Zelko Bistro

The quality of Zelko has gone down over the years. I came here a couple years ago when the place was brand new and I remember the food being excellent. Fast forward to a couple days ago… The food wasn’t anything special to rave about.
I ordered the Captain’s Chicken and it was just ok. The mashed potatoes that came with it were under seasoned so that made me sad. My date ordered the St. Arnold’s short ribs and he said the plate reminded him more of beef stew. Plus he didn’t really enjoy his white cheddar polenta side dish.
I hope the glorious days of Zelko come back…

I can’t get enough of this place. Everything I have ever ordered has been delicious. Today I had meatloaf and it was good. I really like the spinach it was served with. I highly recommend this place. Other items to try is the Captains Chicken and the Shrimp & Grits. All the desserts are good too.

I arrived a little after 3pm, so it wasn’t very busy. I sat outside, where you feel a little abandoned, since the server only comes outside from time to time. I ordered the short rib and it came cold (it was only hot in the middle of the plate. I asked them to take it back and replace it with the ribeye steak (I was hungry for beef and going somewhere else would take too long). The ribeye was delicious! And they offered me the dessert as a treat, a delicate touch. The server was very helpful, even though she was the only server to cover two separate areas (perhaps something the ZB should review).

Came for lunch and want to give a thumbs up on hopefully an intentional and longterm change to the bread they serve. They put more oils and parm on it. MUCH better.

Came for brunch with my boyfriend a little while back and we had differing opinions. I was very happy about my plate, the meatloaf with mashed potatoes. There was so much flavor and I would definitely order again. My boyfriend ordered a hamburger and he wasn’t too pleased. He described it as messy. I tried his fries and those were delicious. If you come, get the blood orange mimosas.

Three reasons I really like this restaurant:
1. The food is good. The servers are nice and attentive.
2. The outdoor patio has a cat who visits, and I love him. I even gave him some of my shrimp. He was polite and sat near the table, without touching me unless I invited him to.
3. The table next to me on the patio asked the server «to get rid of the cat» (as if it were that easy to remove a feral cat from an outdoor dining space), which upset me because I quite liked the cat. I called the manager later that night to ask what happened, and he politely said «the cat is our guest too» and «guests are welcome to sit inside to avoid the cat». YES!

Four stars because I do come here whenever I want a fantastic brunch item: The Abbey Melt (chicken melt with bacon and arugula). Not five stars because I’ve tried other items (like the fish tacos and chicken and waffles) and they were indeed scrumptious but not life-​changing.
Make sure you get their side of parmesan fries; the paremesan is freshly garnished on top of skinny fries. The place is a bit pricey, but the portions are huge. I usually come here with a friend, split an entrée and an appetizer or dessert and leave satisfied. Another precious gem is their chocolate mousse if you feel up for a dessert!

I came here early Saturday bout 4pm. No people there. Nice small place, very small parking lot. The food was very good. I would recommend it.

Like a few other Unilocalers have reviewed this place as, it’s not all that great.
Very cute location but finding parking is hard enough in the Heights, so this place makes it even harder. The vibes are casual but refreshing, and inviting as well. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the open kitchen/​having waiters wait for the food right in front of your table… I mean that’s all you’re really staring at. I ordered the fried pickles for an appetizer, captain’s chicken, and a burger (can’t remember the name)
Fried pickles: the pickle itself was too crunchy, it made the bread coating fall off easily, and the fried aspect of it wasn’t really there.
Captain’s crunch: is it bad that I liked everything except the chicken? The mashed potatoes were yummy (when are they not) but the chicken itself seemed to be too dark for my taste. I prefer white meat, and chicken breast is my favorite, so I was confused as to why my meat was darker. It was too chewy.
Burger: probably the best thing about our meal and it wasn’t even what I got for myself. But beware, because your jaw will suffer from taking a bite! Delicious fries too.
The service was okay, our server was attentive and helpful as far as suggestions. Three things + a cup of sweet tea brought our bill to $ 50. Too expensive and not so great.

Nice vibes and service. Hate to go against the grain, but food is okay, not memorable.
Parking: A few spaces on the back side. Other than that, good luck.
Food:
— House bread is torn and seasoned with rosemary
— «Bruschetta» of pita wedges with hummus, parsley, olive: 2÷5− Pita bread was so hard that it was difficult to cut. Pretty unattractive to be putting my back into it while trying to awkwardly saw through these hard points. I could make this one at home. :($ 12
— Daily catch– Grouper: 3÷5− Fish was very overcooked. (This was his entrée though, so not my problem hahahaha.) Market price
— Fish tacos: 3÷5− Fish tacos are normally bright, bold flavors. The ingredients didn’t blend into one cohesive flavor and felt like a team of 5 year olds playing soccer: all there but not together. $ 13
— Plantains with the fish tacos– ⁵⁄₅. Totally on point. I wish I had a plate of these instead! Crisp outside, sweet, and perfectly caramelized.
Our bill was $ 60 for these three food items and a glass of wine. Cute spot for a date, but the food itself wasn’t anything to go back for in a town with thousands of restaurants to choose from.

The ribs marinated in root beer sounded like a gimmick to me and so I didn’t order it. Luckily the other half of our party did order it and it was completely Devine — flaky, delicious and served on a buttery green chard; with creamy mash and a crispy onion topping. My burger was probably the best I’ve had, certainly the biggest. All washed down with local IPA at a very reasonable price. Also, nice touch from the chatty owner popping out to meet and thank us diners. Top tip: avoid the cold garlic bread and average puddings — save yourselves for the superior mains.
The delight in the heights. Top notch. Well worth a visit.

Probably one of the cutest/​most charming places I’ve been to in Houston. We almost missed it driving by because it’s actually a renovated house on the outskirts of a neighborhood, but if you pull around back you’ll find a parking lot specifically for Zelko. We sat outside under the pavilion, which was so cute and comfortable with all the strung lights and candles. It’s definitely a perfect date night kind of place — the outside was cozy and the inside was completely adorable and very home-​feeling. An easy ⁵⁄₅ for ambiance!
They change their menu every season, but honestly I wasn’t super impressed by the selection. In my opinion, everything was WAY overpriced (not sure why Unilocal doesn’t have it as a $$$). I think you’re partially paying for location, as Zelko is in the Heights. I ordered the Abbey Melt, which was good but not anything special. The food was presented really nicely, and I loved that instead of plates they used wooden boards — very rustic but pretty — but I didn’t think the quality of the food was so good as to warrant a $ 15 sandwich.
In summary, not impressed by the food but definitely one of the best ambiances I’ve experienced in Houston.

Zelko Bistro is a cute restaurant tucked away in The Heights. The front is under construction, so it’s difficult to spot from the street.
Indoor and (covered) outdoor seating is offered. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.
I’m a shrimp and grits connoisseur, so I came specifically for that dish. My girlfriend order the grilled chicken sandwich. We ordered mimosas with our food as well.
I wasn’t blown away by the food, but it’s was an overall enjoyable experience. The aesthetics and character of the restaurant are easily the highlight. Zelko Bistro is the perfect place for brunch on a sunny day.

This place was pretty good, however, I have a few pointers :
#1 get the mimosa rosa (blood orange) instead of the original — way more champagne and better bang for your buck
#2 don’t get the fried pickles — huge fried whole spears with minimal flavor and dipping sauce
#3 ask for less dressing on the chopped salad
Our waitress wasn’t very attentive and was not familiar with the menu in any way. kept saying she would have to ask about any question.
My fiancé loved his lamb tacos and the scenery was nice. I have so much hope for this place.
I’ll be back to try it again.

I had been meaning to try Zelko. I went for a late lunch with my husband. We were seated immediately and there was plenty of parking since we were not there during peak hours. Bread to start (a little dry for my taste) then Parmesan truffle fries. I loved the Parmesan. Also the fresh brewed tea and cool water was a nice touch.
Our server was friendly and attentive.
I had Captains Chicken and my husband had Shrimp and Grits. I had heard great reviews of the chicken, though I wasn’t impressed. It looked pre-​breaded and reheated. (My opinion) The green beans and potatoes were good. My husband loved his dish.
We ended our meal with lemon icebox tart which is a dessert worthy of a whole star. Absolutely perfect and the fresh fruit was a nice touch.
All in all, impressed and I will be back!

My friend is in town and I let her stay in my place for a couple of nights. So, as a thank you, she offered to take me out to a steak dinner. Just not «prime» steak dinner. Well, since it was a Saturday night and I couldn’t think of any bar that offered steak night Saturday, I started browsing to see where I could get steak and she could get whatever she wanted (she’s a picky eater.) Well, what do you know? Zelko Bistro! I couldn’t believe that I’d never tried this place. Zelko it is!
To echo David N.‘s sentiment, this place was a bit hard to find. I drove past it twice (at the guidance of my friend while I was using my eyes to look for the restaurant.) The sign for the restaurant is small, the letters on the sign are even smaller. So pro-​tip: If this is your first time looking for the restaurant, look for BerryHill instead. Zelko Bistro is right across the street from it.
Zelko Bistro offers a small parking lot for about eight to 10 cars (maybe) in the back and even though it was a Saturday night, the restaurant wasn’t too busy and I was able to get a spot in the lot. Walked inside and asked for an outside seating and we got seated immediately.
Our free garlic bread came out soon after and since we were hungry bordering on hangry, we browsed through the menu and decided what we wanted within minutes of sitting down before our waiter even had the chance to show up. We decided to share the fried pickles and while she opted to get the Captin’s Chicken, I decided to get my steak, the Ribeye.
The wait for the food didn’t take too long. The fried pickles came out pretty quickly. And let’s just say that they did not disappoint. This would be your actual fried pickle spears and not pickle chips. I enjoyed my fried pickles a lot, but then again, I’m a big fan of fried pickles. I thought they were good, but my friend thought they were too sour. But hey, like I said, she’s a picky eater!
If you’re ordering the Ribeye, take it easy on the garlic bread when you come in. Your Ribeye will come with plenty of garlic breads on the wood plank. The wha??? Wood plank? Yes, your ribeye will be served in a wood plank platter, or whatever you want to call it. It even has «ZB» carved on it. The Ribeye will also come with some greens (yuck), and asparagus. The presentation for the steak definitely gets an A. The steak itself was pretty legit. One of the best Ribeyes I’ve had, but I wouldn’t say that it was the best I’ve had (for the price.)
Now the Captin’s Chicken, on the other hand, was delicious. It was just so flavorful. You add the browned onions on top of it and the mashed potatoes that come with the chicken, and you have yourself some super good chicken. My friend definitely loved her chicken.
To close the night, we shared the Icebox Lemon Slate. That definitely wasn’t my first choice (or even last) because I wanted something sweet, but since she was taking me to dinner, I went with it. And while we waited for dessert to come out, another waiter walked by with some banana split (it looked so yum!) Well, the icebox came out, and despite its name, the icebox wasn’t cold at all. It was tart, it was lemon-​y, it was good, it was dessert, but I didn’t think it was the best dessert ever. I liked it, but I don’t like it enough to want to order it for myself.
All in all, I had a great experience dining at ZB. Our waiter, Sean (or was it Shawn) was super attentive. Food and ambiance was great (except for the damn mosquitoes that started coming out and turned me and my friend into their meals). I will definitely be back, and just FYI, ZB is definitely a great date place since I saw many people on date while I was dining.

Are you in the mood for some magic in your mouth? Zelko Bistro offers culinary glory in the form of their St. Arnold’s Short Ribs! Marinated in root beer, these flavorful short ribs fall apart at the touch of your fork, and pair perfectly with the crispy fried leek sprinkled on top. To balance out these strong flavors, the dish comes with a side of polenta and chard. Every bite was glorious.
With easy street parking, friendly staff, and reasonable prices (mostly $ 10-​$ 20 entrees), this house-​turned-​restaurant serves as a great, cozy dinner spot in the Heights. Although the house is not huge, it wasn’t crowded when I visited (on a Saturday night), so the space felt comfortable. The interior is surprisingly well-​lit, so don’t worry — you’ll be able to read the menu without struggling.
As a brief aside, I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the bread they offered us in the beginning, because it felt strangely cold and wet. Other than that, the foods we tried (Short Ribs & Captain Chicken) were all excellently executed, and I intend to return!

An amazing find for a great birthday dinner celebration. My family and I ordered as much as we could intake, and it was worth it! The wait was pretty long so we got drinks at the bar. The wine by the glass was pretty pricy and the sangria was dirt cheap. It also tasted cheap, if I were to go back if not order that again.
We ordered the cheese board. It was amazing and the home was spot on. I didn’t like that we didn’t know the names of the cheeses and the waiter didn’t explain them either. But it was amazing, so amazing that I couldn’t even take a picture.
The table bread was good, but could be so much better if it were warm. Also, it was sitting in a pool of olive oil that I could do without.
We ordered shrimp and grits, short ribs, fish tacos, crab cakes, and bolognese bowl. They were all amazing. The pasta was our least favorite needing more seasoning. It was just ordinary. Everything else was extraordinary! Best dish I the table was the short ribs. The salad with it was by far the single best thing on the table. Everything was fresh and delish!
I’d go back so many more times if I lived in Houston!