Dinner Menu
Dinner at the Harbor: Steak, Seafood & Raw Bar at Johnny’s Harborside
There is something different about dinner at the harbor.
As the boats settle in for the evening and the light starts to soften across Santa Cruz Harbor, Johnny’s Harborside shifts gears. The pace slows, the bar gets lively, and the dinner menu opens up beyond the daytime favorites—with oysters, fresh local catch, handmade pasta, and steaks substantial enough to make dinner a destination.
This is coastal dining with a steakhouse side: fresh seafood at the center of the table, excellent cuts of beef when the mood calls for them, and a raw bar that makes it perfectly acceptable to start dinner with oysters and a glass of wine.
And because we’re right on the harbor, the menu changes with what looks best from local land and sea. What you see on the menu today may not be exactly what arrives next season—that is part of the fun.
Start at the Raw Bar
Dinner at Johnny’s can begin with something cold, briny, and bright.
Our oysters are served daily, with hot sauce, lemon, and classic mignonette—the kind of first course that belongs beside a cold drink while you decide where the evening is headed.
For something with a little more heat, the Tostada Crudo brings fresh seafood together with diablo salsa and guacamole. It is bright, fresh, and distinctly California.
Think of the raw bar as the opening act, not necessarily the main event. Order a few oysters for the table, pour another glass of wine, and take your time.
From the Harbor to the Grill
The dinner entrées are where Johnny’s really settles into its steakhouse-meets-coast identity.
The local daily catch and grilled local king salmon keep things firmly connected to the water, with citrus and vegetables letting the fish do the work. The pan-roasted local halibut takes a more composed approach, served over beech mushroom risotto for a richer, more substantial plate.
Then there are the steaks.
The wagyu skirt steak brings serious beef flavor in a cut that is made for the grill. For the table looking to make an evening of it, there is the smoked bone-in ribeye—a generously portioned centerpiece designed to serve two to three people.
It is the sort of order that arrives at the table and immediately becomes everyone's business.
Cut into it, pass the plates, steal a bite from someone else's side dish, and settle in.
Dinner Doesn't Mean You Have to Go Big
A selection of sandwiches remains available in the evening, including the tempura Dungeness crab sandwich, Jeffrey's double cheeseburger, and tempura local fish and chips.
Sides give you plenty of ways to build the meal from there, from clam chowder and beech mushroom risotto to crispy fingerlings and leeks prepared Lyonnaise-style. Baguette and butter is there for the table, because sometimes the right answer is simply more bread.
Fries or a Caesar salad can also be added to any entrée.
A Few Things to Know Before You Sit Down
Some dishes marked with an asterisk are cooked to your preferred temperature, so let your server know how you'd like them prepared.
The smoked bone-in ribeye is portioned for two to three people, making it a natural choice for sharing.
Dinner reservations are recommended, particularly on weekends and during the busier summer season.
And when you're deciding what to drink, ask your server about the wine list. Santa Cruz Mountains and Napa selections make natural companions for the grilled steaks, while the seafood and raw bar open up plenty of lighter pairing possibilities.
Come for the Harbor. Stay for Dinner.
Johnny's Harborside is a place where the setting is part of the meal.
Come early enough to watch the harbor change with the evening light. Start with oysters at the bar. Share the ribeye. Order the lobster pasta because everyone at the table wants to try it. Or keep it simple with fresh local fish and a glass of wine.
Johnny's Harborside
493 Lake Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA
Our menu changes regularly based on the freshest ingredients available from local land and sea. Please see the current menu for today's selections and pricing.
Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, particularly for guests with certain medical conditions.
