We came here for lunch for my daughter's birthday. We were seated inside since there was no wait (outdoor seating was 35 min wait). Views were beautiful looking out at the beach. Our food came out promptly. We had one issue with a bug in the clam chowder bread bowl. The server was apologetic and quickly brought out another. I had the mahi mahi sandwich with fries. I upgraded to add blackened and mushrooms. It was a fairly messy sandwich, everything kept falling out of the bread so I ended up eating it more like a salad. Taste was just ok. Overall our experience and food was ok, a bit overpriced for what it was. Note they charge a 4% fee on every bill. read more

Zelda's - Mahi Mahi Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Beachfront view. Spectacular. Beautiful sun. With umbrella protection. You can't beat the location at this place. That's what you come here for. Food is actually pretty good. Service is excellent. Really not much to complain about. Will be our first choice again if we come back here. read more

Zelda's - Nachos - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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I ordered breakfast burrito to go. It's comes with cheese and meat by default and I asked to remove dairy and meat and add spinach , avocado and mushrooms instead. All of a sudden the price for this burrito jumped from $16 to $25 !! I was give the most wet and mushy burrito I have ever seen. It was literally swimming in water. It was honestly just gross. Wet mess ! How hard is it to prepare basics breakfast veggies burrito ... never will take the good ones for granted any more . read more

GREAT bar! Best in Capitola and if you order food and not just there for the bar, the food is always good for bar food. So, I won't say it's a 5-star food restaurant, but all around for what it is, one of the best spots in town. Staff is great and there is a back patio area to hang out and watch the waves or watch the game on the tv. Definitely one of our go-to spots. read more

Zelda's is actually pretty good! We went on a random Monday morning so it wasn't too busy, but overall the food and view were pretty good. The food was simply okay, and the mimosas are on the pricier side but we enjoyed eating here. I don't think Zelda's is one of those places we would be dieing to go back to, but for the location and convenience it's pretty good. They have a pretty diverse menu, and there is something for everyone! Overall good, it's definitely very family friendly. read more

Zelda's - French Toast - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Nice place to hang out, to eat some food. They serve big portions of Italian/American food. Go have a drink and watch the sun set. read more

Stopped by Zelda's for the first time during happy hour on a Wednesday. Given the location on the water, you'd imagine they would have been busy but, to our surprise, it was relatively slow. This meant that we could snag some premium seating by the window to take in the views. There's also outdoor seating available, which we would have opted for, if it weren't so chilly outside. We ordered a couple of drinks; a margarita and a Mai tai. Both were "good" but not great. The margarita tasted like stale mixer and was extremely off balance. This is disappointing because a margarita is one of the easiest drinks to make and "stretch" it's limits for a happy hour special. Even if you're using cheap "well"-tequila, a squeeze of fresh lime juice would completely change the balance of the sugary concentrate. This drink was a 1/10 for me. The mai tai was better balanced. The alcohol wasn't overpowering and there was ACTUAL juice incorporated. Is it the best Mai tai you've ever had? No. But it's a solid 7/10 and I'd definitely order it again during happy hour. For food, we tried the ($10) pork sliders and the ($10) ceviche. The sliders were juicy, flavorful, and absolutely crushable. 10/10 for these little morsels of yum. The ceviche fell sorta flat. Not enough lime or other acid to brighten it up. The small dish it was served in made it difficult to scoop and I'd recommend a circular bowl or something with smoother edges that is more conducive to using a chip as a utensil. The chips were thick and perfect for this dish. I've had ceviche dishes served with your "standard" commercially produced corn-meal tortilla chips and it completely ruins everything when each chip disintegrates upon contact of whatever wet item you dip them in. So, bravo on using the correct chips for this dish! We added avocado to the ceviche and we all know, guac is always extra, but I'd argue that this dish NEEDS the avocado because it brings that fresh element that's otherwise missing. $2.50 for half an avocado seems like a silly up-charge given that it's 25% of the price of the ceviche itself ($10) but, again, this dish needs it. So I'd add it again, just like you always add guac to your burrito bowls, and accept that inflation has really run a number on this beautiful fruit. Yes, it's a fruit. Google it. Overall, the ceviche gets a 6/10 for me. One thing that is really hard to accept is being provided dirty silverware. It makes you question what's going on behind the scenes if you're given a fork and knife with VISIBLE food caked on it. Their silverware is wrapped in a napkin and placed in the table ahead of guests arriving so I doubt it was our servers fault for this oversight but whomever has the task of preparing this tableware needs to have better attention to detail (see my photos for context). Both my fork and my knife were CLEARLY dirty. When I raised this issue to my server, her response was, "I'm really sorry about that, sometimes these things get passed us." She wasn't shocked at all. This makes me think that this wasn't the first time she's observed this happening and that's just not an okay practice for a restaurant. Overall, the biggest appeal to coming to Zelda's has got to be the location and the view. Both food and drink are "fine" as a whole but I'm not desperate to visit again any time soon. I have real concerns over cleanliness and I likely won't order food there again. Which is a shame because those pork sliders were actually really good! Oh well; better luck next time. read more

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It's Oct slow locals month The drinks were great the tables outside were filthy and empty plates, glasses and trash everywhere I cleaned it up. The Ladies bathroom had wet paper towels all over the floor. I love this place and will keep coming back but someone needs to clean up outside or tell the customers to bus their own tables pack your frocking trash! Cheers read more

While visiting the beautiful town of Capitola this past weekend to celebrate my wife's birthday with two other couples, we decided to have lunch at this restaurant. Unfortunately, I chose the ceviche, which was a major letdown--$15.99 for what seemed like no more than two ounces of food. The real issue came later. About six hours after eating, while waiting for a table at Shadowbrook, I suddenly started feeling ill--chills, sweating, and nausea hit all at once. Within minutes, I was rushing to the restroom, where I experienced severe vomiting and ongoing diarrhea. The timing and symptoms made it clear: food poisoning from the ceviche. The rest of the night was completely ruined, and I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. The lack of proper food handling and safety protocols at this venue is incredibly concerning and deeply disappointing. read more

This used to be my boyfriend and I's go-to breakfast spot; However, there was a cloud of bugs swarming the inside of the building during our meal. The inside of the reaturaunt in general felt a little unclean, but the swarm of bugs really did it for me. Also, we both orded the simple breakfast (eggs, bacon, country potatoes), and the food was served cold. We will likely not be coming back. Our waiter was nice at least read more

Beautiful and clean inside, nice outside deck to sit and enjoy the beach while you sip on your latte or drink. Coffee was decent food looked OK read more

Zelda's - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

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Sat on the outside patio, it was very nice! Had spicy Bloody Mary and a cup of chowder, both excellent! Bar was slow, but it was on a Saturday afternoon, won't hold that against them. Worth the wait! Will come back when it town again. read more

Wrong orders Burnt hamburgers and buns Lackluster flavor Had to clean own tables Price does not match quality read more

Man,.it is sad how lousy this place has become. Rude staff, overpriced, and lousy food. Go somewhere else.

We drove to Capitola for the beach but we needed coffee and brunch and decided on Zelda's because you just can't beat that view from the tables outside. I ordered a coffee and the eggs Benedict and it was great! Delicious breakfast that tasted so good even though it got cold outside before I could even get halfway through it. My coffee was decent and the waitress did give me a couple refills which was very necessary! The view is wonderful and I went and sat by the water afterwards which rejuvenated me! I will absolutely come back to Zelda's for more breakfast next time!! read more

Zelda's - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

We ordered the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich, pancakes and Huevos Rancheros. They were delicious.

So I grew up here and loved the food..... And now I live in San Francisco and I would drive all the way down to have the Calamari..... It was so delicious and amazing and I'd refer people here and show them the pics of all my favorites like the Calamari coconut shrimp and bread bowl full of Clam Chower.... What I had tonight was horrible.... they changed the recipe of the Calamari... its no longer the same and after craving it and driving all the way down it was such a disappointment.... Ill never order it again... or refer people to have it.... the clam chowder and coconut shrimps was still the same and delicious..... But utterly upset with the Calamari read more

Disappointed with overall customer service, times have definitely changed. Zeldas has always been my go to when visiting Capitola. Our recent visit celebrating my sons birthday. Proved to be anything but a wonderful experience, our meals lacked flavor, our server provided my toddler grandson -water in a 16 oz plastic cup with no lid and a straw, of course did not go well, leaving my grandson a bit wet and cold. This is how our meal began. After several requests for a replacement napkin, which we were never provided with, we had to get up and help ourselves to one. No acknowledgement of my sons birthday, I had shared that it was his birthday. We had gift in bag clearly displaying Happy Birthday. Overall customer service and meals were unsatisfactory.. Surprised to see a surcharge of $4.00 aside from the suggested tip. We will not be returning!! read more

I love Zelda's! I always have to have to clam chowder, it's amazing! You should also try the calamari, and the fish and chips. Service is always fast and friendly. Love that you can sit outside near the beach, it's very relaxing. Give yourself some extra time to find parking if you make reservations. read more

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

Service is very slow and disorganized. They just don't care. Good view, I'd suggest to get drinks but have food somewhere else. read more

Excellent food, and service. Right on the beach with nice ocean views... the new remodeling looks great.

Beautiful Thanksgiving afternoon on the deck with my pup and one of Zelda's Spicy Bloody Mary's..... Actually 2 as hung out awhile due to the excellent service provided by Sam. Ambience ,chowder, drinks paired with great service from Sam. read more

There was wonderful service! The bar people were so nice and welcoming. The food was delicious and it had a beautiful view of the beach.The wait wasn't that long! definitely want to come back again. read more

I've always wanted to try this place because the patio is right on the beach. We met with some friends who were having lunch so we decided to join them. I ordered The lobster eggs Benedict because it was a special. The Eggs Benedict were nice in consistency and the Hollandaise sauce had a nice kick of spice. However, while I was eating, I almost forgot it was supposed to be a lobster eggs Benedict! I found tiny pieces of lobster chopped up in the mixture of bell peppers. I don't think there was even an ounce of lobster in there. So this place was not good value. read more

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

The hostess seemed to be bothered that we had to take up some of her time to be seated and toss the menus and silverware down on the table in front of us and walked away. We asked for well-done potatoes with our breakfast, our server, who was very nice and polite and professional informed us that she could not satisfy our request and could not provide any good reason except that she could not do it, the breakfast was excellent! read more

Good food, good service and great location on the beach in Capitola. Outdoor deck and indoor seating available. The sunshine is great outside on the deck but can be pretty windy at times. read more

No one came to serve me. Waited a long time just to get my waiter. I paid first because I know they will be very slow. My waiter charged me double the amount I ordered (he hand me the device to sign, only total amount, no breakdown of items)! I questioned it. He went to make a correction, came back with another paper bill and he doubled my order of Tuesday special tacos! I am glad I caught that. At this time, it feels like either extremely sloppy work or he was trying to scam me. I did get to sit outdoors with a view of the ocean. Very nice and relaxing. I would only go back if I had a lot of time to wait around and be very careful with my bill. The food was decent - clam chowder and fish tacos. Hard to get this wrong. read more

Visited Zelda's with a group and it was awesome. I had the salmon with steamed veggies and island rice. Oh man, it was so good! Then, I had the Mile High Mud Pie dessert and it was superb. If you are in the area, this is a definite must stop! read more

This was our first time in Capitola. We were concerned about the low rating, But heard the view was excellent - so we figured we'd go and get a drink and an appetizer and find out for ourselves. Boy, were we glad we did! Make sure you come to Zelda's when you're in Capitola! Apparently, they had been closed since January 5th due to the restaurant suffering MAJOR damage as it was hit by a large piece of the nearby pier that collapsed. The have only been opened for about two weeks. Rachel was the waiter and the bartender. She was busy but still provided excellent service. The Calamari was excellent. not greasy or rubbery. Tartar and cocktail sauces were both really good. The French fries were AWESOME! Some of the best we've EVER HAD! Hot, and crispy outside but not too crispy- EXCELLENT. The Margarita was the BOMB! The restaurant was very clean, restrooms included. The ambiance was great, the service was great. The food was excellent. The view was great. I am so glad that we disregarded the rating and came anyway. read more

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I came to this place many years ago, this may be the second time after almost 10 years!? I am a little bit worry as the rating is not as good, but we need a place with outdoor seating so we can watch over our bikes, so that's why we were here. Thank god! It was a great choice! Weather is so nice, not chilly, sun with wind, very nice weather to sit outside actually. The food was great, I ordered the daily special Lobster Benedict, my friend ordered Seafood Melt, both are good, I love the Lobster Benedict more. My other friends ordered a salad and Mahi Mahi Sandwich - nothing special - my friend doesn't like cheese so she didn't order the Seafood Melt - she regretted that.....I feel bad that I didn't share our food with her....I didn't have time to think cause I was so hungry lol Sorry my friend, next time. read more

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

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Beautiful beach from dining patio has a calming and vacationy vibe. Food is on the decent side but wouldn't say it's fabulous. Clam chowder was good. I think you're coming here for ambiance. Located right next to the 'famous' colorful rentals by the pier. Service was slow but it's pretty busy. Nice way to have lunch on a beautiful, sunny weekend. read more

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We accidentally sat at the restaurant wondering if it was another place we were thinking and it surely was a happy accident! The view from the deck is stunning. They offered shade or sun and we thought that generous. Our hostess loved on Daisy (always appreciated), our server was kind and helpful, and we had others who dropped food and drinks. It's a team environment and they work very well together. It's a comfortable and relaxed spot to spend time, we'd love to go back one day! read more

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We felt unwelcome and rushed. The restaurant was busy as it was a beautiful fall day and the patio overlooking the water was a popular spot.. The hostess was clearly irritated with the customers and kept scolding them for being in her way. Our waiter was also annoyed by the customers, telling us in an angry tone that we needed to hurry up and order. We had just got our drinks and appetizers and needed a few more minutes, which upset him. The food was okay and better than our last visit, but we left regretting our decision to eat at Zelda's due to feeling unwelcome, except for our money. read more

What has happened to this place. Hadn't been for some time, but I do remember the service, the cleanliness and the food was good. Not this time, the outdoor deck was dirty, tables hand not been wiped, nor were the chairs. The food was mediocre at best the past sauce was cold, my ceaser salad was made with old lettuce with brown edges.when mentioned this to the server, there was no mention to fix it, she simply apologized. The French fries we cold. Overall, a bad experience. Not going back there anytime soon. read more

Nothing changed except maybe the prices SO glad they didn't get ruined with that storm that crashed in read more

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Great Ambiance right on the Beach! Very friendly and chill atmosphere!you are right on the beach! read more

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Great service along with Great Food & the Best Cocktails & the view isn't too shabby either! ;) Check it out for sure!!! read more

First and foremost, can you beat that view? I was so blessed to come on a day with spectacular weather. It was also during the week so it wasn't crowded at all. The staff was very friendly and attentive and the food was decent. My husband really liked the clam chowder, and the drinks were really good with an extra shot. I had to laugh though when my poke served with chips came with just four little chips. Really? That would stop me from ordering that again but not from going there. If you are looking for a beautiful view next to the beach then this is a great place to go. read more

Zelda's - View from the patio. - Bars Near Me - Capitola, California

Horrible wait time, food very average for the price they charge and the time they make you wait is honestly not ok. The food took almost 1 Hour to arrive, we ordered 3 dishes. I definitely don't recommend and won't come back. read more

I was hesitant after average service 10 years ago, but Parker took great care of us, the burgers were really good, and one of the best views there is! We will go back again read more