The 411 on Zurita #
Address: 711 NW 2nd Court
Newport, Oregon
Website: https://zuritainnye.com
Phone: 541-275-5078
The Vibe: We only stayed in the beach town of Newport for two nights during our twentieth anniversary road trip this past March. I wanted one nice dinner during the trip, and it made sense to have it on the one day we weren’t driving six hours from destination to destination. I came across many recommendations for Local Ocean Seafoods and Clearwater Restaurant, even Georgie’s Beachside Grill located at our hotel. They all sounded great! But my taste buds wanted more variety than their understandably seafood-heavy menus. Perhaps because I’d already hovered down a quarter pound of Dungeness crab at South Beach Fish Market for lunch.
Yum! Ask for a side of butter with your crab salad order.
Zurita, with its focus on Spanish tapas, absolutely fit the bill. Plus, they are in Nye Beach, which gave us the chance to see another Newport neighborhood during our brief time there. From the moment I saw Zurita’s brick red, plant-friendly building, I knew I’d chosen well.
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The Mediterranean color palate and inviting oak wood inside confirmed my instincts.
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It felt warm, inviting, and lively, though most patrons had left by the time we arrived as they only had late slots available when I called. Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time, especially if you’re going during peak tourist season!
I was intrigued by the little nook we were seated next to and imagined how lovely it would be to have musicians playing there.
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At tapas restaurants, I can satiate my need to try as many dishes as possible, a curse of many foodies. Picking 3-5 options for a party of two is usually a good plan. I loved that their cocktail menu included several sherry options, both on their own and in mixed drinks. That was an excellent indicator that this spot appreciates their tapas roots in Spain, and they aren’t just riding coattails of recent “small plates” restaurant trends.
My Take on Zurita #
The Food: Each dish at Zurita tasted remarkably fresh, which is always a good sign. Our first three dishes came out right after each other, so I’ll begin with the iconic tortilla de patatas. It’s a surefire find on any tapas menu, one of Spain’s national dishes that’s essentially a layered potato and egg casserole.
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This one comes with an almond and piquillo pepper romesco, lending acidic vibrancy to a rich and buttery dish! Each bite tasted like luxury: they did not skimp on the butter!
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The roasted carrots with whipped goat cheese, herbs, and Aleppo honey made for a beautiful side dish. The golden, purple, and orange carrots popped on the plate, though the carrots themselves popped a little too much—a few more minutes roasting would have been better. The whipped texture of the goat cheese contrasted well with the slightly-too-crisp carrots. And the sprinkled herbs tied all the dish’s flavors together.
I am not a fan of pâté, but I am always intrigued by duck presentations, and my husband wanted to try the duck mousse. It’s served with toast, pistachios, marmalade, a fig spread, and olives.
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I tried about half a toast and confirmed that yes, pâté is not for me. But my husband eagerly consumed the rest. We also shared the pincho corderos: ground lamb skewers with a yogurt sauce and “Mediterranean rice.”
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I’d describe the rice as saffron blessed. The meat was juicy and flavorful. It helped quench my foodie desire for variety, but I wasn’t done yet as ….
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… we added on one more dish! That’s a tapas-size helping of their grilled & spiced hangar steak, which was also available as an entree. I don’t normally like beef served that rare, but I must admit that its juices made the simple seasonings sing and combined wonderfully with bites of roasted pepper. I enjoyed nearly all of it myself—my husband had filled up on the duck pâté.
It was our twentieth anniversary, so of course, dessert was required!
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I sometimes think that chocolate and raspberry desserts feel dated, but then I remember that it’s a classic pairing for a reason—it’s delicious! Zurita prepares their dark chocolate and raspberry custard torta as a dome, and it delivered the lovely sweet, bitter, and bright flavors that we know and love in such desserts.
The Drinks: Spanish wines, sherries, beers, and ciders comprise most of Zurita’s drinks and cocktail menu, as they should. But a few local beers and wines were also available, along with cocktails, mocktails, and sodas.
My husband opted for the kalimotxo, which sounded to him like a combination of beverages you’d try at a college party: red wine, cola, and lemon.
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It’s a popular combination across Europe, and he enjoyed getting in touch with his youth. I went for the horchata cocktail, which leans into its Spanish origins with Spanish brandy, Grand Marnier, cinnamon, and orange.
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I’ve just learned that horchata was first made in Spain, not Mexico, so now I’m disappointed I didn’t ask if this one was made with tiger nut milk, as is the Spanish tradition, or rice milk, the custom in Mexico. It did taste nutty to me and was a nice palate primer for our first courses. But by the time we got to dessert, I wanted something that would stand up to that chocolate and raspberry richness. So I ended the meal with a taste of Lustau Oloroso sherry. I love restaurants that appreciate sherry’s worth.
Would I Go Back? I’d be happy to! The ambience was just right for us. Although those carrots could have been roasted longer, I’d be hard-pressed to complain about anything else we tried. The prices ranged from the low to high teens for most dishes, which felt right for the quality and location. I hope Zurita will still be there when we visit Newport again someday!
Reviewed 7 March 2026.
