MacKenzie Bar & Grill

Great watering hole to relax after a long round of golf. Great bar food. The balcony overlooks the front nine, staff is uniquely genuine and there are a ton of TVs to watch the games. Wish there was some live music and later hours, perhaps some more people, but I guess that is what the Hollins House is for upstairs! It’s a short walk, going there next!

This place is really a hidden gem and great for both breakfast and lunch. Food is consistently quite good (try their soups!), view is spectacular, and the staff is extremely friendly and attentive.

This place is a shame because it has so much potential and is rich with history. The food is really good. However there is no leadership here and it’s apparent. There is no manager present in the restaurant or on the floor. The staff seems to have been left to fend for their own, and they do a pretty good job staying above water when it’s busy. I’m giving them 2 stars based on the quality of the food and the staff that are at least trying to hold it together.

I have eaten at the Bar and Grill many times over the years – through good and bad management – and I was astonished at how much it has gone down hill over the past few years. With a little inquiry, I learned that Pasatiempo Golf Club, which owns and operates the bar and grill as well as the Hollins House on the same property, brought in a new GM who is responsible for both establishments as well as for general operation of the golf course. During the course of our meal, the wait staff were so busy with conversations and social media that no one showed us to a table (we selected one and seated ourselves), we didn’t receive menus (I spied them and brought them to our table), we had to wait over an hour for food to arrive once our waitress finally took our order, the food was cold when it did arrive, and what was warm enough to eat was bland and not worth eating. We recognize that these problems are not about the wait staff or the cooks; it is about the management or, in this case, lack thereof. We asked to see the manager; none was on duty. We asked to speak with the General Manager and were told that he was in another building and was not expected to visit the grill on this occasion. When we insisted on speaking to the GM, he arrived at our table, and, to shorten this story considerably, informed us that no one had ever lodged the kinds of complaints we were lodging and that we were obviously the real problem here. We might return to this property at some point in the future, once the GM is gone; but we will empahtically wait until he is gone.

Great service and the chili rocked! Was in here on short notice with a large group and they did a great job… good variety as well.

I love coming here for lunch! The food is always amazing. Great service and the view from the deck is so relaxing! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for quality food at affordable prices!

Mackenzie’s is a really great spot to eat I got a club sandwich and Fries and it was delicious and the portion was huge! My servers name was Brittany she was very sweet and friendly and I’ll definatly be coming back!

Great Sunday Brunch! They make wonderful bloody Marys and have a bunch of different Benedicts.
Call for a reservation and be seated right away.
The food is always yummy but service can be slow.
They lose a star for parking. The lot is fairly large but was full even though the grill wasn’t. So then you must hike down from the top of the hill if you can find parking up there.
We will continue to return for the great breakfast/​brunch menu and will try lunch in the future if we can find a place to park.

GO HERE! This place is awesome. Friendly helpful staff. Great ocean view. And their food is ALWAYS fresh, original, and delicious. Even if you’re not playing golf, this is a great place to just come eat and relax. I saw some old reviews for this place with bad ratings and bad things to say. None of them seem to be true about the current MacKenzies. 6 stars if I could.

Love the view. The food is pretty good. Had a brunch there for about 40 people. They did a great job. Fun place to go for drinks too. One of my favorite places for lunch. Not crowded.

First time at this restaurant and it did not disappoint. Great service and food. The views were amazing. We will for sure be coming back again.

Good food, good value, good service. Relaxed atmosphere.

This is the second time we’ve been here for breakfast/​brunch on the weekend. The weather was amazingly beautiful this morning when we went for brunch. We sat outside and promptly got waited on. I started out with a Bloody Mary that was done very well. I ordered the Poached Eggs Florentine which was sautéed artichokes, leeks and spinach over poached eggs topped with a pesto hollandaise sauce and served on a toasted
english muffin with home fried potatoes. Excellent! My partner had the Bogey Wrap with
grilled chicken, mushrooms, romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese tossed in Caesar dressing and wrapped in a lightly toasted flour tortilla. It was delicious and enough for two. He also ordered the onion rings which were the best I’ve ever had. The prices are affordable. the view is amazing, the service was impeccable, and we will definitely go back and invite friends. Easy, comfortable, relaxing and you’ll feel as if you’ve been on a little vacation in one of the most beautiful spots in Santa Cruz.

Honestly, I think this place deserves a break. Whiners abound on Unilocal,and people deplore change. Sometimes change is good. On my first visit to Mackenzie Bar & Grill, the place was well set up, attentive to needs and the service was very warm and friendly. The bartender made us Bloody Mary’s from scratch: nice! The menu is extensive, and if you’re in the mood for breakfast all day, this is a good choice. We shared an Eggs Benedict with artichokes and pesto hollandaise, which was delicious, served with very nicely seasoned potatoes. The fried artichokes are interesting, and the sauce is good. I’d definitely come back. You can sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the breezes off the ocean — quite the view! Tip: Get there early for lunch, before the golf crowd comes in.

Love eating lunch here!
Big portion sizes AND a beautiful view of the Ocean.

Been here often… once it was great, but now it is getting progressively terrible. Today was the last try. Awful… cold food, overcooked. dried out. inattentive service… no table set up (salt.pepper/silverware, napkins)
There are so many great places to eat in Santa Cruz county… forget Mackenzies!

The warning sign was the empty restaurant, it was down hill from there. We were greeted and immediately seated and served our coffee by the hostess. The waiter/​manager took our order and disappeared from sight although we heard him drone on for the next 25 minutes. He was training a new waitress and forgot our food. We had to flag down someone else for a coffee refill while we waited… When he finally served the food, no apology for the lengthy wait, it was lukewarm at best. He did not offer a refill or ask if we needed any condiments. We again flagged him down to inform him of the cold food. His first response was what do you want me to do? This was the manager? He finally offered to have it remade as it was an egg dish. Again had to ask for a coffee refill while waiting. This time the food came a little faster, obviously it had sitting around in the kitchen the first time, while he talked to staff about good service???
The food, it too was disappointing, the carprese eggs benedict was missing the mozzarella cheese as noted on the menu. The potatoes were just short of burned and the other egg dish was without flavor. The setting and the coffee werethe only good things going here. If you plan to play golf at Pasatiempo you would be much off better off getting a McDonalds egg mcmuffin.

We decided to give this place a second try because we love to go out to breakfast and there just aren’t many places nearby. MacKenzie’s Bar and Grill was really subpar the last time we came. The food quality was akin to a summer camp cafeteria. This time it was decidedly better. I had the Florentine, which was tasty and warm. They eggs were poached as requested.
My favorite part about going out to breakfast is heading into a warm, cozy restaurant that smells like freshly brewed coffee, bacon, and waffles. I love the hum of chatter and music as people enjoy their yummy breakfasts. This place does not have this atmosphere at all. There are about 20 tables, and only one of them was taken when we arrived. The décor is a monochromatic forrest green. The feel is cold and empty. We sat out on the porch which overlooks the golf course and the distant ocean. This part is enjoyable (if you like the manicured golf course vibe, and a giant American flag in the middle of your view).
Despite the place being almost totally empty, it took our waiter 20 minutes to take our order. The wait staff seemed bored. Not terrible, just completely forgettable.
This location has so much potential. I am giving one star for the view and one star for the yummy Florentine, but I don’t plan on going back. The $ 11 – 13 breakfasts seem pricey for this bland, completely forgetable place.