Shadowbrook Restaurant

I now know why Shadowbrook has such an incredible reputation for weddings: it's well deserved. When my wife and I decided we wanted to do our reception at Shadowbrook, it was very challenging. We realized we would have to move the entire Saturday wedding to a Friday to be able to work within Shadowbrook's requirements, and it seemed like they were very strict around the requirements for the event. Leading up to the event, my wife and I went to taste the food there (Shadowbrook does not do wedding food tasting as it is part of their normal menu, but you can go and receive a discount on the items you order). Truthfully: we had a relatively poor experience. The service was not friendly, and no one seemed to really care that we were about to get married there and were trying to plan a large event with them. We left with a lot of questions. Luckily, as soon we got in touch with Allyson she was able to answer all of them and resolve the questions we had. Unfortunately, we were still a bit wary. Then, the event itself happened, and it was incredible to see that group snap into action. It was among the best, most professional service I have ever encountered. Every waiter and staff was perfectly on point, Allyson was there and made sure everything was executed perfectly, the place looked absolutely beautiful. Everything ran like clockwork: every dish was out on time, everything was organized, and everything was kept on schedule. I never saw anyone with an empty glass, and even though some of the guests had a few mishaps they were immediately and discreetly dealt with by the Shadowbrook staff. The cake that was prepared by Robyn Wood the pastry chef at Shadowbrook was perfect. It looked amazing, it was delicious - it was like something right out of the picture that we gave her to work off of. It is exceedingly rare to see such incredible execution in a group of people or an event of this size, but Shadowbrook really nailed it. The food was amazing, the event was amazing, the staff was amazing, the pricing turned out wonderful, and everyone was so professional. I cannot say enough good things about the chefs, servers, pastry chef, and coordinator that we worked with to make this event happen. Additionally, knowing the history of Shadowbrook and that it will continue to be around, my wife and I look forward to celebrating future events, anniversaries, and just delicious dinners there for the rest of our lives.

My wedding ceremony and reception turned out perfect at Shadowbrook. We used the "Greenhouse" room and patio for our ceremony and reception. The restaurant was built on the side of a hill next to Soquel Creek and has historical significance for the city of Capitola in Santa Cruz County. We had 44 people total eating. We wanted a venue that was "all inclusive" for the food, tables, linens, etc. as well as a beautiful setting. Their wedding/event coordinator was easy to work with and provided wonderful ideas for decorating and accommodated a few special requests for us. The menu choices were plentiful. We decided to offer a buffet and the food was outstanding! The Pastry Chef made us wonderful cakes as well and was flexible about using our own decorations. They tasted and looked exactly how I wanted! The servers wore ties the same color as the napkins and were very friendly without getting in the way. Lots of beautiful settings for photos inside and out. And we had the whole grounds to ourselves until they opened in the late afternoon. But our party was still private even after they opened to the public. Highly recommend checking this place out.