zest kitchen & bar

i'm not a vegan or vegetarian, couldn't tell you the difference, and don't care too. but i'm always down for trying new places, different foods, especially those that present themselves well... zest fits that bill. food is fine, and the club atmosphere is good, after hours can be fun. i ordered 2 appetizers and a main course between 2 people. it's definitely a small menu, and a bit pricey for weeds imho, and i thought the portions small. however, surprisingly i did feel full after, and the owner bought us drinks on top of the half price wine tuesday they offered which was awesome. (or was it thursday? hmm *shrug*). anyway i recommend a try.

such amazing and healthy food here. friendly service and great atmosphere. i love the drink menu, they have some very unique and delicious cocktails. love this place!

amazing vegetarian gastronomy. synopsis: zest is an upscale dinner club with a cuisine so fresh flavors burst within your mouth.

zest has a modern approach to the supper club theme. first, their cuisine is local and organic. zest’s ingredients are farm-to-fork making the flavors delicate, fresh and vibrant. even their cocktails are made from organic fruits and vegetables. second, it's mainly vegan so your palet won’t be over burdened with any heavy creams, animal oils or butters. you'll feel full without feeling guilty. third, zest turns into a night club after regular dinner hours. i love this because their seating is built on a higher tier creating a great people watching venue. you can see the dance floor from your table. really fun!!

the verdict? i like to be constructive with my feedback but sometimes you gotta hope that restauranteurs will just cash it in and make space for someone else. the space currently occupied by zest is such a nice location that i'm hoping we'll eventually see a tenant that lives up to its potential.

one of my new favorite restaurants here in salt lake city is zest kitchen and bar, which just opened a few months ago. owner and operator, casey staker, successfully ran w lounge for several years before closing its doors and taking a chance in opening the fresh and flavorful, zest. i am pretty sure it was his destiny – because this restaurant is wonderful for so many reasons.

warm & inviting. had dinner and cocktails there tonight. we were greeted right away and brought menus and water (i love not having to ask for water). the server was attentive and likable without being fake-friendly or rushed, another plus in my book. we ordered sweet potatoes fries (awesome), hummus and veggies (also very good) and a salad with an avocado stuffed with the most amazing chopped walnuts and spices. i could have eaten just that all night.

the best things though were the cocktails. we both had the ginger spice which was made with fireball whiskey. so delicious! i am normally a beer drinker and i liked that the menu featured a lot of local beers that i love but i am glad i ordered the cocktail. i am not vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-intolerant, just the opposite in fact, but i really enjoyed my meal there. we will for sure go back if just for that stuffed avocado salad and the cocktails.

we were excited to find a new local organic place! the only odd thing was that the entry way looked a little empty and desserted. may just be that they are still new and getting everything sorted.
the atmosphere was great, the food was creative and tasty. the staff was friendly and the owner made the rounds to say hello and thank us for coming in. i understand that every restaurant has an off night, especially when they're new and it sounds like someone else who wrote a review may have caught them on that night. our experience was great and we will definitely be coming back to support this local business. ps the carrot cake i'm eating right now is making me want to be a better person.

in response to hl. hey there! we are sad to hear about your experience at zest last week. we definitely value your opinions and put all suggestions and comments into review.
we are for sure going through some growing pains and getting kinks ironed out. we are constantly working on improving our menu.
you caught us on our summer/fall menu change and maybe the server didn't talk to you about some of the fall replacement menu.
i'm sorry the drinks took that long! i'm not sure why but i will talk to everyone on staff and make sure things like this do not go unnoticed. we really value feedback from our vegetarian friends! i am approachable when it comes to issues because i want this to work. the reason for creating zest is to offer more healthy veg. options in salt lake. i am sorry if i gave off that vibe. i am more than happy to talk to any guest at anytime there is a problem.
i would hope in the future that you will be willing to give us another try. :)
our new menu is out and ready for fall!
my sincere apologies,
casey staker
owner/operator
zest kitchen & bar
please feel free to email me if you have any other questions or concerns.
thank you.
casey@zestslc.com

trying too hard.. some friends and i came upon zest after enjoying the downtown gallery stroll last friday night. when we walked in, there wasn't a hostess in sight, then we come to find her eating at the bar. after being seated (at a table that did not have any place settings, we had to grab them off the surrounding tables) it took the waiter at least ten minutes to even approach our table. the wine and beer was average price, nothing to complain about. looking through the menu i was very hopeful. i am vegatarian and prefer not to eat gluten, so they had a lot to offer. after waiting almost a half hour for our drinks to arrive, we finally got to order. all three of my original choices were shot down because the restaurant had run out. mind you, it was dead empty in the place when we walked in at 8:30 pm. what restaurant runs out of three things on a small menu in the middle of a friday night? what i finally ordered was the goat cheese with chives on cucumbers. it came with five dried out cucumbers and cheese that looked like it was squeezed out of a toothepaste container by a two year old. and it cost $9 dollars.
this restaurant will not last by the end of the season, much less a few months.
worst service, horrible atmosphere, elevator club music playing too loud, pretentious owner and the worst "healthy" food i have ever had. stay away from this restaurant.