Cafe Zelda

Fantastic food, giant portions, excellent service — we couldn’t have asked for a better meal! Short ribs, salmon, grilled ceasar salad, all amazing!

Café Zelda is fine in the sense of: If you need a place in Newport for dinner on short notice and they have space, it will do.
What I liked: the service was good and personable. Our waitress was very good; adorable, lively small but charming corner bar that reminds me New Orleans; the escargot was good.
What brought it down a few notches: well, let’s start with the big one for any restaurant: the food. It was okay. I had the steak frites. It was fine. The side dish of thin fries was a bit uninspired and so-​so. My companion had the baked chicken. It was fine. Her comment was along the lines of nothing special, just baked chicken with some sweet potatoes. Comparing this, I’d say it was similar to perhaps Ruby Tuesday fare… except dinner for two here was $ 111, with tip and one round of drinks. And that’s the value proposition. You’re paying for fine food that’s nothing special, but it’s Newport on Thames St, so you’re paying for location.
The place itself is nice — cozy, but the lighting is pleasant and soft. The acoustics are a bit hard so expect dinner to be on the noisy side if you’re there on a Saturday night. This is in some part driven by the summer holiday feel of the location, which seems to free people to both drink a bit too much and then talk a bit too loud. It’s great that folks are having a good time, but you can follow the stories of all the tables around you that have been imbibing for a bit.
In short, the food is fine, but the sort of everyday-​nothing-​special and a bit boring execution that you’re more likely to expect for $ 50 at a chain rather than over $ 100.

What a great bar in a nice location! We stopped in a few times during our stay in Newport to relax and enjoy a drink.
They have a nicely stocked bar with great bartenders who are friendly and efficient. The wines by the glass are solid choices and very reasonably priced. Beer on tap selection was modest but also good.
Our only complaint is that the bar can get really crowded which makes it difficult to relax. Lots of locals hang here which is great to gather new or different unbiased information.
We didn’t sample any of the food, but had eaten here a few years ago for lunch. I remember enjoying a good sandwich, but not the details.

Walking into Zeldas after seeing all of the changes was basically what I had expected. The outdated wallpaper and old sailing pictures have been updated with nice lighting fixtures and a more modern atmosphere, highlighted by a few nice stained glass windows. They did a very good job in keeping Zeldas the way it’s always been with a great new facelift.
As for the food, I enjoyed my mouels frites and the white wine and cream broth was delicious. The mussels were large and plump, very satisfied after indulging in an enormous bowl! 5 stars. Good luck to the new owners, they’re awesome guys.

Food was on point. Garlic and Herb Chicken with their famous mac and cheese was a good serving size and very flavorful. The calamari had a Tai fusion taste to it and was very delicious.

Café Zelda is on the tail end of the Thames street scene in Newport. Juuuuust out of visual site for those that tend to stick around the docks, but still surrounded by similar nightlife and restaurant options.
We were hanging out unexpectedly in Newport on a Saturday night, and it was tough to find a place that had an opening. Café Zelda had one!
Things I Liked:
— Location was great! 15 minute walk or quick Über ride from your hotel/​beach/​cah (What? We were in New England!)
— Menu was solid, with plenty of modern plates involving fresh and appropriate ingredients for this type of place. I had a duck confit entrée with beats, but more interesting was the duck sausage part of the dish. Very good!
— Service was great! Attentive and professional, what you would expect from a pricey option.
— Drinks were normal, nothing super creative but a fully capable bar resides on the other side of the dining room wall.
Things I Didn’t Like:
— The place is a small row house, and it’s halved. One side, classy dining, the other a singles bah (again, I’m in New England). The dining room is small and the booths are a little tricky of you get a corner spot. You won’t be eye to eye with everyone in a party of three. This was «meh.» The ambience also seemed dated and not in a flattering way.
— Bathroom is a broom closet. Look, I know it doesn’t really matter to most, but they could try harder to get a door that shuts.
Overall, very enjoyable. Have a few drinks and it won’t matter that you’re squeezed into a corner or peeing on the broom closet floor. I recommend in a pinch!

The hostess is very rude and not accommodating if you have children. When I asked how long for a table of three at first I was told 20 minutes and then when I said one of the 3 was a child she told me 1.5 hours cause we’d need to wait for a child friendly area. Very disappointing so if
You have children in Newport, which most do I would say… stay away

Dropped in with a party of 6 (no reservation) last Tuesday night and they quickly took care of us. The atmosphere was great (cool local’s bar) and the food was terrific. From the short ribs, cod, mac & cheese, chicken entrée etc. it was the perfect meal! I must say that the calamari was the best I have ever had! Will be back next time in Newport.

A little hidden secret! The quality of the food was very good. Great flavor. The short ribs were excellent. Portions are just right. They have Nice little bar area.

We came here on a whim on a Saturday night. Got a late reservation that was available when they said. Even if We had to wait there is a great bar and friendly crowd. Dinner was worth the wait. I have found most meals in Newport to be adequate. This far exceeded my expectations. Clams were fresh and well presented. Grilled Caesar was perfectly prepared. I had one of the best boulabaise in the states. Just enough fennel and herbs. The fish was fresh. Grilled scallops were perfectly prepared. Mashed turnips were very tasty.
Good wine list at fair prices. Desserts are sized for sharing. A great find. Already reserved my next meal.

My girlfriend and I went to café Zelda’s on Wednesday evening for dinner. When you first walk in its nothing special with the blue and white pinstripe wall paper, but don’t let that fool you, The service was fast and efficient. We both started with a glass of wine as we waited for our entrées. I ordered the crispy leg of duck confit and my lady had a seafood pasta of some sort. Everything on my plate was excellent except for the whole cloves of garlic but that’s just me being anal lol. My girlfriend loved her dish as well. The next time I’m in Newport I will most definitely be back

Café Zelda has great customer service, a lovely atmosphere and average food. We had:
Mussels Brittany — very tasty
Beets & Goat Cheese salad — good
Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola — the cheese totally overpowered the beef. I had to scrape the cheese off to get beef flavor.
Short Ribs — tasty but a bit fatty
Espresso Martini — very good
Angel Hair pasta — good
All in all we had a lovely dinner. The waitress was a doll and the hostess was great.

Brought a group of 16 here for a bachelorette party meal before going out. We told the restaurant that when we made the reservation and they said it would be no problem and we could be accommodated. We showed up and were seated right away (a note of caution; groups larger than 6 need to leave a credit card on file when making reservations and if you don’t show up its $ 25 a head seems fair to me just an FYI) the waitress promptly took drink orders and was very friendly. We got our drinks quickly and asked for a minute before ordering. After about 5 minutes the manager came over and told us that we were being too loud. Yes we were a bachelorette party but we are 16 professional women and were no way impeded at this point. 16 people talking and laughing can be loud, no matter what the occasion. After this the wait staff seemed to be rushing us out the door, all the while noise from the attached bar was spilling in. If you’re going to treat your guests like you’re too good for them you should just refuse the reservation
Food was good. The sourdough appetizer is really impressive and the roasted chicken with side Mac and cheese was just good. Not great.
My only other comment is you have to go through the bar to get to the bathroom. A ton of locals were hanging around the bar and it’s awkward when you go for nice diner.
Not a bad experience but I expected more. Probably wot be back.

Mixed feelings for this spot with one major qualm causing me to write my first review.
Table of four for dinner on a holiday weekend we understand downtown Newport is going to be a madhouse, but for a designated upscale fine dining restaurant servers not knowing their (small) menu is absolutely ridiculous.
–Artisan cheese platter to start — no idea what «three» cheeses came with. When we asked she said «I’ll be back with the sheet» ten minutes later a different woman came back with a sheet that must of been pinned up in the kitchen.
–They only have a few wines by the glass, she had no idea what they were, driest, best for pairing; ect. She had to go ask bartender and seemed irritated and frazzled when we asked her questions like this.
The food was ok. Tuna and duck were good but the scallops were over buttered and bland. Seaweed salad that came with tuna was way too salty. Crème Brule was yummy.
Bottom line, for the prices your paying service should be included.

It’s funny when you see nori-​wrapped seared ahi tuna wrapped atop a seaweed salad on a «French-​American» menu. And that sort of quizzical look that’s on your face now as you read those words is exactly how I’d sum up my experience here at Café Zelda.
The boo and I opted to spend our Sunday in Newport, inspired mostly by the fact that Newport Restaurant Week had just started. But we didn’t actually order off the RW menu here, because we wanted more choices, yet I’m unsure if that was the right call. I wasn’t impressed by either menu, to be honest, but the music they were playing (80s/​90s/​ukulele/​everything light and easy and breezy and «cool») kept me glued to my seat.
The décor was OK, if you like dark blue and white stripes all over the place, but it didn’t scream «Viva La France» to me so much as it was like a sailor’s attempt to be domestic. I have to report that my salami sandwich and clam chowder were decidedly non-​French (though the chowder was pretty tasty). I forget what my better half ordered, but I think that’s just indicative of how non-​memorable the food was.
Overall, I don’t think I’d make the trek up to Newport just for this place, but the muzak was great.

Glad to see the food and service quality hasn’t changed since our last visit… Both are top notch! I had the tuna this time around… Nicely prepared sushi quality! Enjoyed it with a well made dirty martini, also nicely made. This is a cool little place right on Thames. The also have a nice bar too

Walking down Thames and we saw the 3-​day special for a Prix Fixe menu $ 27 for a glass of wine, starter, entrée, and dessert. Let me tell you they didn’t skimp!
I’ll back up, though. We walked in and it was gorgeous. The most beautiful restaurant I’ve seen (a little tight sitting), but really nice. We obviously went with the Prix Fixe menu and it was such a deal. Normally, an entrée alone is $ 25. The white wine was amazing; the garlic soup was so delicious; a really heft entrée size (herbed chicken over alfredo pasta) and the dessert was the icing on the cake — salted caramel gelato. Our waitress was very accommodating and professional. We couldn’t stop raving about the place the entire time we were there.
Their Prix Fixe menus are SUCH A DEAL. You would be crazy to eat anywhere else on that day. Delicious. I’d give it 4.5 stars just because the (starter) salad was lacking on dressing, but the toppings were fabulous (cherries, apples, and toasted walnuts).

Here to try their lunch menu on restaurant week. Clam chowder soup is delicious. Calamari was good too. The Thai sauce was tasty but I like the calamari as it is. Batter is light and crispy but a tat salty. Plenty of food for lunch. Had to take out remaining food.

Café Zelda seems to have a split personality. If entering through the bar, as you do in winter, you would think it was a casual tavern. And it is. At least in this portion of the place. The bar is small and has always been packed whenever I have been there which, before stopping in this Saturday after hiking with my son and dog along First Beach and The Cliff Walk, had admittedly been awhile.
Stepping into the dining room is the other side of Zelda’s, figuratively and literally. The décor is upscale modern: clean, warm, well-​spaced tables, visually appealing accents. I love the oil painting of schooner on the bookshelf to the right as you enter from the bar. Striking. The room, however, was cold. And I am the guy who is always complaining when a room is too hot, as in more than 70 °F. The heat was off.
What also really struck me were the dinner menu prices. All but two entrees — a $ 19 fried calamari dish and a $ 12 hamburger — were well into in the mid — and upper-​$ 20s. This was a lot more expensive than I had planned. In fairness, I should have looked at the menu which was clearly posted on the sidewalk. Still we stayed. My Portuguese-​style grilled pork chop with littlenecks ($ 26) featured a small chop — maybe 8 oz. — swimming in a thin pool of garlicky tomato-​based broth. It was not at all spicy as the menu indicated. The pork was lean, standard supermarket quality; definitely not Berkshire. The four clams were undercooked, but not terribly, and I like raw bar anyway. A very mediocre dish.
My son had the dinner portion Steak Tartare ($ 24). This untraditional version had capers and onion mixed in along with a good quality olive oil and dry mustard, which was a nice foil to the rich, tasty beef. The tartare was served with a meager portion of frites and four toasted slices of baguette — inadequate for the amount of ground steak — rather than traditional toast points. There was no chopped egg. The entrée gets a thumbs up for the quality of the beef and flavor profiles. Well done.
Service was friendly and fairly attentive, though the server could have offered more bread and olive oil, especially after dropping obvious hints. Suppose I could have just outright asked. A local beer — Newport Storm — was a quaffable amber. At $ 4.75, it is a deal.
I won’t be rushing back to Zelda’s, but would not rule it out either. Please let me know what you think of this review by clicking a button below. Thanks.

Café Zelda has always been one of my favorites. It is extremely intimate, romantic, and unique atmosphere. The bar entry makes you feel like you are in a bar in London, antiqued, nautical, and cozy. It is a small area, and always bussling with locals, sailors, aussies… all between 25 – 55 years old. It is one of my favorite fine dining spots in Newport.
I typically get the steak when I come… it is the most mouthwatering and lush steak I have tasted.
This most recent time, Greg and I came for restaurant week. We were seated by the window– which was great for people watching, but was also very cold. We also were seated next to a party of 20 women in their 50’s… which was extremely loud. The rest of the resturaunt was full of dates like ourselves.
We each ordered red wine. Greg got a Soup (which he was intrigued that it was purree), and I got the calamari. The calamari was melt in your mouth perfection.
For second course, I got the pan-​roasted local cod, and Greg got the filet. Both were in perfect portions and were cooked exactly as they were asked. The cod was HUGE, and was on a bed of delicious potatoes. For dessert, we each got the mousse. It was unbelievable.
I have no words for an experience at this fine dining establishment except «perfect», «excellent» and «lush». Be prepared for your tastebuds to be divine and your smiles to be wide afterwards.