Went on a Saturday morning at 9 AM and it wasn't very busy. The service was good, we didn't wait long for someone to take our order, check on us, or for our meal. Took a couple stars off because the food lacked flavor. Omelette with smoked salmon was pretty good because smoked salmon and the spread inside have flavor on their own but the omelette itself was missing salt. The Turkish eggs were very bland, I wouldn't recommend them and everything was extremely overpriced for the quality you receive. read more

I'm disappointed how much this place has gone down. We went there for breakfast and literally two tables in the restaurant and had to ask somebody to have our waitress come over. The food was very subpar. Food was overcooked, shashuka literally had no tomato sauce, was just a ton of onions and peppers. read more

Delicious brunch. Great outdoor seating. Highly recommend. Would come back for dinner. read more

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Enjoyed drinks, apps and dessert at Cafe Zola on a trip to AA to Shinola for a watch battery change. Loved the jalapeño spiced martini! Apps were great and extra crostini with hummus were appreciated . We shared the ice cream filled eclairs with cafe-made Chocolate ganache atop- the dessert was the hit! read more

3.5 would be most appropriate. The waitress was personable and engaging. Food was really very good (better than expected). Overall the service was slow due to the kitchen, not the waitress. It felt as if they were more focused on the outside tables vs. the inside. The restaurant essentially doubled its capacity for outside seating and couldn't keep up with the volume of food. Old fashioned was delicious (I had 3). I'd definitely go back with the expectation of a slow casual dinner. read more

The food was excellent! The 2 stars is for the service. My friend and I sat at the bar on a weekday at 3 in the afternoon. The bartender was a young male who clearly had an attitude. He took my friends food order and didn't bother to get mine. Or our drink order. The owner ( I think) saw me trying to get someones attention and came over. She got him to come back, but he was less than courteous. He was downright rude. My friend is a great tipper, but not this time. I know restaurants are hard up for help but this guy should be fired. I might go back... don't know. If I do it's because the crab cakes I had were delicious. read more

The ambiance of this restaurant was great. However, the pricing for the food was incredibly expensive. I ordered the Classic Waffles with a side of eggs and bacon with a hot chocolate. All of this combined was like $35 which would have been okay if the bacon had not been incredibly burnt and dry. Whatever you do, do not order the bacon. The waffles were good but didn't seem to warrant 15 dollars to me. They were just basic waffles. Ultimately, my food experience was good, but not great. I feel like there are definitely some things they could do to improve the experience. read more

Cafe Zola - The bacon is so burnt so not order this. - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Oh baby...have we been looking forward to YELP'S BIG DINE IN 2.0 in Michigan, which remains closed by our Governor's order due to the global pandemic. After much deliberation and debate, we chose Ann Arbor's Zola Cafe for a delicious Saturday night carryout dining experience at home. Housed in a beautiful century-old brick building and located just steps off Main in the heart of Ann Arbor's downtown, Zola's flagship has reserved a couple of prime parking spots in front of the restaurant for easy pickup of carryout orders. I found it super easy to drive up and call for my order to be carried out in what is normally a very challenging area to find parking. Zola's associates are very helpful and gave me the sense that they truly value your business during these tough economic times. Remember to tip generously to show your appreciation. We started with two big salads. My better half chose Emile's Arugula Salad with Stilton cheese, grilled pear, honey-glazed walnuts and a sherry-walnut vinaigrette. I "drove" the Classic Iceburg "Wedge" w/ creamy Stilton dressing. It was fresh, crispy-cold and really hit the spot...exactly what I was looking for...highly recommended! We also ordered a couple of Small Plates including an order of Blue Crab Cakes and the Parmesan Rosemary Pommes Frites. The fries came with Zola's spicy mayo and an addicting house-made ketchup that was as good as it gets...wow! The Blue Crab Cakes were also an awesome 'tizer and served as a bit of a time machine that transported me back to fun times in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. My wife and I both opted for pasta dishes for our entrees. I picked Zola's Penne in slow-cooked Chianti Sauce with Sweet Italian Sausage. It was absolutely scrumptious with its combo of sweet sausage in a creamy tomato sauce. My wife played it safe but was well satisfied with the Spaghetti and Zola's famous meatballs. Our Yelp Big Dine In 2.0 dinner was totally enjoyable and a great primer for Yelp's Coast-to-Coast Trivia Night on YouTube Live! Cafe Zola once again earns a solid fiver. read more

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We stopped here for a while to wait for our food from Frita. The server was nice after she went into us and the drinks were good although a bit pricey. We just got an appetizer of the peppers and they were interesting and well cooked but I would not say mine blowing. I would say this place is worth checking out but take a look at the menu before you do. read more

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Ann Arbor is an amazing collage town with 50,000 college kids, downtown has many restaurants and bars all sitting outside having fun For dinner this time I picked Cafe Zola Checking local beer Every place I go, I started with Oberon wheat ale beer. Started with mustardy cauliflower aged cheddar that was good and Adana lamb kofta that was very good, love lamb with tahini. Bombay fish tacos - the fish was fried and a bit dry but the dishes was good read more

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Waited 30 minutes for our order to get taken, 1 hour for the appetizer to come out, and 1 hour and 40 minutes for our food; which was a small plate of spaghetti and a sandwich which consisted of two pieces of bread, one slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce, and one small scoop of pre-prepared chicken salad. Cannot fathom how that should take more than 30 minutes at most, especially because it was not extremely busy when we got there. Was going to order the grilled chicken plate but was told that it takes 30 minutes and would result in a longer wait so I didn't, just for other customers to come in after us, order multiple plates of this dish, and leave in the time it took us to get the simplest sandwich and some spaghetti. Was pricey as well. Will not be coming back. read more

Cafe Zola - Our order which took 1 hour and 40 minutes to arrive. - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Amazing food! A variety of options that everyone can be satisfied. Always love the service and atmosphere. Will continue to go back. Wine choices are wonderful as well. read more

I was looking for a spot to grab a bite after viewing a play. I walked past this spot and remembered that I had been to the other Zolas but not this one. We went in and were quickly seated. I ordered a dirty martini which was great. Everyone can't make a good dirty. The blue cheese olives always tops it off. It took some time to figure out what I wanted. It was between the halibut, Lamb chops, braised beef, salmon. There are plenty of small plates also. I decided on the braised beef due to the recommendation of the waitress. She stated that these were not always on the menu. It came with grilled brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. The brussel sprouts were great! They had a nice texture and taste. They were seasoned well. The beef was also tender but the brussel sprouts really topped it off. My friend got the scallops in wine sauce which were also good. Overall it was great. The prices can be steep here. $93 dollars plus tip for 2 drinks and 2 meals. To keep the cost low the small plates are always an option. However it was good food. I will be back one day in the future. read more

Very poor and innattentive service, food average, and overpriced. I have been a few times, each time it was not busy. The first time I waited over 20 minutes before I had to flag someone down to get water and to have my order taken. Again this last time I had to wait another 20 minutes to have someone give me water and take my order. The waitress never returned to check on things, refill water or coffee, and I had to flag down the host multiple times to get water and the check. Unfortunately, I do not recommend this place. read more

Highly recommend Cafe Zola, the menu and ingredients are always outstanding, service is great, and nice outside tables to enjoy the good music always playing. read more

Really nice place that features local artists' work that can be purchased. The menu is pricy but the food was worth it.

TLDR: will NOT return. Came on a Sunday for brunch. They were crowded, but we were seated right away. This was not to be representative of the service for the remainder of the time, however. We had a terrible time trying to get the attention of a server to bring us menus, answer a question, take our order, etc. Ordered a latte...cold upon arrival. Both the babka French toast and the French toast special tasted good, but, again, cold upon arrival Answer from the server (Meghana) when these were brought to her attention: "sorry about that, but we're pretty busy this morning." No apology, no credit to the bill, nothing. That's a combination of a lack of training and an IDGAF attitude. First time in ages that I have tipped less than 20%. Then we warned the people waiting in line as we left. Hopefully saved them some angst. Maybe it's worth a trip when they're not busy, but avoid this place for brunch. read more

Cafe Zola on Washington Street was on my short list of restaurants to try while traveling to Ann Arbor for work. After reviewing their menu online - anyplace that offers a brunch "all day" option, is definitely somewhere I want to be. Cafe Zola uses fresh, high quality ingredients which is evident in the food they serve. I ordered the mustardy cauliflower aged cheddar casserole curry and the bordrum shrimp with Raki Turkish style casserole with shrimp, tomatoes, feta and olives. WOW! both dishes were top notch in regards to flavor. If I have one criticism about both dishes, it would be the portion sizes. Since I ordered my food to go, I didn't notice how small the portions were until I get back to my hotel room. The food tasted great. The service was prompt and every employee interaction was friendly. Will definitely be back to dine in during my next work trip to Ann Arbor. read more

Cafe Zola - Restaurant dine in area - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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The waitress was pretty okay except she spilled a mimosa on my husband.. and then dropped 4 more things after that. She was still nice and we would've come back had it stopped there. We had reservations for my friend's graduation who we haven't been able to see for 6 months so we sat, ate, talked and it was great regardless of the spill.. until we were waiting for our check and the hostess approached us and tried to rush us out because there was a big reservation coming in. We were barely here for an hour and spent $184.07 for a party of 4, 1 being a kid. You would think they would appreciate our business a little more and give us our time. read more

We came here for a work dinner on a Monday night and really enjoyed our experience. The staff was very friendly and attentive and all of the food was prepared and served quickly - we had a large-ish group so we were very impressed! We ordered several appetizers for the table including the crab cakes, calamari, oyesters, and Turkish vegetables - all were delicious! For my main I had the Bistro Steak Frittes which was perfectly prepared and seasoned. The atmosphere of the restaurant made for the perfect setting for our business meal. Bravo! read more

Cafe Zola - Bistro Steak Frites - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Came for lunch while in town for college drop off. Food was mediocre and over priced. $20 for a nothing special grilled chicken sandwich. But what was truly disappointing was the service. It happens sometimes that an order gets messed up, but then you should apologize and make it right. Instead our server avoided us (never filled water glasses) and she got all huffy when we asked why it took :40 min and no food. Asked for manager and he initially just made excuses. This place comes up a lot on Opentable. Avoid it. read more

Cafe Zola provided a perfect spot for happy hour and catch up on a recent trip to Ann Arbor. Located in the heart of charming downtown Ann Arbor, it has a welcoming ambience, delicious food, and friendly service to make it a wonderful place to go for an afternoon reprieve. We arrived just as happy hour began and were promptly seated. After perusing the drink menu, I decided on a tasty mojito to start. It arrived promptly, and was sweet, minty, and strong! We looked at the snacks available and decided on the crab cakes. Not much longer after, those arrived and were warm, soft, savory, and with a great crunch on the outside. Throughout the meal we enjoyed the beautiful space, with huge windows looking out on bustling Ann Arbor's downtown streets, the high ceilings, and the elegant white tablecloths on our table. Our server took great care of us, making for an excellent little afternoon pick me up. Check out Cafe Zola the next time you are downtown for a tasty snack! read more

A medium quality omelette is $20. There are frequently long waits for tables. The service was OK. A hamburger is $18. Again, the omelette was just pretty good and cost $20. read more

I wish I lived here so I could come here more often. Drinks - absolutely delicious. I enjoyed their espresso martini, and I don't actually know the name of the second drink I had, it was recommended by our server, but it was light and delicious with cucumber and the perfect amount of sweetness. I also got the steak frites. I ordered a rare steak, but actually received a medium cooked steak, with some parts being medium rare plus if I'm generous, and usually I would send it back, because I can't stand meat that is anything above medium rare, however, it had an enormous amount of flavor and tenderness that I didn't expect. This is the first time I've experienced this. Definitely worth the visit! I wish I could have tried more. read more

Ordered a bread plate. They served cold whole grain and sour dough bread that was at least a day old for 6$ with herbed olive oil and herbed butter that just tasted off to me. I asked for ordinary butter instead. Bread plate was very disappointing and poor quality for the price. But the background music was good. And the 5-berry smoothie was good. Went up the street to (new) pastry shop and got a fresh croissant served warm with proper butter - and that satisfied my yen for fresh warm bread. I've been going to Cafe Zola since they opened many decades ago. The quality of food is going slowly down-hill while the price is going up. But the ambiance and background music are both pleasant. I will return but I won't order the bread. read more

First off, the salmon burger was perhaps the best salmon burger I've ever had! The meat was ground and moist and the chili honey glaze was exceptional. However, that's where my praise stops as the rest of meal fell short of expectations. We started with the burrata which was quite bland and could have been elevated with some pepper or salt, the steak was ordered medium rare and came out medium well and the $34 ahi tuna was only 6 pieces with a small scoop of mashed potatoes that was tasty, but was not worth the price solely for the amount of fish presented. Can't go wrong with that salmon burger! read more

My mom and I went to Cafe Zola for a quick afternoon tea after she flew in from LA. She ordered a corn beef sandwich while the waitress recommended me their english muffin. The english muffin I ordered was not warm/fresh so I returns it & asked them to microwave it. Once warmed, it was pretty good considering I put a thick layer of butter and jam before eating. As for the corn beef sandwich dish, the best part of the dish was the pickle. The pickle was the perfect crunchy. Nothing much to say about the sandwich.. The service was pretty good. The waitress constantly checked in on us. We went at around 3pm so the staff was setting up for dinner. However the floor was a bit sticky and looked uncleaned. There was a big chunk of butter on the floor that no one cleaned up. Overall the food was average - nothing special. There's a fancier restaurant called Zola Bistro on Washtenaw so if you're looking for something fancier, I would recommend that one instead. If I were to come back, I'd probably order something sweet, Zola is not known for their salty dishes. read more

Cafe Zola - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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This is clearly a local favorite as it was very busy for brunch. The staff were very accommodating and friendly and worked off their feet. The food was just okay but for the price it was subpar. $18 for the Americana where the portions were meager and no bread/toast. $18 for the shakshuka, with ONE egg (menu says two)and no bread/toast! It was tasty but definitely not worth the price. Coffee was bitter and cold. The wait time after we placed our food order was close to an hour! Not worth the price or the wait. read more

I've worked in restaurants for years now and so when I go out to eat I'm somewhat critical (even is I don't mean to be). I came in after my shift at a neighboring restaurant ended. I hadn't eaten anything all day so I was extremely hungry. I got sat by a very friendly host. And my server Scott was fantastic!! He knew the menu pretty well and answered all of my questions and made sure I was taken care of. Outstanding service and amazing food. read more

Cafe Zola - Bistro Steak Frites - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Great service, great food and great vibes. The menu can be a little overwhelming as there are so many options but our server was able to guide us and we ended up loving everything we got! read more

Came for a date and we had a nice dining experience. Food and drinks came fast. I got an aperol spritz which was really nicely made - would order again. I got shrimp tacos (pictured). The serving size was large / good value. I found them very hard to bite and ended up cutting the shrimp into pieces (so wouldn't recommend ordering this on a first date). Still tasted great. We also got bruschetta (pictured). In my opinion, the bread was way too rock solid to enjoy but all the other components were really great read more

Cafe Zola - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Spent a bit of time here sitting at the bar a while back. Had the octopus, an arugula salad and a few aperol spritzes ! If you're an octopus person, I would definitely get it. I wish it had more to it but it was cooked well and the sauce was bomb. The salad looks like it has chicken on it but it's actually a seared cheese (mozzarella ?) . It took me by surprise and the flavor was a dream. I enjoyed everything I had and I would return any time I'm in Ann Arbor. The service was fine, my bartender was nice but slightly inattentive. read more

Cafe Zola - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Cute outdoor area, friendly service and great food. Liked that they easily subbed fruit for bread/potato's and it was all berries! read more

Cafe Zola - Omelette Duxelles - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I stopped by with a group of friends on a Monday around 11 for Brunch before heading to the airport and we were promptly seated at a table outside. Our meal started off with the waiter knocking over the bottle of water on the table and spilling it on one of us, but it wasn't really a big deal, just some water. We ordered the Huevo Rancheros, Burger, Farmhouse Omelette and Chocolate Babka French Toast with a Cafe Au Lait. The Cafe Au Lait came out pretty quick, but it took forever for our entrees to come out, probably close to an hour!! I had the Burger with Challah bun and french fries. The burger was a bit dry and the bun didn't taste like challah. Overall, a mediocre burger. The farmhouse omelette was average, but the tomatoes looked and tasted like they were canned, which was super disappointing when its called a "farmhouse" omelette that is $20. The most disappointing dish was the heuvos rancheros, it looked like it came out of a cafeteria and tasted like it. The chocolate babka was probably the most tolerable dish, but a bit overpriced at $19 for french toast. Overall, an extremely disappointing and overpriced meal. read more

Cafe Zola - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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The restaurant industry has totally been in a battle for survival the past 16 months. The one thing restaurants can do to retain those people that have had a less than stellar experience is to listen to them. The meal that my friend and I split this morning was good but not stellar. The server was clearly not having a good day and it showed in the tense service. We split a farmhouse omelet with a side of bacon - I had a double cappuccino and my friend had a half pot of a specialty tea. Like I said, the food was good enough. The bill came to $42.29. Ya know, I get it. They have to make money in this weird space we are in. We asked to split the bill and when it came back my friend's card was charged $21.17 and mine was charged $21.13. We each left a $4 tip for the server because we know how hard it is right now. Weirdly, $21.13 and $21.17 adds up to $42.30 not $42.29. Yeah, a cent is insignificant but that's not what the bill total was. I felt that the manager should know. What if others are being over charged by more than a cent? When I called later in the day when there should be a lull between lunch and dinner I asked for the manager. What I got was a terse and clearly angry person - the owner of Cafe Zola. She at first would not share her name but then did in a blur along with her raised voice to say "Look I don't know your age or your gender. I've been around for 57 years and I'm sick of people complaining." When I tried to explain that I had been to Cafe Zola many times and simply wanted to share my experience and the weird over charge of 1 cent she went into overdrive with "I don't need you to ever come back. I've been here for over 20 years and people will continue to come here. People love me. You probably aren't even from here. I don't need this." She was shouting by this point and it was clear she was in no space to listen. Thank the good powers that be that she couldn't identify who my server was as I think she'd have bitten her head off. The servers tenseness is a little more understandable now. I didn't care for the owner's demeanor. There's no excuse to place any relevance between my valid interest in sharing and my age and/or my gender. By the way, I'm older than she and who really should give a rip what my gender is? Over all this experience can be wrapped up with the word WEIRD. It was just weird. I won't be going back. I don't care how long she's been there nor the economic conditions she's having to deal with. All she had to do was listen to my experience for 2 minutes (instead of yelling at me for 5) and tell me she heard me. That's it. I encourage business owners and customers alike to just stop and listen to one another now. It'll go a long way. read more

Great, caring servers and the food is fantastic! One server went above and beyond to meet some of our trickier food allergies, which I really appreciated. There's a nice, shaded outdoor patio area and the inside is cute and cozy. The prices are on the higher side, but the food quality is much better than comparable places with comparable fares in downtown. read more

Honestly a really bad experience. We had a reservation for 11:30 for a party of 7. Everything was okay until we ordered our food. It took 1.5 hours for our food to come out which is ridiculous considering the resteraunt looked half empty. When our food finally did come out one of our party members burgers was very red (probably cooked to a rare/medium rare) when he requested it be cooked medium. My crepe was overly sweet with too much nutella and not enough bannana and the crepe itself was a bit rubbery/hard as well as cold. Keep in mind this crepe was 21$ too. The service was not good and the atmosphere was very stressful because the waiters were rushing around and bumping into things and complaining loudly to eachother. The food was overly expensive and not that good especially for its price. read more

Not sure how this place got any bad reviews. It was amazing and fresh. The coffee was amazing and they have a lot of options. They have liquor. The food is always fresh and tasty. The Turkish breakfast and bread basket are my favorite. Always helpful wait staff. read more

Cafe Zola - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I confess I have a bit of a bad habit. I go to a place ... say ... Burger King. And then I order a whopper with cheese. And then every time I go there, I can't help myself but order the same thing because the first thing I tried was good and why mess with perfection? I'm not sensing I'll have that problem here. And it's not because I didn't enjoy my meal. No, the seared tuna with a black sesame seed crust was absolutely perfect. And that cilantro rice? Oh, soooo good. I finished my tuna and just kept eating the rice. Couldn't help it. So the issue is, there is *too much* here I want to try and the restaurant is leagues (over 120!) away from where I live. By the way, did you know there are 3.45 miles in a nautical league? No you did not, but now you do! You also know you should try the seared tuna (assuming you like that kind of thing). Maybe also pick up a Negroni or two? And after you've enjoyed your meal, perhaps top it off with a Zola's Harvest crêpe. I did. And wow did it hit the spot. Now, I suppose in full disclosure I should mention that we had a reservation for 8:15pm ... but unfortunately my flight was delayed so I didn't make it to the restaurant until 9pm! But fortunately, my party (who was already there) had *just* gotten seated right before I got there. I'm not knocking stars for this because from a completely selfish point of view it was ideal ... but it's worth mentioning in case your plane ISN'T delayed because the first Uber never showed up for your first officer at his hotel. read more

Went this morning, first dining out experience in a long long time. After taking around 20 minutes to decide what to order, my daughter was told that they didn't have waffles this morning, and I was told that they could only serve the special frittata, not any of the usual ones on the menu. That eliminates about 75% of the menu, why even hand it to us? Moreover, the host didn't tell us this, the waitress didn't when she dropped off water, nor when she came back with our drinks. She waited until 20 minutes had passed and we (thought) we had finally made up our minds. Beyond this, food took longer than it should have considering there were 4 tables sat total. No hot sauce or Ketchup for eggs/potatoes, 1/2 a coffee refill.... I've been a fan of this place for a long time, this was a massive disappointment for my greatly anticipated return to public dining. We spent $100 (before tip) on 4 breakfasts and only 1 person really got something they wanted. I'm sure Zola will do fine without me, but I won't be back. Also, I've posted a pic of my $21 frittata. Can you tell what makes it different from your standard $10-$15 frittata? Me either. read more

Cafe Zola - $21 frittata - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan