Zeal Restaurant
680 Mall Dr, Schaumburg, IL, 60173
Zeal Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Schaumburg for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Schaumburg for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Schaumburg for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
680 Mall Dr
Schaumburg, IL, 60173 - Phone (847) 995-0188
- Website https://www.zealforfood.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 3:00pm
- Mon : 11:00 am - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Ashley-Linda A.
I am not sure where all of the 5 star reviews are coming from. It may be the WOW factor with the light up menu. That's about it. This place is lackluster. I ordered the "Build your own pasta bowl" and while the portions are generous, the sauce just lacked flavor. I was not sure how to remedy this meal. I will say Maggiano's is better. I am also displeased by the other waitress constantly talking loudly on her cell phone. I KNOW it was near closing time but leave the dining room. No one needed to hear about you and your girlfriend's issues. Yeah.. rating: MEH... I've had better!
(2)William K.
This is a very nice place... outside seating was good. Everyone was very friendly. The beautiful Melinda and I shared (large) appetizers and some wine. Excellent. Leave room and get the HUGE carrot cake. Jiminy jillikers, I think 4 people could share this thing and barely finish it. YUM YUM YUM!!! yow, bill
(4)Ted K.
We only went for lunch - it's the best rated place in the area that had Lobster Rolls Lobster rolls ended up being lobster sliders. I'm partial to the traditional format of split texas toast bun. The buns they did use should have had more butter. The lobster itself was good quality - a few larger chunks but mostly shredded. They didn't go overboard with mayo, which I also appreciated. The place was also pretty empty and a little dark inside. Not necessarily a bad thing, but made me wonder. All-in-all, I'd go back if I really wanted lobster roll and didn't have time to drive further.
(3)Candice M.
This place was great! Big yummy servings, the chef came the table to chat, and the menu lights up! Will come here again
(5)Darcy C.
Very happy we tried this place. Chef Vince greeted us at the table and went over his menu and preparation. The entire staff was very friendly and welcoming. The food is very good and large portion sizes. The calamari fries are amazing. The calamari was so tender, it's not often you get such fresh seafood around here. I would be interested in trying more seafood based on the freshness. Kids menu portions are huge too. We will definitely be back.
(4)Rose D.
Nice place, good design and pleasant atmosphere. Our server, Courtney, was excellent! Perfect combo of friendly and attentive with a bit of fun. :) Not as many choices for wines as I would have liked but the Chianti I had was quite good. 3 out of the 4 of us really enjoyed our meals: chicken parm, lobster roll sliders & the porcini pasta bags arrabiata. 2 surprises with my porcini arrabiatta - it was in the 1/2 plates section & holy cow - it is easily 4 servings! I took most of it home and it will make at least 2 dinners for the Hubs & I. Second surprise was the $22 price tag on the dish so at least for that price you get plenty of food. The lobster roll said it came with either tater tots or shoestring fries & the Hubs opted for shoestring fries - though they were anything but, just the size of regular fries and not the thin ones you would expect with "shoestring" in the description. My father-in-law said his bracciole was just "okay" and that it had way too much bread crumbs. But that didn't stop him from cleaning his plate, either. We also shared the calamari fries which were tender & plentiful for $8.95. And they give you warm bread with a plate of olive oil, parm, herbs & balsamic for dipping which was quite tasty. Side note - the prices on their website are not current as of this writing. Several dishes are a few dollars more now than what is listed online (my pasta was $4 more than the web lists it as) so they need to update their website. They also have a few more dishes than what is shown online.
(3)Samantha R.
Chef Vince has done it again! Zeal is the perfect venue for a night out or a romantic meal with your lovebug. I went with a few friends for a birthday celebration and the staff was incredibly warm and welcoming. I brought a cake for the party and Chef Vince himself offered to take it back to the fridge for me! A+ service! I sat at a booth with my friends and we ordered drinks. Mojitos all around! These came out quickly and were very refreshing! We waited for another member of our party to join us and we ordered our food. I ordered the chopped shrimp cocktail and the lobster sliders. The rest of my table ordered sausage bread, and the stuffed peppers. Everything came out quickly and at the proper temperature. Let's start out with the chopped shrimp cocktail. First off, WOW! This is a huge appetizer! I shared with the table and still had enough to come home. It comes with pretzel bread crostini and I didn't even bother dipping it in the cocktail, I just ate it with a fork. The cocktail consists of shrimp, avocado, cilantro, and a tangy cocktail sauce that is not your normal cocktail sauce. It tasted very fresh, like it was made in house. The whole appetizer was fresh tasting and not at all soggy. I could have just eaten that. It was amazing. My lobster rolls were phenomenal. No faux lobster here! All fresh and delicious. The salad was served on toasted buns and seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper and there was a hint of red pepper in there as well. I opted for the tater tots instead of the french fries, and those were crisp and had great seasoning. Again, a large portion, so I was able to bring a whole lobster sandwich home with me. Overall, an excellent dining experience. All of my dining partners said their food was excellent (no one shared hahahaha!) and there were no problems. Our server was very personable and really funny, cracking jokes with us all night. The food was insanely good, I am sitting here wishing I had a lobster roll right at this moment. I will definitely be back for more of Chef Vince's unique and innovative eats!
(5)Nader A.
A very nice family-style restaurant. I don't know if they position themselves as a family-style restaurant, but that is how I see them. Their pastas and salads are large enough in portion for sharing. Their salad with kale was perfect. Their Alfredo and bolognese pastas were good but could have been better. One person in our party tried their Lamb Shank (a special that day) and he was very happy. Seating was easy and straight forward. We arrived at around 6:30 pm. They were busy but they seated us right away. We were in hurry and they did a great job by expediting our orders. The chef stopped by, which was greatly appreciated. Prices are reasonable.
(4)Mike K.
We went to Zeal last night for the first time with 7 adults and a 1 year old. Dining area was modern and comfortable and they had a highchair ready to go for the baby. They had easy to read light-up menus and a long list of delicious specials. Our server was amazing and everybody was friendly and tolerant when the baby wanted go visit everybody in the restaurant and bar. When we were leaving, both the restaurant and bar area were packed in anticipation of the band that was playing later that night.
(5)Dan K.
The food was pretty good. We got a bunch of seafood items. The server was good and checked up on us. Pretty casual atmosphere, and a lively place for sure. We ordered the seafood tower, along with the grilled calamari, the stuffed sausage and peppers, and antipasto. Food was pretty good. The seafood was cold and we polished it off. When we got the bill we were a bit surprised because the seafood tower was charged at $150. As of 6/22/2015, the price on the website is $105. The price on Yelp menu is $105. The price on opentable is $105. I understand that menu prices can change but this is a bit much. Surely there was a mistake in our bill. We called over the server and he said he had no idea and passed us up to the manager. Evidently Chef Vince was not there that day, so we talked to the manager. She was pretty firm and tried to blame us for not calling the restaurant. She mentioned something about market prices and how we were given a good portion of food. She said the menu on the website hadn't been updated in 2 years and should not be relied upon. Ok, but we preordered off the website/opentable. But sure, it's on us to make sure that the price listed is incorrect, right? If it's market price, it should probably just be noted as market price. Regardless, the manager was not very helpful and tried to tell us how it was worth every dollar since she had seen the kitchen putting it together. Hmm ok, I hope every item on the menu is worth every dollar lol. We asked for her to meet us in the middle, on a matter of a principle. She refused. Regardless, the overall experience was pretty good, but the incident at the end of the visit left us a little salty. It's not the kind of service we expected from this establishment, but it is what it is. I hope they end up changing their online menus to reflect current prices (this isn't 1999, it should be a fairly simple fix). And guys, always call the restaurant and check prices (cause it's our job to do that).
(3)Justine L.
We came to Zeal for my mom's birthday. I thought it was mediocre. We had various specials - seafood linguine, prime rib, meat stew, etc. Everything was just okay. I felt like everything was American with a hint of Italian, but nothing really had an identity. I'd rather go to a true Italian place to get better quality. However, I will say that their olive oil, balsamic and basil mix and pre-dinner bread was phenomenal. Probably the best part of the meal (which is not mockery because quality bread is important!)
(2)Dawn M.
Great food..great service..great atmosphere. This place really does it right with chef vinces many years of restaurant and cooking experience and unique menu (literally unique as the menus light up!) makes u want to go back and try every dish..and u can easily do that as they offer some dishes as a tapas style dining experience (very large portions!!) my favorite was prob the peppers stuffed with sausage in a red brandy sauce..simply amazing..and the burnt pasta..who woulda thought burnt pasta could taste so amazing?! The eggplant was also amazing..and I can't leave out the crusty bread with olive oil,cheese,garlic,balsamic concoction..could have drank it..it was so awesome. A true mouthgasm experience!!
(5)Kristine C.
Ordered the lasagna with prime rib and it was delicious! Had the fried calamari fries as an appetizer and the calamari was tender, so good!
(5)Kate L.
GLUTEN. FREE. RAVIOLI. I mean, do I really need to say any more? Zeal might just be my new favorite restaurant in the area. I don't know when this place opened, but I'm bummed I didn't find out about it sooner! When I stumbled across it on other site and looked at the menu online, Zeal immediately went to the top of my must-visit list. Create your own pasta bowl? Extensive gluten free options? Count me in! Not only was the gluten free ravioli great, the suprema sauce (pink sauce) was amazing and there was so so much of both! For years, I've been driving to a restaurant 40 minutes away for gluten free ravioli, and this ravioli was better and only 10 minutes from home! Although if Zeal was an hour away from home, I think I'd still make the drive. Seriously, it's that good! Bonus: they also have gluten free bread. My mom said her sea bass off the specials menu was really good too, and the variety of quality menu choices was impressive. I thought it was a little expensive at $20 or more a dish, but you definitely get your money's worth and honestly, the quality of the food was far beyond many restaurants at this price level. Plus, our waitress was super nice, and the water guy was on point with the refills. My only slight complaint is on the mixed identity of this place. It's one part fancy Italian, one part homey American. There are TVs on the walls, place mats on the tables, and more informal napkins and plates. Yet the decor, the elaborate menu options, and the higher prices would seem to fit with a fancier restaurant. It's just ... different for the 'burbs. We don't really have expensive casual restaurants out here, but I appreciate different, and MAN do I appreciate their food. Chef Vince, you're the man. I'll be back for more of that ravioli, and I cannot wait to try the other gluten free pasta dishes! Gluten free or not, everyone should check this place out.
(5)Beth M.
Loved it from the moment their olive oil dip had bacon in it and I opened the light up menu! Had the mojito. It hit the spot! Shared four tapas; burnt pasta, stuffed artichoke, the cheesie beef egg rolls, and eggplant parm. Liked the cheesie beef egg rolls the best. Our waitress was great! Vince even came by to see how our meal was. Would definitely go back to try some more things!
(4)Terry C.
Four of us were there about 6 weeks ago. Everybody had excellent food, except myself. The bone in "Kobe" pork chop was overcooked ( I asked for medium rare) and it was DRY Everything else was excellent Our friend is here from Brazil & I want to give it another chance tonight. Chef was wonderful!
(4)Katarina N.
Best Italian food I've had!! Came here starving and looking for a large meal. To start off, we were given delicious freshly baked bread with a plate of oils and seasonings which in itself was delicious. We ordered a special from the board (it was okay, like your mother's pasta, good flavor but a boring dish) and the baked linguine. The baked linguine was outstanding. Cheesey, spicy, creamy. Best pasta dish I've ever had. We should have ordered two of them. We had some of the leftovers as a midnight snack and finished them off for breakfast!
(5)Nicole W.
I can't really wrap my brain around this place. First and foremost, the food is good. I mean very good. It's everything else besides the food that makes me say, "Huh?" Hubs and I made a reservation for Valentine's Day dinner. I know I know...a dinner out on Valetine's Day can be a total mess, but hear me out. The valet (seriously, I was annoyed that there were no parking spots for us, only valet) parked our car roughly 15 feet where we pulled up and we headed inside to a very packed restaurant. The bar itself, off to the right, was quite busy with all the lovebirds swallowing their liquid courage or spicing up their date nights. We hung up our coats in the closet off to the left and were seated on time. When we got to our booth I was a bit taken aback by the giant, glowing flatscreens situated around the room. When the chalkboard specials up on the wall reflect entrees in the $25-$40 price point, TVs don't seem to be a great fit for the dining room. It was distracting to say the least. Speaking of distracting, the light up menus were beyond strange. If it's took dark to read a menu, then maybe better lighting is necessary. Just saying. All that being said, the food was fabulous. I ordered the sea bass special that was pretty perfect. It was meaty but flaky and the sauce was divine. Flavor and portions were all in check. Our server was friendly but incredibly harried due to the influx of holiday diners. So, yes, I would certainly go back to Zeal for the food. The ambiance and the occasionally harried service could use a bit of a revamp.
(4)Inigo M.
I don't go in for celebrity chefs or fawning over them. I've worked in too many restaurants for that. So I was a little leery of this place which we went to kind of by accident. Learned quickly about Chef Vince and his record. Well to cut to the chase, this place is cool. I love the glow in the dark menus, and the chef's personal take on Italian classics is fine. The scallops we had, in fact, we're off the chain. Very nice wine list, very informative service. Just all around nice. But the personal attention from Chef Vince was cool. He joked with us, chatted a lot about family and Italy and ended up buying my dad and I drinks after dinner. What's not to love? Salud, Chef Vince.
(5)Mina H.
Arriving on time... unlike my friends... I think I saw the tail end of free food from a Happy Hour or something in the bar area, but no seats. So I sat on what I am assuming were spares... in the the entrance foyer... and people-watched. This seems to be popular amongst the 50+ set... so it reminded me of Chicago Prime or maybe Capital Grill a little... dim and lots of dark wood... though the vibe was definitely more casual... I liked the backlit menus... though the flickering of my menu made me a little nervous about a power outage before I finished placing my order...loved the calamari steaks (2×) on greens with grilled vegetables... and the cheesy beef tacos seemed to go over well with the others. Entrees... was okay with the pine - crusted scallops but would have preferred less sweetness... potato mash seems fresh and handmade... friends said the lamb chops and pasta were amazing. Dessert of sea salt caramel gelato with sauce and chocolate chips and caramel chocolate popcorn... more than enough to for 3 people... Pink Himalayan sea salt and tri-colored peppercorns in a grinder? Demos the level of detail and quality that goes into the food. P.S. The Chef himself came out and bought us a round of drinks... because he thought we looked like we were having the best time... and to ask if we wanted the breakfast menu. Yeah I think we closed the place. =)
(5)Monica L.
Honestly I was pretty disappointed. With all the 5 star reviews I have read, I was expecting this place to be very good. The free bread they provided was delicious though, and the olive oil/balsamic dip was phenomenal-had garlic,basil,Parmesan and red pepper flakes. After eating that, we were excited for our meal. The grilled prime rib ($30) was bland and very dry after ordering medium rare, the linguine bolognese was huge but average (not worth $16) and the prime rib pasta ($26) was cold and flavorless. Our food came out very slow considering there was a large party in the other room, but it seems like they put together our meal with no care. It was extremely underwhelming food for expensive prices. Very disappointed in our experience considering so many people have raved about this place. The food is average at best, so not really sure why people have given such high ratings.
(1)Cristina P.
Sausage breaddddddd. Omg so good. Light up menus ? How cool. Free mouthwash machine in restroom hell yea:-). The place was friendly and warm. The menu had so much to choose from I wish I could have tried a bit of everything. The sausage bread was out of this world. The complimentary bread and olive oil was very good. The meatloaf and stuffed meatballs were very tasty although I would give slight upper hand to meatloaf. The polenta was cooked perfectly. To finish the chocolate layer cake was scrumptious. I can't wait to go back.
(4)Donna W.
I stopped here on a whim for dinner on the way to Chicago and was pleasantly surprised. I knew it was going to be a good dining experience when i walked in and said, "This is a carpeted restaurant - this is legit." First, the light up menus had my friends and i excited about our meal experience since it was so unexpected and so very entertaining - it's like we never dined out before haha. Our waitress was extremely friendly and warm. She patiently explained some of the entree items as well as the specials of the night. She sold my friends and i on almost all the specials. Bread and olive oil dip (mixture of parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and even more) is absolutely delicious AND you can have as much as you want! We couldn't stop eating it. For dinner, i ordered the Chilean sea bass over a bed of rice and vegetables. The sauce gave the sea bass so much flavor and the fish itself was cooked to perfection - melted in your mouth. The rice had plenty of vegetables and complemented the sea bass nicely. Only complaint is that i wish i had more of it!! To top it all off, the bathroom had a mouthwash dispenser! And fresh flowers. All in all, a great experience!
(4)Mahmoud c.
FOOD: A+ unique ideas and infusions to a great pasta and sea food place. True Italian food CUSTOMER SERVICE: A+ Chef Vince came by personally sat and talked with us and gave us his specials and sold us on some great food Cheesy beef egg roles A+ Calamari fries A Prime Rib Lasagna A+ Great service great food Not that expensive Cool Menu Loved it
(5)Sherwin C.
Chef Vince does it again -- another great restaurant with a great menu. One thing that definitely stands out about Chef Vince's restaurants is the value you get (the dishes aren't really that cheap but you get good portions and good ingredients). Another thing is the use of high quality, fresh ingredients -- so that you don't have a huge variety of flavors in each dish but rather you get a refined interpretation of the main theme of each dish. The main meat of each dish is represented well without the side dishes or sauces interfering with the experience. With that said, all the side items are always edible and delicious (especially grilled vegetables) so make sure you finish everything on the plate. The interior is very spacious with lots of separated areas and the lighted menus add an elegant touch (although they are a little heavy). Here were the items I tried: Bread and olive oil: Nice flavorful bread served with a delicious mix of cheese, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. The star of this is definitely the balsamic vinegar which has a very nice sweetness to it. Lobstercicle: If you are a shrimp tempura addict, you will undoubtedly be a lobstercicle addict. Meaty chunks of lobster are encased by a fluffy, crispy tempura batter which is very flavorful even without any dipping sauces. Grouper francaise: The grouper is nice and firm with large flakes. The mild flavor of the meat is complemented by a mild francaise sauce (lemon, butter, flour, spices) served over a fluffy bed of angel hair pasta. Pine nuts crusted scallop: Large scallops enveloped in pine nuts, flavored by a delicious balsamic vinegar. Porkchop vesuvio: Perfectly juicy and tender pork chop -- with a delicious sauce made from garlic, white wine, and olive oil and seasoned with herbs. Vincenzo pizza fritta: If you think you've tried all the types of pizza out there -- you probably haven't tried pizza that's both baked and fried... this gives you both a crispy and crunchy texture at the same time -- mixed with delicious fresh ingredients and a slightly sweeter tomato sauce. This one is definitely big enough for 2. A zeal original: What happens if you mix caramel corn with chocolate with a sea salt caramel gelato? One of the most luxurious gelatos you'll ever have the pleasure of tasting. This is definitely a must try. Overall: Great food, great value, great atmosphere. Definitely a great place to take family or friends.
(5)Melissa H.
My husband and I decided on going to Zeal a couple weeks ago for Valentine's Day dinner. I would like to thank Yelp for helping us find out about this place. I had noticed majority of the reviews for this place being great and that is what made us decide on it. We had a 4:30 reservation last night and was running late. We called to let them know and they were very understanding about it. My husband asked the hostess how many reservations they had for the night and she said 400 people are supposed to be there for Valentines Day.....WOW!!! We had an older lady seat us which didn't bother us at all.....hey, we all have to make a living right?! Good for her to be standing on her feet like that all those hours at her age. Awesome touch with those light up menus!! It was so unique!!! At first when we sat down it seemed like our server Lauren was rushing us. We get it that she wanted to turn and burn her tables to make more money, but it was our first time dining there. She slowed it down after my husband explained to her that and we wanted to take our time with everything. We felt terrible for her as we saw a lady complaining at the next table over sending her back with food to the kitchen untouched. My husband was in the restaurant industry for over 13 years and both Lauren and my husband had a venting session on how people can be lousy that you serve and nothing you do can make the customer happy Onto the food....that olive oil balsamic vinegar concoction was like crack!! Super addicting and so good! I swear you could make a meal just from that with their bread. My husband asked Lauren what was in it and she told us. Yes, we're going to try making it at home with some Italian bread! We ordered the Italian beef egg rolls and they were just ok. I think if your a first time diner there I would encourage you to order it, but probably wouldn't get it again. We also had the Chopped Salad. The nuts in the salad were absolutely fantastic!!!! I'm still thinking of that salad now and how good it was. It looked very similar to the Portillo's Chopped Salad, but tasted so much better then theirs. The half order would be enough for at least 4 people! I think if we were to come here again we would skip the egg rolls and just get that salad. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair Pasta. I thought the chicken tasted outstanding with a flavorful egg batter to it. The pasta wasn't anything to write home about. My husband who is Italian makes just as good if not better pasta. My husband ordered their Kobe Beef Sliders with Tater Tots. His sliders looked good and dare I say it cute?! They had the Zeal logo on top of the buns. Nice touch! Although I didn't have a taste of the sliders my husband thought they were very filling. I had one of his Tater Tots and it tasted hot and fresh. For dessert we ordered their Zeal signature Chocolate Chip Gelato with Garret's Popcorn. From the moment I saw a pic of it on Yelp, I knew we had to order it. It was rich, decadent, along with the perfect amount of sweet and saltiness. My husband noticed a couple things while we were dining. He didn't care for the placemats they use at the setting of each table. He was wondering how they clean them....maybe through a dishwasher? We observed a busboy taking a towel and wiping each one off. The husband didn't think it was very sanitary. Also, he noticed the carpeting.......although it hides dirt.....if wine spilled that carpet would be done for. These two factors is why Zeal gets 4 stars instead of 5. The TV's I thought were kind of strange in the dining area, but didn't really bother us. Portions are HUGE here which we thought was awesome! I still have leftover chicken and pasta which is enough for lunch today!! Despite those couple things, we enjoyed Zeal and will definitely be coming back here again!!! Once again, Thanks to Yelp and Yelp users for this fantastic recommendation.
(4)Merobel L.
Great atmosphere, service and most of all the food was excellent. We had the stuffed artichoke for appetizer and for our entree, we had the Filet Flights and the Zuppa de Peche. Would definitely go back. Thank you Chef Vince!
(5)Brian L.
We found this place on Yelp. They had a very lively crowd. The bar was packed for the live music playing. The chef "Vince" was very nice came over to the table to offer suggestions and describe his delicious creations. Everything we ordered was great from the appetizer of Pork Wings to the Chopped Salad and the main course The Napoleon. Omg huge portions. Great friendly service. We will be back.
(5)Stephen M.
Was great food, and big portions too! Definitely would highly recommend to other tourist like myself here in Chicago! Definitely won't find this kind of food anywhere else. Great hospitality and got to speak with the cook himself, great guy. 5 star restaurant! Thumbs up!
(5)Melissa A.
Chef Vince, you are a godsend! I've been to Zeal twice and am definitely a fan of this restaurant. Not only is the food delicious but the ambiance and service were great as well! To start you off, you're given this bread and olive oil concoction that you could easily make a meal out of because it's just that good. This dipping oil isn't your typical Italian restaurant mix of oil and parmesan cheese. No, this is 10 times better. It's a mix of olive oil with balsamic vinegar which adds a nice tanginess along with parmesan cheese and herbs (basil and not sure what else). As for the meal itself, everything is very reasonably priced (possibly too cheap) for quality food and VERY generous portions. Since I've only been here twice I've only tried 2 things but I will say both were delicious. I've had the stuffed meatballs ($10 for lunch) and "The Bootie" sandwich($8 Yes, it's called that and yes my friend giggled like a little schoolgirl when I said the name when ordering haha). Let me tell you, the portions were so large I barely ate half of my food both times. I really can't complain about having too much good food besides it being not so kind on my waistline, but I think it's worth it! The meatballs are stuffed with prosciutto, coppacola, ham, salami, and cheese and served over polenta. UM YUM?! You can't go wrong with those ingredients and I highly recommend trying this dish when you dine here. The meatballs are tender balls of yummy goodness and the polenta is nice and creamy. As for "The Bootie", this is basically an Italian beef sandwich but so much better since they layer Italian beef with cheese and prime rib along with a ton of peppers (your choice of sweet or hot). To top it off, the sandwich comes with fries or tater tots...and who would ever choose fries over tots? By the way when they say a side of tots...it's not really a side but rather another meal. You will have tots for days! So not only is the food and service awesome, but they are also very accommodating which I can appreciate. My friend wanted to order the meatballs but has aversions to many things one of them being ham, so they were able to prepare special meatballs for her that didn't include ham! This was very kind of them and my friend was very pleased. I definitely will be back so I can eat my way through the rest of their menu! Don't judge me.
(4)Khadijah L.
My hubby and I came to this restaurant not knowing what to expect. Our greeting experience was not the greatest but that has nothing to do with the food. Our dinner started off with warm bread and oil that was absolutely amazing, followed by these cheesy beef egg rolls with a side of peppers that was to our pleasing we both had the seafood rotolo as our entrée which was fantastic. This chef loves to feed you with large portions so be prepared. Another point that I would like to make is that our waitress continually checked on us and the Chef made it his priority to sit and mingle with all his dinner guests. Great food and experience this place is a must try!!!!
(5)Paul W.
I can't say enough good things about this place. We've followed Chef Vince at a few other restaurants and it's no surprise that this one is as good as it is. Excellent service, excellent atmosphere, excellent bread on the table and the chicken parm is out of this world but you have to get it with the suprema sauce. Eat here, eat here, eat here. No disappointments.
(5)Michelle R.
I chose this place to host my wedding shower after meeting with Chef Vince. At the first meeting he was very accommodating to my must have sangria and lots of it request. I was also impressed with how personable he was and he even suggested that my fiance and I come in on a later date for a food tasting. After that tasting we were sold! The food was AMAZING! I mean, I was initially sold on the bread with olive oil/balsamic vinegar. I would definitely recommend the stuffed peppers app and anything with the suprema sauce. However, for the shower we decided on something lighter, the lemon chicken (which was delicious as well). When the shower day came we were a highly disappointed with the EXTREMELY slow start to the afternoon. My friend, who had planned everything, wanted pitchers of sangria and appetizers on each table right at the start of the event. So as people were walking in could they have a drink and something to nibble on. I am not kidding you when I say it took 45, FORTY FIVE minutes to get waters on the table. It's not like we came in unannounced. I have worked banquets before, you have the waters ready at least 20 minutes before the scheduled event. It's not like the ice will water it down. So, I'm the bride to be and I had to keep asking where the sangria was even after the waters came. (Keep in mind this is the main thing that Chef Vince and I spoke about on our initial meeting) When the pitchers came there was so much ice in them that we could only get 2, three if we were lucky, glasses per pitcher. They brought 4 pitchers for 25 people! I was embarrassed because I, of course, wanted everything to be perfect. It seemed to take forever for everyone to get a full glass of sangria. As soon as we all had full glasses and my sister made the toast it made a turn for the better. The mouth-watering food definitely made up for the slow service in the beginning. We all left with stuffed, happy bellies. And, bonus, I got the leftovers!
(4)Jamie B.
Love this place! In summary: fantastic food, great ambiance! My first Zeal experience was when our office catered in lunch. Everything I tried was delicious: a really fresh-tasting mediterranean style salad with tiny pasta noodles in it, cheesy delicious foccassia bread, and my absolute favorite was burnt pasta!! We have some vegetarians (myself included) and gluten-free special diets in our office, and I was very impressed with the owners' and chef's ability and thoughtfulness in accommodating special diets. I finally had the chance to visit the restaurant for a coworker's birthday celebration last week and was equally as impressed with my dine-in experience as I was with the catering. The space is warm, yet spacious and well laid out. You can tell a lot of thought was put into the design - so many cute details, from chalkboard walls to the light up menus! It's an upscale bar and restaurant, but service is extremely friendly and fun. There was live music and a small dance floor. Our table ordered drinks and apps, and everything I tried was SO good: burnt pasta (just as good as I remember it being from the lunch), homemade gnocchi, stuffed artichoke. Drinks were also great. My fav was a fig flavored vodka and soda with orange in it. The head chef and owners couldn't be nicer; they were mingling with the guests throughout the night. Chef Vince brought dessert out to our table. Overall I highly recommend!
(5)Danielle S.
I have been wanting to try Zeal for a while now, and finally got to try it! The atmosphere is casual, and at the same time your could get a little dressed up and come here for a romantic dinner. It is dimly lit, but the menus light up (I've never seen that before!). Very cool! They have a bar area that plays live music later on at night, but if you sit in the dining area you can't hear it. Our server was really nice, and overall attentive. They did get a little busier later, but she still came around. My friend had ordered the meatballs but forgot to ask for no sauce. Our server took them back and had them make more without sauce without any complaints! The menu has quite the variety! There are small plates that you can share, or entrees that you can pig out on yourself. There is also a pizza/gluten free menu. They have a lot of items that I have not seen before, and some classics. We ordered the cheesy beef egg rolls, the lobster roll super sliders, Chef Lauren's stuffed meatballs, chicken parmesan, and the clam special. I was really impressed with everything I tried. It all had great flavor, was filling, and would be something I would order again. There were so many things on the menu that I wanted to order - I will definitely be back! The bread and olive oil/balsamic dipping mixture they give you is REALLY good. I could probably just have a meal of that. They also have a nice wine menu with a variety of prices and flavors. I think that the prices are pretty decent for what you get. They have cheaper items and more expensive entrees, so there is really something for everyone. I thought it was typical pricing for an Italian restaurant, but better quality of food and more variety that other places I have been to.
(5)Chez J.
In short: friendly and prompt service, unique and classy interior, spectacular food with heaping portions. A must when visiting the Chicago area. My parents and I were visiting from California. We decided we wanted Italian and settled on Zeal based on Yelp reviews and convenience of location. We called ahead and easily made a reservation same-day. We were greeted by smiling faces and immediately seated. Tim, our waiter, was knowledgeable and offered great insight on menu items. We ordered the Lobstercicle and Burnt Pasta to start with a bottle of Chardonnay. Lobstercicle had a great crunch and the Burnt Pasta was addicting. My mom and I shared the Zuppa de Peche and dad had the Lamb Shank. I'm not a big fan of lamb, but it was perfectly cooked - tender and delicious. Zuppa de Peche had a generous amount of seafood. And yes, they make Cannoli. This is the best overall meal I've had all year. The attention to detail that the staff have is unmatched, and I love the comfortable family-atmosphere. PS back lighted menus so you can leave your glasses at home :)
(5)Natty P.
I would give it a 5/5 but the service was not great. Overall then food was good. We ordered the calamari (which was amazing), the cheesy beef egg rolls, rolled zucchini and Burnt pasta (which was actually good)... For the main meal we had chicken parmesan which was cooked just right. I would definitely come back and try some other things at this restaurant. I like the environment it was cute on the inside and the night we went there was a live band and the place was just full of people.
(4)D M.
Their food is delicious! Had the grilled calamari appetizer. Outstanding. Entrees were also five star. Husband had skirt steal. I had the zuppa di pesce. Can't wait to go back! Clemena martini was also yummy! Recommend highly.
(5)George W.
Saw fairly good reviews and had high hopes for the restaurant. We were initially a little disappointed by the decor. It looked like they did a partial renovation but left some of the old decor. They also seemed to have an older crowd in the restaurant including some of the staff. When we walked in on a Saturday night and saw in wasn't very busy we were a little concerned. In general, it felt like the restaurant needed to pick a lane and be a fine dining establishment or be a more simple diner. The service was decent but we expected more at the restaurant's price point. For example, the wine list was extremely limited and after ordering a bottle the waitress never came back to fill glasses. The advice from the waitress after we told her it was our first time at the restaurant was very limited. We ordered a stuffed artichoke appetizer that was very disappointing. There was very limited artichoke hearts and mainly breading and tough artichoke leafs. We ordered kids meals for our children which were good but expensive especially considering the high cost for glasses of juice that were ordered with the meals. I had a prime rib lasagna special which was very good! The sherry marinara on the lasagna was excellent! The only complaint was the limited amount of actual prime rib in the lasagna. My wife had the three filet medallions which were average at best. The mash potatoes served with them were very good but the asparagus was way over cooked.
(2)Marq C.
I honestly came at a time when I wasn't starving. I made a mistake of ordering lobster slider... Well this is like shredded lobster (not sure if it's real lobster), comparable to what you would call seafood delight or seafood salad. Very disappointing. My thing is, I walk in to many restaurants and I may not be starving all the time but the ambience and looking at other peoples food would usually entice me into ordering something big. Not this time. I think my biggest gripe was that upon walking in, the bar to the right of the entrance had a "private event" for some 1974 high school reunion. Well it's not so private as both ends of the bar were open and the 80s music blasting with half drunk people reminiscing of their high school and probably thought they still look as appealing as they were in high school dancing and carousing as so was definitely not an appetizing sight. Also, it appears this was a renamed or newly owned place? They certainly did not do Anything in the inside. It still had the 90s Applebee's old interior, dark and dingy. I guess I'm an emotional eater by default. This place was very unappealing and the ambiance totally shames whatever they have on their menu. Oh yeah, great job on the lit menu. Wish you guys spent that money on spiffing up the place. Will not return. But great luck and blessings to the owner. I gave this place 3 stars because my cousins food was 3 stars =)
(3)Paul C.
Food was simply outstanding; the combinations and the presentations were top notch. Service was also A+. We will be back with friends to enjoy the food, the pours and the music!! Thank you Dan K.; sorry we missed you.
(5)jan l.
This was our second visit, three people. There's nothing horrible, but nothing great either. I think it's very pricey. We went with 4 small plates, 2 beers and a house wine ($10) and our bill, without tip, was almost $80. Not worth it. We ordered the sausage bread, which was very doughy. The lamb meatballs were good, just until they were not piping hot. They were very fatty, and when the temp cooled a bit they were just greasy. We didn't finish them. The calamari fries were okay, nothing special, again nothing bad. The burnt pasta came out cold, and i don't really get the appeal. On a positive note, the oil and balsamic that comes with the bread is to die for, and I would make it 2 1/2 stars for that, if i could figure out how to get that half. We've been following Vince from restaurant to restaurant for probably 20 years, since Hoffman Estates Cafe Clemenza. We really wanted to like it, a lot, but just don't.
(2)Peggy M.
Bad service..Waitress and Manager were very rude. Charged $3 for avacado on a $15 salad. .and to add chicken is $4 more..making it a $22 salad...wt? Do not order the meatball salad..has spaghetti sauce dumped all over it..yuk. And TV's in a restaurant with $35 entrees? Poor taste.
(1)Celina B.
I loved this place!!! My fiancé wanted to check this place out and by the name I thought it was going to be pretty fancy. When we walked in, it looked like a nice family owned italian restaurant. It had a little bar area up front and then a decent sized dining room. There were tons of specials on the board but the awesome thing wasn't the board... the menu's light up when you open them!!! Wait, should I have prefaced that with "spoiler alert?" Sorry. We ordered a drink.. some wine and I think he got whiskey and she came back pretty quick with our drinks. And unfortunately I was pretty quick to notice the faded lipstick marks on my fiances glass. I saved him and we grabbed the waitress back. She quickly replaced the glass and of course profusely apologized. I was nervous at this point, but the rest of the evening was great and I didn't think twice about it. That stuff happens. We ordered burnt pasta for an app. I already spoiled the menus for you so just try it and you can be surprised at how delicious it is! And yes, its exactly what it sounds like. DAMMIT! I just spoiled that too. The servings here are HUGE! True Italian fashion. In hindsight, we could have shared but we didn't. There were LOTS of leftovers. But there was definitely room for dessert. We had salted caramel gelato with crushed pretzels, chocolate chips, and something else amazing I'm forgetting in it... Either way it was ridiculously amazing. We can't wait to go back and bring our families!
(5)Sehrish K.
This place is adorable and delicious! Had Their amazing ghnocci and my friend had their lobster sliders. Everything was scrumptious, service was excellent as well (even though we were late)!
(5)Brian K.
I TRIED - Bread & Olive Oil Mix (9/10) - Zeal Sticks (2/10) - The Bootie (6/10) This spot used to be a place called Vidalia. They were kind of an upsacle-ish Mediterranian restaurant. I wrote a review when I went there for Mother's Day 2013, and here we are January, 2014, and not only is Vidalia gone, but Zeal is already up and running and fully functional! They didn't have lunch hours, and I thought "How can you expect to have a successful restaurant, and not serve lunch, while being in the Woodfield area?" Looks like I was right! I'm happy to report, though, that Zeal is open for lunch, and what's even more impressive is that they have their own lunch menu! The lunch and dinner menus probably share about 1/2 or 2/3 of their menu, but each has their exclusives. Dinner has family-style dishes, where lunch has sandwiches and the like. I'd say the place is probably in the same class as Claimjumpers or RAM. They have a few TVs in the main dining room which is a little odd, though. BREAD & OIL Why in the world am I reviewing this? Well, it's that good! They served a small cutting board with a small piece of bread (Italian or French) and some olive oil mix. The crust was incredibly crunchy; maybe the crunchiest crust I've ever had on freshly baked bread. Then the olive oil mix. It's olive oil, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, plus, small shreds of basil. Oh dear Lord, is this good! There might be something else in there, because the balsamic vinegar almost appeared syrupy, and it was a little bit sweeter than regular oil + balsamic. I didn't even notice the basil at first, but when I scooped up a piece of it on the next bread bite, I wanted to just eat this all day! The only gripe is that it was a really small piece. It was probably just a smidgeon larger than a dinner roll. Sure, they'll bring you more bread on request, but that gets old after a while. Also, I wish the olive oil was more virgin or somehow more pronounced. I felt like it needed that foundation amidst all these flavors. Maybe he wants you focus on the main course, but it's going to be hard to top this! ZEAL STICKS Guarantee you'll be salivating at the sound of this: "Bread sticks DIPPED IN GARLIC BUTTER and toasted, sprinkled with herbs and stuffed with mozzarella cheese, served with marinara dipping sauce." Hungry yet? Well, sad to say, it aint all that. In fact, I could describe the emotion as being the 100th caller to ESPN Radio and winning front row, 50 yard line, Soldier Field tickets to watch Bears vs. Green Bay on Sunday Night Football for the deciding NFC North division game...only to find out that "Front Row 50 Yard Line" is the name of a special bar stool at a bar in Indiana called "Soldier Field" -- and there's a terrible thunderstorm so DirecTV is out...and the drinks aren't even free. Yeah...it was kinda like that. There was no garlic butter - hell, I doubt there was even butter. It just tasted like bread with non-flavorful mozzarella, dipped in warm Lunchables marinara. Herbs? What herbs?! Free Olive Garden breadsticks are much better! AND these are $6 here! AND a single breadstick is smaller than an Olive Garden one. WTF?!?! If there's one thing I have a "Zeal" for - it's Garlic Butter. I can't tell you how disappointed I was at this! The only redeeming quality is that bread is pourous - and that means I can dip it in that Olive Oil mix - which made this very good! THE BOOTIE What's weird is that it's a paper wrapped sandwich (like getting an Italian Beef from Portillo's) and having that served on an actual sit-down restaurant dinner plate. I will say this, though. Kudos to Chef Vince, because a sandwich like an Italian Beef has all of its flavors and experience heightened when you trap everything in like that. As unclassy as it may look - he's more concerned about your culinary experience, and for that, thumbs up! This is basically a huge Italian Beef sandwich + prime rib (with peppers), and add 2 layers of mozzarella cheese. It's good! It's incredibly meaty, and the meat is moist and has great flavors. I like Buona Beef better than Portillo's because I love olives, and there's a more olive/olive oil flavor with Buona. The meat here was seasoned almost just like Buona, and I loved it! If I ordered it again, I'd get it without the cheese. Something about it had this essence of smelly feet, which I suppose certain cheeses can taste like -- just never thought mozzarella did. $8 for lunch - great value! RE-ZEAL-ATION I really want to give this place 4 stars...for its potential. Even though the reviews of what I ordered show it to be a 3 star place - the menu is huge, and everything sounds delicious! Hopefully they're not just misleading ploys like the Zeal Sticks, but I'm definitely willing to give this place several more tries to raise its star rating. I sure hope it does!
(3)Maureen J.
We sat in the lounge to see the band. The lounge was small and really nicely decorated. Great ambiance. Definitely an over 40 crowd in there, which was nice. The drinks were pretty pricy but it was certainly one of the best Bloody Marys I've ever had. The bartenders were really friendly and attentive.
(4)Peg D.
Nice building, and nice outside dining area. The wait staff is very much lacking. It took about 15 minutes to get some one's attention to take our drink order. Another 15 minutes and we finally snagged a busboy to bring our bread out. We saw very little of our waitress. My husband ordered ice tea and also requested sweetener as there was none on the table. It didn't come with the drink, and again we got the attention of the busboy to bring it. He had the kobe sliders which he said were good. I had inquired about the 'maple drizzle' on the scallop dish because I considered having it on the side. The waitress indicated it was just a slight drizzle because the scallops were sweet to start with. The 'drizzle' was really a drenching of this maple sauce that resembled maple syrup. It covered the plate which meant the mashed potatoes were swimming in it. I moved my scallops and asparagus to a small bread plate to dry out. Only if I were having pancakes would I expect my plate to look like this. The scallop dish was so so. For the price I would have expected better. We will not make another trip there. It was not enjoyable and for the price, we expected at least average food and service.
(2)Jason R.
We have had take out many times and it has always been amazing. I can't wait to try everything in the menu.
(5)Lena D.
This was my first time at Zeal's and I really loved it! I ate dinner with a friend here and we enjoyed our experience at Zeal. Service is attentive and accommodating. We had no problems with service even when we ate dinner on a Friday evening. You get free bread to start off your meal. Who doesn't love free carbs?! For our appetizer, we ordered the calamari fries and they were so good! I wish we had marinara sauce instead of the cocktail sauce they served with it. I ordered the "Surf & Turf" which came with a 10oz steak, topped with a gracious lump of crab cake. My friend ordered the "Lamb Shank". Both of these dishes were on point and we had alot of leftovers to take home. For dessert, we ordered a monster slice of the sea salt caramel cake. I definitely underestimated the size of the slice of cake and we ended up having to pack those for leftovers too. I would come back to try more meals here!!
(5)Susan N.
Good: my husband and I had the meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious. My kids enjoyed the kids pepperoni pizza and mac and cheese. Their bread and accompanied dipping sauce was also delish. Bad: based on prior Yelp reviews we ordered the Burnt Pasta appetizer. It was underwhelming to say the least. It was lukewarm and that ruined the dish for us. Also, they brought the appetizer out at the same time as our entrees. We also came with our 2 kids and they had run out of kids menus so had to verbally tell us what was on their menu. Also, we waited for at least 10 minutes for our check after asking for it.
(3)Kara Z.
Yelp convinced us to try this place and we were very pleased. We had a very important dinner meeting here so we were a little less focused on the food, service and experience than usual (because of our conversation) but we were happy. As we were waiting for our party to arrive it seemed like most of the other diners were senior citizens, but that changed later in the evening. The service was good- friendly, checking in frequently, many water refills, and Chef Vince even showed up at our table and talked about the menu! It was really cool. The menus are cool- they light up!!! It was so hard to pick what we wanted to try. Based on Yelp reviews, we tried the guacamole wontons which were very tasty and unique. We also tried the cheesy beef egg rolls which were quite amazing! I ordered pizza and was really disappointed in it- the cheese on it did not seem to be mozzarella (though it looked like it) and I really disliked the taste and smell of it. I also broke a crown while eating it but I know that was not at all the fault of the pizza. It just bummed me out! Their pizzas are very big and you can't get a personal size. My husband had the stuffed meatballs and thought it was delicious. It was served over polenta. The person we met with seemed to really like his meal too- I think it was the tenderloin tornadoes. The dessert menu was incredible and I wish I could have tried almost all of it! But the sizes of the desserts are HUGE and you have to share them (well, I guess you don't HAVE to!) The gelato menu in itself was awesome. After reading about the salted caramel gelato with the Garrett's Caramel Crisp popcorn on it, we had to get that. It did not disappoint and even had chocolate chips in it which satisfied my chocolate love that I gave up to get the caramel. It really was a big serving. They have several kinds of cake that also looked great. There was a big table of women in the middle of the restaurant right next to us and they were SO loud- it felt like they were yelling and screaming the whole time- it was so distracting and frustrating. I'm glad they were having a good time, though. The women's restroom was nice and was clean. They even had a mouthwash machine it it. Overall we had a good experience and were impressed with the menu.
(4)Thomas S.
It is nice to see all the 4 and 5 star reviews for this establishment. My wife and I just dined there and we both agree that this was one of the finest dining experiences we have ever had. Chef Vince has a passion for creating outstanding dishes. Everything from the drinks to the desert was outstanding. The staff was both pleasant and eager to help with the selections. If you have any doubts as to what to order ask Chef Vince for his recommendations as they were excellent. We started with their meat and cheese tray which was actually presented on a tree slice tray. It was almost a meal in itself. Next I had the Jambalaya and my wife enjoyed a chicken and eggplant dish that the Chef made. We wound up taking both dishes home and I am looking forward to left-overs. Finally it was suggested we order for desert the carrot cake. Chef Vince assured us if it won't be the best carrot cake we ever ate it will be at least the second best. It turns out it was the best. The prices were more than reasonable for the quantities and quality of the food. We are looking forward to coming back soon. I strongly suggest that if you are in the market for a fine casual Italian dining you give Zeal a try. I think you will be quite pleased.
(5)Cinder M.
Let me explain my rating. It was odd walking into what was described to me as an upscale place as there were flat screen tv's on the wall with the Cubs game on and servers wearing jeans. Now our choice for lunch was either here or Wildfire (which we had been to many times) and we were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. It started off good, not crowded at all. By the time the waitress had gotten to the table we had already looked at the menu, read the chalkboard specials and decided what we wanted. She came to get our drink order and we told her we were ready to order. She seemed surprised and asked if she could tell us about the specials. My husband told her we had already done so and she asked if we had questions. She brought the drinks quickly along with some bread and oil, balsamic and parmesan which was incredible. Her suggestion to split the "half" salad was spot on because I only ate half of the half. I honestly could eat that meatball salad a few times a week. Hubby ordered the cheeseburger (yes as his anniversary dinner) and I ordered tenderloin toranadoes medium well. Well, they came rare, they were only browned on the outside and warm in the middle. So they went back and she apologized over and over. She took my plate and returned with it minus the meat. So I had a plate of potatoes to eat. It did take awhile and when the meat was returned well done. You can't fix the tenderloins once they were cooked. So because of all the bread and potatoes, I ended up eating maybe 4 or 5 bites and hubby didn't finish his burger. The bus boy came and hubby asked if we could get them wrapped to take home. We finish with all the "do you want dessert?" "here's the check" and such and we are still waiting for our doggie bag. It took awhile before we saw our waitress and she apologized again. After about 5 minutes we had a feeling we knew the outcome and sure enough one of the managers came over. She apologized for the miscommunication they had with the bus boy. She made it sound like he was new without saying it. She offered a gift card compensation which was fine. After she walked away the waitress came and apologized and said they were going to remake the meal. We seemed confused and told her someone had come over and said we were going to get a gift card. She apologized again and again and said ok. When she walked into the kitchen we could hear her yell to the cook - "hey it's ok you don't need to remake it." While we sat and waited another 5 minutes the bus boy did come and apologize. So they made it all good. The comped card was for the price of the meal. I get they want our return business, but it was our 10 year anniversary with 2 mishaps. And I also get that people make mistakes. The price of the entree's reflects the kind of service/ customer service you would expect. Had this been the experience at Wildfire, we would have expected more in the way of the timeliness and expectations. The server was above average ( could have made it superior by less time in between visits) the undercooked food, busboy mistake and disorganization on the resolution kept us from giving a better rating.
(3)Tiffany S.
This place was absolutely amazing & the food was phenomenal! More of a date night setting and it's nice they have a separate area for dining & the bar with the band/music. All staff were very nice & professional Giving 4 stars as the dining room when full like it was on a sat night was extremely loud, seemed more than the "norm" even for a busy restaurant. The band was not playing yet which is also a separate area than dining but hard to have a conversation with anyone you're with along with even hearing the server. The bar area also filled up by 830 pm as the music started so if you want to go in the bar after dinner there was no where to go Otherwise, we will definitely be back!
(4)Joe O.
Surprisingly great! A group of us decided to try this place as we had never been, and we will be back again and again! While the pricing is not the cheapest, it was worth every $!! Great food and great service from Mary who delighted us and even took photos with us at the end of the evening! We tried nearly half of the menu from appetizers to the fritta and the seasonal specials! The food was AMAZING! If I had to suggest any improvement it would be to reduce the number of daily specials! There were too many to choose from and it took a long time for Mary to have to explain allllll of them! I will be recommending that our office do some catering from here!!
(5)Lisa M.
Tried this place for lunch with my co-worker today. The service was incredible. Nick was an awesome server and Chef Vince came out to tell us the specials. The bread was warm and the oil/balsamic and cheese to dip the bread in was wonderful. My co-worker and the gnocchi and a meatball which were delicious. I had the veal tortellini with Bolognese sauce it was incredible! The lunch portion was really big and we will be eating the leftovers tomorrow We plan on becoming regulars!!
(5)Heath N.
Sat at the bar on a weekday evening. Not a big selection of beers, but found something I liked. Bartender was friendly and prompt. They had half-priced pizzas in the bar that evening. I'd read about the meatballs and thought that would be a good choice. They brought out bread beforehand, the bread was good, but the oil and balsamic was really fantastic. The pizza had an incredible thin crust that was more Roman style than what I've found other places, especially in Chicago. The meat was great, the sauce was well executed and plenty of cheese. I'd definitely go back.
(4)Deana B.
YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS PLACE!!! From the minute we walked in to the time we left! Food and menu options were unique and delish!! The lighted menus were genius! The ambiance was wonderful! Chef came out after dinner rush to great his tables! You have to try the Salted Caramel Garret Popcorn Sundae! TO DIE FOR!!!!
(5)Sarah S.
Zeal has some darn good food. This location seems to be the kiss of death but I'm pulling for Zeal and am planning on bringing coworkers for lunch many times in the future I first tried the food during the Schaumburg Business convention and it was hands down the best food of the night there. I had some clients in from Cali this week and I decided to take them to Zeal for a casual business lunch. Our server was very attentive and I found her to be very pleasant. They have an older staff but I see absolutely no issue with that. The funny part to me though was they had about 8 specials and she stood there for about 5 solid minutes going through all of them describing them in detail. While I appreciated the effort, it was a bit awkward waiting for so long. The specials were all on a chalkboard in the back so my suggestion would be to let us know they were up there & highlight a couple of favorites, or print them out in detail for a menu insert, or go through them but just list what they are without all the details.Either way it wasn't a big deal. The food at Zeal is really good, all four in my party agreed everything we had was absolutely delicious. Our meal started with complimentary bread & olive oil. The bread had a really hard crust on the outside making me worried that the entire loaf would be hard & dry. Thankfully it wasn't - when I bit into the bread it was very soft and had wonderful flavor. For my main dish, I had the homemade gnocchi which was a half portion for $12. It was huge! I can't begin to imagine the enormity of the full portion. Honestly my mouth is watering thinking about this dish. When I go back I'm going to have a hard time ordering something else when what I really want is this!
(4)BforBulky B.
I LOVE this place. We were here on a Wednesday night and it was so much fun. The food is aaaaamazing (try the calamari and everything else on the menu!) The live music was awesome, the staff is so sweet and friendly and honestly, I've been dying to go back ever since. Definitely go if you haven't already.
(5)Levent T.
Classy, smart and friendly server! Oh and the food was enjoyable too! We were in the mood for more of a comfort food meal so passed on the steak and fish and went with some Italian classics. Gnocchi with cream sauce was spot on! I ordered it as an app and added a Ceasar salad (small size). Man was it all endulgent and filling. Really enjoyed the amount of egg whites on the salad but the dressing was a tad too sweet for me...I was expecting more of a zing with the way it was described on the menu. Pasta and Meatballs with the Bolognese was our other dish. Killer dish and a good value if some of the special prices give you sticker shock. Meatballs were tender and opted for penne which provided a wonderful chew with the heavy and hearty sauce. Loved the fact the chef came around to the tables. That extra added touch of ensuring we were happy will make us come back very soon.
(5)Dan C.
Wanted to take a minute to leave a quick note about Zeal Restaurant and what an amazing job that Vince and his staff did with a party I hosted there this past Saturday night. They were unbelievably accomdating in terms of flexibility in setting up the room, selecting the menu and decorating the space. The food was delicious, the staff working the party made sure that no one went hungry or thirsty! A+ service throughout You can tell that they will do whatever it takes to make sure their customers have an outstanding experience. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great meal and time in the Schaumburg area.
(5)Robert B.
My girlfriend and I were extremely excited to try the new family owned tapas bar in town, ZEAL! We called at 6:30 for reservations for 8 PM on Friday night. All but ONE of the staff were friendly and very inviting! We were greeted with a very comforting warm first welcome by Chef Vince followed up with exquisite food. We ordered a small salad split it into which was more than enough for the both of us believe it or not! The crab sliders are absolutely amazing. There is such care and thoughtful preparation put into this food that your palate will actually thank you when you are done! The caramel gelato is absolutely one of the best desserts ever sunck my teeth into. The quality of the food far exceeded the price we paid! When we received our bill We are very frequent customers of seasons 52 but will no longer be frequenting that establishment because of the quality put into your food, price, and especially the ambiance. Although one staff member tried to seat us in the middle of the restaurant atba table top when we were clearly waiting for over half an hour for a booth, once the manager noticed that we were upset and also the only young couple in the restaurant he clearly handled the matter and put it in one of the most appealing booths in the restaurant! No matter what this place is actually worth the wait because the food will melt in your mouth. My girlfriend Ashley says "it was well worth it!"
(5)Kevin K.
The atmosphere is a little on the dark side (lighting wise not like Darth Vader), staff are friendly but very informal, and an interesting selection of lunch items. I got a special that was called something like cheesy meaty sandwich. The sandwich was packed with meat and the tater tots were crisped perfectly brown. Everything tasted really good. Portions were too much for me and I took half home. The only thing I didn't like about the sandwich was the bread was soggy when the meal came out. The fresh bread that came before the meal was delicious.
(4)Nicolette H.
I was unimpressed, to say the least. Our server seemed as if it was his first time waiting tables or even having much human contact. He didn't know much about the menu, and wasn't a big help to deciding items to choose from. He disappeared for long periods of time, and didn't know how to open a bottle of wine. The portions, I feel, were expensive for the amount I was receiving. There were about 8 wines on their wine list, and they had no cocktail menu. The decor was very old- style. Seemed as if a restaurant was here before and they never updated it. I feel as if the restaurant owner didn't have a vision. The food is supposed to be italian, from what I gathered, but it lacked that authentic italian feel I was craving. The items on the menu didn't mesh together well. Also, if I am at an italian restaurant, I'd like more wines to choose from. I went on a Friday night around 7:30, the place was empty and I understand why. Won't be back, was expecting more.
(2)Scott F.
Very good food, great flavor. We decided to give this place a try as we didn't really want to go back to any other places in the area. The parking is easy, welcoming hostess, good lighting and ambiance for modern Italian. Vodka sauce was spot on and some unique appetizers completed the great experience. I would suggest more wine options with prices at all levels or incorporate a byob program.
(3)April G.
Everything we had was pretty good. The Italian beef appetizers are soo good. I had a lamb shank dish and that was pretty good too. However the server messed up 2 of the drinks
(4)Scott M.
The food was excellent. The ambience was delightful. Light up menus in a low light restaurant great idea. My wife ate the skirt steak special. Marinated skirt steak with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts. The steak wss marinated in a soy, honey, and garlic. I had a bite it was worth every penny. I tried the crab cakes. By far the best crab cakes ive had so far. I also selected the half plate Seafood Rotolo. This was a delicious mix of lobster, shrimp, and crab with a mix of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses topped with a wonderful cream sauce. We finished it off with a Zeal original desert which was sea salt carmel gelato with chocolate chips, carmel sauce, chocolate sauce and popcorn. I never thought gelato and popcorn would go together so i had to try it. It was delicious. Sevice was excellent and friendly. We never had to ask for a refill and our leftovers were boxed and bagged for us. We will be back agian.
(5)Mercedes Z.
Excellent food and Chef Vince comes out to introduce himself to make small talk. It's a very warm and inviting place.
(5)J R.
It was good. The half plates are big enough for two people. My wife and i shared the chicken spinildi (?). It did not have much flavor/seasoning. The ravioli was excellent. The staff was very friendly, service was average. It really was just okay.
(3)Suzan K.
Went here for dinner for the first time. Don't think I'll be back. The menus were cool because they light up. Had the calamari fries that were mentioned being good. I didn't care for them. They were tasteless unless you used the cocktail sauce. Had the for cheese pasta and thought that was okay. Also had the skirt steak over linguini and didn't like it. The skirt steak was rolled up like a meat ball. If I wanted a meat ball, I would have ordered that. Sauce was sweet for a pasta sauce. Service could have been better. The waitress didn't come much and when she did, it was always after she stopped by her other table. The other table at down after us but was always 'checked in' with. If we weren't on her way back to the kitchen, she wouldn't have even came by. Plenty of other restaurants in the area that have better food and better service.
(2)Sean C.
Awesome place. Food is incredible. Great specials and awesome selection of beer and wine. Every time I go, I get the steak special and am never disappointed. Food is always perfectly seasoned a cooked. They also have a Chicago Carmel corn gelato that is probably the best dessert money can buy. Bar and always jumping with live music, I've never been able to actually sit in there though because it's always full. Always have had a great experience.
(5)JungleKittie A.
This place was decent. Incredibly noisy but the food wasn't bad.
(3)Anna N.
Walked in late for a reservation and apologized to the not so eager hostess. We were told to wait a few moments...next we were seated by one of the Golden girls and left at our table with crooked placemats and thrown silverware waiting for our waitress, who unfortunately was about as qualified as a 24/7 highway diner waitress reading the specials from the board asking me, oh it's your first time?! I asked for a wine list and it was left on the table as she abruptly walked away. We ordered...salad we split was their take on a Ceasar. Extremely underwhelming and lack of any flavor. Friend ordered the scallops and they smelled and tasted like a cheap breakfast entree with a constant maple aroma. My short rib was very tender and good seasoning but poor execution on the polenta, chunky and over buttered. Sorry, nice try but won't be back.
(2)Nicky S.
Amazing food and service. The chef and the staff set this dining experience apart but the food will keep you coming back. The balsamic/oil mix to start is amazing. I had the egg rolls, melrose peppers and gnocchi, followed by the chocolate chocolate chip gelato. Everything was superb and had excellent combinations of complimentary flavors. If I had choose a favorite, it would be the gnocchi.
(5)Luke S.
Italian beef and cheese egg rolls to start were fun and delicious. The jambalaya with noodles is enormous and amazing. Finished with ice cream and chocolate chips topped with Garrett's popcorn. Bring some pants with room in the waste. Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable. I will be returning soon try some more of Chef Vince's creations.
(5)Sheryl M.
Just visited for first time, restaurant came highly recommended. Menu offers a good variety of contemporary Italian dishes. The lambchop lollipops were awesome, the meatball salad was over the top. The only thing that could be improved on was service- very poor. Waitress was MIA, didn't get asked about our dinner until we were halfway through, never came by to see if we needed more drinks.
(4)Victoria L.
A fancy diner. Food is below average. Lots of senior citizens, my guess is that the location prior to this had the older folks coming in - so they just adjusted. I came in with a younger group, no one was really impressed. Sadly, the Burnt pasta was the best out of everything we ordered. The inside is very confusing, the place doesn't have an identity and the decor isn't relevant. The menus light up, not sure why but it actually hurt my eyes.
(1)Susan G.
You MUST go! Chef Vince is amazing... all the food is fresh and so tasty. The pasta, specials of the day and the desserts are incredible. Zeal will stimulate your taste buds! The burnt pasta, create your own pasta, pizza, EVERYTHING is amazing!
(5)Avinash K.
I thought this place was really good. Looked like a fine mix of Fine dining and Home cooked/Family-run restaurant. We were a group of 3, we ordered the Seafood Pot Pie - which I thought would be more rustic, and come in a pot but it was bread on top of that seafood mixed with Rice and creamy sauce, which was really really good. For entree we ordered Chicken parmesan (we did extra "spicy" and penne instead of linguini) - chicken was soo good. Oh my godd!! My friend got egg-plant entree, which he said was good. We then ordered the MONSTER carrot cake - which was just too Huge. Chef Vince, came out and explained to us how each of the dishes were made, which was really really friendly and good to know. Menu - looked really really fancy :D.
(4)Mary S.
I heard about this place from several people who said it was fantastic. On a girls night out we picked this place and again was surprised at the service, food and decor. Upon entering the manager/owner greeted me and was quick to tease with a bit of sarcasm which showed they were down to earth and made me more open to ordering. There are quite a few meat dishes and my mouth was salivating to try a few, but it was a Friday during lent so my options were limited. Still the food was very good, the service was excellent and while I don't try to repeat restaurants so quickly I am looking forward to my next out here on a Friday not during lent. One word of advice skip the avocado pot stickers, the baked artichoke and burnt pasta were far superior plus I wish I saved the calories for dessert because the caramel gelato sounded fantastic.
(4)Julie S.
Love the food and the prices! The chef is sensitive to gluten free and allergy issues and I've loved everything I've had there. The lunch prices are very reasonable for this type of restaurant: you a lot for $10-$15.00! I have had several business lunches here at its always been good.
(5)David K.
My wife and I needed a place for our anniversary. This restaurant offers bistro style offerings that allow you share items on their menu. The wait staff had perfect timing bringing us our selections. The first appetizer that we tried was the burnt spaghetti. This was exactly as promised angel hair pasta in a light tomato sauce that was left too long in a saute pan. It was burned(not blackened) on the on the edges. This is a must try in my book because the flavor is uniquely delicious. The second appetizer was italian beef and cheese eggrolls served with a mild giardiniera relish. The beef was tender and the eggroll wrapper was crispy. Just to get some veggies in our meal we had the half Umbiago salad and we split it. It was a generous portion and well dressed with a slightly spicy caesar dressing. The last dish we had was stuffed meatballs over herbed polenta with a marinara sauce. This was billed as a half entree , the two meatballs were near tennis ball size and the polenta was creamy and cooked with fresh herbs. Overall Zeal is a great place for a couple or for a group of people looking to try some great bistro choices.
(5)Anthony S.
Food was excellent, prepared as requested and delicious. The staff was genuine and very friendly. Chef Vince stop by our table and chatted and was very sincere and appreciative of our business. I will be eating there again on my next trip for sure great place for dinner
(4)Stephanie G.
Had a great time here last night with my boyfriend. We came with his mom and her boyfriend. Our meal was good and the bread and oil they give you is fantastic. We couldn't get enough. I had a mojito to drink that was fantastic as well. The night we were there they had entertainment. The man singing was really entertaining and people were really enjoying themselves. We even danced a bit. Overall great first experience here and would definitely go back. Maybe I'll get dessert next time :)
(4)Sandi M.
If your thinking of trying this pace I would highly advise you to go somewhere else. Food was well below average. My sister found a hair in her food and our waitress told her the owner would come speak with her about it. After waiting about 15 minutes the owner never showed, just another waitress saying sorry, but "these things" happen. Um excuse me, NO finding hair in your food at a restaurant isn't something that "happens" Besides the food being not up to any standard..... the night we decided to eat there we also had my two nephews and niece with us and about a foot away at another table there was a group of 12 middle aged women who were loud, obnoxious, and thought saying the "F" word as every other word out of their month was not just okay, but appropriate. It was just awful and not one waiter, waitress, host or manager told them to keep it down and/or keep the language PG. It was an overall horrible experience and honestly I'll be surprised if this establishment makes it.
(1)David W.
They open at 4PM, supposedly. On this day, we needed to eat early and so went a little after 4. MISTAKE! There was ONE waitress, who had to double as hostess. She tried to do her best, but we did not feel we had her complete attention. Her mind was on several things at once. She apologized that the bread was still in the oven, as she brought out the olive oil. Then we order. I wanted the veal. The waitress tells me they are out of veal until Monday!!!!! This is on a SATURDAY!!! Who does the planning for this joint?? I wanted to order wine, but no wine menu. So I just order Cabernet and hope for the best. It was good Cabernet, but it would have been nice to know my choices. Then at 5PM it was obvious all the other staff started to arrive. Don't say you are open for business if indeed you are not ready to serve customers. The food was good, but not great.
(2)Sue A.
If you haven't been to Zeal, your missing out! The service, food, ambiance, well everything is outstanding! Without the big price tag. Super Amazing!
(5)Kristin L.
Chef Vince has done it again! Fabulous food, great ambiance and a seriously awesome staff. I really need to point out that the staff at Zeal is one of a kind! From the bartenders to the bussers, they are all amazing! We tried just about everything during our first visit. For apps we had Calamari steak, cheesy beef rolls, seafood pot pie and the homemade gnocchi. Every single one was nothing short of amazing. My favorite was the gnocchi, probably the best I've ever had. As for entrees I enjoyed one of the nightly specials, the pinenut crusted sea scallops....ohhhh my god. So good. My boyfriend enjoyed the beef medallions with horseradish and Carmelized onions, also sooo very good. All in all, fabulous experience. The live music was awesome and super fun, the food was great and Chef Vince, as always, is spectacular!!! 5 stars all the way!
(5)Scott C.
Went for the first time last night. The menu definitely has a variety of items, and the fact that they light up, make them easy to read. I tried the Braciole, a 1/2 plate order. Definitely enough food, but nothing special to write home about. The food came out extremely hot, and cooled down quickly, which leads me to believe that it was heated in the microwave. The beef was tender, but the stuffing inside was cool and grainy, almost like it was not cooked all the way. The gravy (red sauce) was tasty, and the pasta cooked well. One companion had chicken with the Supremo (Signature) sauce, which they said was very tasty, and the other had the braised short rib, which also received good marks. For desert we tried the Salted Carmel Cake, a serving size way bigger than even 3 people needed. The taste was very good, but I think it was maybe one day past serving date. It was a bit dry, both the cake and the icing. As for prices, they seem a bit high, even though you get large portions. Everything seems to come with Pasta, Risotto, or Polenta, all of which are somewhat inexpensive. I will try it again, as this was just my first time there.
(3)Katie D.
Great food and ambiance in my neighborhood. The food was really good. great options for vegetarians. The Gucamole wontons are to die for. Great place for groups
(4)John S.
Food and service was middle of the road, nothing special about either. We went with a group of 4, two of us got the special prime rib..which was mediocre and nothing to get too excited about. The chicken parmesan was also so-so and over-sauced. For a Saturday night at 7:30 we were probably the youngest group by at least 15-20 years. A chef went to a bunch of tables and talked to the patrons there but skipped our table numerous times, we started laughing about it after the first couple times. All in all I would say not worth the money, especially in the Schaumburg area for what you get.
(2)Ron R.
Nice atmosphere but a little loud at lunch. I wouldn't recommend it if you wanted quiet conversation. I had the chicken francaise. It wasn't very flavorful and a little more of a gravy sauce than I prefer but it was ok. The bread was fresh and good. Service was prompt and friendly.
(3)Lloyd A.
Great food, clean feel, nice and timely service. They had a jazz band playing the night we were there so their was a fun group of customers. Should be a $$$ not a $$.
(5)Rachel O.
Not quite sure why this place has as high of a rating as it does. Maybe we caught you on a bad day???? First of all, the burnt pasta is simply that..... Literally noodles that have been burnt in a pan with a sad lack of seasoning. Italian beef egg rolls tasted like a vintage carpet. Portillos chopped salad shits on this one. The Kobe beef sliders were not bad, but who can screw up Kobe beef bacon and cheese? Although our server did end up screwing up how we ordered the sliders. Still waiting on my lemon......
(1)Jacqueline S.
Arrived for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner...... should have gone across the street to Season's 52. Walked into a very dark and dingy atmosphere, half greeted by a less-than enthusiastic hostess, & seated at our table by what appeared to be my grandmother. The light-up menus were a nice twist, but that's about it. My boyfriend's steak, potatoes, & green beans were cold. Not to mention, the green beans were piled in a heap on the plate, clearly overcooked, & settled into a pile of mush. The grouper francaise was mostly batter, also mush, soaked in what they call a lemon white wine sauce. It was not. My fish was drowned in a moat of butter. If it couldn't get any worse, we asked for a fresh order of green beans and they never arrived. We're still waiting. Honestly, I'm all about trying new restaurants, & if you are too, skip this one!
(1)Megan S.
Everything was delicious. Seriously. I had the skirt steak special, and the maple glaze was perfection. My date loved the filet tornadoes and the bite he gave me was tender and wonderful. Our waiter was friendly and sincere; the atmosphere cheerful and open. There are so many other things on the menu that look intriguing that we just have to come back. Oh! And! You should definitely have the salted caramel gelato with Garrett's caramel corn. I know. The world is glutted with salted caramel stuff, but this simple dessert is so, so perfect. The tiny little chocolate chips pop up once in a while to give the salty sweet gelato the perfect texture and warm, cocoa accent. Plus the Chicago-centric caramel corn is an inspired touch. The balance is perfect. DO IT.
(5)Kathleen S.
If I could give this place a lower score I would. Horrid. Way overcrowded. There is no wine list, so I guess you can pick between red, white or pink. Shrimp was so tough it could barely be cut with a steak knife. Burnt spaghetti is just that - burnt spaghetti. Are you kidding me? Most of the specials were no longer available in the early evening. The waitress tried, I think, but there was no way to overcome the rest of this mess. And, would a health inspector approve of pasta being whipped around the lobby and run through the pasta maker while people flip their hair around and put their coats on two feet away from the demonstration? Ridiculous.
(1)Kim M.
Terrible. My office catered in several types of sanwiches and salads. I had the steak sandwhich. It was very fatty and tough. The horseradish sauce was pretty good. Too bad it couldn't mask the meat better. I also had the eggplant parm sandwich, which I must say was pretty decent. If they ever order from here again, I'm sticking to this sandwich. The salads-- decent as far as salads go. Tasty dressings. My office also ordered a side of extra salami which tasted like it turned several weeks ago. As I type this, I'm wondering if it wil stay down. Sorry folks, but if the place is enough to make me sick, you get the lowest rating possible. With several other options in the area, I'd keep driving past Zeal and spend my $$ elsewhere.
(1)Dave G.
I was excited to eat at Zeal based on the hype and other Yelp reviews, but was disappointed with the outcome. For me, and as some other have said, the bread and oil balsamic dip was the highlight. The oil was creative and extremely good. We shared the lamb meatball app which was also pretty good, albeit slightly on the dry side, but that's where the excitement ended. I had the braciole, which was tough, and the sauce???....WAY too sweet. Took half of it home, but did not eat the leftovers. My gf had the burnt pasta. She's Italian and said that she has had much better. I thought it was very dry and almost too burnt. And I get it...it's burnt pasta. Just was not my thing. Service was mediocre. They were busy, but it seemed like it took forever. I had a glass of wine and our server asked if I'd like another about halfway through my glass and I declined. Not another mention of another glass the rest of our meal. I definitely would have had another if she had come by and asked again once it was almost finished...or when it was finished. Booze is where you make all the money, right? Menu is good sized, and has some interesting options. Might give it another try at some point, but doubt it. I feel there's better Italian options in the burbs for the price.
(2)Anne C.
Today I had the pleasure of tasting some amazing food from Zeals. I had never heard of it before, but I am glad that I got the chance to experience this. Today,6/11, is my birthday and Chef Vince gave me a coupon for a free drink and appetizer. I had the Sausage Bread, and it was AMAZING!!! I will be returning to Zeals in the near future. The service was great and the food was great. I'm glad that I got the chance to taste some food from there. I felt very comfortable from the moment I walked through the door. I love that it's a family owned restaurant, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends and family. Thank you Chef Vince!
(5)Kelly P.
Service was fantastic but the food was average. I love Italian food and it just didn't taste authentic. I thought the server and the wait staff were phenomenal.
(3)Michael S.
Went there tonight. My family and I decided to try this place cause it was relatively new. I now have food poisoning and have been throwing up since dinner around 7. I ordered the Lobster Rolls giving it a shot. Steer clear of these! My mom and aunt both said their food was so-so. Needed a lot more flavor but that's another story. Moral here...I won't be coming back. Ever.
(1)Rocco C.
Rocco Colucci WOW!!! what a great time our family had. Chef Vince you out did your self. Your staff must also be commanded on thier preformance with all the folks that had to be served. A special thanks to your right hand girl, Denice a very classy woman.
(5)Steve C.
Great place to go. Talented entertainment in the bar. Unique entres, all reasonably priced. The food is fantastic. Had the Tomahawk Steak and it was flawless. . Busy, bustling and a lot of fun.
(5)Dave C.
This place is terrible. First, we ordered drinks and my wife asked if they could make her a strawberry martini. The martini showed up and while it smelled like strawberry it tasted like straight plain vodka. After I personally tasted the martini, as well as the other couple at our table, we all came to the same conclusion that we think they poured straight vodka into a martini glass (not sure why it smelled like strawberry because it did not taste like it). It was not good. Next, they messed up my wife's meal twice. They served her pasta dish under cooked and swimming in the pasta water TWICE! For an Italian restaurant you would think they would know how to cook and drain pasta! Next they misrepresented their dish claiming that it has red and yellow peppers in it, but when we told this to the waiter and the manager, they stated that their menu was a "rough draft" which means nothing to me. When you order a dish you expect it to contain what is stated on the menu. It wasn't until the head chef/owner personally cooked my wife's meal that it came out as something edible. They ended up removing her meal and the martini as well as giving us a gelato dessert to share for free (which we didn't really care for). They tried to make amends, but overall, I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I will never come back. The experience was frustrating, if I could give zero stars I would have.
(1)Kathy H.
Zeal's is OUTSTANDING! You will not be disappointed as Chef Vince has done it again. I think this is the best of the best that Vince has ever done. The food is fabulous and you will enjoy all the bake good's that Bob bakes. I also am thrilled as to how they have an outstanding "GLUTEN FREE" menu as well which I must have. Please make ZEAL'S your next meal!
(5)Audrey C.
I would not return here. Yes, the bread and olive oil mix was good but that was where it stopped. (Even that has an INTENSE amount of garlic leaving a gross taste in your mouth) Everything was heavy and greasy, and not worth the price!! Service was lacking as well. We ate on our bread plates the entire night... My suggestion, they are MANY delicious places to try in Schaumburg so save your money and go somewhere else!
(1)Carol R.
This place is outstanding!! From the moment we sat down to fresh bread and olive oil with a balsamic reduction, every course was delicious! The seabass was cooked to perfection. The veal Parmesan was tender and the marinara was perfectly seasoned. The "half" salad was delicious and sufficient for 4 dinner salads. Topping it off was a decadent dessert of salted caramel ice cream garnished with chocolate covered caramel popcorn. Wait staff is pleasant and efficient without being over bearing. Yum!! All paired with a short but excellent wine list. We will be back!!!
(5)Peter C.
Not my first time here and most definitely will be back again and again everything was phenomenal hats off to chef Vince and chef Lauren and staff
(5)Melissa B.
I have been in search of a good red sauce in the 'burbs since I moved to Bartlett 8 years ago. I finally found it at Zeal. I ordered the porcini bags arrabiata. As soon as I took my first bite I nodded happily, signaling to my husband that yes, I had finally found the one. There was plenty of sauce too, which I appreciate, because often times there is too little and the pasta is dry. My husband had one of the many daily specials- chicken wings vesuvio. Tasty (I tried his) but very hard for hubby to eat- very slimy and sloppy. We shared the lobster sliders for an appetizer. Perfectly done. I had been craving lobster and am not about to wrangle with a live lobster myself so this fit the bill. For dessert we shared the salted caramel gelato complete with popcorn and chocolate chips interspersed within. To me there was too much popcorn which almost ruined it. I would have preferred the popcorn just as a garnish with a few pieces. The chocolate chips were like little surprises scattered within. I did appreciate this unique dessert though. I would love to go back here one evening just to sit at the bar, have some drinks, and listen to the wonderful live singers! Good job Zeal.
(4)Kyle V.
Huge portions and the food was really good. The flourless chocolate cake.. just wow. Get it.
(4)Don J.
My wife and I made our first visit last weekend. It was very busy - which I always consider a positive. As we entered, one of the chefs was doing a homemade pasta demo in the lobby. Nice touch. He explained some of the tricks of the trade. We had a reservation and were seated right away. All wait staff were quick and knowledgable. The chicken/prosciutto/pasta was very rich but very delicious. Salads were fresh and quite huge. Grilled calimari appetizer had nice sweet balsamic oil and was almost a meal itself. Stopped in the bar after dinner and it was packed. Also had live music. Bar staff had no trouble finding us in the crowd and getting our drinks promptly. We will be back to try some of the other entrees. Prices reasonable, food delicious, and portions huge.
(4)Brian F.
The food may have been good... but we'll never know. After being seated immediately upon arriving and handed 8 different pieces of paper that made up the confusing menu, we proceeded to sit and sit....and sit. Someone brought us water but that was our sole interaction with the staff for the next 20 minutes. No one took drink orders or explained the menu. Finally, as we had decided to leave a waitress came over and said "one minute" as she scurried away. We waited another 5 and then departed the restaurant. It was busy but not slammed. There's really no excuse for a table to be completely forgotten. Figure out your server logistics.
(1)Laura S.
We truly Loved our dinner and visit tonight. Zeal has such a nice warm & inviting decor. The staff are all so nice & attentive. The Chef & Owner Vince adds such a personal touch for his customers. The food was amazing...The stuffed artichoke was delicious, the grilled calamari was wonderful with it's balsamic glaze and asparagus on the side, & the stuffed rolled eggplant was sooooo good. Everything was top notch. So happy to have such a great, unique menu Italian restaurant in the western suburbs. We will be back for sure. Fine dining with a warm lounge with talented entertainment is a perfect place for us. Zeal is for sure a WINNER !!!!
(5)Joan K.
Food was phenomenal. Service was the same. From the "hostess with the mostess", Chef Vince, and Linda our server., they all made you feel so welcome and were so helpful and knowledgable. Huge menu, but they will be scaling it down a bit in the near future. One of my two only comments...too much to choose from and the tables are a bit too close together in the room we were sitting in. I felt more sorry for the servers trying to maneuver. To start off, bread with a combo of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices, cheese and balsamic glaze...we went thru 2 of them. So I ..suppose... We liked it...um very much. Now the best part, the food. One of us had the lamb chops, and as a very fussy eater, he polished them all off. That's a stunning endorsement. Myself and the other diner had some tapas to share. Eggplant roll ups...I wanted a full plate of them, one I tasted them. Don't get me wrong, the tapa portion was Very Generous and yummy. Please include them on your revamped menu. Or offer them as an entree. Next was the Italian beef egg rolls. Wonderful, beef tender and flavorful, as well as an unusual offering. Portion was, again very generous. Following that was a deep fried lobster tail on a skewer. Nice size, done nicely and served with some drawn butter and chipotle mayo. Loved it with the butter...no calories there^^. And to round it off was a pork rib wrapped in bacon, with BBQ sauce and scattered with thin cut fries. Good taste, but found the ribs a bit messy to eat. Would I return..definitely! Staring at the dessert collection near the hostess stand,I'd love to try the mile high carrot or chocolate cake. (Fancy up that display a bit...desserts themselves look amazing, but on the wire shelves, you can display the nicer, in my humble opinion). I hope this place takes off. I'm gonna spread the good word for sure! Don't miss it.
(5)Angela T.
I had never been to Zeal before and decided to gamble and take a client to lunch there recently. Unfortunately, the client didn't make it. That didn't stop each member of the Zeal Team, including the Chef himself, from asking me if I was being helped, if I wanted something to drink, if I wanted to be seated. Because of their attention, I decided to stay and eat at the bar alone - something I RARELY do - and WOW! was I glad. The food was as impressive as the service. I'll be back for sure. Good luck to Zeal!
(5)Candice-Marie B.
We have been to Zeal multiple times and we will continue to look forward to dining here. We always sit in the bar and we always feel so welcome whenever we walk in and sit down. Rick #1, Rick #2, and Agnes always say hi and welcome us back. This last time one of the Ricks even remembered that we always order Peroni beer and asked us if that's what we wanted before we even knew we wanted it. All 3 of them display excellent customer service and they display awesome teamwork behind the bar. We try something new to eat everytime we go and we have enjoyed everything we have ordered. The food is interesting, delicious, and always comes out fresh. I really can't ask for anything more.
(5)Mara R.
My husband and I ate at Zeal on the suggestion of a friend, and to say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement! We started with a "half" salad, which was enough for the two of us to share with leftovers. The dressing was absolutely delicious; garlicky without being overwhelming. My husband ordered the stuffed meatballs for dinner, with a side of the BLT pasta salad. I have never heard him rave about food the way he raved about this meal. The fresh tomato sauce was as good as it gets. I was indecisive, so I ordered a couple of small dishes as my entree. The Italian sausage was spicy, full of fennel, and cooked perfectly, and was served with the same tomato sauce as my husband's entree. The star of my meal though were the roasted brussels sprouts: just a little garlic, some balsamic vinegar, and just enough browned bits to make them PERFECT! The service was almost too attentive. I don't think our glasses were less than half-full at any point, and the short delay in receiving a glass of wine was rewarded with the glass being discounted. Our food arrived quickly and our empty dishes were cleared just as quickly. We are returning for our Valentine's Day dinner, and look forward to another wonderful meal!
(5)Ilene S.
Gluten free people this is a GREAT restaurant to add to your list. The food was delicious, the wait staff and kitchen knew the ins and outs of providing gluten free dining and the price was reasonable. The GF meal options while not plentiful were diverse and I have a feeling the chef would do his best to adapt one of the regular dishes to gluten free if asked. I had the gluten free lasagna (Yes! Lasagna!). And it was the best I've had. The meat sauce is so good that I know I'll be coming back just for that. I give this restaurant a big thumbs up.
(5)Abigail L.
This place is a must! The food kept coming and it was all amazing. Chef Vince clearly loves what he does and he does it well. Will be back for sure! Burnt Pasta!
(5)Mark S.
Zeal offers visitors the best combination of food and experience. It all starts with the best oil, balsamic cheese "dip" for bread I have ever tasted. The environment is contemporary and inviting and with big screens to catch a glimpse of the game you may be missing makes it complete. My special of Grouper and angel hair pasta was exceptional. Look forward to return trips.
(5)Kelley B.
The food was great! The service was a little slow. I came here for lunch with a co worker. It looked like they had a big party in back, so that could account for the slower service. Otherwise we had "the bootie" sandwiches... Both versions were great. For desert had sorbet and fried oreos... Both incredible. They know how to do desert there.
(4)VrooomVroom D.
My friend and I tried Zeal last night for the first time, and it was quite the experience. Our initial plan was to sit and eat in the bar. We arrived around 6:30 and the place was packed. After about 20 minutes, it was clear nobody was leaving, so I asked the hostess if the booths in the bar were first-come-first-serve. She said they were reservation only. I asked what happens when people leave? She said people don't leave, they reserve them for the night, but we could sit around the bar with no reservation (duh, really?) She then started to walk away and I asked her for a table in the restaurant for 2. She said "for tonight?". Yes, tonight. She said it'll be "at least 9:30pm, did I still want a table?" Yes. She was extraordinarily unprofessional and almost encouraged us to leave. Thankfully, we only had to wait another 20 minutes or so before a booth opened up in the bar, and the bartender said we could sit there..score! The other reviews are correct, its a little dark, the area is loud, and the menu's are very cool in that they are backlit. The menu itself is amazing. We had trouble deciding what to eat, but settled on the Italian tapas, the flat calamari, guacamole wontons and burnt pasta. All 3 were delicious and fairly large portions. For desert we had the carmel gelato. The portion was huge and it was fabulous! The band was AMAZING and the bar was packed with people dancing. It is an older crowd (50-60s), but FUN! We laughed and ate and drank and even danced a little. We will definitely be back. Other than the hostess, it was a really good experience. The waiters, bar backs and bartenders hustle and had a fun attitude.
(4)Michele R.
I was so looking forward to great night out with great friends and awesome food. Unfortunately we were disappointed. We had an 8:00 reservation for 10, and finally seated at 9:45. We arrived at 7:00 to have a cocktail and check out the bar, so you can imagine how many cocktails were consumed by the time we were seated. After many inquiries to the hostess, she finally brought us a complimentary pizza and promised that we would be accommodated for our inconvenience. When finally seated, our server was indifferent and never even told us the specials, we had to ask what was the best approach to ordering for 10 ppl. We ended up ordering a giant cheeseburger cut into many pieces which was good, but nothing special, chicken Parmesan very good, grilled calamari very good, a chopped salad that everyone loved and stuffed peppers very good but again, nothing special. We also ordered a lasagna pizza, that no one cared for, messy to eat and very wet, and mother-in-law tongue, which was similar to a carbonara sans the pancetta or bacon. That was very good, but came quite late. All in all, everything was good, but pretty pedestrian. By the time we were seated our group was quite inebriated and pretty angry. They offered dessert on them which no body wanted, and ended up taking $25 off the bar Tab, which was less than the tip for 10 people. I certainly understand unexpected situations, but when you have ten people who are unhappy, you do what you have to do to get them to return. I'm sad to say, none of us will. I had high expectations for this restaurant and feel responsible for our large group having a less than great evening.
(2)Abby V.
If YELP allowed it, I would give this restaurant NO stars. Frankly, i was offended by my experience here. I went with a large party for a birthday and none of us had been to the restaurant. Nothing about the experience was even mildly good. Food: LESS THAN MEDIOCRE: HORRIBLE. The prices are ASTRONOMICAL compared to the low quality ingredients and recipe execution. The Meatballs we had as an appetizer were flavorless and were so hard you could not put a fork in them. The Guacamole Wontons were literally some guacamole inside a fried wonton wrapper, with no special additions (at a table of 12 with 6 wontons on the plate, only 4 were eaten...that should say something). The "Burnt Pasta" is a joke and frankly I am offended as a customer to be offered this to pay. We ordered it thinking it'd be a fun dish but it is truly just burnt, black, and semi-cold noodles (plated with a spoon for serving...a ridiculous task). For the main course, I ordered the Boneless Short Ribs over Herb Polenta. HORRIBLE. BLAND. PATHETIC. The dish came out looking sloppy and gray, and the flavor was COMPLETELY bland. The short ribs were not tender, the meat was chewy and rubbery. My boyfriend ordered the Lobster Popsicle--he could not even get the food off the stick it was cooked on. Perhaps the biggest indicator that others were not satisfied by their food was no one was sharing how much they were enjoying the meal! This is a vocal group of people, and no one was saying "Wow! This is great! Do you want some?" No one even expressed "I like this." Service: I have worked as a server and understand large parties at a new restaurant on a Saturday night can be overwhelming...but this was out of control. We were never formally greeted by our server at the start of the meal or acknowledged at the end (besides handing over our payment). Additionally, the server provided no insight on the menu for us new diners and never asked if we had any questions. Is there anything we should know about Tapas/Appetizers in terms of quantity? How are Half Plates and Entrees different...and why are Half Plates not half the price of entrees in that case? How many people can eat from one pizza? (This lack of information led us to having three different pizzas at the table for four people...ridiculous). Worst of all, when we were trying to order appetizers, she was completely frazzled by us because we were having a few separate checks and when we started to talk, abruptly told us to wait as she numbered us off and finagled with various order tickets. Do NOT go here. The outside sign makes it look like a high end Italian restaurant, the building looks like a banquet hall, and then the inside shows its true colors: a dim-lit mom and pop sort of place masquerading as a high-end eatery. We spent $150 for our 5 person check and it was a WASTE. Maggiano's would have been a fraction of the price, and exponentially more appealing, enjoyable, and worth it.
(1)Joann J.
Second visit to Zeals - very good. split the half chopped salad, amazing and the bread is great. we ordered a thin cheese pizza and a specialty with double sausage, onions and peppers. The pizza crust is so thin but stands up to the topping, wonderful! Nice sauce. Reasonably priced wine. We are definitely going back, have to try some of the family style meals. Go, give it a try.
(5)Helen F.
I had dinner there with some friends the food was fabulous and the service,atmosphere and the live entertainment was awesome I highly recommend it.
(5)Chrissie M.
I have not seen as an exciting menu as I have seen here in .....well never. The menu is so diverse and unique that everyone will love it! We have been to Zeal four times and have tried quite the variety,so far.....we would order it all again! I'll try to name a few items but may say them wrong.The grilled octopus...amazing! The chicken vesuvio tenders and Italian beef egg rolls....more amazing. The seafood tower...omg words cannot describe!!!!! I am not sure if it's the presentation or the fresh seafood,but it is an adventure to say the least! My kids say the gnocchi ( which is fresh and homemade) is second to none and they love the Italian beef pizza and sandwich.The meatloaf was so unique and delicious.....I can keep going but really won't say anything we have tried wasn't scrumptious !!! There is entertainment on the weekends which also includes the very enthusiastic bartenders....can't really help but have a wonderful evening! The grand opening is next weekend and I expect this place will be packed once the word gets out.Chef Vince has opened a GEM in Schaumburg!!! Oh,the chopped salad....had many.....this one IS the best. We are personally looking forward to trying the rest of the menu!!!! Last but not least....all of this gourmet yummy food has a very fair price.....making it the perfect new favorite on our list!!!!!
(5)Amanda C.
The entire experience was bad. Went here for a friend's birthday. We were all excited to try a new restaurant in the area. Needless to say, we were so disappointed. It started with my drink. Worst martini ever and had to send it back. Everyone at the table got their dinner, except for me, waited 15 minutes to get a plate of pasta uncooked and swimming in water, and also not even the right dish.... Sent it back. 10 mins later another dish came out, wrong again, and still swimming in water and the pasta was not cooked. When the waiter finally came back, I told him it was still wrong and floating in water. He argued it was the right dish, and I asked him to get the menu.... Basically the dish I ordered was misprinted on the menu as it was a rough draft menu. All I wanted was the right dish, and cooked pasta! Finally got a cooked pasta dish which was ok. Then they gave us a small gelato dessert on the house, which we weren't thrilled about. I want to go and try it again, but am disappointed by their customer service skills with our table... Don't think we can go back :-(
(1)Samuel C.
Food was good and service was great. The portions were huge and the carrot cake was amazing. The only downside would be if you were looking for something light and small. Will Def be back...With a small army.
(5)Veronica S.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this restaurant! Went for lunch, had great service and delicious food. The bread and dipping oil was fantastic- sweet balsamic, olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. The Chicken Pomodoro will be my dish of choice from now on. The chef accommodated a special order and came out to visit every table in the dining room. Will go back often, maybe tomorrow!
(5)Mary B.
Tried this place after receiving a gift card. The food was excellent. We shared a plate of calamari fries featured as a special. They were tender and lightly breaded. The sauce had a wonderful kick to it! The bread smelled and tasted like fresh baked. My husband had the stuffed peppers and remarked at how flavorful it was. I tasted the sauce and it was wonderful. I had the tenderloins. They were cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. The service was top notch. There were a few glitches. when we drove up to Zeal the lights were out in front of the restaurant. Odd and not safe. Even the sign was out. We weren't sure if it was open. When we walked in, the lobby was brightly lit. So bright, that I felt like we had walked into a medical office. We had a reservation and were seated immediately in the back room. Honestly, it felt like we were being put in a "time out" since the front room wasn't full. That's were all the action was. The ambiance was less then exciting. It seems like they didn't know how to decorate the place. The lighting was dim and then turned bright and then dim again. I think this place could be awesome if they would just decide what kind of restaurant they want to be. It had a feeling of a diner in some ways and in others it felt like it wanted to be a cool, sexy place. It felt confused to me. I think a little money could be spent to make this a hot spot for drinks and dinner. They just need to commit to it. Also, I kept smelling garlic and asked my husband if he had garlic on his dish. He looked behind me and said there was a station for servers behind me and there was a large bowl of garlic sitting on the station. I tasted it in my apple-tini. Once, we figured it out, we asked the server to remove it since I didn't want my cappuccino to taste like garlic. They apologized and removed it immediately. That should be in the kitchen not in the dining room. I am giving Zeal four stars because the food and service were five star, but the look and the feel of the place didn't measure up. With that said, if you want really phenomenal food and excellent service, try Zeal. You will not be disappointed.
(4)Renee B.
Hidden GEM in Schaumburg! Extremely friendly staff, food was well prepared and delicious. We started in the bar, waiting for friends. The bar staff was great. They were quick to help suggest a wine and were very friendly, readily available for a refill. The menu choices varied from traditional Italian, to some very eclectic choices like "Burnt Pasta", Lobster Rangoon Egg Rolls, and Italian Beef Egg Rolls. I had the Veal Parmesan Napoleon which was delicious. Extremely large portion. I could have shared with 4 people. My husband had the lamb chops which were perfectly prepared. We did take the servers recommendation on the Chef's Gelato which was sprinkled with popcorn tossed in chocolate. Tasted like cracker jack - truly yummy. Our server was exceptional. She had a great sense of humor, gave recommendations and dishes and was always there right when we needed her. As our evening ended we popped into the bar and enjoyed the band and danced. The band was awesome, they played music from the 70's, 80's and 90's. We were greeted by the owner Denise, who wanted to know how our evening was and joined in on the dancing. We ended the evening saying we would be back.
(5)