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Zola
Categories: Restaurants American (New) Nightlife Bars Restaurants Seafood American (New), Bars, Seafood [Edit]
800 F St NW(between N 8th St & N 9th St)
Washington, DC 20004
Neighborhood: Penn Quarter
(202) 654-0999
- Nearest Transit:
-
Gallery Place Chinatown Metro Station (Green, Red, Yellow)
Archives Metro Station (Green, Yellow)
Metro Center Metro Station (Blue, Orange, Red)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 12 am
Fri 11:30 am - 1 am
Sat 5 pm - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
272 reviews for Zola
Review Highlights
"The lobster mac & cheese is great."
(in 28 reviews)
"I enjoy Zola because of its unsung bond with the Spy Museum."
(in 36 reviews)
"the Wine list is incredible, Very top notch."
(in 18 reviews)
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272 reviews in English
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Review from Robyn L.
Washington, DC
2/3/2012
Went to Zola this week and had a great meal. The place was quiet as it was a Tuesday, the waiter was very sweet/funny/and attentive. The meal was great. Even the breadbasket had yummy and fresh fun breads.
Here is what we ordered: brussel sprouts, sliders, lobster mac and cheese, truffle fries, venison, rockfish. Yeah, I know it is a lot of food. All of it was delicious! The truffle fries were sooo good and i loved the homemade ketchup and aoili thing. Venison was to die for. My partner loved his rockfish! Sliders, yum! 3 different kinds. And the brussel sprouts were amaazzzing. Lobster mac and cheese was good but not my favorite i've ever had.
Passionfruit Mojito was awesome!!
Definitely a fun place to go for a special occassion or nice date. The bar looked fun too. -
Review from Juliet K.
1/11/2012
man, this place was so disappointing. they catered snacks to this yelp event that i attended - some crab guacamole - and it was so delicious that when it was restaurant week again, i jumped at the chance to try this place out. we walk in and the decor is really nice. its near the spy museum so they had some cool graphic pics on the walls. thank GOODNESS we came for restaurant week. while the whole menu was pretty much available (minus the sides) as part of the 3 course meal, the dishes were just mediocre. the descriptions sounded much better than what actually came out.
apps: pork belly and mussels. the pork belly was prob the best thing i ate at this place the whole night. mussels were not that fresh and had a VERY fishy flavor that i couldnt even eat them! i had to give everything to the bf to finish.
entree: pumpkin scallops and rockfish. scallops were a bit more undercooked then i am used to which really made it hard to enjoy them. the texture was just not what i expected. the rockfish was cooked well and there was a lot coated on the outside of the fish, but somehow the fish wasnt flavorful at all. it was the strangest thing. and the grains that they give you on the side was just blah. and the marscapone i thought would be somehow nicely mixed in, but it was just a dollop on the plate like it was an afterthought. presentation needs work!
it took the waiter about 20 mins to clear off the entree plates from the table. service was SLOW and he only had 3 tables which were all 2 tops. really!? CMON.
dessert: lychee soup and the chocolate torte. lychee soup tasted like the canned lychee juice with some fruit thrown into it with some raspberry sorbet. nothing spectacular. chocolate torte itself wasnt too bad, but they put some kind of raspberry puree on there that was SOOOOOOO tart that it was hard to eat. plus this "hazelnut crunch" that they talk about was literally crushed hazelnut thrown on top. not very creative head chef.
overall, this restaurant was a complete bust. we both left feeling full but not satisfied at all. disappointing. the cocktail i ordered was decent, and i liked the bread and the butter. that was my fav thing, the bread and butter. SO SAD. bad food and bad service for a steep price. STAY AWAY. -
Review from Serena B.
12/19/2011
I had a great experience here on Saturday night for a Christmas/Birthday celebration with my fiancee. It was also nice that we could see the art museum and holiday market just outside the window- it was a nice wintry DC experience.
As for the meal/service itself, it was a little weird that the wine menu was not provided when I was initially seated, but they brought it over soon after. I had a simple glass of pinot grigio that was fine but nothing spectacular.
There were many diverse options for the entrees, and they also have good-sized small plates that are nice for sharing too. We had the lobster mac and cheese to share, which was delicious and an adequate portion. It had a good amount of lobster, unlike other restaurants that serve this dish. I greatly enjoyed my pumpkin scallops entree.
They also provided a complimentary dessert (our choice) due to the birthday, which was very nice. It was a wonderful chocolate bombe with a festive birthday candle. -
Review from Dave F.
Columbia, MD
1/29/2012
Came as a group on restaurant week (Wednesday). It was busy. I cannot remember our server's name, but he was a younger white guy with long hair. He was very chill, yet very knowledgable about the menu and pleasant to talk with in general. One of the best waiters I've had in a long time.
The hostness that night was extremely rude and would be fired if I was the boss. She was the worst part of the night.
For food, I had the Apple and Beat Salad to start. The sauce was amazing and the beats were really good. I had leftover apples after eating everything else on the plate.
For the entree, I had the Hay Smoked Venison Loin. It came with like a potato salad kind of side, and that was enjoyable, though I had gotten a side of the gouda/aoili fries, which made it a little redundant. The Venison itself was very tender and juicy. I'd get it again.
For dessert, I had the apple charlotte since they were out of the chocolate bombe. It was rather boring and I felt like I could get a better dessert from a grocery store bakery.
Overall the wait service was great, the hostess is terrible, and the food is 2/3 great. The dessert needs work. Would I go back again? Probably not since there is so much more to choose from in the city. Not bad to try once though. -
Review from Trevor M.
When you make a great seasonal drink and it does soooo well, and when I come in with a party of four just to have that wonderful elixer called 'Smoke' and you don't have it anymore and we leave and are just disappointed with that fact and even when the bartender looks annoyed with the fact that they no longer are serving the drink and before I make this the world's longest run-on sentence rant over a drink.
Breathe....
REALLY? Bring it back... Come on! You know you have to. You know that it's the right decision...just look at the review I did earlier on this. Really. Look down. This is ROTD material here. This is what we Yelpers are about. Finding something really cool and sharing it with everyone and anyone cause we are Fly like that.
Ok, I realize that this is a seasonal drink. So, I contend that we are in a season now. It's a good season. There are four seasons in one day. But, when you don't have it anymore... I will consider that a....wait for it....
EPIC FAIL!!! Yes, EPIC!
Ok, but the rest of the menu, food, happy hour and service is still good.
But, for my sake....please, please bring it back.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/20/2011
Smoke.
A seasonal cocktail listed under 'Edible' on their bar menu.
Smoke.
Nothing that you would… Read more »
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Review from Nicole R.
Alexandria, VA
1/23/2012
Zola Zola Zola...such yum-dillious-ness..okay so that is not a word but I will say "WORD" to my evening with friends. Slowly enjoying fab cocktails, carnita tacos and the split roasted chicken made me very satisified. My friends had house merlot...simple but nice finish and the sliders. Repeat performance please!
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Review from Su C.
Newport Beach, CA
11/24/2011
Too cute and delicious! I came here because of the review in Time Magazine.
Visiting D.C., one must come here for the lamb shank---best ever so far compared to several shanks I've had in CA!
It falls off the bone. Tastes like Maui and the Big Island--pineapple, tangy sauce! Scrumptious!
I ate the brussel sprouts and had their tasty, smooth, ginger whiskey!! If you like sweet and whiskey, try it!! It gives you a lovely kick to start your night!
The ambiance is worth coming for as well! The spies on the walls. The decor is very upscale. The view overlooks the museums and great historical architecture! =) -
Review from Bahar R.
Palo Alto, CA
12/9/2011
Love their happy hour & mini burgers! Despite the fact that my now bf stood me up on our first date here, I still come back here ;)
Food/drinks: yummy & satisfying
Ambiance: upscale, classy
Price: reasonable during happy hour -
Review from Rebekah N.
Washington, DC
1/14/2012
I came to zola for restaurant week and was very disappointed with the food.
First, the bread basked came out with two pieces of long hair. Incredibly disgusting. The server took it away and brought another hot basket much later.
I started with the beet and apple salad--somehow they managed to turned these beautifully colored foods into a gray mess. the salad not only looked unappetizing but it also tasted bad. it had a weird garlic, tangy taste which doesn't go well with beets and apples.
For my entree I ordered a lemongrass seafood bouillabaisse. Again, the presentation was horrible. It was gray and messily thrown together in the plate. In fact, the main filet was cut up into pieces, making it look like leftovers. Also, the shrimp was sad-looking and small, the filet was dry, the potatoes were soggy, and only two out of the three mussels even opened. The only redeeming part of the dish was the sauce.
I also tried a bite of my friends lobster mac and cheese. It's almost impossible to mess up mac and cheese, but somehow Zola managed to do just that. It was flavorless!
Lastly, I got a chocolate torte. It was nothing special. It tasted like a frozen dessert you can get from safeway.
Though we had an awesome server, the meal was entirely disappointing from start to finish. I will never return to this place. And offensively, had it not been restaurant week, the meal would have cost upwards of $55. -
Review from Amy L.
Arlington, VA
12/4/2011
"Meh" is probably a fair way to describe this place, but two stars may be a little unfair considering this is DC.
Zola is DC standard tourist restaurant... nice decor, upscale feel, trendy location, mediocre food, and passable service. Nothing we had was spectacular (except for the bread). The food did come out fast and hot, and service was close enough to good to not warrant any criticism. The decor here is great, very low slung lounge feel, and very confortable and warm. The cocktails were underwhelming as well.
While certainly not a bad experience, I feel for spending this kind of money I should get something spectacular for my money, and we just didn't. As far as convenient options when in Chinatown, I think ZOLA will do just fine, but I won't be making a special trip for it. I hear they do a great happy hour so will probably be back for that soon. -
Review from Katie R.
Niantic, CT
10/29/2011
Fabulous in every way. Whether going out for drinks or for a nice dinner this is a great choice! I went last year for restaurant week and was very satisfied with the entire experience!
The staff is very welcoming. Our waitor was able to offer us assistance with our wine choice, which was great because neither of us were pretending to be experts on which wine goes well with which entree.
Both of our meals were delicous and creative, not your typical meal. If I had to pick one thing I loved the MOST it would be bread :) I am a sucker for good bread. Thiers had some spice to it. I am not sure if this is what they normally serve or if they have different breads- But this one was delish!
Overall great experience, I would go again no doubt! -
Review from Cheryl C.
Nokesville, VA
11/30/2011
Just had dinner there tonite. For a Wed nite, super slow service. Took over 20 minutes to order, and each time the waiter came, another 15 minutes to come back. Had to ask for our check 3 times. Small selection of entrees, would not make substitutions without extra charge. Didn't get our order correct, had to return one order twice. Chicken was really dry, but scallops were very good, or I wouldn't have even given them one star. Will never go back.
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Review from Megs T.
8/17/2011
Summer Restaurant Week take one!!
Decided to check out Zola for the first time as I'd heard they were offering their FULL MENU during restaurant week.
Can I get an "Amen"!?!?
First impression was that I really dug the bar/bar scene. The "$5 martinis every day all day" did pique my interest, but of course, that only applies if you would actually drink a vodka martini made with Smirnoff?? Umm, nooo thanks. Will pass on that headache.
I did try a "Cactus Margarita," however, and it was absolutely elegant. Believe it was made with Milagro Silver, agave nectar and some other stuff. But it was lovely and a testament to some skilled bartenders and a thoughtful, creative-but-not-over-the-top bar menu.
I had a second.
On to dinner.
Full menu was indeed available for the RW price.
Started with the smoked mussel bisque which was good and unlike any other bisque I've had. Could have used more than a few cracks from a pepper mill, which was the only hiccup in the service that I noticed.
Had the duck as my main at server's suggestion and thought it was delish! Interesting setting with rice, cherries and swiss chard--but it worked. I felt it was a testament to a skilled chef.
I'm not a dessert girly, but was pleased to see they offered cheeses on their dessert menu.
Decided to ask the server if they would let me do cheese in lieu of dessert at the RW price.
YES! And I got to pick three which came out very generously portioned with some flatbreads and jams.
Happy.
For a RW experience I give Zola a 5 stars for the choices one is afforded and the quality.
If this were not a RW experience, I'd rate Zola somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Good...not quite memorable.
Would definitely return for the wonderful cocktails, reasonable and wide wine list, and to explore more plates. -
Review from AJ D.
Washington D.C., DC
10/8/2011
I would probably give this more like 3.5 stars. The atmosphere is fantastic especially if you get a table with a view of the National Portrait Gallery. The service was spot on attentive while giving us our space so we could have a long meal. I thought the brussel sprouts were under cooked but the sauce was divine. The ravioli and the scallops came out a bit too quickly but they were perfect!
TIP: Go around the corner to the Zola Wine & Kitchen and buy your wine at retail and pay zero for corkage at the restaurant. We did this and their also happened to be a free wine tasting that we caught the tail end of which helped us pick our wines. -
Review from John M.
Sterling, VA
12/13/2011
After seeing a show at the Verizon Center, book a table for 10pm. The staff seemed to still have a tone of energy and were extremely well informed on the menu. As soon as we sat down, or server approached us and gave us the rundown of the menu which allow us to decided what we wanted rather quickly. Food was out very fast, possibly due to the time of night, but the food completely lived up to the hype our server gave it. Thanks to the great food and the friendly and knowledgeable staff, will definitely return.
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Review from Karry L.
Washington, DC
8/15/2011
I should preface this by saying that I rarely, if ever, venture into establishments where there's a separate dessert menu and the napkins don't come from dispensers; I am for the most part an "eat tacos with one hand, cold beer in the other" type of diner. That said, sometimes I'm possessed by a flight of fancy, and I like to go out, throw around my fat yuppie wallet and my discerning palate, and pretend I'm Sam Sifton ready to drop some stars on the newest foodie hotspot. Those occasions almost always occur during restaurant week. I know, it's a weird coincidence.
I rolled in for a weekday lunch reservation and was promptly seated at a window table. In an attempt to ignore the fact that the median age of the diners around me had to be somewhere north of 45, I started with one of their $5 martinis, because naturally, there's nothing like drinking by yourself at noon on a Monday. The drink was acceptably strong and came in a larger glass than I'm accustomed to; so far, so good. Next came an apple and beet salad with blue cheese and some sort of berry vinaigrette: good textures, nice balance of tart, pepper and sweetness. But probably not worth the $10 for a fistful of greens if you're ordering off the regular menu.
For the main, I had the spring bouillabaisse featuring rockfish, salmon and scallops, and while it definitely wasn't straight off a Marseille fishing trawler, it had its own rustic charm, notwithstanding the rockfish which was a touch too bland. Dessert was an appropriately named chocolate bombe, a precarious concoction of coco bean ice cream, chocolate cake and passionfruit sauce covered by a solidified dome of chocolate. Hard to screw up when the word "chocolate" is listed that many times in the previous sentence, I thought, and it did not disappoint. Overall, tasty, satisfying and surprisingly filling.
In terms of service, it was startlingly attentive, probably more so for a man who's used to eating in the presence of people who probably don't even have green cards. The waitress even wiped the crumbs off my table. I suppose if you just dropped $30 on a single entree you might be entitled to some babying. Not sure if I'd ever come here if there wasn't some sort of deal attached, but for what it's worth, I certainly enjoyed my experience. I hear the happy hour's an even better deal, so I'll have to check it out at some point. -
Review from April S.
11/11/2011
I must say I love Zola's. This is my favorite restaurant in DC. The atmosphere is just right for a night with the ladies or a date night with your man. The food is always fresh and the wait staff make you feel special and appreciated. If I could, I would eat there everyday.
Listed in: Best Restaurants
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Review from Mark B.
San Diego, CA
10/11/2011
My wife and daughter were in DC for a week and this was one of the best places we ate dinner!! The food was imaginitive, tasty, not mainstream in any way, but the service was by far the best we had all week. We were not too sure which wine we wanted so the waiter poured several options to taste, I found a new wine i would never have chosen from the list.We felt a little out of place as most patrons were in suits, and we were in shorts, but the staff was very accomodating, and we quickly felt very comfortable.
Excellent place for a romantic dinner, power dinner, or just a relaxing night out. the Wine list is incredible, Very top notch! -
Review from Tasha R.
Queens Village, Queens, NY
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
I ended up here after seeing it featured on the food network. Since it was restaurant week, I was able to sample a 3 course meal for $34, which was great.
Firstly, the restaurant itself is very swanky, and it located in a nice area of DC. The service was good, and there was no wait for a table considering it was a Friday night. The drinks that my boyfriend and I had were good as well; I had the Zola, and he had a passion mojito.
The food on the other hand, was eh. I had the beet and fruit salad for an appetizer which was good. My bf had the hush puppies -- not so good. I had the halibut for my entree; it was okay, the fish really had no flavor but the rice that came with it was yummy. My boyfriend had the steak; it was a very small portion and was overcooked. For dessert, I had the tapioca pudding which was nice and light, but again, very small portion. My boyfriend had the flour-less chocolate cake and it was yucky! It was more ice cream than cake and the passion fruit sauce they covered it in was so off putting! Definitely a bad end to the meal...
Bottom line, Zola is overrated! Don't see myself eating here again, especially considering that without restaurant week, the menu is pretty pricey! -
Review from Dana Z.
6/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Happppyy HourS!
Came here for HH since they started a new $5 drink menu and discounted food. Thank you Mike for putting up with my crazy out of town friend that dropped in. (I know he's weird.) Anyway, that has nothing to do with this review.
Started off with the Strawberry Blon. Well actually, I WANTED to start off with the Strawberry Blon. But they were out of the stuff to make it. So I got the mojito. It was ok. Like Mike said, a little sweet - probably from the passion fruit. Still good though.
Ordered the tacos which you get 3 for $7. They were SO GOOD. Amazing even!
Decided to get one more drink and wanted to get one of their drinks off their regular menu, so I tried the Cactus Margarita (on the rocks!) It was um, made pretty strong! I'm a weakling (plus had to drive later) and I totally couldn't finish it.
I tried my friend's "Smoke" drink, which is a strange drink. It makes your entire mouth feel like a campfire. Actually, it makes you smell like you just came from a campfire too. If you're a whiskey fan then that's totally your drink.
I may have rated this place 5 because I enjoyed my experience but it sucks that they seemed to be out of a lot of things to make many of the drinks. Not only were they out of the one I mentioned, but they were out of something else Mike went to order too. So booo to that. So it's 4 stars with potential to be bumped to 5 since I'd like to return and try more drink creations. -
Review from Kirsten M.
Washington, DC
11/7/2011
First, let me explain my poor rating is due more to the service than the food. My husband and I have loved Zola for years and have visited for special occasions or to take family members visiting us. We had not been in a while as they had removed the most amazing dessert ever from their menu ("Bombe...chocolate bomb"). When looking for a place to go out on Saturday we decided it had been long enough and we liked the atmosphere and food enough that we'd survive without the delicious dessert. :-)
Upon arriving, we were seated immediately (excellent) and a waiter came over promptly. My husband had been disappointed to see the drink menu had changed and asked him if he knew about a specific drink that had been previously on the menu. The waiter thought he knew, but didn't, and then interupted my husband's description of the drink to tell us he'd check in with us later. Not that he'd look int it or ask the bartender...Ok....about 15 minutes go by before he comes back. During that time, my husband has gone himself to the bar to ask the bartender for this drink and to see if they can make something non-alcoholic for me. The bartender said sure and he'd leave it for the server. When our server finally comes back he says "Now what". I wasn't sure if he was asking if we had questions or were ready to order, so when I asked him, he replied curtly, "I can do whatever". Yikes!
I never got my drink so I went myself to the bar to get it. While waiting for the bartender our waiter comes to the bar, asks what I"m doing and then says "oh ok" and walks away! He doesn't offer to pick up the drink, that he should've done 15 minutes ago when it was ordered, but instead thinks it's perfectly reasonable that I'm getting my own drink. Ridiculous.
Fast forward to food - I got sweet potato soup, and the chicken. My husband got the smoked venison. Absolutely no complaints about the food for dinner.
Our last disappoinment was that the "Chocolate bomb" (that had returned to the menu) was a sorry excuse for the rich, delicious ganache like old "bomb". This was a scoop of chocolate ice cream covered in a gross, hard shell on top of a flat, tasteless piece of chocolate bread (I don't even know what to call it; it wasn't a cookie and it certainly wasn't cake. It was chewy and brown and reminded me of bread).
So...while we LOVE the atmosphere and had decent meals, the poor service will really make us think twice about returning anytime soon, especially with guests. -
Review from Mike S.
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Zola has a pretty awesome happy hour deal. I really can't argue with $5 well made cocktails and excellent bar food. I got a Passion Mojito, which was tasty but a little on the sweet side for me. To reaffirm my manliness, I followed this with a Smoke, which is a whiskey of your choice, Carpano Antica and smoked apple ice. The result is a very smoky tasting whiskey drink, which I think works very well. Unfortunately, this is not on the happy hour menu. It is whatever the whiskey price is + $3. Not exactly cheap but I'd say it's worth a try.
The food is pretty solid too. The carnitas tacos had a very nice flavor and definitely worth $7. My crabcake and fried oyster dish was okay. The crabcake was good but the fried oyster did not have much taste. I would say there are better options on the menu. -
Review from Ann V.
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Review from garrett s.
Gaithersburg, MD
8/30/2011
Zola is a cool spot. a modern yet historic vibe to the place with a variety of surprises throughout the space. a great scene for young professionals - most are huddled around the bar, in the lounge or sitting down for group dinners in the main dining room.
I would suggest sitting at the front of the restaurant, by the windows is a great view and is a great spot to watch the room as well as enjoy the company across from you. I just went for a group dinner and look forward to returning to Zola as a date spot soon. the food was solid - the duck especially. steak also had high marks. some of the other seafood dishes were explored but they weren't that inspiring (trout and salmon). I will be back soon to explore more of the menu.
the place seems to have its act together and doing well. great wine list that is carved up by price and region and type to make selections easier. the desserts seemed appealing but we were too fully to explore more than the icecream dessert which was pretty great. -
Review from Emily P.
Bethesda, MD
8/19/2011
Heard many good things about Zola, so I made a stop during DC Restaurant Week. Since this was my first time participating in RW, I decided to order the most expensive, richest dishes (why not?). To start, I got a plain appetizer though; cooked asparagus and artichokes drenched in oil. The veggies tasted good, but the oil was too much for me. For the entree, I orded medium rare steak with arugula and red potatoes. The presentation of the dish was artistic; I was expecting everything to be partitioned, but the steak lay on top of the other sides. The steak was a little on the rare side, but I thought overall it was delicious. I finished the meal with a Chocolate Bombe cake. Chocolate dessert shell atop of chocolate ice cream and this chocolate cookie-like substance. Surrounded by raspberries and passion fruit sauce.
I really enjoyed the meal. But I think the only reason why I give it 3 stars is that I felt that it didn't sit well in my stomach. Probably didn't help that I wasn't feeling well, or that I ordered the most indulgent things, and also that I'm not used to eating a 3 course meal during lunch...Who knows, but I had to factor all that in towards this review. -
Review from Devon T.
Washington, DC
8/17/2011
I haven't been to Zola for a few years, and my fiance had never been until last night. We decided to go for Restaurant Week to scope out the restaurant as a potential site for our rehearsal dinner next year. Unfortunately, I have to admit that both of us walked away a bit underwhelmed.
The service was not up to the standard that I'd experienced before and that we enjoy elsewhere. Our waiter disappeared for 15 minutes after giving us our menus and then was unprepared to take our order when he checked in. We ordered a bottle of wine, and when the waiter poured a taste into my fiance's glass, there was a good eraser-sized bit of cork floating in his glass. Despite the fact that we pointed this out to the waiter immediately, he did not offer to provide a new bottle. We feel that's fairly standard procedure, and we were surprised that a wine-centric restaurant like Zola did not comply. We requested a decanter, and even after the wine was decanted, there were obvious bits of cork floating in the wine; again, the waiter did nothing to remove them or provide an alternate bottle.
After we received our check and were finishing the last few sips of the bottle we'd ordered, our waiter appeared with a small glass of another wine that we had been considering, to "make up" for the corking. While we appreciated the gesture in general, we were literally moments from leaving, already had two glasses of wine in front of us, and the new wine didn't exactly pair with the other. I also noticed that the new wine we were served was from a bottle that the waiter had picked up moments before, with the intention of pouring a glass for another table. When he noticed that there wasn't much left (mostly dregs), he poured it into a glass and offered it to us instead.
Our food was good, but not necessarily exceptional. I understand that with Restaurant Week, there are sometimes additional stresses in the kitchen, and the food may not shine as usual. That being said, my hanger steak had obviously been sitting on the counter for a few minutes as it was at room temperature and the fat on the meat had begun to congeal, and the combination of balsamic and brocolli rabe was so bitter (beyond the standard, pleasant bitterness of the vegetable), that I hardly ate any of it. The fried green tomatoes to start were much better, and the Irish Stout Sundae was good, but the brownie was a bit too dry for my liking.
I'll return to Zola for their happy hour, and I'll certainly continue to frequent their wine store & bistro around the corner, but I definitely think the main restaurant has lost a lot of its edge. -
Review from Taylor G.
Arlington, VA
7/31/2011
This is only a review for HAPPY HOUR. I was with a large group, but we got there early so we had the whole back corner of the bar. This is a really small bar, it almost reminded me of a hotel bar. My biggest complaint was the bartender. He was not friendly at all and almost acted like we were putting him out every time we ordered a drink and we were eating and drinking A LOT.
However, the cocktails were good and strong, only $5 too! I had a martini, which was pretty good and I don't really like martinis. I also had the mojito, which was decent. My favorite drink was the strawberry blon! Sooo good and strong. I don't even like tequila, but loved this drink. I only had to miso crab sticks to eat, but they were good! -
Review from Proteus D.
Skillman, NJ
10/27/2011
I've eaten here twice. Once with a big group to celebrate a friends birthday and once while in DC with a colleague on business. The food is very nice. I had the Soup and then the Spit Roasted chicken accompanied by the Sage Roasted Fall Squash. Pleasant and not too pricey. Good ambiance and friendly / quick service.
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Review from Kat Z.
Washington, DC
6/28/2011
I've been to Zola before but this time was pretty disappointing. The food was okay but the service was pretty bad. We had a 6:30 p.m. reservation and we didn't get out of there until after 8:30 p.m.
The waiter disappeared for long stretches of time. For example, we sat down, looked over the menu, and a friend asked about non-alcoholic drinks while another friend expressed interest in ordering beer. The first friend and my husband both ordered some lemonades (delicious but syrupy, strong, sweet - both of them were watering down the drinks) and the server came back with the drinks, handed my friend the beer list and ... disappeared. Which was weird because half of our party had drinks but the rest of us were sipping on waters.
The food we had was fine - delicious but spicy gazpacho (though the server didn't give us spoons), good French fries. I enjoyed my raspberry wheat Shock Top and my prawns though they were served with the heads on. My husband said his skirt steak was okay. We were just really disappointed by the service. A friend of mine had an errand she had to run by 9 p.m. We thought that a 6:30 p.m. dinner reservation would not be a problem. We didn't even consider dessert because we had been there for so long. -
Review from Woah D.
Chandler, AZ
5/13/2011
If you look at my Yelp history, you'll see I rarely review. Typically I give a half-ass "Quick Tip" so I can beat my husband at checking in on Facebook. That being said, Zola is definitely worth taking time to praise.
I'm not hip, cool, or trendy so I won't try to compare Zola to other hot spots. The decor is sleek and the music is good but the food is AMAZING. This is my absolute favorite happy hour spot in DC. Every dish is artfully plated and tastes just as perfectly crafted!
It can get pricey but thankfully, there's a happy hour and reverse happy hour to ease the pull on your wallet.
If you go to DC you MUST eat here! -
Review from Elizabeth G.
Washington, DC
11/3/2011
I went to Zola for the first time tonight. The entrees were fantastic -- I had the fresh crab cake (which is not really a crab cake at all, but more of a cold fresh crab salad, but the waiter told me that when I ordered it) and it was great. The components -- avocado, orange and giner caviar, and fresh crab with cilantro -- were well-presented and tasted great. My husband ordered the duck and can't stop talking about it ("fat like bacon!") or the accompanying spring rolls.
We skipped appetizers in favor of desserts, but shouldn't have. The desserts are where this loses a star. My tiramisu so alcohol-soaked that it tasted like I was doing shots, and the chocolate bomb thing my husband ordered was only OK. Next time, I'd get appetizers instead of dessert, and stop for a scoop of ice cream on the way home if I still want dessert.
Overall, service was good -- a little slow but we weren't in a rush. I like the spy theme, but the general decor gave me a K-St-lobbyist-steak-place feel. Prices are high ($25-$30 entrees) but the food was worth it. -
Review from Doug P.
Updated - 9/2/2011
So I am not sure why I had waited so long to come back to Zola, but a year later I was back for restaurant week and had a great meal. Our waiter was extremely friendly and personable and really enhanced the dining experience ( I forget his name but he said he used worked and Texas for a bit). The Gorgonzola fries....INCREDIBLE. The gazpacho and mussels were also extremely good. I forget the extra entree that I had though, because we happily polished through the bottle of wine we got at a restaurant week price as well. All I remember was it was very satisfying. Their chocolate cake dessert, also delicious. You can tell the staff and restaurant takes pride in their work and treats their customers in a friendly and respectful manner. I could not think of a reason why someone would not want to try Zola. I will definitely be back soon, save me a seat!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/15/2010
I came here for Restaurant Week and really enjoyed it. First off, it is extremely rare for a… Read more »
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Review from Theresa G.
Rockville, MD
10/19/2011
Had a wonderful dinner in summer of 2011. Service was great and food nicely presented.
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Review from N S.
Washington, DC
12/10/2010
HOLD UP.
You leave me 2 messages to confirm my reservation. I call back and am subjected to some automated menu that has me on hold taking me in circles for 10 minutes???
I'm sorry...am I inconveniencing you??? Sorry to be such a hassle, you know following up on what YOU requested of me.
Malfunction
Breakdown
Failure
Impairment
Bug
Defect
Glitch
Flaw
Problem
Fault
Please message me confirmation that this review was read and will be taken into consideration, and I will gladly pull it. Thank you. -
Review from jacq m.
Silver Spring, MD
12/9/2011
I just had dinner tonight. I had the rockfish, and my friend had the strip steak. I also ordered the butternut squash soup. I liked everything. The service could have been better; we waited a while for our check. But I still enjoyed myself. Its a beautiful place with a nice view of the gallery. No glasses of red zin, that kind of sucked. I love red zin. All and all, solid food, but it just seems like its not the best place for locals to dine. It was the only place we could get a reservation last minute after work.
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Review from Ryan E.
Washington, DC
10/6/2011
Zola is one of the better restaurants in downtown DC. The elegant dining rooms and bar are beautiful and the atmosphere has an aura of sophisticated mystique.
There were some real standouts at dinner. The sweetbreads were extraordinary; if you have never sampled them before, this is by far the best place to do so, as you will be an instant convert. The venison leg has the perfect amount of smokiness to balance to gamey meat. Others in my party gave high marks for the lamb shank and the corn-crusted scallops. For high-end dining, the portions were well-sized and appropriately priced.
Like most DC restaurants, service was a bit of a let down. Our waiter was alright, but drink refills took forever, and the "leisurely" service was about an inch away from being inattentive. On top of that, he was rather stern and never smiled, and certainly did not exude warmth and friendliness. We also got bad attitude from a hostess when we asked to move tables; she wanted to cram our large party into a tiny booth even though there were plenty of spacious tables in the otherwise empty dining room. -
Review from Chuckie B.
Washington, DC
3/1/2011
I'm a fan of good food and art and Zola brings the 2 together quite well in my opinion.
I would recommend going with someone who has money or likes to blow it because this is not a cheap place. But it you like fine dining, it's a must-go-to spot.
The wine selection is very nice and well as the menu selection. I enjoyed it as well as the wifey. If you're a business person looking for a good place to eat around Chinatown, head there! -
Review from Fatima K.
1/26/2011
Ugh, it breaks my heart.
I'd always wanted to have dinner at Zola's but for whatever reason never got around to it until this past Tuesday.
Normally I would stop by Zola for drinks after having dinner at Rasika or Zaytinya and was always satisfied with their drinks. I should've stuck with that.
The atmosphere is great. The Spy museum decor runneth over, all over Zola, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The wait staff are wonderful and attentive. Despite the crowd or day of the week, it's always eerily quiet and conversations are easily held. So, why the 2 stars?! Gah.
I had a crap dinner AND dessert. The sablefish and the Pina Colada crepe. Yuck.
I may be all sorts of wrong about this, because the waiter assured me, before I ordered the sablefish, that it was the most popular fish entree, that everyone loved it, it was fresh from local fishermen, and blah blah blah...
Who the hell cares? It wasn't yummy.
The pina colada crepe was all my doing. Word to the wise, it's nothing like a crepe and if by pina colada, they mean they're going to give you micro pineapple chunks amidst a pastry log and citrus spread, then, um ... Yeah, I guess that's a pina colada crepe.
Minus the pina colada flavor.
Minus the crepe.
Minus everything you thought you were ordering.
Heavy on the wtf???!!!
I should probably add that I'm super particular about fish. I generally don't like it and the only fish entrees that I've consistently liked have been striped bass and mahi mahi. However, the waiter sold the sablefish as the next coming of Christ and he seemed to know what he was talking about. Who was I to question him? He was wearing an ascot for Christ's sake.
I should've just ordered the chicken. The sablefish comes sitting on top of a small rectangular bed of rice mixed with what seems to be stuffing drizzled with a tart pomegranate sauce. Kind of sounds good, and it was okay but, the sablefish is baked with the skin on. Deal breaker. The skin makes it taste super "fishy".
Does that make sense?
I don't like fishy fish. I was told a long time ago that if fish were fresh, it wouldn't have a "fish" smell or taste and I believe that to be true. I like fresh fish, not fishy fish. Am I saying Zola's gave me three day old fish? Oh. I don't know, but I wasn't a fan,
My date ordered the duck. Again, it was okay. A little dry, which is weird because I normally associate duck with being really moist and succulent, more so than chicken. It had the texture of unsalted pork, with very little flavor. No bueno.
I don't know what the hell happened, but I wouldn't do dinner at Zola's again. Go to Zaytinya, Rasika, Zengo, almost anywhere else. Sure they may not have the "sophisticated" decor of Zola's but you'll have tasty food and a ridiculous bill, not just the latter.
It's all about balance folks. -
Review from Nicole O.
At the beginning of January, my friend Olga invited me to a tasting dinner at Zola as a late Christmas/New Year's present.
We had the option of the chef's tasting menu or choosing from different sections of the menu to compose our own tasting. It was hard to pick exactly what I wanted since everything seemed delicious. We were pulled away from the menu a few times by interesting attention to detail such as: black napkins so that the white napkins wouldn't leave lint on our laps; interesting place settings of marble and decorative cut-outs; an inventive use of wall-space by way of a square window cut out that let us see directly into the kitchen.
Thankfully we were given the option of choosing a drink while we mulled over the menu. Olga had the bartender create an off-the-menu recommendation called "Passion" which had mango rum, passion fruit juice, sparkling wine, and a sugar rim. I chose the Poire, but was later informed there were no sage leaves. I asked for what Olga had chosen, but by that time, sage leaves had magically appeared again and I was able to have my Poire as intended, with Mezcal, pear brandy, pear nectar, ginger syrup, and garnished with pear segment & sage. It was deliciously sweet, complex, and tempered with the savoriness of the sage.
After receiving our drinks, I had finally made up my mind on what to order. Sort of. The tasting menu seemed perfect except for one dish, which I swapped for one of Olga's dishes.
Before the food started coming out of the kitchen, we received a tiny amuse-bouche of fennel brioche, creme fraiche, cured salmon, Ossetia caviar, and amaranth microgreen. We also received a hot bread basket of spicy lavash w/ hawaiian sea salt, hard rolls, pumpkin bread, and olive bread.
[ 1 ] My first dish of quail was delicious, especially when stuffed with one of my other favorite meats-duck. Polenta can go very wrong very easily, but this was smooth and rich, though not to heavy.
[ 2 ] The turbot that I had for the second course was seared wonderfully, but it seemed a bit out of proportion. The turbot fillet teetered on top of the greens and was almost the size of an entree, not an appetizer. The accompaniments had a nice bite to them that helped to even out the meatiness of the fish, but they quickly ran out and I was left with just a hunk of meat. Juicy, flaky meat, but a bit ill-balanced.
[ 3 ] The veal that followed afterwords for the third course was succulent. The pearl onions underneath the slices of veal were peppered with sweatbreads and soaked up the fennel puree and blood orange glaze. Olga's sablefish tasted a tad fishy to me and the scallion and short rib fried rice seemed a little dry, but all in all it was still a well-balanced dish, especially with the brightness of a pomegranate glaze to cut through the heavier parts of the dish.
[ 4 ] The next, and final, protein course held duck for me and lamb for Olga. The duck was cooked perfectly, but I was thinking back to that turbot from earlier-wishing I had eaten less of that so I could eat more of the duck now. The hedge hog mushrooms were earthy and firm, especially when covered with a house-made huckleberry jus that Olga declared she wanted to eat by the spoonful by itself. The only low point of the dish was the roasted endive, which seemed acrid and bitter amongst the rich, soft, and sweet flavors of the rest of the dish.
During the course of the tasting menu, we had also received a second hot bread basket consisting of Greyere popovers. Great flavors, but at this point we were too full to enjoy them to their fullest potential. Fortunately, I always have room for dessert. We were given a passion fruit dissolvé and a tiny square of raspberry cheesecake. The dissolvé was firm like a meringue but was slightly chalky and one-note. The raspberry cheesecake had a presentation that was tiny, yet beautiful, like an afternoon tea treat. The flavors were clean, citrus-y, and tangy.
[ 5 ] The final course on our journey was dessert. Olga's dessert was pears poached in brown butter served with soft gingerbread cake and hazelnut ice cream. I was adventurous and ordered the eggplant baklava which was crispy, butter, sweet, and not too heavy. Unfortunately, after a few bites, I couldn't fit another thing into my stomach and had to request a to-go bag.
The end of the meal was brought with a box of treats for each of us and a note of thanks from the house. We met with the chef at the end of our meal and were able to tell him face to face our opinions of the new menu.
All in all, I whole-heartedly recommend Zola's new menu if you're in the area. It takes a unique spin on many ingredients and it has dishes for everyone on the spectrum, including safe diners or adventurous foodies. I'd go in to see what they have, if only for delicious drinks, the hot bread baskets, and some huckleberry jus.
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+ + Full review & more pics: http://bit.ly/hpNfbH + + -
Review from Kelly G.
Been here many times before and never yelped it.
With JY for restaurant week years ago.
With Harold for dinner before a movie a little while back.
Several times with the girls (one memorable time when I was breaking up with the Jackal).
Sat at the bar.
Sat in the main dining room.
Sat in the back room in the round banquettes.
But no time was more memorable than when I sat in the front leather bar chairs with my mom after the "Michael Jackson Birthday Bash at Madame Tussauds." (FYI: When I checked in on Foursquare, I got the Zagat Foodie Badge! Imagine that! )
We had sliders and more sauvignon blanc. Sat and sipped and chatted until it was time to go home. I had to work the next day. She didn't. Oh well, another mother daughter moment brought to an end by the work-a-day nine-to-five that pays for all of this lavish living. Ahhh.Listed in: I love Penn Quarter!, KG ROTD
