Zozo’s Ristorante

This is one of my favorite places to go for Italian food. The mushroom raviolis are to die for and the garlic bread. Pretty much everything is good have never had a bad meal. Very quaint, good service.

This is the second time I have been and just as the first it was excellent. The waiter we have did an outstanding job selected a great wine to go with my veal parmesan. All of our food was outstanding the garlic bread was fresh and straight from the oven delicious. This is a small restaurant not super fancy and I think that’s what makes it and the food so special. We will definitely be back. To the owner of zozo’s restaurant and the wait staff thank you so much for always going above and beyond.

Great service. Food was great! The manicotti was our
Favorite. The penne was great too! Their red sauce was amazing. Least fav was the tortillini– kind of bland.

Why do I give 5 star to this tiny little Italian place? I consider it a landmark, and the food is always on spot! It’s been in Reno for years, and the Chef himself is very down to earth. Kevin also enjoys bringing up new items for the menu, and prides himself in choosing fresh ingredients. This place was introduced to me by an acquaintance, 15 years ago! Still one of the best to get a decent Italian meal!

Be sure to get reservations for a holiday meal. This place is SO wonderful. The staff is knowledgeable and kind, and interact like you’re family coming to their own home. I celebrated Valentine’s Day here with my boyfriend and had the cioppino, house wine, and topped it off with Mochas and Tiramisu. Everything was superb, delicious, beautiful, etc. etc. I can’t wait to celebrate another holiday here.

Amazing Chiopino !!! Fresh mussels and clams, fish. The broth was rich and tangy with tomato & herbs. Love that there was a small serving of noodles in the bottom of my bowl. I had a small salad and their lovely Charlie Palmer ice tea, half tea & half lemonade.
Well, should I tell you that I put away a basket of the garlic breads and an extremely sinful Tiramisu, so fresh I can smell the espresso powder. Well, I embarass myself everywhere by eating more than my date. Me a pig, are you ?
Annie Christian
Feb 23, 2016

Food was delicious and authentic! And the staff was wonderful, the owners are so genuine and kind! Perfect for date night or family outing. Definitely coming back. Deserves more than 5 stars.

Garlic bread. It’s the first thing that comes to mind every time I think of Zozo’s. It’s magical. The setting is old school Italian right down to the checkered table cloths. It’s just dark enough to be intimate but not overly done.
Ok, screw the ambiance this place rocks the food! As others have mentioned-​skip the house salad it’s not worth it when you can consume crazy amounts of garlic bread and really really good pasta. Most recently I had the veggie lasagna and holy effing hell it was tasty. They put slices of fresh tomato on top but under a layer of melted cheese. It totally made the dish. I ate far more than I should have and you KNOW that’s the sign of great food.
I have no idea how their desserts are, maybe someday I will display enough willpower with my entrée to figure that one out.
Service is always great, there’s a reason they’ve been around as long as they have. If you haven’t been go and if you have-​then go back!

Awesome menu options and everything we ordered was great.
Very attentive service.
We were very happy with our dining experience.

Did not get all the hype on this one. Restaurant is very quaint and staff was friendly but food is just OK, and not cheap. Don’t ever like to be negative so I will keep it simple. Presentations are nice but taste profiles are bland. I got the veal Milanese it was tender yet crispy but something was just missing. Wife got pesto linguini with grilled shrimp. Shrimp were done nicely and nice size.
Garlic bread that was so revered was just OK.
I am sure there are probably some great entrees offered, we just choose the ones that didn’t deliver.
This seems to have a very cozy local neighborhood following. Definitely make reservations because seating is limited.
If this is reviewed by owner/​management, please advise bus staff not to carry dirty glasses with their fingers dipped into them, health Dept would have a field day with this. Some serving trays would go a long way.

Went to Zozo’s for RenoBites week. I’ve heard of so many good things about it from friends who are very picky with their dining choices. I chose this place for a dinner date with hubby. I’m so glad I did. It was wonderful.
We were cheerfully greeted by the hostess, who knew all about the RenoBitesWeek and happily presented us with the pre fixe menu. I checked in on Unilocal and got a glass of chianti for free. The server was very good, very warm and friendly. I really felt at home. I haven’t had any food yet, but I was already enjoying myself. That’s saying something.
We had 4 courses and all of it were very good (arancini bolognese for appetizer, caesar salad, muhroom ravioli and penne with sausage for our entrees, and chocolate mousse for dessert). The servers kept the food coming and going without us feeling rushed or had to wait too long. The portions were not too huge, but neither of us finished our entrees. Trust me, I wanted to, but we are talking about pasta here, so I can’t get too carried away. Besides, I was saving room for dessert. That chocolate mousse was divine. Chef Kevin posted a photo of the belgian chocolate he was going to use for the dessert, and I’ve been thinking about it since. It was the perfect ending to an amazing meal. Even hubby couldn’t stop raving about it. And he’s usually indifferent about food, so that was a good indication for me that he truly enjoyed it.
By the time we left the place, it was rocking. I can’t wait to go back.

Had a business lunch at Zozo’s the other day. Our office does take out from here every once in a while, but I haven’t dined in in years. There were a lot of diners, but not so many that we couldn’t get a table.
I usually get the Zozo’s chicken but wanted to try something different. I opted for the lobster ravioli, and it came with a side salad. The salad was pretty miniature and perhaps could have had a few more pieces of lettuce or veggies to make it feel like a real side salad. The ravioli was good, though swimming in a deep sea of cream based sauce. I personally could have used a sauce with a bit more zing instead of heaviness, but it still had good flavor. The raviolis were tasty and had a few large chunks of lobster, but there was mostly just ricotta cheese. It was a heavy heavy dish. But the garlic bread… oh… how I love thee. It’s just cheap white bread with a butter garlic swipe, but man oh man it’s addicting. By itself, dipped in the sauces, you name it. I could eat a whole basket. And they’ll keep refilling if you keep eating!!!
They gave us info on their twice-​a-​month Thursday wine dinners which sounded really nice, and a great value. Would love to come out for that sometime! Either way, I look forward to trying something else here again soon.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner tonight at Zozos for the Reno bites week.
I had their specialty menu which was very good with salad, appetizer, main course and dessert
Had the veal piccata for my dinner and it was very tasty
They truly have the Best garlic bread, so soft and fresh!
The risotto appetizer was awesome forgot to take a picture of it, it was deep-​fried and really most delicious.
My husband had the spaghetti with meat sauce it was a huge portion and we can share it for lunch tomorrow and he enjoyed it very much.
Caesar salad was fresh and tasty
Matt our waiter was very attentive and helpful, enjoyed having him as our server.
Had a very good chocolate mousse dessert.
And for checking in with Unilocal we got a free glass of Chianti red wine
Who could ask for more we will be back to enjoy another good Italian dinner at Zozos

Lunch during Reno Bites Week
I seldom leave the office for lunch, but I make the huge exception when it come to RBW and ZoZo’s being 2 blocks from my office.
The lunch service was fabulous and fast. The hubby and I shared the RBW special– a four course dinner for $ 30. There was so much food I’m glad we shared. The owner even reminded us to check into Unilocal for our free glass of wine, but sadly we couldn’t because of work. I only had an hour, and I was never once rushed thru any of the courses. What a great staff and delicious hearty Italian food.
The meal was an arancini, Caesar salad, their addictive garlic bread, mushroom ravioli in cream sauce, chocolate mousse.
Hey hubby, we need to do lunch there more often.

Very cute little Italian place with great, friendly service. The house salad and bread were very good. When the specials were listed off, I thought our waiter said The options were Sea Basss or Flat Iron Steak over seafood pasta… So in was pretty surprised when my food came and there was steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus sitting on my plate… Turns out the specials were sea bass, flat iron steak OR seafood pasta… If I was going to have steak and potatoes I would have gone to a steakhouse… Not an Italian place…
My friend ordered to soup and salad combo… And had to point out to the waiter that she only received a cup and not a bowl… He very politely fixed that issue.
The tiramisu was fantastic but I will say it had way too much Kahlua in it.
Overall it was a hit and miss experience. I’d still try it again.

I have been here a number of times and am never disappointed. From the salad and garlic bread to the entrees and service, everything is top notch. I came in on a Saturday night at 6 pm without reservations and was promptly seated even though they had a nearly full house and reservations arriving shortly. My server, Jen, told me the specials, which sounded delicious, but I ordered the sauteed shrimp with a basil cream sauce. I asked if it was served over pasta and she said yes. When the dish came out it was served over risotto which was a pleasant surprise. The meal was delicious. The cream sauce was light and flavorful. I was given a full basket of garlic bread and ended up eating the whole thing. I would be perfectly content just eating their salad with house Italian and a basket of garlic bread. On the upside, I have enough leftovers to have a meal tomorrow so that is a win.
I love Zozo’s and have come in for their lunch specials as well as early bird dining. I would recommend it to anyone looking for good food with a quaint Italian feel.

This is a fantastic little Italian place! I’m so sad I never discovered this place sooner and resorted to Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden for my pasta cravings [not that there’s anything wrong with those two]. It’s in a part of town that I normally don’t go to, and it’s in a plaza that doesn’t really stand out, so it might not catch your attention. The dishes were delish though! The capellini pomodero was a bit bland. I love tomato pasta, but I think a few more veggies and seasoning would’ve made it better.
The complementary bread was also pretty great. I had to stop myself from eating too much of it before my entrée came. However, I’m taking a star off because the waiter packed the bread on top of one of the pasta leftovers we were taking over, which became soggy and gross. I feel like it’s common sense not to put bread on top of a really saucy [or any] pasta, but maybe they just weren’t paying attention or something. Overall, a great place I’d love to come back to!

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area. On this visit, I had my favorite dish the cioppino! There are few places in Reno where I trust them to cook seafood well, this place does a fantastic job. The broth for the cioppino has so much delicious flavor to it I could almost drink it on its own! There are so many different types of seafood in this pool of deliciousness that I can’t remember them all. Suffice it to say, this is one delicious entrée and I love it dearly. It feels like my grandma is making me her special soup, it is made with that much love and goodness.
I wanted dessert but today my eyes were bigger than my stomach. That sure didn’t stop me from ordering my dessert though! I had to get the tiramisu. I only managed two bites of it before having it packed up to go but it is yummy. There is such a nice flavor to it, my only issue was that it was a bit too melty. It was falling over before it even arrived at my table. I am used to this dessert being more firm. The flavor was there but the presentation wasn’t. I can’t complain too much though since it tasted good!
A great dinner out with my wife in a cozy little restaurant.

ZoZo’s is one of my favorite places to eat in Reno. I have been coming here for about 15 years and the service, food quality and taste is so consistently awesome. The garlic bread is some of the best ever. Plus they keep the basket full for you and I love how they cut the pieces into small rectangles so I don’t eat too many.
Every special I have tried here has always been top notch. The seafood is always cooked to perfection and the sauces are devine. My absolute favorite though is the Zozo’s chicken. This dish is one of those that you would ask for as your last meal on Earth. It has the perfect amount of pasta, sausage, garlic and chicken. Totally amazing.
The caesar salad is nice as well and their wine pours are always very generous. They have a nice selection of wines to choose from. There was a server here a long time ago and I can’t remember his name but he was awesome. He would consistently get «server of the year» back in the early 2000’s.
I love their crème brûlée but I know some people do not like it since it doesn’t have that hard sugary crust on the top. I still like it regardless. I love the raspbetter sauce drizzled over the top.
If you haven’t tried Zozo’s yet you need to do so.

There is always space for a little backstory. I’m on this new fangled website called «The Facebook». And on this Facebook place they have a «Reno Foodies» group. Lots of nice and some nasty people there. And one day I saw this guy Kevin post on a few threads. He sounded really cool and then a few days later he posted a sandwich that he had made from a Rounds Bagel and some Short Ribs they had at the restaurant where he is the chef. Chef? He works at Zozo’s? I’ve been told that place is great now this cool guy works there too? At that point I asked my wife if Italian was ok for lunch and we were off in just a few minutes. No point in wasting time!
They are located in a strip mall off of Lakeside. I used to live in this area in my «first apartment» days. Not really a great place to be after midnight, but not really a bad place to be during the normal times of the day. Parking here is a little funky but totally workable and I doubt that it is so full you can’t find parking in the lot.
When we walked in we were surprised to see that the place was truly a kitschy looking Italian restaurant. Adorned with empty wine bottles and plastic grapes this place could easily be a set for the next romantic comedy filmed in Reno. Heck it even has the red and white checkered tablecloths. Now don’t get me wrong, I think this would be a great setting for a nice date if the noise levels don’t rise too much. We have lots of «fancy» date places in town that suck for a romantic dinner for two. So this place even though it may not be super chic… still could be a good spot for a date night.
For our food choices, my wife ordered up the Risotto Shrimp off the lunch menu and I had the «off menu» short rib sandwich lunch special. I liked my bite of her food, but my sandwich was simple. It had a horseradish mayo, arugula super soft french roll and the short rib beef. It came to my table open faced so I added some fresh grated parm, closed the lid and dug in. It wasn’t a huge massive production but it was a very satisfying sandwich of perfection. The inspiration was on a bagel, but I honestly think I got the better deal. The whole thing melted in my mouth in such an elegant way… I can’t imagine the bagel would be better than this.
Normally when we try a place for the first time we pound out a few «gauges» to see how they stand up. But this meal was so good, no gauges needed to be checked. We will return to get our Tiramisu and our Lasagna. This time we tried the cheesecake and it was a great ending to the meal.