Address: 13271 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. Phone: (831) 338-2099. Hours: Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Closed Monday.

Tae's Edo Sushi Bar is the Japanese and sushi spot in town, serving sushi and other Japanese dishes for dinner, with an added lunch window on Friday and Saturday. Dinner service ends at 8 p.m., earlier than the pub and the Chinese kitchen, so think of it as an earlier-evening plan rather than a late one. It's closed Monday.

El Rey Leon

Address: 12890 Central Avenue, Boulder Creek. Phone: (831) 282-7792. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

El Rey Leon is a Mexican food truck that stays parked at its downtown spot, with outdoor seating, counter service, and online ordering. Its posted evening window runs to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, which makes it more of an early-dinner or takeout-home option than a linger-late one. It's also one of the few kitchens in town posting Monday hours, so keep it in mind at the start of the week.

Taqueria Los Gallos

Address: 13070 Central Ave, Boulder Creek, CA 95006. Phone: (831) 217-5000.

Taqueria Los Gallos is the downtown sit-down taqueria, serving tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes. It's an unfussy dining room, and a solid pick when you want dinner without any ceremony. Our listing doesn't carry confirmed current hours for it, so call (831) 217-5000 before you go, especially in the evening.

The Sawmill Restaurant & Alehouse

Address: 15520 Highway 9, Boulder Creek. Phone: (831) 610-8196.

The Sawmill Restaurant & Alehouse sits a few minutes north of downtown and does burgers, pub fare, and craft beer, with outdoor seating and a music stage under the trees. On a warm evening on the patio, it's the closest thing to a dinner-and-a-night-out combination in town. We don't have verified current hours for it, so check by phone at (831) 610-8196 before heading over, and see our Boulder Creek night out guide for the after-dinner side of the Sawmill.

What dinner in Boulder Creek doesn't include

A few things worth knowing before you head out:

• No late-night dining. The kitchens that post hours close by 8 or 9 p.m., and El Rey Leon wraps up at 7.
• Monday is the quietest night. Red Pearl, Scopazzi's, and Tae's are all closed, which leaves El Rey Leon's posted Monday hours and whatever the taqueria and the Sawmill are running that day.

For grab-and-go, deli counters, markets, and the rest of the food picture, our full where to eat in Boulder Creek guide has it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's open for dinner on Monday in Boulder Creek?

Monday is the slow night. Red Pearl, Scopazzi's, and Tae's Edo are all closed. El Rey Leon posts Monday hours until 7:00 p.m., and Taqueria Los Gallos and The Sawmill may be open, though we don't have their confirmed hours, so call first.

Which Boulder Creek restaurants are open latest?

Among the places that post hours, Red Pearl runs to 9:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, the latest confirmed dinner service in town. Tae's Edo closes at 8:00 p.m. and El Rey Leon at 7:00 p.m. There's no late-night dining in Boulder Creek, so plan on an earlier evening.

Is there a sit-down restaurant open every night?

No. Several kitchens close Monday and Tuesday, so there's no single restaurant open seven nights a week. Check the day-by-day hours above, and remember that El Rey Leon is one of the few posting Monday service.

Why aren't hours listed for every restaurant?

We only publish hours we can verify to a current source. For Taqueria Los Gallos and The Sawmill, our listing doesn't carry confirmed current hours, so we've given you the phone number to check directly rather than print something that might be wrong.

A restaurant I know is missing. Why?

We list sit-down places we can point to through their own page or a current official listing. Grab-and-go spots, markets, and food stands are covered in our main eating guide. If a dinner spot is missing or a detail has changed, let us know at bouldercreeklocal.com/contact.

Want the whole evening mapped out, not just the meal? Our Boulder Creek night out guide covers what happens after dinner, and the local business directory lists hours and contacts for everything else open in town.