Identifies as Black-owned
Yes
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Daily cleaning
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Conciergerie
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Comments (100)
We absolutely loved the food and our experience at Persephone. They had excellent food with a wide variety of items on the menu. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 was exhibited long before we walked into the restaurant. We saw a large 5-6 foot banner stating Now Hiring on the side of the building. That was evident as we saw servers and greeters scrambling to fill multiple roles. I can imagine the same thing happening in the kitchen. As a result, our entrees didnt arrive for almost an hour after they were ordered. Fortunately, they were delicious with my braised short rib with parsnip and truffle puree and my wifes lobster ravioli. I look forward to returning again to (hopefully) add the 5th star!
Just got our (takeout) anniversary dinner. It was great! We are so lucky to have Persephone in Aptos!
Beautiful gem in Aptos. Fabulous service, and amazing farm to table food. Atmosphere is great. I highly recommend this restaurant.
The food was delicious! However, they lost a star over some things that I considered noteworthy. First, we ordered stuffed peppers as an appetizer. It came with only one small stuffed pepper on a plate. It was very small, and there was only one despite being described as stuffed peppers (not stuffed pepper). Second, we ordered the sourdough foccaccia bread for another appetizer. The bread was warm, but it was not foccaccia nor sourdough. Instead, it looked like a sliced wheat bread. Finally, I saw a pea, spring onion, and ricotta cheese ravioli on the menu and decided to go with that for my entre. The waitress informed me that the ravioli were lobster-stuffed instead. I stayed with the ravioli, but had been looking forward to the vegetarian dish. Nevertheless, the lobster ravioli was a 10 out of 10 stars.
Such a warm, beautiful and inviting restaurant from the design, to the staff. The food is incredible, some of the absolute best in the area. If you are dining for takeout, they give you perfect instructions for reheating at home.
Absolutely excellent. I enjoyed the food, the service, everything. Our waiter was also an owner, and he obviously loves his work. We had a number of food allergies represented in our party, and they were accommodating of everything we threw at them. We also brought kids! Gasp! They took good care of the kids, too.I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. Go. Enjoy great food from dedicated workers, and support a local business. You wont regret it.
I frequent this superb restaurant many times since I love the special atmosphere that is outline this restaurant. The staff is exceptionally cordial and experienced. The service is awfully fast. Also, the food they prepare is highly distinguished. I frequent many times and I was always happy. The expense is fair. I highly suggest this restaurant to to all.
Brittany made our visit stellar. Above and beyond service delivered with genuine joy and kindness. There was a spectacular view from my table of wild deer grazing. Completely delicious food. And Brittany found the perfect complementary wine for my dinner. 10/10 recommend
Had an excellent dinner here recently with my brother. We both started off with a local beer (they have a great selection of local beers). We ordered soup to start, he the sausage lentil and I the butternut squash. Both soups were delicious. He had the fresh albacore tuna entree and loved it. I had a homeade pasta dish that was very yummy. Homemade bread served with dinner too. The service was excellent. Great place to celebrate a special occasion. This is a family run business. Definitely a keeper.
Fantastic and creative food. We stayed at Seascape Resort, so ate first at Sanderlings and think that food at Persephone is much better. In presentation and taste.Restaurant itself is cozy, tiny outdoor looking at a beautiful green canyon. We took a take out to eat at the beach.
My parents eat at Persephone often and love it. They took me Sunday and I’m a huge fan now! The food is so fresh, organic, of the highest quality and prepared so well. Also the service is incredible.
Only visited during pandemic for lunch twice. Interesting Chardonnays but salads were lacking in ingredients and taste. Some menu items looked more palatable like the squash soufflé.
Came here for a takeout lunch on saturday. It was amazing food. You can taste the quality of each and every component. Im so grateful to have this wonderful restaurant in our community.
Delicious, original cuisine served here. A cozy little restaurant, with an amazing, professional staff. Some complain at the prices, but for sustainable, organic as you can get in Aptos , hand made food by experienced chefs you should expect this much quality in SF. Be happy you saved 4 hours round trip in gas. Excellent wine selection. Its a great place to take someone you love.
To me Persephone epitomizes Aptos. The food is absolutely stellar but the atmosphere is so down to earth and comfortable. Its like eating at your friends house... your friend who also happens to be a Michelin rated chef. Often at upper-scale restaurants the food is delicious but they tend to be snooty and awkward. We left feeling warm and happy!
Everything we ordered was fabulous and service was outstanding
Three of us ordered an appetizer and main each and tasted. All very good, one or two excellent. Much fun was had.
Went to a winemaker dinner here and the food was amazing. Cant wait to go back and try the regular menu! Extremely talented chef, cute and cozy place overlooking the creek, nice wine list.
Got right in at 7:30 with no reservation on Wednesday. Great wine crisp white and not to fruity just right it was from Portugal. The food was worth the wait I had the Chicken dish crusty on the outside moist on the inside. And the serving sizes were perfect. Great job
Unfortunately, very disappointed. While the ambiance and service was nice, we found the foodmediocre and the prices extravagant.
Went here with my wife for her birthday and we were very happy! We both got the three item prix fixe. I got the goat cheese and beet salad, strip loin steak, and the hazelnut semifreddo; and my wife got the roasted radish soup, ricotta and artichoke stuffed Fogline Farm chicken, and the chocolate orange tart. Everything was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent too. Not to mention the beautiful view out the back windows of the gulch behind/below the building.
Delicious! This was some of the best food Ive had in Santa Cruz and Ive lived here my whole life. The butternut squash appetizer was decedent, and the truffle pasta was insanely rich and yummy. A little pricey but great for a special occasion. I will definitely go back.
Great little unpretentious restaurant with a brother/sister team. Shes a classically trained chef with new ideas about fresh, local, organic ingredients and he takes care of everything else.Its a small venue that seats maybe 30, so reservations are suggested. We went to a winemakers dinner and each course was paired very well with the wines.
Has our first meal here this week and YUM. Husband and I each had a different sandwich for lunch and they were fantastically delicious. The Italiano is 👌🏻👌🏻Can’t wait to go back for dinner.
Very cute and good food. Little expensive but to be expected for how they source the food, felt very nutritious and fresh.
Great ambience, service, and excellent food. Go here if youre a foodie! Awesome value, terrific presentation, great flavor. We had a fixed course meal for NYE and every dish was superb.
Scrumptious !!!!Classically trained super talented creative passionate owner/chefOne of best meals Ive had all year and I just got back from Italy and Los Angeles and Orange county or my stomping grounds that says how good he is!Do whatever you have to do to experience this placegreat wine tooand the ambience was great it wasnt too loud to talk
Delicious food, with a very pleasing aesthetic.Update 4/5/18:On second visit the dinner was fairly bland. The menu was ambitious, but the dishes lacked flavor. I had a chicken stuffed with feta and sun-dried tomato, and my girlfriend had a beef pasta, both seemed like they were salt deficient and the pasta was overcooked.Our appetizers were also fairly ambitious, hers was a bitter greens salad with prosciutto and a duck egg in which the flavors didnt quite mix. Mine was a mandarin and fennel salad that had good flavor but was very limp.The wine selection was great, and the cider was quite delicious.We did not have any desserts because they were out of the panna cotta at 7pm. The other desserts looked like they could be good, but just werent appealing to us.Overall, it was quite a let down tonight after being so great the first time as went in. However, the aesthetic is still nice and the sourdough focaccia they served upon seating us was delicious.
Great food and great service. Its a little small, but they make it work. If I could change one thing it would be that the booth seats are old and not very comfortable. They did a great job renovating the old pizza place, but Im surprised that they overlooked the seating.
I had one of the best meals and dining experiences at Persephone last night! It is one of those newer gems Santa Cruz is fortunate enough to have open up. I think this place will be around for the long haul. They have all the important pieces in place: a gifted visionary chef, great menu with local and sustainable ingredients, well trained wait staff, fabulous management, beautiful decor and ambiance, good volume levels, and a desire to continue to grow and evolve to make things better and better (even while theyre clearly already doing an amazing job)! I am delighted to have finally made it Im for a memorable meal. I look forward to returning again soon and becoming better acquainted with the owners and staff and their changing menu. Dont wait, call and make your reservation now!
Had yet another fabulous dinner at Persephone! Everything on the menu looked wonderful, but the Beet and Apple Budino appetizer was out of this world, as was the Honey Dijon glazed Albacore. I highly recommend those! My friend had a great Butternut Squash soup and the Pomegranate glazed chicken which was also outstanding.That, and the fact that the restaurants design is stunning, make Persephone my all time favorite! Run, dont walk!
Painfully disappointing. Waitstaff started out friendly and nice then things went south. Orders were mixed up, delay in service. Lack of acknowledgment about mistakes. This is a reflection on the managements style or lack of. We wanted a fine dining experience but it didnt happen. We hope this helps because we want you to succeed.
Very Great Restaurant, Love the Food! Not to mentioned the owner Alex And his staff did such a great job on helping me propose to my fiancé has a great Valentine Dinner at Persephones.
First time dining here and it was great. Excellent food, service and ambiance. Extensive wine list featuring California, Italian and French wines. We will definitely be back.
Definitely one of our favorites in the Santa Cruz area. A focused, seasonal menu. We always do the 3-4 course pairing and are always impressed with the thought and attention given to make that experience fun for us. Excellent service and a nice astethic inside.
Had an absolutely amazing dinner at this quaint restaurant. Delicious. Cory the chef is amazing.its a family affair, and even the staff who arent family feel like it. Alex, Corys brother our main waiter was very good, but everyone worked as an incredible team.
Amazing food excellent service. Would definitely go again. Excellent pricing
Service and food was great! I was surprised at how reasonable and comfortable it was. Not a “froofy” fine dining place, fits well into aptos. Extensive and affordable local wine list. Will come back!
They try to have a vegan selection but so far it hasnt been very good . Ive been here twice and once was absolutely wonderful but the second time was just so so and its a very expensive so so. Im really rooting for this restaurant . Aptos needs fine dining restaurants so I do encourage people to try it . Perhaps my second visit was a fluke and generally its as wonderful as it was the first time I was there
Great local food sourcing. High end, gourmet food but with casual seating and feel. Good shady outdoor seating
Food was wonderful. We had 3 course pre fix and was it was all so rich that I took some home. Its a seasonal menu so changes all the time. The space is small but quietly elegant.
Amazing food and wine pairing.
Food was scrumptious, every course was so delightful. Great ambiance and excellent service. We had a great time and plan to come back often.
We have a new favorite local restaurant! Food quality is stella, service and ambience first rate, and the overall experience absolutely delightful. Think Napa sophistication with the friendly vibe of Santa Cruz.
The service was amazing and on point. The food was some of the best food I have ever tasted. Everything about this place was very impressive. It was definitely worth going to
Food is decent. Service is ok. But I expected a lot more than 4 raviolis when in cost me 28 bucks. Theres a lot of potential here but it was honestly disappointing overall.
Creative dishes using local ingredients, excellent service, well spaced tables.
Pricey as was expected, but good menu of small portions. Attentive service and extensive, almost overwhelming wine list.
Cute little venue serving adventurous if not wholly successful dishes. Best of the night: Mixed berry pavlova was a wondrous dish with the best meringue Ive ever had. Worst: pesto fettuccine with chicken meatballs had dry meat and flavorless sauce... Solid concept, but executed disappointingly. Most interesting: parmesan custard and pea budino was a delightfully delicate adventure of mild, summery flavors and creamy textures.
Awesome food in this little gem of a restaurant and very attentive service. Hard to find this level of fine dining in Santa Cruz county.
We adored the staff there. Food was superb! Quiet dining in beautiful setting
This place is excellent! Fair pricing, big dishes and the staff are always super nice.
An true experience in dining for those who know how to savor and discern the many layers of delicious flavors.
A gem of a place. Wonderful combination of upscale and unpretentious. Food was fantastic and the staff felt like friends.
Brilliant combination of flavors. Local ingredients given center stand in a great family-run restaurant!
Had a lovely dinner with great service and a nice view. Will go back for another special date for sure.
Food was amazing,service was incredible and our view was so pretty.i really enjoyed this place.
Outstanding, creative seasonal cuisine with attentive, excellent service, in a refined yet cozy setting.
Great atmosphere, beautiful views into river gorge and the food was very creative and tasty.
Excellent food! Excellent service! A great place for a special night out!
Really enjoyed our experience here. Food was outstanding, as was the service!
Great service, great wine and great food.
Excellent food, excellent service. Always a great experience.
Always good. Rarely great. But the service is always excellent.
Delicious meal, I would highly recommend
GOOD food in a lovely setting. Makes you want to come back again.
Wow! New favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz! Fantastic everything.
Delicious food befitting a 5-star rating!
Wonderful! Great food, great atmosphere, great staff!
Great food and the atmosphere was relaxing
Great food, and great service. I highly recommend this place.
Cozy, charming, elegant. Good food, great service.
Ridge tasting dinner...always great service but food leaves me underwhelmed...again
Interesting menu with excellent prepared dishes.
Lovely ambiance, service, food and wine!
Terrible service, noisy, and lackluster food.
Wonderful food, knowledgeable and attentive staff
Excellent quality fine dining and wine
Great!! Fabulous presentation and wonderful service.
Fantastic food with amazing service!
Wonderful ambiance for an intimate dining experience
Fine dining, great food and service
Posh. Staff attentive. Food very good.
Its ok.
Great service and food! 😁
Delicious, personable service!
Extremely mixed feelings about this place.
Consistently excellent!
Fantastic!
Good place
4.5 (100 comments)
Review №1
2022-05-09This is the biggest disappointment that I have had in the last two years. This can not be a 4.6 restaurant. Beef was overcooked and dry. Flavorless. The ravioli was ok. The only thing good was the potatoes. Please do not come to this place. Service is good though. It’s way to expensive for what you are going to receive.
Review №2
2021-09-26Fine dining and Santa Cruz dont usual go hand in hand, but Persephone might just change that. Saying the food was amazing is an understatement. Loved the food, loved the service, looking forward to going back.
Review №3
2022-02-01Below expectations. I went to this restaurant because it had 4.6 stars review. Not sure where that came from. We had lunch there on Sunday 1/30/2022 and the food was just average. The service was pretty frustrating. They told us to grab any table on the patio, once we got there the tables/chairs were all messy and disorganized. There was water spilled all over our table. We had to ask them to clean it. One of the heaters was not working. Our wine glass was dirty. The chocolate gelato was absolutely not a gelato; just a cheap ice cream bought at the grocery store.Maybe the dinner experience is better but I do not recommend this place for lunch.
Review №4
2022-05-15This restaurant also changed hands fairly recently. Persephone used to be a wonderful place to go with high quality food. The last time we went, it was a SO SO experience. The service was good, but the food was not that great and not up to the menu and cooking standards it had before.
Review №5
2021-07-10Each plate was made at the restaurant by the chef-owners, absolutely fresh and a taste explosion. The “Beet Cured GravlaxFresh wild King salmon filet, beet cured, thinly sliced and served with favetta, soft boiled quail egg, scallions, big sur sea salt, and Wild Poppies olive oil. (Salmon served raw)” was amazing and I took on to go after lunch. The outside seating is lovely, great ventilation and so much greenery and flowers. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and appreciated the wonderful service by Tony! Thank you!
Review №6
2021-06-13Amazing experience! Great staff, fantastic food (chicken and cheese homemade raviolis served with mushrooms and an artichoke cream + pana cotta blueberries & peach!)We’ll come back for sure ! Thanks
Review №7
2021-05-29The food was fantastic. The atmosphere is crisp, clean, and refreshing. Highly recommended!
Review №8
2019-03-18I have been here several times and never a single time I was let down. I usually order the 3 course menu ($60) including appetizer, pasta, and an entree. Yes the portion is smaller than a la carte, but neither my partner nor I felt we needed to order more. The Chef is also good at making soup. It’s so good I was seriously considering order a regular bowl.Wine by glass is quite pricey, usually between $12-15/glass. We decided to go with a bottle that fits within the budget we are more comfortable with.It’s a family owned restaurant so maybe that’s why it feels even more homier. The paintings on the walls were painted by the mother of the chef. It does get busy on the weekends. It’ll make the whole dining experience even better if they can reduce the number of tables in the restaurant. Our table was really close to other tables it reminded me of my dining experience in Paris.
Review №9
2022-07-12Lovely outdoor setting with fabulous cuisine and a great wine list. Dining at its best.
Review №10
2021-11-05We had a lovely dinner with excellent service, vegan salad, soup and entree and thoroughly enjoyed my birthday! Photo is of the entree which was squash stuffed with spaghetti squash with wild rice, pomegranate seeds and beet reduction. The lentil and butternut squash soup was also perfectly seasoned and flavorful as was the mixed green salad with honey mustard dressing.