Star Bene in Santa Cruz

We really enjoyed the food here, steaks and pasta for a fair price. Empinadas are so good.

We picked out this place after seeing it on a walk &decided to go for dinner there. No clue how the food was though because we ended up leaving early when we received unwashed silverware that was covered in food.

This was an outstanding last minute choice and was easily the best meal we had all weekend. Lovely Family staff and intimate at-home feeling ambiance. Followup... Upon a recent revisit this last January, perhaps due to Off Season period, I was not as impressed with the quality of service or the food. I inquired as to the nature of ingredients in one of my dishes and I was told they had to change the ingredients to a more vegetarian and gluten free friendly restaurant as that was what they felt was serving a changing food culture in that area. Honestly, I felt the home style traditional ingredients used in years past menu was a far better fit for such a diverse tourist industry that keeps this local running. Also when I was looking for some service soon after being served our food, the owner was busy eating her own dinner at the bar and the cook was the only other available person that I could waive down through the kitchen doorway.

Great service , small and friendly . Had a empanada starter and lobster ravioli main which was awesome

Unassuming space, but great food. Its one of our favorites.

This place is awesome. Walking by we met the owner, Serge, and he offered to cook lunch for us even though normally theyre not open. We were given great service, great food and drink. Id recommend you drop in to see him!!!

Great food, charming owner and the wine was excellent.

This place is amazing! Awesome food, awesome service, the restaurant has its unique charm. Plenty of parking. If I could rate it with 6 stars i would, but for now its a 100% 5 stars. Its a must visit spot if youre after an authentic dining experience.

The food has large portions but nothing to write about. I suppose it would be a good family restaurant for parents with kids or less adventurous adults. Pasta and sauce. TV was playing a basketball game at the bar.Friendly Italian Server.

Good food in big portions. Good customer service.

Happy accident! We happened upon this place while driving from Capitola to Santa Cruz with our daughter who is a freshman at UC Santa Cruz and we were blown away. The cooking is authentic, and absolutely everything was transcendently delicious. Don’t miss this little hidden gem on the side of the road!

Bought a 2nd home in Santa Cruz about a year ago and we finally tried this charming restaurant! Great service and delicious food. The pasta carbonara was so amazing! This is definitely a new favorite of ours.

The food and service were good. The gnocchi was a few dollars less here than at other Italian restaurants in the area. They were also more generous with portions including the bread basket. It was just a lot smaller than I expected so dont blink or you may miss it.

This place is consistently amazing. Family owned and run, they really care about their food quality and service. The portions are large and their unique mix of Argentinian and Italian is fantastic. Get the empanadas as an app. They are wonderful.

argentinian food at this location - excellent. I give this spot a thumbs up.

Ok location for Argentinian food. Great ambiance & decor. The staff was very helpful and observant. The place has a great feel to it. This place has many good reviews for a reason.

Really good food. Theyre empanadas melt-in-your-mouth. The dessert menu is a let down but the entree menu is wonderful. The service is good but not particularly friendly

really delicious food and great staff. we had a bottle of the house wine which was very tasty and some of the Argentinian meat dishes which were great. also delicious bread

Delicious. Great service awesome food.

Great ambiance, delicious food.. try the gnocchi with all three sauces

From when we entered we where welcomed, seated everything was clean the server very helpful and the food was amazing!

I love Star Bene. The stuff is really friendly, and the food is the best in town.

Always a fantastic experiece. Lovely staff and the food and wines are phenomenal!

Excellent food in an unpretentious and warm environment. These are people who will welcome you like family and feed you amazing food. Dont be afraid to step away from the perfectly executed Italian classics and try some fantastic Argentinean food...or better yet, mix it up!

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and awesome food.

Little hidden gem!!!! We felt at home! The owners are very friendly. Great atmosphere and food! We already refered friends who also enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Super good food, welcoming staff, and atmosphere. I highly recommend this Italian food place that is run by argentinians, which at first was off-putting but after eating, OMG. I could go on and on about how good the food was cuz it really is that good. I had my heart set on Italian but ended up eating a traditional Argentine dinner, I was not disappointed. We will be back, asap.

5 Stars! Everything was absolutely delicious. Charming lovely resturant. Definitely recommend this gem!

A family run Argentinean restaurant where you can get a rare chance to experience home style cooking. The atmosphere is awesome. There is authenticity and charm. The food tastes wonderful as well.

Excellent food, casual and comfy atmosphere, family run, great service. very accommodating for gluten allergy too. Very reasonable prices and large portions. Well be back!

A very nice restaurant with an intimate environment. Owners and staff are always friendly, courteous and willing to assist with menu items.

Excellent good. Service was a little slow, but there was a big party sitting besides us

The food is quite good, and the servers are friendly - feels like a family-run restaurant. Im not sure why its never crowded, but its always easy to get a table.

Beatifull place with a really delicious food!!!! New favorite!

Excellent service, great ambiance, and food is beyond amazing.

My boyfriend and I just left and let me say, this is the best Italian joint I have ever hadDefinitely a MUST next time we want to dine out :)

Wow, cozy family feeling with delicious home cooking. Save room for homemade tiramisu. Yum!

Our favorite italian restaurant . Love the atmosphere. So many good plates to choose from too. But i almost always get the gnocchi with 3 sauces. Yummm

Food, service and decor is fun and romantic! New favorite rest in Santa Cruz!!

If you want a good churrasco this the place! The empanadas are to die for just like my Mom used to make!

Great food, cosey intimate quiet atmosphere. A bit pricey. Worth a special occasion visit.

Amazing place. Great food. Great family own vibe

The dinner "special" for $11 was a couple of ravioli filled with cheese on a plate, place was empty, staff wasnt very friendly, didnt seem to know what they were doing when time to pay the bill, took forever for them to charge through square app on iPad, and even though I tipped generous, they gave gift cards to my friend I was with, but not me. And bathroom needed attention.

We absolutely had a Harry met Sally moment.. Moaning while we stuffed the delicious food in our mouths until we were so full it hurt to walk and get in the car. We shared an amazing salad with a tuna stuffed avocado & shrimp on a bed of fresh spring mix with a homemade warm marinara on it that was delightful. The ribeye was so delicious I actually saw Johns eyes roll back in ectasy, and I have to say as a vegetarian that the smell was heavenly and tantalizing. (I even almost tried a biteWe already have plans to return, for the food, and the wonderful service given by the owner. He was very insightful and comical with great stories. We put it on our favorites list!

Delicious authentic Italian food. Gotta love the gnocchi. Mangia!

Im not exaggerating. Food was adequate, but the service was really something for the books. The most terrible tending a waiter has every done for my party of four. A good hour to get a simple complementary basket of bread that we didnt order that they charged us for.The worst part was he comes over to us when were not ready to pay, and has us swipe our cards on a tablet that he later gets in our faces and asks how much of a tip do we want to leave, leaving the customer pretty uncomfortable.He got nothing as a reward. Go to literally any other Italian restaurant than this one.

Nothing special. Service was not professional but friendly. Food was OK but no ingredient stood out as fresh or special. I probably will not eat here again.

A real gem! We frequent the restaurant and I have enjoyed several excellent meals at Star Bene. The patrons run the cozy place themselves, and take pride in a relaxed unrushed pace. This is an evening out to be savored, take your time and enjoy.The fair is an interesting marriage of Italian and Argentinian food. I usually opt for Italian and particularly like the Veal and Pasta dishes, with the saltimboca being one of the best meals I have ever had . I have tried one of the Argentinian dishes and enjoyed this as well. One reviewer mentioned the lamb and I am very sorry that person did not like it. However Italians are not particularly know for lamb, so I have never ordered that and cannot comment directly. My girl usually orders the spaghetti and meatballs, a must for pasta lovers.EnjoyDrew

some of the best services and food in santa cruz .i had 3 empanodas and 2 beers out on the front deck we enjoyed the afternoon /she had the freash salom /i teasted it (it was good WERE COMING BACK next week!!!!!*****

This place went from good to "blah". Did ownership change or something in the past two years? Theyre now trying to make up for lack of quality with copious quantity; amateurish; feels mom-and-pop, not serious restauranteur.