Zov's — Restaurant in Tustin

Zov's has been a family fave for us for many, many years. Sadly, things recently seem to have gone downhill - both with the food and with the service. Zov's is not a cheap place, so we expect a high level of quality. This review is not based on a single experience. The past few times we've eaten here, the service and food were simply not up to par. Example, yesterday started off with me having to give my extremely dirty fork back to the waiter. This is not acceptable; I blame the management for not directing the bus staff to ensure very clean flatware, glasses, tables, etc. Onward to the food... I often order the Sea Bass (the sauce is delicious!). However, yesterday the fish was quite "fishy" and I should have sent it back - something I loathe doing. I asked the waiter about it and learned it is not fresh fish (it's fresh frozen). Still, didn't the kitchen smell the fish? Or did they simply reheat it frozen? At their prices, I expect fish to be fresh. If not, they should say on their menu that it is "frozen". My wife ordered a side of hummus which was so spicy it tasted like a Mexican salsa. It was also very weak and watery. Hummus should never be spicey and should have some structure to it. You could see the black pepper floating in it and (we think) Cayan pepper sprinkled on top. Perhaps it was "Mexican Hummus"? If so, they should say that on the menu - call it "Zov's Spicy Mexican Hummus". Flatware and dishes should be sterile clean, Hummus should not be spicy, fish should be fresh. The most frustrating part was we told our waiter very clearly my wife can't have spicy food, and she also didn't want tomatoes. Well, her salad had tomatoes. Not a big deal, but still. I blame the waiter on both accounts, but I also blame the Chef for making hummus spicy and for not using "fresh" fish. We spent $100 (including a 20% tip which I shouldn't have given, but you never know if you're going to come back). You need to do better Zov's if you want a 4+ star review from me. We likely won't be returning for awhile, going to look for...

6/15/18

My grandfather's 90th birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Most of my family lives in Southern CA, but my parents and I are up in the Bay Area, so it was a little tricky finding a weekend we could all be down there together. Luckily, the weekend after his big day worked for everybody, and the whole family gathered together at Zov's, since he said he really wanted to eat lamb chops!

He is an incredible man - he still works one day a week and takes care of my grandmother at home - so we wanted to make the dinner just as special as he is. My Aunt and I went early on the night of the dinner and set up decorations in the private room with the help of Nicole and Justin. Another friendly Nicole working behind the bar made the night special too - she was very attentive and friendly.

I have to say service throughout the evening by our server Justin was top 3 of best service I've received ANYWHERE (and this is not my first review). If you were having a large group party, I would recommend Zov's for the venue and Justin for your server. The food was just outstanding. My lamb chops were perfect (a little on the rare side, which I love) and my boyfriend's scallop and filet mignon dinner was excellent too. The sides they served and even salads were great, and the crème brulee bomb for dessert was worth eating, even though everyone was so full! Our glasses stayed filled (both water and wine - and champagne for my toast). And through the entire meal was Justin with his sweet personality, making sure everyone was happy and comfortable, and taking extra good care of my grandmother, who suffers from alzheimers and sometimes the littlest thing can set her off. Thankfully, she was happy all night long.

Dear Zov's - please open a Walnut Creek location! I miss...

Poser. Inauthentic. Rude. Am I talking about the food or the manager? Sadly both.

My family has eaten at the restaurant and bakery for years. I only post reviews for amazing spots and the worst experiences, and tonight was a 15-minute train wreck. Just left the restaurant after our first time eating here since February. We ordered the calamari and it came out looking like a cheap fettuccine Alfredo dish from Olive Garden—the calamari was so tough and tasted old, so the restaurant clearly isn’t managing its seafood at all—frozen and tough, old fish seems to be the norm for Mickey Dee’s and Zov’s now.

We left just not feeling good about risking eating salmon and other entrees, only for the used car salesman manager who looks straight out of 2006 run after us, asking what went wrong. After kindly letting him know that the calamari was awful and that my mother had just gotten out of surgery earlier and was not feeling well after tasting the dish, he tried to deflect by hurling sarcastic vitriol and personal attacks at my mother—classless to treat any lady the way he did.

That’s something I don’t stand for. I guess the food and service is why only a third of the restaurant’s space is being utilized. Meanwhile, we managed to get the last open table at Seasons 52 and are enjoying a great meal, while we’re looking forward to having an actually authentic Mediterranean meal at Avra in BH on Friday. So sad Zov’s has declined in the quality of its food and service so much. If you want even halfway decent Mediterranean fare without having loved ones demeaned and attacked, avoid this shipwreck and its outdated staff and menu...