Another Santa Cruz dining institution has been going through some changes for several years, and Aldo's has finally given up on returning to its old location on the Santa Cruz Harbor sea wall, next to the channel.
The photo above is from 2014 when, as usual, all the tables were full and more customers waited in line. Aldo's caught the attention of Guy Fieri, who visited and reviewed the local favorite for his show: Guy Fieri's "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives".
The restaurant had to close in 2016 because the seawall it was sitting on was nearing collapse. The building was demolished and the seawall repaired, but the restaurant building has not yet been replaced. Then came 2020 and COVID-19, heaping more hardship on the restaurant business.
When the restaurant closed, the harbor found a space on the lawn not far away, where Aldo's was able to relocate to what was supposed to be a temporary location.
It's still there, and is likely to remain for quite a while, as the owners have found that they can't afford to rebuild in the old spot.
We'll miss slurping cioppino while sitting right on the main harbor channel, but Aldo's in a different spot is much better than no Aldo's at all. As changes go, this one's not so bad.
Locations in the Santa Cruz Changes blog can be found on this Google Map.
