Zebra’s Bistro and Wine Bar

Cute little bistro. but kids menu is sorely lacking in diversity — just the basic pasta or chicken tenders which didn’t taste home made at all. and the menu didn’t have many vegetarian or salads to choose from. Service was good, food was okay. I ordered the fish tacos — I think the chef should go to San Diego to learn how fish tacos are made. Each taco had a tiny sliver of tuna, no cilantro, pickled onions and pickled pineapple. nothing all that crunchy and not well seasoned. It was our first time here and don’t think we’ll be back.

This used to be my husband and I’s favorite place to eat as a treat to ourselves. Last night was absolutely terrible and we are so disappointed. Everything was over salted. Even the butter they brought to the table for the rolls was killed with extra salt. I ordered five onion/​leek soup. I think it would of had good flavor but again was way over salted. I also got the bone marrow on toast, yet you couldn’t taste anything but the mounds of the horseradish completely over powered it.
150 check later and I left feeling like we wasted money. I don’t think this will be our special date night treat anymore.

Loved this place! My husband and I went for drinks and appetizers. We sat at the bar and had a great time. The service, wine, and atmosphere were all wonderful. We look forward to going back again!

Brought my girlfriend here for our anniversary and she was impressed, so that’s a good start. Great location in Medfield and a lot good healthy light options that still manage to fill you up– which is important to me. Service was fantastic and drinks are good. Can be pricey, but it’s a good expense for a special night out. I plan to come back.

Another wonderful dinner at Zebra’s!!! They recently got new chef so I was a little nervous, but wow, just as good as ever! We had our usual cheese plate, the fish taco and cauliflower for apps, then the short rib and gnocchi for entrees. Seriously, all phenomenal! The only thing that was a little strange was that with this new chef, I guess they’re trying to go a more casual direction. I completely get and respect that and what really matters is the food, of course, but we were a little thrown off by the servers in flannel shirts and jeans! I hope they can find the balance between fine dining and super casual!

My wife and I recently moved to Medfield from Boston and we love Zebras. This is our favorite restaurant in the area to go to. Food is excellent, servers are friendly and the atmosphere is upscale yet relaxing and casual. My only suggestion for Zebras would be to make the cured bacon a little smokier. I noticed the last few times I’ve ordered that it hasn’t been as smokey as it used to. Love a good smokey flavor. Overall, great place though.

Came here for Boston’s Restaurant Week… omg. started with the Smoked Salmon dip… delicious… recommended by the hostess! Thank you! Next was Moroccan Seared Haddock… so rich. and delish! Finally the Crème Brulee:-):-):-)… paired with a smooth Cabernet… recommended by my lovely waitress… I couldn’t have been happier! And as a special treat they served homemade dark chocolates with sea salt along with the check. I don’t know a better way of treating yourself… even with the bill! I was happy to pay! :D

My husband and I went to Zebra’s a few months ago and it was fantastic. The food, atmosphere, and service were all top notch. I’m forgetting our waitress’s name, but she was very friendly and knowledgeable and gave us great suggestions, including the oysters which were very fresh. As another reviewer noted, the parking can be a little tough, but it’s very worth it to spend a little time to find a spot and dine at this establishment. I will definitely be back.

We’ve been to Zebras a few times, the most recent time we went for his birthday dinner.
We were seated in that little room off the bar — which seems to be where they seat the younger couples. Our server was friendly — not as attentive as we would have liked her to be — but we were in no rush (just really thirsty!).
We ordered the charcuterie plate — triple crème, manchego and another cheese (I can’t recall!) along with the… crispy pigs head. I had the cheese, he had the cheese and pigs head. We loved it.
Onto dinner. I had ordered the short rib and he had ordered the special lobster bisque. We both cleared our plates — but the short rib was the clear «winner» of the two meals. It fell off the bone, was succulent and was served on a lovely pile of grits.
For dessert we had the cookie sandwich. Sigh, who doesn’t love a cookie ice cream sandwich?
In all we had a good meal, the water was slow to come but seriously thats my only complaint! Service could be stepped up a little bit, but in all its totally worth the night out.

Hands down my families favorite «fancier» dinner spot. Love the feel inside this place. Great for a night out with my husband or girlfriends! I went here first during restaurant week a couple years ago and been going since. Great wine bar and I usually enjoy a fish dish. Latest got the maple salmon.
We will sometime come just to the bat for s glass of wine and dessert or cheese board.

This place is was awesome I loved everything they had. The service was great and the waiters were so nice. Hope you can go bye

Lets just skip past the last three reviews which are a bit off base about this place and compare my review numbers, my restaurant visits, types of restaurants etc. and look at your sources before you jump to conclusions. This place is a city restaurant in the suburbs and hands down was one of the better meals I have had in the city or out of the city. Put aside the décor (whatever, it is a suburban restaurant, what do you want?) which is tasteful and not overboard and not trying to be something it isn’t. This is a small bistro with a great menu and great wine and drink selection of creative cocktails. Plus the service and staff were not only welcoming but helpful and suggested some of the best dishes to try and did not steer us wrong at any point. The hanger steak and gnocchi were both delicious and the Charcuterie choices were absolutely delightful. From the crispy pigs head to the duck confit to the cheeses, every bite was great. Top it off with a bourbon cider concoction cocktail, it really hit the spot. Even the smashburger was excellent and the banana bread pudding and ice cream cookie hit the spot. Take it from me, the good chefs are starting to emerge from the city and making their way out to the suburbs and treating these areas to some of the finest cuisine around. Give yourself a treat and try this spot out. You will surely enjoy your experience!

Went there for a light dinner with a friend because of all the appetizers and small plate types of options. We both enjoyed the butternut squash soup (though I thought it could have been hotter). We shared a cheese board with three cheeses, toasts, trail mix, honey and jam. It was beautifully presented and tasty. Perhaps the art was more important than ease of eating as the honey spread under the nuts made for some sticky fingers.
The service was lovely, attentive hostess and waitress as well as a nice greeting by the bartender-​or possible owner when I arrived as the first dinner guest.
The warm dinner rolls and soft butter were wonderful. And the soup came with a tiny grilled cheese sandwich, a nice touch. The chef sent a complimentary appetizer on white ceramic soup spoons and they also gave us yummy chocolates for dessert!
I would return for a nice couple’s dinner for an occasion to be celebrated in a nice dinning atmosphere, cloth napkins, lovely tablewear etc.
All in all, a lovely experience on a chilly evening.

My friend and I came here for Dine Out Boston over the summer. The atmosphere is very nice, and feels so homey. We didn’t eat in the bar area, but it had a lot of couches and looked cozy. The cheese plate wasn’t part of the Dine Out special menu, but we got one anyway, and it was awesome. We got the St. Andre Triple Crème, Piave Vecchio, and Manchego.
For our appetizers, I got oysters and my friend got something with burrata. For our entrees, we got Pan Roasted Rosemary Chicken and Shrimp Saganaki Orzo. We both enjoyed our meals. The mashed potatoes that came with my chicken, and the sauce it was all cooked in, were delicious!
To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ll be back, just because it’s kind of a long drive for me, but if I was in the area, I’d certainly keep it in mind.
All of that being said, 4 stars for atmosphere, quality of food, and friendliness of staff. Minus one star for the lack of parking. There’s very little street parking available. It looked like there was a parking lot down the street, but it was a one-​way in the wrong direction. I parked next door in the Starbucks lot. (Shhhh…)

We waited for 20 minutes before the server took our drink order. Then It took 10 minutes for the server to bring our 2 glasses of wine. The restaurant was far from full. When I commented on the slow speed of the service the server said, «sorry, we’re a lot busier than we expected to be.» There apology sounded very disingenuous. When I said, «well that’s not our problem,» she started to say something and put on a most unpleasant fake smile.” She then brought the bill and after we waited for another 10 minutes I went to the bar and paid.
Too bad; the menu looked interesting.

We recently moved here from Brookline and I really like the food and atmosphere at Zebra’s. It reminds me of some of our favorite restaurants in Boston. If your looking for a casual meal in the bar area the double cheeseburger is delicious!
We also loved the desserts, we tried the chocolate cake over the holidays. Honey’s cake of the day is such a fun idea.

We went out here for our anniversary dinner. The day before we got a call telling us that they will be hosting a Hell’s Kitchen night because the chef was on Hell’s Kitchen and if that was ok because it was going to be louder than usual. We said it was fine and on the night of it actually was much quieter and a very fun atmosphere.
The food was a mixed bag — I had the cheese for the appetizer which was great (although some of the breads tasted a bit stale) and my husband had the fish tacos. The fish tacos were definitely fresh but they were a little bland — there wasn’t a lot of seasoning or flavors. I started to feel a bit sick (I think it was the Hell’s Kitchen tequila cocktail I had before our wine) and so I couldn’t eat much of my lamb orzo or cheese plate but my husband liked his trout and said the lamb orzo was very good, as well. For dessert I had the cheese plate but, again, couldn’t really eat it and my husband had the apple crisp, which he really liked but I thought was too sweet.
The server was very nice but we had to wait quite a long time between appetizer and entrée. The table next to us ordered after us and were finished with their entrée before we even received ours. It wasn’t that busy (there were a few open tables) so I’m not sure why our food was so delayed. Also, when I mentioned I didn’t feel well the server seemed a bit annoyed but that may have been my imagination.
Overall, I think if we lived closer (we drove about 35 minutes) we might try it again but I think for now we will look elsewhere. That being said, I would recommend it to someone looking for a restaurant in the area and telling them honestly our experience.

The food was delicious, the wine menu extensive and the service good. Not cheap but in my opinion, worth every penny.
Wifey and I shared the charcuterie and cheese plate: three meats, three cheeses along with some jam, pickled veggies, trail mix and a boat load of crustini. Everything was great, especially the pig’s head. Not as gross as it seems: the shredded meat was pressed into a mold and fried in Panko bread crumbs.
For entrees, I had the short rib with polenta and asparagus. Wifey had the beet risotto with squash blossom tempura. Both were phenomenal. We were too full for dessert.
I drank wine but another night, I might have been disappointed with the beer selection. Nothing on tap, maybe 8 – 10 ok bottles mostly in the pale ale and Hefe family. That said, the place is a self proclaimed wine bar.
Anyway, this place was amazing and we will definitely be going back!

I reviewed this restaurant several years ago, but need to update my review based on our experience last week.
My husband and I have been patrons of Zebra for over five years because they had a gluten free menu and a great sushi bar, and we could always be assured that our food would be free from wheat, corn, and soy (all of which we are VERY ALLERGIC). We dined here for every special occasion (birthdays, anniversaries, client dinners), and this evening we brought a very special client to whom we had been raving about this restaurant for months. The chef always creates something amazing and innovative so its always a pleasure to eat here even when dinner typically runs $ 100 a couple.
My husband has to carry an epi pen because his allergies are life threatening, so when you find a place that you can go to, where the staff is trained and the management cares about you, it becomes priceless. It was the case with Zebra up until our visit on Wed, January 14. I made a reservation and noted that we had a special diet. It was only when we arrived (after a 40 minute drive) that we were told that the gluten free menu was eliminated (didn’t say anything on their website — just that they were 2014 Best of Boston). We were worried at first, but were assured by our waitress, Justine, that she would check the food with the cook before our order went into the kitchen.
My husband ordered the roast chicken, and I ordered the grilled fish with bok choy and an appetizer of ricotta and lobster (it sounded delish). The menu said that it was soft ricotta and lobster with butter sauce. No mention of anything else, so I thought it was fine. The waitress hesitated at first and said, «did you say the ricotta agnolotti?» I said yes, because I thought she didn’t hear me. I had no idea what agnolotti was, and the english translation did not mention pasta, only ricotta, lobster and butter. She said ok and returned with the dish.
The only light close by was a candle on our table and so the dish looked like poached ricotta pillows with lobster on top. Perfectly safe. My husband and I each took a bite only to find the consistency of pasta. We both stopped and asked the waitress if there was wheat in the dish. She said yes, it is fresh pasta. We reiterated that we were allergic and she said «oh, I just thought you were being adventurous.»
Adventurous? People with life threatening allergies can’t be adventurous. My husband had to leave the table to throw up and then go across the street to get a box of benedryll to counteract the allergens. We both took benedryll but ended up with severe Irritable Bowl for the next three days.
I am so angry and disappointed in Zebra for not educating their new staff and for removing the gluten free menu. If you are going to eliminate the GF menu then you have to write down all of the ingredients in the dish ESPECIALLY if it is in a foreign language! I speak spanish, and some french, and have traveled the world, but I don’t know EVERY FOREIGN NAME for a dish. Unconscionable! There is a reason the state requires that restaurants are educated in allergens — it is not just a preference, it is life threatening!
In addition, the menu items that we did order that were safe, were so salty that they were nearly inedible. Doesn’t the chef taste the sauces before he/​she sends them out? I don’t know if the difference is that the cook and waitstaff are not as good during the week? (We usually go on Saturday nights and its always been great) Also, dinner took 90 minutes when there were only 5 tables. Sadly, as we cannot be assured of the gluten free/​allergen free status of the food or the attention to detail of the cook, we will not be returning.

I wanted to LOVE this place but only ended up just liking it. I always make a point to visit city-​like restaurants in the suburbs because I think they have a lot of potential. Zebra’s hits many points — excellent wine selection, cool décor, modern vibe, convenient location. However, where they fall short is with food and service. The food was bland and unmemorable (appetizers and entrees alike) despite sounding amazing. The service was nothing special — which is a problem. Patrons should feel welcomed, accommodated, and comfortable. Our waiter provided none of those things and was downright apathetic.
Overall, glad I checked the place out but won’t be returning.