My wife and I had a really nice date night here! With a toddler, we don't get out much, so we were so happy that the one night in a very long time that we were able to get out, we were able to go here. Italian food is our favorite to eat and this place really knocked it out of the park. Between the delicious food and the great service, it was just a really nice experience for us. They have a great selection of wines that pair perfectly with their pasta dishes. On top of that, the ambiance of the place was very nice and chill. We will definitely be back! read more

We had a chance to visit Zinicola recently and had a very nice experience. The staff and especially the server were more than gracious and provided outstanding service. We felt overall the food was very good. Highlights included the filet mignon, which was perfectly cooked the Caesar salad with the white anchovies, and the meatball appetizer. One note was on my original order of the known as lasagna. It was significantly overcooked, but the staff graciously replaced it within an outstanding version. Also, we felt the sauce and preparation for the Brio was a little bit lacking, and not as rich as we might would've wanted. Overall, though a very good Italian restaurant and one we would consider visiting again. read more

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Love this restaurant! I've been a few times before but the last time I went it was probably 2 years ago. My boyfriend and I made a reservation for Valentine's Day dinner and we had such a great experience last night. Both of our servers Benjamin and Darin were THE BEST! They were so attentive and made sure that we felt welcome and got all the info on the specials of the evening. I loved that they had a prefix menu in addition to the full regular menu to give flexibility. I had a glass of Sangiovese wine with my meal and it was so delish. They serve complimentary bread with seasoned oil and balsamic vinegar and I am a big fan of that combo! We shared the calamari appetizer and we both enjoyed it. They were crispy and had just enough breading on them and were served with an aoli that I liked and a spicy marinara that my boyfriend liked. For our entrees, I ordered the papardelle bolognese and my boyfriend ordered the chicken parm per Benjamin's suggestions. Both were SO GOOD! Just the right portion of each dish for dinner. We looked over the dessert menu and it looks fabulous but we were too full by the time we finished the previous courses lol. Definitely looking forward to coming back soon! read more

Zinicola - PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE and CHICKEN PARMESAN - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I eat here often, food is always amazing, tiramisu is awesome! Staff is great, all around. Neighborhood gem, I come here for work meetings and personal with family.. highly recommended!! Easy going elegant Italian restaurant read more

Went for a large business dinner - 17 people. We were seated at 6pm but the entire meal took over 3 hours. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. Not too loud so easy to carry on a conversation. The service - although friendly - was painfully slow. It's a shame because the food was very good. The dishes that got the highest grades were the Margherita pizza, chicken parm and the mozzarella app. But, the service was so slow, it outweighed the food quality. I do not plan to return. read more

Zinicola - Dinner Menu - apps and pizzas - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The food was awful. Gave it a second chance and what a mistake. If they call that eggplant parm it should be breadcrumb brick. I don't even think there was eggplant in it. First time I had mussels and they were fishy. Will not be going back. read more

First the good. Nice ambience, food is generally good although a tad on the pricey side for what you get. Now the bad. Service isn't great. We went last night and whilst it was busy, it took almost 25 minutes to get our first drinks and that was after we asked where they were. Last time we were here our entrees arrived before the drinks. Service just isn't good enough for the price they charge. read more

Absolutely amazing!!!!! Blown away by our first visit to Zinicola. Our party was 7 adults and 1 eighteen month old. We were having a birthday celebration. From the staff at the front to the incredible service throughout the meal (thank you Benjamin and Jalen!), we had the best time at this family owned restaurant. The pasta tastes so fresh and the flavors are out of this world. Loved the meatballs, stracciatella dip, the cacio e pepe, and the pasticcio al forno to name a few stand-out favorites. Awesome drinks too! Plus the staff was so welcoming about our little one, emphasizing how big into family they are. Thank you for a special night Zinicola!! Can't wait to be back! read more

Generally mid. Good vibe and atmosphere inside, typical modern Italian-American interior. Clean with very friendly waitstaff. Good for a drink and an appetizer. Food is nothing to write home about considering the prices, several menu items were sold out or unavailable when my party arrived for our 6:45 Christmas Eve reservation. I settled on the bolognese. Pasta texture was nice but the sauce lacked depth of flavor. Appetizers were very nice, we ordered the meatballs and arancini which were enjoyed by all. Cocktails were nice but slightly overpriced for the quality. This place gets the job done for a weeknight dinner or casual date night out. read more

I ordered a salad with my entree and never got it. The entire table got their salads but me. It was brought to the waiters attention so I told him to just take it off my bill and forget it as we were all waiting on our entrees to come out. It was added to my bill at the end and I had to get that fixed. The entree- shrimp ravioli was very salty and the portion size was small. Everyone else at the table commented their food was very salty also. Someone else at our table ordered a mocktail and the charge was the same as an alcoholic drink. We had to get this corrected also. Everyone's bill was incorrect and we had to get this adjusted- some of them twice. The wait time was long and it was an overall bad experience. read more

Cute spot for a date night! I literally grew up around the corner from this spot and had never tried it until now. To start, the bread... omg. The bread. I could have just sat there and ate three plates of bread and had some wine and been satisfied. It's delicious. It's soft with a touch of salt, and they give you yummy oil to dip it in. I ordered a caesar salad which needed a little more dressing, but even after I added more, it still tasted bland. I just don't think the dressing itself had enough flavor, which is rare for caesar. For my entree, I had one of the specials which was a truffle fettuccine dish with shrimp. This I'd rate a 4. While it was good, I expected to be blown away considering this pasta dish was around $45. I think they mentioned they make their own pasta in house, but still... not quite sure it was worth the value. It also looked a little blah and could have used a little parsley or a veggie or something for some added color. I think there was ONE tiny micro-green. Ha. My husband ordered the venison, which was falling off the bone and flavorful. It was served with risotto which was also very good. As for service, it was a little lacking. Our server was nice but not very attentive. We often had to wave her down to come back to our table on several occasions. The restaurant didn't seem very busy considering it was a Friday night. We had a reservation and there was no wait when we arrived. Several tables were open. Overall, I'd probably rate this somewhere between a 4 and 4.5, mainly because the service could have been better. Price-wise, most of the dishes and drinks were quite reasonable. I think my dish was just a little over priced for what it was. I would love to come back for another date night and try a new dish! read more

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We ordered the Noona Lasagna and it was just plain "mushy" . . . no evidence of layers, noodles or otherwise. Flavor was fine, but texture was like eating Italian "oatmeal", albeit with red and white sauces. I took a few bites -- and the waiter said " I am sorry you didn't like it." That's it. Do not recommend this dish. read more

Service was amazing but as for the food, honestly no better than Olive Garden priced high purely because of location. Ambiance was good as well. Illusions work read more

Went here for a private dinner party. Food and drinks were great, but it was the service that deserves the most praise. Especially, Benjamin, who was very knowledgeable and funny. read more

Been a while since we've been here. Was pleasantly surprised that the food was very good - very much better than past experiences. Based on this I felt I should update review. Am wondering if there is someone new running the kitchen. Staff as before remains excellent. read more

Excellent experience that I had with a group of Friends who came in town for the weekend . Our server Harold was amazing ! His recommendations were spot on and knowledgeable of wine pairings made it the perfect night for us . We will definitely be back ! read more

Zini Cola isn't some off brand of Coke (like Faygo for the Juggalos), it's a higher end Italian restaurant which is delicious, but doesn't fit the Italian way of making sure you're stuffed silly. Their drink menu is amazing. The bartender came up with the craft cocktails and I'll say the Chocolate Old Fashioned was worth the price of admission. They also had a decent wine selection too. The menu was a decent size, but the portions were not. My Seafood Rigatoni was poorly named as I could barely see food on my plate. This is everything that pisses me off about "high end" Italian is that pasta is cheap, so load it up. Luckily, it was super delicious, so 4 stars instead of 3 for this place. We were here for a work dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy their food. The service was good (not great). I'm not sure I'd return as there are tons of other restaurants I'd try in Charlotte, but if you're in the mood for atmosphere, lite bites and good drinks, this would fit the bill. read more

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Had a very nice Christmas Eve dinner here last minute as we were originally planning to be out of town. Food was delicious and server was very friendly. It was also beautifully decorated for Christmas. read more

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Zinicola's ambience and food quality is excellent, but that's just for starters. Its menu is varied, always flavorful and its wine offerings rival some of Charlotte's best. The staff is charming, friendly but never over bearing. You owe it to yourself to experience Zinicola soon! read more

Excellent dining experience. Our table was ready upon arrival and we had water and bread within 2 minutes of sitting down. The Orecchiette was very well prepared and my wife enjoyed her ravoili special. The food arrived quicker than our drink order did, but the food was hot and fresh and plentiful. The tiramusu and limoncello desserts topped off a great dining experience with Haley as our attentive server. 2 entrees, 1 cocktail, 1 beer, and 2 desserts for under $100 was a solid overall price for the experience. This was our first time here and hope to return in the near future with others. read more

This is a nice hidden gym located in the Ballantyne area. The staff were friendly as soon as I came in we were created. We had a reservation so we were immediately seated. You can see the kitchen where they prepare the food. They also have two rooms that you can reserve if you need to have a private event the drinks were strong and good. The atmosphere was warm and cozy. The food was good. Sorry I did not get any pictures we were hungry. The server was nice. Overall I had a good experience and I hope that you do as well. read more

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Food is always good. The service from the minute we walked in the door was good. We booked for my son's graduation. Surprisingly the restaurant didn't acknowledge it even though it was mentioned in the reservation and to the waiter. Restaurant was not crowded at 4:15 for our dinner. Ok experience. read more

My husband and I are in Charlotte, from California and was looking for a cute date night spot. We stubbled across Zinicola! The ambiance 100% the food 100% and the customer service 100% Amazing!!! read more

Great environment, great service, and great food. Had a reservation for 7:45pm, arrived at 7:30pm, and was seated less than 10mins after arriving. Parking is easy with the parking deck beside the complex. Drinks were GREAT, highly recommend the strawberry and basil martini. Went for an anniversary and they provided a nice gesture for our celebration and that made the night even better! read more

Decent Italian restaurant in Ballantyne. My family and I came here to celebrate mine and my sister's birthdays. We were seated right away and the service was great. The place is pretty big and nice. We started off with the arancini and house meatballs. The arancini were tasty but not very traditional, as they didn't have any meat inside. The house meatballs were very good and flavorful. For my entree, I shared the chicken Parmesan with my sister. It was ok. The pasta could have used more flavor and the chicken was a little bland as well. My other sisters got the eggplant lasagna which was pretty tasty. It was sweet from the ricotta. My mom had the sirloin and it was ok. She said it was a little over cooked for a medium. My dad had the branzino and loved it! Since it was two of our birthdays, they said we can choose any two desserts! I got the Nutella crème brûlée and it was really good! It had a lot of Nutella flavor and the brûlée on top was perfect. My sister got the tiramisu and it was tasty as well. Overall, the food was decent but I've had much better Italian food in the Charlotte area. read more

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First time to this Italian restaurant for a luncheon meeting held by some kind of investment company. My lunch included a salad & an entree, a salad & spaghetti meatball. The salad was just any other salad. But the spaghetti sauce is very tasteful and the meat ball was huge and taste Ms great. I saw the other dishes such as chicken Parmasen was good as well. Their sauces were good. read more

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Not a great experience overall on many fronts. We showed up on time for our reservation and were told we'd have a 25 minute wait (despite many empty tables). We had advised them it was my wife's birthday which was never acknowledged. I picked the restaurant because she wanted to try their octopus. We placed the order immediately upon sitting but our waiter delayed entering it until later when we ordered all entrees. When he did, he advised us that we just missed getting the last order (his fault). No bread was offered until we requested it. And, my son had to order his drink several times before it showed up. When you're paying more; you expect more. Zinicola fell short with service and the offering of food. The restaurant was also a bit noisy. All that said, the food was adequate. read more

We're visiting Charlotte from out of state and were on the hunt for a cozy spot for a date night. Zinicola exceeded all expectations! The atmosphere is inviting and warm, the food was delicious and perfectly prepared, and the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Every part of the experience was 100%! Highly recommend if you're looking for a special place to dine. read more

Zinicola - loved the ambience and vibe here. - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

My dear friend had her rehearsal dinner here, and it was a lovely spot for it. The absolute highlight of the meal was the staff though. They were so friendly and hustled so hard in dealing with the huge party we had, dealing with dietary restrictions and topping off wine glasses. The space we were in was great, it's a private room in the back of the restaurant. The team there did a great job setting up and getting a place for everyone. The food was alright. It seemed a little pricey for what we got in terms of quality and quantity. The Caesar salad was pretty good, I liked the croutons on it. The groom's brother sitting next to me was losing his mind about how much he liked the chicken parmesan. Overall, beautiful place for a rehearsal dinner. I'd check it out again. read more

The staff was so kind, the food was amazing. It was such a great date night spot. We will definitely be back read more

Zinicola - Ricotta Cavatelli - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Had one of the best dining experiences ever!!! FOOD was amazing, service was just as great...Darin was amazing, professional, and overall pleasant do be served by... don't pass up the opportunity to dine here!!!! Shout out to Wasef the Gm and owner... it's easy to tell he cares about this establishment!!! read more

We decided to opt for appetizers in order to fit in TWO new places yesterday! First review is on Zinicola in Ballantyne. LOVED the interior, lighting, music fit perfectly. Full staff, they did have an event going on in a private room towards the back of the restaurant. Not sure how many they can seat, but it looked quite large. There appears to be a smaller private room in the front of the restaurant that I believe when I counted - might seat 16? Service was fabulous, we LOVED our Server Rayna!! And...the food? Wow! Truly amazing in our experience and opinion. Cannot wait to go back to try their pizza and a pasta dish. They make their pastas in house! We ordered the calamari, meatballs, and Arancini. We got AMAZING fresh crispy bread with a garlic olive oil that they make in house. Well, they give you a little bowl of olive oil with some balsamic, I swear to you this bread does not need it. It was fabulous all on its own just a really good bread with amazing flavors in the oil. The server had given us a lunch menu, all I can say, is: definitely go for lunch! If the dinner portions are the same as the lunch portions? You just won't find that anywhere. I am sharing the dinner prices for these same appetizers. I still feel it was a fair price. They also did have a nonalcoholic beer, Heineken zero. The Arancini did not have meat in it, but it did have the peas! We really enjoyed the sauce on the meatballs as well as the Arancini. The calamari was incredibly fresh AND most importantly? The legs were cooked perfectly. Not chewy, not crunchy, very flavorful and perfectly cooked. Tender. We had leftovers, Reyna gave us a little more bread and oil to take home (so good!) - we WILL be back without a doubt and post another review! read more

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My wife and I wandered into the restaurant on a busy Saturday night without a reservation and were able to be seated after a short wait. They sat us at a high top right along the pass which was pretty cool because we were able to see the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. After being seated our sever took our drink order and brought us fresh bread that was lightly toasted with an olive oil balsamic dipping oil. We perused the menu and decided on calamari to start which was as lightly floured and cooked perfectly, my only quip was that it could've used a little salt which was a quick fix. For our mains I went with the scallops which were accompanied by a sweet potato puree and grilled asparagus and my wife chose the orecchiette with fennel sausage. Both of our dishes were excellent and we really enjoyed them. Our server was busy but very welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed. Also props to the lady running food from the pass, she engaged us in conversation and was very friendly. It made for a nice experience as we watched the food going out to diners and gave us ideas of what we wanted to try on our next visit. I would say sitting at one of those high tops is probably the best seat in the house if you're a food geek like me and like to watch how a kitchen operates. All in all we loved Zinicola and will definitely be going back. read more

Zinicola - Scallops with grilled asparagus and sweet potato puree - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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We have heard great things about Zinicola. I took my son here for a one on one evening together and everything was perfect. Service was fantastic; knowledgeable, and checked in often. We shared the meatball appetizer and we each had a Caesar salad. My son had the bolognese; very large portion and he ate every bite. I had the seafood rigitoni. Everything was absolutely delicious! We look forward to returning! read more

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Don't have an open kitchen - if your chefs are just hanging out and looking at their phones and then touching food.

3.5/4 - Beautiful Italian restaurant in Ballantyne Village that offers upscale Italian entrees but also pizza, salad and pastas. I met a group of coworkers here on a Tuesday evening. There was no wait for our party of 6. Our waitress Julia (maybe Julie) was great. She did a great job making us feel welcome and went over the specials and menu without a hitch. She also made suggestions on food and what wines would pair well with. Apps: We started with a bunch of apps and honestly none of them wow'd any of us really. We got the calamari (fried well but bland), grilled octopus (over cooked hard to chew), bruschetta (good), and a escargot app that was like gratines but I can't recall the name. It wasn't bad but I only had the cheesy part as I am not a fan of snail. The others didn't seem to care for it however. Main course: I had the seafood rigatoni w/o calamari and it was a 10/10. So flavorful and all the seafood was cooked well. I wish it was a bigger portion but that's ok I will be back for this. My co workers also enjoyed their entree of pastas as everyone's plates were wiped clean. Two had the branzino (sea bass), one had the eggplant lasagna and one had the mushroom and Parmesan pasta. Plenty of parking available and this place is great for groups. I will come back specifically for that pasta. read more

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This has been on my list to try for a while. I decided to meet a girlfriend here for dinner. I made a reservation online a few days in advanced. The restaurant is easy to find and parking was a breeze. I got to the restaurant first and there was hardly anyone eating or drinking at the bar. When I told the hostess I had a reservation I was a little surprised that I got sat all the way in the back of the restaurant. We didn't get a window seat or a booth which were all empty. Felt a little weird. The server was really good and friendly and super helpful. The bread they served is great to eat before the actual meal. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and it was super filling and great price for the portion they give you. I got the seafood pasta and it was good but the only thing I didn't like was that there was hardly any pasta in the dish. Maybe just a small handful of the noodles. My friend got the same thing but requested an alfredo like sauce and she liked it. Overall, the experience was good and it would be a nice date night to go to! read more

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Nice restaurant with nice ambiance but disappointed. Food was good but overpriced for what you got. Ordered Arugula / Beet salad which is very small portion for $12. Ordered seafood rigatoni that was good but very little seafood. Service was reasonably good but for a party of 6 they added a large party 20% service fee without full disclosure which created confusion on tip and we found as unprofessional and unethical read more

This is the first time for four of us to have dinner here. Classy looking, nice ambiance restaurant .Servers and the staff friendly and accomadating. However the menue and food left a lot to be desired. The food was pricey. The pasta dish a special that night, gnocchi with lobster and champagne sauce a very small bowl, almost a child's portion size in my opinion cost $32. It was tasty with flakes of lobster in the sauce. The autumn salad a moderate serving, mostly greens with a smattering of cranberries, a tiny bit of fennel , topped with some dried sweet potato strings plus an apple vinegrette with thick consistency like baby food applesauce. Two of us didnt like it and we asked for the Italian vinegrette instead. Price $11 for the salad. Also was ordered a side of 3 large meatballs in sauce for $12. These were overall tasty but a bit salty.. Another ordered chicken parmesan, $22. This was served over pasta. Good portion size but my dining mate said he had better elsewhere. Bread, 4 slices and olive oil dip was brought to the table which was tasty. One of us ordered an aperol spritz, $10 which was very good. The food came out hot, plated nicely but quite pricey for some portion size of the menu items. Nothing we had was memorable. Not sure we'd want to return again read more

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Exceptional service , food, and ambiance. Went for a private party of about 25 people and it really was exceptional.