Been wanting to try this place out for some time now, and finally got the chance. It was a bit of a colder night with drizzle, so it was indoor seating only. We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation, and were told we couldn't get seated until the time we reserved. It did look pretty busy, and seems like seating is somewhat limited. We were quickly greeted by our server, who walked us through the menu. We went with a Margherita pizza and a Caesar. I believe all food options are meant to share. The Margherita was delicious, I just wish it had a bit more cheese. They did offer to add some type of special cheese, but I decided to opt out of it. The Caesar was delicious. I loved the croutons. Parking is limited, but there is some street parking. Overall, I really enjoyed my dining experience here and am extremely happy with the food!

One of my favorite caesar salads in town. The pizzas have always been fantastic. Pasta dishes are well thought out, fresh and tasty. Innovation is in the specials . Attention to detail and on point service. You can see the training in each server. The space feels large, airy and communal. Santa Cruz is all about communal, so I find this design a sweet homage. The music has added to this, never distracted. My dining companion is fairly obsessed with the drinks, they're doing a lot right packaged in a high end pizza joint.

Been here 4-5 times: the first two times were better than the latter two-- lately some dishes have been a little lacking, while others are exceptional. The lemon curd dessert was one of the best desserts I've ever had, and the caesar is always top-notch. The pizzas are good. Our pasta and the duck confit dish, however, was a little one-note and too salty. I felt those dishes needed more to them-- some acid, or sweet, or some veggies on the side, or something. I think I'll give it a rest and frequent some other local restaurants I prefer, then try this place again next year and see if they're back to being all-around exceptional (like the first couple times I went).

Over Labor Day weekend, we ventured over the hill to Mentone. Our reservation was promptly honored, and we were quickly seated. The ambiance was pleasant, and our server was both friendly and attentive. We began with drinks: an Old Fashioned (8/10) and a Helles Lager (7/10), followed by an appetizer of Stracciatella with Focaccia (8/10), which was highly recommended by our waitress. The focaccia was particularly fresh and tasty. For dinner, we had pasta dishes--the ravioli, gnocchi, and trenette--each earning solid 8/10 ratings. The ravioli and trenette were the standout favorites of our group. Overall, the meal and atmosphere were enjoyable, we would definitely consider visiting again.

Great night out in Santa Cruz visiting family, Mentone has added a new elevated dinner option to the Aptos area that was much needed! The service and atmosphere was homey and the food delicious, but the server told us to do family style yet the dishes were far too small to share The pesto gnocchi and straciattela were good, but a little bland, the pizza was incredible though. The best bite was definitely the lasagna special (sorry no pictures it was too good!) Recommend for a date night out!

Thank you, Chef. Another great meal. The Stracciatella was wonderful- with awesome focaccia - and the Caesar salad was kick@$$ too. But the star of our meal was the funghi pizza and especially its exceptional crust. Crust seems like it should be so simple but it is a huge differentiator and this one was amazing. After literally hundreds of years one would think we'd have mastered the art of pizza making but this crust was so far and away better than everything else our family has had in recent memory it sort of boggles the mind. So good.

Came back post-covid to try the full menu and eat inside. The menu isn't big, but it has a good variety of choices. Also some specials which were great. My wife started with the special soup, a chilled spring pea soup, which was herbaceous, bright and floral, studded with crisp croutons. I started with the beef tartare, which had incredible mouth-feel. But was way over-seasoned. Both too salty and too much vinaigrette in particular the vinegar. It was quite bracing and a little hard to finish, which was unfortunate because it was beautiful meat. I then had the polenta with grits which was perfect. Very cozy dish, well seasoned and balanced tomato ragu with slivers of perfectly cooked tripe, with I think little chunks of pancetta as well. My wife had the gnocchi with peas and morels which was light and bright. Service was attentive. Nice they had sparkling water on tap and the frozen peach fizz cocktail was really well liked by my wife.

Stopped by for dinner the other night. Parking is tight but can park on street pretty easily. Inside is clean and spacious. Ordered quite a bit to get a variety of the menu. Service was prompt so if you are here to hang out make sure to space out your orders. Tried the frozen spritz which I liked. The stracciatella was good and decent portion. The coppa charcuterie was also fresh but it had pieces of salt on an already cured piece of meat which made it a little too much for me. The margarita pizza was well cooked. No flop on the bottom and was crispy which seems to be rare for wood oven pizzas these days. I will say the sauce is a little weak and also sort of sweet (at least it wasn't overly salty). Cacio e Pepe was also very salty. I love salt but it was a lot I felt. Noodles are cooked well, but again the dish is just a little too salty. The pesto ravioli is fantastic and would get again. But both of these dishes being around $30 (Apr '24) was a little much in my opinion. Deserts were all great. The lemon one was v refreshing. The butterscotch was really good, and the affogato with hazelnut gelato was also delicious. Overall I would come again for pizza and some deserts. Pastas are a little pricey, and especially for a family style menu (so it says) I don't think it was enough portion per plate

Stopped by Mentone for the first time yesterday for an early dinner, and loved it! One of the best restaurants in the area. The Caesar salad was one of the best I've ever had-- wish I could get the dressing recipe!:) The croutons in the salad were also spectacular and perfectly crunchy. We had the Margherita pizza which was sooo fresh and light-- simple, but delicious. We also tried the beef ravioli which was amazing. The portion size is small, as some have mentioned, but it was perfect as part of our shared dishes. I love getting a bunch of small things to share, so this was perfect for that. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and not pretentious at all, which I love. It's a vibrant and cozy spot. Also, the service was impeccable. We didn't have to wait long for anything-- the food came out quickly and the servers constantly checked in to make sure we were enjoying our meal and had everything we needed. I didn't have any drinks this time around but I was eyeing the cocktail menu for next time!