The Italian food is good, not amazing, but there are definitely things that stand out to give it more than just three competent stars. First, the olive butter. I usually hate butter, but this stuff is addicting. I am not sure if they sell it to take home, but if not, they should. Try not to eat too much of it with the bread or you'll be too full for your entree. But then again, you can take it home anyway, so go for it! Second, the ambience. The lighting is fantastic. The booths are comfy. The whole feel of the restaurant is cozy and welcoming. Plus, it is right on the Maumee river with a beautiful view of the city. Great location. Third, the service is great. Your drink will be continually magically refilled. Fourth, the pastas are good. I recommend pesto related ones, though I am sure the others are fine too. I have had better Italian, but was on the West Coast, so I don't judge this too harshly. The ones here are good enough. Fifth, the carrot cake. Homemade- family recipe. Really yummy. Overall, a nice experience. Definitely worth repeating. read more

Very nice meal, and mostly good experience. There only reasaon I did not give 5 stars, was due to our experience while waiting. We sat at the pizza bar, and had a drink while waiting, as main bar was full. Bartender was great, but the pizza chef was nothiing but rude, to both us, other customers, and fellow employees. Quite honestly, we almost left after listening to him. Turns out, glad we stayed. The restaurant really has nice atmosphere, the food was great, and for the money, I would say even better. Our server was attentive, and very friendly. read more

I tried Zia's for the first time with a group of people who were already fans and frequent diners of the place. It was a nice day so we sat outside. I love sitting outside so that was fantastic. The waitress was slow to greet us and the slowness continued throughout dinner. I know it was just our particular waitress because I was watching the other waiter outside and he was much quicker and attentive. She was friendly, though, it wasn't horrible. As someone else said: the oliver butter is addictive. The house salad was on the larger side and tasty. I wouldn't rate the food as "Olive Garden" quality (as another Yelper suggested) but, sure, I've had better Italian food. In other cities. For now, this will fill my Italian food fix. read more

I've dined here four or five times and have always been very pleased. But my first time here was less than a year ago. I have no idea why I didn't try it before. I guess because I didn't realize it is a Mainstreet Ventures restaurant. I've had nothing but positive dining experiences at their restaurants. One of the best pizzas in town in my opinion - much better than Pizza Popolis. The tortellini with the gorgonzola and walnut cream sauce is out of this world. As for appetizers: try the fried ravioli or the calamari. Both are top shelf. My dining partner has had several of the pasta dishes and just raved about them. I don't think you could go wrong with anything on the menu. **01-11-13 Update** Ordered a pizza to go - their "Carne Amore" pizza. It was nothing short of amazing. The thin crust was perfectly baked and very tasty. The chunky tomatoes blended with the pizza sauce made you look forward to every bite. Definitely one of if not the best pizza in Toledo IMHO. read more

Visited for the first time for an anniversary. We sat in the bar area, in a booth, which was kind of obnoxious, but because of the guests at the bar, not anyone else. Our server was a little slow getting to our table for drinks and an appetizer. The bread and olive butter was to die for. Our Zia's Pane di Mozzarella was amazing. My spaghetti and meatballs had the most delicious marinara sauce I've had in my life. The cannoli couldn't be beat, either. Only 4 stars because of the slow service and our salads were drenched in dressing, to the point of mostly being inedible. We will definitely be returning. read more

My family has dined here at Zia's for my mom's and sister's birthday for a long time. The service and food has always been very good until our most recent visit. We were a party of 12. Our waitress was ill-prepared to handle our group. Her 'care' of us was spotty at best. Our food, when it arrived was not up to Zia's standards. There was almost no flavor in the shrimp dishes. Two of our party had no food at all until we managed to flag down our inattentive waitress and make her aware of the fact. Then came the bill with the MANDATORY 18% tip added on. Our waitress didn't deserve 5% much less 18%. I've worked in and managed restaurants so I'm aware of how things work. Our waitress needs supervision and the chef needs to go back to school. read more

First time going. Nice place. Nice staff very helpful. The calamari is good also read more

Zia's - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Terrible. Service was bad, food was worse. We came to dinner to celebrate our daughters birthday, instead we just laughed at what a train wreck this place was. Will never return and will never recommend anyone to come here. Way overpriced for what it is. read more

Since we moved to Oregon, we have been trying the different places on the docks. We had not been here before, and decided to try it. I got the steak with portable mushrooms (I cannot remember the exact menu item name, because all the items are in Italian), which was excellent. The chef got the medium rare perfect on a very thick steak. My wife got the spaghetti with meatballs, which was also excellent. Caprese salad was unique and the dressing was superb. The decor was nice, kind of reminiscent of old time Italian. The best part was the service. Our server, Dominique was excellent. She was attentive and extremely knowledgeable of the menu and even the ingredients in each item. Probably the best service we have had in Toledo. I would definitely recommend Zias to anyone wanting a nice place near downtown. read more

Came here with husband after a weekend apart, and enjoyed the excellent calamari and pizza.

Food is good, but the service was tremendously slow. A manager came by, but an apology for more than an hour wait was all we got. Probably not coming back. Manager came to the table and offered more bread, but made no other attempt to "make it right". read more

Sit at the bar and take advantage of happy hour. 1/2 price appetizers and personal pizzas are like $6 and can feed two. Get the bread with olive butter! read more

Let me start by saying that there was no air conditioning...during the summer...in Ohio. We were not informed of this until after we sat down. That should be enough to earn one star but unfortunately the saga continues. We had a party of 7 and after a very long wait they told us the kitchen was short staffed. But wait there's more. The manager with the tragic trash stash goatee was completely unbothered by our negative feedback said ok, and walked away. After loosing 5 pounds by means of intense sweating, we rehydrated and washed down our greasy, disgusting food with some room temperature beer. Bottom line? Don't go. read more

Prior to Covid in Dec 2019 we visited Zia's and had one of the worst quality meals I've ever had at any price. I'm sure the review is still out there if you're curious. We vowed not to come back. A manager had read my review and gave us a gift card to give them another chance but then Covid hit and the restaurant closed. We didn't think they were ever coming back given the quality of the food and service at the time. It seemed like a mercy to remove them from competition for dining dollars. They reopened about a month ago and the recent reviews have been very good. We decided to give it a try. Wow what a difference. They seem to be working from a limited menu and the staff was still working to find their groove but they were very attentive and the food was excellent. They are extremely focused on the quality of the food and it shows. All of the pastas tasted fresh and homemade and not out of a cardboard box from Sam's. The entree's were well prepared and again tasted homemade and not out of a frozen bag and microwave. Basically everything you'd expect from them. Day and night change. I'm optimistic that they have it right with the reopening. We're told that the menu will be expanding. Looking forward to going back again. And expect $$$ not $$. Dinner for 2 with only one of us having wine was $100+ read more

The atmosphere was nice. Loved the decor and the music playing within the restaurant. Wasn't impressed with the meals themselves. The spaghetti and meatballs my children ordered were bland, lacked any taste, and very expensive for the portion and quality. for myself, I ordered the spaghetti with lemon zest and chicken. It came with no chicken whatsoever. When I inquired the wait staff about it, they stated it was in there, that they cut the pieces small. I didn't find a one, but left it at that because I didn't want to cause a scene. I will not return. We spent over $80 on small portions with no taste. I can make tastier pasta at home for 20 people for what we paid there. read more

Meh - I went there this summer for a dinner for a bachelorette party and was less than impressed. For the price you pay the food is not that great. The sangria however made up for it, I love sangria. But honestly for the price of an entree there the sangria is not worth it. My father is from Italy and I've grown up with some amazing Italian food in my life so my bar might be set a little higher than most. The view from the restaurant is fun, but that is not a reason to eat somewhere. Our service was just so-so and we had to flag down the waitress quite a few times. However, the spread that comes with the bread looked funny and I almost didn't try it but I was glad I did - it was yummy, I think it came with bits of olives in it and I don't even like to eat whole olives! read more

Very limited vegetarian options, can get most pasta dishes with no meat. The pesto-penne is a must try! Nice view (for Toledo) of the river and assorted factories. Go in the summer when you can sit on the rivers edge. Very nice wait staff. A nice place to bring visitors to the city. read more

This was our 3rd try here. First was pretty good, second and third were awful. After my first review the manager (Brandon) contacted me, apologized for the awful service and food and sent me a $50 gift card. We went with an open mind and were once again very disappointed. Our waiter how ever this time was fantastic. We received our food my husband ordered a veal ravioli dish and I ordered something with chicken mushrooms and veggies. My food was cold my husband's pasta was pretty much soup. We sent back our food. The assistant manager (Caleb) came over and apologized and states that the cook was still learning how to make sauces and that sauces were really hard to do. As a person with culinary experience I know that sauces are something you learn in your first week of any culinary training, except maybe at waffle house or IHop. When we got it back 2 minutes later my vegetables were raw and chicken was dried out the mushrooms had been soaked in vinegar and that was the only thing I could taste. My husband's sauce had raw garlic and onions in it and was mostly grease. At this point we had given up. I paid with my gift card and had $8 left on it. On the way out I gave the gift card to someone waiting to be seated. I had absolutely no use for it and would never use it. On the way home we went through the McDonald's drive thru and were finally served food that was worth the price. read more

Zia's - My husbands veal ravioli "pasta". - Italian Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Nice environment, we ate outside with a nice view of the river and downtown. Our server was great and they were very accommodating of our requests. read more

Great service & great food....I have eaten here on a couple of occasions. My husband and I love the fact that we can dine alfresco on the river. Service has always been top notch. Today I had the Antipasti Misti and thoroughly enjoyed it...even though the grilled vegys were cold...I would def order it again. The bread and kalmata olive butter is awesome. I suiggest you try it and support downtown business! read more

Disappointed. Beautiful decor and good food but service was poor. We sat at the bar and had dinner and drinks a little before closing time. Bartender had a really bad attitude and ignored us most of the time. Had to ask other staff for anything we needed. read more

This is my favorite place to get amazing Italian food!! Even the steaks are grreat! The olive butter is good too, and they have a decent happy hour. Also if you go on your birthday you get your meal for free! read more

Service was extremely slow, even after making reservations. It was very upsetting after being patrons of the docks for so long. Wish that Toledo could hold their own like they used to. read more

We stumbled across Zia's and were blown away at the atmosphere, waterfront views, impeccable service, and incredible food! This was hands down the best and freshest Italian food I've had since vacationing in Italy. My wife and I both eat gluten-free, and they brought a delicious GF Asiago bread with kalamata olive butter. The salads were fresh and flavorful, and the pastas (GF carbonara and pesto) were flavorful and unique. We ended our meal with the flourless chocolate cake, which was very rich and tasty. We would recommend Zia's to everyone, especially those who eat gluten-free. read more

I have been to Zia's at least a dozen times and it has always been delicious. Haven't always had the best service but this time it was excellent. Tried the pizza for the first time and it was delicious. Definietly big enough for 3 people to share. I think Zia's is one of the best Italian restaurants in the Toledo area. read more

My friends and I love visiting for the happy hour! Only gave 4 instead of 5 stars because I've never tried any entrees but I love the atmosphere and happy hour prices are fantastic for the quality of martinis and appetizers! Also an added bonus being near the water! read more

Such a cute place. Loved the atmosphere and they bring a wine sample to your table upon arrival. The calamari was really great. Also I changed my pasta to have the garlic cream sauce and it was the best! read more

Food is okay. I had the caprese salad, which was probably the best part of my meal. Also had the eggplant Parmesan which wasn't anything special. Service is okay. The decor is interesting. Go on a sunny day so you can sit outside and enjoy the view. read more

Went here for dinner with coworkers and we were all very satisfied. Two of us got chicken piccata, another person got a chicken pasta pesto dish, and someone else had the bacon wrapped tenderloin. We all enjoyed our meal. II had the wine as well, all very satisfied. read more

Visiting from PA, my sons were craving Italian. Holy Toledo was it good! The hostess greeted us promptly with our Open Table reservation in play. Josh the waiter was very attentive. Both boys ordered the same penne pasta dish with red sauce. My eldest also ordered a Caesar salad. He didn't much care for the dressing. He loved the red sauce on the pasta! I had a low carb sirloin mushroom steak dinner and a side of broccoli. Delicious! Both boys ordered the same delicious flour-less chocolate cake. I even had a couple ample bites! Yummy. read more

My husband found this place on Open Table and we decided to try it. We both loved it! It has a super atmosphere. It's nice to walk outside along the river. We were not able to be seated outside, but next time if it's a nice night, I'll wait the extra time. We had the bruschetta and it was delicious. My husband had manicotti and I had a whole wheat pasta dish with pesto sauce and grilled chicken. Both were very good. The bread and olive butter they bring to the table are worth the trip down from Detroit alone!!! The pizza looked amazing and we both want to try it. We can't wait to come back with some friends. Kudos to the wait staff. Extremely friendly and welcoming. read more

The bruschetta was absurd. Avoid at all costs!! 1 hour to get salads is ridiculous along with a $6 upcharge for a caprese salad!!! The pasta was okay but nothing to write home about. The server barely checked on us. The food that comes out is not reflected in the price. Avoid at all costs. read more

We have had many good experiences at Zia's in the past, but this one was not great. My party of 7 arrived and asked for a table in the bar for happy hour. We were told that there would be a 10 minute wait, which we were fine with. 15 or 20 minutes past and our name was called for our table. We were seated at a table outside of the bar, in which you could not get happy hour. We asked the hostess about our request for a bar table and if they could accommodate us at the table where we were sat. The host asked the manager who came to our table and informed us that we could not get happy hour prices at this table. We payed full price, had decent food, and decent/poor service, but did not have the experience we set out to have that night. I completely understand that they were busy in the bar and could not accommodate us. I only wish that they would have informed us at the host stand of the actual situation, that we would have to wait an hour to be sat in the bar (as we requested). Instead, we were told we would be sat in the bar after 10 minutes and actually never were. Poor work from the management/host. read more

First time visit to Zias, and loved it!! The decor is perfect for a family Italian place. Amazing service, our waiter was on-the-spot with everything throughout the meal. We had 2 little ones with us and he brought their meals out as soon as they were ready (a lifesaver if you've ever dined with kids!) Also, the chicken pesto was to die for! We'll be going back for sure. read more

My daughters fiancee family from Memphis,Tennessee planned her wedding rehearsal dinner at Zia's. I was told the staff was helpful and courteous during the long distance planning process. Our appetizers and entrees were delicious. The salmon was excellent. The wait staff was courteous and attentive. The library room was perfect for our party. Our out of town guests were pleased with their experience. read more

Really cool place. I loved the music (frank Sinatra and other musicians like him) the food was good- the drinks were good but if you want to go to a nice place to eat that won't hurt your wallet this is NOT the place. Most of the menu cost 15 and up and the portion size is small to average. Lovely place, the waiters are friendly but some of the menu items aren't worth the hype read more

The food and service were good. The littlest yooper and I enjoyed our lasagna filled with spinnach and zuchinni. The ambience was wonderful - the smell of garlic as you walk in, soft lighting, great decor, river and downtown views. My only complaint is that they sat us right near the kitchen and bathroom so there was a lot of traffic around our table. About 75% of the tables were empty so they could have done better (even if we did have a high chair in the party). I'd come back - especially if no kids were included. read more

Went there with a party of about 10 and ! had the chicken piccata. The food was out of this world. Service was excellent. The night lights from the river outside gave just the right ambience. It was a bit pricey but entirely worth the experience. read more

The bruschetta was.... Well... Disgusting. It was canned sauce that soaked into an otherwise nice crusty bread. I had to return it. The caprese salad had old mealy tomatoes and so little mozzarella that it was almost non existent. The steak was ok, but the portabella mushroom was soaked in balsamic vinigar to the extent that it was all you could taste. The only redeeming quality was the service, which was excellent. The tip I left was for there service ..... NOT THE FOOD. read more

Family went out to dinner before the Toledo Walleye game. The restaurant is in a great location; very scenic view of the river and downtown. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and drink selection. Overall, the food was quite good. Margarita pizza, pollo picata, and calamari appetizer were all good. However, it took far too long for us to receive our meal; the restaurant was not particularly busy at the time. With three kids, it was a struggle to keep everyone occupied. From being seated to paying the bill was approximately 2 hours. read more