Zula Restaurant

07/30/08

Average...not bad but not a place I'd go back to.

by shirleyannen at Citysearch

Can't say this was horrible but can't say it was great either. Food is average...a bit on the pricey side for what you get. Wine list needs serious work...very limited in selection. Lobster ravioli was good but for the price, I was expecting more fresh lobster meat and not the lobster mousse/pate. Pepita-crusted redfish with saffron rice sounded very good and would've been great had it been served with saffron rice (instead of plain rice pilaf).

Not a fan of the decor...infact, I'm not sure what's going on in there. Our server was nice and attentive but I wasn't appreciative of the fact that the other staff/management were cleaning and converting into the lounge scene while we were eating. I feel as if they are trying to compete with the likes of Monarch at Zaza....don't think it'll happen. Maybe this is a better place for lunch.

08/09/07

Big, overpriced disappointment

by zenithe at Citysearch

I truly don't understand why this restaurant gets such great reviews, maybe I went on a bad night. This downtown restaurant was the biggest disappointment I've had in a long time. The service was average, the food was bland, and the meal was definitely not worth the $150 price tag. The sashimi appetizer was decent, the mozzarella salad tasted terrible, the steak was ok, but lacked flavor. I will never go back here. There are far too many consistently excellent restaurants in the downtown area (Bossa, Vin) to ever warrant a return to this one.

• Pros: did not wait for a table, nice decor
• Cons: Bland, overpriced food

01/31/07

Good Food but SAD that they don't really understand food

by timbre at Citysearch

SAD. I am not exactly sure how to rate this restaurant. The entree I chose was exceptional. The steak was cooked to perfection and the risotto was amazing. The service was not good ... I suspect because they got overwhelmed with walk ins. In my book, that is no excuse. My waiter said that my first glass of wine was on him because of the wait and when my bill came it was still there. I am a foodie ... I love food and anyone who loves food knows that where food comes from makes all the difference in the world. I have one important question I ask every restaurant ... I did not ask this question tonight because I could not get any one to even talk to me so I ordered quickly. My question is "where is the salmon from?" The bad answer is that it is farm raised or if the waiter doesn't even know. I asked at the end of meal out of curiosity. To my astonishment -- astonished because this is not a cheap restaurant and presumably the chefs are well trained was that indeed it was farm raised. This is a really bad answer because to me it screams this chef does not understand food. Farm raised salmon is artificially colored ... you actually get to choose your color. How sick is that? I then had the opportunity to speak to one of the chefs who came out to the bar where I was sitting. I asked him about the salmon and he said "we cannot afford to offer any other kind of salmon." My response was not kind. At $31 an entree that answer is just garbage. The rest of the conversation was very disappointing. There was a clear indication that high quality food did not come first -- the bottom line did. Now, of course, I understand as a business person that all businesses want to stay in business. However, PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK. The web site for this restaurant claims a seasonal fresh menu and then serves artificially colored fish. WOW -- total disconnect. And then to talk to a chef who clearly did not understand this -- SAD. I won't be back and you shouldn't go.

09/24/06

Overpriced Food in a 1980's cerack den.

by daihwa at Citysearch

My colleague and I were seated promptly. We both know what the other person was thinking right away - the decor in this place is wacky. If I did cerack in the 1980's, I would have totally done it here. It also reminded me of Beetlejuice. The food tries to be foo foo haute cuisine, but wasn't. The food was ok, but given the price, not really a value. The evening's hilarity was stepped up a notch when I went to the restroom. It was practically pitch black with only a faint glow for lighting. The toilet was black. I hope my aim was good, I really do. Then came dessert - a root beer float with rum. A little too much rum. The thing was a mess, and felt like a frothy fireball going down. In short, this place is THE place to be...on Halloween.

• Pros: Wacky decor is reminiscent of Beetlejuice. Great conversation starter.
• Cons: Food tries to be foo foo haute cuisine, but flops hilariously.

03/17/03

Small Portions, Bad Service

by racheldowntown at Citysearch

I went here on a Sat. night. We were sat then we waited 10 min. for our waiter to acknowledge us. Our wine glasses were constantly empty, and the waiter did not put our chardonay on ice. What really pissed me off was that there was a floor manager, and he didn't fill our glasses, or offer to put the wine on ice, since our waiter was in idiot. When we said no thx to dessert, the waiter said"oh, your just going to have the wine, huh). As if spending over a hundred dollars so far wasn't enough. Food was small and subpar. I expect good food for 31 bucks a plate. Also, I'm in my 20's and everyone in the restaurant was 40+ years older. Maybe that's why I got bad service, who knows. Don't waste your time...go to Ruggles or Boulevard Bistro instead.

• Cons: Bad service, bland crowd, expensive