La ZaZa Trattoria

One of our favorite places for Italian in the area. They start you with some warm crusty bread and a dish of cold marinara for dipping. Would love if the marinara was warm or even room temp. Fish specials are so good. This time we had pasta. The spicy rigatoni with olives and capers was perfect. My husband had the penne with sausage in a spicy marinara, also great. They have a nice selection of Italian wines.

Our server was attentive but not intrusive and they sat us in the front room, which is quieter than the back. We loved it!

2 Star Review because Cutlery Only

Cutlery: We had a party of 8 and received pre rolled cutlery sets. Upon unrolling two of us had dried food on the forks. We requested a replacement with the server. Of the replacement set, 1 had a piece of bright green lettuce stuck to the knife. Whoever rolled these utensils should be re trained. I would have never expected such an issue at a restaurant with $35+ dishes. I requested to speak to the manager that proceeded to give us new cutlery for the whole table. However upon being informed of the dirty cutlery she just gave me a blank stare until I elaborated. The exchange seemed very strange. Our table was also not really given an apology or an inconvenience discount.
If their pasta was priced at $12 I wouldn't care about the cutlery, but when the price is premium I expect better. The whole ordeal makes me question the overall level of cleanliness in the kitchen. Gross - 0/5

Service: outside of the questionable cleanliness standards, the waiters and staff were all very wonderful and attentive. The food came out pretty quickly and even with our large group they kept great track of who ordered what. Great - 5/5

Food: The food was good, would give it 3.5/5.

Actually, 4.5 stars out of 5.
Parking, in a 4 story public lot, adjacent to Za Za's and other restaurants and entertainment venues, is a big advantage, as well as one block of 1st St. only being available to foot traffic.

Have been coming here at least twice a year, since 2011, can't believe this is my first write up for them (?)
In my 13 year history of going here, with a sample set of at least 26 times, I have NEVER had any type of bad dining, dessert, or drink experience.
Quite the opposite - every one has been outstanding!
This time we met friends and dined outside - the tables were canopied, as well as large trees in the plaza providing additional shade.
For July, I was surprised at the comfort level.
Music drifted over from a band playing out back for McNally's, which just added to the ambience.

Fare is traditional Italian - done extremely well, and in generous quantities, that is served by a top notch staff.
p.s. the di mare is tough to beat

Once you go, you'll be able to see, how easy it is, to become a 'regular' here.

Last night we went to ZaZA for dinner. We were babysitting our grandchildren, 5 & 4, and decided to take them out to dinner last minute. ZaZa staff was so courteous, accommodating and just very welcoming. Our waitress was amazing, very attentive without being intrusive. Just perfect. The food was delectable. We started with a caprese salad, we each had the filet and the kids had a pizza. All was delicious. The food came out well timed and exactly as expected. Definitely a wonderful dining experience and will be a definite repeat restaurant. Can't wait to go back.

Finally was able to get in after trying for a while lol they're always booked so that was a great sign!
The overall vibe walking gives old school bar restaurant with low lighting, soft music playing. Staff very welcoming from the second you walk in. The bar was a little busy on a Saturday night took a while to get a drink and by then our table was ready.
Our waiter was awesome and made some great recommendations!
Will definitely be back!

I used to love this place, the food and service was fantastic. I'm not sure what happened but over the past couple months the quality of food and service has gone down hill. The service of my last visit was awful. They messed up my order and I had to wait for it to be remade. As I was waiting I asked for extra dressing for my salad. They proceeded to tell me no it would be an up charge. I then spoke to the manager Amanda when she brought out the order and asked due to the inconvenience if I could have a small side of extra dressing. She responded no to have a good night.

I would strongly suggest you check out Villa Verone in Geneva. MUCH BETTER quality of food and MUCH BETTER customer service.

You walk into this restaurant and it feels like you just walked into an intimate Italian family dinner! From the host that was seating us to our waitress, everyone smiled, joked with us, complimented us and just made us feel so welcome! We came for a holiday dinner and the pasta was divine. The cake absolutely made us swoon and the Brussel sprouts were addicting. I would definitely come back here with a big group because the laughs and joy train keeps on going.

I was so looking forward to my birthday dinner tonight. We were extremly rushed by our server, it was very dissapointing. We did not feel welcomed, even our teenage kids noticed that.

Always an amazing time at ZaZa's! The service is always incredible. Make a reservation in advance because it can get packed! The food is TOP TIER. White fish is amazing and we get it every time. The ambiance is beautiful- great indoor and outdoor seating areas. Right on the river so you can walk around after dinner.

Everything was just OK
We walked in at 5:45 on a Saturday evening & the host stand said they'd seat us but that they'd need the table at 7pm, I don't think I've ever been told to hurry up in a restaurant before.
Since we felt a little rushed we skipped apps
They brought out 2 loafs of itl bread & a red sauce to dip in. The sauce was ok, but a nice touch
I ordered an Angel hair pasta with sausage ($9 add on- but a lot of sausage) in a spicy-ish red sauce. It was a huge portion, but the sauce was meh. I have enough leftover for a huge lunch tomorrow
Wife & 1 son had a chicken dish in a brandy sauce w/mushrooms, she said the shrooms were delicious. Chicken was........chicken
2 others had pizzas- a Margherita which was ok & & a sausage that had a huge pile of spinach that wasn't very tasty.

Bill was over $150 B4 tip for 3 entrees, 3 pizzas & 5 lemonades