Zoe Restaurant

I’m really sad that this place has closed. I can’t say much about lunch and dinner but the brunch was as good as they come. The smoked salmon and french toast were two of my favorite brunch dishes in all of NY. If they ever re-​open, I will be the first in line.

A friend and I stopped here last night for dinner, attracted by the cozy atmosphere. We got seated right away and felt quite comfortable, but as soon as the waiter came over, things started to get awkward.
He asked if he could start us out with something to drink; we politely declined and asked for water, and he gave us a bitchy look over his shoulder as he walked away. I guess he could tell we weren’t going to be big spenders, awarding him an accordingly large tip – an assumption that was confirmed when he took our order and we both chose pizzas, earning us another classically bitchy glare.
I understand that tips are a vital part of his salary, but is it necessary to be bitter about a table of people not going all out on a fancy dinner? I could understand it if the restaurant was busy and we were taking up valuable table space, lingering for hours, chatting and sipping water, but we weren’t – and when we got there, the restaurant was half empty. I could understand it if we were demanding, but we didn’t ask for anything besides beverages, our dinners, and the check.
Now, that said, the food was quite lovely. I enjoyed every bite of my pizza, topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, figs, and caramelized onions. But I don’t think I’d go back unless I were planning on ordering much more decadently. The attitude you get when you do otherwise almost spoils the meal.

Had the opportunity to eat here not once but TWICE during my recent trip to New York. It’s a favorite of an artist and curator we know, so of course we had to try it out (and being treated to dinner by someone more wealthy and famous than you is always a plus).
The food was really fresh and amazing– I felt like I was back in California eating produce from the organic farm.
I had duck with barley and brussel sprouts one evening and a pizza on the second. My man had the Mahi mahi with a mango topping. I highly recommend visiting for the polenta fries (order from the side menu). THEY ARE AMAZING. For dessert I had the Bourbon Bön Bön, which was one of the best chocolaty alcoholic drinks I’ve had in a long time.
Andrew was an awesome server on the first evening. Our waitress on the second evening came off a little bored and sleepy. Had the opportunity to meet the owner as well. I’ll definitely return on my next visit to New York.

Went here for lunch, good wine list, excellent pizza, average staff – a little too pushy about turning over tables. But it is a beautiful restaurant that has a bad image of being a trendy tourist spot. But thats what happens when your in the middle of Soho. I like this place and will definitely give it a 2^nd chance, hopefully next time for dinner.

I thought this restaurant was unique from the standpoint of using a wood fired oven to cook most of the appetizers and entrees. Service was good and the wine a little above average. It is a fun atmosphere and an overall good restaurant experience. Not world class but very good.

Tourist trap convenience type diner experience. The outside is great looking and lured me in– it was a disappointing experience. Nothing special here– a rather large dining room style environment which could be ok for lunch meetings or large groups but why… when there are so many great choices in SoHo why why why would you ever eat here?
Everything was just OK– the spinach salad was good– nothing wrong with it but nothing special either. It was $ 13 and they charged an extra $ 6 because I asked for chicken with it. I could have made the same thing at home so why bother coming here to eat it?
Skip this place and prowl around SoHo for something smaller, quainter, more original and tasty– there are plenty of options.

HORROR of horrors– JAZZ playing at painful decibels from overpowering speakers. 80 degrees inside, and not even next to the pizza oven. MAKE IT STOP!
I met my parents for dinner here after some furniture shopping at CB2 a few blocks away– they went on & on about how hip this joint was in the 90s and even they admitted it had fallen from grace. The décor and menu are completely confused. Zoe fancies itself a mediterranean taverna of some sort and yet the menu is at least half comfort food– burgers, pasta, pizza.
We had a very pompous waiter who fancied himself a sommelier. They didn’t have my father’s vodka of choice (Absolut Currant) or any Absolut at all for that matter. Then, apparently the wine my father ordered didn’t compliment our meals and Fancy McWaiter felt the need to call this out with pure disdain. To which we retorted, «um okay but we want it anyway!»
The exposed pizza oven is just not something I find charming anymore – it is so reminiscent of Cosi or a suburban Panera. My salmon was decent, but generally uninspired. Getting the check was a battle and by the time we left, we were thrilled and relieved to have escaped.

I’m torn between 2 stars and 3… but I suppose it was the company I was with that made the experience worth a 3 star.
Had dinner here on a Wednesday night, so it wasn’t busy. The waiter was pleasant. My friend and I ordered the steam mussels, mushroom pizza, and the lamb shank. The mussels were a great start, but I was a bit disappointed with the mushroom pizza. I was really looking forward to the… mushrooms! I know, can you believe it! I must be asking for too much there.
While the lamb shank was very good (tasty sauce), it was on a bed of grits… Ugh! Makes me gag still just thinking about it.
Oh well… I probably won’t be back.

What a boring place. I came here for the restaurant week prix-​fixe lunch and was sort of disappointed. The food was ok, the décor was ok, and even the service was ok. However, there was nothing that was memorable about this place, so I definitely won’t go back.

There’s some good news and bad news about Zoe.
The good news is.
1)This restaurant is conveniently located in the heart of Soho prince street so it probably attracts enough tourists and shopaholics to maintain the business.
2) The outside appearance of the Zoe is chic enough to lure customers in. aka myself
The bad news is…
1) The food and service isn’t exceptionally tasty. The steak I ordered tasted decent but the Beef carpaccio appetizer was pretty bland and the Zoe burger my friend order, according to her smelled lik plastic/​feet/​_​_​_​_​insert inedible object.
2) The interior design looks seriously tacky. Someone must have thought it was a brilliant idea to decorate the pole with these red, green and yellow christmas lights… mind i remind you when I came it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet. …and it completely ruined the décor. .next time. stick with one color instead of trying to create rainbows colors
That being said. I don’t think im coming back here again as I would rather eat cold cut sandwiches made with Lavender and soap at Loccitane across the street.

Came here with my Best friend for brunch as we were not-​so-​leisurely buying out all of Soho of all the boots, booties, and slamming dresses our lil eyeballs could find!
We were seated immediately which was refreshing! Since we were both starving after utilizing our master kung foo skills on the women who tried to steal our goods…
Décor: Extremely well designed, you get a feeling of «HOME» as soon as you walk in, that is for those of us whose homes look like they should be in town and country mag… great lighting: cuz typically sunday brunch is after a long hung over night… so dim lighting is always welcome
Service: Extremely attentive, I kept dropping my fork on the ground from laughing so hard at my friend… they never once laughed at me…
Food:
double shot Espresso: Best Espresso I have had thus far!!! Very smooth, bitter of course but in a sweet sort of way… I drink my espresso Black
Eggs benedict with crab cake: Delish, perfectly poached eggs atop of perfectly crisp alaskan crab cakes… WHO can hate on crab cake!!! It was amazing I swear my tummy did back flips when this food hit it…
Tuna ceviche: Average ceviche but still fresh and refreshing from our morning excercise shopping
Warm beet, arugla goast cheese salad with walnuts: the beets were perfectly cooked, the dressing was light and refreshing… I def enjoyed myself
Price: per person $ 20 after tips, tax, drinks
Overall Score: Very Good, very chillax place to take a date for brunch, or to catch up with old friends!
pps: we sat there for 3 hrs and they did not kick us out! and we were loud… cuz i laugh like a banshee and she laughs like a hyena!!! Fun times!

Food was okay. I ordered the Zoe burger with blue cheese… the blue cheese tasted really funny. My friend said it tasted like really old burnt rubber — how she knows the taste of that is beyond me. I think it was the blue cheese that made it taste so odd, it almost tasted like pickles to me. The fries it came with were pretty good.
My friend ordered the 10 ounce steak and was really really juicy and tasty. And my other buddy got the scallop appetizer which was really flavorful. We shared the beef carpaccio appetizer, and that was pretty good as well. I guess I am giving it a 3 stars b/​c the food took awhile to arrive (but we ordered a burger and steak — so perhaps they were just taking their time to cook it to perfection?) and b/​c my burger tasted like «old burnt rubber» …but then again it could’ve been the blue cheese. ahh. I wish i could give it 3.5 really. The decoration was nice too I thought.

Ten o’clock on a Sunday night isn’t the usual time to be ducking in anywhere for a bite, let alone at a spiffy-​looking place like Zoe.
But there we were, fresh off a movie at the Angelika and looking to discuss the causal existence of man over a glass of wine. And considering the wine rack at the front of this made-​for-​a-​first-​date-​in-​New-​York place, we were sure we had found the right locale.
Unfortunately, it was explained to the very nice British tourists who walked in before us that the kitchen had closed, which sent them scurrying into the cold New York night, but for the two of us, the bar was still open.
I’m not knowledgeable about wine — it’s either red, or white, as far as I’m concerned and never the two shall meet. But our bartender gave us a taste of three different reds and explained why each one was considered good (or not as good) and when we chose a completely different option that it turned out they didn’t have, he gave us the better version at the price of the one we chose.
I love the vibe, and would love to come back and eat here sometime. It’s a very romantic environment with a plethora of half-​booths down the side and dark wood tables in the middle. The bar is kind of in the middle of everything, with a front area for wine-​only tables if you don’t want a whole meal.
I would definitely come back here if I’m in the area, and would add it to my first-​date list of places to go in Manhattan.

Came here courtesy of Open Table’s appetite stimulus plan and realized one thing — if I am able to avoid Contemporary American cuisine, I will be happier for it. I’ve realized with all my eating (it’s a wonder I’m not a blimp yet) that I prefer richer, spicier and more interesting things on my palate.
That being said, I have to give props to Zoe for their fabulous service. The maitre’d and the serving staff were all incredibly polite, pleasant and punctual (I love alliteration).
For my trio I had the tuna tartare (there were 3 other options), chicken (the other options was escobar or a pasta dish), and the chocolate espresso cake (there was a custard dessert or sorbet as other options). The food was good, but not spectacular but like I said, the service was fabulous.
We also did the flight of wine pairing with our meal, which is the only thing that made the meal interesting. Good wine list.
So, not sure if I’ll come back again, but at least I got to stimulate my alcoholism!

Not a destination restaurant, but if you’re in SoHo, this is a memorable dining experience.
We ate at Zoe’s for the first time the Sunday before 9/​11, so it’s etched in our memory forever. We’ve been back many times, always enjoying the interesting menu. Service is excellent, décor is attractive, but the food is the reason to go. «Contemporary American» with an emphasis on local ingredients. Appealing combinations like a three squash soup with sliced almonds and crème fraîche, and a pork chop with bacon caramelized brussel sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes and a pepper honey glaze. The wines are too California focused for me, but the sommelier has introduced us to some nice wines.

Phooey to their food!
*sigh*
E wanted to take me out for my birthday and said to me how about Delicatessen.
Hmmm I do like the fish but I just can’t with their fries.
I made a face… E been wanting to go because E never been.
But I said it’s not worth the trip… so E said how about Zoe?
I never been to Zoe… so hey why not!
This place is filled with tourists and business people since it is great place to accomadate a large group.
After looking over the menu, I said to myself I totally should have gone to Delicatessen.
Chilled Gazapacho — Not good at all!
Orecchiette with Shaved Artichoke and pistachio — some of the pasta were al dente and some of them were undercooked. The taste was very bland and I load up on the freshly ground pepper and yet it still needed something. I asked the waiter if he has any spicy infused oil.
He said yes, and he brought me Tabasco sauce.
Umm okay Tabasco sauce? I don’t want a vinegary spicy taste to my dish.
Ughhhh…
The Trio Sorbet — Bleh and it didn’t even come out pretty like the ones you get at Gotham or Eleven Madison.
WTF!
Grrrrs!
Never would I come back here again!
Totally should have went to Delicatessen!

Look at all those beautiful pictures… doesn’t it all look just so very special? Well BFD. I was not impressed with a teeny salmon sandwich @ $ 15.50, a steak salad @ $ 15.75 and martini’s at $ 12 a pop. Hey, I’m no saint and I don’t claim to be but if SOHO is so lah-​di-​dah, maybe they should relocate uptown.
Both bathroom doors in the ladies room were fucking broken and I twice walked in to find a hefty snatch straddling a toilet looking at me with surprised doe-​like eyes and that awkward «Oops» confusion as we both apologized for fucking what? Neither of us did anything wrong. Fix the goddam doors!
And though I can’t be positive, I think it might’ve been the salmon that made me sick later that afternoon. Hell, I don’t know, maybe it was what I saw in the restroom, but these streets have seen far worse things happen to them besides Miss Robin painting them a stylish salmon pink.
Service was as fine as the ambiance and now that I know they can afford it, they should fix the fuckin’ bathroom doors and I’ll try it another time. Or next time maybe I can get the Naked Cowboy to accompany me where he can block the bathroom door from unwelcome interruption with his big… guitar.

Our favorite meal in NYC! We had brunch there with our foodie friend, and it was exceptional.
We were divided on whether to do brunch or lunch; my companions did the former, and I the latter. Hubby got the breakfast burrito, and he cleaned his plate. I got the portabello mushroom sandwich. I didn’t love the salad that came with it, but the sandwich was sublime. The perfect size (sometimes the portobello sammiches can be massive) and the bread was FANTASTIC. I don’t know what it was about it, but just incredible. Kind of crunchy, but soft inside. Yum! Our friend got the smoked salmon appetizer with scrambled eggs on the side, and she loved it.
Speaking of bread, the bread they bring while you’re waiting for your main meal is great, too.
Great service, great food, immediate seating on a warm, sunny Sunday.

What is with their pork chops?! We went to Zoe last night with a group and two of the ladies (I ordered the duck which was quite good) were unlucky enough to order the pork. My God, they must have ground salt into them chops for hours before serving it. Those suckers were inedible.
Does anybody like their pork chops to be INCREDIBLY salty? I’m talkin’ no pepper, no other seasoning. Nothing but salt. Luckily we were attacked by wild ponies on the way home and had a doggie bag on us. We distracted them by throwing the pork flavored salt lick down the street. By the time they licked up all the salt, we were back in Brooklyn.

Went here for dinner with my cousins for my goddaughter’s 16^th birthday and I thought the place was really cute. We all enjoyed our dinner…
The girls all had Burgers and sat at their own table like ‘lil grownups, while me & my cousins sat at a booth not too far away…
At our table, we started with a Zoe Salad and French Fries with a Side of Truffled Cheese. Fancy Cheese Fries, who knew?
I had the Duck Two-​ways — Pan-​Roasted Duck Breast & Leg Confit paired with Rice, Sauteed Chard & and Fig Jam. Good stuff…
My cousins had the Pan-​Seared Arctic Char with Marinated Vegetables, Pearl Onions, Fingerling Potatoes, Dijon Vinaigrette & Chive Oil which I thought was really good and also The Lemon-​Thyme Marinated Whole Roasted Red Snapper with Spring Vegetables and a citrus-​shallot Vinaigrette. That one was just ok for me.
The Server was attentive and the Raspberry Cosmos were delicious and they kept coming, which was nice…
For Dessert we had the S’Mores —
Toasted Marshmallow on top of a Fudge Brownie & Graham Cracker and Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream on the Side. This dessert was awesome!
All in all, we had a great meal and friendly drinks and would recommend going again…