Zin Gastropub — Restaurant in Lake Zurich

We decided to give Zin a try on a Friday night, but the place appeared to be completely packed/reserved. The owner, however, really wanted us to stay and emptied some room at the bar so we can sit there. We stayed and didn't regret. The place is more about atmosphere and this friendly feel. First, I thought everyone in were regulars, but in a little bit, I felt like we were as much welcomed as regulars would've been, even though it was our first time here. My girlfriend is more about like fine-dining, while I was going to try their burger - the reviews described it quite promising. Thus, other than the burger, we ordered Pear & Artisan Cheese Flatbread with a side of House Marinated Olives. Latter were really good, I tried one, I just did not expect them to be served warm, so it was a bit of a new experience for me, but they were delicious. In her turn, my girlfriend really enjoyed the flatbread, she says cheeses were super fresh and well-blended, arugula was fresh as well, and the bottom crisp was golden brown, super thin and not a bit soggy. Burger was decent, nothing out of this world, but quite fresh and flavorful; what I'd like to mention separately is that I choose truffle fried on the side, and they were really really good. Also worth mentioning, is that Zin's crew does support local and small farms and breweries, not only by offering their produce and beer respectively, but also making notes on the menu, where those came from. I do appreciate that so much personally, as those small places bring in some spirit into common things, unlike those you can get from huge corporations, that make billions of the same products. As to the drinks, they feature a long cocktail list, as well as quite a few tap beers. The bartender lady always keeps the shaker by you, so you can make yourself a refill once done - which is a nice little touch (most places are greedy, they are unlikely to let you do so, instead of ordering another drink, I guess). On the pic below, is a cucumbertini. Therefore, as you may've guessed by now, we were pleased with a great food and outstanding service at Zin. We will definitely come back one day, menu has so much more...

I really wanted to like this place. The staff is friendly and outgoing, the drinks were fantastic. I had the "peachy keen" and it was delicious. I was unfortunately, very disappointed with the menu and the quality of the food. First and foremost, there are way too many sheets of food and drink selections to wade through. The menus are large and cumbersome. Second, I was extremely disappointed in the menu and the quality of the food. We had the corn dish, the oxtail empanadas, the alligator and the cheese. I couldn't even taste the corn , I may as well been eating some one of grain. The cheese was so so. TAsted like goat cheese mixed with cream cheese, the predominant flavor in the oxtail dish was the pastry. We also had the onion soup which I thought was too salty. I have been to many gastro pubs. Two of note happen to be in Milwaukee and are the Odd Duck and Hinterland. They both offer a "farm to table menu" of fresh ingredients that changes daily. One thing that was imo sorely missing was a charcuterie plate and/or cheese plate. Staples I think of any place that call themselves a gasto pub. Lastly , I was just dissapointed in the menu overall. This place should decide if it wants to serve small plates or dinners and stick to one of the two. Then , focus on offering something other than lackluster standard fare I would focus on a couple of staples. I'm sorry if this review is so negative but as I said before , I would really like to see this...

My experience at the restaurant was not the best. The buzz phrase here is "farm to table" which sounds very promising. The staff is very nice and friendly, but unfortunately the drinks and food need work. I asked for a drink that was not on the menu, it is a very simple drink and they said they could make it for me. They brought something that did not even resemble it, but that's ok, I sent it back and asked for a glass of wine. The wine was clearly opened a couple of days prior because it was completely oxidized. They have a lengthy wine list that they are not selling judging by the number of open wine bottles on the bar. How can a bar not know that a wine bottle needs to be opened the same day! I ordered a beet salad and I was expecting fresh beets to be one of the main ingredients, I was wrong. They brought a bowl that was jam packed with lettuce and yellow beets cut up in tiny little cubes sprinkled on top. It was impossible to eat a salad out of this tiny soup bowl. The burger was decent especially for the price, but the fries were cold and had more salt on them than I would eat in a week. I realize that this area is completely lacking high quality restaurants and people settle for mediocre, but to me this was...