We've been to Zini's several times and it was always worthy of returning. This time the fra diavolo sauce tasted like a can of stewed tomatoes. Possibly a new chef (?) but inexcusable results. read more

Fresh and delicious. Good old fashioned Italian food. Not pretentious. Great value. I love it.

One word Excellent! Service, food, drinks and atmosphere! AJ is a great servicer who gives professional service! I highly recommend the roasted shrimp cocktail and artichoke appetizer! Great Martinis ! The desert menu is Amazing! I can't wait to go back !!! read more

This is a great restaurant. My wife had the seafood risotto and I had grilled salmon with angel hair pasta. It was outstanding. The char on the salmon was perfect and the sauce on the pasta was amazing. The ambiance is also very cozy. read more

Zini is a master at sauces. Love the Artichoke app. They make great drinks. We go frequently and if we are lucky enough to get AJ as our server things run smoothly...love the renovation made a few years ago . read more

Great ambience casual and comfortable. the waitress was very helpful and friendly. we ordered mostly Italian, the chicken and sausage dish was fantastic and just the right portion size. nice relatively simple wine list and the wines by the glass list was just enough. We will definitely go again and refer friends. read more

The place is no where from amazing! We had reservations at 7pm for a party of 6 and were sat immediately. The waitress came over to take our drinks in a timely manner and everything started out good. We waited over 15 mins for drinks and when we got them, only 4 out of 6 were handed out. They "forgot" about the other 2. Then, a full glass of wine was spilled and WE cleaned it all up on our own. The waitress came over and handed us more napkins to clean up. Now, I'm okay with cleaning up messes we make, but you work here... THEN, they replaced the glass of wine and charged us for 2, knowing one was never touched. We didn't get bread until almost an hour into sitting there and we didn't get dinner for another half hour after that. When we complained about how long the food was taking, they brought us more bread. When our food FINALLY came out, they delivered 5 out of the 6 meals. The 6th meal didn't even come out right after. We had to wait another 6-8 mins for the last meal. 2 out of the 6 meals were good. They were both the herbed rack of lamb. One of the meals was a scallop casserole that resembled more of a soup, another was the salmon that was tasteless, another was veal that needed a steak knife to cut through, and the last was a scallop and clam meal in which only 4 small clams were given and NOT worth the price. The overall dining experience was not good. We of course shared our grievance with one of the waitresses and our waitress then never came back. She sent another girl to "deal" with us. It's a small place. We saw that she wasn't busy. The meals were expensive and not worth it at all. They didn't accommodate for anything, even after our complaints. Not worth the money and not worth the time. None of my party will be going back. read more

Our dinner was delicious! The staff was great and I think every person who was working greeted us and/or asked if we needed anything. We had the crabmeat stuffed artichoke hearts as an app and they were yummy! Both me and my date loved our dinners, and desserts were fabulous. We will definitely be regulars here. read more

Came here on a Friday around 6. The place was not busy. By 7 there wasn't an empty table. Service was excellent all around from the wait staff to the hostess. Very attentive. Lobster ravioli was excellent. My girlfriends salmon was over cooked. They were very apologetic. Cooked a new one and to quote her it was "perfect". Desserts are home made. They all sounded good but I did not have any. Excellent selection of cocktails. The food is on the higher end of price but I would come back. The atmosphere is cozy and unique. Great find. read more

uninspired and tired. The space is great and the service was just "ok", but, the food was not worth $119 that we paid for 3 glasses of wine, a NY Strip, Scallops over linguine, a salad, and escarole and beans. The steak was not seasoned at all. The Broccoli that came with the steak literally had nothing on it. It was steamed and that was it. The scallops were undercooked and the pasta was overcooked... it was pretty frustrating. The best dish was the escarole and beans - but, that was also under seasoned and very tired. we were in the area for a concert in Torrington, and will not be back if we head back up that way. read more

This is a lovely local establishment - and some of the best service we've experienced. We went on Super Bowl Sunday, so we were close to the only people there, but regardless, our waiter was exceptional. Not too attentive, but just the right amount of attention. We loved everything about our meal. The salad & bread was traditional, but delicious. For main courses, I had Prime Rib (very generous portion), husband had Baked Stuffed Shrimp. This is the best place in the area to get good old American home-style (focused on Italian) food. The restaurant is pleasantly decorated, warm & inviting. We'll be back. Reasonably priced to boot. read more

I invited my parents to dinner at Zini's last week, we have all been here before and were excited for a great meal. Sadly, we were let down. The service was incredibly slow, the special of "New York Strip with mashed and veggies" sounded good. We ordered 3. The dishes came out with an undressed steak (not even any seasoning...nothing!), a few over cooked ROASTED not mashed potatoes, and plain steamed dry broccoli (not even a piece of butter). The presentation was underwhelming at best. All 3 steaks were ordered medium. All 3 were over cooked, and one was riddled with fat and gristle. We also ordered a lasagna which was not topped off with any sauce or cheese rendering it dry and unappetizing. We had to ask 3 times for bread....(it was the best thing on the table), and when we were asked about our meals MUCH later in the service one person in our party politely and discretely brought to the waitresses attention the steak being over cooked and of poor quality. The response was, "I am sorry, would you like the check?" There were several regulars in the dining room, along with friends of the business owner. Perhaps our business was not as important to him, but this is not the service or quality I am accustomed to when paying these prices at this establishment. I regrettably left $200.00 to cover our check and tip and do not plan on returning. When I say I have had better meals at 99 or Chili's I am not being funny. Disappointed, won't recommend, and won't be returning. read more

Just another Italian place. Nothing impressive, food ok-ish, service not very attentive even on a slow Sunday afternoon. Won't be back, there's so many nicer places in the neighborhood. read more

Okay, started coming here before I lived in the area... about 20 years ago. Great restaurant, cozy and the drinks (martinis) are great! The specials change by the season and are freshly prepared and delicious. Menu is not extensive, but represents varying tastes and selections. All in all, this place is one of my favorites and we love the quaint atmosphere. Headed there this week for my birthday so looking forward to another great meal! read more

So happy to have found this great little restaurant. The apps were good, comfortable seating, clean and cozy. We experienced a noisey night as there was a large party with young kids. We had a mature experienced waiter who was excellent, he had a female assistant who was not so good....argumentative. Excellent martini, nice wine list. Lamb done perfectly, linguini with red calm sauce had good taste but the pasta was not drained properly so the excess water diluted this delicious sauce. For the price salad should be included. We paid $6 for a greek salad that was not good. We will definitely try it again. read more

Pretty, cozy ambience. That said, the noise level was deafening and the service mediocre at best. When we arrived for our Open Table reservation the reluctant greeter seemed confused. After a short wait we were seated. Our waiter confused my appetizer order (perhaps he couldn't hear me). The two main courses ordered at our table, one a pasta dish, the other chicken, were awash in a tasteless creamy sauce. The chicken saltimbocca lacked sufficient prosciutto to announce its presence in this classic dish. We passed on dessert because we didn't want to chance it. Besides we couldn't wait to leave the ear-splitting racket. read more

Great Italian food !!!! The Chicken Parm was fantastic. They recently remodeled and it looks great. Cozy and Delicious... Highly recommend !! read more

Some one needs to tell the chef you always sprinkle meat with some salt before cooking. Our chicken was very blah and the spinach extremely tough. Our waitress had a thick accent and she was very difficult to understand. Which is ok, we could deal with it. However, the service was poor . We had to ask for bread after our salad and soup arrived. We were almost finished with the soup and salad and the waitress snapped at me instead of a simple apology. It was not busy...she had two tables including us. When we had completed our dinner and drinks we asked for the check.. We waited over 15 minutes for her to come back to take our payment. I decided to go look for her. She was at the bar texting on her phone! The best part of the meal? The bread . read more

The food was amazing, I had the chicken parmsean it was absolutely delicious. The atmosphere was very nice and friendly defiantly coming back again to eat here best. Highly recommend Zini's Restaurant. read more

I drove 45 minutes to eat at Zini's, I was disappointed. I had to have my salmon brought back twice because it was undercooked and my friend's salad was just ok. The strips of meat were too tough and thick. The décor is nice and the waiter was very nice and accommodating. Its just not a restaurant I would go back to. Too many other choices that are better. read more

Awesome Awesome Awesome. Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Had 4 meals, different food everytime and everything from the bread to the salad to the meal to the dessert has been 5 star. Excellent!!! read more

If you are looking for a charming, friendly, well-decorated restaurant to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or just have an intimate dinner with your honey, run, don't walk, to Zini's. Their specialty martinis are deliciously refreshing, wine list extensive, entrées scrumptious, and desserts are luscious!! One, in our party of five, uses a wheelchair...the entrance has a ramp, and although the bathroom facility (the men's room) did not meet strict ADA guidelines, she was able to use it with ease. Zini's is on the top of our list, and I'm sure we'll return for more delightful drinks and meals!!! read more

I love the intimacy and European feel of this cozy restaurant. Our first experience here for dinner , started with calamari then we had scallops and veal, all of which were supurb and the perfect serving size. The service was excellent and we'll be back! read more

Amazing little Italian restaurant. Great atmosphere and perfect for a date night out.

If your a big Italian food lover, this is the place to go. I have been here on several occasions and from when you enter the door you're greeted and treated like family. The restaurant inside has a cozy and warm atmosphere. The service is top notch and everything I have tried on the menu is seriously mouth watering and has a great portion size for an inexpensive price. They always come up with new delicious dishes. The owners and coworkers and chef are very nice respectable people. If your looking for a friendly atmosphere and delicious food come here you wont regret it. read more

The food was good. The prices are reasonable. I would have given it a fourth star but the waiter, a young man, was very usn inviting. He acted as though it was a chore to bring the items ordered. They would be well served to either retrain him or let him go. read more

Zini's is a remarkable place located in a very small town of Bantam, CT. I was driving through for a quick stop on my way to visiting family. It was the first time I set foot in Bantam and I was very pleased with my stay. The service you will find at Zini's is fantastic. You can have a wonderful conversation with the hostesses and, if you're lucky enough the head chef, Zini. He is a man of great pride and really enjoys getting to know who he is serving. I would highly recommend the lentil soup; I took some with me for the road. This place is great for having a nice sit down meal with your family, and gives you a chance to appreciate good food. read more

This hidden gem is our favorite place to eat. Staff is always attentive and welcoming, and the owners, Zini and Ardiana, treat us like family. Tonite I had the grilled salmon over Caesar salad - unlike most place, Zini makes a light, refreshing Caesar dressing. Delicious! My husband had the pasta with clam sauce, again delicious. Dessert was a cheesecake with a layer of chocolate mousse. Yummy! read more

The restaurant is a lovely stone cottage with some of the best Tuscan offerings imaginable. Delicious cocktails, garlic bread and antipasto, their signature artichokes francaise in lemon butter. I had the beautiful fresh scallops over spinach and my husband had the seafood fra diavalo that was brimming with fresh seafood including shrimp as large and tasty as lobster tails. For dessert we had the choc mousse/cheesecake slice of heaven and tiramisu. The mood was relaxing, the service was perfect, We will definitely be back! read more

I took my girlfriend to my old favorite restaurant Zinnis. I ordered the pork chop and she had the Chicken Marsala. The chicken was really good...the pork chop was so overcooked it was powdery. Big disappointment. Then the waitress asked us how the meal was and I told her my meat was pretty bad. She said "I'm sorry to hear that. " ...and then nothing....Why did she ask? She came back a second time and asked again and I told her it was still bad. Rather than replace it she offered a free desert. I figured we were not going anywhere with this so I took the desert. She really should have either replaced the meal or taken it off the bill. The owner then came by and asked if everything was alright. I said the meat was awful. She said sorry and that was it. If they want repeat business they should do some sort of comping.. Why the heck ask if you are not going to do anything ????? DUH! Bad move on their part And they looked like they were doing well. I guess they don't really care. I wont be going back there for a while. read more