Restaurant Zola

10/18/09

Nothing fabulous

by Patty Gicking at Citysearch

I took my boyfriend to Zola's in September to celebrate

his birthday, hoping to experience a fabulous dinner

and also because it is known as "Nashville's Most

Romantic Restaurant".

Number one reason I won't return to Zola's: It is

impossible to get a drink! You order, then you wait,

and wait, and wait. And wait.

We decided to try the lamb meatballs. Not good.

Ok, we let that one slide. We both ordered the

Pork Tenderloin as our entree. It arrived covered

in a thick layer of cheese. Five words: Nothing To

Write Home About. Don't leave home for this dish.

The dish was bland. I made reservations for THIS?

The waiter seemed to have little knowledge about

how dishes were prepared, what the specials were,

what the desserts were. I asked if he was new,

he said no. Maybe it's just me, but I believe the

waiter should know a bit more about the dishes.

Is Zolas a romantic restaurant? Yes. Is the food

at Zolas fabulous? No, mediocre at best.

06/15/09

Over the top, trying too hard

by ts576134 at Citysearch

I called Zola at 7:30pm today, on a Monday to ask about immediate seating. I was told that I could be seated at 8:30. Ok, a busy restaurant in Nashville on a Monday, must be good right? Not quite. We arrived punctually and took about 5 minutes to seat. Upon being seated we were greeting by our friendly waiter and offered freshly baked bread by another. The bread was fair while the menu looked interesting. We decided on the cold soup special...fruity and refreshing although not quite suited for a pre-dinner soup but rather a sorbet-like dessert...and also the lamb meatballs which were good. I ordered the paella and my girl the venison. The waiter stated the paella was their "signature" dish. If I only knew "signature" meant it would take over 30 minutes to prepare, I would have strayed away and ordered something else. My girlfriend's meal was cold when it came out due to the long prep time of my paella which was mediocre at best. The spinach we ordered was also mediocre. After complaining about the long wait and poor service we ordered the dessert right when the entrees came out to avoid another prolonged wait. After a spicy paella that I could not finish due to my shrunken stomach (from waiting) I was disappointed to indulge into an extremely spicy peanut brittle chocolate cake with spiced bananas. Although it did sound appetizing, it was hardly what I needed after a spicy paella. I had to elaborate excessively on all the things that disappointed us for this near $100 meal to get the not-so-friendly owner to credit us a cold entree in addition to the over-the-top dessert. I would recommend trying one of the other highly rated yelp dining locations if you're ever in the Nashville area.

• Pros: Bread, appetizer, environment
• Cons: Poor service, long wait for the entree, cold entree, more...

05/29/08

do not ready cozy as "cozy"

by auteur at Citysearch

citysearch says cozy i say stuffy. arriving in a t-shirt and jeans (for a casual night out to dinner and a movie) was the first big mistake. when i asked about the vegetarian dishes the waitress suggested in the future i call ahead and give the chef some warning but she'd see what could be done. the same waitress forgot our appetizer all together. the food was delicious though.

• Pros: quiet and calm
• Cons: too stuffy

03/21/08

So overrated

by greatfoodiegirl at Citysearch

If I could tell you the server's name, I would - but she never bothered to give it to us. This place is so overrated, I hope they will make some changes. The service was horrible; our waitress had such a rude, sarcastic attitude, that I would be embarrassed for tourists to think everyone in Nashville acted like this. The food was only mediocre at best - but even if it was wonderful, the service ruined it. The young man who refilled our water glasses touched the tip of the pitcher to everyone's glass in the restaurant, so if one person there was sick, we'll all be sick. We were there on a Thursday night; the restaurant at 8:00 was not even filled half-full, yet the service was so slow, rude and horrible, quite frankly. The cocktails were only so-so, and for the price should be much better. Seriously - Zola needs to hire a better staff and actually train them to work in the food industry - otherwise, why spend your money there? Spend your money elsewhere; where the food is better, and the service is such that you actually feel like they want your business.

• Pros: quiet atmosphere
• Cons: service is terrible-ruins a romantic evening out

06/04/06

Bad server

by sbmorton at Citysearch

Last week I accompanied my wife to her offices dinner party. There were about 12 of us at a table that was at the entrance of the establishment. The first round of drinks were being served, our waitress somehow poured an entire glass of red wine down the back of my white dress shirt. My entire back was soaked. The waitress was obviously stunned, and the manager came over and asked the gentlemen to my right if he wanted to hang his jacket. That was it. During the remaining two hours I kept waiting for a manager to approach me and either offer to pay for the shirt (which was obviously ruined), comp something, or at least apologize. This never happened. Finally, at the end of the dinner our waitress asked if I wanted a free dessert. The restaurants reaction to this situation was simply absurd.