Social Profile: 
✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery
… View more
Airy space featuring wood-fired pizza with seasonal toppings & organic Mediterranean dishes.
Hours
| Friday | 5–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5–9 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 1010 Fair Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: (831) 420-0101
Website: http://bantam1010.com/
Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Bantam
… Inquire. 1010 Fair Ave. Santa Cruz CA, 95060 831.420.0101 [email protected]. Social: © Bantam Restaurant 2021. Designed & Coded by Naveen Hattis.
Bantam – Updated 2026, Italian Restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA
Bantam in Santa Cruz provides for a dining experience above that of other area eateries. The handcrafted made-from-scratch items on the brunch and dinner menu …
Bantam (@bantam1010) · Santa Cruz, CA – Instagram
4032 Followers, 537 Following, 495 Posts – Bantam (@bantam1010) on Instagram: “Wood-fired pizza. Local, seasonal, organic. Santa Cruz, Calif.”
Reviews
Marisa Gomez
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.
… moreThey 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.
miguel chang
Dude, this place is legit . Bantam is my go-to for killer pizza super authentic and packed with flavor. Threw some anchovies on there and man… total game changer. Pizza was fire .
Tried the fried chicken too crazy juicy, crispy, just straight-up delicious. And the bread with olive oil ? Bro… next level. Like, simple but perfect.
If you’re in Santa Cruz ♂️ and not hitting up Bantam, you’re seriously missing out.
… moreTried the fried chicken too crazy juicy, crispy, just straight-up delicious. And the bread with olive oil ? Bro… next level. Like, simple but perfect.
If you’re in Santa Cruz ♂️ and not hitting up Bantam, you’re seriously missing out.
Info Source
Tried their thin crust Margherita pizza that is delicately topped with few blobs of marinara sauce and cheese with few basil leaves. It’s very light and good. However I’d delighted with a bit more of taste and flavourful sauce.
Reading about wait times, decided to order online to go. That was a good call, however had to wait for more than 15min to get attention of staff the staff for pickup
Place is crowded and noisy. Pretty large seating area including outdoor seating. Still, People lineup and have to wait. Fyi – It is only open in the evening hours. Menu is simple.
… moreReading about wait times, decided to order online to go. That was a good call, however had to wait for more than 15min to get attention of staff the staff for pickup
Place is crowded and noisy. Pretty large seating area including outdoor seating. Still, People lineup and have to wait. Fyi – It is only open in the evening hours. Menu is simple.
Luba Kharchenko
Our recent dinner at Bantam restaurant in Santa Cruz was a delightful and memorable experience. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed by the trendy and cool vibe of the place. Even on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was packed with diners, which added to its lively atmosphere.
To start, we ordered a salad that was loaded with fresh vegetables, including crisp pickled cauliflower and tender asparagus. The flavors were fantastic and left us eager to try more.
We opted for two pizzas – one with peppery arugula and Brigita cheese and another with creamy ricotta cheese and roasted eggplant. Both were expertly baked, with thin crusts that had just the right amount of chewiness.
For dessert, we indulged in Bantam’s famous booty pudding – a rich and decadent bread pudding that left us feeling fully satisfied.
One highlight of our meal was how small but thoughtfully curated their menu is. We felt like every item on it was there for a reason, carefully chosen to showcase Bantam’s focus on fresh ingredients and bold flavors.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Bantam and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience in Santa Cruz. We look forward to returning soon!
… moreTo start, we ordered a salad that was loaded with fresh vegetables, including crisp pickled cauliflower and tender asparagus. The flavors were fantastic and left us eager to try more.
We opted for two pizzas – one with peppery arugula and Brigita cheese and another with creamy ricotta cheese and roasted eggplant. Both were expertly baked, with thin crusts that had just the right amount of chewiness.
For dessert, we indulged in Bantam’s famous booty pudding – a rich and decadent bread pudding that left us feeling fully satisfied.
One highlight of our meal was how small but thoughtfully curated their menu is. We felt like every item on it was there for a reason, carefully chosen to showcase Bantam’s focus on fresh ingredients and bold flavors.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Bantam and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience in Santa Cruz. We look forward to returning soon!
Dave
My partner and I have always enjoyed Bantam, but unfortunately the service during our visit tonight was disappointing. It was one of the quieter nights we’ve experienced here, and there were plenty of staff working, so the delays were hard to understand.
Our server forgot to bring our drinks for over 30 minutes — we had already finished our appetizer before she realized. After we were done with our meal, it took another 30 minutes before she asked if we wanted dessert. By that point we’d lost interest and asked for the check, which never came. We waited yet another 30 minutes before she realized she hadn’t brought it at all.
During this time, she continued serving tables around us while ignoring us entirely. To make matters worse, when I chose to tip 18% instead of the default 20% on the payment screen (which felt a bit unjustified given our experience), her tone noticeably changed and she gave us a dirty look.
We’ve had really good experiences here in the past both in terms of food and service, which makes this even more disappointing. The food is still solid, but the service ruined our date.
… moreOur server forgot to bring our drinks for over 30 minutes — we had already finished our appetizer before she realized. After we were done with our meal, it took another 30 minutes before she asked if we wanted dessert. By that point we’d lost interest and asked for the check, which never came. We waited yet another 30 minutes before she realized she hadn’t brought it at all.
During this time, she continued serving tables around us while ignoring us entirely. To make matters worse, when I chose to tip 18% instead of the default 20% on the payment screen (which felt a bit unjustified given our experience), her tone noticeably changed and she gave us a dirty look.
We’ve had really good experiences here in the past both in terms of food and service, which makes this even more disappointing. The food is still solid, but the service ruined our date.
Jeff Hansen
Great meal all the way around. They don’t do reservations so dropped in at 5pm when they opened for an early dinner. Filled up quickly – was rainy no outdoor seating – good vibe inside. Our waiter Spencer was fun and great service. Everything we got pretty darn tasty. Their bourbon specialty cocktail “The Professor” highly recommend. Chicken with sweet potatoes, pepperoni pizza, bread and butter and caesar salad all highly tasty. Going back for sure.
… moreImogen Clifton Shaw
One of my favorite dinner spots in Santa Cruz. The sopprasata pizza, Caesar salad and chocolate nemesis are sooo good! It can be quite load inside so if it’s not too cold I prefer outdoors.
… moreAishwarya Rajguru
Really unique pizza toppings and always delicious! They have a rotating menu so there’s always something new to try. Great desserts as well!
Pizza + fine dining + Santa Cruz beaches. ❤️We’ve been here 3 times and will visit again.
… morePizza + fine dining + Santa Cruz beaches. ❤️We’ve been here 3 times and will visit again.
Shayna B
TLDR: overpriced, better places to spend your evening in Santa Cruz.
Hostess was very nice, seated us quickly. The bartender refused to make a negroni with lillet: I was told it was “not possible” even though lillet WAS on the menu and there were 2 Negroni variations on the menu.
The Caesar salad was DROWNED in dressing to the point where you could taste nothing except for the dressing. It was made with radicchio (not listed on description) impractically sized breadcrumbs. We took our pizza to go, only to discover it was slightly burnt.
… moreHostess was very nice, seated us quickly. The bartender refused to make a negroni with lillet: I was told it was “not possible” even though lillet WAS on the menu and there were 2 Negroni variations on the menu.
The Caesar salad was DROWNED in dressing to the point where you could taste nothing except for the dressing. It was made with radicchio (not listed on description) impractically sized breadcrumbs. We took our pizza to go, only to discover it was slightly burnt.
Alyssa Kearney
Great ambiance, friendly staff, and good drinks. The highlight was the Stinging Nettles pizza. Our server recommended it with such enthusiasm and I thank them for doing so because it is officially my favorite pizza I’ve ever had. I’m from Los Angeles and from now on, if I’m ever in the vicinity of Bantam, I’ll be an excited returning diner!
… more