Zeb — Restaurant in Florence

I was very lucky to stumble into the opportunity to try the food at Zeb. We'd just finished a long stair/hill climb to the top of the overlook and were hungry, but when we looked around the options were dire. A lot of pretty facades or beautiful locales that likely made the owners think would make the tourists gobble up their awful food. We found Zeb, with excellent reviews and Michelin ratings, at the base of our little hike and decided to try our luck knowing there'd likely be a long wait.

When we arrived we were lucky to be greeted and get a seat in the inner corner of the room then were almost immediately attended. The gentleman, whom I presume to be the restaurateur, walked over and his presence felt confident and commanded attention as he began giving us choices on drinks. His thick-framed glasses that glinted with flashes of Royal Blue in the light, were a welcome distraction to my ADHD brain as he read each item on the menu and described every dish in detail. He set the table for us to begin enjoying one of the finest meals we had in our entire trip to Rome, Florence, Edinburgh and Amsterdam.

As he read the menu, I will say that I was a bit overwhelmed with the choices, as he explained the dishes I attempted to picture in my mind and 'digest' it, so to speak, when suddenly we were at the next option. The first course that stood out to me, however, was the Capellacci di Pera, Ricotta e Pecorino in Salsa di Pere. I'd never ventured far past the 'standard' when it came to the flavors and possibilities of pasta so, to me, a savory pasta with pears was definitely intriguing. It was a light, perfectly cooked dish and had a great balance of flavors that worked so well together that every ingredient felt equally represented. Other restaurants try to cover up mediocre food with lots of unnecessary truffle-this or beautiful-view-that, but this dish was simple and elegant.

I was feeling particularly entranced by the food and vibe in the room that I decided to continue with a more adventurous choice for my second course. Being that we were in Florence, we'd been told to try a Florentine Steak numerous times and it felt obligatory by the last day of our visit in this city. On the other hand, I thought to myself, if I am dining at a Michelin-rated restaurant I may as well allow myself to try something different than the 'safe' options. I opted for a Trippa alla Florentina, as it satisfied my appetite for something adventurous and my need to try something 'alla Fiorentina' before our train departed Florence. The dish was reminiscent of a similar dish in Mexican cuisine and had me longing for those cold days with a bowl of hot soup made by my mother. There were additional notes of herbs that were likely locally used that elevated the dish into a more refined experience. The dish felt light with bold flavors from the aromatics blending into the broth -- and while it was soup-esque, it definitely satisfied my hunger.

After our meal, I left the city with a more cozy and welcoming memory than when I'd first arrived. Watching the gentleman describe the menu to other patrons of the restaurant while I ate my food made me appreciate his craft more. As he described the menu you could almost see the glimmer in his eyes fade bit by bit as tourists flocked in and were (in my eyes) more concerned about drinking cheap alcohol or an instagrammable view than the array of wonderful choices before them. Or maybe that was me projecting my own feelings onto him, as he never disparaged or turned away any customer or even looked at them differently no matter how they appeared, me in particular in sweaty clothes and loud USAmerican everything about me.

I sadly never got the name of the restaurateur but he looks like a younger, fitter, bearded Colin Firth, and he provided excellent service that made the entire experience so intimate and feel catered to the individual. If you are in Florence and have time to go on a bit of a gastronomic adventure, in an otherwise saturated market of tourist traps, I'd definitely recommend Zeb in...

The negative reviews are spot on!

TLDR - The owner is snob and from the looks of it a racist as well. That alone is enough to ruin a meal but the food doesn’t even come close to justifying his attitude. Coming from someone who has eaten at multiple Michelin star and guide restaurants, this place does not deserve any praise. Seems like this place like many others in popular tourist spots in italy is being boosted through review manipulation.

Our Experience:

We happened by the restaurant a few minutes before they opened. Despite having already had an early dinner we thought we’d check in and see if they had anything available for later in the evening so we could try out some of their dishes before we left Florence as we saw it was on the Michelin guide. When we asked, the owner told us that they are completely full for the evening. We say we understand and ask if there’s any waiting or cancellation list. He then makes what I believe is a joke, stating that those won’t occur. When we (people of color) ask what the prior group (who were white) put their name down for, they tell us to come back at 9:30. Weird? but we assume it was just miscommunication and believe they are accommodating us somehow. We thank them before leaving to kill some time.

An hour later, we are exhausted and decide to let them know they don’t need to accommodate us anymore at which point we’re surprised to find out they can seat us immediately. Weird? but perhaps a coincidence or last minute cancelation. Nope! Over the course of the next hour we see one group after another, all of whom were told they should come at 9:30 arriving earlier and being seated. Meanwhile other groups who come in are denied saying they are completely booked despite chairs being open. Not sure what’s going on but if i had to guess the owner is catering his clientele based on how they looked. That or they want to build up this rouse that they are constantly booked.

Now for the dinner service. No menus given out so not sure what to expect. After a bit the owner comes out and explains the first course of dishes using a giant chalk board and then stands there waiting for you to make a decision in seconds based on the few words he quickly spat out a moment ago. Keep in mind he does not bother to let us know that he will be going over the second course only when we finish our first, so we end up just sitting in silence for a few seconds waiting to hear what else is on the menu and once we understand his expectations feel pressured to order a few items without much thought. He then questions why we each aren’t ordering a first course in the most condescending and sarcastic way possible and before we could even answer to let him know we weren’t very hungry, he walks away. He then comes back for drink orders and when one person in our group says they’re not drinking he assumes none of us are and visibly annoyed again begins to walk away aggressively taking our drink glasses before I have to stop him so I can place my wine order.

At this point I think he understood our intention to share the food so sends our courses out already split up which we appreciated. I understand his menu may not be intended to be consumed in this manner but how on earth would we know that if we’ve never seen it nor did he bother to explain this. Advice to the owner, learn some customer service. A simple suggestion on how to enjoy your menu would have made a huge difference. Snark is not warranted.

Now for the food itself. It was honestly mediocre. The pear ravioli was the most interesting dish but even that barely had any flavour. The rest of the dishes were just out right boring. Not much of a ‘gastronomic’ experience they claim to deliver. We even ordered every single dessert hoping it would save the dinner but they too were forgettable.

Overall would not recommend even if it was free. Your dignity is worth more than an egomaniacs food.

Edit: More review manipulation. 5 * reviews defending the place for the first time after apparently visiting for years from accounts with no...

We had high hopes for this place. We came to Zeb on our first night in Florence, having made a reservation earlier that day in Naples. Walking into the restaurant, we saw a small get of guests seated around a neat oval countertop lined with white handkerchiefs and wine glasses. The atmosphere seemed intimate and distinguished. We anticipated a nice dinner, and possibly even a top-tier culinary experience.

Instead, at least four things happened during our time at the restaurant that nearly completely overshadowed the dining experience, and left us feeling slighted and disrespected.

I had taken a reservation for 7:30 pm earlier that day. It was a long travel day for us from Naples, and when it became clear that we might be a little late, I called an hour or so before to adjust our reservation to 7:45 pm. We didn't know much about the restaurant at this point. Over the phone, the owner gruffly told me that it was a small place, and while it was not ideal for him to adjust reservation times, he would do it. So far, fine.

On walking in, the owner/chef asked us whether we had a reservation, and when I said we did -- for four at 7:45 pm -- he said: "Ah yes, you had a reservation for 7:30 pm. And you called to change it to 7:45 pm. And now, tell me what time it is?" It was 7:53 pm. He was visibly annoyed. We've eaten around the world, and it was our first experience being chastised for being 8 minutes late to a restaurant. The restaurant is quiet and small, so all this occurred in front of his other guests.

By the way, calling to say you'll be a little late, instead of just arriving late, is considered a courtesy most places, but not at Zeb, apparently. If we needed to wrap up our meal by 9 or 9:30 pm to make space for the next customer, he could have just communicated that to us, as some places do, instead of giving us a lesson in time keeping.

We were asked about wines. My father was forthcoming that he wasn't an expert in wines, and asked the owner/chef for his recommendation. Apparently this is a baffling faux pas at Zeb, and the owner/chef made a big show about exactly how confusing this situation was for him. Once again, the exchange was loud and prominent, and instead of making my parents feel at home, he seemed intent on embarrassing them, perhaps still salty about our late arrival.

Again, something very normal at other places ("here are our wines. if you're looking something sweet or gentle, go with... if you're looking something drier, go with... my personal favorite is...") is a courtesy unheard of at Zeb. We hadn't picked it up yet: Zeb is above informing its customers about what they can eat or drink there. (Note: Zeb also has no paper or online menus, meaning there is no way to food there except through the surly brick wall that is the head chef.)

My mother asked whether she could get ice for her water. "No. Is the water not cold?" "Yeah, it's not cold enough for me." "We don't have ice." Another simple question, another arrogant, irritated response. I'm still not sure why not having ice is worth being so proud about.

After quickly mumbling through the first courses, pointing to his indecipherable scrawl on the whiteboard menu he rolls around, Alberto asked us to make our orders. After confirming that the first three pasta dishes were vegetarian, we ordered them, not totally clear on what we'd be getting but also not wanting to engage in any more difficult conversations with him.

We got our pastas, and while I personally did enjoy my dish (the pear ravioli), we were pretty fed up with the Zeb experience at this point.

Alberto never asked us how our meals were, or about second courses or desserts. Meanwhile, he lavished attention on certain customers, patiently answered their questions, and chitchatted with them about their dishes. I even heard him giving very basic wine recommendations to another customer, so it seemed his disrespect toward my parents was calculated.

We considered confronting him as we left about his blatant partiality and hostility, but...