Quick Take
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is leveling up its food game, offering everything from quesabirria tacos and Cajun shrimp boils to Korean BBQ tofu and nitrogen-blasted ice cream, all made fresh in front of guests.
Come for the roller coasters, stay for the tikka masala. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has long been known for its corn dogs, funnel cakes and ice cream cones, but a new wave of diverse and modern food options has brought Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, quesabirria tacos and glazed tofu rice bowls with kimchi to the iconic seaside amusement park.
The Boardwalk is following an industrywide trend at entertainment venues to make food part of the fun, driven by educated consumers who expect more from their meal than a precooked hamburger. The two leading concessionaires, the Santa Cruz Seaside Company – which owns the Boardwalk – and Whiting’s Foods, a family-owned company and the Boardwalk’s largest concessionaire, have hired chefs and made a conscious shift away from premade and frozen ingredients toward fresh and homemade foods.
Many new items are made or cooked to order in front of guests, from nitrogen-blasted custom ice cream to freshly cut and fried churros simmering in hot oil. Swirling crepes, grilling brisket over live coals and twisting pretzel dough both showcases the freshness of the product and gives diners a show.
While turkey legs and kettle corn aren’t going anywhere, visitors can experience a new era of Boardwalk cuisine with these 12 unexpected savory and sweet treats.
Crab sandwich at Seaside Fish & Chowder
$23.95
Many of the items at the Boardwalk are nostalgic, but getting something to taste as good as the idealized version in your head can be a challenge. This crab sandwich nails it – and is served at an oceanfront diner to boot. Slices of bread – custom-baked by Sumano’s Bakery in Watsonville for just the right thickness and texture – are brushed with garlic butter and crisped on the grill. The crab salad inside is uncluttered and contains just lemon zest and juice, Old Bay seasoning, a touch of mayonnaise and fresh parsley, layered with two slices of tomato – simple, buttery seaside perfection.
Nitro craft ice cream at Cool Zone
$7 to $9.99
A new concession inside the Casino Arcade offers a theatrical ice cream experience that might top the Boardwalk’s iconic dipped soft-serve cones. Guests can create a custom ice cream by choosing a base – custard, low-fat or vegan – and adding flavors like salted caramel or guava, and a mix of additions, such as cookie dough, cheesecake bites or coconut flakes. In a dramatic freezing cloud of nitrogen, watch as the creation is churned into smooth, decadent ice cream before your eyes.
Pesto Chicken Crepe at Cruzin’ Crêpes
$13.95
There’s a reason crêpes have cemented themselves in the street food canon around the world. With a whimsical twirl, a few spoonfuls of batter are scraped into a record-sized vessel for whatever your heart desires. At Cruzin’ Crêpes – which also sells boba teas and towering mangonadas ($9.95) – tender crêpes are folded over creative and classic fillings, like Nutella and banana, or vanilla-scented cream cheese and strawberries for a cheesecake vibe. The pesto chicken is a savory standout filled with chicken, mushrooms and plenty of cheese, and topped with garlicky homemade pesto.
Quesabirria tacos at Beach Tacos & Nachos
$12.49 for two
Mexican food at a California amusement park is a natural fit, but finding regional cuisine among the burritos and tacos is unexpected. Last year, after the quesabirria tacos made a splash at the annual Boardwalk Fiesta en la Playa, Whitings Foods decided to offer them permanently at Beach Tacos & Nachos next to the bumper cars. Their take could easily go up against other taqueria versions in the area. Corn tortillas are filled with tender slow-cooked beef and cheese, dipped in rich consommé and griddled. More consommé is served on the side for dipping, as well as cilantro, chopped white onion and lime.
Sandae at The Original Freeze
$7.67
Boardwalk visitors have probably been eating Sandaes longer than you’ve been alive, but the unusual ice cream bar is a classic for a reason. First sold in 1935, a disc of chocolate malt ice cream is sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in chocolate and dusted with finely crushed almonds, meant to mimic sand. The Whiting family have offered this special treat at the same Freeze stand – now next to the Haunted Castle – at the Boardwalk for 90 years, and every sweet bite is layered with history.
Pretzels at Boardwalk Pretzel Factory
$7.95 plain, $9.95 jalapeño cheese
The Boardwalk has leveled up its soft pretzels from a dry, premade frozen snack to a hand-rolled, chewy and fragrant treat that would make any Bavarian baker proud. In partnership with Ben’s Pretzels, every catcher’s mitt-sized pretzel sold at this kiosk is made to order, and you can view the skilled concessionaires rolling and twisting the dough through a window, then dipping each one in a baking soda mixture for classic golden crust. I caution anyone from walking too close to this stall – the warm, sweet smell emanating from the booth is impossible to resist.
Butter chicken bowl at Flavors of India
$16.99
In April, Whitings Foods launched Flavors of India with a menu of classic Indian crowdpleasers like vegetarian curry, tikka masala and butter chicken with amusement park flair. Each main option is served over basmati rice with buttery naan and topped with a range of chutneys and housemade toppings like cucumber salad and pickled onions for a colorful and flavorful beachside meal. (And for those seeking out the deep fried Oreos formerly available at this stall – don’t worry, they’re still available at Tiki Hut Treats next door.)
Cajun Shrimp Boil at Beachside BBQ
$17.95
In the American South, Cajun shrimp boils are acts of celebration, so why not serve this joyous dish at a seaside attraction? Seasoned shrimp, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob and spicy andouille sausage are mixed together in-house and prepared to order on an outdoor grill, infusing this hearty, finger-licking meal with smoke and bringing out the flavors of Cajun seasoning, garlic and butter. You will need extra napkins, and possibly another set of hands.
Brisket sandwich at Beachside BBQ
$14.49
There will always be burgers and hot dogs, but if you’re craving a meaty meal, let Beachside BBQ’s brisket sandwich be your balm. Alongside the Cajun boil at the same grill, the Boardwalk slow roasts a tough cut of beef to tender perfection. Stuffed inside a hearty roll, this gut-buster is filled with fork-tender meat and topped with crunchy coleslaw and sweet barbecue sauce for an Americana meal as classic as the Fourth of July.
Stuffed churro at The Crazy Churro
$6.99
A frozen, premade churro bears about as much resemblance to a freshly made and fried-to-order version as a slice of Wonder Bread has to a loaf of artisan sourdough. Watch as long tubes of dough at The Crazy Churro are squeezed through a mechanical press before diving into hot oil. Once golden brown and rolled in cinnamon-sugar, the soft, warm donut can then be injected with caramel, chocolate or Bavarian cream, topped with whipped cream ($8.29), or even turned into a churro sundae ($10.49) with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and a cherry on top.
Korean BBQ Tofu at BoardWok
$15.99
Yes, there are meat-free dining options at the Boardwalk. Vegetarian and vegan visitors can substitute jackfruit for meats like carnitas or chicken at some of the kiosks in the park, alongside Beyond Meat burgers, but the Korean BBQ Tofu at BoardWok is memorable in its own right. A sweet and tangy sauce coats glossy cubes of tofu over white rice alongside kicky homemade kimchi – yes, really – a scoop of edamame and green onion. It’s a protein-packed, flavorful and satisfying meal that won’t weigh you down while you travel among rides and roller coasters.
Nashville hot chicken sandwich at Hand Ten’ders
$16.29
Fried chicken sandwiches are hard enough to find in the city of Santa Cruz, so offering a respectable version at the Boardwalk is reason enough for locals and visitors to seek it out. Cooks use a pressure cooker to fry each hand-seasoned and battered piece of chicken from the inside out to maintain moisture and use less oil, while crisping the outside to a golden brown. For the Nashville-style sandwich, each piece is dipped in hot seasoned oil before being placed in a soft griddled burger bun with a squeeze of spicy mayo and a few butter pickles. Wash it down with a strawberry lemonade simply made from fresh-squeezed lemons, sugar and Driscoll’s berries.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.