Zest Cafe

I am surprised this place doesn’t have a higher rating! Its fantastic. The place is very authentic! The food is delicious and perfect portions. They dont have a huge selection on the menu but they have something for everyone. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are done right. Friendly and inviting atmosphere. A must try!

Not terrible. Not great. Mediocre food and below average service. Maybe it was just an off day for the place. Meh…

I just recently moved to the Lakewood area and stopped by Zest for a quick breakfast bite to eat. Zest is casual, humble and unassuming. Service was prompt and the waitress was very helpful in explaining items in the menu.
I ordered the egg white frittata which was delicious. All of the ingredients were fresh from the spinach to the tomato basil topped on the frittata. Finished off the meal with a glass of orange juice. I’m excited to head back. Zest will definitely be one my breakfast staples.

Great little quaint restaurant with fantastic food and friendly employees. Love that there are vegetarian and vegan options with high quality ingredients. I came here for brunch — definitely coming back next time in the neighborhood.

Drove from Denver for an appointment near by. I needed to use the restroom and get a coffee and a muffin, in that order! Both my mom and I made our way to the restroom, with a strange look from the guy behind the counter. When I came out and was looking for my mom, the woman behind the counter said something, I did not hear her so I said excuse me? She very rudely repeated, «you can’t youse the restroom unless your a customer!» I was shocked, one because I already did use the restroom, two that she had the nerve to say that! I told her we were going to get a coffee and a muffin or something, but after the way i was treated… I think not! The place I was going for my appointment, uses them to cater office lunches, was shocked we were treated that way from Zest Café!

This is my favorite restaurant in Southwest Denver. Breakfast, lunch or dinner — you will not be disappointed. Vince (the chef) does his best to use local & organic Colorado products and then presents them beautifully. He’s got the flavors down — and knows how to enhance what you are served. DELICIOUS! You also owe it to check out his wine dinners — fun, informative and good eating! The wait staff (Ally, Michelle, Haley) are so wonderful and of course, Kelli (chef’s wife) is always there to make sure you are well taken care of! I’m so happy to have a choice like Zest in my neighborhood.

Such good fresh food and excellent service. The brutal sprouts small plate is amazing. We went twice in 3 days and loved it both times.

What a hidden gem. This is one of my very favorite restaurants in Denver. Vincent, The chef, is super friendly, gregarious and extremely talented. The trout on the menu is the best trout I’ve ever eaten. I grew up on the coast of California where Trout was very commonplace and served many different ways and quite delicious. His trout is better. Another thing that’s great about zest is they try to source local ingredients as much as possible. Just a great neighborhood restaurant that more people should know about. Give zest a try you won’t be disappointed.

3 stars is because of the service. If it wasn’t for the food I wouldn’t go back. The person that served us had me a bit upset when I left. The food was amazing and I’d just make sure I didn’t get the same server ever again.

Me & the hub’s new favorite restaurant! Everything we’ve eaten here has been delicious– from the salads, to the pizzas, to the entrees. Our favorites are the salmon or beef specials of the night. Everything tastes gourmet but at reasonable prices & a comfy laid back environment.
The rose petal lemonade is also delicious!
The food is well worth the price– we highly recommend this place!

Girlfriend and I went for breakfast yesterday. Overall id say it was a lovely experience. The restaurant wasn’t busy and we relaxed on the patio. It was such a different vibe from the madness that can be brunch at other establishments. Our waitress was super nice and while they were a little slow bringing out the food, it was really tasty. I really appreciate that they use organic/​whole food ingredients. This place is really close to our new house so I am sure we will be back soon!

I owe this place a review. First, I’ll say that I was very skeptical of bringing my family here because of the previous reviews being very hot and cold. It’s a neighborhood joint for us.
I give them props though and I will dispel some of those other reviews. First, this place is another restaurant in line with the growing trend to bring consumers food that is raised responsibly. So for all those complaining about price and portion. READ! I’ll just quote their web site .
«Made of only the freshest, organic produce, our salads are portioned to be a meal in and of themselves.
All of our meats come from organically-​fed open-​range animals. Great care is taken to ensure high quality in our meats.»
Grass fed beef and stuff like that isn’t McDonalds beef and you shouldn’t expect it to be. Prices are still currently higher to obtain that food, so portions will be more appropriate to a regular sized meal. This isn’t all-​you-​can-​eat pig fest. I digress (that stuff annoys me).
On to the food. First, I’m a PITA when it comes to eating out since I start eating paleo (doctor recommended to reverse health concerns). So I started managing my order myself, which the waitress was very attentive to. This will be a personal/​chance experience, but when she found out I was paleo, and she was an ex-​paleo, she went the extra 10 miles. Researching the kitchen practices more than I expected (down to the oil blend that wouldn’t work for me). I took the investigation gratefully even though I was okay being on the lax side since I was eating out.
The meal was good. The kids pizzas were good and sizable (10″). Don’t pass that up. Others had the Thai chicken lettuce wraps (as a meal) and the Kokopelli, which looked great and was told tasted great too. I’ll even throw in that another patron ordered the Toasted Portobello Cap, which looked huge and awesome (I would order that if I could eat it. maybe with bacon). As for my meal, I went with the Filet Mignon (grass-​fed) with green beans, all cooked in butter because of the oil/​blend, and they allowed me to swap my starch for a salad that was big, with just balsamic vinegar as the dressing (oil again). We also went for the Flourless Chocolate Cake (not made on-​site) that was good (I cheated on sugar). Overall it was a great meal for me where I didn’t have to compromise. Cheers to the waitress and kitchen for accommodating.
Overall they did a bang up job. Yes prices are higher, but when you expect better food, don’t be afraid to pay for it. Junk food comes at junk prices unfortunately in this country.
For feedback, because I believe every place deserves some, fix your website. That’s part of the reason I was skeptical of coming in. I couldn’t see the menu until my wife showed me a different one. Apparently, the one at
works great and has working navigation. The Unilocal one, and the one at
doesn’t work in Firefox or Chrome. That’s where patrons go first and it only displays the breakfast/​brunch menu and the formatting is all jacked up. I’d remove it or fix it.

Excellent meal and service! Loved the hearts of palm salad and portobello mushroom cap with quinoa. Husband really enjoyed the bruschetta & salmon special. Ginger mint lemonade was fresh & tasty after a long day of hiking.
*I asked if the chef could leave off the cheese for the portobello entrée as I eat a vegan diet & it wasn’t an issue at all.

My wife was recently diagnose as having celiac disease. We have been searching out restaurants which have gluten free options.
We were delighted at the variety of gluten free options. Unlike some reviews, the service was great and all the entrees we had were amazing. The portobello entrée was gluten free and vegetarian.
We will be back to sample the rest of menu!

We are local fans of Zest. It’s (close enough to be considered) around the corner, which means it’s convenient. Zest offers casual dining with options for any dietary restrictions, which covers the gamut for this family. We always have someone in our party who can’t eat something, so it’s nice to visit a restaurant where the menu recognizes the fact that we are not all created gastronomically equal.
The ambiance is casual and so too is the wait staff. On our first visit, we sat outside and enjoyed the summer weather. Service was timely and our food was delivered in a reasonable amount of time. Oh, and though it saddens me to have to point this out with so many restaurants these days, our order was correct!
The overall experience was relaxing as we never felt rushed and I left full and satisfied. We’ve done take-​out orders from here a few times as well, and those meals have proven just as enjoyable as dining in.

We happened to be next store and decided to try Zest. Its a bit hidden in the mall.
Very positive experience, good service and some very unusual addition with a decidedly French twist. The mushroom pâté’ and the grilled cheese with brie was particularly nice. They do appear to try to go organic and local and the quality of the product is evident. Pizza was standard fare but very well executed, good crust cheese ratio etc. Our server was very pleasant and attentive
Worth the side trip!

Delicious brunch and pleasant environment. We enjoyed organic veggie Benedict and the egg white frittata! The wait staff were excellent and inviting and we didn’t have to wait for a table!

I don’t often write reviews anymore, I just don’t have time. I am not just writing this because it is a bad review but I’m rather upset about the service we received.
My boyfriends mother and I met up for lunch. Promptly seated, the waitress got our water and took our orders. We are doin’ ok so far… however, after waiting nearly an hour for our food (I only have an hour for lunch), it still hadn’t arrived. We flagged down the waitress and she said our lunch would be right out. We asked for a couple of boxes since we had to go. In the mean time, before our food is delivered the waitress brought our check. I am not sure, but I think there is something customarily wrong with delivering the check before the patrons have even laid eyes, let alone tastebuds on the food. The prices btw are a bit steep so we hoped the food was worth it.
Upon delivery of the food in our boxes, we found both orders incorrect. I had ordered a simple chicken club sandwich, my «mil» the special, shrimp linguine in pesto. I received a ham and brie sandwich and «mil» a turkey ruben.
We advised the waitress the orders were wrong. She offered to have the orders redone, however now at over an hour on lunch, we opted to leave. She told us to take the meals we had and refunded our check.
Now, the food. Decent, not worth the prices listed on the menu. «Mil» and I split our sandwiches so we could both sample what the other received. The ham and brie, was good, except that there was so much horseradish on it, it was almost inedible. I had to scrape it off. The turkey ruben, was «ok». That’s all I can say about it; too much sauerkraut, and too much salt. The accompanying cold rice salad, well, it was sampled and that was it.
Sorry, we will not be back. Ok food, probably would have tasted better had it been delivered timely, correct and better prepared, better yet if it had been what was ordered in the first place. The best part about this meal: the company, and getting to know my «mil» a bit more.

We just moved to the area and we are so happy that we found this place. We’ve only been once for dinner but if that meal is any indication of what we can expect we’ll be returning very soon. I do not understand people who complain about the price for good tasting, healthy food options, it was in no way overpriced.

Fantastic! The food was incredible although you do pay for it.
We were in need of dinner, limited on time but I’m pretty picky about what goes in my body. The DH, 2 kiddos, and I popped in mid-​week for a later dinner. My 8yo and 9yo were completely impressed with the pizza they received… so impressed I had to try a bit. Awesome. I don’t even remember what my DH and I had but we were both very pleased with this little place. Organic and local when available. Friendly. Very accommodating to my mostly paleo lifestyle. Truly very good.