Fine French cuisine in our Berkshire backyard. Excellent bartenders with above-average good looks. Exciting cocktails, Recommend the Secret Service martini! Diverse dining menu even for vegetarians. read more

So, the worst part of the dinner were the completely obnoxious senior citizens who populate this place and complain CONSTANTLY about the temperature in the place, need to ask seven million questions about the menu and are constantly demanding that the staff pay attention to them. We started off as one of two tables in the place and had great cocktails (try the Zinc Pina Colada) but then when two more tables came in, it was all downhill. I had the scallops that had a TON of sand in them - at least four bites came up with sand. We hd the duck confit rolls and they were okay, but not what I expected. Husband had the beef burgundy which looked awful, but he said it tasted fine. We skipped dessert (unexciting offerings) before yet another biddy asked for the temperature to be turned up. read more

We stopped by for a light supper, having already enjoyed a bountiful luncheon with friends......but, we were welcomed warmly by the staff and well rewarded with an absolutely perfect Caesar salad and fresh delicious oysters from Virginia and indulged in their decadent chocolate bread budding with vanilla ice cream....we'll be back! read more

Bar is comfortable, friendly and esthetically delightful. Pear martini exquisite. All food delicious- partial to the oyster Caesar Salad!

Nice hostess and server. Don't go if you are vegetarian or vegan. Despite having some sort of animal rights art theme (half-naked women crawling through the desert and pictures of exotic animals), there are no dairy alternatives or vegetarian dishes aside from one cheese laden-pasta dish. I get it's the chef's choice, but let's embrace the times. read more

Over salted, undercooked and left much to be desired. That is how I would sum up my experience at Zinc last night. I went with a large party for a celebration and by the look of the place and menu I figured it would be a nice and upscale place with good food. I hate to say I was thoroughly disappointed. Atmosphere: Nicely decorated, cozy bistro style decor. Service: Ok, nothing great, bad if you consider the price point. The waitress told us the soup of the day was chicken vegetable and several people ordered it. When it came out the broth was red, it was loaded with ham and mushrooms. Clearly there was miscommunication about the soup of the day. One of the girls who ordered it sent it back because she does not eat pork/ham. The waitress challenged her when she mentioned there was ham in it and didn't apologize. Also we were a large group ordering tons of drinks, appetizers, etc and the waitress seemed pushy into getting us to order more. Food: The bread and butter was amazing, and it all went downhill from there. The salads were fine, nothing special. The best thing I ate (which was good at most) was the duck roll appetizer. Then dinner (aka disappointment) came: I had chicken and it was fine, nothing special. The girls around me had the steak frites and their steak was extremely undercooked, one steak was basically black and blue (she ordered medium rare). The french fries were undercooked and soggy. The brussel sprouts tasted like potato chips (basically oil, salt and a little brussel sprouts). Overall the food was mediocre at best and completely over salted. Very disappointing when spending $30 per entree. By the time dessert came there was a unanimous decision (among 11 women) to go home instead of order, and we were out for a celebration....need I say more. Price: $30 per entrée, $10-15 for appetizers, one the pricer side, which would have been fine if the food was better Parking: street and some side lot parking, we went in off season, so was not an issue Overall I would rather stay home. I would not recommend this place and would not go back. read more

We visited Zinc last year and plan to go again this fall. The ambience was great and the food and service were excellent. My wife has been to Paris and she said it felt like being there inside the restaurant. read more

So after spending some time out here in the Berkshires I've come to realize that everything will be just as if not more expensive than Boston, and it won't be as good. If you're from the city, or any city for that matter, make your restaurant choices based on knowing that and it'll help you. So my thoughts about Bistro Zinc: The Pros: -I like the atmosphere. It's clean, nice, relaxing, and has character. Also not too noisy and not too cold. -The choices - their menu is pretty well rounded if you're going for new-american cuisine. -Most of the food is good; specifically the crispy goat cheese salad, and the duck confit rolls (which are rolled in something soft, not crispy). The Cons: -They play classic rock, and while that's lovely, it's not a good fit with the rest of the atmosphere or the menu. -The prices - the food is good, but not that good. I had the Burger ($18) which is the same cost as the best burger I've had in my life at The Butcher Shop in Boston. It didn't come close. -When I asked the waitress which of their reds by the glass were lowest in tannens she looked at me like I was speaking russian. -Whoever made one of our two salads forgot to add the nuts. Salad fail. All in all it's one of the better restaurants I've been to in the Berkshires, I liked it much more than Firefly, but not as much as Cafe Lucia. read more

There was nothing inherently wrong with our experience, but I just didn't love it. Service was good, ambiance was typical upscale American dining. We started with the duck confit rolls which were super flavorful and really delicious. For my entree I made a rather unorthodox choice for myself and got the smoked pork loin. What came out was basically a piece of pork that tasted like ham with some really good sauerkraut and some brussels sprouts on the side that tasted almost completely like whatever alcohol they were cooked in. My husband got the burger, and somehow the one bite I had just tasted bland. We finished our meals with a couple cappuccinos that tasted off to me in some way, so we didn't finish them. It didn't help that we had insufferable people sitting inches away from us complaining about their entire experience. Long story short, not sure I would be back, although I had a fine time. read more

I have no complaints with the food at Bistro Zinc. The food was good. If you're in the area and looking for a nice place for dinner, this should definitely be on your list. Pleasant environment, good service. The steak frite was enjoyable, the watermelon salad was nice. The one standout was the crabcake appetizer which was REALLY delicious. But I was a little disappointed in the close table seating. I've come to expect stacked tables for two in New York City, but I cant see any excuse for being seated so close to the person at the next table when Im out in the country. The tables were so close you couldnt walk between them. And the restaurant was mostly empty when we got there so why seat adults right next to a mom with two young kids reading stories to the kids between courses? But overall, if you're in the area and wondering where to go for dinner, Zinc is a very nice choice. read more

Repeated visits have been increasingly disappointing. The food is lack luster. For example, the risotto is a large dish of bland, rich rice porridge which is heavily salted. The service is slow and full of mistakes. The manager is too quick to apology but not listening to the issues. There are too many other great restaurants in Lenox. Arrive early at Brava or Nudel. It's a shame because Zinc is an attractive place. There is nothing like a comfy French bistro. If Zinc doesn't improve, it won't be around much longer. read more

Our first visit here. Definitely recommend the rock shrimp appetizer. The Wakame salad made a nice textural and flavor contrast to the shrimp. French onion soup was great. The confit duck leg was spectacular, with the spicy andouille sausage adding a really nice flavor note. Although it was a daily special, one hopes that it will become a regular menu item. Our server was Inna who was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Definitely recommend. read more

Overpriced and flawed. Well done burger raw, bread soggy, fish dry, flavors are off. Too pricey for bad food. Staff is friendly nice decor, but manager can not take feedback or criticism. read more

We went here over 2 years ago for dinner. We enjoyed it so much that we came back to try their lunch. We had the duck confit grilled cheese and the muscle with fries. Both exceptional. Both meals looked attractive and tested very fresh and not overcooked. The sparkling rosé was fruity and delightful. Service was excellent. Despite a sudden large volume of customers, our server Brittany was very friendly, courteous and professional. She was delightful despite the sudden pressure. read more

Bistro Zinc is located in historical Lenox Village and serves up French/Gallic cuisine in a charming and casually elegant setting. The bar area features a long zinc bar and serveral high tables. The small dining room has gleaming tile floors, yellow walls and large windows overlooking Church Street. The kitchen does an excellent job preparing classic French Bistro fare such as Steak Frites and bouillabaisse as well as some other items with a twist on the theme. Dessert offerings include creme brulee and tarte tartin. I definitely plan on stopping back at Bistro Zinc on my next trip to The Berkshires. read more

I went to lunch more for the company than the food. I recently re-connected with a friend from my college days. I hadn't seen my luncheon companion in decades. She suggested Zinc. I went along because I didn't know the area and I really didn't care where we ate. I was pleasantly surprised. My friend ordered the salmon with potato latkes on a bed of arugala lettuce with a goat cheese topper. I had the Louisiana Gumbo. The gumbo was a bit tame. However, it comes with some tabasco sauce if you wish to heat it up. Portions were plentiful and presentation was well above average. Prices are reasonable for the quality AND the quantity. Drinks were generous and potent. The service was just about impeccable. If I have my way, we'll be returning. Next time, I just have to beat her to the maitre 'd... read more

Short review: The food and the service we had a lunch here were excellent. We've eaten here twice and left happy. This place is for people that know what moules frites, profiteroles, and crepes are. If you don't appreciate these things, you will think that it's overpriced, pretentious, and you won't go back. If you do appreciate these things, you will LOVE Bistro Zinc. Long review: We ALMOST didn't go to Bistro Zinc after reading the recent reviews, which seemed to take a markedly downward turn for the 6 months preceeding this writing. Luckily, our other option was closed for lunch for the season, so we decided to give Bistro Zinc another shot. We loved it the last time we ate here (Spring 2011), and today was no different. We absolutely enjoyed our lunch at Bistro Zinc. We had the onion soup, the goat cheese salad for starters (it had a fancy name that I don't recall), and for mains, we had the spinach crepe and the gumbo (not exactly bistro food, but it was delicious!). The spinach crepe was delicious, the onion soup was tasty without being too salty, and overall the meal was killer. Our lunch ended with dessert and tea - and it was worth the price we paid. read more

The service was excellent and the bread was warm and fabulous. And that's where the fun died. Over-hyped, inconsistent food from a pretty good menu. The Tuna Tartare was inedible - over salted. How do you screw up Tuna Tartare? The Frisee salad was drowning in dressing, a bucket of dressing, enough balsamic vinegar to kill a legion. It was also inedible. The duck rolls were tepid, although the hoisin sauce was good. Over, over, over-hyped. read more

I'm completely understand restaurants are short staffed right now. That said we came into Zinc for lunch. We sat at the bar and the waitress came over and took our order for drinks. After 20 minutes went by she still hadn't given us water. It was hot and I was starting to feel faint so I went over to the bar area and grabbed a bottle of tap water to pour myself some water while we waited. Suddenly the waitress had time to pay attention to us. Only to come over and snap at me for grabbing the bottle of tap water. I told her I wasn't feeling well and needed water. She proceeded to tell me how busy she was and she would get to us. Rolled her eyes at me and gave so much attitude for getting up to grab myself some water. Needless to say we left and found a much better and nicer place to eat down the Street. Would not recommend this place. read more

From the outside the place is nice and quaint, from the inside it's very pretty. The service was good and the whole thing rather classy. Perhaps a little too much for my taste, but I won't hold that against the place. Overall, I found that the ambiance just didn't cut it for me... it's about the food. The bread was good, in fact I'd take some more. My burger was yummy, but the fries left something to be desired. So then why only a 3 and not a 4? Because when you pay $20 for a hamburger and fries the whole plate should impress me, not having me a person who almost always cleans his plate leaving most of my fries for the birds. read more

Bistro Zinc tries to bring an authentic French bistro feel to Lenox, but the food preparation seems like the chef is overreaching. For appetizers we had the Charcuterie consisting of a nice selection of pate, cheeses and sausage. ($14) We also had a side of warm olives with rosemary that were flavorful but slightly too salty ($5 for a very generous portion). Both were enjoyable. For main courses we had the Louisiana Gumbo which was a bit too gummy and all the flavor was overpowered by the andouille sausage. ($26) We also ordered the Cassoulet ($24). This is a slow cooked stew with meat and white beans. Again, instead of a number of flavors coming through the beans were far too prominent and it tasted bland. It was also more soupy than I like, but that is purely personal preference. For dessert we tried the Profiteroles. The portion was enormous, easily shared by 3 people and at $9, inexpensive. The problem is that the dessert does not fit the restaurant. The portion was huge but the execution was fair at best (closer to Friendly's than a French bistro) . It was frozen rock hard and the pastry had little taste. Fresh soft cream puffs stuffed with a softer ice cream would be more in line with a higher end restaurant. The butterscotch Budino (pudding) was far better. Rich and creamy with nice texture and full of flavor. ($8) Service was OK and the atmosphere is calming and nicely done. They have a good wine list. There are a number of better restaurants within steps of Zinc. With a few tweaks and better care to preparation, it shouldn't be too difficult for it to go up a notch or two. read more

Went with my wife for our 5th year anniversary dinner ( we spent the weekend in the Berkshires) Service was good - attentive, pleasant. Food was... well... Started with the foie gras and goat cheese salad - foie gras was quite interesting, though the cranberry sauce was overpowering. I understand the attempt to cut the richness of the foie gras with the sauce, but really all you could taste was cranberries. My wife liked the pepper muffin or whatever it was that came with it but I had to pass. Crispy Goat Cheese salad was your basic spinach salad with slices of apple and a chunk of deep fried goat cheese. Nothing to write home about. For her entree, my wife ordered the coq au vin, which had a great sauce, though the breast was quite dry. There were also these mystery cubes of meat throughout the dish. seriously. 1.5" x 1.5" x1.5" cubes of dry, tough, tasteless, unrecognizable meat. We didnt understand what they were doing there or what they were for.... they were pretty disgusting. I ordered the special - Braised Veal Shank. This came in a bowl and didn't look super appetizing - I'll have to post a picture later. The sauce was again not bad, but the fingerling potatoes were not cooked all the way through. The veal shank didn't have an actual shank which I thought was rather odd. Also? Another appearance of the mystery meat cubes. Again, WTH? pass, pass, pass. read more

We liked our first dinner here so much, we came back the next night. The 1st dinner was: fried belly clams: plump ,succulent & briny; then octopus salad, tender & refreshing; & wienerschnitzel: two crunchy cutlets along side a cucumber slaw; finally, the luscious dark chocolate bread pudding and ice cream, all washed down with a carafe of the crisp house white wine. The service was attentive but not intrusive; friendly but not chummy. The décor is modern, & the lighting flattering. We walked out sated & grinning. The next night, back in Lenox, we wandered into Firefly down the street, lured by the Monday special of $10 lobster rolls. Inside was a time warp back to the '70s. Sports bar up front, with a wood paneled, murky, drab dining room in back. It was mostly empty, since all the outside tables were full. After 15 min., w/o water or waiter, a harried server asked us:"Hasn't anyone been here?", as she frantically bused the tables around us. We said no, & asked for water, After another 5 min without service, at the table of 7 next to us, (also w/ menus waiting to order), a child dropped something which crashed loudly on the floor. When even that commotion failed to rouse the staff, we fled back to Zinc! Instantly, we were warmly greeted at Zinc, seated quickly, & watered & breaded within a few minutes. Ordered the fried clams again, they were THAT GOOD. Followed by the duck confit roll: moist, smoky, hoisin-sweet, tasting like....more! After that, the expertly seared ahi tuna over sesame soba noodles, was refreshing and filling. And another carafe of white wine. This meal was even better than the previous night. All the more so for escaping Firefly. Bottom line: I would come here again, anytime. Lenox has a lot of eateries. If you want cheap, frat boy grub, you can get that; just not here. This is a clean, well run place for grown ups. The prices are reasonable for the quality of the experience. You don't have to shout at your dining companion, or use your flashlight app to read the menu, or endure wailing tots rolling on the rug. They're not snotty about how good they are, & if Chez Nous is all booked, go here & consider yourself fortunate! read more

This place is very good! I've been coming to Lenox for years and this was my first time here. Pro: the food is out of this world! The dishes are meticulously done with great taste. The menu options are wonderful and always fresh. Cons: we sat at the bar one Saturday night in September and the bartender was very rude. She acted like she didn't care and didn't want to be there. read more

The food was just okay. I've been there several times and it's always just okay. The cost doesn't reflect the food. Way to expensive!!! The waitstaff is great the space is beautiful. From now on we decided just drinks. read more

Decent menu. The food and drinks are good but slightly overpriced. The service is below average. They disinfect the surrounding seats with bleach while you're dining. read more

We were visiting friends in the area, and went to Zinc before seeing a show at Shakespeare and company. The theater was great, a one woman show called Shakespeare's Will, about the wife of Shakeseare. Worth seeing. The pre theater dinner at Zinc was distinctly mediocre. I will start with service. Though we told the hostess that we were time constrained, and mentioned it to the waitress, she ignored us after giving us the menus for too long, even when our friend pretty much stood up to try and get her attention. I think we got the duck confit rolls and a salad as appetizers. The salad was okay but nothing to write home about. The duck confit was very tasty, though and worth ordering. Main dishes included coq au vin, polenta with vegetables, and a hamburger with fries. There were no issues with the food, but nothing particularly special about any of it, either. We skipped desserts. There was nothing wrong with the food, but nothing memorable about it, either. read more

Delicious meal! Cozy spot in the heart of shopping. The French onion soup was wonderful as was the shrimp Niçoise salad. Our server was very pleasant and accommodating. Highly recommend! read more

Bistro Zinc - French Near Me - Lenox, Massachusetts

Directly across the street from the limp Firefly is Bistro Zinc, where I had an extremely pleasant lunching experience. Even during the daytime, I could detect Zinc's evening vibe: cosmopolitan with a rustic twist. I sat at the bar, one of my favorite ways to dine, and enjoyed french onion soup, tuna nicoise salad, and steak with pommes frites (so French). The french onion soup was out-of this-world, the salad was on the average side, and the steak was rock solid. All of this was enhanced by a 1/2 bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the opportunity to dine here more extensively. read more

I just walked in the door and had to sit down and write a review about this place! I have been to Bistro Zinc several times for lunch or an after work drink, but tonight was the first night I have gone for dinner. Bistro Zinc instantly gets 3 stars from me for just carrying Berkshire Mountain Distillers Ice Glen Vodka (www.berkshiremountaindistillers.com). The dinner started out with a complimentary starter item which was great (+1 star)! I forget what it was called, but it was shrimp with a blue cheese sauce on a small piece of toast. Excellent. For my appetizer I went with the mussels and fries. The mussels tasted so fresh and were in a wonderful cream sauce. There must have been about 1lb of mussels ... I ate every single one (ok, I shared two). The fries were perfectly salted with good flavor as well. My dinner was a Ribeye with herb butter cooked medium rare. The steak was cook to perfection and melted in my mouth (+1 star). One of the best steaks I have had in a long time. It came with a side of green beans in a garlic butter sauce which were to die for. There was also a side of fries, which I could have done without, but ate anyway. (= The service was very good as well, but the quality of the food trumped everything. This is now one of my top 5 restaurants in the Berkshires. read more

I'm a real food snob who's been to great restaurants all over the world (I'm old!), and I was blown away by this restaurant. The server was charming, attentive, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu and cocktails. The food was amazing (calamari app; shrimp and sausage gumbo; salmon; chocolate bread pudding, and the piece de resistance butterscotch budino). The wines and cocktails were outstanding as well. The atmosphere is calm, romantic, lovely, without being stuffy. This was their first night at full capacity post-COVID, but they were on their game and completely nailed it. Who could ask for anything more? When there was a minor mishap with the food, the manager was immediately gracious and went above and beyond. Thank you, to everyone at Zinc for doing what you do -- offering a memorable dining experience in all ways. We'll be back -- often! read more

We dined in here during our stay at berkshire . We are happy and satisfied with our meal. I'm feeling adventurous so I ordered the special of the day which is a baked quail with rice and greens on the side. The portion was good and it was delicious. Compliment to the chef. My husband ordered a pork dish which is also good. The service was great and fast. read more

Bistro Zinc - Special of the day: Baked quail. Delish - French Near Me - Lenox, Massachusetts

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Eh, it was perfectly fine I guess. The hostess was a little bit curt. The space is kind of nice, especially the bar, which is separated by walls and glass from the dining room, but still feels open because of the ample glass. The tables were a bit close together and the floor was tiled, which makes for a colder atmosphere and a bit of noise (especially since the tables need to be pulled out to let people in to the interior because they are too close). The bathroom was small and out dated. The food was good. Not great, but good. Some hits and some 'that would have been better if..." moments. The crispy goat cheese salad and the confit duck rolls were both pretty good. The handmade fettucini (we both go this) was alright. Andy liked it better than I did. The sauce was a bit sweet for my liking. Andy got the special dessert and I got hazelnut crepes with salted caramel. The crepes were super savory. Our neighboring table was nice and pleasant and both ordered drinks they'd had there before and were told they'd never had that to drink. Um, okay. read more

We were in Lenox for lunch and had a solid enjoyable lunch with wine on the vane of French food. It's not pronounced Zanc like the joint one block off Blvd St. Germain, but rather zinc in respect for the tin ceiling. Yes, we asked. As you may know, I've been to the Zanc and sat through the patrons from hell next to us. At Zinc, the old ladies next to us were talking about church and were much more interesting and the experience more peaceful. We both had the pate and soup. I onion, she potatoe leek.The leek won. The onion was too light in color and lacked the depth of flavors that slow caramelizing produces. The wines: Chilean red and Bordeau red by the glass, we split out likes on those, but both were good. Meal $60 with tip. We love pate. Worth the stop. read more

Had a great meal last night. Crispy goat cheese salad, French onion and butternut squash soup, duck rolls and a steak. Everything was spot on - really nice. Bar drinks were as expected, a little pricey but average. Dessert was a little underwhelming ... but it could have been my choice of ice cream that threw it off. Definitely give it a try. read more

Zinc is my favorite place to eat in Lenox. We always have delicious food, fantastic service and I'm so happy we can eat at the bar again! Do yourself a favor and visit soon! read more

Food was wonderful but we were celebrating my brother in law's birthday and we were told there was a $25 cutting fee if we were to bring in a cake. I've certainly heard of a cutting fee but never one that steep. We decided not to bring in a cake and instead we ordered a dessert from the menu for his birthday. We were charged for that dessert. Both of these policies seem rather bush league. My husband spoke with the manager about this and he was quite rude. All of this from a restaurant that is supposed to be top class. Definitely not so. And to top it off this restaurant actually has a sign on the back door saying Handicap entrance only, all others use the front door. My husband has a bit of a handicap and needs a cane to walk so this is the door we went in from the back parking lot. The sign is disrespectful and discriminatory. read more

Absolutely delicious! Great gluten free options- including bread & butter, the reg baguette is amazing. We lived in Europe many years & know what real french food is like, I have to say this was pretty good. Salmon with rice & squash, Eggplant with polenta outstanding read more

I made a reservation here for my boyfriend's birthday, and we loved the food! We loved it so much, we came back the following night. The French Onion Soup was perhaps the best thing we ate the entire weekend (twice). The steak frites were also delicious and they were happy to sub pasta instead of french fries. Definitely recommend making a reservation if you're coming at dinner time on the weekend. read more

Delicious!! The Bibb salad had a lovely vinaigrette. The salmon was cooked perfectly. My husbands pasta was undercooked and the egg it came with was overdone. Lovely atmosphere. read more