Zydaco Downtown

I went to Zydeco's with a group of friends and family, there were about 20 people. to start things off the waitress brings us our menu and while were looking over the menu she told us that they were out of chicken, fish, ribs and french fries (WHAT IN THE WORLD)...I said to the waitress:"" we made reservations here and you tell me you don't have no chicken""...OMG...It's not like you didn't know how many people were going to come, that's why you make reservations..to top things off the waitress had on bedroom slippers (UNPROFRESSIONAL), she was walking around serving food and drinks..Another thing why in the world would the owner ask for 18% gratuity when the service was bad, no food, and false advertisement..Also I asked the waitress why was I charged for a Martini when on my email it stated that on ""Monday night FREE MARTINIS FOR LADIES""...she stated to me that Antwan was supposed to take the advertisement off three weeks ago... Pros: NOTHING Cons: No food, false advertisement and unprofessional waitress staff. more

I have dined at plenty of establishments but one really was the worse. I went to celebrate a friends birthday party and just hang out. I went to the website earlier that day to check out this place and I was impressed. The website advertised that on Monday night they had free Martini's for the ladies and football. Well later that night I discovered that they weren't free at all. When I brought this to the owners attention he said that he discontiued that weeks ago but never offered an apology or to not charge us for the drinks. I didn't feel like spoiling my friends party so I let it go. I later went to use the bathroom and to my surprise there was no toilet paper and the bathroom looked like it hadn't been clean in days. One of the waitresses had on bedroom slippers, how unprofessional is that! What really made me mad was it took 1hr and 15 min to get my food and at that point we were all ready to go. A word of advise, he needs to get some better training for himself and his staff on how to run a business, make sure the advertisment is up to date, and always clean the bathrooms! Attitude and appearance is everything when you are running a business. Pros: the place was well decorated, location Cons: bad service, false advertising, dirty bathrooms, staff appearance more

We were visiting Raleigh from out of town. We were there for the CASL tournament. Had found Zydeco on the internet and was intrigued by the Soul Food and music. They were more than eager to help us out, which was a pleasant surprise particularly when we changed our reservation from 18 to 24. more

I've been to this place off and on for a few years (like 4 visits total), and you never know what you're going to get. The chubby lady at the door is rude, lacks class, and lacks business sense if she believes the way she treats money-paying customers the way she does is cool. The servers are mentally handicapped, and there's the funkiest smell coming from the drains in the bar area near the front. The drinks are overpriced (glass of wine for $10, heck no) and the parking situation is loco. Please someone else open a jazzy spot to either shut them down or make them compete with positive changes. Oh, and look at there Health Inspection rating 89.5 + 2 (for education) = 91.2!!! YUCK!!!!! Pros: Good wings Cons: Everything else more

My friend and I dined at Zyedeco for the first time last weekend (2 Aug, 2008). We pleasantly greeted as we went into the restaurant area by 2 very nice server's. The gentleman server (I think his name is Jay...I'm bad with names) asked us if we had been there before and we told him we that was our first time. He told us a little about the establishment, made menu recommendations, and filled us in about the entertainment and other happenings at the club. I had been looking for a nice jazz-supper club in this area, and had almost given up, but this is will my place to go for relaxation, great food, entertainment, and superb customer service. Shoot, we enjoyed the food and service there so much, my friend said she might even apply to work there part-time, so that she can enjoy the food, music, entertainment and the staff on a regular basis. Pros: The food is excellent, very authentic Cajun...Perfect! Customer Service is outstanding, very curtious and really take care of the customer's needs...my server went beyond the call of duty! Cons: The only con is that I didn't find this place sooner! more

Upon entering this place there was the kinda heavy built lady who wasn't to pleasant.....but once seated and my (gorgeous waitress....i mean Tyra needs to recruit at Zydeco) came over and greeted up. She asked was it my first time in and once i told her it was she proceeded to tell us a little about the place and gave us a few recommendations. This place was outstanding I don't know what the people are talking about the did these other reviews, because i was COMPLETELY satisfied. Food was great,service was great and the band Mixed Water was wonderful.....I'm a rock and roll type of guy but i really enjoyed them. Pros: Service,Food,and Entertainment Cons: the greeter/money collector more

Although the service leaves little to be desired, I?ve always like dining at Zydeco because the good food. Even with the poor service, and less than desirable customer service, I continued to go. This past Saturday, May 24, 2008 my best friend came to town to visit me and decided to take her and my sister to Zydeco hoping it had improved in service since my last visit. To make a long story short, the rude waitresses accused me of running into the owner?s, Mr. Harris?s Lexis, which was parked outside after I had started to park next to it but decided to park elsewhere when I saw the ?Reserved? sign. Rather than saying something to us about it at the door, they didn?t want to seat us and passed it around like an ugly chore. Finally one agreed to seat us and in the meantime the police were called. After investigating the officers agreed that the damage to the Lexis was not done by my vehicle because the height and color of the vehicles did not match up. They told me I could leave, but I waited for Mr. Harris to arrive and verify the damage to his car was already there. Mr. Harris arrived, inspected his vehicle and told police the damage was old and did not come from my car. I told him how unprofessional, and rude his waitresses were. He asked the waitresses to come outside and he made a weak attempt to talk to them about their behavior and lack of professionalism. He told them they owed me an apology. They never apologized, instead they both stood there, dump as door knobs, like they didn?t care that they had just caused Mr. Harris to lose 3 customers, who will tell their friends, who will tell their friends and so on and so on and so on. Instead Mr. Harris apologized for them. Nice restaurant, low class staff. If he ever upgrades the staff, I?ll go back. Until then there are plenty other places I can take my business to. Pros: Good Food Cons: Poor Customer Service more

Ok seriously, the owners must be running coke out of this place if this if they are still open for this long. To say it's the worst service of my life is not giving it justice. Walked in with my fiance looking to see a menu. No menu by the front door or anything that would have suggested they serve food there. Bartender had no customers but apparently was unavailable to help. We went straight to the hostess stand and looked at a menu. Looked good...ON PAPER! Finally a hostess/waitress/person dressed in black so she is employed there sat us outside. We waited 10 minutes....a couple seated behind us got up and left muttering ""this is ridiculous""... We should have joined them... Pros: The weather was nice outside Cons: Made the decision to dine here more

Let's start with the good. *The restaurant was clean. Pros: Food Cons: Everything else more

I absolutley love the ambience that Zydeco has. My first visit was less than desireable. Our waitress had the worst attitude and no patience. The only reason that I went back was because of the amazing band, Mixed Waters. All other visits have been wonderful. This is a wonderful spot for a girls night out ,or you could have a cozy night out with that special someone. Dress code is what you're in the mood for. You could wear jeans with a cute top or a cocktail dress. The owner, Antwan Harris always has a smile on his face and is ready for conversation. I would suggest this comtemporary jazz club to anyone from 21 to 50. When you do decide to visit, have fun! Pros: Great ambience, live entertainment Cons: Limited menu selection more

My husband and I took my cousin and some friends to this place for her birthday. I was not impressed with the customer service. It took forever to get drinks and the waitress kinda' forgot about us. I got discouraged when some customers next to us got watered down drinks and sent them back to the bar. The band (great band) was supposed to start performing at 10:00 pm and they did not performed to until about 10:40 pm. I was hoping for better customer service and a more vast menu. I don't know who the owner is. He never made himself available or he could not have been there that night. Although you don't have a second chance to make a first impression, I will go back because the music was great. Pros: Ambience, Music Cons: Customer Service, Menu more

WE LOVED THIS PLACE! EVERYTHING FROM THE GREETERS, TO THE WAITRESSESS, TO THE FOOD, TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE WAITRESS WE HAD WAS EXTREMELY ATTENTIVE. THE STAFF WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT EVERY ASPECT OF THE PLACE. I GO TO NEW ORLEANS EVERY YEAR AND CONSUME THEIR VARIOUS DELICASIES AND THIS PLACE IS PRETTY COMPARIABLE. ALTHOUGH THE GUMBO WAS A LITTLE SPICEY AND LACKED TASTE, EVERYTHING ELSE WAS QUITE ENJOYABLE. EVEN THE CLUB PORTION WAS GREAT. THE DJ HAS AN ODD INTERPRETATION OF ""OLD SCHOOL"" MUSIC, THOUGH. OUR ONLY COMPLAINT WAS THE LACK OF SEATING AND LACK OF INTIMATE SEATING. THEY NEED MORE LOVE SEAT TYPE OF CHAIRS. I WISH I HAD A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE TH DESERT. NEXT TIME, THOUGH. I HOPE THE BAND IS THERE. Pros: CUSTOMER SERVICE Cons: LACK OF SEATING, INTIMATE OR OTHERWISE more

Just hanging out with the girls on a Saturday night, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Zydeco's. It was 5 of us and this was our first visit. The atmosphere was great and there was a variety of selections on the menu. Because we went on a SAT. NITE, the wait was a bit longer than expected... after all ... it was a ""hot"" venue on a Saturday evening!! more

After reading a lot of terrible reviews, I was skeptical as to whether I should waste my time and money on this place. However, I like to try things out for myself. My ole lady was coming into town for my birthday and I wanted to try something different. We ate at a fine dining place before coming since I heard the food was terrible here. We arrived around 11pm. We were greeted by a friendly girl (most reviews said they were greeted very rudely) Not us. Cover was $5. I was expecting $10 or $20 from some of the other reviews. Very warm atmosphere. Band was incredible playing all types of cover songs ( Franky Beverly and Maze was my favorite) Place could use some extra couches and the bartenders could be a little faster. I've been in Raleigh 5 years and have been looking for a place like this. I will absolutely go back. It seems the owner read some of the other reviews and made some changes or maybe people just dont know what they are talking about. Drinks are a little expensive, but that is expected. Definetly a nice place to relax and listen to good music or come to get tipsy and two step. I'll be returning. Pros: Atmosphere, Music!! Cons: Seating more

It was my first visit to Raleigh and decided to check out a local jazz lounge for some good music and a bite to eat on a Friday night. The service was good and I was impressed to have the owner greet my friend and I at the front door and seat us as well. The food was fair. The first dish that came out was incorrect and just plain awful, but when the correct dish arrived it was passable. And there was no ice cream on the menu anywhere!!! If you want to attract the ladies you have to offer chocolate and ice cream dishes. The music was by far the worst part of the night. The band, supposedly jazz, consisted of a pre-recorded drummer, a man on keys, a sax, and neither of the two could sing very well. Then a few local artists got on stage, and even if they could sing, the music arrangement left much to be desired. The atmosphere was nice however and I would probably return if I knew a true live band was performing and there was ice cream on the menu (smile). Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Music more

I made my first visit to Zydecos this past Friday night it was a girls night out and there were 6 of us. The atmosphere appeared to be welcoming. We were greeted and seated by a gentlemen when we arrived who told us that they were short staffed and on somewhat of a delay. Boy was that an understatement! 2 hrs later our order arrived, the side dishes were very tastefull although everyones meat was burnt to a crisp on one side. The waitress still promising dinner rolls that we never received did not appear at our table again until it was time to take our payment. That was the most consistent thing she had done all night and did it in a timely fashion. We all thought the same thing, how does she get such a large gratuity for such poor service! Needless to say, I will not be returning or recommending it to anyone! Pros: Music was wonderful Cons: Service was the worse I've ever seen more

We had a party of 10. We were greeted with smiles, and the friendly service continued until we left. Our server was new, but she more than made up for it with her cheerful attitude. It kind of depends what you want in your dining experience. This is low key and warm, it's not your typical stuffy, high-power downtown venue. My food was to die for. I had a salad topped with an incredible mix of cajun (or it may have been creole) seasoned seafood. My server forgot I ordered gumbo, but I really didn't care. The salad was was so huge, I couldn't have actually eaten both items. Another friend ordered the shrimp and grits and continued to rave all night, as did my friend who ordered the cajun salmon dish. The prices were wonderfully moderate--my salad was around $10.00 and was absolutely loaded with fresh seafood. Pros: Wonderful food Friendly Service Fantastic Music Cons: None more

Not up to par with what, anyone I know would expect. After entering the door.. We looked around for a Hostess. Pros: There was alot of room for improvement... Cons: The service was slow and clueless... more

I went to Zydeco's with a group of co workers for a relaxing night out. It was about 6 of us, and we ordered dinner and had drinks. On the night that we went out, the Chef was out sick so there was substitute staff in the kitchen. It showed. Our main entrees were just okay. However, the wings were FABULOUS. The special sauce was good on everything!!! At the end of the meal, the owner, Antwan Harris personally came to our table and apologized if we were not completely satisfied and gave us all free meals for our next visit. He also deducted our margaritas, which were delicious, off the tab. We went over to the lounge area and enjoyed live jazz by a great group. It was a mellow crowd, but I could tell it definitely had potential. The service was really good and Antwan was so nice and sincere, it really made the difference. He knows good customer service. We will definitely go back. Pros: good customer service, nice environment, contemporary design Cons: average entrees, not many people to mingle with that night... more

I was there for their 1 year anniversay, and with that said, the food is great, the music was out of this world, and I really had a good, good , time. In anything that's new, you have some bad and some good, the times I've been there I've never had any problems, so I say this, there's not a whole lot to do in raleigh after 11:00pm, so let's give the place a chance, if you don't want to eat there because of the service, then eat before hand, the music and the drinks are worth the cover charge, to see bands like that in concert you'd pay more than the cover charge, and there's no food! I am sure that the owners would rather you gave good reviews, but at the same time they need to know where they need to improve. I'm not looking for this club to go anywhere for some time, in fact I expect them to become the talk of downtown not for things that are not going well, because I expect that to improve with time , but because of the atmosphere and the need for a place where you feel comfortable. Fact is, I love going there, and parking? That's not the owners fault, the whole downtown has a parking problem, especially if you don't want to apy for parking. I say ZYDECOS IN RALEIGH ROCKS! more