Venus Spirits Tasting Room - Santa Cruz

Loved this spot! I was looking for a casual spot for welcome drinks a couple nights ahead of my Santa Cruz wedding. I was recommended here by a friend. I emailed them a couple weeks in advance just to give them a heads up that a large party would be arriving around 5 pm. They were super accommodating and welcoming. There were two bartenders and they killed it! The tasting room had the perfect amount of space for our large group and plenty of space for other patrons. It was upscale without being stuffy. Perfect spot to grab a few cocktails and mingle with friends and family!

Wonderful food and drinks! Beautiful environment and fun food choices

We tried their tasting menu and Bo was super helpful. He was informative and very accommodating to our needs even changing one of the tasting to include rum instead of gin. Their spirits were fantastic. Would love to come back here

Waitperson was excellent. Uncomfortable seating outdoors, metal bar stools with no backs. Hamburger was good. Fried chicken is over spiced. But it was the best Manhattan I've ever had.

So many people had been raving about Venus Spirits. I finally tried it on a Thursday night. The menu, ambiance, and experience were underwhelming. It was just another Santa Cruz dining disappointment. My husband got the burger (undercooked and made him a little sick. I got the fried chicken which was over breaded and fried. It was edible, but not something I would want to eat again. The watermelon salad that came with it was tiny (about a quarter cup and just mini pieces of watermelon and cucumber; nothing else. The corn bread was very sweet and tasty. I got the Beach Don 't Kill My Vibe strawberry lemon basil cocktail. It was good, but at $14 small and overpriced. I 'm tiny at 5 foot nothing, but didn 't even feel it. It wasn 't necessarily weak, but just a really small quantity (maybe 4 ounces? . Beer and wine options were limited and good enough. Wait staff was nice and attentive. Bottom line: overhyped, overpriced, good staff, and not worth the 4% surcharge added to the bill.