Zollies Jazz Cucina — Restaurant in New Castle

Yuck. The atmosphere of this place is charming. They have incredible art on the walls, the live music was quality, and the overall feel of the restaurant is cozy and sophisticated. Our server was very professional and pleasant. Our drinks from the bar did take an unusually long time, but I don't think that was the server's fault. Despite these positives, I will never go back or recommend this restaurant due to the food. They offer a very limited, seafood focused, and quite pretentious menu. The menu online is not what was given to us in the restaurant. Though the food was visually appealing, the flavor and texture of everything I tried was edible at best - and not all of it was even edible. We ordered and shared the bruschetta, the lamb, the burger, and several drinks. Two of the three drinks were good, but one of them - a whiskey based drink - was terrible. The ratios of the mixers was all wrong and it had a downright bizarre and bad flavor. The bruschetta was not traditional at all and had a bizarrely sour and funky flavor - even the balsamic used tasted foul. The lamb, though tender, was extremely greasy, bland, and doused in a very basic and overpowering tomato sauce. The burger was served swimming in an actual pool of grease, the bottom bun thoroughly saturated and dripping, and the meat had a very strange, overworked tough texture reminiscent of gristle without actually having identifiable gristle. The bacon on it was practically raw it was so undercooked. I ended up having to try to to eat the burger using a fork and a knife (which I've never had to do before) because it was slimy, just dripping grease, extremely unpleasant to touch, but ultimately couldn't even eat half of it because the texture of the meat was just so awful and made me gag. Honestly, this is some of the worst food I've had in years. Pretentious yuck. There is more to food than...

On Saturday night, drawn by the promise of Jazz night featured on their website. Though the website indicates that bookings are advised but not necessary, I had a rather unwelcoming experience.

Nobody said hello to me when I first entered, not until I passed the bar. A woman who I could not identify as being associated with the restaurant came up to me and started asking me questions without introducing herself. To my astonishment, even though all I wanted to do was grab a brew, she gave a list of reasons why I couldn't stay. Even though there were some open tables in the back.

I made the decision to depart following an awkward encounter and a lack of clarity regarding her role. Regrettably, the terrible encounter eclipsed any possible delight in Jazz night. I went to the nearby tavern, where the service was better and the ambiance cozier.

... I want to clarify that I didn't engage in any confrontations or physical contact. I simply chose to distance myself from a situation where I felt unwelcome from a lady. Interestingly, I had a pleasant experience at the tavern when I sat at the bar with no issues. Regardless, I'll let my actions speak for themselves, as I believe I did nothing wrong. For all who are reading I've decided not to return to this establishment. It seems there was a misunderstanding on their part, as my only intention was to enjoy a drink and music without any issues. And if i was 'in a trance' maybe it was because i had to use...

Me and my wife went to Zollies for dinner. We called days ahead for reservations and no one answered the phone (multiple calls over several days). We also tried using the reservation system on their website to no avail, so we decided to drive to the restaurant and walk in. Now this is where it gets over the top. We walk in my wife was excited about eating at this restaurant so she goes to hostess, who is rude from the beginning. My wife is always polite and easy going but this hostess was rude not accommodating said they were full didn't suggest coming back later or a different day, so we looked to bar that is for walk in customers. The hostess states that two seats may be available soon. Hostess then has a word with the bartender (who is one of the owners), and next the hostess tells us the bar area is reserved! Wow after that we're DONE. The whole vibe felt like they wanted us out of the establishment ASAP. Now the pictures on Zollie's website and Facebook page show many people of color dining in this establishment. However on the day we visited they were very few, maybe two people of color dining there. And some of the non POC patrons heads turned toward us during this whole experience. It felt like a scene from the movie Get Out. We enjoy supporting our Brothers and Sisters in black-owned businesses but this restaurant was not accommodating from the beginning and our experience trying to make reservations was cumbersome at best....