I hadn’t set foot in Zeno’s in 30 years. Then stopped in two days in a row earlier this week. We were so pleasantly surprised by the laid back atmosphere, solid cocktails, and above expectations food that we went back the next day. My wife says it’s her new favorite place.
Always known as a place to get a good drink and decent bar food, family run Zeno’s has been a Victorian Village staple since 1984.
The interior hasn’t changed much in 30 years. The exterior has added patio seating that runs the entire length of the street front. High top tables are nicely spaced out along the railing.
The outside atmosphere is quiet and relaxing just like the surrounding neighborhood. Our only beef would be with the stool height. They feel slightly tall for the table height. But that’s minor.
Cocktails are fairly priced with a good pour. We didn’t stray much from our usual. Maker’s and Ginger for the Misses and Tito’s and Soda Tall w/Lemon for me. The bar has always been well stocked. There seems to be a bourbon emphasis that looked like there were some quality bottles.
We were hungry and looking for bar food. The menu was solid with good variety. My wife opted for had an amazing Fried Bologna Sandwich with Bologna from Waldo, Ohio. (If you follow the Stern’s you know.)
Thick Cut! She opted for no cheese. It was topped with saute’d mushrooms and onions and slathered with some quality mustard. I believe the only bread choices were white or wheat. Rye would have worked better. Nevertheless, it was a great sandwich.
The fries were really good! Sort of shoestring. Nicely seasoned. Served with ketchup for dipping, Don’t sleep on their fries.
I had Kentucky Dry Rub wings. Nice, meaty, whole wings w/ flappers. Blue Cheese for dipping. The chicken was moist and the skin was nice and crispy. Definitely would order again.
The Fried Pickles were outstanding! Not pickle chips, but pickle spears. But not whole spears. It appears that they slice the spears long ways and then fry them. So they are thin but long. The batter was nice and crispy and was served with a thin ranch style dip. They were so good that we just devoured them without a photo. Oops! Our bad! 😆
we order Cole Slaw with the Bologna Sandwich. Everything about the slaw screamed homemade. From the cut of the cabbage to the taste of the dressing, it was all too fresh to come out of a bag or a jar.
The dressing/cabbage ratio was heavy toward the dressing. Almost soupy. I enjoyed it. My wife, not so much. She is a huge slaw fan but prefers a more vinegar based dressing. But, if you prefer your slaw creamy, you’ll love Zeno’s Slaw.
Perched in a quiet neighborhood on the corner of West Third and Pennsylvania Avenues Zeno’s is worth a visit. Especially if you haven’t been there for a while.
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