Woodstock Pizza: Relaxing Afternoons and Nighttime Fun

Although Woodstock Pizza opened in downtown Santa Cruz in 2007, I'd never been there and decided it was time to give the popular restaurant a try. A friend and I stopped by for lunch on a warm October afternoon.

Big sliding-glass doors were open to the outside patio, giving the already large restaurant a sunny-breezy feeling. A mix of business people, students with homework, families and individuals sat inside and on the patio as they enjoyed their meals.

At the counter, we ordered a personal-size vegetarian pizza—two slices each seemed like plenty for lunch. I'm not a big fan of green bell pepper on pizza, so we substituted artichoke hearts. We also opted for the whole-wheat crust versus the regular. A server brought the pizza to our table about 10 minutes later, a short wait for those who have to get back to the office.

The pizza was covered with onions, mushrooms, black olives, artichoke hearts and sliced tomatoes. The tomatoes, only lightly cooked, gave the pizza a nice, fresh taste. Some people might like more cheese, but I appreciated that the pizza wasn't drowning in melted mozzarella. I'd order the whole-wheat crust again. It had more flavor than a white-flour crust and wasn't any heavier. On all Woodstock Pizzas, the crust is folded around the edge, baking in some of the garlicky tomato sauce.

Family-friendly during the day and early evening, things really start hopping at Woodstock around 9 p.m., and the party goes until closing. My husband and I arrived late one Friday night to find the place filled, mostly with college-age people.

As the owners explain on the website, they wanted to "create a fun, student-oriented atmosphere" with their restaurant, and this and other Woodstock Pizzas were purposely opened in college towns.

You can watch sports on four flat-screen TVs positioned around the restaurant. A large banner reads "Every Game. Every Sunday." Almost every night brings a special activity. For instance, Pint Night Wednesdays offer $1 refills, and Trivia Thursdays have prizes and an extended Happy Hour from 9 p.m. until closing.

And the beer. Don't forget the beer. Seven on tap during my visit, including Anchor Steam, Longboard Island Lager and Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA. All served in pitchers, pint (16-ounce) glasses or liter (33.8-ounce) glasses. The liters of beer seemed to be the drink of choice, guys as well as gals hefting the pitcher-size glasses.

We ate our salad and pizza—a Woodstock special with sausage, garlic, black olives, red onions and tomatoes—outside on the patio where heater lamps kept the late-night chill away. Other people were gathered around the warm glow of a fire pit, but most of the party remained inside with the music, televisions and flowing beer.