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Zaza's
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Zaza's
Review Highlights
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"...chicken, wild mushroom, spinach, in a light olive oil sauce." In 6 reviews -
"Chicken and pasta dishes are quite good too." In 3 reviews -
"...her reccomendation of the stuffed artichoke for our appy." In 3 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from John P.
Libertyville, IL
2/12/2012
Outstanding. Excellent service and great food and drink. Go for the whitefish. Got mine with a filet and it was awesome.
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Review from Mike M.
Clarendon Hills, IL
Updated - 1/12/2012
I love to have lunch with fellow Indiana Hoosiers, especially when they pick up the tab! I just came from Zaza's and wanted to share my thoughts with others. There a places where you feel crowded and there are places you feel comfortable. This is a really cozy place with well designed table space that you feel right at home. My buddy (LaBrash) ordered the Penne Abbruzzesse so I followed suite. You can tell when a sauce takes a long time to prepare - this sauce was definitively slow cooked! It had a little spice and heat to it (the way I like it) with homemade char-broiled Italian sausages in a a plum tomato sauce over some penne pasta. The service was perfect and since it was snowing for the first time in Clarendon Hills this winter, a cozy restaurant was just what I needed, along with some Hoosier friends.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/14/2010
Zaza's restaurant is one of the best fine dining restaurants in Clarendon Hills. The eatery styles… Read more »
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Review from Jen M.
6/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is SWEET!! I've lived 10 minutes from this restaurant for my entire life and just tried it for the first time last night. I will say that our server was terrible, but the food is so good, that I will risk poor service and return again.
We did not try any appetizers because they were very generous with the fresh baked, hot bread and dipping oils. We all ordered pasta as our entrees, since their pasta is made from scratch, and we were all very satisfied. Mine was probably the best - the farfalle with chicken, wild mushroom, spinach, in a light olive oil sauce.
The restaurant itself has a nice setup, cool decor, and a big bar. Will definitely be returning soon. -
Review from Tim C.
Downers Grove, IL
6/25/2011
Great decor, great food, and great service. Doesn't play Sinatra continuously, what more can you ask for from an Italian Restaurant?
Your wife, your date, your business associates or your friends will be impressed by the dark wood decor and spiffy wait staff.
More often than not, i get one of the fish dishes. Though in season, they have a great soft shell dish. Chicken and pasta dishes are quite good too. Never tried a steak here, so you're on your own there. This is Chicago though, it's going to be a good steak, right?
Only thing to ding 'em for is the bread. Kind of minor, but my son in law bakes French Bread in Lincoln and Omaha, NB so now I am a bread snob. Still doesn't stop me from sopping up olive oil and Parmesan with their so so bread. :-)
Give 'em five stars anyhow. If my son in law opens Chicago store, they will have to upgrade though. -
Review from alicia b.
Lombard, IL
12/9/2010
Holy crud I'm hungry just thinking of the insanly good dinner my boy had there a couple weeks ago. We were driving aimlessly around looking for a new place to have dinner when BAM we stumbled upon the scrumptious Zazas. It just a tiny lil' Italian place with some majoy culinary skills back in the kitchen.
We were greeted by our lovely waitress which I forgot her name..oopps! I wish I remembered since I dont like a lot of people and I really liked her. Thats besides the point...She brought us a couple of tasty glasses of wine from their extensive wine list. As we sipped on those we decided to go with her reccomendation of the stuffed artichoke for our appy. While waiting for that we chowed down some warm fresh bread that was brought to the table. When the art came I almost passed out it was covered in buttery breadcrumbs, olive oil and some secret sauce , it was seriously,no joke one the greatest foods I have ever tasted in my 27 years of life! You Need, you MUST go just to try the gigantic artichoke.I know it was on special so maybe call ahead a make sure they either have it or can make it for you.
After devouring it was ordered our main dishes.I was pretty full at this point but we had to check out the rest of the food.I really had a tast for orchiette with garlic and oil but it wasnt on the menu so I asked our waitress and she assured me they could whip it up for me. So they did! It was very light and tasty. Sam and I were worn out from enjoying our meal that we couldnt do dessert but next time we wont blow our load on the appy in order to save room for dessert! We will be heading back for another tasty meal,,,hopefully next weekend;) -
Review from Robyn C.
11/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
I love it when my hubby has to run on Saturdays ... that means carb loading for dinner and my favorite ... Italian food.
I picked Zaza's because it is close to home and because the ratings were good. I am so glad that I did, this place is a solid 4 starts almost at the cusp of being 5 only for one reason which I will get to.
Food: You get the typical bread, olive oil, parm cheese mix. We hype it up with balsamic vinegar and pepper .. try it, you'll love it.
I ordered the Penne Abbruzzesse. This dish was fantastic. I am so delighted that it came huge so I have plenty of left overs ... or at least I would have plenty if my hubby didn't eat half of it since he liked it a lot too. He ordered the sea bass with linguine. This was very tasty, the fish could have been a little fresher, but it was cooked well and overall, the dish was very good. The sauce they used wasn't too heavy which is good since they add a mound of linguine.
Service: Very very attentive, my glass of water was constantly filled, almost to where they just hired this guy solely to pour water. I actually like that... he doesn't bug you or anything, he just refills your water and leaves. Sometimes you don't even realize he refilled your water. The bad part of our experience was when it was time to leave. They were efficient ... almost too efficient. We felt like we were being forced out with how fast our plates were cleared and how fast the check came. I looked by the door and no one was waiting, but it was a Friday night, and they probably had more reservations coming in, so it was understandable, but for a great experience from the beginning to feeling like we were getting kicked out kind of killed it.
We will definitely by back though... I would totally rather come here than Maggianos, or even Antico Posto. The food is just as good as Antico Posto, but with no 45 minute wait for a table and the prices are much more reasonable. -
Review from Casandra G.
Charlotte, NC
10/14/2009
My boyfriend, who refuses to yelp, asked me to find a nice Italian place in the west burbs for him to take his mum on mother's day. They usually just go for Maggiano's since it's got the name brand and all, but they happened to be booked solid that night. So I scoured trusty yelp for a possible lead on a sleeper Italian place that would not be packed on mother's day, but because of lack of knowledge, not lack of quality. So I referred him to Zaza's, with its teeny number of reviews, and buddy, it did not disappoint.
According to him, this spot is a fresh-tasting, generous-portioned, overall very satisfying gem that smacks the pants off of Maggiano's, for a better price too. His mum raves about this place and has made it her staple "fancy restaurant" stop since Mother's Day '09.
TBA: let's see what happens when I make the trek out to visit him, and mention a hankering for some tasty Italian... and I'll report whether there really is good Italian west of Taylor street. -
Review from Lizzi C.
Elmhurst, IL
Updated - 1/23/2010
...did carry out here for dinner last night - best gnocchi I've ever eaten in my life!!!!!!! It was stuffed with CRAB and had an amazing cream sauce. The gnocchi was so light, like little pillows. They would have been superb by themselves, but the crab filling and sauce was just nuts. The stuffed artichoke was as good, if not better, than the first time I dined here...we also ordered an eggplant parm appetizer - delicious. The other entree was cheese ravioli with a creamy truffle sauce.
Two apps and two entrees (+bread and soup) under $52.
Love this place. Eat here!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/13/2007
This is the best Italian restaurant EVER. Please go here you will thank me!!! Very cozy place… Read more »
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Review from Carol K.
2/4/2008
I have driven by this place a million times and have never given this place a second glance. In fact- I wasn't sure it if was a restaurant or a part of the decorating place next door.
But I stopped by here tonight for dinner with a friend and I was pleasantly surprised. This place is smallish with wooden tables scattered about that offers up the feeling of a home in Italy. While some reviewers have called it "romantic", it didn't feel that way to me as romantic conjures up dark and intimate and this place is bright and light. Since it was a foggy, Monday night- I needn't have bothered with reservations as we were one of only two tables in the place.
Our server was polite, efficient and when asked- offered up some excellent suggestions on the menu. We started with the carpaccio which was interesting in that the slivers of beef were covered in avocado's, capers, shaved cheese, tomatoes and Italian dressing. We also had the scallops which were drizzled with balsamic vinegar and the ZaZa salad which was full of a variety of lettuces, artichoke hearts, bleu cheese tomatoes and olives. Here's a hint- this salad could serve 4 people. We split it and it was still overwhelming so come with an appetite or lots of friends. All the food was delicious although I did wish for a little less Italian dressing on the salad.
As for our entrees- we both had a pasta dish. Mine was penne pasta with Italian ham and sausage (Penne Abbruzzeesse)- very good. And the other, one of the specials of the day, which was tortellini with vodka sauce-also good but a bit bland.
Hardly making a dent on the size of the pasta dishes served, we saved a teeny bit of room for a couple of their desserts. The raspberry chocolate cake was the winner but the tartufo (Italian ice cream truffle) gave it a run for it's money!
All in all- good Italian food served in a country like atmosphere. The prices are reasonable ($125 for two including 6 drinks), the service was helpful and this will go on my list of places to go when I am in the mood for Italian out in the burbs!Listed in: Oak Brook Eateries
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Review from Michelle I.
Bolingbrook, IL
1/7/2008
I often forget about this restaurant! Excellent Italian food!! One of my favorites! The italian cuisine is authentic and always made fresh! My favorite is the Penne Abbruzzesse! The Pollo alla Sassie is a close second! Their salads are crisp and yummy!
The restaurant is very small so your best bet is to come at a strange time 4:00?? They have a nice outdoor patio that is opened in season. -
Review from Kathleen C.
IL
3/12/2007
Great Italian restaurant, especially on Ogden which is filled with unoriginal and chain restaurants Menu is definitely on the small side but I felt like they really worked on making my dish great instead of mass producing numerous menu choices. And the small restaurant seems really cozy and not loud at all.
We ordered the insalata salad which was a great start for 4 people. Then I had MahiMahi with peppers which was awesome. Two in my party ordered steak which wasn't on the menu but was a special. They said it was good.
Prices are $10-20 per entree with fish, beef, and pasta choices. -
Review from Robert R.
1/2/2010
This place is one of the best kept secrets in the western suburbs, but I'm still amazed every time I visit at how accommodating it is. I've never had to wait, no matter what time I've dined (which, I must confess, has only been three or four times)
Of course, I love Italian food (who doesn't?), so everything on the menu looks good. However, I've found that if you ask your waiter or waitress what they'd recommend, you'll walk out having enjoyed your meal 10 times more since most likely, you wouldn't have ordered it on your own. Being a somewhat routine-oriented guy, this works great for me. And the leftovers just keep that experience going even when you're at home. You'll find yourself trying to resist the urge to go to the fridge for just one more bite, no matter how full you may be...I guarantee it!
If you're on Ogden, just west of Rt. 83, check it out. It's hiding in plain sight on the south side of the street. I'd say you can't miss it, but the truth is, you CAN if you're not looking for their black and white sign, so keep your eyes open.
Now quit reading this and go get something to eat! -
Review from Tavo N.
Hillside, IL
2/22/2011
Good friendly service. Pasta is amazing also there wine, has a cozy feel to it, perfect for a date highly recomend it
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Review from Bryan B.
Hinsdale, IL
1/10/2011
The Zaza salad is off-the-chart excellent. Get it with grilled shrimp or grilled chicken.
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Review from Sabrina M.
Batavia, IL
3/27/2011
I don't know what more i can say that hasn't been said already. It has the greatest food. It's a little small and quaint but i love it. Wonderful pasta choices, fish that is to die for, and always new specials. And any restaurant that gives me bread and olive oil and cheese to dip it in makes me happy. I love it, its really all i can say.
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Review from Alissa T.
Menlo Park, CA
8/1/2008
Had dinner here last night, had the penne abbruzesse, instead of penne I asked for linguine and it was really really good. My husband ordered the rigatoni and it was ok, kind of heavy. My sis-in-law had the risotto and she said the chicken was dry and the rice was kind of crispy. The server was also a little non-chalant about things and took forever to pick up our credit cards when we were ready to pay
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Review from Joe R.
Westmont, IL
4/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
One of my favs! Zaza salad and whitefish are incredible!"
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Review from Brian P.
Downers Grove, IL
5/2/2008
I love this place. I have a hard time giving it 5 stars because that seems like it should be saved for the truly extraordinary, but this place is so solid and I always like what I get when I go there (which is often). If there was any teenie gripe, sometimes when I get one of their excellent daily fish specials, the sauce can be a bit too salty. But the fish is always cooked just right, the pairings are great. The pasta dishes are always made with fresh ingredients and the flavors are always subtle yet complex.
I give it 5 because I don't have many places I want to eat at once a month or more but I will never turn down an invitation to go to Zaza's. -
Review from Chicago U.
Naperville, IL
12/18/2010
We decided to venture out of the normal Italian restaurants we've always been going to and checked out Yelp. ZaZa's had good reviews, so we wanted to check it out. We've passed by the place many times (you don't really notice it because it's tucked into a strip mall). The service was great, food was tasty, and the ambience was perfect. Felt like an upscale Italian restaurant. We'll be back!
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Review from Eva R.
Westmont, IL
10/30/2010
Super nice staff and wonderful food, nothing more needs to be said! YUM!
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Review from Jay P.
Chicago, IL
2/3/2009
My favorite Italian food in the western suburbs!!
