Cafe Iveta, which already has one location on the UC Santa Cruz campus and another on the westside, is opening a third location at 545 Pacific Avenue, inside luxury apartment complex Five55 Pacific.
Owner John Bilanko says the new spot will serve up Italian gourmet fare with a beachy twist. “We’re trying to combine the concepts of a beachfront lunch spot and an Italian sidewalk cafe,” Bilanko says. “Sort of like Portofino, but on the Pacific.”
In typical Italian coastline fashion, Cafe Iveta will boast polished concrete floors, a wood bar, and of course, a patio.
The cafe will offer table service inside and outside, and will share the patio with Big Basin Vineyards Tasting Room & Wine Bar, which is also set to open soon on the ground floor of Five55 Pacific — a new development that’s part of the city’s plan to connect the Santa Cruz downtown to the wharf and boardwalk.
No opening date has been announced, but Bilanko says that after about three months of construction, he hopes to have the cafe open by late Summer 2021. And if a global pandemic is going to hinder our summer Italian Riviera travel plans, we’re heading to Cafe Iveta for the next best thing.
