Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Beachside

  4.2 – 164 reviews   • Restaurant

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✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen | Beachside 95003

Hours

Friday4–9 PM
Saturday12–9 PM
Sunday12–9 PM
Monday4–9 PM
Tuesday4–9 PM
Wednesday4–9 PM
Thursday4–9 PM

Address and Contact Information

Address: 131 Esplanade, Aptos, CA 95003

Phone: (831) 688-8917

Website: https://www.venusspirits.com/vsck

Menu Photos

Order and Reservations

Reservations: venusspirits.comopentable.com

venusspirits.com

Photo Gallery

Related Web Results

VSCK Beachside – Venus Spirits

VSCK Beachside. Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen. beachside. 131 Esplanade, Aptos, CA. A VENUS SPIRITS EXPERIENCE… Make a Reservation. Mar 10, 2026. Back.

Restaurants — Venus Spirits

COCKTAILS & Kitchen. WESTSIDE. 200 High Road, Santa Cruz. (831)600-7376. menus + … BEACHSIDE. 131 Esplanade, Aptos. (831)688-8917. menus + Reservations.

Venus Spirits

Venus Spirits is a distillery located in Santa Cruz, CA producing organic small batch whiskey, gin, aquavit, blue agave spirits and canned cocktails.

Reviews

Jazelle Marie
Such a vibe in the cutest lil beach town! They accommodated my friend, baby and I so well. Some of the staff were playing peek-a-boo with my son and it was heart warming to say the least. The food was perfectly delicious! Definitely recommend and going back!
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Sandy Glass
Beautiful views of the ocean from this restaurant’s location. We dined during Santa Cruz Restaurant Week.
The menu had 3 delicious choices for each of the 3 courses. It was a good value for the $55 cost. Of course the cocktails were delicious since they are made from Venus gins and the other spirits they distill as well. The service was spot-on, attentive but not intrusive.
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Thao Ha
Love this place. They have great cocktails and a huge gin selection. The cocktail menu is updated every season with new limited seasonal themed drinks.

I’ve been there for happy hour as well as restaurant week. The steak was cooked perfectly and all the appetizers were delicious.
Their chocolate torte was densely decadent and not my favorite, had other flavors listed but was just overwhelmingly chocolate.
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Mj Stearns – Your Local Santa Cruz Realtor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a charming spot! I recently visited Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Beachside in Aptos, and I was thoroughly impressed. Although I have been to their location on the Westside in Santa Cruz, this new spot, situated in the Aptos Flats right across from Rio Del Mar Beach, has its own delightful charm.

The atmosphere is inviting, and the drinks and food were exceptional. Our server was attentive and ensured everything came out quickly, which I really appreciated. I started with the Frozen Paloma Libra, which was not only delicious but beautifully presented.

For appetizers, we shared the calamari and the Crispy Brussels Sprouts—both were fantastic! For my main course, I ordered the burger, and it did not disappoint; it was incredibly tasty.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience and will definitely be back! Highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in the area!
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Monica Ifland
Sat outside on a foggy evening under warm heat lamps. It was lovely sitting outside. Well protected from any breeze. Service was great. Drinks are some of the best tasting in county. We had the curry soup to start. Delicious. Meaty fish and chips that were crispy without being greasy. Calamari sandwich with Old Bay chips! We will definitely be returning.
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Christine Nguyen
It was our first time. We got there just before Happy Hour ended so we got french fries (they were great french fries), chips and french onion dip (more horseradish than onion-y, but would still recommend), and clam chowder (you can skip their version).

Piping hot french fries with ketchup and mayo, AND a cocktail? Yes, please! However, while good, the Watermelon Cooler cocktail (mint infused venus vodka, watermelon juice, hibiscus tea, lemon, simple syrup, tajin) wasn’t what I was looking for. It was approachable, but boring. I was looking for something exciting and sophisticated. But my hubby’s gin and tonic was pretty top tier (they make their own gin and tonic). The cocktails and snacks were way better than the dinner itself. We shared the Caesar salad (it had some old, brown, rotting lettuce in it – a total turn-off) and the tagliatelle with prawns. We thought it was unique because of the Fruition IPA, but it had too many additional bitter components with the preserved lemon and arugula. At least the pasta wasn’t mushy and the prawns were cooked well. We were surprised by how big the portions were. The clam chowder was $10 (HH price) and served in a big bowl with two spoons. It had plenty of chopped clams, but the potatoes needed more cooking time.

Service at the bar was excellent and it’s right across from the beach. They also have a nice outdoor patio. But I’m not sure if we’ll be back because the drinks and dinner were pricey, but mediocre.
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Michael Weisert
Bar was great. The Martini Martinez was excellent. Reception was pleasant.

Service was great at first but trailed off as the restaurant gained guests. Cleared our starter plates with our utensils but didn’t replace them.

The food was very good. A large New York steak, perfectly cooked. Large fish and chips was also really good.

The end was disappointing, having to wait 10 minutes for our desert order. Out of drinks and water, finally they bring out the chocolate tort but we were done. Please box this and bring the check.

Another 5+ minutes goes by. Finally the waitress comes by and we ask for our dessert box and the check.

The patio was full but the dining room was only half full.

I’d go back for the food and cocktails. Maybe the service will improve.
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Krista Herring
The goat cheese raviolis are amazing! As is the market salad and the Miso Salmon. Best cocktails in town. Our faves are the Golden Ticket, the Laura Palmer, and the Blush Negroni. Staff is super friendly. Everything is run really well, and we always enjoy our time here!
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Alejandro Blanco
One of our favorite restaurants to visit in the Santa Cruz county area! Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen – Beachside (there is Beachside, in Aptos, and Westside, west of Santa Cruz), located in Rio del Mar village, is a great place to go for fresh oysters and a gorgeous sunset. Enjoy the cool evening air on their patio, or take a seat at their bar and sip one of their delicious cocktails while you take in the view!
Their friendly staff are very attentive and helpful! The music selection can hit the soul, a wave of nostalgia sets in as you enjoy some of their fluffy focaccia bread with salty butter. The environment is very relaxed and chill, especially as the ocean waves crash just outside, seen through the big windows of this awesome place.
Bring your friends, or even better, make it a romantic night for two. As they always have a great selection of oysters and drinks, from wine to cocktails, it would be a night you and your partner will not forget! Venus will treat you right!
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Mackenzie Amato
Such a beautiful restaurant right by the ocean! I got the salmon with coconut rice and it was amazing. The drinks were slightly over priced but all very good. The parking was plentiful for me because we chose to have a later dinner, but because it’s across the street from the beach, I can imagine parking would be difficult in the day or early evening
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