Zou Zou’s — Restaurant in New York

I was so excited when I saw the place for the first time. The aesthetic was impeccable, I was mesmerized by the texturized wooden walls, chandeliers and the design in general. Unfortunately EVERYTHING fell apart after that, it was just an illusion. I am going to start from the very beginning. I have to say that the hostesses did a good job, they were very welcoming and they assigned us a nice table. That’s it, the rest was just a series of unfortunate events. Our server MICHAEL R, approached our table without even saying hi, or any kind of welcoming phrase, he never introduced himself (I know his name because of the receipt) his attitude was the most unwelcoming attitude that I have ever experienced. My expectations were so high that I wanted to know more about the place and the food and Michael did know explain anything at all, I honestly felt like I was at a cheep diner place. Anyways, I asked him for a Moka and he just told me that the restaurant doesn’t offer that option (hard to believe that you guys don’t have chocolate , so I am assuming that Hot chocolate is not an option either). Since he did not guide us through the menu we ordered blindly what we thought could be go. We ended up ordering the “five Dips” chickpea garlic oil, Ember roasted eggplant, whipped ricotta, green tahini, and smoke carrots as an appetizer, and then for our mains we ordered the big salads, one Zou Zou’s Lobster Cobb and the Filet Mignon Fattoush. Let’s start with the dips; it was a beautiful presentation, we appreciated the stainless still tray where the dips are placed on. The smoke carrots is delightful, has a sweet and smoke flavor, the ember roasted eggplant is on the bitter side, with citric notes, which balances the flavors. The green tahini looks interesting because it comes with a layer of foam, but its taste it’s very underwhelming, it does not contribute to the experience at all. The chickpea garlic was very average, nothing that I haven’t tried in another Mediterranean restaurant. The whipped ricotta was one of my favorites because it’s a little spicy, but once again, I have had better ricottas somewhere else. Now, when it comes to the big salads, the Lobster Codd looked very fresh and I have to say, the ingredients tasted fresh, but the lack of creativity and enthusiasm on that plate was unbearable. It felt like whoever made just threw all the ingredients with no previous structure, it felt almost like someone who doesn’t work in the kitchen helped the head chef out because someone called in sick or something like that. The lack of experience and expertise was VERY noticeable. The lobster itself taste like any other lobster… I have had better lobster skewers in a random place that you would believe would taste bad, I love onions, but the way those onions were chopped and placed in that plate was simply hideous.The Fillet Mignon Fattoush was probably the most decent dish. The meat was properly cooked (a little dry but editable) the shaved red cabbage and candied pecans were really tasty and made the plate very alive. As we were eating our meal, I was observing the environment, the uniforms of the servers were dirty (disgustingly dirty) our server never approached us again to make sure we were enjoying our meal, he was engaging in conversation with his coworkers and then at the very end he approached us to “make sure” that everything was fine, but we were almost done. There was a blond lady with a computer at the bar (not sure if she was the manager) just want to point out that she just did not care about what was going on at all I would say, there were a bunch of things that were going really bad… anyways, we were never offered dessert, I asked someone else to see the menu again (not our server michael) and then when he realized that I asked for menus he immediately showed up with the menu and “recommendations” but unfortunately it was too late. In conclusion, my experience was a tremendous disappointment, servers need to be focused and attentive with costumers, kitchen should listen to feedback, and management...

My wife and I live in Manhattan and eat out 4 nights a week. We eat at “Quality Branded” restaurants about a dozen time a year. This was our worst experience at a restaurant in the last 5 years. Zou Zou simply isn’t the same restaurant it was only a year ago. The food, particularly the artichokes, and the chicken have really dropped in quality and aren’t worth the price. The service was a disaster and no where near the typical NYC standard.

While our appetizers didn’t taste nearly as good as past visits to Zou Zou, the big problems started with our mains. My wife and I ordered the fried chicken for two and the lamb chops for our toddler. We asked for the lamb chops to be cooked well done since they were for a 2 yr old. However they came out medium rare to medium. Our waiter noticed that something was off and asked if he could do anything. We absolutely hate complaining at restaurants so we told him it was fine. At that point we already decided we would just get our son pizza after dinner. The waiter grabbed the lamb chops off the table even though we told him not to. He said he would have the chef correct them, and we reluctantly agreed. 15 minutes later new lamb chops came back. Mind you this is basically after we finished our dinner. Once again the lamb chops were cooked medium and completely pink in the middle. At this point we were just over it. I honestly just wanted to leave and forget the dinner at this point. However the waiter came back and asked if everything was ok and we told him that the lamb chops were once again undercooked but not to worry about it. He offered to take it off the bill and we said ok.

Now this is where things really fell apart. A few minutes later the manager came over. I dread this situation and just wanted to go home at this point. She asked what was wrong and I explained the lamb chops situation and also mentioned that the food just wasn’t anywhere as good as our last visit. She offered to give us a free dessert and I said ok - their cheesecake is really good.

The waiter then came with the bill which has been adjusted for the lamb chops (-$65). The total was now $141.50. I swiped my card and added 20% tip on the automatic reader. To my surprise the 20% tip came out to $39.50 on a $141.50 bill (including tax). Clearly something was off so I asked the manager if the tip calculation was based on the pre-adjusted amount. She said “no.” I said “well $39.50 isn’t 20% of $141.50, so I just wanted to understand.” She said she would check the math and come back. A few minutes later she came back quite angrily and said “the system says the math was correct but I took the tip off the bill anyway,” and then literally stormed off visibly upset. I had no chance to respond as she was gone in a second.

To be clear, this is not what I wanted at all. I did not want my server to not get his tip. That made me feel terrible. What’s so unprofessional about the situation is that it’s utterly obvious that the tip calculation was wrong and was likely due to the tip being set on the pre-adjusted amount (which would have been just over $200 post tax and would have almost perfectly explained a tip calculation just under $40). Instead of recognizing this and saying so, the manager just became frustrated with me, assuming I was wrong and as a result a young man lost his tip and I left the restaurant feeling absolutely miserable.

Anyway, this is the last time I’ll ever complain at a restaurant. Seriously, they can give me the completely wrong dish and I’ll never say a word, it’s just not worth the frustration of having to deal with a manager. And as far as Quality Branded restaurants go, I just...

4.5/5 Come for the food, stay for the vibe.

Overall, the experience was exceptional. Especially the service, the deco and the vibe. Food wise, some good, some can be improved.

I have long been wanting to try Zou Zou's. But it requires a lot of planning ahead. Last week, when the moon and stars were finally aligned , me and two of my best friends finally scored a table at this famed restaurant.

On entering, I was transported from NYC to one of the hustle bustle marketplaces in Morocco - the atmosphere and interior design reminded me of the Mamounia Hotel in Marrakesh.

We were sit promptly even tho I was half hr late..extra half point!

We picked out a few dipping and two mains to share. It was a mix of land-and-sea. I was in charge of wine pairing and although I had my picks in mind, asking the sommelier for a second opinion def boosted my confidence and making the right choice. . Now, food! Highly recommend trying any dipping that sound good to you.

Appetizer/Mezze. We had the green tahini, roasted eggplant and chickpea. I love them all but the whipped-cream like green tahini was def my favorite and you won't find it elsewhere in NYC. The black garlic added extra umami to the otherwise good but not great hummus. The eggplant dipping was a bit watery, unfortunately. If you wanna cut carbs, get them with crudites instead of bread ;)

The hamachi ceviche from the Raw menu was a disappointment. I def have better elsewhere. Probably won't order again.

Mains. We got the lobster kebab and the baby lamb chops.

The lobster was ok. Honestly, I don't think delicate seafood should be cooked on flame. And it weren't much to share with; a few chunks of lobster meat. The fennel, served as an accompanied component, was actually more interesting, IMO. I might try cooking fennel this way at home :)

The baby lamb chop was quite good but def have room to improve. I would prefer the fat to be trimmed out more. Otherwise, tender and juicy. The dressing was the actual star here - smoked cherry with a mixed of spice (I am guessing cumin, coriander, cinnamon?) . Reminding me of lamb tangine but instead of apricot or raisin, they use smoked cherry here. It was rart, sweet and perfumed. We loved it so much that we asked for some warm and fluffy pita bread to soak it up after the lamb was gone!

Dessert. Friend's choice; I just went with double espresso. Frozen lemon yogurt with olive oil. Surprisingly good- savory and not too sweet. If you are a dessert person, def go for it.

All in all, I enjoy the whole experience here. I could not thank the staff here enough for the hospitality. So much so that me and my friends decided to make Zou Zou a regular meet-up spot so we can check out the rest of the menu.

Extra bonus points. By 8 pm, the light started to dim, music switching to lounge, soft electronics. Perfect for an intimate date.

Extensive, well curated wine list to go with any choices of food. Price is reasonable too

Pay attention to the wine glass , it was very elegant. For restaurants of this calibre, I judge...