Zonzo @ Train Trak Winery

It’s not often that you travel interstate with dietary Requirements and take a punt on a restaurant and are rewarded with a fabulous meal. That happened today at zonzo. Nothing was too hard for the staff and service was speedy and friendly. Food was amazing and the view was spectacular!

All, nothing to see or eat here, move along. Try up the road, ill just keep the seats warm. Its a dirty job, as they say… sigh.

A beautiful, spacious, moody venue which has a different feel for every season. In winter, a burning fire sets a cosy atmosphere while the wrapping windows throw a gorgeous light in spring and autumn. Winter it was this visit on a late Sunday afternoon and clearly many others had the same idea the place was packed! Previously I have been for the $ 45 sharing menu. This is an amazing deal with antipasti, as much pizza as you can eat (seriously they said just tell us when you’ve had enough) and salads. Great for a large group, again clearly others agree. Birthdays, kids, people everywhere! This time round, with respect for moderation I took my Dad for two shared pizzas and a glass of wine. We enjoyed the pork and fennel sausage pizza and the pancetta and mushroom. I had a piece of the pancetta ‘that’s my favourite’ then the pork ‘that’s my favourite’ good problem to have. I can highly recommend the sojourn chardonnay, an unwooded gem and bargain for the price.
So go solo, go with a friend, go with a group, there’s options for everyone and joy in every occasion.

Following good reviews, I thought this would be a great place to spend time with our Melbourne family. The food was great and the service fast. The location is beautiful and great for a function but it does loose its intimacy because it’s so big. I’m not a great fan of set booking times… that pressure of needing to rush due to another sitting booked on your table. We travelled on a Sunday so perhaps that’s their busiest time. Strange thing was that a lot of the tables were empty while we had lunch… I had to almost beg to get a table after being on the waiting list for the same time so it didn’t quite make sense. If you are lactose intolerant forget about the availability of soy milk… apparently it’s too hard to change the jug over! Tip — before deciding to have the set menu, it is worthwhile looking a range of dishes of your choosing to share as you might find that you will pay less per person and have a lot more variety in your dishes. Overall, a good experience and definitely worth a visit if you plan to travel to the Yara Valley.

«Gonzo…gondola… zarilli… what’s it called again?». Our group of six was in the mood for an easy lunch in the Yarra Valley, and I’d heard good things about the pizza and antipasto there. For the life of me though, I couldn’t remember the name and we spent a good five minutes coming up with every Italian sounding name we could before I pulled out my iPhone… 20 seconds later, a Unilocal search pointed us in the right direction.
Success!
Zonzo (which I still argue is not the easiest name to remember) is set amongst the vineyards and big lush hills in Yarra Glen. A short drive up the dirt road and past the old railway line brings us to the restaurant on the top of the hill. It’s pretty and we hope the food lives up to the view.
Lucky for us, it does. A $ 40 shared menu takes all the thinking out of our meal — a parade of antipasto, bread, salads and pizza arrive at our table one after the other and we spend the time talking to each other rather than worrying about what we should order. The staff are friendly, perhaps a little TOO eager. Sure, it’s nice to be offered drink top ups, but when the question is being thrown at you every two minutes from any one of the five staff on the floor, it gets a bit tiring.
The food worked. The antipasto had a great selection of olives, cheese, cured meats and freshly grilled vegetables. The pizzas were solid — we were given a seemingly never ending supply (6 between us) and the flavours were varied and interesting. The base was well made — relatively thin and bearing that slightly charred flavour that you only get from a wood-​fired oven. The pizza featuring tomato, mozzarella, pork and fennel sausage, taleggio cheese and spanish onion gets a big thumbs up from me.
Overall, it was a great experience and I’m looking forward to visiting again — if only I could remember the name.

Not just because it is at one of the nicest volume wineries around, Zonzo really gives something nice to the Yarra valley!
If you go on a wine trek with a group, this is the place for you! They have a set banquet-​style lunch and dinner that takes away all the guesswork. You get a lot of antipasto to share, then salads and pizzas. Something for everyone, really!
The space is like a modern take on an old barnhouse. It’s that huge open room (which makes it great for parties and functions, if you want to hire it out) with windows all the way around instead of walls. It really let’s in the picturesque views out over the rolling hills and grapevines. So beautiful!