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Cafe Zack - Steakhouse in Ventura, California

Cafe Zack

4.7 (295 reviews)

1095 E Thompson Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001

Californian restaurant
Cafe
Eclectic restaurant
Fine dining restaurant
Restaurant

About Cafe Zack - steak house in Ventura, California

Cozy eatery serving innovative Californian fare for lunch & dinner inside a 1930's-style cottage.

Customer Review Summary

Cafe Zack offers exceptional food, particularly noted for its filet mignon and crab cakes, with a highlight on quality preparation. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, especially on the patio, providing a delightful setting for celebrations and intimate meals. Service is frequently praised, with attentive staff like Hector and Matt going above and beyond to enhance the dining experience. Reservations are recommended, although sometimes they may not be necessary. Deserts, especially the bread pudding with caramel sauce, receive high acclaim. Overall, Cafe Zack is highly recommended for its fantastic food, charming atmosphere, and excellent service.

Key Features

Service options

  • Outdoor seating
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Great cocktails
  • Great coffee
  • Great dessert
  • Great wine list

Popular for

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Cocktails
  • Coffee
  • Comfort food
  • Food
  • Hard liquor
  • Healthy options
  • Small plates
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Restroom

Atmosphere

  • Cozy
  • Historic
  • Romantic
  • Trendy
  • Upscale

Crowd

  • Groups
  • Tourists

Planning

  • Dinner reservations recommended
  • Accepts reservations

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • NFC mobile payments

Parking

  • Free street parking

Pets

  • Dogs allowed outside

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

4.7 out of 5
5
242
4
37
3
10
2
2
1
4
Based on 295 reviews

Alexander Niessen

4 months ago

My Filet mignon was premier to all high end chain restaurants. Beautiful pepper corn sauce. My only slight critic, upgrade the knives.

Ichiro Sugioka

We stopped there for lunch. We made reservations as recommended but not sure if it was necessary because there was nobody else there when we got there just before noon but filled up after 12:30. The atmosphere was wonderful sitting on a warm day in the patio. The server was very attentive to our needs. This is a place dedicated to SLOW FOOD. Allow at least 1 hour for lunch, at least 1.5 hours if you are having a dessert. Food was extremely well prepared and you can taste the difference in quality and careful preparation. BTW, the crab cakes are the more spiced variety. We REALLY enjoyed the Bread Pudding which is served with freshly prepared Caramel Sauce.

Michael Colitti

My wife and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary at Cafe Zack. It was the perfect place. We had a small table on the back patio. Great atmosphere, wonderful service and delicious food. The dessert was perfect! Our server, Hector, was a very nice young man who took great care of us.

E B

Our first time at Cafe Zack We had a great time. Very nice atmosphere inside and great patio seating outside. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Food was great as well. Everything we had was very good. Definitely will come back, and it is highly recommendable.

Cade Brock

If I could give 10 stars I would. I have been to cafe zack a few times and it was already my favorite restaurant in Ventura, however my last experience here took it over the top to my favorite restaurant ever. The food is always amazing. The place is unassuming on the outside but the quaint laid back atmosphere inside has a way of making you feel like you’re having a nice dining experience in the comfort of a home. On my last visit my girlfriend and I were celebrating our anniversary and I had called ahead to make a reservation and let them know the occasion. They had a beautiful corner table setup for us and the service we received from Matt was the best I’ve ever received in my life. He made our night feel so special and went way over the top with amazing service recommendations and suggestions not only for that meal but for all over the area. And as always the food was remarkable. Thank you Matt and Cafe Zack. Can’t wait for my next visit!

J’s Life

3 years ago

Cozy, quiet Cafe Zack is a great place for intimate lunches or dinners with a little bit of a European feel. The food was definitely above average, all meals served were visually and tastefully attractive. Wait staff and employees and accommodating and friendly. Good place to eat in Ventura.

Amy Singletary

One of the best filets ever. Peppercorn sauce is to die for. The place is so cute. Staff is amazing and wonderful to everyone. Love it.

Dian Kelly Carroll

5 years ago

We love Cafe Zack! Both the food and service and wine list are just wonderful. It's a fairly small place so consider making reservations.They also do takeout.

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–9 PM
Monday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM
Saturday 5–9 PM
Sunday Closed
Thursday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM
Tuesday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM
Wednesday 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM

Price Range

$30–50