Found Treasure: Walnut Avenue Café Cristo

February 21, 2025 – Disaster isn’t desirable. But it can be helpful. 

That finds fresh relevance as I’m sitting on an old-school swivel stool at the old-school counter in the old-school institution that is Walnut Avenue Cafe in Santa Cruz.

For this breakfast-lunch-brunch outfit, disaster #1 was the Loma Prieta Earthquake. 

Back then Walnut operated under a different name and format and occupied its original spot across town as the Sash Mill Cafe.

A young hardworking dishwasher named Hector De La Torre looked on as the kitchen staff evaporated—they were so spooked by The Big One that they left for less shaky homelands, and he was offered the chance to become a cook.

Flash forward a quarter century and De La Torre is a co-owner, having become lead chef and trained the entire kitchen; and Walnut’s been planted in the thick of downtown for three decades, with the weekend wait on the sidewalk to go with it.

One of the things I’m very proud of is our kitchen team,” he says. “When I was able to move away from head chef [duties], I was available to train more of the guys. They can take my place and run the kitchen very smoothly. They run it very well. Same for front of the house.”

Disaster #2 hit with COVID, which closed hundreds of restaurants across the state. For Walnut Avenue Cafe, it was a chance to deepen a symbiosis with its loyal base—no delivery apps, call-in phone orders only. 

“We definitely made it because of locals who kept us going through those tough times,” co-owner Mike Bobadilla says.

The other survival mechanism to emerge was expanded outdoor seating, including a temporary parklet.

“It opened up a whole different dining venue,” Bobadilla says. “Before there weren’t many outdoor dining venues downtown! It took the pandemic to bring it to light.”

The pandemic-era parklet was made permanent—with a leveled cement floor, cinder block perimeter and a design made available to restaurant owners by the city—about a year ago.

“It’s like having a second restaurant,” adds Bobadilla, who goes out of his way to commend the city for its facilitation. “And a great way to take advantage of Santa Cruz weather.”

Compared to those real-life disasters, my counter-side crisis presents a wonderful problem to have.

I am flying solo, so my dependable brunch strategy—beyond viewing it as a state of mind—of sharing sweet and savory plates is out.

Looking around at the eggs Benedict to my left and the raft of huevos rancheros, three-egg omelets and shrimp tostadas flying from the kitchen to my right, order envy is real.

Re-reading the menu for the third time—with nine-grain blackberry pancakes, Walnut Avenue scrambles and grilled chicken cheesesteaks beckoning—my decision-making delirium peaks.

Seeing there is a crab Benedict special and hearing a staffer say she’s going to add blackened ahi to a grilled cheese when she’s off…doesn’t help.

Then a beam of light lands on an item I overlooked, a bridgebuilder sent from above, part sweet, part salty, part meaty, part breakfast, part lunch, part tart, all crave.

All those elements exist in the Café Cristo, with turkey, ham and Swiss melting into puffy and sugar-powdered French toast and cranberry sauce that’s a nice bonus but ultimately unnecessary. 

Around me swirl coffee refills, a 12-top having a loud laugh and a server casually balancing six plates on her arms. For a hot 20 minutes of Cristo blessings, all is right in the world.

As I munch, I think, This is the type of place that makes a city foodscape great—or at least gives it a chance—where the owner leaps to wipe down the counter when I sit, and major bustle doesn’t diminish enthusiasm, attention or food quality.

For many locals, the fact that Walnut rules is not news. Which inspires two closing thoughts. 

1) That was one of the inspirations for this column: Carving out the space—when it’s always tempting to chase the new gleaming thing—to pause and celebrate adored institutions. As co-owner Bobadilla likes to say, “We’re the least trendy place in town.”

2) Comfort in a time of crisis is great, especially as it reminds us good can come with it if we’re up to the challenge.

Walnut Avenue Cafe | 106 Walnut Ave. Santa Cruz | walnutavenuecafe.com