TV Restaurants

Is Santa Cruz Diner Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 21 Santa Cruz, California

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Santa Cruz Diner is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.

What the source shows: A direct site check on 2026-09-08 shows Santa Cruz Diner's own website live with current hours and online ordering; Wikipedia (revised 2026-01-08) independently confirms the diner is operating. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Part 1 — Season 21, Episode 18 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives revisited Santa Cruz Diner, a diner in Santa Cruz, California, in the 'Pork Hall of Fame' episode (Food Network, aired 2014-12-26). According to FoodiePie's episode guide, the segment spotlighted the diner's Vietnamese Spring Roll, made with pork among its other ingredients. Food Network's episode page lists Santa Cruz Diner among the restaurants Guy Fieri returned to for the pork-themed countdown, following an earlier appearance on the show.

Part 2 — Season 7, Episode 12 Aired

Guy Fieri visited Santa Cruz Diner in Santa Cruz, California, for the "Diners Times Three" episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network), aired 2009-11-09. Santa Cruz Diner serves American and Vietnamese cuisine and was founded by Larry Ring in 1998, according to Wikipedia. The diner is located at 909 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz. A site check on 2026-09-08 found Santa Cruz Diner's own website live and listing current hours of Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., along with an online ordering link, gift-card sales, and job postings, according to the restaurant's website.

Wikipedia's entry for Santa Cruz Diner, last revised 2026-01-08, independently continues to describe the diner in the present tense as an operating business. Neither the restaurant's website nor Wikipedia's entry mentions any closure, relocation, or ownership change for Santa Cruz Diner.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 18
Aired
Title: Pork Hall of Fame · What was featured: Vietnamese spring rolls made with pork among other fillings
Season 7, Episode 12
Aired
Title: Diners Times Three · What was featured: American and Vietnamese diner fare since 1998
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 21 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 21: 48 of 75 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 18 Season 21 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 909 Ocean Street

All 892 TV restaurants in California →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. foodiepie.com https://www.foodiepie.com/list.php?e=Diners-Drive-Ins-and-Dives-Pork-Hall-of-Fame
  2. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/episodes/pork-hall-of-fame
  3. santacruzdiner.com https://www.santacruzdiner.com/
  4. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_Diner
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Record ddd-0276 · checked by Cal Marchetti.