Zinn Bistro

After reading some of the previous reviews I was a bit reluctant to try Zinn but after my experience today, I can honestly say this was by far the best dining experience I can remember in a very long time. The atmosphere is welcoming, clean, and stylish. The food is fresh and delicious. The portions are very generous. The pastries and cider are heavenly and the entrees were perfect. As far as the service is concerned I thought the staff was very courteous. Our server was wonderful. They provide everything you need for a lovely dining experience without being obnoxious. If you havent tried Zinn I encourage a visit. I am happy to know that I have now found a place in Slc that I can proudly take out of town visitors. more

Honestly this restaurant is a great place to eat. The food is unique and unlike what you will find in most restaurants around. People can be so harsh simply because they aren't treated like sainted royalty. Most of the negative comments on this site boil down to: "But they didn't FAWN over me, and I'm the customer!" I don't deny that anyone could have a bad experience, even the best restaurants are going to get it wrong sometimes. But I LOVE the way I am treated at Zinn Bistro. When I go to someplace annoying like Macaroni Grill, or god forbid Olive Garden, I honestly want to tell the servers who have their personalities turned up to eleven and want to share their bubbly lives with me to just back off. Let me eat without feeling like I have to care about your life or your jokes. EVERY time I have been to Zinn Bistro, and I have been served by all of the servers on staff, they have been kind and efficient. In a valley of sycophants it's nice to have someone just serve me good food. I go there with my wife for special occasions and I love that we can eat and talk, and not be served our appetizer, meal and dessert at the same time in an effort to rush us out for the next party. And I have spoken with them in person about the reviews on this site and I know they take it very personally and seriously and have made adjustments to improve, just as any restaurant would. Maybe Zinn Bistro is like great art: the better it is the more people love it and the more people hate it. Well I am in the love category and pity people who will select Chili's over Zinn simply because they're treated like they think they deserve. Pros: Food, atmosphere Cons: limited hours more

I’d love to write a review about this restaurant, but we weren’t even seated because as soon as we arrived, the owner was very prompt in informing us that “we’re out of food.” My mother then looks at her watch and the owner was very quick in replying, “I know, it’s not even necessarily the time. I preorder everything and bake everything fresh.” We had arrived at 1:34 (they close at 2:00 and re-open for dinner at 6:00). How are they supposed to re-open with no food? What a crock!! She’s not sympathetic from where you are traveling from either. This is her hobby- not a business. She’s a fool and she should be embarrassed for her horrible reputation. Pros: clean Cons: Horrible service. more

Came to Zinn's for lunch with a friend who had been there a couple of years earlier and had raved about the pastries. She warned me that the wait staff could be a little testy, so we poured on the charm and deference to the girl who seated and served us. Although not friendly, she was efficient, immediately bringing us a scant tablespoon of warm cider in a small cup, along with the famous pastry basket. However, when we asked her oh-so-politely for an extra plate so we could share (we were NOT splitting, we had ordered two entrees), she snipped, "Well, I'm not an octupus, you know." Thereafter we were afraid to even ask for a water refill. (We were never offered the opportunity to order a soft drink or dessert.) But snippy service aside, let's talk about the food. For $14 for a bowl of soup, I was expecting transcendent. I was severely disappointed. The tomato basil soup was lukewarm tomato-flavored heavy cream with a lot of sugar and cumin, of all things. Nary a basil leaf in sight. Accompanying the soup was a "salad" which consisted of a quarter head of iceberg lettuce slathered in Miracle Whip and topped with two each (I counted) bacon bits and tomato bits. On the plate was a cold slice of cheese bread, the bread part of which was apparently sweet pastry dough. My friend's smoked chicken salad sandwich was also drowning in Miracle Whip, so much that she had dissected it and was trying to scrape some of it off, and finally gave up. The sandwich was accompanied by a bland potato salad (more mayo!) AND unsalted potato chips, and two slices of a strawberry. It was a very 1950's kind of meal - it was a lot of food, but most of it inedible to the modern palate and totally devoid of fiber or antioxidants of any kind. If that's your thing, go for it - but do you really want to pay $14 for 1950's cafeteria food? (I suggest going to the Lion House cafeteria instead for half the price.) The pastries were excellent, although bizarrely presented before the meal (who wants to eat sweet, heavy pastry BEFORE the meal? Apparently a lot of people, owing to the good food reviews for this restaurant. Unless they are big mayo fans.) I would recommend they close the restaurant and open a bakery, so they can stick with what they do best and not have to wait tables, which is obviously extremely annoying to them. Pros: cutesy homey 1980's atmosphere Cons: food, service, price more

Zinn's is not very warm or friendly, but we were NOT treated rudely. We are "foodies" and can put up with a cold atmosphere if the food is good. And it IS! The bbq wontons were wonderful, the tomato basil soup was superb, and the four entrees were equally awesome (my fave was the pork tenderloin w/ smashed sweet potatoes). The drawback is the price on some of the entrees. We were OK paying $19 for the pork and fish: they were fantastic and plenty of food on the plate. However, you feel cheated when you pay the same for meatloaf or a lunch-sized portion of stroganoff with literally 4 pieces of meat in it (although the sauce was heavenly). The soup or salad WITH the meal was an extra $6, so we ended up spending $30 per person. We would rather drop that kind of money at a place that still has great food but more of it, and in more friendly surroundings. Pros: Awesome bread basket, tasty and unique food Cons: Very pricey for what you get more

After reading so many bad reviews, I thought perhaps that one group of friends or family, who had had a bad experience, must be single-handedly trying to sabotage Zinn. In fact, I was so shocked after reading that I called the restaurant and asked if they were aware of what reviewers were saying about them. Indeed they were. "Those are all lies," the receptionist curtly responded, and then proceeded to launch into some story about how awful a particular party had been. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? Well, after my second and LAST visit to Zinn today, there remains no doubt. There was no overt rudeness as some have experienced, but a general cold, unfriendly, and uncaring feeling there. Listen, it's not like I go somewhere like McDonald's and expect my hamburger to be served with love, but at least I can always count on a smile and a simple thank-you for my business. If you visit Zinn, just don't confuse a few charming and quaint decorating touches with atmosphere. Homey furniture and glimmering chandeliers will only go so far when the employees themselves are simply rude. There's no other way to put it: not smiling, not acknowledging someone, and not greeting them is rudeness. After we were seated, our server (the owner's son) couldn't trouble himself to even greet us, introduce himself, or tell us anything about the menu. He literally set out our bread basket (ok, so the bread basket is fabulous) and menus in front of us and then disappeared without a word. My six-year-old is more friendly and conversational than he is. He returned with an expectant look on his face, ready to take our orders. When four out of six of us ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich, my father made a corny joke to the server about the Count of Monte Cristo. He couldn't even muster a smile and pretend like he thought the joke was funny. He just stared at my dad as if he were the biggest idiot he'd ever encountered. Tough crowd, Dad. After we had ordered our lunch entrees, we laughed and joked that we probably shouldn't ask him to come out and sing Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, whose birthday we were celebrating. My sister was dying to go back into the kitchen to ask him, just to see how he'd react. When the food returned, again, it was unceremoniously put in front of us without a word. He didn't check back to ask how things were...I'm quite sure he didn't care what we thought, anyway. To his credit, my water glass never ran empty and the food did not disappoint. Still, not a word when the check was placed on the table, and not a word when the credit card had been run. No "Thank you for coming", or "Have a great day"...the traditional things you might hear when your party just dropped well over a hundred dollars for lunch. Coming from a family of generous tippers (usually over 20%), I am still kicking myself for giving a begrudging 15%. There is fabulous food & ambience to be found all over this valley, and you can be sure that the items on Zinn's menu aren't worth feeling like you're not welcome there. I'll be surprised to see them around in another three years. Pros: fantastic, out-of-the-ordinary menu Cons: Cold, rude service more

I'm glad someone has had a good experience at Zinn Bistro! My husband and I tried this place twice. Our first experience was not a positive one. Since the food was good we decided to give it another chance. Our second experience was equally poor. On our first visit we went with my sister and her husband who had raved about the meatloaf. She described it as 3 large slices of delicious meatloaf. When mine was served, however, only one very small piece was on my plate. I asked the server about it and he coldly stated they had run out (but no price adjustment or explanation when I had ordered). Our server was apathetic the entire night. Our second experience proved to be no better. My husband and I both ordered the stroganoff. Both portions were very small and had probably 3 tiny pieces of meat each. Our friend ordered the lamb and was served a very small portion too. Sadly, we all left the restaurant hungry and bitter. My friend went not too long ago and waited 45 minutes only to be meanly told to leave for having her four year old (sweet and very mild mannered) daughter with the group (which is okay to impose such a rule, but perhaps they could have let her know beforehand or posted it somewhere. It's not that swanky of a place! Further, they could have been apologetic and kind about it). Needless to say, my friend and her family have not and will not be back. Sorry, Zinn. Good food. Inconsistent servings, poor service. We will not return for a third visit. I don't understand why this family doesn't catch a clue that they are RUDE and need to change. After all, all they are in a business and an economic climate where great customer service is essential for success. more

I don?t understand how people could write such mean reviews about this wonderful place. Are you all cyber bullies? Do you have nothing better to do than slam such a wonderful place? This is a fantastic restaurant, run by a wonderful and sweet family. I have been going to Zinn Bistro for years and have never had a bad experience. One of the highlights of the meal is the incredible bread basket, which is full of home made and hand done pastries. There is this wonderful almond bread that is divine, and the cinnamon rolls are to die for? really good. Plus fresh popovers with not only a strawberry butter, but a homemade apple butter. The service is great too. They are not in your face, but polite and nice. The daughter smiled brightly when she greeted us, took our order (she really knew the menu), gave us plenty of water, and left us alone for two hours (we were so relaxed, we lost track of time)! It was great, we never felt rushed to leave, and yet we felt taken care of. The food was great too, I ordered a fall-apart tender Brisket Panini that had wonderful caramelized onions, and gooey cheese. It was served on a home made French bread. My sister from New York ordered the pumpkin soup, which she described as ?heavenly?. This past weekend I went for dinner and had macaroni and cheese stuffed meatloaf? absolutely sinful! For dessert, my husband I shared the best chocolate cake and the creamiest banana cream pie that I have ever had. Pros: Food and Service Cons: Zero! more

Went there last night to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary. We never saw the waiter after the food was delivered except to bring us the check. We were out of water (never offered any other drinks) all night and had to ask for some when the check was brought and yet an 18% gratuity was automatically figured into our bill. When ordering, we asked the waiter what he recommended, and he couldn't give a single recommendation--like he'd never eaten the food there. Then we were charged a $20 "cakeage fee" that wasn't disclosed to us beforehand because we brought in a specially designed anniversary cake, which we served ourselves. Save your $$$$ and go somewhere else!!! more

Fantastic imaginative food. Call ahead for reservations. We've been going there for years and we're near the decision to stop going because the servers are so condescending and rude. I guess if you're family you can't be fired.... Case in point: When our friend said that she didn't want to order an entree (because she was feeling a little sick) the (son?) server rudely told us that each person must order an entree. When she insisted that she wasn't feeling well, the server basically rolled his eyes and consented. Not a smile from him the entire evening. Then when my wife suggested two checks for our party of four (yeah, I know, it's cheezy...) the server was again rude about it and refused. I'm okay with restaurants not doing multiple checks--but I'm not okay with a server being rude about it. We've had other unfriendly encounters with the family/staff. Pros: Great Food. Cons: Bad Service. more

My two experiences here were so amusingly unbelievable that I thought I must have chosen two bad days to go. Both times I was treated to bluntly rude that I couldn't figure out how a business with such horrible customer service could still be in business. But after seeing these other reviews, I know it wasn't just me. Why do people continue to go here? A coworker told me there was something strange with the hours/reservations/door opening,etc., but she couldn't remember the details. When I called Zinn's to get the scoop, the girl was rude. Apparently I was asking too many questions. Finally I said, "'I'm sorry, but if we are going to come to your restaurant, we just want to know what to expect." The girls response was, "I don't care if you come here or not. We don't need your business." And she hung up the phone. Obviously I'm the idiot for going there anyway, but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and not judge the restaurant based on one girl answering the phone. Once there, I observed what I now think to be the 'mom', 'son', and 'daughter' treating everyone the same way. It wasn't so much what they said as it was how they acted. All three were snickering, rolling eyes, and showing disgusted expressions. My friends and I enjoyed the food enough that we just laughed off the poor service, and decided to give it another try a few months later. This time, 'mom' was nowhere to be seen. Instead, 'son' and 'daughter' out-did themselves with poor manners. 'Daughter' was so rude seating everyone that all of us in line were looking around wondering if anyone else was noticing. Finally the people in front of us said, "We've noticed their service going down hill for some time now." Once seated, the only interaction we got was 'son' taking order, delivering food, and then delivering the check, and all with a scow on his face. The food is good, but don't waste your time. It's not worth feeling like you are intruding the entire time you are in their presence. more

My sisters and I dined at Zinn?s Bistro for our annual Christmas lunch. This was the worst dining experience ever! The owner has her son and daughters working as servers. The daughters are extremely rude when seating patrons, but bar none, the son is the worst of all! He is the rudest, most unhappy person I have ever seen. It was obvious that he hates people and his job. He offered no hello or any pleasantries at all. When I asked him about the differences in the salads he very rudely said, "I don't know, just make up your mind!" I could not believe it. When the food arrived, I thought my salad came with chicken so I asked him if I could either change my salad out, or get some chicken for the salad. This made him very angry. He said "I can't believe this; you ordered it.? I told him that when he told me to "Make up my mind", I felt rushed and didn't realize the salad didn't have chicken, so could I get some chicken or another salad? He was so upset that he started to yell at our party. My sister told him that people sometimes return food and that as our server it is his responsibility to accommodate. He told us that they "don't do that" (change food orders), and that no one tells him what to do. His concern was more over what he would do with the extra salad than keeping customers happy. He told us he is not a server; he is the owner. We told him that is even worse! He stormed from the room, leaving us in shock. We quickly gathered our things and proceeded to leave. When he saw us leaving he said, "Oh good, you're leaving. Now I can give that table to someone else." There was no one else to give the table to. The place was basically deserted, and on the Friday before Christmas! We will not eat there again. If the owners of Zinn?s want to stay in business, they may want to send their children off to charm school, so they can stop acting like children; or some other form of higher education so that they can get into a job they enjoy! Cons: Customer Service more

I ate at Zinn a little over a year ago, and decided to go again for my birthday. After reading the most recent poor reviews, I was a little hesitant, but had such a wonderful first experience that I decided to go again. It was very quiet when we got in, but we'd made a reservation in advance anyway. They brought us some delicious cider & the YUMMY bread basket to start. The food was DIVINE just like i'd remembered. The staff was very kind - although somewhat quiet. But - I didn't mind -- I go out to eat good food, not to have some fake waiter chatting in my ear the whole time for a good tip. I would HIGHLY recommend Zinn to anyone who appreciates top-notch food. Do make a reservation in advance though :) more

Dear Friends who want to find a friendly atmosphere at Zinns Bistro. I have lunched at Zinns Bistro several times over the past few years and found it wonderful. Greeted by a friendly hostess, served warm wassail with a delectable bread basket, I thought I was in lunch-heaven, like a quaint English tearoom. The food was delicious. As I left I exchanged greetings with the mother who is the owner and discussed her recipes. However, in the last year, the service has gone down hill. In the past, I would have taken my best friends there, now I wouldn't take my worst enemy. This week proved to be my worst luncheon experience, when I met a group at Zinns for lunch. From the first step into the door, the young woman was rude, impolite, with a negative attitude. The male server was also suffering from an attitude problem. He never spoke or smiled to us, even after we tried to start a pleasant conversation. The best part of the menu was the bread basket, but don't expect warm popovers anymore. The owner of Zinns is the best, but the employees require a few lessens about common courtesy or no one will continue to return to the restaurant. I live out of town and it is very doubtful that I will ever return. My last experience was embarrassing to everyone seated in the small quaint room. Basically, we felt like intruders in your space. For example, there were many examples of rude behavior, from the time we arrived until we left. I am disappointed because in the past I looked forward to eating at Zinns with friends. At first, I thought this might have been a bad week, but after reading the other reviews, I can see that I am not overstating an issue. This is no longer a friendly place to eat. Pros: Bread basket Cons: Unwelcoming place and rude service more

I ate at Zinn's last week with my husband and I was so embarrassed by the service. We had been told that this was a nice establishment, but found the opposite to be true. Our waiter did not greet us, and when we asked him about some of the items on the menu, he gave very short answers. It was as if we were a bother to him! He never bothered to check back with us to see if we liked the food or if everything was all right. Then when he gave us our bill, he didn't say thank you please come again or anything. So we will be sure to never eat there again and to tell our friends to avoid this place. Cons: Terrible service! more

As a first time patron I was looking forward to a nice lunch with friends. I had heard the food was very good. Such a dissappointment the food was good, the pastry basket was very good. The server was surly, very unfriendly and outright rude. We arrived early as we had been told there was always a crowd at lunch time. Not, when we arrived there were only 3 other dinners in the dining room. No wonder I will certainly not return nor will I recomend Finn to my friends. Pros: patries Cons: service, attitude more

This was the second and last time I will eat here. The food wasn't too bad, but when you go out to eat you should expect good food AND good service, and this place definitely does not have good service. In fact, the waiter was down right rude! The drive-thru at McDonald's has better customer service than Zinns. Our server was noticeably irritated and seemed unhappy to even have to be working there. Any questions were met with curt answers. My advice, stay away from here, unless you are ready for a fight! Cons: Service more

I have been to Zinn Bistro before and had a wonderful meal. I went with co-workers today and was stunned at the service (lack of it) I have never seen a waiter so rudy and thoughtless. He acted like he couldn't wait for us to leave. I love the food but it is not worth going and putting up with that type of behavior. I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone. I was shocked to find out that this is the owners son and that he acts this way on a daily basis. Others back at work told of being treated in the same manner. Not a good way to do or keep business. Pros: great food!! Cons: poorest service RUDE! more

I have been to Zinn Bistro several times. The food and service were wonderful, so I recommended it to friends and family for a nice lunch. Today, however was the first time I'd ever experienced the rudeness I've heard about. The server was so rude! I will never take anyone there again. I was embarrassed to have my four co-workers see that kind of abuse from a server. We all just looked at each other-STUNNED wondering how he could be so rude! We thought about calling and complaining, but after reading these reviews, we think it wouldn't do any good to complain. It sounds like it's the entire staff/family! Too bad. I really loved their food. Pros: Pastry Basket and Food Cons: serve terribly rude! Even had to ask for pastry basket! more

Today was the first time I ate at Zinn Bistro. I've heard of it, and how good the food is. While I agree, the food (especially pastry basket) was incredible, the service was so poor I felt like I was sitting in a Twilight Zone episode! The waiter was incredibly rude and robot-like. He didn't smile or show any kind of personality whatsover. We had to ask for the pastry basket and when any in our group asked polite questions or made friendly small talk, the waiter looked at us with total disdain and treated us like we were far beneath him. Our group was so embarrassed in our treatment that we were silent for most of our meal and could hardly wait to leave. We also were told very rudely, that under no circumstances would our meal be divided out to help us in paying. As to the comments below as to the fact that maybe we were the rude ones; we were definitely not rude nor did any of us ask for anything special of the waiter. Pros: Good Food Cons: Terribly rude service more