Zel's Del Mar

Happy hour delight! Great prices and delicious food! A friend and I met here on a Wednesday afternoon for happy hour. I had never been to Zel's but was looking forward to trying something new. We sat on the bar side of the restaurant. The place was cute, quaint, updated and very clean. The bartender/ our server Alison was so kind and treated us like we were regulars. We ordered a few things to share and every single thing was so good. I wouldn't get the salad again - it wasn't anything special but everything else I'd revisit. I would definitely recommend this spot!

Came here for dinner while visiting friends who live down here. The view is beautiful on a nice night and Steven C., our server, was excellent.My fish tacos were really good and my wife enjoyed her salad.Our friends really like it and we'd come back next time we're down here visiting.

Everything was terrific! Seven of us Del Mar beach walkers slid into Zel's famished on a Saturday morning. We were quickly seated in the bar area, stragglers and all, with the promise that yes, we would need all of the seats requested Our server was marvelous, she never missed a beat adding menus and drinks as we regrouped.The photo is of a delicious thin cracker-like crust pizza, it is mine, and I devoured 1/2 in short order.Another party raved about the Huevos con Mole;another had Shakshuka(?), did I spell this correctly, and she was very happy. I remember another ordered salad, happy;another Benedict, happy;another Avocado Toast, happy.Despite the very busy restaurant, our check splitting, and raucous conversation, I am delighted to say every one of us give Zel's kudos!

Do not come during Friday night peak hours or you will be disappointed.My family and I made the mistake of choosing this Zel's to dine at due to it being the only restaurant in that area that was not on a wait. We should have used that as an indicator but instead gave it a chance.We had a party of four plus an infant and were seated promptly in the back corner. We were served water and it took 15 minutes for our server to come by to even take our drink order. We wanted to order both food and beverage by the time he came to the table as we could sense that he was overwhelmed and the place was understaffed. Or server was not functioning well under stress and I sincerely felt bad for him, however sadly he was rude and dismissive and wanted to rush us by not answering our questions about the menu and instead walking away stating he could give us more time. I managed to place just 1/4 of our food order in before he abandoned us. Which led to only my food and not my kids coming out since it took him another 15 minutes to approach us again. I felt it would be selfish to eat without my kids having their food so my food was cold by the time theirs came. So I nice night out turned into a bad experience. We would have ordered desert but at this point it was obvious our server didn't want to deal with us so we just asked for the check (which was the only thing he did quickly) .Also , side note, there is no military discount.

An interesting place that's half outside and half indoors with a nice ambiance, especially at night. A large tree is either on or right near the restaurant property and kind of grown into the open restaurant area which I liked. Our waitress was great, very helpful and knowledgeable.The menu isn't particularly large but has nice variety and diverse options, like pizzas, a few types of burgers, great and high quality salads with lots of ingredients that people in my party really enjoyed, and plenty of starters.I love steak, so I ordered the medium rare pan seared 12 oz. New York steak in a Moroccan chermoula sauce, parsley, and these nice red chili threads/strands on top that gave the steak a really nice smoky flavor. The sides were also interesting to say the least, consisting of a fava bean puree and honey roasted sunchokes which essentially act as sliced potatoes but are a little denser.The steak tasted great and was full of flavor, and the sides were nice too. I split it all with another person, and it's plenty of food for two. We also ordered a basket of delicious fries with a little garnish on it and truffle aioli on the side. All in all a very unique dish that I'm very glad to have ordered. Zel's is one of the best restaurants in the Del Mar area, and I'd happily return when I visit again!

Tanner is the New Chef and he's Amazing!!! The short rib dish here is to die for!! I'll have to post again in a minute when he brings out the beat Dish that he's going to let me taste as a special treat ‍I. Can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the short ribs

Everything about our visit to Zel's was fabulous. Our server was great and his recommendations were on point to the mood we were in. Once the food came we were in aw. Everything looked so delicious. Well, it all tasted better than it looked. Loved everything and we can't wait to return next time we are in the area.

Really amazing to watch, Madi, a new bartender, be trained. Alyssa was so thorough and thoughtful and they were just wonderful Energy watching them together... They make really good drinks there and it was fun to hear how they are made. Zel's is very lucky to have such talented staff

This spot is extremely charming and has a great location. They had a good amount of vegetarian options. We opted for the burrata appetizer and I had the house-made veggie burger. I was not disappointed by either! The fries that came with the burger were heavenly. I tried the Garden Tonic and the lavender lemon drop, both were refreshing and light. When I came the live music was absolutely lovely.I think I might become a regular!

Ordered to go. Person at hosts desk spent more time visiting with others than watching food coming out of the kitchen. Order took twice as long to prepare as stated. Salad came with container of dressing only 1/4 full. Hamburger and fries had 12 fries; yes count them-10. Will not go back primarily over the attitude/service offered by host.