Zoe an American Bistro

great atmosphere and its BYOB (yea!)
a short walk to zoe’s a big plus, and this was our go to place.
under new management, and the menu has changed but not for the better.
i’m a normal size guy and after an appetizer (shared) and entrée i was hungry (had ½ a bp&j later that night), our bill for 2 was $ 120 w/​tip
i had the short ribs, honestly it couldn’t have been more that a heaping fork full of beef and 1 scoop of polenta with 3 asparagus sprouts
service was poor, kids were too busy texting.

I’ve had Junior’s food in multiple spots over the years, including private bookings with his food truck. He never disappoints. The fact that he’s opened a permanent spot with himself at the helm is a HUGE plus for the culinary scene in the area.
I recently celebrated a birthday here, at the chef’s table, with a big party in tow. We all left happy and stuffed, eager to return. Highlights included the pork belly and mushroom appetizer, steak frittes, pork chop, mussels and chorizo, bread pudding and just about everything else that was ordered.
This isn’t just another restaurant with exceptional food. Junior clearly possesses a distinct vision for his cuisine, as well as a reverence for getting the basics right. Anyone who has a conversation with him knows that he starts with the best ingredients he can get his hands on, sourcing as much from the local community as possible. This is a principle that so many restaurants can’t seem to grasp… Good ingredients in the hands of a thoughtful chef translate to good food.
As this place comes into its own, with a newer menu and possibly new name (???), it will prove to be one of NJ’s can’t miss restaurants. I’m certain of this.
A quick aside — you probably shouldn’t trust reviewers like the one on this page who suggests Pazzo as a go-​to in the area and whose inane ramblings could be confused with that of a 15 year old. But hey, I guess we all have the right to be misguided, complain and have poor taste…

Zoe’s is an awesome experience! The food is fresh, locally grown and overall great! The are very well versed in gluten free options– and the waitstaff is helpful and accommodating! I would recommend the octopus appetizer!

Splendid! Great food and service. Dined with friends on ⁴⁄₁. Shocked at some of the previous negative reviews. Little Silver has a winner to go along with the owner’s Bistro in Red Bank.

Dined here Saturday, 3÷12÷16
Ok so here we go again. Renovated and under new management. Still makes no difference. Where do they get the hired help from??? We went here again ONLY because our friends suggested we go after Salt Creek in Rumson was booked. I wasn’t thrilled but happy to oblige good friends! The place looks much better inside and the dust is gone thankfully. However, let me tell you the series of events. :
1. we had a reservation of 6 yet only 5 settings were available and the bus boy had to run and get everything. No big deal.
2. The tables next to us had bread for 10 minutes and they arrived AFTER us. When we questioned the waitress as to why we had no bread she said OH sorry I forgot. she runs off to get bread in a basket and it’s not even enough for 6 people. Here’s the best part. We had no dishes to serve the bread in and she gave us a bottle of oil. LOL. how are we supposed to dip the bread in oil without dishes. My poor friend had to use a napkin to put her bread on and spill the oil out. Wow. The waitress never came back for awhile so we couldn’t wait any longer. How rude! Finally I said, um you left and never gave us plates how are we supposed to spill the oil. OH she says. sorry. but your meal is coming anyway. so the meal arrives with the dishes for the bread and all. (mind you. it wasn’t that busy at that time. there were many open tables so why was she so frazzled).
3. My meal was super bland. I had penne with shrimp. and it was in dire need of salt but guess what. No salt on the table and again the waitress could not be found. So instead of eating it cold. I decided to just eat it. Bland and all. My husband had fish and chips and really wanted tarter sauce. But they don’t carry that. Only vinegar. My friend’s dish was dirty that we ate the appetizers off. Something was on the back of her dish and she sent it back. The calamari was not crispy enough. The octopus on the other hand was very good.
4. My friend and I ordered dessert. The special. orange and chocolate bread pudding. But something completely different comes out. It was the normal pudding I think with pork belly candy. Which we absolutely didn’t want!!! Once we tell the waitress she runs off. So guess what happens now. Some lady. not sure who she is. maybe manager comes over to say. The waitress doesn’t want to come back because she’s so embarrassed she messed up so many times that she doesn’t want to see our faces! WHAAAAAAAAAAATTT! you don’t want to come talk to us again. What kind of service is that. Face all your mistakes and at least apologize to our table. Give us a discount. something. Only a child would do that. Clearly you want our tip money though! You have no problem there. So we never saw the waitress again. Maybe she was hiding in the kitchen I don’t know. For a meal that was over 300.00 including tip, that was the worst thing to do. And for this lady whomever she was to say sorry the waitress is not coming back is a joke!!! Who does that. Elementary kids? Sure she was embarrassed as one too many mistakes but come back!!!
I said it last post and I’ll say it again. I will not go back! That’s it. this is the last time I go here. I wish they’d close down and put something better in it’s spot. As for the owner, you should be embarrassed. How could you let these kind of people run your restaurant. I did not see the entire bill as my friend picked up most of the tab. But as I read someone’s comments here just a few weeks ago, she said you charged for dinner rolls. Is that still going on? you charge for rolls. wow. Not even some of the fanciest places charge for rolls so you have no right to do so. I wonder if we got charged too.
I gave you a 2 purely because the food was just slightly better than last time and because the place was clean. The food is still below average and the service was terrible. Next time we go to Pazzo. The place is always on spot with their food and the service is outstanding!

Love this place. We had the Caesar salad that was amazing and the salmon and the special was cod both delicious. The corn lobster soufflé was so good. The service was great very attentive and nice. Very clean restaurant (I’m very picky) we plan on booking the chef table with friends, love it!

I came here a few weeks ago with my husband and some friends. The dining experience was mediocre at best. First they charge you $ 2 for extra dinner rolls then the appetizers took 45 minutes to arrive at our table and the restaurant was not busy. $ 2 for rolls with $ 15 apps? Seems like they should be included. Our dinner was not bad and after we were finished, the waitress came over and advised the dessert was on her since it took so long for the appetizers. While we waited for our dessert, the waitress came over and said she was going to give us cash for the dessert to pay for it and not to say anything. What??? It was very strange. Of course we ended up paying for the dessert because we weren’t about to take cash from our waitress. Zoe is way overpriced for the service and quality you receive. I will never come back here again.

We were ignored for about 10 minutes after being seated, other than the kid who gave us our (one and only!) glass of water. Finally the waiter came and couldn’t recite the specials while uncorking our wine at the same time– had to read them afterwards– i heard his colleague recite them easily to a nearby table… The Meatball Duo appetizer was tasty. The waiter didn’t offer black pepper for the Caesar salad but produced it after we finally tracked him down. I ordered the steak frites, one of the most expensive menu items, for like $ 30 and it came out rare (i ordered medium) and was actually cold like it had been sitting for quite a while. The steak was also poorly seasoned and I needed to ask for salt and pepper, neither of which was on the table. Overall a very lackluster place and we were disappointed. It wasn’t horrible but will not make an effort to go back.

The food and service were wonderful! Great choices on the menu. Zoe’s never disappoints!
A special thanks to Chef Chris Kirkwood and everyone in the kitchen for an outstanding job!
Angela Fiasconaro

An amazing dining experience in every aspect. The chef, Junior, is incredible and the staff is so attentive and kind. The food is out of this world, always so fresh and creative. We love coming here and will continue to rave about it to our family and friends. A true hidden gem!!!

Had the special, which was a Berkshire pork chop (OH YEAH)! Had the meatball appetizer (OH YEAH)! The chef sent over the deviled eggs with salmon (OH YEAH)! Bring some wine, as it’s a BYOB, and it gets pretty darn crowded after 6:30 on Friday nights. It’s a little hard to find, but that’s why they call them «Hidden Gems». Nicely done Zoe’s.

Had to write in about what a great dining experience I had at Zoe. The table we received was a cozy corner booth. Our server was attentive and friendly. The food was really superb! I had the kale salad. It was dressed perfectly and had great flavor. I also loved my entrée which was the steak burger. Others in my party also loved their steak and pasta dishes. This place is byob which further adds to the appeal. I will go back here soon. I highly recommend!

What a fine evening! I couldn’t have asked for better service or food. The food was the most thoughtful part of my experience coupled by a helpful warm staff. I was taken on a journey from appetizer to desert trusting the recommendations of the master chief JR”. JR is not only the head chief but the creator of
The experience featured at Zoe as I have learned. My party had sat at the chief table that looks directly into the kitchen where we saw only the finest cooking taking place. The option to bring your own wine was especially special for our group. Not only was the bottle we chose to have with the meal appropriate but was actually the feature of our experience as the chief said «this is a good bottle of „cab“ let me cook your meals around bringing out the taste of what you brought». WOW JUST WOW!
I would recommend Zoe to anyone with tastebuds who is willing to trust an experienced staff and chief to do what they do. Serve the finest food I have had this year!

Went to Zoe an American Bistro on a Monday night, we were a group of 6, we all ordered off the $ 20.00 special. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The only complaint we had is it was so darn cold in the place, I mean uncomfortably cold. We may go back, the food was ok and price was good $ 20.00 for 3 course meal. If we do go back it will be on a warm night.

HORRIBLE and rude service. Food was OK.
We were a table of 4. We all ordered appetizers. Our main courses were brought out while we literally had our folks to our mouths with the appetizers and nowhere near finished. The servers continued placing the main courses on the table. We called over the hostess who informed us that they had table of 18 and they did not want our food slowed up by that table. (The rest of the restaurant was mostly empty) We would have assumed that the food would have been brought out in an appropriate time frame. If they can’t service a table of 4 and one of 18 at the same time, I believe they have a problem. Hostess made a face at us and walked away.
Amateur service. Staff should remember that attitude is as important as food in a restaurant and when it’s bad… there’s Unilocal

Earlier this week I went to Zoes Bistro in Little Silver NJ. It was a weekday evening and just about half the tables were filled. Both the Hostess and a Waitress greeted us and showed is to a table immediately. Warm bread with a dipping oil were preferred immediately and our water glasses were filled promptly. The Hostess opened the wine we had brought and provided glasses. My choice of Diet Pepsie (domestic) was also quickly served.
The menu was extensive and each entry was fabulous from the Scallops to the Rigatoni Bolognese were fabulous as were the Chicken Milanese and my Steak with Truffle Fries. One man had a great Salmon. All of us loved our choice but in the future would try other entrees.
Coffee ended the meal as we all passed on desserts.
This restaurant was very warm and welcoming and the décor was attractive. We had the Hostess and the Hostess stop by our table and the two Waitress were attentive and attractive.
This will be a Must Go in the future.

I went here for a birthday dinner, and the food did not disappoint. Also, the décor in the place is really cute. It’s also BYOB. I got the Salmon and it was cooked perfectly and the vegetables were great too. My table got appetizers and we enjoyed them so much we had to get seconds. I will be going back here for sure!

If any devout foodie has written off Zoe in Little Silver (as we had) get out your eraser and start writing again. Under the talented and enthusiastic eye of the new chef/​owner Laercio Chamon (He’s a ‘Junior’ and likes to be called Junior) while some may think it an apples and oranges comparison, the care and quality of cuisine at Zoe blows the doors off the uninspired, laurel-​resting Nicholas, tops Via 45 on its best day and, dare we say it, Zoe can all but lope along behind Restaurant Lorena in Maplewood.(We consider Lorena, under Chef Campos, number one in the Garden State.) Don’t let this unpretentious BYO fool you. Zoe is now that good.
On our first visit, we went Seafood start to finish. On our second, we brought our canine teeth back into play.
THE GOOD: The bread. Oh, the bread! The bread, served warm, seemed more closely akin to a giant sized homemade biscuit than anything else. When your teeth break through the crust, they’ll be greeted by a steamy wave of moist manna from the interior. (It’s freshly baked all evening, we’re told.)
And so, to the appetizers. For our seafood night, we shared the grilled octopus, and it blows the tentacles off of any local Octopus we’ve had (including Porta’s) and rivals the best I’ve ever had in Athens. It’s perfectly charred, and the presentation re-​taught us why Octopus is considered a delicacy. (Anyone who says that Octopus tastes a little like fishy chicken has never had it here.) It is served with a slightly sweet corn-​and-​pepper relish infused with asparagus coulis, and contrasted by a rather peppery Roquette lettuce.
Though some aging arteries may protest, if Zoe is serving their Bone Marrow appetizer, go for it, and damn the medical torpedoes. The dish was served on a wooden plank bearing two canoe shaped beef bones awash with the beefy, fatty treat. Spread on the accompanying toast along with a small smear of the locally brewed Pomegranate Jelly, the contrasting flavors will once again remind you that Junior knows exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it.
For the seafood mains, I ordered the Scallops and my wife dared challenge the whole, bone-​in, Red Snapper. The small Day Boat Scallops were quite simply some of the best we’ve ever had, teasing the palate with a hint of truffle butter. They sat on a perfectly sweet Sweet Potato mash that went well with the slightly bitter Frisee that had hitchhiked its way on to the plate. Great culinary contrast once more.
My wife has never been a fan of Red Snapper, but now, she’s all but born again snappy. She ordered the fish at the urging of our waitress, and after her first bite never looked back. It was perfectly grilled and sweetly moist. But pity the pedestrian Mashed Potatoes you’ll find elsewhere. Zoe’s spuds are a different breed entirely. Texturally rich, these Mashed Potatoes are a buttery delight, exceeded only in our experience by the same dish served at Le Comptoir in Paris. (French butter comes from a cow of a different color, so to speak.)
For the mains on our second visit, we doubled down on Duck. I had the Duck Breast and my wife had a Duck Confit over a creamy risotto. It’s very easy to screw up Duck Breast. (Trust me. I’ve often done it myself.) The trick is to crisp the skin while melting the fat away without drying out the center. Bullseye here. The sliced duck breast was accompanied by a cast iron pot of bubbling Pommes Au Gratin, and a side of acidic pickled vegetable. Again, culinary contrast here is king.
THE BAD: Nothing really. But since Junior is shooting for the stars, if we had to pick a nit, it would be that the Duck Confit was a little too dry. Period.
THE UGLY: Well…er…uh. .. Only this. On our fist visit, the overzealous busboy tried clearing the bread several times before my wife scowled at him and brought him to heel. Nevertheless, better overzealous than absent. On our second visit, a different busboy forgot to bring the bread at all until we were well into the appetizers and pressed him for it.
So please don’t let the unprepossessing ambiance fool you. The open kitchen of this local joint serves up serious haute cuisine. We doubt you’ll be disappointed. Though I’ve prattled on long enough, did we forget to mention that Laercio Chamon started his career as a pastry chef? We did? Well then, you can imagine that the desserts were also superb.
PS: Junior wants to change the name of the restaurant from Zoe to. .. well. .. he’s open to suggestion. If you’re so inspired, offer one up when you visit.

Grilled octopus cooked to perfection. Fantastic service. Chef owner and the food is innovative! Great wine store just across the street! I love BYOB!:)

The Bad
— Mediterranean Salad: Nothing special except for the pita and hummus that comes with it
The Good
— Pita and hummus: Pita is chewy and crunchy and warm. Hummus tastes fresh and not too salty.
— Lunch specials are definitely worth it– $ 10 for soup or salad and their selection of entrées
The Bottomline: I’ll be back for their pita and Hummus for sure!