Upon entering Tortilla Flats in Soquel, we were first struck by the unique interior –walls adorned with Mexican art and pottery, a small bar lit up by hanging lights and many other tasteful decorations.  The restaurant has a great feel, and the wait staff was attractive and friendly.

Most Unique of Santa Cruz Mexican Restaurants – Tortilla Flats Soquel

It is definitely unlike any other Santa Cruz Mexican restaurant, or restaurant for that matter.  It feels more upscale, but still laid back enough to feel at home.

We started with the guacamole appetizer – a generously sized portion of avocado, lime and other ingredients –a very tasty guacamole! The accompanying chips also tasted good (nothing special, but good), and the salsa had a different feel to it (spicy, but not too spicy, and blended to a nice consistency).

Next, we shared the salad with cucumber sour cream dill dressing. Now if it weren´t for the dressing, the salad would have been just what you would generally expect from a salad, but the dressing was amazing!  It had a creamy but zesty flavor that is hard to compare to any other restaurant I´ve been to before.

For our entrées, we ordered the famous Chicken Mole Enchilada (recommended by a friend), along with a side of rice and beans.  We were not disappointed.  The presentation was amazing, and the enchiladas came smothered in a rich, dark mole sauce –something you would never expect to find outside of Oaxaca, nevertheless in a Santa Cruz Mexican restaurant!  And the rice and black beans had a wholesome, unique flavor that we haven´t ever encountered before. We also ordered the tostada grande with shrimp, which came in a large shell filled with beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole and sour cream. The presentation was also good and the ingredients were fresh, but the dish itself tasted just okay in comparison to the incredible Chicken Mole.

For dessert, we shared the special dessert of the day, the banana cream pie.  It was very rich, probably a bit too rich after my meal, but nevertheless we left the plate bare with no complaints.  The quality of the food and service definitely exceeded the price , which was on par with the other upscale Santa Cruz Mexican restaurants. And overall, we rate Tortilla Flats Soquel as one of the best restaurants in Santa Cruz!