Carpo's...

Reference to non-locals in the know: Walk in and make a right, you will then find the hidden counter where you order. I can see how locals would be attached to this place. Capros gives the same feeling the luncheon counter at Woolworth's used to give me, it's amazing in a nostalgic sense...it's humdrum in a gastronomy sense.



There was no line when we got here around 5pm on a Saturday summer evening, but the parking lot was definitely packed. It looked totally old school Italian restaurant from the outside, but more like a cafeteria on the inside. Frommers listed that "locals line up out the door for their seafood..." with that statement I sure as hell thought there'd be more than calamari and chips ($9.75) and fish and chips ($9.50) and a shrimp and crab sandwich on the menu.

One of those TGIFridays vibrating coaster pagers are placed in your hand and you're on to the adventure of finding a table. With a hunter green cafeteria tray, napkin dispenser, complimentary bread basket (of multi-grain bread), salt and pepper, there was barely any elbow room at the tables against the back window'ed wall. Hence the reason I gave my cup of ice water the sleeper hold and it went flying onto the floor.



The food was...gratifying. My beer battered fish was way more reminiscent of that heavily battered Chinese deep fried prawn than any fish and chips I've had. It was fried until a DARK golden colour and the cod was nice and moist. Or, it was just jizzing water from its previously frozen existence. There was a side of coleslaw, which I don't normally like, but this one was lightly dressed. I actually ate it. The clam chowder had nice chunks of supple potatoes, nice consistency to the soup and with a few pieces of clams floating about.



It's simple. It's affordable. It's attachment to memories that probably keeps the locals coming back.

2400 Porter St
Soquel, CA 95073

(831) 476-6260