Fast, friendly service in a casual and clean atmosphere. All the food was great. Started with a cheese toast which hit the spot. I had a Ginger beer cocktail that was very tasty. Then we had the creamy Alfredo, Kianti's gourmet pasta, and raviolis with pesto. We stuffed ourselves and everything was delicious. Definitely recommend this place!

A busy joint nestled out Santa Cruz Downtown. We got dinner here at 9 P.M., and it was still packed with a 10 minute wait and we were hoping the food would be a reflection of the wait time, so we waited, and I am so glad we did! The restaurant had great vibes with decent service from young kind waiters. There was barely any attentiveness however since there were so many people. It was cool because you could see chefs cooking out the restaurant so that made the vibes nicer. There was lots of outdoor seating for warm days and lots of indoor seating which is why we were able to get sat down pretty fast! For a bev we started with the ginger mojito which was refreshing, gingery, sour, and sweet all at the same time. The mojito was INCREDIBLY carbonated which just amplified the flavor! The only thing was the drink just had wayy too much ice in it , so definitely ask for less ice if possible. I got the Kianti's gourmet pasta with bacon on the side so my vegetarian friends can try some and I appreciated their ability to put some ingredients on the side. The pesto sauce was insanely creamy and tasty which the perfectly cooked bowtie pasta well. The pasta also had plenty of sun dried tomatoes on it adding plenty of texture and a sweet and savory taste. The pasta also came with some really fresh bread which accompanied the remaining sauce from my pasta really well! Now the pizza was amazing with a cool salad on top of a regular pizza. The crust of the pizza was super soft and tasty, but on the menu the pizza is listed with a thin crust but the crust was not thin so beware when ordering. The soft crust paired perfectly with the crunch of the leafy greens and roasted almonds from the salad on top! The 2 dishes and the drink was enough for 3 really hungry people and we even had leftovers of the large pizza. The bills was $67 pre tip so would say it was somewhat affordable for an Italian place. OVERALL, for its somewhat affordableness,their tasty and innovative dishes, and their happening location Kianti's is a must try for people who haven't been yet, and I hope to come again sometime soon!

Been meaning to write this review for a while, but atmosphere was fun loud and everyone around was friendly. I remember the appetizer was delicious. Our waiter was the best, we had a wobbly table and we did not even have to say anything and he fixed it for it. Best service I have had in a while.

Kianti's is our family's go-to place in downtown Santa Cruz. This place has it all - amazing food, top notch customer service, incredible entertainment, and it is sooo kid-friendly. I love that they even give the kids pizza dough to play with. It was literally the first time in a long time that we could enjoy our meal in peace with no screen time. The food and drinks are also incredible - so tasty and reasonable priced. Highly recommend!

Came here on a Saturday night, understandably it was kind of busy with around a 40 minute wait time to get a table. The ambiance is nice with a rustic yet fancy dining atmosphere - a good mix of casual and formal dining and a great place to chill, chat or watch sports. Service was a bit slow because it was very busy and packed, but that's understandable! But overall staff was very sweet and helpful! I got a Strawberry Italian soda and their special Spicy Pasta! If I remember correctly, it comes with a breadstick! The Italian soda was very nice and refreshing and paired perfectly well with the main dish. The spicy pasta sauce was SO good, it was very creamy and meaty, which made it taste so delicious with the crunchy but soft breadstick. Also when they mean spicy, they actually mean it! It's manageable and honestly perfect level of spiciness for me. Overall, other than the long waits, this is a good place to come have a fancy yet relaxing dinner after a long day. You won't be disappointed!!

Came here for dinner, we all got something different~ Pesto pizza, pizza, lasagna, ... I got the lasagna which was pretty good! Just wished it was more meaty. Service was great, our server was friendly and checked up on us. Their lasagna is spicy but it was totally fine for me as someone who can't handle spice.

01.15.2024 A "have to review" establishment! Their Kianti Sauté, Pasta Gourmet, Pizza Sub, Garlic Bread (and their Garlic Flat Bread thingy - yum!) and Make-Your-Own Pasta is reason enough to rush over for a lunch or dinner! Great service by Jackson and this time, Ryan! A cozy establishment Dec. 2nd, 2023 (1st visit) Drove from East Bay for a family gathering with my granddaughter studying at UCSC. Ambience was busy and a bit noisy with the many customers (popular hot spot for students and family). Staff is attentive and Jackson recommends ordering the Kianti sauté plate with double broccoli, double creamy pesto, double bacon. Then add shrimp! Thank you, Jackson! He invited us to stay for the Christmas show! Show did not disappoint! The Master Pizza thrower and the dancing staff were great! Advice: Make a reservation!

First time here! My partner and I have been in SC for 5 months now and always see this place popping! I ordered the Spicy Kianti Pasta with extra mushrooms! If your spice tolerance is low, beware and maybe ask for less spice. ** Red bell peppers* First taste was okay, only because I haven't mixed it well enough! Halfway through my meal, it was amazing. I was a little confused with the description with it saying meat sauce + crème sauce so I didn't know what to expect. But it turned how to looking like meat sauce with a mixture of crème. I would say that there could be a bit more salt other than it was yummy! We also ordered 2 appetizers, spicy breadsticks and three cheese mac! The spicy breadsticks weren't as spicy as anticipated considering the pasta I ordered, instead they used jalapeños. The bread were very soft which I appreciated very much, soft as Little Caesar's breadsticks. The triple cheese mac was okay. Way too much cheese compared to how much pasta there were! The ambiance of this restaurant was sociably entertaining. Considering it's also a bar itself, not too much noise for a popular restaurant. I'd definitely come back and order the same but with less spice!