Zebra Restaurant

Crashed into Zebra one random Tuesday night with a groupon that was expiring the next day. Despite wandering in without a reservation and using a dreaded groupon (don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Groupons but always feel dirty using them in expensive/​upscale places), we were treated like royalty. Staff at Zebra are buttoned up without being too stuffy, friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu.
While we really liked everything we ordered there was just some little piece of pizzaz missing. I can’t quite put my finger on what (maybe everything was just a little too traditional/​lacked creativity) but I wouldn’t put Zebra in the same category as Barringtons, Block & Grinder, Good Food… Just one notch below though and definitely worth checking out!

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Great lunch. Even though it was almost 3:00 they opened the kitchen for us. Seared scallops w brussel sprouts, bacon and mushrooms in a brown butter sauce. HS really good. Across the street from South Park Mall. Go there.

I went to this place for my friend’s birthday. Our waiter, I think his name was Sean, was amazing. He made my friend, the birthday girl, feel like a princess. His service was exquisite.
I had steak, egg and fries. That’s not what it’s called on the menu (brunch). But essentially, that’s what it was and it was amazing. The steak, medium, was like butter.
The place is very pretty with white linen and fine china. I hope to go back sometime.

I went to Zebra for my birthday dinner, something special. It was a bit hard to find, as its in an office building. It was like I was trying to find the door to my dentist office. What’s nice is you get extras in-​between courses. We received a warm sun-​dried tomato bisque shooter after our bread and before our entrée. We didn’t order dessert and they gave us coconut macaroons. I really like those little touches. My husband ordered the Duck Two Ways with cognac soaked carrots and fingerling potatoes. He normally hates everything, he absolutely loved this dish. I ordered the Steak Frites with Pommes Frites cooked in duck fat which I was excited to try, it’s been such a craze lately. I ordered the steak medium and it came out very very rare. I so wanted to give a higher rating but I expect a well cooked steak at this caliber restaurant. I don’t send food back, ever. I ate two bites and the fries which were delicious and I took the steak home and cooked it thoroughly for my next nights dinner. Would have been 5 stars perhaps if I ordered anything else but steak.

This place has been on my radar for a while now, and a Living Social coupon finally gave me the excuse to visit.
We walked up to Zebra through a beautiful outdoor area. We debated sitting out there but it felt a little causal for fancy dining. I didn’t change out of my work clothes when I got home so I wanted to sit in the classy dining area. If I am going to wear a dress and heels after hours it needs to mean something! We do hope to return to the patio for drinks before the weather gets cold.
We were promptly greeted at the front by the man behind the bar who also happened to be our waiter. He sat us at a small (but spaced well away from the nearby tables) table. I was sorely disappointed when I opened the menu and didn’t see the angel hair basket that I have had my eye on since scoping this place out online. The dish was still listed on their online menu.
We started with a complimentary amuse bouche of bell pepper soup. It was creamy and delicious and the smell was phenomenal. Great start to the meal.
After much consideration I decided to order the 14 oz sirloin that was on special. It came topped with a kebab of shrimp and red pepper and served over a bed of fingerling potatoes. The sauce on the steak was spot on and it was more food than I could eat. Unfortunately this was also the major failing point of the night. I ordered my steak medium and it come out rare. I suppose I should have sent it back but I had a little incident where my steak knife made a bid for freedom and I had to wait to get a replacement. By the time I was able to cut into more than the outer edges of the steak my companion had finished his meal and I felt like it was too late to send back. The companion had the duck two ways and both preparations were delicious as were the accompanying brussels sprouts and carrots.
The waiter we had spent the night making jokes and brought us a small dessert after we declined ordering any more food. He wrapped up my leftover steak (which made delicious steak and eggs the next morning) and applied the discount without a problem.
I loved the mix of flavors we sampled during the night and the whole experience was lovely but I have to deduct a star for the cook on the steak. For fine dining in Charlotte Zebra elevated many simple ingredients and had an attention to detail in the service that was impressive. We will definitely return.

It would not be possible for me to be more impressed with a restaurant unless Thomas Keller himself had come out and pronounced he was their secret chef for the day. Not kidding!
In Charlotte visiting a friend and didn’t have great expectations regarding food, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined. We asked to be seated outside in this cozy courtyard area with every assumption that the service might be slightly slower since nobody else was seated outside. Wow were we wrong. Our server Eric was absolutely fantastic! I have to say one of the best servers in my restaurant eating history!!!
The tourchon of fois is fabulous. Tomorrow we may go back and just order a few of these and call it a day. We will be back for sure!!!

I can’t speak enough about how unbelievable our meal was. This is one of Charlotte’s ONLY non-​chain fine dining options and it did not disappoint.
We did not hold back ordering from this incredible menu. Lobster bisque, muscles with pork belly, foie gras with an apple sauce, baby Maine lobster and muscles in a butter sauce, duck two ways (best duck I’ve ever had), chocolate lava cake with salted caramel ice cream (best ice cream I’ve ever had), and the most incredible and decadent vanilla bean soufflé there ever was. It was worth every penny. The waiter recommended an excellent Chardonnay to compliment my preference. The butter that accompanied the bread was even amazing.
Perfect for a romantic date night or hosting out of town company. I’m dying to go back!
Edit: I almost forgot! There was a grapefruit juice shot that was given before our meal, again, so gourmet and exquisite. We felt like royalty!

An exceptional dining experience. Very friendly and well trained staff compliments the exceptional kitchen. Enjoyed the perfectly prepared trout. Excellent wine list. Very cozy interior. Thank you!

The food was amazing. The service was disappointing at best. The staff was so overwhelmed we were barely spoken to. The manager seemed more than impressed with himself, and arrogant. I do not dine out to be ignored or spoken down to. Even though the meal was outstanding the poor service and rude management will keep me from returning.

I absolutely love this place! Had brunch there today and the menu is very upscale. I had the steak and eggs with carmelized onions and roasted tomatoes… Excellent! The steak was perfectly seasoned and tender enough to cut with your fork. The fritz… or fries were awesome as well. Our waiter Tyrell was exceptionally accommodating! I highly recommend this place.

This was by far one of the best restaurants we have been to in a very long time in the Charlotte area. We have passed Zebra many times, a friend encouraged us to try it. So glad we did!!!
The staff was excellent, the food «amazing» and anyone who knows me, knows I’m a food «snob». After visiting San Fransisco and having the most amazing food everyday (even from a food truck) I don’t want to pay high prices for mediocre food in the Charlotte area anymore!!!
The Zebra was worth every penny…
Pasta basket-​Every piece of sea food in it cooked perfect, the filet, like butter!!!
Tips and Risotto — perfect
And the soufflé, absolutely perfect!!!
Can’t wait to go back and I definitely will…

Excellent service quality local farm food. Always fresh. Very unique menu! Lots of delicious choices on the menu. It changes regularly. I have come here for lunch as well. Never a disappointment

Attention to detail marks this restaurant. Reservations easily made and we were seated right away. The menu’s faire is exactly what you’d expect with a place of this caliber and it has something for everyone.
The service staff could not be more attentive and each person was well trained & professional.
I had the exquisite rack of lamb and my wife had the delicate tournados of beef — both perfectly prepared and delicious. The carrot soup «pallet cleanser» was to die for. Every bite of our meal was a delight.
For desert the expertly made chocolate mousse was the best we’d ever had.
The only disappointment was the missing roasted pine nuts in our simple house salad (as listed in the menu).
We look forward to our next visit.

Went for valentine’s dinner and as mentioned in other reviews, the tables are very close to one another making it not romantic at all. The waiter was the most rude person I have ever met, he has no business being in the service industry.
First offense: The salads that came out were not the salads we ordered. I didn’t want to complain because the salad I had in front of me looked good but my husband’s did not so he decided to tell the waiter. The waiter promptly took our plates and gave them to another table across the room. Unfortunately this happened after I had taken a bite of my salad. Thankfully I noticed what had happened and warned the recipient of the used salad before they dug in. When the manager came over to ask about the situation he made no apology and somehow found nothing wrong with giving someone a salad touched by someone else. Then this same situation happened to the table sitting next to us.
Second offense: Upon receiving our main course my husband asked if the waiter could describe the dish (partly because he was worried he would have the same switch-​up happen) and the waiter just replied with «food.» Looking back on it, this would have been a funny response had I been in a fast food chain and not pay $ 270 for a below par meal. The food was average and nothing special. I would never ever go back and feel that I was robbed.

Waiter was really goofy. My wife saw him in an argument with the GM. Food was equal to the meals we have had at Cheesecake Factory across the street at half the price. Meal for two was $ 78 with no wine or drinks. There are better restaurants in the area.

Not impressed — for the price the food is average. The ambiance is okay, not exceptional either. They need to work with the spacing as well — each room feels cramped, like you’re sitting on each other.
For the atmosphere I thought we were going to get great food. If it’s expensive I expect excellence. Instead it was average, nothing I couldn’t find in a midlevel restaurant. They were out of the desert we wanted to order, out of the wine we wanted to order as well.
Overall — meh.

So I’m actually like a 3.7 but Unilocal is forcing me to round up. The thing is, when I know I’m walking into a 3-​$ sign restaurant, I’m kinda hoping… and, expecting… to be blown away by every aspect of the night. It makes me feel better about dropping serious cheddar.
The décor is a little dated and random. It’s my expectation of schmanciness that the décor is made to feel that way as well. Our waiter could have been new — he almost seemed nervous, the way he was bumbling through the menu and specials. We also asked him about a few French words on the menu, and what they meant. He didn’t know. Umm okay… guess I’ll google it!
My 2 friends, husband and I all did the $ 52 table d’hote. You do actually need to do the math because it’s not all a great deal. The scallops as appetizers were superb. Between the 4 of us, we got the duck, lamb, and trout entrees. PERFECTLY cooked proteins — entrees were absolutely stars of the show. For dessert we got the pistachio dacquoise. It was good, but not great. A tad dry. Husband said vanilla Crème brûlée was good.
One odd snafu– the wrong entrees were put in front of us… and a few minutes later, they took them away and put them in front of other people. Granted, we hadn’t yet touched it, and mistakes happen, but not sure how I feel about that. I guess it’s a good thing we weren’t sick or sneezy?
All in all, good food, and entrees worth the high dollar… but you can get a more complete fancy restaurant experience elsewhere.

Went here for a pre-valentine’s day dinner on Friday the 13^th. 4-​course menu for $ 85 per person.
The restaurant crammed as many 2-​tops as possible very close to one another violating any possible privacy.
Service was nothing but transactional, think diner style. We felt rushed towards the end. With two dinners, a few glasses of wine, and a 20% tip the bill was north of $ 270 for a couple, and based on the quality of food (not bad, but nothing to write home about), mediocre service, I don’t think this place is worth ever going back to.

We went to Zebra on Saturday to celebrate my Birthday. Overall the experience was disappointing:
When we arrived the table they reserved for us had been sat in already so we did a little backtracking to the main lobby. The manager (?) asked if we wanted to be seated right away or sit at the bar and wait for a «really good seat.» We decided to wait. At the bar they were out of the Chardonnay I ordered but the wine the manager recommended was good so I didn’t have any problems with that.
After 15 – 20 minutes our seat became available and it was nice so we felt it was worth waiting for. The bread they served was warm and fresh, and the herbed butter was excellent.
I ordered the «Zebra Signature Angel Hair Basket with Beef Tenderloin, Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops, Haricots Verts and Baby Carrots, Veal Glacé and Tarragon Beurre Butter.» I guess I expected the pasta to be edible, but it really was not. The noodles were hard and they kept breaking all over the plate so I couldn’t really get a bite without hard noodle in it. I am sure they were cooked in some fashion to form the basket, but they did not taste good. I am all for presentation unless it detracts from the taste of the meal, which in this case it did. I asked the server if you were suppose to eat the noodles and he said some people do and sort of nervously laughed and walked away.
For a $ 44 entrée I was also really surprised at the lack of seafood (2 fairly small scallops, 2 small shrimp, and one piece of lobster about the size of half-​dollar). If this dish were $ 25 – 30 I would have felt it was worth it. My tenderloin had a TON of black pepper on it, so much that I coughed after my first bite and would have sent it back if I were not able to scrape it off. My steak was cooked perfectly and with less pepper it was good.
Finally, we decided on the soufflé of the day (keep in mind it takes about 20 min to prepare). Our server told us it was vanilla bean but it tasted a lot like creamsicle, it was ok.
Service: The manager was very friendly and did a great job, but our server wasn’t very good. He left drinks unfilled for most of the dinner, and just wasn’t very present throughout the meal.
What saved Zebra a bit was the fact that we had a Google deal so it was not quite as expensive as it would have been otherwise, that being said I am not sure I would visit again. I’ve had much better high-​end dining experiences in Charlotte.

For spending $ 215 — even with a $ 40 coupon — I had hoped this review would be better.
The fella and I went for dinner on a Saturday night, and everything started out great. The tables are a little close together, which makes it a smidgen uncomfortable if you’re right next to another couple, but we went with it, and it seemed a little more lively than the one other time we went many years ago.
Our service started out awesome, and we got wine, appetizer (scallops, which were great), and the chicken entrée (me) and trout special (fella). The trout came with a crab cake, which the fella said was absolutely disgusting… the trout was phenomenal, and he said he wished they’d had a bigger trout and no scallops. My chicken was pretty delicious though.
We ordered the dessert sampler, and when our waiter brought it out, he asked if we could just eat off that plate or if we wanted separate plates. I asked for separate plates, and we waited… and waited… and waited. Finally we just ate off the dessert plate. I don’t mind that, but how do you offer plates and then never bring them?
It took another good 20 minutes for our original waiter to finally come by and bring the bill, which surprisingly had an automatic 18% gratuity added. I don’t know if that’s because we had a coupon or because they do it to everyone, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
For the money we spent, I’d have much rather spent my night at Lumiere, Del Frisco’s, Fig Tree, etc.