Zula

I took the girlfriend here for her birthday. I got a reservation and we were seated immediately. One thing I didn’t like was, even after asking, they kept trying to sit us directly on top of other people, even though the restaurant was mostly empty. We decided to split a flatbread pizza and one pot of mussels, the fries, and bread basket. It ended up being a ton of food. We ordered the goat cheese flatbread. This was probably the best white pizza I ever had. It had 4 cheeses, goat, fresh mozz, tallegio, and fontina, and fresh chives. The crust was nice and charred and had great flavor. I could have eaten a few of these by my self. For the mussels, we went for the classic french, which is a white wine broth with shallots and garlic. The mussels were cooked absolutely perfectly and broth had nice flavor. My only complaint on the mussels was the parsley, they just threw in huge sprigs of it so it didn’t really mix into the mussels. I definitely recommend the fries and the bread. The fries were homemade and had a nice chipotle aioli for dipping, and they were good in the mussel broth. The bread basket was one of my favorite parts of dinner, next to the pizza. The bread was very crusty and nice and soft on the inside, perfect for soaking up the mussel broth. Zula is great for a date night, or just for a great dinner. The quality was amazing and the prices were decent. Definitely check Zula out.

Been here twice and both times it was a great experience. Prompt and attentive service with quality food presented in a creative fashion. They are well known for their selection of mussels prepared in a variety of different flavors. I recently tried the Funghi flavor which is outstanding. It is a large pot of mussels that can be an appetizer for the table or an entrée. If you order it as an entrée it comes with either fries or bread. Didn’t try their fries but the bread is also delicious.
They had a few specials the last time I went that were not on the main menu, and I had the pan-​seared sea bass with pureed fava beans. Normally I am not a huger fan of fava beans but it was not an over powering flavor in this dish. The fish was slightly salty but savory and the vegetables/​fava been purée that went with it were mildly tangy. The flavors complimented each other very well. It is nice to come to a place that can execute the blending of flavors so perfectly.

This place has two specialties: Muscles and Flat Breads. Our project team would go here and I just kind of got tired of it. Great food but we always shared and passed around the food and it just got tiring. Probably less of a slam on the restaurant as the food was always on point but I felt like their menu could have had more.

Came here for dinner on a Thursday and with a reservation we were seated right away. The wine selection is very good and they have a nice range of prices. I also had an Americano that reminded me of coffee I had in Europe– super good! The goat cheese flatbread was really cheesy and the crust is perfectly soft and crunchy at the same time. The mussels were very soft and flavored really well. I was glad we got the bread basket to dip in the leftover sauce. It’s also a good value considering it is 4 decent sized rolls. The service was also excellent!

I stopped in last night with a few friends to grab an appetizer and a drink or two. I ended up ordering from their «specials» menu and ate the Prime Steak Tartare and Fois Gras. All I can say is that it was DELICIOUS! You get the sweetness from the jam and Fois gras and the savory from the tartare and egg yolk. Truly a winning combo and it’s a lot bigger and more filling that it looks! I ordered «The Race Street» something drink from their specialty cocktail menu. Very bitter in a good way from the white grapes, champagne, Riesling, gin, etc. Our service was great as we sat at the bar immediately upon arrival. Overall, great and positive experience. I will definitely be a repeat customer!

I wish I could give this visit 4.5 stars but the app won’t allow. Went to the restaurant yesterday. Sat in the window seat in the bar area. I would go so far as saying this was the best seat in the house due to the interesting people watching out the window.
The wait staff was great, leading us through both the wine menu then the dinner menu. The wine list has some excellent options. We settled for glasses of the very luscious Justin Cabernet. For dinner, we had a bacon, tomato and arugula salad that was great. We had the traditional mussels next. The thing that was missing from the mussel item was bread. You had to order the bread as an additional item. Then for entrée, we had the steak off the special menu. I would have liked a more sumptuous cut of meat than the cut they provided. Overall the meal was great and we would go back to try additional items.

I enjoy gong to Zula for tapas sharing and wine at the bar. Usually easy to get a cpl seats at the bar and bartenders have always been friendly and efficient. The flatbreads are delicious & a value item; big enough to share for 2 if having just that with another small tapas item. Their wine selection is great. It is very pretty inside. Even though it seems small when you 1^st come in there are more seating areas in the back. I noticed during my recent visit in March, their menu is highly vegetarian friendly. Across from Washington park and several bars so you have plenty to do during any wait time. Buen provecho!

Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. At the risk of stating the obvious, Zula is a «tapas» restaurant. Ordering a variety of items on their menu is highly encouraged in order to share with the table.
We were just a table of 2, and we ordered merely three items: the eggplant fries (awesome w/​the hot sauce they have on the side!), kale salad, and the Bulgarian Feta flat bread. Of the three items, the flat bread was by far the most filling; it was also delicious.
The waitress was fast and professional. Everything was brought out to us in a very timely manner. I felt as if the wait for our food just «flew by».
Diners should be aware that this restaurant is rather «cozy» and you can end up sitting right next to the other guests. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, but if you are looking for a night out with more of a private table, you should know that sitting in close quarters is a possibility at Zula.
There are still a ton of options left to try on the menu, and we will definitely be back! I am looking forward to my next visit.

For dinner today, my friend and I tried out Zula. Though she had been there before, it was my first time and I have to say… I’m a huge fan. We sat down quickly, had a very nice and attentive waitress and the food was to die for. My Funghi mussels were both filling and delicious. The menu was pricey, but because of portion size and quality, I think it was worth it. I will definitely go back to try more of their menu!

Came here for dinner and drinks with a friend last Friday night. We had a reservation for 7:45 and when we arrived the place was nearly packed. We were seated right away. I had the mushroom flatbread, my friend had one of the mussels offerings, and we split an order of risotto cakes. All were very good. I’m picky about flatbread and these guys did it perfectly — crisp but it still had some chew. I wished their cocktail selection had more choices… I went for the Washington Park. It was nice, and so I had seconds :) Overall a neat place with a cool vibe. I would probably go again.

Fabulous.
Zula is a wonderful restaurant near Washington Park that specializes in wines, mussels, and flatbreads– and lots more!
The owner of Zula is a supporter of Women Helping Women (great local organization) and I had received a gift certificate at their fundraiser last year (why did I wait a year to go?).
My friend and I were a bit in awe of their long list of cocktails but luckily our waitress did an awesome job of helping us navigate through the menus. I had a Hemmingway and cannot remember which drink she had, but both were excellent; they just a bit of complexity and were presented well.
Everything we had here tasted like a symphony; the flavors and textures went together very well.
We started with the Yellow Fin Tuna Crudo. I don’t really eat fish or sushi (and was hesitant to try this) and I would definitely eat this again. Like all the dishes, symphony is the best word for this dish. There was spice from serranos, smooth richness from the avocado, a bit of sweetness (from the citrus?) — I am not sure I remember all the details but it was wonderful.
We shared the baby kale and roasted beet cold plates and both were fabulous.
We had the arancini, which had sinfully delicious cheese in the middle. The charred greens were also excellent on this dish– don’t leave them on your plate.
We each had a glass of one of the special wines– it was delicious, I wish I could remember the name– I think it was Italian though, I know I could not pronounce it :)
We concluded with the Bulgarian Feta (we were probably near full at this point but wanted to try one more thing). The feta and purple onions (some caramelized) made this flatbread fabulous.
We will definitely return in the future. I would recommend the Yellow Fin Tuna Crudo. Beyond that everything we tried was fabulous which I would imagine likely speaks for the menu as a whole.

My first visit to Zula was last year for a birthday party. That would be a pretty biased viewpoint since being part of a private event provided a different experience.
I came to Zula a few weeks ago with friends for dinner. We made reservations for 9 PM and arrived right on time. When we arrived at Zula, the waiting room was PACKED TO THE GILLS! There was no standing room available. I’m surprised that the fire department didn’t show up.
Despite our reservations, we were waiting in the waiting area for almost an hour to be seated. The hostess kept waving us off that they were waiting for people to leave, so we could be seated. In order to calm us down, we were giving some champagne which did help. But by this time, we were starving!
When we were finally seated, our group decided to order the Manhattan and Thai mussels. I decided to get the Arancini and Roasted Beet Salad as an addition. Food wise, everything was delicious. I especially liked the Manhattan mussels and I would definitely order them again.
Service was just OK, nothing to write home about.
Although I would come back to Zula, I am leery because of their reservation policy. Making a reservation doesn’t get you anywhere at this restaurant. You will still be waiting for 30 minutes plus!

I LOVE this place for GNO. Their menu of mussels alone is TDF! The service is always very friendly and professional. There is usually a wait, though not as bad as some places in OTR, and they have a bar where you can stand and wait/​order a drink. Last time I was there I had moscow mules and they were super yummy! They also carry local brews on tap, which I love.
Last time we were in there we ordered one of the salmon small plates as an app. It had lemon and avocado in it, so the flavors were perfet together. We ordered a bucket of the steamed mussels and a bread basket to share. Both times I’ve had their mussels, I’ve tried the traditional french style because its SO delicious! Seriously! We had to get a second basket of bread so we could get as much of that sauce as possible.
On previous visits I tried the eggplant fries — lovely, crispy, sweet and soury — and the roasted beet salad — flavorful, earthy, salty.
This place has a menu that is an adventure all its own. If you are open to trying new foods, its a must. If you’ve never had mussles, please do yourself a favor and have them here!

I didn’t get to eat here. The wait was about 2 hours long. My friends and I wanted to enjoy a nice meal and people had recommend this place. After putting our names down to wait, the hostess stated that they were going to be extremely packed and busy and that they were not going to be able accommodate us. the hostess gave us each a complimentary cocktail for our trouble. I think that even though we were not able to eat there, the fact that they were very apologetic showed their great customer service. And of course the drinks were amazing. Definitely coming back on another night to see what the food is all about.

I wish I could give a ½ rating, because I don’t think Zula is bad enough for 3 stars, but they certainly don’t deserve 4 stars.
3.5 stars, officially.
I visited Zula for the first time with a large group — 30 people for my brother’s surprise birthday dinner. He’s a popular guy. We had a reservation, so the tables were ready in a back section.
I ordered the Calamari, and I tried the Marseille Mussels with the house bread, each were delicious, as recommended. I also had a moderately-​priced red wine and the Thyme Roasted Tomatoes, Artisan Z Flat Bread.
The flat bread was a burnt disappointment. I fault myself because I ordered based on photos from Unilocal and many of the pictures show a blackened crust. The bread from my dinner was hard, dry, and exploded into pieces when handled.
The service was bad. As I mentioned before, we reserved the space. They knew we were coming. Welcomed our patronage. But only one server took care of us. Why, Zula? Our drinks came slowly and sat empty for the majority of our dinner. The food arrived nearly 2 hours after we sat down and my meal was burnt. Someone’s order was incomplete. Another’s was missing. The checks came slowly and were inaccurate.
Nobody disputed or questioned the automatic gratuity, but the service was not deserving of an additional tip. Zula should have provided two –if not, three– additional servers for a party our size.
Large groups should avoid Zula if they wish to enjoy a 4 star Unilocal experience.

To be quite honest with you, I’m not really sure that I can properly articulate just how much I adore Zula. I am kicking myself for not checking it out sooner (even after rave reviews from friends and family), but better late than never, right?
Holy. Tapas. Ducked into Zula on a Tuesday evening mainly for a glass of wine and a small bite to eat. The hostess greeted us with a multitude of options for seating, and we ultimately decided on the pizza bar. Lots of couples on dates and smaller groups of friends scattered through the (very large for OTR) restaurant. Very laid-​back, cool atmosphere which we instantly loved.
The chef working the flatbread bar was a gem. He and our waiter both explained the menu in full and gave us suggestions on what to order while we talked over the menu. I knew I was going to be a huge fan of this place when I perused the wine list — everything was so affordable! We decided upon a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, the beet salad (!!!), a bread basket (holy olive oil goodness), and the most delicious seared Scottish salmon crudo I have ever tasted. Our waiter made sure our water and wine glasses were never less than half full (my kinda guy) and the flatbread chef kept us laughing the entire night.
I 100% will be returning. Soon. Very soon… but seriously that seared tuna (what dreams are made of).

I went to Zula with a group of 10 and had a wonderful time! The waitress was very at tentative and the food was excellent.
For appetizers, I got the charred calamari and the arancini. The Calamari was very good. First time I’ve uneven had it charred with a semi-​sweet and savory cream sauce. The greens that accompanied it provided a refreshing citrus/​acidic taste to counteract the heavy cream. My gf loved the arancini but I thought it was a little dry and lacking in flavor.
For our entrees, I got the Thai and Fungi mussels. Both were very good. The Thai was light and savory with a wonderful lemongrass aroma. The Fungi was creamy and savory. Can’t decide which one I liked better. The wine glasses we got were also very good and heavy pours. Can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu!

Been trying to figure out a good day to go to Zula. My boyfriend and I finally made it in on a Saturday night when it was a little chilly and wet outside.
We sat at the bar due to being a standard busy Saturday evening. We ordered a couple glasses of wine, ordered the eggplant fries, New Orleans Mussels, and the potato fingerling flat bread to go.
The fries were fantastic. The texture, the flavor, all good and well… but the mussels stole the show. The few shrimp marinated in the broth was exceptional. We ordered a side a bread to be able to soak up more of the broth.
Had a couple of pieces of the flat bread when we got home. The flavor was fantastic, it’s just a little overly oily.

5 stars for the food! 3 stars for the service/​ambiance.
We attempted to have somewhat of a 3 course meal with our dishes we were sharing. I mentioned that to her but the waitress was a bit pushy with ordering and kept coming back and pestering us to order everything right away even after telling her how we wanted to have our meal. We ordered a bottle of wine to split to start out. She asked if we wanted an order of bread, we said yes, not knowing that they charge for it. Kind of rude, you would think they would mention that, its only $ 3.75 but it doesn’t say that anywhere on the menu. Anyway it was good and you definitely want some bread to soak up your broth in your mussels — so don’t forget to save some for that! We ended up wanting to order another glass of wine each but had to ask for our wine menu back, I got the feeling this waitress did not have high expectations for our table.
Salmon crudo was melt in your mouth delicious and perfect. We tried the Vietnamese Phở Mussels and I definitely think those were the best choice on the mussels menu, the broth was tangy and light, the addition of the pork belly gave it more substance, the mussels were of very good quality. We also tried the thyme roasted tomato flatbread, again I think we made the best choice of all the flatbreads, the tomato was juicy and delicious, the basil sauce and balsamic on top really set it over the edge. I would get all of these items again, in fact next time I go it will be hard to try something different because I liked them all so much
Now for the service/​ambiance. I called day of for a reservation and was told that I could get one at 5:45 at the pizza oven bar, so I took it, not sure what that meant. Well, let me warn you, these seats are warm, the pizza oven obviously gives off a lot of heat and we were really feeling it. By the end of our meal I was really excited to get out into cold outside. They should really warn you or ask if that is ok first, I know of some people who could not tolerate it. Now while it was hot, it was also very entertaining, watching the chefs make the flatbreads was fun. The main problem I had with this situation was that there were tons of other tables open in the place, they could have easily sat us in a more comfortable place. And as I mentioned above, our waitress was pushy with ordering, seemed like she wanted to turn the table over, but again, the place was not full! The chef’s table (huge communal table in the front) had 2 people at it when we left at 7:45, we would have loved to sit there. Tables behind us remained open the entire 2 hours we were there. No manager or chef stopped by to see how our experience was so we left without saying anything, but I do feel that the experience was sub par and unfortunately is keeping me from giving 5 stars.

Located off of Washington Park, where a very large group was working out in the early evening, Zula is a bistro and wine bar with a vast small plates menu. The restaurant is large and long with a bar at the center, towards the side, and an open kitchen at the back. Early-​20^th-​century factory-​styled lighting highlighted the industrial feel of this welcoming restaurant. A large communal table sits squarely at the front with only a few seats left.
After reviewing the many yummy items on the menu, we decided to dine family style to get a taste of everything. The dishes came out as soon as they were prepared and we re-​arranged the table many times to accommodate their growing number.
The meal started off with Kale Salad, which included radicchio, frisée, walnuts, and an abundance of creamy goat cheese. In a light dressing, it was a refreshing start to the meal.
It was a risk to order mussels when two of the group were less than enthusiastic about them. But after tasting the Thai preparation, in a coconut milk curry with subtle hints of lemongrass, and the Vietnamese Phở one, one was a convert and dug in enthusiastically, with bread and fries, both extra.
We also sampled the mushrooms, roasted and with chunks of pork belly, which was also delicious. The eggplant fries were crispy and tender and were served with a spicy Sriracha-​based sauce.
Another mushroom-​centered dish was the flatbread. The large, thin and rectangular bread was soft and pliable and topped with an abundance of cheese and whole roasted garlic. It was a very nice combination of flavors.
The large duck breast, sitting on a bed of diced tomatoes and potatoes, was delicious. We could not recall the menu description and tried to tease out the seasonings used. After many guesses (mine was five spices; his, star anise), we prevailed on our friendly server to help out. Shawarma seasonings, we were told! Such a tasty and unexpected offering, I intend to repeat at home, soon.
The dessert menu was equally varied and creative. I went with the raspberry cake, a coarse crumb cake with a buttery crust with raspberries buried at the bottom of the cake. My friend tried the walnut brownie and I snitched a spoonful of the chocolatey concoction. Another friend had the crème brûlée of the day, served with a cute cookie spoon.
In all, it was a fun dining experience with good food and good friends in a convivial atmosphere.