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EAT THIS: CINNAMON BUN AT LINDA’S SEABREEZE CAFE
If you’ve lived in or visited Santa Cruz for any length of time, chances are you’ve popped into Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe for breakfast or lunch a time or two. For 35 years, the cozy baby blue and white restaurant on Seabright Avenue has been an oasis for a home-cooked meal and warm hospitality, and is a favorite spot for locals and tourists alike.
In August, Marcie Bei Magdaleno and her husband, Mark Magdaleno, took over from longtime owners Tex and Claire Hintze, who purchased the cafe from Linda Hopper in 1998. (Before Hopper died in 2022, she shared her straightforward Americana fare at other local restaurants, such as the Silver Spur in Santa Cruz and Sunrise Cafe in Soquel Village.)
Bei Magdaleno is no stranger to Linda’s, or the Santa Cruz restaurant industry. For more than 40 years, her family ran the DeLaveaga Lodge Restaurant, and she’s been a customer of the Seabreeze since she was a kid. So she’s well aware of Linda’s devoted fans, and the reasons they keep coming back: “Good food, large portions, and the staff and the community,” she told me.
Regular customers need not worry about losing any of their favorite menu items – things at Linda’s are going to remain exactly the same, mostly. Bei Magdaleno does want to slowly incorporate a few of the most popular dishes from her time as the chef at DeLaveaga, and add more baked goods, soups, possibly even birthday cakes. Later, she’d like to do catering pickups and drop-offs.
One thing that definitely won’t change: the Seabreeze’s iconic cinnamon buns. The soft, twisted buns brimming with spice and chopped walnuts are just as good as you remember. Bei Magdaleno can’t resist them, either: “When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, I steal one while they’re still steaming hot.”
Read the story about the transition here.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.
- Miracle Front & Cooper spreads holiday cheer with kitschy decor and themed cocktails (Lookout)
- After 40 years, family-owned Mackenzies Chocolates to close on Christmas Eve (Lookout)
- House of Prime Rib sued by former employee for wage, break violations (San Francisco Business Times)
- The 7 most anticipated food and grocery trends for 2025 (Real Simple)
