Zia's Restaurant

I went to Zia's for a work luncheon with fellow co-workers. I ordered the Pasta Con Pesce which is supposed to be: Linguine noodles prepared in a spicy cream sauce with shrimp, sea legs, clams, mushrooms and a touch of marinara sauce. Instead I got a plate of linguine that was drowning in orange sauce. It was gloppy and the "seafood" and mushrooms were hardly recognizable until you scraped the sauce off. The "sea legs" were not fresh crab legs, but instead were imitation crab chunks and the mushrooms were watery and of the canned variety. The whole dish looked like it had been poured out of a can. The dish tasted like it had been old...as if it was leftovers...it seemed reheated. There was nothing fresh about the pasta dish whatsoever. Their salads were also dismal. A few iceberg lettuce leaves with a few diced tomatoes then buried in Provel cheese with too much dressing. The only redeeming quality of Zia's is the Italian bread. The lighting in Zia's is also pretty bad. It's so dim in there that your eyes take a while to adjust...maybe they do this so you can't see what you're eating and that might make it taste better. I feel this restaurant was over-hyped for the quality of the food they churn out. It's sad to say that Olive Garden tastes better than this place...and that is in no way a compliment. I recommend finding another place to eat Italian food...because this place is far from it. more

We had a completely wonderful experience. The service was excellent, thank you Becca! The food was fantastic and the ambiance was very relaxing and enjoyable. We had a fairly large party and no one was disappointed. Not sure why there are several negative reviews here, but we were very happy with our evening. Would highly recommend Zia's to others and will be planning on visiting again next time we are in St Louis. more

Visted St. Louis and wanted to check out The Hill. Love the look of the Hill area neighborhood. Expected alot from our visit to Zia's. Left very disappointed. Perhaps one day this place served authentic Italian food but it certainly wasn't on this visit and something we were looking forward to. This Italian restaurant does not offer authentic Italian food IMO. Sauce was consistent with what the Spaghetti Factory or Olive Garden (even OG may be better) may serve or what you would expect from a jar of Newman's or Classico. Cavetelli noodles weren't noodles but just a dried style pasta shell, it's not the type an authentic Italian restaurant would serve. If you have had an authentic Italian food experience or are of Italian heritage yourself (I am) and used to your Mom's, Grandma's, or Aunt's real Italian food, then you will be disappointed here. It is a night and day comparison from poor Italian food to great Italian food and an easy comparison to make here, it just isn't...good. Meatballs, all meat and no character, hard and not like Grandma's authentic ones, again meatballs should not be hard balls of meat and spices, but a moist meat combo of beef, pork and veal and softened with milk soaked bread and egg and hints of garlic, the ones they served were heavy bombs. Linguini and Clam sauce..usually served with a white or red sauce. We had white, but it was full of cream...not authentic, white sauce with clams should be white wine and clam juices NOT a thick cream sauce..again, not authentic. The best part was the sesame seed topped Italian bread. Our waiter was very good. I will go back to The Hill and this time do better research on the best Italian restaurants there. Not sure why it's this way, the owner, the chef? But what a bummer! more

Saturday night 12 of us took my Mom for her 85th b-day to Zia's. They were totally packed. We got there about 7pm and we were sitted about 8:20. They had some other large parties as well. So I was concerned how our service and food would be. I cannot tell you how they bent over backwards to make this a wonderful dining experience. I had the seafood ravioli and it was awsome. Everyone at the table was pleased with the food and I felt sorry for the waiter he must have had to repeat the dinner special 5 times. I think some just were giving him trouble, but he just smiled and went on with the orders. We left him a hefty tip for his excellent service, I will be back!!! Thank you Zia's for making my Mother's Birthday a memorable one! Laurie Esterlein more

You can see why this restaraunt has been around for a long while. the food is outstanding, using nothing but fresh ingrediants. everything home made. they even offer a great line of authentic italian desserts to finnish a great meal. the inside might be new since the fire but the recipes are still the same. you really can't go anywhere and get the quality / quanity /and service that they offer here!! more

My husband and I like to try new places on our monthly lunch dates, this month we picked Zia's based on a friends suggestion. Boy was it worth it! We walked in a bit after noon on a Saturday and had a 15-20 min wait which we expected after seeing the tour bus parked outside. The atmosphere was great, casual and friendly. We were greeted with a smile and offered a menu to check out while we waited. Once we were seated the service was quick and friendly. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the foods and had some great suggestions. The food was perfect, I had one special and he had the other and they couldn't have been better. It surpased our expectations. We shared an appetizer, and each had a salad, bread, and entree and spent $40 including a generous tip for great service. We will definitely be returning...frequently! more

tried to order carryout for my sisters birthday and was rudely told that they dont do carryout on saturdays because they are too busy, too busy for my buisness i guess. more

Zias is the place to take visitors to show them the old Italian atmosphere. It's like a great visit to the past, bustling waiters, crowded tables, huge portions of heavy, cheesy, dark marinara type Italian food. Reminds me of my Aunt Gwen, who cooked just like this and always gave us a big, warm Italian welcome. The aroma of the rich sauces, the filled to capacity tables, the noisy, happy crowds of families all add to the experience. Parking is very difficult and the lines are long indeed but you should simply expect this and make it a part of your overall experience. Avoid the weekends if you hate a long wait. Pros: Old-fashioned Italian atmosphere & food Cons: heavy food, long wait, parking more

The best steak sandwich I ever had. If you are in St Louis, take a break from site seeing and go to Zia's. Order their Steak Sandwich on a Garlic Cheese Bread and you will not be disappointed. Its just that good. Try it out. Pros: Great Food at great prices Cons: Parking more

My Dad and I went here on a Saturday night. Thank goodness we weren't too hungry. There was a near 2 hour wait for us but it was totally worth it. The service was great and so was the food. If you haven't tried to the seafood ravioli you should. Definitely homemade with a delicate pastry outside to compliment the seafood inside. We were wanting to get dessert but were just way too full. Next time we might try to share an entree or something. We already buy their pasta sauce at the grocery store since it's amazing. So if you want to go on a Saturday night, don't come hungry or come early. When we left at 9 they still had a hefty wait. Fortunately, people started leaving instead of waiting so that helped us out. But the wait is totally worth the service and the food. Pros: Great Food and Service Cons: VERY busy on Saturday nights, parking more

I thought we knew good Italian. After all, we're from Kansas City. BUT--this dining experience was SO good. My husband and I both ordered the lasagna and it was the cheesiest, sauciest, most delightful dinner. And the salad!! It is hard to decide which was better.....the salad or the entree. I also have to commend our waiter. It is certainly no rarity these days to have a less than stellar waiter/waitress. We were absolutely bowled over. Our waiter did not miss a beat. He was prompt. He was personable without being intrusive. He was knowledgeable. He was quick. He was absolutely everything you would/could ask for in a waiter. Although we don't get to St. Louis often, we will so look forward to visiting your eatery again. Thank you for a wonderful experience. You truly have a gem. Lynda Pros: Best Italian Ever Cons: There were none more

We went to Zia's because it was convenient after we had left an appointment at the hospital. We arrived with our child and were told rudely by 2 different female employees that there was nothing for him to eat. After eyes were rolled and our questions were snidely answered, we went elsewhere and had a great experience. Thanks to those rude employees we have discovered a new restaurant. Cons: Rude employees more

We had our sons rehersal dinner here a couple of months a go and i can not say enough about the food we did the spedini and it was awsome the sauce was one of the best i've ever tasted everything was perfect from the freindly bartenders when we arrived to the thanks for coming as we walked out the door i can not wait till our next visit. Thank you Zias for making an important night so easy and enjoyable. more

I would have to say that the staff here is absolutely fantastic. I have had the most wonderful experience with the owners of this great family run restaurant. The owner is a very passionate man who sincerely cares about his clientele. His daughter takes her job very seriously and does everything in her power to make sure the restaurant is run smoothly and her customers are happy. An overall wonderful experience with a quality staff that cares...a rarity in this day and age. Pros: Friendly Service - Passionate owners more

The food is just average, the portions are generous. Not even close to being one of the better places on the hill. Pros: great salad, huge pasta portions Cons: Too many better restaraunts in the neighborhood. more

I love Zia's. It is the best of all the Hill restaurants. My husband and I love the huge portions and the great prices. It is nice to know that we can eat dinner for two for less than 30 bucks and have enough for lunch the next day! The wait can be a little long on the weekends and parking is sometimes tough but it is worth it. We love the Calamari- a must try! Pros: Service, prices and great food Cons: long wait more

the sauce is sweet. They make it so far ahead they put sugar in it so it does not taste sour! ICK. i HAVE TRIED THIS PLACE OVER AND OVER AND ALWAYS DISAPOINTED. My guests were too! Pros: good location Cons: sauce more

Love it, love it, love it!!!! The atmosphere is nice for families or for a date-night. They have the best pollo picante, salad, bread and pasta. I highly recommend you order their seafood ravioli or seafood stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer if you like seafood. It is scrumptious!! I have not had any bad food there. What you get for your money is a lot of food, well worth what you pay for it. My husband I usually spend about $30 or more when it's just the two of us and that includes the appetizer and a glass of wine and a mixed drink. We usually always bring leftovers home. Get there early on a weekend night because it is so good that everyone goes there. Pros: Quality of food is great quantity, awesome Cons: wait time could be long if you don't arrive early on a weekend night more

As an educator, my patience threshold is very high, however, my six years of experience could not have... more

As an educator, my patience threshold is very high, however, my six years of experience could not have prepared me for the awful experience I had a... more