Not surprised there are tons of reservations available at 6pm on a football Saturday. That should've been red flag #1. Service was non existent. We were sat without menus, server was completely clueless. Every table around us was asking where their drinks or food was. Apps took 25 minutes, food took over an hour in a 1/4 filled restaurant. Food mediocre at best. Would never go back, too many good restaurants in town to waste time with this one again. Don't do it read more

Service was great, drinks were great and well thought out. Now to the food. The crab cake for 21 dollars is a complete rip off, two little half dollar cakes came out with so much filler!!! I almost laughed. I just don't understand why you would offer something like that, knowing that other establishments offer a better product and price point. It's a total miss here. Webers has a banger of a crab cake and full of lump crab, it's 15$ I consider it the best in Ann Arbor. Just my take. Inside was nice and interior clean. read more

My meal.. Zolas Monte Cristo Sandwich- Honey Roasted Carrots- Pommes Frites. Sorry I can't remember the name of the drink (has vodka, lavender cream, honey and lemon) read more

Zola Bistro - Zolas Monte Cristo Sandwich - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The mushroom omelette was sooooo good and flavorful. We got a whole French press of coffee for 4. It was fragrant and not too acidic. The salmon platter was really good, so was the French toast. Two of the meals came with bagels! Lively atmosphere and service was good given how busy it was. read more

Zola Bistro - Mushroom Omelette - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Absolutely terrible service, food is extremely overpriced and the owner was very unfriendly towards the staff. Seemed as if we were unwelcome and were a nuisance when all we asked for was another fork because one of them fell on the ground. Honestly just go to whole across the street and you will have a better experience with everything. read more

I gave 2 stars mainly because of the service which is terrible (there seem to be only one or two waitresses who actually work-or rather over work while the rest are just at the front desk) 1) Food and drinks: 4/5 (chicken and waffles, omlettes, crepes, shakshuka, orange juice, lemon based mocktail are all great!) 2) service: Terrible 1/5 (arrived on time for a reservation we made and were greeted and seated promptly. We were then told its a busy day so service might be delayed, but you look around and we have been to places busier than this with prompt service but we wait patiently. Twenty mins later no sign of waiter/waitress. We are only given water so far. So we ask for menus ourself from the front desk hostess and wait and ask for a waitress/waiter asap and then ten more mins later we have someone assigned to us. The place seems to have only 2 actual waiters. The rest of the staff (a lot of them atleast 4 people) are at the front desk as hostesses, who did nothing to help the waiters out--they did not refill glasses of water unless u ask them, and even then will fill only the glass for the one who asked and not care to check at the rest of the table, the 4 people did not really have any work and weekend is not a time to train the staff, they did not help with serving the food or bringing the bills etc. Our waitress assigned was AMAZING but at this point I felt sorry for her as she was running around spreading a lot of cheer to every table she served while the rest of the group seemed to be standing in one place doing nothing. A baby in our party threw their game down and the staff standing right there did not bother helping , while its not needed and we can do it ourselves thats how useless some of the staff are). The service needs to be more organized and better planned so guests dont have to wait too long to order. 3) Ambiance: 4/5 ,good vibe 4) Overall: 2/5. Food and place are great, but service needs to be improved. Better utilization of the staff, and timemanagement is highly needed read more

Zola Bistro - Shakshuka - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

We love this place, though it's not quick . I ventured out with the akacha purple papillon cocktail, New York Strip, Turkish brunch and freshly squeezed orange juice. read more

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Overpriced! Food was ok but nothing special. Shopping center had high priced stores. We had crepes. Mine had minimal bananas and strawberries and cream. The salmon with buckwheat was ok. They have many breakfast ideas from bagels to waffles. Outdoor seating. Overpriced drinks! read more

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Ok the only positive is the food was excellent Now the reason for the 1 review 1) service horribly slow there was only 2 customers at 9am. It took almost an hour for avocado toast and French toast 2} not friendly staff had to track them down for 15 min to get check 3} biggest pet peeve. She brings out four French toast and also brings out 1 ounce of syrup which I know is 1 ounce because I work in the industry I asked for another syrup. She said there will be an up charge. The reasonable of charge would be $.50 maybe a dollar and I received the bill they charge me $3.50 for 1 ounce of maple syrup. read more

Had dinner there last night at the bar, and was very pleasant with the bartender service, very attentive, very professional. Food was really good, and ambiance was relaxed !! Definitely going back soon !! read more

I've visited Zola Bistro numerous times over the past few years and I've been disappointed a couple times. During my last visit, we waited a long time to talk to the host. We had to flag down our waiter multiple times to get water and refills. Our food took close to an hour to come out and it was incredibly mediocre. I previously tried a crepe that smelled so bad I had to return it to the kitchen. Definitely overpriced and too crowded for the food quality. I think the restaurant is just typically understaffed which caused the delays. The workers are generally very kind and helpful. read more

Food is good but not great. Prices are steep. Beware of add ons. A 6$ latte became 9.50$ after alt milk and flavoring FOR AN 8oz LATTE. Ridiculous to charge more for a latte than an actual cafe, especially when it is not their focus to make exceptional espresso drinks and we're only mid level. The size, the quality, everything was not worth the price. $18 waffles, 20$ shakhuka, 9$-orange juice, 9.50$ latte. Service was average. We were left without water for a very long time even after having requested it. We had to flag our waiter down while the restaurant was empty with a few tables on the patio-so not busy to warrant being neglected. The food is good but not worth the fine dining prices. read more

Zola Bistro - Strawberry banana delight - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I rely on Yelp for restaurants when traveling, so these low ratings make me wonder how may local gems I have missed. Great atmosphere, and an extensive, creative, and delicious cocktail menu. Some favorite dishes are the salmon burger, Stilton salad, and Thai chicken satay. Thankful for this neighborhood restaurant. read more

When it comes to brunch, Zola Bistto is tough to beat. With a menu than spans a variety of omelets, to hash, to crepes, to burgers, to salads, there's something to please every palate. This past weekend, Zola was the perfect spot to get together with some girlfriends and catch up. We wanted a place with great variety on the menu, an inviting atmosphere, and easy parking, and Zola fit the bill for all 3. After making a reservation, we met each other at Zola at the appointed time. Our server came by with waters, including a carafe for refills for the table, and took coffee orders for those who wanted it. When she came back with the coffees, she took our food orders. The menu is extensive, and so many items sounded delicious, but I finally decided on the Nadia's Omelet for something filling and savory. A reasonable time later our food was delivered, with a basket of bread to share around the table. My omelet was good, but I'll probably spring for another one next time, or even try the Huevos Rancheros -- the one that my friend got looked so enticing. It took a while for our bill to come, but we settled up, said goodbye to one another, and made plans to get together again. All in all, it was a great brunch at Zola! read more

Zola Bistro - Nadia's Omelet -- solid savory omelet option - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The food was not super great today. Started off with a raspberry mocha which was not warm and tasted kind of like cardboard-- not much flavor. I had a side of fries, and they were nice and crispy. The presentation of the smoked salmon plate was poor-- it felt cheap and there was not a lot of salmon or cream cheese. The bagel was okay. My mom got the Hediye's breakfast, and as you can see in the picture, it looked cheap and small. She said it tasted average. Pretty let down by Zola's Bistro because at their prices, they should have better quality food, presentation, and portions. read more

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Food was good but, took over 30 minute get it. We did order a Dutch baby and I know they do take longer however, the waitress should tell people that up front ans because if this the omelette was cold. Also, she was not friendly and never checked on us to see if we liked our food. The restaurant was not busy so I'm not sure why she didn't. I also asked for a back booth Bc I had planned to go back for dinner and she basically refused to help accommodate that on my reservations for the same evening even though I had a early reservation. I won't go back. Rude service is not acceptable ever! Especially when it's an expensive place to eat. read more

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The atmosphere is very cute and the service was great. The flavors of items they offer is very unique. The coffee was great, but the food was ridiculously priced. I got an omelette with no sides for $21!! While it had unique ingredients it wasn't something I would order again and was not worth the money read more

Zola Bistro - Omelette menu - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Husband and I stopped into Zola's Bistro for dinner on a cold Monday evening. The restaurant was beautiful. My husband ordered a martini (unusual for him) and he thought it was the best martini he had ever enjoyed. We shared a green salad, plenty for two. It was extremely fresh with nice vegetables, yummy dressing on the side and chopped romaine lettuce. Best salad in a long time. I ordered the spaghetti and meatball and it was delicious! Husband has the shrimp scampi which he loved! Our meals were superb and our server was honestly wonderful! The entire experience was enjoyable and that is why we love Zola's Bistro. read more

I work at Zola. Our food is excellent. The kitchen is the most organized and cleanest kitchen I've worked in my career. The owners are demanding but fair. I strongly recommend you dine at Zola. The Halibut, Steak Frittes, Smoked Salmon Platter, Shrimp Scampi and Mushroom Toast are awesome. Please give us a try. Thank You. read more

Extremely overpriced for what you get - food quality and service. Quevos rancheros were good, but halloumi salad was so overdressed it was like eating rotten/overripe lettuce - and missing ingredients. Husband's chicken and waffles were bleh at best. Asked for salad as a starter and was brought everything out at the same time. Small personal preference I admit, but I guess I like refills on coffee in the same cup. Server kept bringing out new cups for refills and left old cups on table? With tip it was $90 for two mains, 2 coffees, and one salad we split. Oh Ann Arbor, you bougie and overhyped town... Will try and spend my dollars supporting any number of great Detroit restaurants next time we go out. read more

The presentation is absolutely amazing as always! Would have loved to see more pictures of the food.. some of our meals came out a little unexpected. Not exactly what we envisioned. We let the waitress know about one of the meals roasted veggie salad was just not likable..she just said thats how it comes.. didnt try to make it right. On the bright side little sisters even paid! Free food taste even better! read more

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Was kind of disappointed with my experience here today! I got the impression that the restaurant was under-staffed and/or lacked organization/communication as it took a long time for our waitress to check on us each time she made her rounds and everyone seemed stressed. Additionally, it seemed like the kitchen staff might have been unfamiliar with the restaurant's menu. For example, my boyfriend ordered the chicken and waffles which was supposed to come with tomato gravy, but his dish had no tomato gravy on it. I ordered the classic waffle which was supposed to come with jam, but the waffle was sent out without it. Feels like the staff here could use additional members and training read more

As of 1/14/2018, This is my third time coming here the previous two times, I was disappointed, I love cafe Zola and was excited when a more convenient location opened. The previous two times at Zola bistro did not live up to cafe Zola. When looking at menu's for restaurant week zola bistro definitely stood out, my wife and I decided to give them one last try. The $28 dinner came with two appetizers and one entree. There were three of us so we got to try 6 appetizers and three entrees, every single item we ate was absolutely amazing, I am not sure what changed, but they knocked this menu out of the park. For starters we tried the scallops, shrimp cocktail, lamb meatballs, Brussels sprouts with bacon, hearts of palm with tahini sauce and thai chicken satay. The presentation on all these dishes was outstanding, I did not think, I would like the hearts of palm salad with kale, but I really enjoyed how they crisped the kale and spicy tahini went perfectly with the salad. The scallop was cooked perfectly and the baby corn and edamame with the ginger soy reduction was amazing. The lamb meatballs served half on tomato and half on yogurt was really well done. The shrimp cocktail were grilled and served with a nice dipping sauce. The Brussels sprouts were cooked over a grill with mushrooms than topped with smoky bacon, I do not really like Brussels sprouts, but this dish was solid. For entree, I ordered the steak Chimichurri with fingerling potatoes, the steak was cooked to perfection and the Chimichurri had outstanding flavor. My wife ordered the monkfish and any chef that can take ingredients that, I do not normally like and combine it with other ingredients to make it palpable is a sign of a great chef in my opinion. The monkfish was cooked to perfection served over a sweet potato or butternut squash with pomegranate juice, absolutely wonderful. My son devoured his spaghetti and meatballs, I tried a bite and it was quite good. I hope Zola bistro stays like this will definitely be back. read more

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Great location, nice atmosphere. At first glance of the menu, the prices seemed a little high for the food being offered. However, I would have paid double for the Dutch pancake with fresh fruit I ordered! Delicious. Service was great as well! Thank you Zola Bistro for a great dining experience!! read more

Zola Bistro - Latte, vanilla. - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Ended up here by mistake as the wife and I were looking for a Cafe Zola, but once here figured wth. Service was fine, atmosphere seemed pretty cool. I had the smoked salmon crepe, while I didn't like it much I wouldn't give a bad review over it. The price is another story. The issue is that my wife ordered waffles, which looked great on arrival. Two really nice sized pieces that came with a tiny metal cup of syrup. My wife really likes warm syrup so she asked if there was any way to get her syrup warmed up. The original answer was no, but the waitress was nice enough to try to warm another cup for her, but made sure we knew that it would be another $3.50. I asked in an almost comical "Say wha now?" Amd she repeated the price as I was sure I heard wrong. My wife now irritated said fine as long as it's warm we'd pay for it. I was expecting a bottle or something for $3.50, but she brought back the same tiny metal cup. I'm sorry, but I didn't see anywhere on the menu describing some rare hard t acquire syrup made by magic elves and stored in a vault till served. The dishes are already pricey ( $19.95 for my crepe with very little salmon and no sides), but to charge that much for a dash of syrup is pretty much a slap in the face. Hopefully someone from the restaurant will respond to this describing the magical unicorn tree the syrup came from and I'll change my review. No magical unicorn tree no change Bottom line, the place is decent, but check reviews before ordering as you you don't necessarily get what you pay for. I believe had we ordered anything else this would be a different review read more

Zola Bistro - This is what you get for an extra $3.50 - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Visited Sunday with a group of 8. I made reservations 5 days prior yet they sat us at a table for 6 which made it extremely difficult since the tables and chairs were so close together. They were very busy so service was a bit slow. Totally acceptable. However, 4 of us ordered the chicken and waffles. We were each given a half condiment cup of syrup which wasn't nearly enough for two waffles. When asked to bring more, we were told that half condiment cup of syrup was $3.50! Even though we declined the extra syrup, our bill for two (chicken and waffles and a burger with fries with non alcoholic beverages) was $85 with a 20% tip. Won't be back. read more

I came for snacks and drinks around 4 today. We enjoyed the atmosphere, food and drinks. We had the hummus and zatar(hot and phenomenal), goat cheese adriatica (good, but bread was slightly too grilled) and the calamari(great but small plate and not big enough). Although there wasn't a happy hour, the drinks were great. I'll be back read more

Good mushroom crepe, fast service, music not too loud, lighting not too bright, good variety in menu

Asked for my burger to be medium, it came out very well done. Sent it back and it took about a half hour so I asked for it to be boxed up. (When you order a $20 hamburger you'd hope it be cooked to order and have a ton of flavor.) Can't say it was either. Not busy and was well over an hour for an omelet and a hamburger. The house made ketchup was more like a smoky jelly, the spicy mayo was the plates saving grace. read more

Zola Bistro - Classic Kobe Burger - French Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Awesome experience! The food was superb, the service attentive and well informed, and the atmosphere was casual yet sophisticated. Not cheap but worth every single penny and then some! Great work by the Zola staff! We ll be back again read more

We came to celebrate our friend who is getting married this week and service was TERRIBLE. Server didn't greet us, introduce herself or anything. We got our food and the bread was burnt to hell on the avocado toast so we had to send it back. When she came to "check on us", she asked if we needed anything while walking away from us. When we paid for our food she SAT AT OUR TABLE, said " if my boss sees me sitting I'll get in big trouble". She then held the card reader to watch me tip, which I gladly put no tip in front of her. She was complaining about being there and saying her stomach hurt. I came for food, not to hear you complaining. read more

overall, a pretty chaotic experience with pretty average food, so I honestly don't see myself coming back here :/ came in a party of 9 so we made sure to have a reservation beforehand. however, after arriving there, we were told that there was a glitch with the reservation system and that there wasn't a table available for us. understandable, issues happen and we were a large party, but we still ended up having to wait 30 minutes to be seated. once seated inside, we placed our order and once again, our food didn't arrive until 30 minutes after. also, the waiter bringing out the food seemed genuinely confused about what we ordered & had us shout out our orders to him - very chaotic tbh. they also forgot one of our orders & it didn't come out until 10 minutes after everyone else had gotten their food. additionally, something else that occurred with our other waitress was that we had a member of our party with a severe nut allergy, so she asked our waitress to confirm that the crepe she ordered didn't contain nuts. our waitress was a little sassy and brushed off the question by saying "it's just cream" in terms of the food itself, it was pretty much just fine, but the consensus was that the food seemed overpriced for what we got (i wasn't able to get photos/thoughts on everything we ordered but for some quick notes): penne pasta $24 - "overall fine, but not worth the money or the wait, pasta tasted overcooked, was on the brink of being soggy" complete crepe $20 - "overpriced for sure, ratio of egg to other ingredients was non-existent" spaghetti and meatball $20 - "it was alright, pretty standard nothing special- they were true to the name it really only came with a single meatball" champignon crepe $19 - "honestly i was just expecting a little more? it tasted fine but the portion was pretty small and I expected more mushroom filling" cowboy cobb $20 + $12 flat iron steak - "ordered the flat iron steak medium rare and it came almost well done, taste was good though" definitely echo what some of the other reviews talked about re: poor service and overpriced food. hopefully the restaurant can hire more staff & institute better training and fix their reservation system. honestly it didn't seem like it was impacting their business too much though (the place was completely packed when we arrived & as we were leaving) so maybe just different tastes? read more

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We ordered two of the specials last night and they were amazing! The short ribs in particular were phenomenal!

Stopped in on a whim and wow! What an experience! Sat at the bar and was greeted by Ian. He showed me menus and we conversed about what was really good and he recommended the halibut with vegetables wrapped in parchment. He also made a wine recommendation which I ended up ignoring but definitely appreciated. The Halibut was moist and delicate wrapped in a sea of tomato broth with carrots, olives, zucchini, and broccoli. I almost asked for a spoon to get all the broth left in the paper. The wine conversation with Ian topped of the experience. He was knowledgeable and made accurate and pleasurable recommendations. I would like to come back again and try more off the menu to test the chefs, but for now, I'm satisfied with the first time. read more

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Stoped by for brunch on a low key Monday. Started with blood orange mimosa which was delicious. I ordered my favorite huevos rancheros and the banana Nutella crepe. Our service was excellent, my huevos was different than what I normally get at other restaurants. It was not bad but I didn't enjoy how watery it came. For my first time, I would try Zola again. I was disappointed at how pricey everything was, like many restaurants in Ann Arbor the prices don't match the quality of food you are getting. read more

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Great atmosphere, wonderful service, but food not that good, or at least what I had, I ordered the crepes with salmon, it was a 2 big nice crepes with a super thin slice of salmon and little cream on top, that's it! it was super dry with no taste and expensive for what it is. My friend had the chicken salad and said it is always very good, coffee was very good read more

We got ourselves and our food covered in broken glass and not a single thing was done. The only thing positive about our visit was our kind waitress. During our lunch, I had asked for a rare steak - and what I got was a well done steak. Okay, sure. No worries. Mistakes happen. My wife and I resolved that we would not come back. The tipping point, however, was having an entire tray of glass shatter onto the table next to us and us getting sprayed with broken shards of glass. I've got multiple splinters of glass in my legs. Thankfully my wife was wearing a sweater or else she'd have multiple abrasions. Scary! We asked if the waitress if she was okay and all we got was an oops. The entire place saw it happen. No sympathy was given. Our food was covered in glass and we didn't get to finish what remained of our meal. Because of the egregious behavior, we simply paid and left. read more

I hadn't been to Zola Bistro in a few years, but I recently went back last week and was sorely disappointed. For the reasons below, I think they need to highly consider decreasing the amount of seating in the restaurant: 1. We are still living in a pandemic. Masks are not worn during eating and drinking, and, thus, having people in such close proximity to one another increases risk for transmission of the COVID virus. 2. The tables are incredibly close together and it can be a bit difficult to even get to your seat without rubbing up on people seated nearby. I, for one, hate both being the person rubbing up on someone inadvertently because I'm trying to fit in a small space, as well as being rubbed up on by strangers when I am trying to enjoy a meal. I imagine staff having to maneuver around the closely placed tables makes their job all the more difficult, as well. 3. The restaurant has two walls entirely made of windows. The day we went for dinner, the high temperature was 93 degrees. Obviously the air conditioning was on (otherwise it would have literally been impossible to sit in the crowded restaurant), but there were so many patrons packed into the restaurant it was still incredibly uncomfortable sitting inside. Everyone at my table was peeling layers of their clothes off, sweating, and gulping down as much water as possible. I felt horrible for the staff that had to work long shifts running around the restaurant in there, because it was almost too uncomfortable for us to even sit and wait for our food, which brings me to my final point... 4. We had a 7:30 reservation, and I believe we placed our food order just before 7:40. Our food didn't even begin to arrive until 8:43 (I checked, believe me...after waiting over an hour in the sweltering hot restaurant, you get a little impatient), and several of the easiest dishes took even longer to bring out. ALL of these problems can be solved by decreasing the amount of diners allowed in the restaurant at once. Not only for the sake of your patrons, but also for your staff. The food was decent...but after sitting and waiting in the heat for so long definitely made me not want to come back in the future. read more

Had a really disappointing experience here this morning for brunch and as a result I won't be returning. I had friends visiting from out of town and made us brunch reservations for 11am earlier in the week. I confirmed my reservations yesterday. We arrived just before 11 and were told that the manager that day "had decided to ignore all reservations" and as a result, there were no tables for our party of four. After waiting 15 minutes for a table we were offered seats at the bar, and told there was no way of knowing when a table would be available. Because our guests were on a schedule to travel back home, we agreed, and spent our last meal with dear friends leaning over each other to talk along the bar instead of at a table as I had reserved. The food took another hour to arrive, our drinks arrived at all different times (I think that mine was initially forgotten as it arrived 20 minutes after everyone else's... and mind you we were sitting AT THE BAR.) Our waters were never refilled. When the food did arrive, it was disappointing to say the least, especially considering the price tag. Everyone's eggs were overcooked, not much flavor, nothing to write home about. The host was kind about our unhonored reservation and seemed really embarrassed, which is why I'm giving two stars. The manager needs to learn how to manage a restaurant- if you don't want to honor reservations, dont take them. I was embarrassed in front of my guests and frankly Zola Bistro really put an unfortunate blemish on what had been a lovely and rare visit with friends. TLDR: dont bother going and dont bother making a reservation. Management doesnt care and food is subpar. read more

Convenient location. Fresh and tasty. Excellently prepared and consistent. Cocktails excellent. Both locations are terrific.Something for everyone! read more