Cafe Zola

Name: Cafe Zola
Address: 112 W Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, 48104-1325
Telephone: (734) 769-2020
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.4

4.4 (1044)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

112 W Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1325

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 17, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 8 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Charming
Good for special occasions

Café Zola is an independently owned and operated restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in downtown Ann Arbor. Our menus are inspired by flavors and recipes borrowed from European and Mediterranean cultures and cuisine, including some Turkish recipes. We are committed to sourcing the freshest and highest quality ingredients available and supporting local businesses, farms, and suppliers. Café Zola’s seasonal menus emphasize organic and local produce, dairy, eggs, poultry, meat and seafood. Our full service bar features artisanal cocktails, happy hour specials, and a rotating wine selection chosen from various small production vineyards throughout the world.

Reservations move you to the top of the list.
You may still wait 10-30 minutes.
We may use more than one table for large groups.
If you are interested in a reservation for a large group or special event, please contact us directly.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Mediterranean, International
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 8:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 8:00 am–11:00 pm
Phone number
(734) 769-2020
Website
http://www.cafezola.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
112 W Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1325
Neighborhood
Ann Arbor
Cross street
Main Street
Parking details
There are many locations to park nearby. Metered parking is available on the streets surrounding Cafe Zola. Parking is free on Sundays. The closest public lots are on West Washington between 4th Street and Main Street and on the corner of Ashley and West Washington.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

What 1,044 people are saying

Cafe Zola reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4

4.4 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.3Service
4.3Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Detroit / Eastern Michigan
Contemporary American
Ann Arbor
Great for brunch
Ann Arbor
Innovative
Ann Arbor
Neighborhood gem
Ann Arbor
Lively
Ann Arbor
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Cafe Zola is a vibrant dining spot known for its "wonderful experience" and "great service." Diners rave about its diverse menu, featuring excellent egg dishes, crepes, and steaks. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, with attentive staff creating a memorable dining experience. Perfect for brunch or dinner with friends.

1,044 Reviews

n
nancy VIP
Chicago / Illinois2 reviews
2.0
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
The food at Cafe Zola was good but we waited 45 minutes for it. The staff seems to be inexperienced, the menu too big for brunch. The kitchen must be stressed with the amount of menu choices.
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J
Julianna
New York City2 reviews
1.0
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 1
Honestly, I was really disappointed with my experience here. I have been here before and enjoyed it, so I decided to come to take my family on this past saturday night. They were very understaffed, and instead of being honest with me and telling me that the food was going to take two hours to come, the host sat us. The waitress was nice, and it wasn’t their fault they were understaffed. However, the quality of food that came out of the kitchen was unacceptable. My lamb was raw, my boyfriend got the steak and it has blood on the plate because they didn’t properly rest the meat before slicing it. The appetizers were sloppy and put together in a rush. The oysters were not good. Overall, this experience put a really bad taste in my mouth and I will not be returning to this place. Whoever is the manager or owner should really be doing a better job to staff the place. And don’t take reservations or tables for people when you can’t actually feed them quality food.
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JS
JSchla
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
2.0
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
The service was very slow. In addition, the food was a nice portion but VERY bland. We will not be going back here anytime soon.
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O
Olga VIP
New York City23 reviews
1.0
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Absolutely horrible! Our waitress was very nice but her attendance fell very short. We waited 40 minutes for two appetizers tuna Tatar and oysters, nothing to cook. Should have taken 15/20 mts. at the most. Our meals arrived over an over after our seating. An additional 35 minutes from the time the appies came. Never again will I go during a football game, the kitchen was completely unprepared for the crowd. We had reservations at 8:45 arrived on time, host took10 minutes to address us, we wee seated at 9 left close to 11pm 1 drink. Food was good but after waiting so long, quite hungry after a long day and immense amount of crowds and traffic, anything would have been good at that point. We love this restaurant, have been going for years every time we visit but after this experience not sure when and if we will be back.
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E
Evan VIP
New York City3 reviews
1.0
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Cafe Zola may be the worst-run restaurant at which I've ever eaten. I would've complained to the manager except it didn't appear that there was one. Let's start with the 15 minute wait to check in with the hostess. There were two people ahead of me on line. How could that be, you say? There was no host or hostess to check anyone in. This should've been a tip off. After we were seated, it took 40 minutes to get water. Our waitress Elena (who was very nice and under immense pressure) took our order. It then took over 30 minutes to get two salads as appetizers. We were supposed to get another appetizer but that seems to have disappeared into the void. Did anyone come around to offer any sort of explanation? No, they didn't. By an hour and a half, we still hadn't received any of our entrees. Did anyone explain why, ask if we wanted refills on drinks, anything? I bet you can guess what the answer is. On the other hand, I've never eaten at a sequential dining establishment. What's that? Two of our party of four got their entrees and finished before the other two had even been served. The third person got their food 10 minutes before the fourth. In fact, the other two had walked a mile to get the car and were almost at the restaurant by the time the last entree - a hamburger - was served. It's too bad. The food was actually fairly good but I would never eat there again and would warn everyone to avoid it because of how awfully it's run. If there's a manager, his or her name should be Godot, for the failure to show a and for the restaurant's existential hopelessness Avoid this restaurant at all costs.
1 person found this helpful
D
Dallas
Detroit / Eastern Michigan16 reviews
5.0
Dined on September 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Do you want to send a private note to Cafe Zola?Do you want to send a private note to Cafe Zola?
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L
Linda
Detroit / Eastern Michigan24 reviews
5.0
Dined on September 19, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The farmhouse omelette is my go to at Zola’s. It has changed a bit over the years as the chef changes. Today the sautéed peppers onions and tomatoes had a tomato jammy taste. I suspect the kitchen used tomatoes pasta instead of tomatoes today. Hopefully it was an ingredient substitute not an intended recipe change.
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J
Julie
Detroit / Eastern Michigan6 reviews
2.0
Dined on September 15, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
bad experience with service (not waiter’s fault). Food took an hour. This is probably the 3rd time this happened here, won’t be coming back in the near future.
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M
Michael VIP
Philadelphia County9 reviews
2.0
Dined on September 15, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Very disappointing brunch. First, it took over 20 minutes for our server to greet us after we sat down. It was busy, to be fair, but the server didn't even acknowledge the oversight. Then, we found the remainder of one of those little vegetable stickers (like you get in the grocery store) on a slice of pepper in the shakshuka. They offered to get something else but we declined since we had already been there longer than we had planned. Instead, they took the shakshuka off the bill, but still for the prices they charge, it should be a much better experience. Will not return, there are far better options within a two block radius.
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P
Peter
Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined on September 15, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had an early Sunday brunch and sat outside. It was absolutely wonderful! Food and service were great!
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FAQs

Cafe Zola offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (734) 769-2020.

Cafe Zola is rated 4.4 stars by 1044 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 17, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 8 times today

112 W Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1325

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
Main Street
Neighborhood
Ann Arbor
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 8:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 8:00 am–11:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Mediterranean, International
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
There are many locations to park nearby. Metered parking is available on the streets surrounding Cafe Zola. Parking is free on Sundays. The closest public lots are on West Washington between 4th Street and Main Street and on the corner of Ashley and West Washington.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.cafezola.com/
Phone number
(734) 769-2020

Cafe Zola

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

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Menu

What 1,044 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Cafe Zola offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Cafe Zola restaurant rated?

Is Cafe Zola currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

100 Detroit / Eastern Michigan Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

48 Detroit Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day