July 8, 2025—This certain sort of madness, it turns out, proves contagious. And with good reasons.
The contagion that is Mad Yolks, which debuted in downtown Santa Cruz in 2023, has expanded to a new neighborhood, with a comfortable space at 830 41st Ave. in Pleasure Point.
The reasons for the madness include, but aren’t limited to:
• The breakfast burger (with a certified Angus 1/4-pound patty, over-easy egg, extra sharp cheddar, tomato, baby arugula, caramelized onions and signature spicy aioli)
• The Mad Chick (juicy house-marinated fried chicken, over-easy egg, pickled cabbage, baby arugula garlic aioli)
• The big-selling B.A.E. (soft scrambled egg, extra sharp cheddar, thick cut bacon, avocado, caramelized onions and more spicy aioli). (You my fave, BTW, BAE.)
One of their opening announcements calls the shop “a passion project turned into a full-on local favorite.”
“Built on bold flavors, scratch-made everything, and an obsession with breakfast done right,” it continues. ”We’re all about fueling the hustle, feeding the soul, and creating a place where flavor and vibes hit just right.”
Co-creators/twins Henry and Peter Wong also orchestrate an ambitious drink menu, featuring seasonal specials like the current coco matcha.
It all leads to a loyal following on Pacific Avenue and eager comments on social media, like this one from fellow entrepreneur Mini Mint Studios (@minimintstudio): “Eeeeee!! Hey new neighbor!! I’m so excited!!”
Henry Wong describes the new locale as a slight departure from the downtown outpost.
Totally different vibe from downtown, where students, and tourists compose much of the clientele.
“Here we are serving a little more local audience, families and surfers, and we created this space with that mindset—making it comfortable, so people feel relaxed and hang around and linger longer,” he says.
The Wong brothers originally spent an entire year testing their brioche bread recipes, and that tinkering continues, as they adapt the habit-forming buns to compliment a specific sandwich—crusted SPAM with over-easy egg, anyone?—with a fluffier, sweeter or more substantial character.
“We continue trying to improve,” Henry says.
Minor but meaningful evolutionary nudges emerge from constant conversation with customers, and culinary investigation around the region and beyond.
“We talk to a lot of people, travel and see what’s out there,” Henry adds. “When we like something, and think people will like it, we’ll make it happen.”
A location-specific case-in-point: The new-and-yet-unnamed breakfast burrito in Capitola, with soft-scrambled egg, Chihuahua cheese, avocado, crispy bacon, house red chili salsa, pico de gallo and a choice of wheat or flour tortilla.
Speaking of soft, the soft opening arrived today with limited hours (8am-1pm) which ramp up next week to normal operating (8am-3pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-4pm Friday-Sunday).
While the MY squad attends to improving flow and crafting craveable items to order, they do so with urgency beyond juggling two outposts: They’ve also got a San Jose location on the way, ETA as soon as August.
“My brother and I love to see people satisfied with their food,” Henry says. “That motivates us to expand.”
More at madyolks.com and Mad Yolks’ Instagram page.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, EMB's managing editor and "Found Treasures" columnist, welcomes responsible and irresponsible feedback. Correspond via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
