Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Zinc Café and Market, Corona del Mar, So. California

After meeting up and celebrating with friends and family, I, most of the time, walk away feeling good after reconnecting,  reminiscing, and simply talking about the present. The problem is there is always too much to eat. And it can get really decadent. What I do after is to go light for a couple of days and indulge in my raw-food diet or in other vegetarian fixings. 


When the invitation came to meet up with another friend, last week, I was so happy that she had suggested a vegetarian place, Zinc Café and Market, along the East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar.

The food was all prepared and set up on a counter. The cold section consisted mostly of fresh and cooked salads,  priced at $10.95 per pound. The hot food items were portions which could be ordered a la carte at $8.25 or in combo with mixed greens, tomato, Feta cheese dressed with the Zinc Café vinaigrette for $10.25, or with a deli salad, instead, for an additional price of $1.95. To order, I pointed out my choices. 


There are other items that can be ordered on the a la carte menu.

I went with a plate of 3 salads: Fresh Avocado Salad with diced red onions, celery, and cucumbers - very refreshing; Green-String Bean Salad - quite filling; and cooked  Red Beet Salad with carrots and yam -  savory. The combination of ingredients in the salads was healthy and they came in a rainbow of vegetable colors. 

From the hot food section, my friend chose the Vegetarian Lasagna with layers of eggplant and ricotta cheese, topped with diced-tomato sauce. This was very delicious. 

We could not resist, and therefore, indulged ourselves with some desserts: Chocolate and  Coconut cupcakes. Chocolate is always good but I liked the Coconut cupcake with a lemony filling - this had a unique,  pleasing combination of flavors.

After more than an hour of eating and catching up, my friend and I walked around the little market area. There was a selection of wine...

some things for the kitchen, pantry and the home...

and some cheeses, beverages, sandwiches, and salads to pick up to go for a quick lunch, a picnic, or a hustle-free meal for later in the day. We left feeling full and well nourished, but yet, light. 


This is a lacto-vegetarian restaurant as they use dairy products in their meal preparations. There are other locations to this restaurant chain. We enjoyed our time at -

Zinc Café and Market
3222 E. Coast Hwy. Corona del Mar, CA  92625
Tel. no. 949-719-9462