Review: Gulfport’s newest cafe brings exciting twist at an affordable price
The Gulfport side of East Pass Road has a new neighbor that has arrived just in time for the summer months.
Zaki’s Cafe opened its doors in May, bringing a modern, upscale environment that combines sweetly exotic ingredients with accessible pricing.
The coffee and dessert shop was named by the owner’s son, Wally, whose family moved to the Coast from Louisiana in 2018. Zaki’s prides itself on preparing everything in-house, and that includes roasting their own coffee.
Its niche is in the rarities. Zaki’s provides especially strong, and centuries-old, traditional Turkish coffee. It also boasts what may be the largest range of pistachio-based food and drink items in the area. It’s a spin found in the coffee, the cakes and the Italian and French pastries.
The reviews have been stellar since launch, so we came to test the hype.
Vibe — 5 out of 5
Before we go any further, It is our great pleasure to announce the best Instagram wall on the Mississippi Coast: Zaki’s.
Tired of the same green grass and flat neon signage? So was Zaki’s, apparently. The wall here is alive. A pair of animatronic blue and pick butterflies gently flap their wings over a flower-strewn bed of greenery. The Zaki’s sign up top changes colors, too.
Is this the entire reason I’ve gifted a perfect vibe score? Pretty much. But the rest of the place is great, too.
There’s quiet seating in the back with soft lighting and paintings setting the scene. There’s a personal cove up front with a pair of chairs and an air of cozy privacy.
The barista bar takes up the middle of the room and is the first thing you see upon entering, giving your eyes a quick tour of the cases of desserts and baked goods.
Food — 4 out of 5
Did you have coffee gelato for lunch? No? That’s unfortunate.
Because I did. In a waffle bowl. A bubble waffle bowl, to be exact. If you aren’t as waffly cultured as I am, a bubble waffle is a lot like a waffle, except instead of empty squares you have waffle domes.
This is placed inside of a bowl and used as the vessel for your gelato. Art, really.
This was paired with a strawberry smoothie. Of the six items purchased here, this one ranks sixth. My fault for ordering a smoothie at a coffee shop, I suppose, but this was a miss. Too thin and little taste.
See? I can be critical.
The finishing dessert (which I ate first, actually) was the Dubai chocolate bar. We cannot print what my first words were upon biting into this.
It had a crunchy, chocolate coated casing and was filled with a fluffy pistachio knafeh filling.
We also had a Dubai cake, which is similar to the bar, just with a layer of chocolate cake.
The roast beef sandwich had a lovely Greek dressing. It comes in sub form with two pickle spears.
The two-sided menu was a challenge, for all the right reasons. The bubble waffle for breakfast may have won out, but cinnamon rolls, chocolate and Dubai croissants and the omelet sandwich put up a fight.
Then there’s the cakes that come in tres leches, lotus, pistachio, coffee, banana, red velvet and plenty more. Or maybe you want tiramisu or a pistachio cheesecake. Choosing a drink isn’t any easier.
There are 11 different ways to have your coffee, from the morning jump start Turkish coffee to the sweet only-coffee-I-can-handle frappuccino.
For those hot summer afternoons there’s lemonade and refreshers that come in peach mango, strawberry and dragonfruit.
Zaki’s offers strong versatility within its specialty with a pistachio twist around every corner of the menu and is worth exploring time and again, if not necessary to.
Value — 4.5 out of 5
The half-point missing isn’t necessarily a knock. Nearly every single thing on the menu is $9.99 or less.
The average cost of our six items was $7.94. And we left very happy.
The half-point is more about what people may not know about certain ingredients. You may find it odd that your Dubai chocolate bar carried the same price tag as a waffle bowl filled with gelato.
That’s because pistachio is one expensive nut. It’s often paired with a higher quality cocoa, as well.
So be prepared for a slight cost increase on your green treats. Around that, a 12 oz. latte with a cinnamon roll hits you for $9.48. And you can’t get Pistachio cream added at Starbucks.
Zaki’s Cafe has effectively carved itself a spot at the top of the Coast coffee chain with an affordable menu and a wide array of indulgences.
And did I mention the butterflies? They move.
Address: 2093 E Pass Road Suite A, Gulfport
Hours: Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This story was originally published July 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
