We had a great experience this weekend at Zelda. I have been coming here for years and we were in town for my dads 80th birthday. They accommodated our large party of 10 which we appreciated out the gate. The service was spot on. Very attentive and friendly!!! We had the coconut prawns and oysters for aooetizers most had a cup of chowder. Everyone was pleased with the starters. We had a variety of entrees but the most notable: fish and chips, stuffed salmon and seafood fettuccine which all were excellent. Its difficult times for us all and especially our hospitality industries. But Great job Zelda's for getting it right and providing my family with a fun evening with great food and service!!! read more

Was so happy to see that Zelda's was open again. BEST ending to an amazing weekend. The atmosphere; food, drinks and company were absolutely amazing read more

Zelda's - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Wonderful location right on the sand in this charming beach town. Our party of four was seated quickly and drinks appeared shortly thereafter. All of the cocktails and wine were excellent, as were our entrees. Will definitely return. read more

Zelda's used to be our favorite. Went there for our anniversary for lunch. We were really disappointed. Ordered the calamari & fries. Food was just ok. read more

My husband and I we walk in to get a cup of coffee. And Lili was very hospitality. She was so sweet and very kind. Thank you Lili for your service. read more

The service was horrible and the food was disgusting. Just a waste of money. I will never come back!!!

Food was trash, service okay, view was great. Under cooked chicken, breakfast lacked seasoning. Order burger if you have to go and it might be okay read more

(Review from local who has worked in many restaurants): After lovely stroll in the Village enjoying so many local businesses where I haven't been for years, I took my daughter to Zelda's for lunch. Atmosphere was nice, despite very bored hostess flopping around looking sloppy and over it, and bafflingly interrupting our server at every table she went to for non-urgent talk. Every staff member with the exception of our waitresss was gossiping loudly at bar, complaining about empty restaurant , (while ignoring the three tables of customers directly in front of them), etc. At the bar hub of employees, bottles were being poured into bottles while the bartender ranted that someone had told her that is illegal....Yes or no, not what I wanted to listen to as I sat beachside Yet 15 feet from her) with my 9 year old. -We had Calamari, which was delicious; very small portion by local standards -We had 1 burger w/nothing on it but pickles/lettuce, size of my fist (bun too) -We had a cup of (completely solid/film on top) "clam chowder" -We had $62.00 bill, -------with 4% Surcharge on top of Tax???? -"We charge that after all the loss of business from Covid." -I just paid $77.00 for app, cup of soup, burger,2 Shirley Temples (non-alc) plus the deserved 20% tip for our wonderful server (and the Back-house staff I know she must share it with). ...and I'm being given a surcharge for the owners that in no way goes to staff? I would love to come back but seriously---If you're going to gouge, save it for the tourists, and I hope they tip as well as I did despite your extra money grab. read more

Beachside brunch with a nice view- food is good, drinks are great. We had the chilaquiles with avocado, by no means authentic, but still delicious. read more

After I was half done with my cappuccino, the barista stopped by and brought me another cap on the house. She said she didn't like how the foam in the first one came out. I'll take it! Thanks Zelda's. read more

Food: Not very good. I can (and do) easily make better breakfast for when I am cooking for myself Service: The waitress was nice but a bit of an air head. She for got sides and forgot to get refills when we waved her down to ask for them. Ambience: The table was kinda sticky and off putting but the view was great. read more

Hahahahaha AVOID at ALL costs. I'm a local and I grew up here and I want people to do well BUT hear me out. Ordered the ahi ($15) it came with 4 (yes 4 total chips) we didn't make a deal about it but asked for a few more chips in order to enjoy our poke, they brought the additional 4 chips after making a big deal about it.... AND THE SERVER HAD THE NERVE TO DELIVER A BILL FOR $3!!! For 4 chips.... Avoid at all cost valley tourists. Avoid at all cost. Absolutely laughable ownership here. Don't let them own you like they owned us. read more

Zelda's is back!!! Last night, four of us went for their Lobster Special Dinner. Be warned that the price has gone up but it is as delicious as ever! The whole lobster is presented beautifully. The tail comes pre-cracked so the lobster meat is easy to remove. The claws do not so it is much harder to get at the meat. I suggest that you ask the waitress to have the claws pre-cracked by the kitchen before serving. We ate inside because of the weather - be warned it does get noisy early - particularly if you are sitting near the bar. Looking forward to going back and sitting in their patio area. read more

Great Ahi Salad and friendly service. Dog friendly. Definately a return trip. Love the patioand ocean view

Yummy! Popped in for brunch on a Tuesday and had a great meal and drinks. Staff was friendly and efficient. Sitting on the patio can be chilly so had them fire up the heaters without fuss. Had the classic eggs Benedict with a spicy Mary and chowder bread bowl with the salad- all delicious. Just a great day overall. read more

Zelda's - Chowder bread bowl with salad - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

See all

I'm surprised at the low reviews for Zelda's. My group of 9 just had a perfect brunch here on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Without reservations, we were seated in under 10 minuets. They serve brunch until 1. There also had 3 specials. I had the turkey avocado scramble and subbed fruit for the home fries as well as a tasty tropical mimosa. All done just fine. The food would be 3.5 stars but getting to sit on a deck overlooking the Pacific is just about priceless to me. read more

Zelda's - Brunch! - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Beautiful outdoor seating along the beach. Great seafood and brunch menu on the weekend. The ceviche was very good. Mahi mahi-mahi sandwich was tasty. Huevos rancheros was also good. It needs a good salsa to be more flavorful. The uncle Dave's ipa is a good beer on tap. Nice wine and cocktail list. I would recommend this place to anyone going to Capitola. A little pricey but worth it. read more

See all

The service was terrible. Extremely unprofessional rude hostess. We were having lunch on the outdoor dog friendly patio. There were several seagulls and pigeon's that were landing on the patio. Our dog reacted and barked. The hostess came up and said " we don't allow obnoxious dogs here". We were shocked by how she handled the situation. We won't be patronizing Zelda's anymore The food was overrated and overpriced and staff need customer service training!!! read more

I sat at the bar and ordered a coffee, Bloody Mary and the lobster benedict. Their lobster benedict special sign is what drew me in... I had low expectations because of the reviews and the food looked standard in the other photos. Not a bad thing! The lobster Benny was well balanced, savory, creamy, and they used fresh lobster chunks! The potatoes were so crispy and delicious too. 5/5 would recommend read more

Zelda's - Lobster Benedict - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We came to Zelda's on the 4th of July during our staycation in Monterey/Santa Cruz. The food was mediocre and overpriced--the highest restaurant bill we paid the whole yet the other places had better food. I was pretty disappointed by the Caesar salad (dressing didn't taste like Caesar), The cioppino was meh. Husband's ribeye was also meh. However, my kids really enjoyed their chowder bread bowls. Also, the service was good and dining on the beach was nice. If the prices were about 20% less, it would have been more worth it. read more

Was unsure about this place due to reviews but was pleasantly surprised. We had breakfast burritos and eggs Benedict; both were good, reasonably priced and portions were large. Very friendly staff with good service. Views are great. Inside is basic but fine. read more

Zelda's - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Zelda's is a cool spot that has an outdoor patio with a delightful view if you get the right table. On a cloud-free evening, sunset on the patio would be a pretty pleasing view. My first time in Capitola I had dinner outside at Zelda's. They've got heaters on the patio that will help keep you warm on the more chilly evenings. The indoor dining area seems to be renovated, only thing left is the bathrooms lol. Myself and a friend sat on the patio. I got seated immediately and the hostess sat me next to one of the heaters because it was a little bit more brisk. I ended up ordering the salmon that comes with rice and veggies. I also got a bourbon old fashioned. The old fashioned came with a lot of ice and no cherry :( The salmon wasn't overcooked and the portion size was filling. I tend to prefer bite sized veggies but that's just me. Overall the experience was enjoyable and the location/view is textbook California. Service was good, both hostess and waitress did a great job. TLDR- You've got good food and nice patio views. The drinks are good, don't expect the world's finest cocktail but a good drink. You'll pay a little extra for views but Zelda's has a nice atmosphere when you're with the right people. read more

The food sucks and the service sucks. Two stars bc it's on the beach. Bring a sweater . The waitresses are all really hot and pretty. They should make it a Hooters since everything else about this restaurant sucks. read more

Enjoy a fabulous Sunday brunch at the patio with a group of friends. 5 stars for the Service: friendly and professional servers and busy boy. They gave us extra cutlery and plates to share our meal. 4.5 stars for the Food: I prefer a little bit more seasoning in the food. However the ingredients in our meal are all fresh. I rather to add the salad dressing and ketchup to good ingredients that Zelda offers than eating low quality food. My fish in the ahi salad is really fresh, the salad has a great variety of colorful & tender vegetable. Fish and chips is decent, spinach mushroom scramble is perfectly cooked with potato, French toast and salmon sandwich are all good. Our server told us the mahi mahi is grilled with frozen mahi so he recommends fresh salmon. It works out really well! We will be back to enjoy the beach scene and food again! read more

A great lunch with a beautiful view for our drive from San Fransisco to Paso Robles. Highly recommend the New England clam chowder served in the sourdough bread bowl. We also ordered the fish and chips, which were delicious and flavorful. read more

Zelda's - New England Clam Chowder - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

See all

Had my first & last visit at this restaurant. My boyfriend & I were starving and saw it as we were walking the strip. It looked good, ambiance seemed fun, & the view looked great! Everything was fine until we got our food, keep in mind their menu is SUPER limited & a little over priced but we overlooked that because we were in a very touristy spot. Not only did our waitress slam down our food on the table but she placed the tartar sauce so close to the edge that it ended up falling in my lap. She glanced at it as it fell all over my pants and the side of the wall & proceeded to walk away. No napkins, no asking if she could get us another sauce, or even apologizing for it falling. I had to ask another server passing by for napkins who gave me attitude as if I was being an inconvenience. Food was okay but could have been better for the price but the attitudes and service coming from the staff definitely needs improvement. Please do better. read more

Been to Zelda's 25+ times. I had the Fish & Chips recently $26 . . . AWFUL! The fish was some kind of pre-breaded, pre-frozen, quasi-Panko-seasoned (not batter) nonsense that was still uncooked inside---from the PermaFrost. The fries were the seasoned variety of 'Out of the Bag' frozen potatoes that are soggy before the basket gets to the table. Yes, I know there was a storm, but this is another Covid casualty. Prices go up 30% and the quality goes down. read more

Have been to Zelda's a number of times. The food was okay (has been better) and service was good. Fish & chips (3 pieces) was a little bland tasting and pricey. Maybe they should give less fries and lower the price a buck or two! Our son's burger looked good but again way too much fries. The check came with a 4% surcharge! There are many fish and chips restaurants in the Santa Cruz area. Don't think we will be back. read more

Never forget to close your tab on your credit card, we came back just 20 minutes later and they had added a 30% tip to our tab. "Policy and posted" nit good enough, thats just terrible customer service. read more

We visited Capitola today and I ordered coffee from Zelda's. The barista was so accommodating and pleasant so we returned for dinner. We ordered the Bay Shrimp Louie, Caesar Salad, and Clam Chowder in a Bowl - all orders were humongous and delicious! Can't beat the ambience, it's right on the beach! The separate gender restrooms were another plus for me. We will definitely be back. read more

See all

This place overall just sucks 17 dollar burger that was just awful, you could get better in a dumpster Bread bowl was not good either, bread was super stale and nothing tasted fresh Our server talked to us like twice and was not friendly, they have tiny water glasses and won't fill them up for you unless you get lucky and flag someone down. Overall so bad and so much money for why??? read more

Really the only good thing about Zelda's is the view. I have now been four times and I swear each times it gets worse. I know it is a "tourist spot" and that's why it's always so crowded. Every time I have gone it is when someone is in town visiting and wants to sit as close to the beach as possible. That and I live 5 min away. I had a burger, it was so "charbroiled" it was a hockey puck. My mom had the seafood sandwich. It was ice cold and greasy. I will say one thing in their favor the every time I have been the employees are very nice and do a good job. Too bad the food doesn't make it worth going there. I have it four times, I think I gave it a fair shot. read more

I went here for dinner with my girlfriend tonight and I regret giving the server an 18% tip. We were served by a blonde waitress on the outside patio and she talked to us super condescendingly. Any time we asked a clarifying question she looked as us like we were stupid and answered us with a scoff. Definitely not coming back, and we do not recommend this place to anyone. We didn't feel very welcome. EDIT: Gluten contamination in the kitchen is pretty likely here. Even though I ordered gluten free items, I had a serious digestive reaction to the food. Do not go here if you have Celiac disease. read more

This place has a lot of potential. But so far (3 visits) my experience at Zelda's was just ok. Great outdoor seating area where you can enjoy the view. Inside area looks a bit dirty. And I believe that their prices are high for what you get. If the overall quality of the food was better prices would be justifiable, which is not the case. From the options I tried so far, fish and chips, seafood melt, shrimp salad and calamari, my favorite was the calamari. Everything else was just ok. Nothing special. Food that you won't remember and won't recommend. On the positive side, our server was friendly so service was good. And draft beer was great! read more

Zelda's - Calamari and 805 - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

See all

Definitely a great place to eat if you are looking for great views of the beach and the pier. The outdoor seating was plentiful. Though the Grilled Sea Bass did not melt in my mouth as I would have liked it to, it was still delicious with the island rice and vegetables alongside it. The Charbroiled Flat Iron Top Sirloin Steak with roasted shallot herb butter, mashed potatoes, and vegetables was subpar. It was ordered medium rare, however, the end product was more medium well. The Fettucini Zelfredo comes with rock crab and bay shrimp simmered in a creamy alfredo sauce and tossed with fettuccine, topped with shaved parmesan. This was a delightful dish, but sadly, it was dropped off our order due to their new ordering system. Because of this minor incident, the waiter offered us a free dessert and we decided on the bread pudding. We also tried the mile high mud pie. I would recommend skipping on dessert since there is nothing remarkable about these sweets that is worth mentioning. read more

Incredibly disrespectful that the customer is NOT first. I know this seems small to some, but after all these years, it's an issue to me and I've addressed it many times at the restaurant, even with mangers. They will NOT make virgin drinks a glass because "that's just not how we do it." The first time trying my favorite Lava Bomb, ages ago, they served it in glass and it was so fun and pretty. Really?! So even for my birthday? Hard NO. So the only glass I have to clink with friends is a bright paper cola cup. Geeee...thanks Zelda mangers, for just not caring. I WILL SAY...a couple times waitress tried their best and were also told no. Twice they poured it in a water glass for me (because even then...I was not allowed the 'special' glass. But they tried. The lava and drink all mix together and its a mess, but that level of kindness is so appreciated and makes all the difference. I am an adult and I offered to show an ID but was told that didn't matter. This came up because we were looking at places to eat in Capitola (we'll go elsewhere). read more

This is the 3rd time I've dined here just because I love their friend calamari. I came on Black Friday between 4:45-5:15pm, and I think I waited a good few minutes to be seated. However, the server and hostess were really efficient once I was seated, so I would not be deterred by the seating wait time. Black friday is one of the busiest holidays, of course it's going to be busy. I didn't wait long for my food. The dinner menu only offered fried calamari, but I'm sure one could order a side of fries if one wanted. I also ordered a half garden salad for the first time, and I learned the portion size was huge enough to feed two people alone. I did take leftovers home, and I'll probably go back again the next time I am craving it. The garden salad tasted fresh. I always recommend this place. I have yet to try other restaurants around to compare their calamari just because my experience here has been consistently great. I literally take all my friends here asking if they're craving seafood just so I can have my fried calamari fix. read more

Zelda's - Calamari and Calamari & Fries - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

See all

The worst service and food was mediocre. The server never asked if we wanted more water, only came to us when she brought the check. I will never go back there again. read more

This used to be my favorite place for lunch on the beach, but the menu and food quality has changed here in the last few weeks. For some reason, they changed the Caesar Salad entree to Kale Caesar...yuck! Because I didn't want a kale salad of any kind, somehow I don't see tourists coming to lunch for a kale salad, I ordered Fish & Chips. The fish was soggy and not good at all. My girlfriend had the Seafood Melt which she enjoyed. I asked for a comment card so I could give my view if the menu change , but they didn't have any. read more

Pricey but very good food. Service was fast and attentive. I had eggs Benedict with hash browns.