Zef's Dockside Bar + Kitchen — Restaurant in Saint Clair Shores

I went for a quick Brunch with a friend and we decided on Zef’s Dockside Bar & Kitchen in Saint Clair Shores (9 Mile & Jefferson). I’ve been here for Brunch before and loved it so I was really excited to be back.

We were sat immediately at a table right by the window so we had a great view of the docks which was perfect for a sunny day like today. I really like the open airy vibe they have. Service was great and multiple people came by to check in on us during our meal.

For drinks I had a French 75 which I was not a fan of. It was way too Champagne and Lemon Juice heavy for my liking. I then tried the Sunday Morning which is made with Gin, Thyme, and Grapefruit. This one was better but I can’t say I was a big fan of either drink. However my personal preferences are not everybody’s. By no means would I say the drinks were bad, they just weren’t for me.

For our Appetizer we of course had my favorite vegetable, the Brussels Sprouts. These were perfection. The perfect amount of Balsamic Reduction and all of the flavors went so well together. They also have a Bourban Glazed option as well if you’re in the mood for something sweeter.

For our Entrees I had the Biscuits and Gravy, and my friend ordered some Boneless Wings. I don’t say this lightly when I say these are the best Biscuits and Gravy I’ve ever had. The Buscuits themselves are so crispy on the outside, and they have sausage and cheese on the inside. The Gravy is immaculate and the Breakfast Potatoes didn’t disappoint at all either. The Boneless Wings were cooked to perfection, and I loved the BBQ Sauce that came with it.

One thing I noticed that I have to add to my review is that this place is not handicap friendly. Yes they have handicap designated parking, but there’s a small flight of stairs right after walking through the front doors. While walking out, a husband was wheeling his wheelchair bound wife in, and without a ramp available, he wasn’t sure what to do. My friend and I did offer to help but he advised he would be going to ask for assistence from the staff. It’s not something I as an able bodied 25 year old ever thought about, but it is certainly something to note as physical ailments are something many people experience.

Overall, it was a great time. The food more than made up for any discrepancies I had with their drinks. Service was and has always been great anytime I’ve went. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and given today’s experience, I would really encourage them to install a ramp, or something that can be used for people with physical disabilities. If you haven’t checked this place out yet, I definitely recommend you do!

UPDATE: Apperently the Handicap Entrance is on the side of the building. I was not aware of this until...

First time trying Zef's, immediately upon arriving already frustrated with parking. More than half the parking lot is for valet so good luck finding a place without paying another charge. First thing I noticed is the 20% gratuity automatically added to the bill, which I don't mind, but one would expect great service, not to say the waitstaff was terrible (although some a couple looked miserable). Atmosphere of the restaurant is nice, but confused as to why it's almost two separate restaurants; the upstairs patio and downstairs have different menus. Smaller menu for the patio but host told me there were new items on the patio menu, unaware that the downstairs had more and the options that I had seen online. I wanted to sit on the patio because it was a nice day and there was a 30 minute wait for downstairs. Looking at the menu, was disappointed at the selection after previously looking up menu online before going in. I asked our waitress to grab us a menu from downstairs so we could see the difference. Entrée portion of the menu I viewed online was only available downstairs (why?), so little to no fish/seafood options aside from ahi tuna and salmon burger. We didn't want to wait 30 minutes to go back downstairs to order food so we ordered an appetizer and a pizza. The appetizer came to our table in less than 5 minutes. I ordered the Balkan fries, which were tasty, but $12? The fries themselves were good but all they added was some red onions, Greek cheese, and a Greek dressing. I would have been fine paying $6 -$8, but $12 is a bit steep; and it's not a large portion of fries considering how much cheese and and onion was added. We ended up ordering the Nashville pizza to share because it sounded different and my fiancé didn't find anything else that sounded appetizing on the menu. We waited at least 45 minutes for our crunchy, cardboard pizza. The toppings were good; crispy chicken pieces, pickle chips, and bacon bits. Our waitress came to our table 3 or 4 times ensuring us that our pizza was coming soon and that the pizza takes a long time to cook. Being a cook and working with a pizza oven myself at a restaurant I knew that was false. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes max to cook a pizza. And of course when we finally get the pizza it is crunchy and over done. I'm not one to complain and send food back at a restaurant especially if I'm going to have to wait another 20 minutes for a fresh pizza so we dealt with the food. All I can say is I'm glad our waitress was attentive at the very least, but not worth the price just because they want to be a upscale restaurant located at a marina with valet and auto 20% gratuity....

UPDATE UPDATE: One of the valet got into it with me over there being no parking because they're taking up over half the lot with no cars in it and says to me, if you have a problem with it tell them inside. As if I was gonna pull a spot to park out of my a**. Haven't been back since dropped the review down to two stars... Speaking of parking lots, fix that thing already what a mess. And what a circus watching everyone drive around the place MULTIPLE times trying to avoid paying the valet.END. UPDATE: They seemed to like the idea of cocktail menu and dip for the chips as mild as it may be.. Some of our app. plates got smaller unfortunately looks like the portions did possibly, like the steak bites. END UPDATE/ Wish The Current was still here. Unfortunately we had to send one of our appetizers back because the deep fried pretzels were not deep fried nearly enough, need that crunch on the outside soft inside you know what I mean, like Dragons Landing does them. For $10 there was not a whole lot there either. Beer cheese didn't have much flavor, maybe a stronger beer I don't know. Drinks were good, well made. Maybe a signature cocktail menu in the future would be nice, could be a bit of a money maker. Was all high top tables so not much of a choice of seating. Didn't see anything for someone in a wheelchair but they're must be something, right? Old people get a step stool.. The Reuben egg rolls are not that great, ours were kinda more soft and slightly rubbery on the outside than they were crunchy. Pesto chicken sandwich had a beautiful portion of chicken just needed some more pesto other that it was excellent. The chips here are amazing, could just come here and have drinks and eat their chips wow. If they made a good house French onion dip to go with those chips I bet they would be even more popular. Heck just some onion soup mix and sour cream.. They have a really good looking French onion soup I saw a server walk by with, in the lil crock and all. The dockside burger from what I was told was excellent so that's good. Looked awesome. The steak bites are a must and the brussel sprouts are fantastic also. They also just announced they were going to have pizza upstairs on the patio as an option...