Really enjoyed Zinc for the ambiance and food. I ordered the BLT with a fried egg on top. It didn't disappoint. The bread was delicious and the bacon was very fresh and thick cut. The restaurant is really nice with indoor and outdoor seating. The service is meh. Not too excited to order at a counter and then if you need anything you are forgotten. Lastly, they would have received 5 stars but the restrooms were not clean and for a place in CdM, that is substandard. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - BLT with Fried Egg on top. - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Even during Covid, Zinc (CdM) in Newport Beach served the highest quality breakfasts and lunches in the OC. You ordered food and drink at the counter, paid the cashier, took a table number placard, found a table, and waited for your food to be brought to you. Not anymore; you're shown to a table, where a server waits on you, then serves you. The Breakfast Burrito was my favorite, while my wife loved their quiche. They baked and served yummy dishes and pastries! But the restaurant changed hands, and a restaurant conglomerate from S.E. Asia bought the small chain from a local owner, and took over ownership. They changed the food service style, food specials, the ambiance, and our old favorite dishes. I know, "Change with the times!" But we're creatures of habit, good food, good service, and good ambiance, and Zinc has lost all three. We no longer go to Zinc, nor do we recommend it. We give it two stars. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Zinc Cafe - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

A CDM staple. Their coffee is strong and breakfast is delicious! Their Middle Eastern breakfast is my favorite. The herb salad is SO GOOD! I removed a star only because seating can be challenging and service is slow at times. read more

I popped in one morning after a round and had a really pleasant experience. Overall, I had Eric help and suggested I have my latte hot. Honestly the whole experience was great end to end from someone checking in on whether I needed warm milk with my dish and the quality of food - the temperature - the texture and I also got a salted rosemary latte. That was really solid so just a nice clean, simple breakfast. They have a wide selection of different egg dishes, too which I opted not to go for again really good experience so thank you to Eric and everyone there this morning! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Since the new owners took over, the quality has gone completely downhill. The food now tastes cheap, with no flavor at all, overly oily, and smaller portions. It is nothing like it used to be! I used to get the avocado toast at least once a week--it was that good!! I would dream about it. Now it's a third of the size, lacks the same flavor and care, and honestly, I could make a better one at home. Sorry to say. Sadly, it's just not worth the visit anymore... the quality is gone read more

I'm giving 2 stars only because, after we sent everything back, they were kind enough to give us a partial refund. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst breakfasts we've had. The omelette was extremely greasy, and the bacon, potatoes, and sides all tasted like they had been prepared well in advance and reheated. Nothing tasted fresh, and overall the quality was really disappointing. I used to come here years ago and it was great, which is why this was such a letdown. Reading some of the more recent reviews, it sounds like others have had a similar experience and feel it just isn't the same anymore. Sadly, we won't be back read more

We enjoyed our breakfast here. The burrito was delicious service was fast and the outdoor seating was very nice and quiet considering the area. Nice indoor and outdoor seating. read more

This place is very cute. I love that they take reservations and have dog-friendly outdoor seating. The server was friendly and patiently answered all of our party's questions. One person at our table was unfortunately a bit difficult, but the server kindly replaced her plate without hesitation. We ordered the avocado toast, the Middle Eastern breakfast, and my favorite--the lemon ricotta pancakes. My oat milk latte was delicious, too. Overall, we had a great experience and will definitely be back. read more

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Beautiful, nice, little place, they are very good in all they do, we enjoyed the service very much, all the guys were very helpful and nice. The food is also great and very tasty, we try a few stuff and all was delicious, I initially decided to try it because they have gluten free options but actually they just have gluten free dessert options. Any ways they place is a great option for breakfast. read more

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There's nothing better than stumbling upon a place and getting the feeling that you'll be visiting over and over again. My family and I moved into the area recently and Zinc is looking like it is definitely going to be one of our new local haunts. The ambiance is modern, earthy, and cozy, and the service is accommodating and down to earth. The menu itself is broad, and though it will require some getting to know - there have been some misses, like the cod and the granola - more often than not, we have loved what they are serving. On the food side, the breakfast burrito and the grain bowl are probably my favorites so far. And on the drinks side, I love the chai latte and the white mocha latte... both perfect for a break at your favorite cafe. Can't wait to update my review after I've spent more quality time here. read more

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I came here from a recommendation on Instagram and drove a very far away because it said one of the 20th coffee places in all of California . It's worse than Starbucks. My friend and I each had lattes and they were completely tasteless. And we're not hard to please! So disappointed that we came here. Avoid it if you like great cappuccinos and lattes. read more

Zinc is a warm and inviting brunch spot in Orange Circle. The traditional brunch plates with a modern twist highlight Zinc's creative flavor palette and attention to detail. All of the dishes pictured were as good as they look, and each dish was well-presented. The atmosphere is cozy, and the service was great! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Love this hidden Gem! We had our first 2025 breakfast here and loved it. Everything is so beautiful and tasty! We got middle eastern breakfast, stuffed French toast and the bacon omelet. Great service and prime location with a parking spot. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Stuffed French Toast - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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$66 for two for lunch Counter order then they bring food to your table. Chipotle chicken sandwich. Was very nice. Side was split pea soup with potatoes. Fine taste but a bit thin to my liking. Lincoln Pilsner was very nice on a warm day. Avocado toast had lots of avocado. Very tasty. Service was fine. read more

My friends & I visited the Newport location of Zinc cafe around 10 am on a Sunday. It's walking distance from the beach & parking was fairly stress-free. The inside was cute & had paintings for sale up on display. We got the scrambled eggs & leeks omelette, middle eastern breakfast, & the baja fish tacos. Everything was delicious, especially the middle eastern breakfast. Planning to visit the Orange location soon! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - scrambled eggs & leeks omelette + middle eastern breakfast + baja fish tacos - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Unfortunately the new owners decided to change everything that was so special about Zinc. Clearly I am not the only one who shares this opinion. Just look at every review from long time regular customers. They completely eliminated most, if not all of our favorite dishes. Also, Zinc was a vegetarian cafe for many many years and thrived. Now the menu is full of meat items. I mean, c'mon...veal and pork? They got rid of most of the cold bar deli and all the amazing fresh dishes you could choose from. The amazing wild mushroom stuffed peppers? Gone. Lasagna? Gone. All the fresh side salads? Gone. It's no wonder that the regular customers are so unhappy with the changes, which seem to have taken place with absolutely no communication with (or feedback from) the people who frequented regularly and spent a lot of money here for over 10 years. For a while after they converted this location, they left the Laguna Beach location alone, so we started going there, but it now has converted over to the new menu too, so sadly we no longer go to Zinc. read more

5 stars for Jesus who is amazing and he helped me pick out some wine that is 25% off I ordered the roasted chicken and the cod with stirfry vegetables everything I am getting is gluten-free. Props to Jesus, he is really sweet and adorable. The cod was not great and it smelled a little fishy super sus. The chicken was OK, nothing to write home about. I probably wouldn't return for a while! read more

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Food and service were pretty good. The "garden" consisted of a few half dead privets.

Local Laguna favorite for vegetarian brunch and lunch dishes, great location on Ocean Ave., highly recommend

Corona Del Mar, CA Zinc has been a long time favorite but John has sold his restaurants to the Paris Baguette Corporation from what we understand and the new changes are not all for the better. Canola oil blend is now used in their dishes instead of 100% olive oil we have been enjoying for years, and it is in almost everything we usually order We love the cold daily salads but not the Canola Oil used in them! So much for the healthy concept! Hopefully they switch back. Until then, we are very sadly no longer patrons. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Zinc changing for the worst Canola oil blend versus 100% olive oil. Really? New ownership, changes NOT for the better. Diisappointnent! - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Coffee isn't my favorite but the load on the avocado toast. Workers are efficient and kind. I love the atmosphere and it'd be a great place to meet up with a friend for brunch! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Avocado Toast and side of egg - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Wow! This place delivers! It's so chic with amazing food and beverage options! The staff were so attentive and served with a smile every time:) I tried the latte and cinnamon pop over which were less than $10 in total (huge surprise given the area)! Overall, in think ZINC is the way to go (plus they have free WiFi)!! read more

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I used to come here pretty frequently, but had moved. I came back this past week and did notice changes had been made. I didn't realize they changed ownership until I read several people saying that. Overall, I thought quality and pricing was the same. I think there's less of a casual vibe, and more sit down restaurant style now. Which can be seen as good or bad depending on what you're looking for. I thought service was good, and the staff was all friendly. I ordered the avocado toast which I loved! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Avocado toast with poached egg - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Such a solid brunch spot!! Light food fare with good portions. Their pancakes and omelette are delicious and I appreciate the little side salads lol the dressing is awesome. They need to work on their lattes a little bit though, other than that stellar 5/5 on everything! read more

There are a few locations in Orange County and I specifically prefer this location. It's typically less crowded and offers seating areas in multiple different spaces of the restaurant. - There's parking available in the parking lot and the service is quick at the register. You receive a number and they can bring your order to your table. I love all of their hot beverages and my favorite dish is the avocado toast. - The guacamole/avocado is a chunky, wholesome spread. You can get your eggs prepared however you like. In addition, they have a cute shop adjacent to the restaurant. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

This place is so convenient to stop on an early morning beach trip or for lunch after the beach. I love their food and service! The staff is ways friendly and welcoming. The food is delicious, I have a ton of favorite items. Lemon ricotta pancakes, the waffles, and the yogurt bowl. The Thai chicken salad is sooooo yummy too! And the granola is superb. read more

We visited Zinc after a long time and the string that dragged us in was the coupons that they send around the holidays which surprised us. Later we found out that the ownership has changed and all of them are owned by Paris Baguette Corp. We tried the almond croissant which was quite dry, pumpkin muffin which was actually not bad, their breakfast burritos which was very small for $15 and very greasy with literally 8 tortilla chips which were stale. We also got their latte and drip coffee. Service was great however given the quality and quantity of the food and the lack of the premade salad options, we won't be back anytime soon. Coupons will not help. read more

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Beautiful location beautiful interior! Got the breakfast burrito with veggie sausage and a salted rosemary latte. The coffee was good quality and I liked their flavor choices. The ingredients of the burrito were not as equally distributed as I hoped, very heavy egg in only half- but it was decent once I got to the sausage and such! Definitely would come again for a breakfast with some people! read more

Used to love sitting on the patio and have a server take my order. But now they have gone back to the old way. Now you wait in a long line to order at the counter. I do not like this idea and for breakfast I'll go to Summer House or Panini and feel like I'm in an actual Restaurant. Too bad. The worst part is that I sat there for 20 minutes with no number on my table and nobody told me. I had to tell three other tables who didn't know!! It should be a choice. If I wanted to go order a muffin for desert, I won't wait in line to do that. That's why I didn't go when the previous owners did this. I gave a great review when the new owners took over. Not anymore read more

Very friendly service. Excellent food. I loved my shrimp tacos were excellent. Super cute environment. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Extremely tasteless. Sloppy and poor quality. If you want to ruin your Sunday breakfast, you absolutely must come.

Paid $25 for this salad. Dry, and all lettuce-Not worth the high price & rude staff. Such a bummer because I work in walking distance and would have came often. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Avocado Ceasar - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Service is great--the staff working the floor are excellent. Unfortunately, the woman at the cashier area was the complete opposite. I paid $17 for a breakfast burrito and they barely included any salsa, which you really need to enjoy it. When I asked for a little more, she said she wanted to charge me extra, which felt ridiculous given the price. The food might be good, but the someone need to tell her that customers satisfaction is a lot important. Needs improvement read more

Zinc was really good the first time I came here. They're still delicious the second time around but after seeing some of the food people have on their plates-- the simplicity, though elegant and adorable in egg shape, seems like a jip. But if you order the right things then you will walk away smiling for the rest of the day. I promise. Or whatever, I don't know you. In asking for the recommendations, the ones that looked most delicious were amongst the top two suggestions. Their seasonal galette looked adorable especially next to the other lackluster pastries. No offense guys, but you thrive with salads and the simplest ingredients. Pastries are for those who don't care if their cookies are baked all the way. The tart shell was standard pie crust. In the depth of it, you won't find a cooked buttery flaky shortbread but semi-risen pie dough. Not that it's bad. Just could do with improvements. Very standard. Light lemony taste on the blueberries. It's very refreshing. The avocado toast had GENEROUS smushed avocado meat. Yummmmmmm. Love it when restaurants don't skimp on the simplest ingredients. Their poached egg is cute and new, I haven't seen it done much like that anywhere else. But that fresh dill super balanced everything out. Middle eastern breakfast had a great crispy, rejuvenating salad as well as most of the rest of their salads from the salad bar. Got a little over a pound second time around and a molasses cookie. But the molasses cookie tasted like gingerbread only lacking some ginger. It's thick like a substantial burger patty and the color of one too but let's be honest, bigger isn't always better. read more

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One of my favorite brunch spots in Newport! Their avocado toast is amazing, and it's the perfect amount for me. I've gotten it to-go a few times because it's so good. I've had their matcha before; it was decent but a little grainy. Their French toast is tasty. Parking can be a bit hard since their lot is small, so I usually end up parking on the side of the street. It's nice that it's super close to the beach. Last time, my boyfriend and I took a nice walk there after our meal. read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - French Toast($13), Avocado toast ($14), & Iced Matcha Latte - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

What happened? Did Zinc get new owners? I'm confused. The place used to be amazing. The restaurant used to be vegetarian and unique. They had almond flour cake and humming bird cake. They made the best mushroom loaf and mushroom burgers. Their deli selection was varied. They had a little area for food to go. They had a unique little gift section. They were only open for breakfast and lunch. They were special and niche. I'm not a meat hating vegetarian venting. I'm more of a foodie who loved how cool this restaurant was that you could go and be amazed at what they can do without meat. Now they have are open to for dinner. That's not a bad thing but they don't have anything that is a standout anymore. Come on everyone can do a beef burger and chicken salad. It makes no sense why they changed things up to make it basic like everywhere else. If it was to appease the basic crowd than they are competing with all the other basic American restaurants around. Such a shame because what they were was solid before. The last time I was there after they changed; the food and pastry was still good. Just the menu has gotten more basic. It's just nothing special now. read more

We have been here several times and the last two I got Avocado toast and Lavender latte. Definitely one of my favorite avocado toasts and I get them often. Service was good, interesting decor and ambiance. Definitely recommend it. read more

UNDERWHELMED I had heard positive comments about this lunch spot, but I was very disappointed with the split pea soup I ordered during a recent visit. The soup was thin, watery, and lacked flavor, and it was served with cold, dry bread that had clearly been grilled earlier and left out. Overall, the experience was disappointing. I left hungry since I couldn't finish my meal, and I'm unlikely to return. Parking was also a challenge. read more

Went to Zinc for a late lunch today. Great food - we had the tuna Niçoise salad and the steak & frites. Both were fantastic and flavorful. Service was a 10+. Great atmosphere for dining with inside and patio dining options. Will definitely be back! read more

Zinc Cafe & Bar - Steak Frites - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Zinc has made such an improvement since that initial time I went under new ownership! It's pretty much indistinguishable from what it was before! Thank you Zinc leadership for hearing us out and bringing back the salad bar! I do wish you'd bring back Intelligentsia coffee, but aside from that, 5/5 stars! read more