What an amazing location it’s not really a dive bar. It’s very high-end if that. Beautiful view for lagoon and colorful houses, you can see the pier from here although it’s not that much after the storm you can also see the beach and people relaxing. Have a beer here a decent price sitting out on the deck.

Loved it. Super sweet server, DELICIOUS mahi and prawn tacos 🌮, and a nice hibiscus lemonade mocktail. Kitchen was very quick to send out our order. Seating is a little tight out back but it’s perfect for on the beach.

Chris Stoeckle

The food was fantastic! We enjoyed an Asian chicken salad and a creamy pesto Alfredo, all while watching the sunset right on the beach with an unforgettable view.

Janet Stoeckle

I had a superb meal! I ordered the "Just Pasta" with creamy pesto sauce and fettuccine noodles. It was rich and flavorful. I could taste the arugula and pesto in the sauce. The waiter, who has curly brown hair, was prompt and efficient. He made sure I had everything I needed for my meal, without being asked. The ambiance was beautiful, with a perfect view of the setting sun right on the water.

Kathie Hawkins

Visiting from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Great food, great service and a great view! Plus, the t-shirts are amazing. Didn't catch our servers name but he was very attentive and he wore braces. Bravo!

He He

100% recommendation! Went here on a Wednesday evening at 07.45 pm. It was neither crowded nor lonely. Got a great spot with amazing seaview. I ordered the Seared Blackened Ahi Salad and was totally amazed. Such a fresh and tasty dish! Among the best I’ve ever had. On top, I was served by the super friendly owner, who gave me some great recommendations. Thank you so much!

+1

Brian Catania

Another great meal at Zelda's. Wednesday concert at the Esplanade, with my clam chowder bread bowl. It's one of my favorites in the area. Great flavor. Love the bread. Please don't order the bread bowl and leave the bread, lol. It makes me sad when I see people do that. Their coconut cheesecake is to die for but since I have had it multiple times, decided to try the bread pudding. It was delicious too. Had a great mocha and coffee as well. The views is awesome too. Witnessed a lot of dive bombing birds diving for their dinner in the ocean while I was dive bombing my plate.

Heather Dunham

Zelda's is the PERFECT beach location to enjoy delectable meals with elegant beverages. It's a beautiful location for everyone! The staff was lovely, food and drinks were amazing! This is a definite place to return to at every opportunity!

emme k

It was a really nice shoreline place…beautiful view and a walk on to the beach. I sat with a party of 5 and everyone was satisfied. The steak was cooked to perfection. The caesar salad was “the best caesar salad” my friend has ever had. Our waiter was super nice and the service was great. Only reason why I gave it 4/5 food because i wasn’t absolutely outdid with the food, but i seriously recommend this place. Would come back. Not to mention the dessert being incredible also! I got the cookie skillet.

+6

I don't know why this has such low reviews. The staff were nice. The food was great; I had the Eggs Benedict. And it came out super fast. \nWe also ordered the cocktail Painkillers and it was amazing…

Got food here for breakfast and got mushroom and spinach omelet with counter potatoes plus a soda\nVery tasty.Wonderful service

Got food here for breakfast and got mushroom and spinach omelet with counter potatoes plus a soda\nVery tasty.Wonderful service

Got food here for breakfast and got mushroom and spinach omelet with counter potatoes plus a soda\nVery tasty.Wonderful service

Got food here for breakfast and got mushroom and spinach omelet with counter potatoes plus a soda\nVery tasty.Wonderful service

Got food here for breakfast and got mushroom and spinach omelet with counter potatoes plus a soda\nVery tasty.Wonderful service

My wife and I are on our honeymoon and we decided to stop by Zelda's with our dog! They were super accommodating towards her and our waiter, Thomas, was a huge help. He was very attentive and frien…

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

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 a…

Went to Zelda's for dinner last night with a group of 6. We walked in at 4:30 PM and the place was PACKED which is quite unusual. They had the outdoor seating closed due to inclimate weather which …

Great please for food on the beach. Excellent food and service. Highly recommend the fish and chips. Large portions and attentive staff.

Great place for a delicious breakfast. Wonderful menu choices even for kids. Beautiful ocean views. Friendly staff.

Zelda's offers a smaller indoor and generous outdoor dining. It sits directly on the beach with views from in and out. The menu is more than ample and the food is consistently good. The bloody m…

Love the view at the back of the Bar. Waitress was very nice and check on us even the place was very busy. Food needs improvement, fish and chips had no taste (fish) the clam chowder soup was really good. Great atmosphere!

The food was really good! Had the Santa Cruz coconut prawn tacos and my husband had the ceviche! Both excellent and large portions. Katy our waitperson was upbeat and attentive. Also had the house margarita, very yummy. Sat outside as the evening sunshine was lovely! Definitely worth a stop just for good food & beverage & great setting.

Food was absolutely delicious and the service was great. It was a bit of a wait to get a seat but it was well worth it. The western bacon and garlic fries were super yummy. If you eat on the balcony you get a great view of the ocean. We got lucky and it wasn’t super crowded but it can be pretty crazy at times, really depends on the day. Delicious place to eat if you’re tired of the usual.

I went down to help support the recently storm damaged businesses in town. I was met with a cheerful hello and a nice warm place to have lunch. I had the toasted BLT and fries. Good proportions at a decent price. The sandwich was a bit on the greasy side for my tastes, but it was very good otherwise. I'll try it another day with a request to use a little less oil next time. I recommend the place for sure!

Nice ambiance, good food with good service. We have ordered clam chowder which was not that great. Coconut shrimp was favorite and crab cakes were awesome too. Liked the fish and chips ,fish was fresh but little bit salt was less. Mahi mahi sandwich was ok . Over all good experience

Harry P

Good food and service. Plenty of seats, both indoor and outdoor. Good selection on the menu, and everything is cooked well.

Jonathan Wong

Overall a good experience! The calamari was truly well done, minimal breading and still tender despite the fry! Grilled sea bass was a little too salty, could tell they gave a sprinkle of salt at the end that was too heavy handed for my preference. Parking is street parking, on the same route as many other restaurants so it can be a little tight

jonathan williams

We really enjoyed the restaurant. We went for breakfast. The coffee was really good, the food was fine. I was hoping for better. Maybe we should try lunch or dinner.

Kelly Huynh

During our trip to Capitola, we stopped by Zelda’s on the Beach and timed our reservation for 6:30 PM so we could catch the sunset during dinner. The restaurant was not too packed, so a reservation was not even necessary. We had the option to sit inside or outside, and we were lucky enough to get a booth by an open window. It gave us the perfect sunset view while staying comfortable and away from the winds, even on a warm evening. We started with the coconut shrimp, which ended up being my absolute favorite dish of the night. For entrées, we had the cioppino, a tomato based seafood stew with garlic bread that was flavorful but a little light if you are really hungry, and the sautéed mahi mahi served over coconut white rice. The rice was delicious, though I was not the biggest fan of the sauté on the fish itself. For our daughter, we ordered a milkshake, and that was the winner of the night, so creamy and absolutely amazing. Overall, Zelda’s is worth visiting just for the location alone. Sitting by the beach with a view of the sunset makes it such a memorable stop. I have heard from others that brunch is even better than dinner, so next time we are in Capitola we will definitely be back to try their morning menu.

+4

JAM

Had the fish and chips with window seat, ocean view. Busy place with friendly staff. Fish are deep fried in a coated herb crust. Not traditional, but a nice change if your up to it.

A Divine Canine

Right on the beach for a beautiful view. I had the salmon and their hibiscus margarita and both were delicious. A great place to have a drink, dinner or both with friends. Parking was difficult at 6 pm on a Friday night, but I easily made a reservation. There is paid parking nearby, but it's pricey. They are also dog friendly and will bring your pup a bowl of water.

Olivier Sauquet

The location on the beach is amazing, we really enjoyed it. The food was good, but the service was not outstanding, I put 4* only because of the added 4% service fee -mentioned on the menu-, which creates some confusion when we are then proposed to give on top a tip between 22% and 18%. Apart from this, again this is a great place for a nice family Sunday lunch in Capitola !

+6

What a super nice breakfast location right on the beach. Service was super nice and pleasant. I love eggs Benedict and was pleasantly surprised how delicious it was. I would definitely come back fo…

For me this breakfast was all about the view. It was a bit rainy so outside seating was not an option but this was the next best thing. \nThe breakfast dish I ordered was aptly named, Basic brea…

For me this breakfast was all about the view. It was a bit rainy so outside seating was not an option but this was the next best thing. \nThe breakfast dish I ordered was aptly named, Basic Breakfa…

Nothing beats the outdoor seating with the beach right in front of you. Their staff were great though the food is just average.

Zelda's is right on the beach. It's a great place to grab a bite and enjoy the ocean views. You can grab a bite to eat and watch the game. We watched the Niner game. They were super busy, so the ba…

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 an…

Had a crab and shrimp sandwich. Thomas our server gave solid opinions about is good. Love that in a server.

Food was good as was service and drinks. My ciopino was great. Sea bass and salmon good too. Some cool drinks. I would have given 5 stars except the bill came with a 4% service charge that was expl…

Good location with ok comfort food and services. The restaurant is right next to the beach facing parking lot, so quite accessible. Food was just fine if you're looking for a casual bite, service was…

Good location with ok comfort food and services. The restaurant is right next to the beach facing parking lot, so quite accessible. food was just fine if you're looking for a casual bite, service…

they had a good size menu with a variety of choices. We enjoyed the outdoor patio. Sourdough bowl of clam chowder was good but not excellent. Pricing not that bad for a beach town. Service was attent…

they had a good size menu with a variety of choices. We enjoyed the outdoor patio. Sourdough bowl of clam chowder was good but not excellent. Pricing not that bad for a beach town. Service was atte…

Staff was very friendly and professional. We were seated right away for lunch and had a great view of the beach and ocean. Menu has a nice selection of items from salads, burgers, soups. I had the …

staff was very friendly and professional. We were seated right away for lunch and had a great view of the beach and ocean. Menu has a nice selection of items from salads, burgers, soups. I had the …

Staff was very friendly and professional. We were seated right away for lunch and had a great view of the beach and ocean. Menu has a nice selection of items from salads, burgers, soups. I had the …

Go elsewhere. There are too many good restaurants in the area to eat bad food and get bad service. Our artichoke hearts were soggy and bland, so we sent them back to get cooked longer. They came ba…

Had a great breakfast here. Simple eggs, bacon and potatoes. Had to have a second latte it was so good. Thy have a pretty full menu, and. view seating and a large outdoor patio as well. Great view…

Had a great breakfast here. Simple eggs, bacon and potatoes. Had to have a second latte it was so good. Thy have a pretty full menu, and. View seating and a large outdoor patio as well. Great view …

The location is great the food is very mediocre. Hard to believe so many people rated this place above 2 stars. Nothing we had was very good except the fried calamari . shrimp dish not great …

Sat outside terrace, service was quick. Lot's of choices. Full wine list, friendly staff. Food was good.

Jimmimi McDonald-Stolarczuk

Our family went to Zelda’s in Capitola yesterday (gorgeous day!) 9/8/25 for breakfast. The location is great. We had not been there for some time. I’m a vegetarian that has an egg allergy so usually my choices are restricted and no different at Zelda’s - on Saturday’s they don’t do pancakes so my choices was - a small bowl of fruit for $7, no problem. My son had a burrito and asked to hold the green onions, my other son had clam chowder, and their grandmother had the mushroom and spinach scramble. Nothing was remarkable one way or the other, no one liked the hash browns much, which were a little cold when served to us but it was just bland, not necessarily bad tasting — just felt like a waste of calories eating them. When we got the bill we noticed we were up charged for having the green onions removed from the burrito (special order fee?), which we noted and it was removed from the bill. We also noticed a 4% fee added at the bottom. I thought that may be a fee for using a credit card so I offered cash but the waitress said that 4% was for the owners regardless of whether we paid cash. I looked at the menu online and didn’t see any mention of the 4% amount - it felt like it was foisted on us. We’re a family w/restaurant workers and typically tip wait staff larger than usual out of appreciation even for average service but not typically 24% — it left a really lousy feeling. Either deduct it from the staff tip (like the owners getting to skim part of the tips) or pay the foisted fee in addition. We like to feel good leaving a restaurant but not this time at Zelda’s By The Sea. These types of restaurant policies seem to on the rise from what I read and really spoil the dining experience for me. Now we know Zelda’s by the Sea is one of these places and at least know to avoid in the future.

Gina Serrano

Views and drinks were stellar, food was ok, service was good. I absolutely loved being steps away from the beach! We came on a weekday for a late lunch and were seated very quickly. My strawberry lemonade cocktail was perfect on this warm day and had the right amount of sweetness, tartness, and alcohol. I started off with a cup of chowder, which was pretty darn good and then shared some calamari and fries with my husband. The calamari definitely could have had a little more batter and been crispier but I did enjoy the fries. I would return for drinks and views!

+1

ankit devani

Overall, a good spot with plenty of vegetarian options. The atmosphere and ambience were excellent—right by the beach, which added to the experience. However, I felt the portion sizes were a bit small for the price, and the taste was just average.

Keely Shofner

I’ve eaten at Zelda’s many times and it is always consistent and overall good. The bloody Mary’s are delicious. Service was good. The eggs Benedict were quite good and large portion. My husband had the breakfast burrito and it was big and he said very good. We sat outside on the deck with the ocean and beach view. There are a ton of birds that fly over. It is walking distance to all of Capitola Village. Overall good. Will for sure return.

+2

Andrea Campanile

Beware, if you sit on the patio outside, you will get rained on by birds flying overhead as they leave the nearby water. They should put a sign up warning people. Regardless, drinks are good. I've had the food, which is also delicious. They just need to work on the service.

The service and food were great. The decor made me feel like I was in an IKEA store, the vinyl flooring is tacky and the metal chairs are awful and cold. It looks like a confusing and a hot mess.

The service and food were great. The decor made me feel like I was in an IKEA store, the vinyl flooring is tacky and the metal chairs are awful and cold. It looks like a confusing and a hot mess.

It's Oct slow locals month\nThe drinks were great the tables outside were filthy and empty plates, glasses and trash everywhere\nI cleaned it up. The Ladies bathroom had wet paper towels all over t…

We decided to eat here after passing by and seeing all the outdoor seating, despite the low reviews. We were seated quickly, attended to with silverware and waters, and ordered everything quickly a…

The food was terrible. I had a garden with what was suppose to be bay shrimp. The shrimp were the tiniest precooked shrimp you ever wanted to see. They were definitely the kind you take out …

UPDATE: I went again on 6/21/22 and changing my review because the ceviche that I had last time was amazing but this time, it totally changed in flavor and had mostly shrimp with barely any of the fish ceviche (which is my favorite). I was disappointed it was not like the last time. The ceviche was a huge reason why I came back, however I won't be coming back. Not sure why they changed it... Also the Paloma was not good. Previous review:I am happy to say I was content with what I ate!!! I am a ceviche connoisseur and I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious the ceviche was! It has both fish and shrimp ceviche. My preference is usually fish, but this was so good that it didn't matter!- one of the best!!! I also felt the size of it was filling. The clam chowder was good; I would say above average but I have also tasted some that are 5/5 in the past, so this is more like a 4/5. Also, I was not a big fan of the environment inside the restaurant- it seemed too touristy. But luckily, we ate outside in the patio and we were watching the beach and the colorful homes from there. Outside, it is a less clean though because of the birds. But because of the view outside, it has a nice feeling and the waitress was really kind!

David Lu

You are definitely paying for the scenery not the $27 fish and chips. Ordered cup of clam chowder ($9) and fish and chips ($27). Chowder was piping hot but lacks flavor, fish and chips on the other hand was bad. It was definitely frozen premade fish deep fried. Came out soggy and fishy.

The ginger bartender was incredibly vulgar and loud taking to the other employees, repeatedly cussing loudly for the restaurant to hear and taking about "hotboxing" the place after close. Every time …

The ginger bartender was incredibly vulgar and loud taking to the other employees, repeatedly cussing loudly for the restaurant to hear and taking about "hotboxing" the place after close. Every tim…

Avoid; slow service, warm wine, flavorless food. view and location excellent, but we came to enjoy good food and left mightily disappointed

Avoid; slow service, warm wine, flavorless food. View and location excellent, but we came to enjoy good food and left mightily disappointed

I paid over 100$ worth of food and received my food with barely anything inside. I went back inside to ask where the rest of my food is and they must've hunted all of the squid in the sea because the man at the register said that he "couldn't control the weight of the box or how much was inside". Meanwhile, the cook in the back said that they ran out of calamari so they had to distribute what they had left at 3pm. Very disappointing by something rated 4.2 stars and wasn't busy, not returning because of this bad service and communication. They could've at least mentioned this issue and asked if we wanted to switch what we had ordered to something they had more of. The food also wasn't fresh and had no flavor whatsoever, its taste is comparable to the back of Ghandis slipper. I ordered lemonade and that was also very off-putting as well.

We came here just for brunch and only ordered two sandwiches—nothing else. We left an 18% tip, but they charged 25% to our credit card on the second day. I cannot accept this kind of behavior. We will never return to this location again.