Zaoq 100 — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

I recently dined at Zaoq 100 with a party of six. When we arrived, the restaurant was mostly empty, yet the first question we were asked was whether we had a reservation. Given that it was around 6:00 PM on a Friday, I found this a bit surprising. While they were able to accommodate us, the table felt somewhat small for our group. This raises a concern about their seating system—perhaps a more flexible approach could enhance the experience, especially when the restaurant isn’t at full capacity.

Once seated, we noticed some inefficiencies in service. Another party arrived shortly after us, and although the restaurant wasn’t busy, three staff members focused on assisting that party (which seemed to be planning a larger gathering), leaving us unattended for nearly 20 minutes before taking our order. While I understand the need to manage multiple groups, there should be a balance to ensure all guests receive timely attention.

Now, onto the food. I had some hesitation about ordering the ribeye steak due to mixed reviews, but I decided to give it a try. The portion size and cut were decent, though I believe they could refine their approach to serving steak. Traditional steakhouses include sides with the meal, but here, they were offered at an additional charge. I also tried their BBQ platter, which was well-balanced with rice and skewers of beef and chicken. As always, their butter chicken was a standout.

The ambiance and decor were impressive, adding to the dining experience. However, I noticed that gratuity was automatically included at 20%, which wasn’t clearly stated on the menu. Speaking of the menu, it was presented on laminated sheets with air pockets, making it difficult to read. A refresh—perhaps digital menus—could enhance readability and elevate the dining experience.

Despite the rocky start, our server was gracious and attentive once the food arrived. Several staff members checked in to ensure we were satisfied, which I appreciated. However, having driven over an hour for this meal, I would have preferred a smoother start to the experience. If reservations are required even during early dinner hours, clearer communication upfront would help set expectations.

Overall, the food quality, ambiance, and service (once engaged) were commendable, but the initial experience and service flow could use refinement. I hope this feedback helps the restaurant improve and provide an even better experience for...

While the food tasted good, the entire experience we had left a lot to be desired. Service is non existent for a place that charges a hefty mandatory gratuity. The restaurant was busy for dinner but there were multiple staff members working. The issue was not understaffing, rather it was clear that they just don’t care. First of all, just general accessibility. All tables were full leaving very limited space to move around. I would not say the aisles were ADA accessible. When we walked in, multiple staff members looked at us from both the counter and the general floor yet not a single one acknowledged us, including a waitress who walked right past us to get into the kitchen area. There were 2 men by the counter, also didn’t even bother to greet us. Finally a young lady walked over to take us to our seat. We had to wiggle through to get to the back, awkward for us and annoying for the customers that were seated in the table in the middle. We were a larger group but initially the server brought 3 glasses for water. We had to ask for more glasses when we realized no one was coming back around. Some sauces were brought to the table, one without a serving spoon. We asked for the serving spoon- twice- but it never came. The icing on the cake- when our food finally came out (at this point it was at least 45 minutes or so since we had been seated, we knew the food would take a while), just as we are about to eat, we were told that we needed TO MOVE from our table so they could help a different customer. This could have been rectified before serving our food, we could have been relocated so that our dining was not impacted but to have us shuffling when the food was just now in front of us? On top of that, they said they would put the tables together since we were a larger group however they did not do that and we ended up separated. By this time things were slowing down yet not one came to check on us or even acknowledge us for our patience in tolerating their disruption to our dinner. All this for a mandatory $66 in gratuity. Funny how when it was time to pay and possibly dispute this charge, no one was to be found. Instead of creating by a scene, we left but the more I think about it, I realize I should have waited to see if and how they would take...

Went here tonight to have a nice dinner with some family. Saw this was a new place and had good reviews so decided to stop by. First thing I noticed was the atmosphere, it’s nice and modern but a bit bland and definitely cramped; it’s like they decided to cram in as many seats as possible; kind of like a budget airline does. I thought okay, nothing too serious.

Next came to ordering; we tried ordering a couple items but was informed by the waitress that they in fact were “out” of those items and later told us that the chef that cooks those items is on break every monday. Okay, that’s still fine; no biggie but they should’ve probably put it on the menu that those items anre only available certain days.

After ordering is when the real nightmare began: waiting. When we first arrived, there were about 2-3 other groups of people in the restiraunt. They started receiving their food 20 mins after we ordered; i thought to myself okah they must be busy. It was 10 minutes later that 2 other large groups came in and they started ordering. Logically speaking, as the 2 groups that ordered before us had already received their food, we should’ve been next. This wasn’t the case. the group sitting behind us almost 4x our size ordered and started receiving their meals before we even got our drinks!! We had to wait over AN HOUR just for ONE dish!! While we literally watched people who came in AFTER US receive their food 10-15 mins before we did.

We tried asking the waitress(es) multiple times and all they said was that the kitchen was “preparing” our meal. to me it seems like this restaurant takes priority over larger parties because they will tip higher and spend more instead of actually preparing food in the order that they were taken in.

When the food finally arrived, it was okay at best (i’m being generous); they gave little sauce and took a long time to give napkins and stuff after requested.

Such a shame, this restaurant had really nice potential to be a 5/5, but the arrogant staff and long waiting times makes this a 1/5. I would not recommend this place to anybody, especially if you’re dining with fewer people as they won’t pay much...