Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: Z

Last Update: 17 April 2008

Note: or material is highlighted

Index:

[a] Zebb's
Zees
Zest
Zetti's Pizza and Pasta

Key:

[—], , ,	Bill's rankings
[XXX]	recommendation from contributor whose initials are XXX
[a+]	on UB Amherst Campus (in the UB Commons)
[a]	near UB Amherst Campus (within 2 miles)
[m]	near UB Main St. Campus (within 2 miles)

(For more info on locations, see Geography)

All phone numbers are in area code 716, unless otherwise indicated.

Zebb's Deluxe Grill and Bar
2875 Niagara Falls Boulevard (south of North French), Amherst.
564-0610.

[SLD, 10/98]

[SMD, 9/04] says: "I tend to be "anti-chain restaurant" with so many fine independent restaurants in the area to choose from, but Zebb's is a notable exception. Zebb's is a regional chain with locations in Amherst, Orchard Park, Rochester, and Syracuse. What sets them apart from a lot of the national chains is their consistent quality and really fresh-tasting food. Lots of choices on the menu to suit any appetite: burgers, sandwiches, salads, and Tex-Mex. Fresh rolls for the sandwiches, and cookies and brownies (incredible!) are baked daily. Lots of seating and a kid-friendly menu, too. There's a nice "topping bar" for your burger, which features lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onions, pepper, and too many other toppings to name here. If you're looking for a good meal in a casual atmosphere, try Zebb's. One word of caution: The place is very popular, and Friday and Saturday evenings there can be a wait. If you're so inclinced, relax in the lively bar and wait for your table."

[Editor's note: Before reading the next review, please note that there's a follow-up immediately after it that shows the power and importance of discussing unhappy experiences with management. Readers might also find this page from Zebb's website of interest (thanks to another reader who wishes to remain anonymous): Zebb's Laws.—Bill]

[JF, 9/04] says: "I would like to share with you our family's dining experience last night at Zebb's. First, let me tell you that we eat at Zebb's often, and we really like the food and drinks. Last night was not a pleasant experience for us. My son and husband ordered burgers, and I ordered the Baja Chicken Enchilada. It took a very long time for our food to arrive, and our server explained that that was because an order for a table of 15 was placed just prior to our order. When we finally did receive our food, the fries with my son's burger were soggy (my husband ordered wet fries, so of course they were soggy), the tops of the burger buns were hard and dry, and my enchiladas were cold on the inside. I did eat most of one enchilada, because the server never came back to the table to check on our meal. Eventually, my husband got the attention of another staff member and asked for our server. When I told her that my enchiladas were cold, she sent over a manager. I told him that the rice on my plate was hot, but that the enchiladas were cold. He told us that he didn't see how that was possible since they are microwaved together on the plate. Well, it's nice to hear that I had a microwaved meal. And I know that it is quite possible for cold pieces of chicken wrapped in a cold tortilla to not reach the same temperature as a small portion of rice on the other side of the plate when cooked in the microwave. The manager proceeded to argue with my husband, and, after a couple of minutes, he walked away. He left me with the impression that he thought I was a liar about the temperature of my food and that we were just looking for free food. That is not the case, and we were billed for, and paid for, every item that we ordered. The manager's poor handling of the situation is what prompted me to write this message. It will take a while, but we will give Zebb's another chance. I hope the next experience is a typical good experience." [JF, 12/01] took action: "Our family had an unpleasant experience at Zebb's a few months ago, and I sent a letter to Richard Zdyb (owner) and forwarded the same letter to you. [Editor's note: See the immediately preceding review.] Eventually I did end up speaking with Mr. Zdyb, and he assured me that he had resolved the management issues, so we tried Zebb's again. We had a great experience. The food was all high quality, plus the Zebb's Original Margarita is one of the best in town. When I spoke to Mr. Zdyb, he mentioned that all of their food, including the soups, are prepared from scratch in the restaurants. That prompted me to order the Cream of Mushroom soup on my next visit, and it was excellent. In fact, it was so good that I placed a second order for soup to go. It is nice to know that a moderately priced restaurant is not just serving "freezer food". It is also nice to know that Mr. Zdyb does care about his customers."

[HPK, 4/08] says: "I had not been back to this restaurant in about three or so years. It has changed big time, unfortunately to the bad. My wife and I ordered nachos to start. Please tell me if I am wrong, but shouldn't nachos have cheese on them? Shouldn't they be somewhat hot? Neither is the case here. We even sent it back once; it came out lukewarm and with almost no cheese. The manager brought it by the second time and just plopped it on the table; nothing else was said. For our main meals, I ordered a California Pizza Salad, which, in the description, looked great. Absolutely no flavor at all. My wife ordered a cheeseburger; once again, no flavor. Which, by the way, when she placed the order for her "Cheese burger," she was asked, "do you want cheese with that?" Our waitress looked absolutely miserable; she did not want to be there. I forgot to mention, I ordered a Margarita without salt—of course, it came with salt. By the end, I should have said something to the manager, but we just wanted to leave. I will not be going back. After posting the review on this site, I sent a copy of it to Zebb's. I received a call today from the General Manager of this location apologizing and offering to send me a gift certificate. This is great customer-service follow-up. He said that this was not the way things were supposed to happen. I will give them a second try."

[Editor's note: It may be great, but I'm beginning to detect a pattern here: Go; be unhappy; complain; be mollified? (Compare [HPK]'s story to [JF]'s, and reread Zebb's Laws.—Bill]

Zees Patio and Grill. WARNING: LOUD MUSIC ON WEBSITE!
92 Picton St. (in the Shaw Club Hotel, WARNING: LOUD MUSIC ON THIS WEBSITE, TOO! across from the Festival Theatre), Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, CANADA.
1-800-511-7070.

[7/05]

Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

Zest.
1469 Pelham St., Fonthill, ON, CANADA.
905-892-6474.

Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer. [PDF]

Zetti's Pizza and Pasta.
3500 Main St. (University Plaza), Buffalo.
831-8000.

I [Bill] ate here [6/06] with my 10-year-old son on a Wednesday evening around 6 P.M. I was very hopeful, given all the rave reviews below. But I was both disappointed and puzzled. The pizza had the right size for NYC pizza. It had the right crust. It had the right mixture of cheese and sauce (and greasiness :-). But it had no taste. I would have put salt on it, but decided it was probably unhealthy enough as it was. I hasten to add that my son liked it a lot. But I was disappointed. I was also puzzled: I have never before been in a restaurant or pizza parlor that only had Coca-Cola to drink: regular Coke, and only 8 cans at that. Not even any water! As for the alleged dining room with a long list of Italian dishes, it was dark and apparently not open. Returned a few weeks later on a Friday at about 5:30 P.M., at the insistence of my son, who really liked the pizza. This time, we had a whole pizza (half pepperoni, half plain cheese), which was made to order fresh (as opposed to the previously merely reheated slices). The taste was marginally better, but still rather bland. The men's restroom was filthy, with very little supplies and an apparently broken sink.

[AJB, 2/05] says: "Mission accomplished. As a native downstater, I'm very particular about pizza. La Nova & the like are OK, but I'm partial to thin-crust, New-York-style (or Neapolitan) pizza. This is a rare breed in WNY. Until now. Sure, I love Romeo and Juliet's, and La Hacienda. But this place is different. It reminds me of home. John Fusco closed a pizzeria in Dobbs Ferry (Westchester Co.) and used the money to open up the first (and really, the only) authentic, genuine NY-style pizzeria in Buffalo, at the plaza across from UB South, and next to the Amherst Theater (corner of Main & Kenmore Aves.). He came to Buffalo because he new the product here wasn't good enough. He remarked to me, "When you're from down there [downstate], the stuff up here is just unacceptable." So true. The pizzas have a crusty, crunchy dough because it's baked right on the surface of the oven—not in a pan. The cheese and sauce melt together perfectly; if you lift the cheese, it has almost blended with the sauce. My favorite is the Eggplant Sorrentino pizza, featuring sauce, mozzarella, dollops of ricotta, and large slices of breaded eggplant. If you're looking for real NY-style pizza in Buffalo, this is just about your only choice."

[MRT] says:

[3/05]

And [7/05] she adds: "We've now been to this pizzeria once a weekend more weekends of each month than not. I grew up in a town just over the line from NYC. This is pizza from my childhood. It's the best pizza in the world.:-) As of this writing, he has now opened up a full service restaurant in the back of the pizzeria with waiters, etc. His liquor licence will arrive in a few days."

And [8/05] she adds: "We went to Zetti's for a sit-down dinner, now that they have begun dinner service. The service is BYOB, and we brought a bottle of excellent Italian wine with us, as well as glasses. The food and service is first rate. My husband and I began by sharing a very generous Caesar salad. Delicious bread and very soft butter were brought with the salad. All three of us ordered the eggplant parmesan. I'm from NY City, and I've always said you can't get decent eggplant parmesan outside of NYC. This was great eggplant parmesan. It came with your choice of three different kinds of pasta. With a promotionary coupon worth one free dinner, our entire dinner only cost 28 dollars. We will most certainly return for dinner at Zetti's with great pleasure. Zetti's is the perfect place for dinner just before a movie at the Amherst 3."

[SMD, 5/05] says: "I gotta admit, the best pizza I've had in Buffalo in ages. Unfortunately, the guy at the counter was kinda rude. I was greeted with "Whadda ya want?" and a scowl. Made me feel like I was back in Manhattan. Can NY-style pizza be served with a smile, or is that against some ancient custom? [Bill's editorial note: probably the
latter :-)] I had the cheese pizza. It had just the right ratio of cheese to sauce and that great crispy crust."

[MaSt, 1/08] says: "My husband, daughter, and I stopped at Zetti's in the University Plaza this evening, bottle of wine in tow, all set for a wonderful pasta dinner—which never happened. We told the young man at the counter that we were interested in having a sit-down dinner in the dining room. He said, "Fine." We walked back to find several unoccupied tables, many of which were dirty. Many were loaded with stacks of pizza boxes. An employee emerged from the kitchen, strolled through the dining room, ignored us, used the rest room, strolled back through, ignoring us yet again, and went back into the kitchen. We waited somewhat patiently for another 10 minutes and finally left without anyone noticing. The owner needs to decide what he wants: a takeout business or a restaurant, because he obviously isn't capable of managing both. We will never patronize this place again."