
The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday is expected to consider a new Miramar restaurant on the Santa Cruz wharf. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
Santa Cruz City Council meeting
- 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.
- Online and at 809 Center St., Santa Cruz.
SANTA CRUZ >> Ten years after the closure of Miramar Fish Grotto on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, a new version of the restaurant may return to the site.
The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday is set to consider approval of the proposed restaurant at 45 Municipal Wharf. Built in 1969, the Miramar building and wharf beneath it needed extensive repairs before it closed in 2015. The building was demolished in early 2020.
Since then, the site has been used as a pop-up beer garden for Humble Sea Brewing next to Noland’s on the Wharf. The new Miramar would be the first new building on the wharf since the 1980s.
The decision is part of the city council’s consent agenda Tuesday, meaning it will be voted on at the beginning of the meeting with other items considered uncontroversial and it may not be discussed.
A separate decision whether to rebuild the end of the wharf is due in spring after engineering work is complete, city staff have said. The end of the wharf was destroyed by large surf during construction in late December.
Construction of the new Miramar restaurant would be jointly financed by the city and private investors. Mark Gilbert, owner of Firefish, Woodies, and Gilbert’s Gifts on the wharf, has proposed to build a new restaurant on the Miramar site. Gilbert would pay an estimated $7 million to $8 million for design and construction, then would rent the site from the city, according to a city staff report.
The 35-year lease would charge Gilbert 3% of the restaurant’s gross sales, or at least $63,500 per year. The agreement is projected to bring the city $180,000 annually.
A previous design of a new Miramar restaurant considered by the Santa Cruz Historic Preservation Commission in 2023 would have included a chowder and oyster bar, lounge and event space. Those plans are now set to be scaled back to account for “current market conditions,” according to a city staff report. The new design would include a smaller two-story building.
To participate:
- Join on Zoom or call 833-548-0276, meeting ID 946 8440 1344. The meeting will be streamed on the city’s website.
- To comment ahead of the meeting, email [email protected] by 5 p.m. Monday. Jan. 27.

A decision on whether to rebuild the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf remains months away. Damage is shown in late December. (Tom Gigliotti)
Read more from Santa Cruz Local:
- Santa Cruz wharf renovation plan approved – Jan. 10, 2024
- State money sought for $45 million in damage to Santa Cruz wharf, harbor – Jan. 9, 2025
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Jesse Kathan is a staff reporter for Santa Cruz Local through the California Local News Fellowship. They hold a master's degree in science communications from UC Santa Cruz.