Mgr Ryan, you must up your management skills if this restaurant is to remain open. 1. Upon taking a large swig of water after last bite of dinner....discovered Dried bird shit under ice in water glass, which upon fishing out of glass, smashed into greenish ooooze. *note you never want your customers hurling up dinner in your nasty bathroom. No Ryan..... "well, we are outside". Is not a management reply to that situation! 2. Three hairs of different colors were fished out of the fake sea bass dish. "It happens" is NOT a comforting reply Ryan. 3. When pointing out that (he should talk to his fish supplier), as the Seabass they were serving was NOT Seabass..... "there are lots of kinds of SeaBass"...... is NOT an acceptable response Ryan! Then double down, continuing to argue, "it's SeaBass". Is just ignorant. 4. By this point, the beer that never came, the appetizers that arrived WITH our entrees leaving all food cold...... was a bummer. Your Cioppino should be a stew like, thick tomato sauce- not bouillabaisse water, thin with a tinge of pink. Our experience seemed inconsequential to mention at that point. You run a shit show, and with Ryan at the helm..... this will not change! You approached our table and said..... I'm gonna sit down, as you did...... sitting in my bird shit drinking guests seat..... who was hurling up his dinner, in your bathroom. Then proceeded to argue with every critique. Ryan you could have taken this as a teaching moment in order to better your restaurant.... But you chose to aggravate the situation with your immature ego and lack of management skills. You went so far as to "Thank us very much" when informed we'd be contacting the State of Ca health department. THEN, approached us as we were leaving, not able to shut up.....and kept digging your grave yackidy yacking, like a 7 year old. I informed you, initially, the only reason we were speaking up to you was to improve your service and product. You gave -0- shits. Your service is shoddy, your food is Substandard, and your restaurant is filthy! (From the minute you walk up the ally, crap and trash is what greets you). FAIL! When all you have left are bodies to hire, with no self awareness, thinking skills, or talent of any kind.....THIS is a prime example of a restaurant that should close its doors! read more

Goodbye Zelda's. All of the Restaurants in the Capitola Village are infested with Mexican Flower sellers who infringe on the owners business licenses and customer base to try and sell flowers from their cars. The Flower sellers aggressively enter the restaurants as if with the approval of the owners and seek to make eye contact with every diner and potential buyer of flowers. Even the wait staff. The restaurants DO NOT realize that these blessed aggressive tactics are off putting to their customers and many of them understand that this is an extortionate gangsterism being perpetrated upon the owners of these business even if the Restaurants managers and staff do not understand it and feel powerless to prevent it.. It is not a quaint and respected custom of longstanding or tradition; it is an intrusion and an embarrassment to some diners that have no desire to buy their dinner mates flowers and the confrontation is far too aggressive for comfort. Imagine a flower seller insisting that a single man or woman dining alone should have to decline an overly aggressive insistent assaultive offer of buying flowers for their invisible date or? WTF? Why do the Managers of these establishments permit this harassment? Are they getting some kickdown or commission? One in a hundred customers will tell the owners the truth of their bad associations they make with their establishments because they were molested pushed or harassed by a flower seller during their happy occasion, the rest of those customers will just make bad associations with your joint and not be able to express themselves as to why they don't like it. I myself had been a fan of the kitchen at Zelda's, The Britannic and Paradise but will never ever return now or recommend the Village Restaurants to any of my friends at the Porsche Auto Club, Palo Alto Medical Foundation or Bay Area Sutter Health who are NOT seeking to buy flowers, but only want a good meal at the Capitola Beach. read more

I am road-tripping with the dog and staying in the Santa Cruz area for 3 days and looked on another website that said that Zelda's was dog-friendly, so off to Capitola I went. It was not dog-friendly, unless tying your dog up to a fence and getting a table on the other side of the fence next to the dog seems friendly to you. This place was not even people friendly. Ordered the Char-broiled Mahi Mahi with a Rice Pilaf for $15.95 and got a $3.50 Arnold Palmer served in a paper cup, and I think they charged me extra to substitute fries for the Cilantro slaw. If you bought this meal at Trader Joe's for under five bucks and put it in the microwave at home it would have been 3 times better than what they serve at Zelda's. To make it worse, the waitress I got stuck with seemed like she didn't want to be there...never checked on me while I ate, nor asked if I wanted a refill, and when the check came, she flopped the check on my table from 3 feet away and didn't bother to ask how my meal was, so I tell the story here. It is called Zelda's on the Beach because the Beach is the only thing going for it and the same goes for the whole Capitola experience...disappointing and overpriced from the parking to the food...skip it and keep going North or South......what a waste of a beautiful space. read more

Gosh, even in California, snobs rule! Gimme a break. Zelda's isn't in Napa, or Malibu. It's in Capitola for goodness sake! Not some place you go to in an effort to find superb Cali cuisine, nor is it somewhere that is going to be Michelin star-rated. It's a place you go to with friends after work, or on a weekend, drink strong Margarita's, talk trash with the staff, enjoy the setting/view and eat reasonably and (for the most part), reasonably-priced food, while enjoying the cool beach town that Capitola is. How often is it that you go to a "tourist trap" and actually act so blind as to expect really great food? It's not "saavy", the service is shaky at best. My advice to you - GET OVER IT! If you were so blind that you went here to experience the best that dining has to offer, go to Carmel, where the food will be great, accompanied by a stuffy and boring atmosphere. To all that read this comment, just try the place and THEN say what you think about it. I can promise you, you will be glad you read my review. My "foodie" side does lean toward the snobbish, but I don't let that get in the way of a fun atmosphere, setting, and overall experience. Go to Zelda's and have a good time! read more

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Zelda's with my wife Liz, and we couldn't have been happier with our experience. Our server, Alex, provided top-notch service throughout the entire meal. Alex was not only friendly but also extremely knowledgeable about the menu and made excellent recommendations. The fish and chips I ordered were served piping hot and tasted incredibly fresh. The crispy batter and flaky fish were a delightful combination. My wife opted for the mahi-mahi with coconut rice, and she couldn't stop raving about it. She mentioned that it was the best mahi-mahi she has ever had, and the coconut rice added a unique and delicious twist. What made our dining experience even more enjoyable was the beautiful beachside seating. The ambiance was fantastic, and we truly felt like we were on a tropical getaway. We want to express our sincere appreciation for the exceptional customer service we received at Zelda's. Alex went above and beyond to ensure that we had a memorable dining experience. We highly recommend Zelda's for anyone looking for delicious seafood, friendly staff, and a beachside dining experience. read more

I don't know why I bother, but I am an optimist. This is a place for MEN. Everyone who works there is an airhead bimbo wearing WAY TOO SHORT SHORTS. I really don't want to see your labia. Secondly, if a woman and a man are both waiting at the bar, hostess station, or coffee stop, MEN are waited on first. The little girls treat men all sweet and smiles, women are just an inconvenience. I'm a good tipper, but the daisy dukes will never know, because they never earn it. I went there with a man, and the waitress was SO flirting with him. I was invisible. This is the status quo. Go for the view, both the beach and the girls pubic region. The service sucks and the food is overpriced and mediocre. Go a few doors down to Paradise. They are dressed appropriately and ACT appropriately. The food is good. I like to support local business, but I'm so tired of the woman snub and the slutty dress. I guess it brings in men. Obviously the owner/manager is a horny man. read more

I am, in my heart of hearts, just a two-bit street whore. And Zelda's is my abusive pimp. Everytime I come here it is a nightmare for one reason or another. I'm left sitting outside for a half hour with no server. They forget the order. Then there was the time the margarita tasted like hydrogen peroxide. And every time I regret going and I swear IT'S THE LAST TIME. I'm off the junk and off the streets, forever. I am a big girl now, I have a good job and I don't have to slum it at Zelda's anymore, I can go to Paradise Grill or Il Pirata or Bluewater and not get my money taken from me AND slapped around at Zelda's. Now I have made this public and I feel like I have more of an obligation to steer clear of here. I will not be tempted by the $12 Wednesday crab special. I will not just "pop in" for a happy hour margarita. I'm free of it's evil clutches forever! read more

We had an absolutely wonderful dining experience at Zelda's on the beach in Capitola, and a huge part of that was thanks to our incredible server, Sam. From the moment we were seated, Sam was warm, professional, and highly knowledgeable about the menu -- offering thoughtful suggestions that made our meal truly memorable. He went above and beyond to accommodate our family, especially our children, making sure everyone felt comfortable and cared for. His friendly demeanor and attention to detail didn't go unnoticed, and he struck the perfect balance of being attentive without being overbearing. If you're planning to visit Zelda's, I highly recommend requesting Sam's section. His service elevated our entire experience, and we'll definitely be returning -- not just for the ocean view and great food, but for the outstanding hospitality as well. Thx sam. read more

OK this place is going downhill even know they did remodel the iconic establishment! They hire young white bartenders who will only wait on young guys and treat women (especially minorities) like second-class citizens! These female bar tenders are NOT nice to women of color at Zeldas!!!! Will not even serve women for some reason! Everyone is complaining to the manager...Trying to have a great day in my old stomping grounds of Capitola to NO avail. Oh wait! It gets better!!! Two waitresses followed me into The Sand Bar on the Capitola Village walkway to harass me for complaining to the manager! WTF?! Fortunately, the bartender/manager threw them both out! This reminds me of my thesis, or shall we say anti-thesis, at UCSC regarding the not-so-diverse assimilation of Santa Cruz... read more

I have got to say that this restaurant has by far the rudest service and manager ever! I was there today and was asked to leave by the manager that was working this afternoon. A Caucasian male and his bully security guard. This was all due to a rude lady that was reserving all of the open seats for her and her party of ten people while they waited. I really want to know who this manager guy was, unprofessional, bully type that has no business working in a restaurant. I left, after I finished drinking the glass of wine I had paid for. I absolutely don't recommend anyone spending their money in this place. I really want to file an official complaint on the restaurant manager that was working today 5/30/2021. Zero recommendations here. read more

the view would be the only thing that saves this place if they would had sat us in it. me and my finance went to capitola for the day. it was a fairly a mild day not usual for capitola but it happens. we walked into zeld's and it was dead, so we asked for a view. the server sat us outside facing a river canal looking thing where seagulls kept flying in and picking at are appetisers. i then got up and went to the restroom noticing there was an outside view room that was enclosed that faced the ocean. by the time i got back well she had noticed it to and the fun had began, so we paid for the appetisers for the seagulls and left. read more

My native California born friend defected and moved to Tennessee, but was back in town to visit friends and family and really wanted to go to the beach and stick her toes in the Pacific, so we headed to Capitola to play hookey from work and fulfill her wish. Our group ordered: Fish & chips, clam chowder, a crab & shrimp melt and an ahi tuna salad (split between two girls), turkey sandwich with avocado and everything was excellent. As another reviewer mentioned, we had to ask for a few things (silverware !), but other than that, service was good, we sat outside (with the heater on), and a good day was had all around! read more

Ok so with Zeldas I have a love hate relationship. The atmosphere and the patio are absolutely amazing and I love to just enjoy this place on a nice day. My kids love the patio because I can watch them play right on the beach and I can get them to eat here all the time which is a good thing. However, the food and service is not always the greatest when it comes to waiting for expensive food and sometimes poor service. If they could pick up the service a bit I would be here all the time. I dont like waiting for half an hour just to get a glass of water and get noticed. read more

My first time here, and a total disappointment the stupid manager named Jason came to us super racist because we are Latinos and complain about my little dog barking but around us to many big and scary dogs and he wants my family to move so far away from the rest of the people, plus he told my wife to "calm down " and she never said a single word to that punk. PS. All this crap happens in front of my little son. Please do not go to Zelda's the people súper racist and the food wasn't that great. read more

Expensive, dirty tables, you are disgusted to touch anything because it is literally filthy. only good thing about this place nice view if you sit outside, it is a bliss. our waitress spilled 7 glasses of lemonade, beer, whatever we were drinking onto my friend, and at the end they still charged us full, they didn't do anything about it. these kind of things it is not about money, it is gesture, being kind, caring your customer. unfortunately we saw they don't care their customers at all. read more

I was really disappointed with my experience at Zelda's on the Beach. The food was below average and lacked flavor--it just didn't meet expectations, especially for a seafood spot. The drinks were also a letdown. I actually had to send one back and ended up reordering a simple beer just to be safe. Overall, the quality just wasn't there, and it felt like a missed opportunity given the location. Hoping this was just an off day, but based on this visit, I wouldn't rush back. read more

Relying on location. Food quality poor. What a shame. The staff are certainly friendly. But I'm posting this because I think Zelda's needs a kick in the right place. It really would be a good idea to remove the fish & chips and the kalamari from the menu altogether. Zelda's will always do just fine because of its fabulous location, but I'm afraid we won't be going back. Producing fresh, tasty food really is a basic prerequisite. read more

I guess it's a nice atmosphere, there are plenty of other capitola retaurants with the same view. The food is sub-standard and overpriced, the service is pretty lousy and understaffed. I orderes the fish melt with fries. The melt was okay, lots of shimp but pretty average. The fries were cold and mushy. I live in the area so I guess I was bound to end up here sooner or later, but I wouldn't eat here again. read more

I have heard okay things about this place so I decided to go with a group of friends to try it out. I arrived at the restaurant and waited for 15 minutes at the hostess stand and was not approached once while workers watched as we waited. It did not seem busy at the time so we continues to wait and yet we were never seated so we left. I do not recommend this place to anyone unless you like waiting! read more