I don't understand how this place stays in business. I've been several times and ordered from across the menu and I've been underwhelmed every time. There are so many better places in the neighborhood, I don't know why bother with this one. read more

Zut Tavern seems to have everything in place for an exceptional dining experience, but I was disappointed at lunch with my dad yesterday. First, it was creepy hostess did neither look us in the eye, nor crack a smile. When we asked our waiter to refresh us about specials posted at the door, he pointed to the most expensive item, a $29 Salmon dish, already on the menu. We asked twice. Our waiter fumbled. It appears the "specials" were not special. They had none. I ordered a burger because, if you pay for a $21 hamburger (with cheddar - the only cheese available - and avocado), you think it will be amazing, right? Not so. Bun was average tasting, meat not prepared as ordered (I asked for medium-rare and it was a solid medium), and avocado was just slices on the side. The garlic fries on the side were not exceptional: mushy, cool inside, not very crispy on the outside, and sparse garlic. Sadly, I've had better at nearly half the price for this dish. My father had to have his tepid soup reheated. In total we had a burger with fries, one cocktail, a sandwich, soup and salad: $60., tip not included. My take away experience is that the establishment was initially set up for "top notch" and priced accordingly, but somewhere along the way, management has failed to deliver on it's promise. I cant say I'd return. read more

Very yummy place in downtown Berkeley!! It's dog friendly which is super nice because we got to sit outside. Also, the garlic fries are to die for!! 100% recommend for a delicious lunch. read more

Zut On Fourth - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Well, I have to say that the service we received was very good, so I'll give a shout out to Rick (Riccardo) our server. The servers today, that we had, all seemed to work like a team. Service was prompt, but not rushed, attentive, but not hovering, knowledgeable but not pushy. The weather allowed for the front "windoors"to be wide open, and the skylight roof was open too, giving it a great indoor/outdoor feel. As for the food, we enjoyed each item that we ordered. The Fungi Pizza wasn't perfect, until we added pepperoni. Bingo! Delicious. Cesaer Salad was fresh and crisp, and modestly dressed. I got a side of anchovies to top it off. As an entree' we had the Duck Confit, with Poached Eggs and crispy potatoes. It came with arugula and shaved cheese. Just right! Oh! I almost forgot.... we really loved the Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Among the three of us we ordered wine, a glass of sparkling, and two cocktails. Each was a good recommendation and went well with brunch. With drinks, the tab (before tip) was about $100 for the three of us. We were there for a couple hours at Sunday lunch. Well worth it. read more

Met my relatives for dinner. Place was packed, day after xmas. We order and then we are told they are out of persimmons, then come back and tell us out of crab cake. Some food came rights away- then some took 30 minutes to arrive. All of it hardly edible!! I would have been better off ordering dominos. One pizza burnt, one undercooked, both with sauce that tasted like boiled tomatoes. The risotto was gooey, the fish smelly. I couldn't wait to get out of there and the first chance I had i went to a vending machine and got some food. read more

We gave our orders and also requested 2 appetizers - one was garlic fries. We received one appetizer (brought by someone other than our server) but no fries. Meal came out (brought by another someone other than our server) but still no fries. Hamburgers (ordered medium rare) came out medium well. We were nearly done with our meals and another server came by, and we told him we still didn't get fries. A few minutes later someone else put regular (not garlic) fries on the table. This is a situation where multiple servers are involved, but no server takes ownership for the customers' dining experience. You say something to one server, you never see them again and instead see four more different people. Not efficient. read more

Nice little place to sit outside and have food/wine/cocktails on Fourth Street. We had no problem getting a table outside at 4 PM on a Sunday. Waitstaff was prompt, helpful, and didn't rush us at all. The on-tap zinfandel was top-notch while the syrah was pretty meh. Their afternoon menu runs from 2:30 - 5 PM and is pretty limited, so if you're coming during the awkward off hours, be warned. The good: wine on tap, damn. The bad: you won't get any sun if you sit outside, but they do have heatlamps. read more

Meh. I've eaten at Zut several times and lately with each visit, I ask myself why I return. It seems the only seat available for a single diner is an uncomfortable spot at a bar that faces the wait station. Service is perfunctory but lacking. The waiter never returned to inquire about my meal or if I needed anything. The roasted beet salad was as if someone put beets and chopped avocado on top of frisée and called it done. No seasonings, no dressing. The margarita pizza was oily and had little taste. I've actually had better at a chain restaurant. For the value, I will be thinking twice before returning for over priced mediocre food and service. It's too bad because this used to be a fantastic restaurant. read more

A pleasant atmosphere and our service was friendly, but I had ordered the Nicoise Salad with salmon and, as another reviewer here says, it is doubtful that the chef had ever been near a real Nicoise Salad. My salmon was okay, but the salad seemed to have no dressing at all. It was flavorless and very disappointing. I asked for vinegar and salt in an attempt to add some flavor, but of course that was a hopeless attempt. I have had similar disappointments here in the past and will not be returning. The prices are not inexpensive and definitely not worth it for the food. read more

Yummy food! knowledgeable staff, great atmosphere!!! Very attractive staff. The handmade pasta is delish! Only one painting has a face in it. Soooo cool. Try the burrata appetizer! Bianca pizza, gnocchi I fughi, meatballs, wine. Nom-nom! read more

Nice place, friendly servers. The Salmon salad Nicoise was delicious with perfectly cooked salmon. My sister had the Caprese Salad. She said everything was very fresh and the vinaigrette was really good. read more

The food has such potential. If only the chef didn't smoke..... Actually that's an assumption because the spices we're either nonexistant, such as the Caesar dressing, or sorely unbalanced, as in the case of the pork meatballs. Beautifully creamy, the Caesar dressing had no descernable garlic or other flavors. Let's face it a Caesar is all about the garlic, and this one was a disappointment The pork meatballs we're made with very little spices, with the exception of pepper. There was a lot of pepper.. Too much pepper. I even had to add salt. I mostly never add salt. The exception to these dishes was the grilled asparagus with grilled lemon. Asparagus cooked perfectly, and the lemon grilled lemon squeezed on top made it just sparkle. To bring it home. Restaurant has no perceived value. Food is over priced $16.50 for a ceasar salad, $19.00 for pork meatballs and a bit of kale salad), and the flavor is too tentative, like the Chef was trying not to offend anyone. Would not come back. On a side note, the service was terrific, and even treated my dog like the prince he thinks he is. read more

Worst old fashioned ever. It was so sweet it made my stomach hurt and I couldn't finish it. Stick to wine or beer.

Yummy food. Excellent service. Very hard to hear my table talk, although Zut has placed curtains all around (to help with bare walls/ high ceilings?) My friend had pizza and i had the veggie/ mushroom panini with a delightful salad with nicely halved baby tomatoes. We each had more than enough so brought home half of our lunch. I did eat mine before dinner... just so beautifully prepared and fresh tasting. I'll be back! read more

Nice place. Love the al fresco dining. Lots of diversity in the staff. Food is good. Prices are fair, with the exception of charging for soda refills, which are served in a skinny glass 1/2 full of ice. That's just tacky. Maybe charge for lemonade refills, but never for soda. Sorry, I just couldn't get past that. read more

Zut On Fourth - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came in with my wife on Saturday at almost 2pm. Got our seats and read the menu. Looking at the Eggs Benedict, I thought I would love that and a side of bacon would make it a even better. My wife ordered the Hamachi Crudo and a order of fries. Drinks we ordered were Bloody Mary and Red Beer. Our waitress was very friendly and super nice, actually the highlight of our visit. My drink order was wrong but was fixed as soon as I said something, red beer is different than a bloody beer. 25 minutes later we realized we were starving, "where is our food?" I asked. Our order had been lost. So they said they would - rush it. 5 minutes later my side of bacon, Hamachi Crudo and a nice looking Burrata was delivered. Since we did not order the Burrata we sent it back. In retrospect that was probably a mistake - it actually looked good. My Benedict did not come. It was late, the table next to us got 2 orders of Eggs Benedict, and one was wrong - was it mine? 10 minutes later I finally got my order. Half way through I ate egg shell. The Crudo was ok, lacking flavor - fish meat with 2 small pieces of avocado. Garlic fries were not great, we only ate like 10 each and left the rest. Eggs Benedict, awful with egg shell and under cooked mushrooms with chopped up strange house made Pancetta. Home fries were chucks of potatoes with no seasoning. The kitchen was screwing everything up. Orders wrong, food late and late even when "rushed". We are never going back, too many options in the area to deal with unprofessional food serves and quality. Check out how the bacon pictured is burnt and raw at the same time. read more

Not as good as Iyasare next door (chef Kamio owns both) but it's half the price, LOL. Some dishes are slightly flawed in concept, but some are flat-out amazing. Brussels sprouts dish was too sweet for me, spouse loved it. But special of pork belly with beans was one of the finest pork belly dishes I've had since Robin Low had to close her Post Meridian/Berkeley. Burger was amazingly flavorful, which made up for a too-bready bun that was tasty but fell apart before I finished. The Linguine Carbonara came off a bit awkward. It's the true drier Italian-style, not the pseudo-Alfredo restaurants have started pawning off as a Carbonara. But the hi-quality pasta needs another egg yolk to moisten the dish; it comes off as too dry. Love the use of peppered ham instead of cheap quality prosciutto, but there's actually too much of it so the dish becomes more a ham pasta than a true Carbonara. Time to educate diners on the difference, chef Kamio! If anyone can do it, you can. Overall: still a pretty restaurant inside, especially over the holidays when Fourth St. lights up and you're sitting by the expanse of windows. But if you can afford it, go to Iyasare. That's where Kamio's heart lies, and he is doing the best cooking in the East Bay, next to Michele Belotti/Oakland. read more

Teeny tiny breakfast. My fiancé and I went here after a little shopping and unfortunately we were still hungry when we left.

We were exploring Berkeley on a holiday and were bummed that several places on our list were closed on Mondays. We decided to check out Zut Tavern as their posted menu looked quite inviting. We lucked out and got a table outdoors. It was perfect! We had the only table to get sun and it was a windy, chilly day. Service was above average. Food was very good. My wife ordered a variety of appetizers and sides. I had the margherita pizza and it was excellent. The crust was perfect and you could tell they took a lot of pride in the recipe, even stating on the menu that the pizza dough was proofed for 3 days. Very pleasant experience, we will be back. Service B Parking C Cleanliness B Restrooms N/A Host Staff A Lighting B Noise B Food B Drinks B read more

Great pizza, Cesar salads with the seared salmon option, and ravioli. I the drinks can be a hit or miss. Usually a hit. I've been here a few times and the staff is very friendly. Nice for lunch and a quiet dinner. I will continue to return and highly recommend trying out (especially when lines are long to brunch at other restaurants on 4th). read more

I was here with Philip G., who wrote the review below. Basically: everything he said! :p read more

Zut On Fourth - Half chicken entree. - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I really wanted to like Zut. I've frequently walked by while shopping on 4th; great location, looks nice from outside and it is pretty nice inside. The staff was very nice, very attentive, very accommodating. I would give the staff five stars. After spending about $200 (including tip) for 3 people and a not very good dinner, none of us is interested in going back. The food was not so good. Went there in a party of three last night (April 1). For starters, 2 of us had the small Caesar and I had the crispy Brussels sprouts. Caesars were OK; not bad not great, acceptable. The Brussels sprouts had good flavor but were overwhelmed by a whole lot of salt. We ate them because the fundamental flavor was good; we drank a lot of water because it was more salt than necessary, Entrees: 1 salmon, 1 octopus (hey, it's supposed to be a Mediterranean restaurant!), 1 pork chop. Salmon - good portion size, tasty sauce - all to the good. The one complaint was that the plate was naked. Outside of a couple of small vegetable pieces and some pea tendrils, nothing to eat, unlike the other plates which had some supporting items. Octopus - large, tough to cut, very chewy. Not a lot of developed flavor. My friend couldn't finish it, and he usually finishes everything. Luke warm. Pork Chop - good size, but about 40% fat. What made this dish a fail was that it was salted beyond any human standard. I had to leave most of it and all night long, no matter how much I drank and brushed my teeth and gargled, I couldn't get rid of the salt taste. I woke up this morning with the taste and astringent effect still going on. Even now while writing this, 16 hours later, I still haven't gotten rid of it. Dessert - two of us had coffee and shared a chocolate pot du creme. Coffee was OK - good flavor with a touch too much water. Pot du creme - nicely dense, good whipped creme (texture and flavor), good but not rich chocolate flavor. read more

This was a real disappointment. We were furniture shopping and decided to stop by. The ambiance of the place is actually quite nice, the food is a different story! My expensive crab salad was very small for the price they charge $22 and on top of that the lettuce had dirt/soil residue from not being washed properly! The hamachi crudo was disgusting, all the ingredients they have on it just don't go well together. My husbands ice tea tasted like toilet water. The prices are ridiculous for the quality of food they put out. We left still hungry after paying a $60 tab and on top of that not wanting to order more nasty food. read more

Dined here with family about a week and a half ago, two of our party were 4 year olds, and had a terrific meal. Every person totally enjoyed their meal. And the pineapple upside down cake was the best I can remember ever having - crispy edges, perfect crumb. Yum! 2/23/18 - visited again this evening and enjoyed a superb dinner. Ribeye mid rare, served with a very tasty demi, and accompanied by olives, pancetta, artichoke pieces, and fingerling potatoes - each bite was a powerhouse of satisfying flavor. And there were lovely slightly crisp edges on the steak, so yum. And I ordered a side of Beet Greens! Super yummy. I LOVE beet greens! Thank you for having beet greens! Very nice staff and good service. read more

when i have to wait a long time for help at the apple store across the street, i go to zut! delicious food every time and excellent service. this time i had the roasted brussel sprouts. i don't like brussel sprouts, but what zut! does with theirs is FABULOUS. also ordered the burratta. so delish! and special thanks to the wonderful people who served me. oh, noooo, i can't read the writing. okay, here goes: sal, my waiter; manager, jerahn and host sypnn(?). three nice guys who smile and made my stay so comfortable. read more

It was my first time trying this place and I am totally happy with the food and service! We had the salad with salmon, crispy Brussels sprouts and the mushroom pizza! So tasty and delicious !!! I highly recommend this place because of the cute location, great food and great service! I will definitely go back every time I am in Berkeley! Highly recommended! read more

2 stars for the food and 1 star for the service. Hmmmmm. I have been here a few times over the years; most of them under the previous ownership (4.5 stars to that version of Zut!). Something wasn't right this time. I frequently dine alone and this often means sitting at the bar. No big deal. It's a great way to dine solo. But then it became clear that no one was coming to check in on me. In the end I'm not sure I even had an assigned server. The server who eventually helped me seemed to be doing so because no one else had. He was friendly but clearly wasn't assigned to the section I had been sat in. I ordered wine, soup and a salad. All very good. I would absolutely order the salad again! read more

one of our Go To Spots! we absolutely ADORE the staff here and I always order the seared (to perfection) salmon but most things I've tried here have been delicious. Heated outdoor seating area is fabulous. We eat here at least once a week. yummy read more

ALWAYS WITHOUT FAIL INCONSISTENT. Sometimes I go and I love the service, and sometimes I go and I'm literally ignored for I kid you not like 20 minutes. Also, the pizza can be outstanding and I'll come back again and it will come out soaked in oil. They have a ridiculously great mushroom soup, but unfortunately they only make it randomly for soups of the day. Not sure why they insist on making tomato bisque all the time when it's not even half as good. The new chef is great. Kind of your only option these days on fourth st. They have a cool happy hour. But occasionally depending on the bartender (female one especially) they can be icy and acts like it's murdering her to crack a smile. read more

We used to really, really like this place, back in late 2014. Great ambiance, pricey food but was worth every penny, wonderful service with great wines. Reliable go-to place for special occasions. I did not realize the restaurant sold; unfortunately, the food has gone downhill. We were just there for their Thanksgiving dinner (11/22/18) and spent $200 on two turkey dinners, one extra side of brussel sprouts and one extra glass of prosecco. It was simply awful. The turkey was extremely salty but flavorless at the same time. Stuffing was inedible (as most stuffings are anyways). Butternut squash soup was bland. The turkey leftovers smelled rotten in my car and we dumped it in our compost bin as soon as we got home. Unbelievable that Zut Tavern can fleece customers out of $200 this way and get away with it! We will never go back, and neither should you! read more

I'm so disappointed. Yesterday night I was hungry and decided to stop by. It was my first time around the area and asked the server if it was possible to eat there. It was around 6:00 pm, the server responded that it was possible, but I had to wait 30 minutes because they were " booked", I agreed , the server took my phone number telling me that I was going to receive a call as soon as they were going to have an open table. Few seconds later, I saw the same server" give a table" to a couple that did not have/ call to reserve a table, which wasn't the only empty table in that restaurant. At that point, I was sure that it was all about DISCRIMINATION. The couple was white, I am black. And of course, the server, a tall guy with black hair and dark eyes, never called me back. Zut! , if those are your policies CHANGE then, if not, HIRE people who WILL NOT accommodate and give table to people BASED ON THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. read more

Definitely not as impressed as I anticipated I would be. I guess you can perhaps say, that I might had built up a bit of high expectations about this place; that potentially lead me to be just slightly disappointed. I have walked by Zut countless times, finding the posh, classy exterior appearance it exuded, to be quite intriguing to say the least ; and not to mention, the great feedback I had gotten from fellow work colleagues that had dined in before, that also added to my building curiosity. Myself and some fellow work colleagues decided to join here for lunch recently. It was a beautiful day out, and the large open windows throughout the restaurant, allowed the natural light to penetrate through, providing a very relaxing, enjoyable environment. The restaurant is actually smaller then I expected - the ambiance is still classy and sophisticated as anticipated, though nothing spectacular. They have a relatively small, though stellar sounding menu; with enough options to please most. For drinks, most of us ordered tea. Our server had asked if we wanted bread, we gladly accepted. The bread never showed up. For an app, some colleagues ordered Garlic Frys. For our main dishes, the DUNGENESS CRAB LOUIE Salad sounded most appealing to a few of us including myself - which is what we ordered. One other person ordered the Crab Ceasar salad and another colleague ordered the Chicken Pot Pie. Everything sounded delicious. Frys arrived first, looking less then appealing. I'm not a big fry person at all, but if its smothered in garlic, I will make it a point to try. These frys not only seamed to be scarce of those big chunks ( or just more garlic then I was used to) but it was also really lacking in that nice, savory flavor. Most of my colleagues agreed it was just ok as well. Our food then later arrived, looking spectacular in presentation. And although my salad was gorgeous, I found it taste wise, to be a little underwhelming. I mean it was decent, and though it had a unique combination of components such as the capers, thinly sliced carrots and radishes that added a nice touch, I certainly can say I have had far more satisfying Dungeness Crab salads, at a far less steeper price. My friends Pot Pie looked fantastic- equipped with a nice dollop of cranberry sauce, however she said it was less then impressive and felt it was significantly lacking in flavor ; leaving her adding several little helpings of salt. We then decided to end our visit, with topping it off with some dessert. A few ordered Port De Creme dessert and a slice of their Ricotta Cheescake to share. I, being my selfish self, just ordered the Por De Creme for my self - only because I was told it was fairly small in portion :) The desserts arrived looking sinfully delicious. Unfortunately, my chocolate dessert, turned out far less satisfying. I am not a big sweet person at all, but this seemed like it almost didn't taste like a dessert. Is any sugar added to this dessert? Tasted more like a healthy, low cal mousse ( something I was not in the mood for). Now, for the ricotta cheesecake I had a few bites of, ABSOLUTELY, SUPERBLY DELICIOUS!. It came with a little pistachio dust, that added an astounding amount of spectacular flavor....very,very, good. I would come back for that dessert alone. Service was also extremely professional and attentive from all of the staff - just minus the bread that never showed up :) So, overall, I can't say I would be willing to pay for a full on lunch or dinner here again, but I would certainly come back in for perhaps a dessert or a cocktail read more

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Love this place! The location, the parklet, the attention to safety, the service and the food!!! Full stars in my book!!

I had one of the worst restaurant experiences I have had in a long time at this place tonight. It started off fine, but when we sat down the place was an ICE BOX. It was like a meat locker. Maybe they are trying to save money, who knows. We sat down, ordered drinks, order a couple appetizers and pointed out to the waitress that it was FREEZING . My GF even asked for a cup of hot water to HOLD. Enter: Older white couple. They look at us and ask if we were cold, we said yes and that the waitress had turned the heater on. After a few minutes the couple also pointed out they were cold. The waitress IMMEDIATELY move the couple to the other room where it was suppose to be warmer. We sit for 15 more minutes eat bread with our coats on and with literal goose bumps. We again point out to the waitress that it was freezing, she leaves and the manager comes over. His name is David. We tell David we are cold and he tell us that the heater is on and it's going to get warmer in about 10 minutes. We had already been freezing for 30 minutes. David then breaks into a string of excuses and does not offer to move us he just wants to explain why it's cold and tell us to sit in the meat locker a while longer and perhaps it will warm up! At this point we decide that Zut does not deserve our money and get up to leave. The KICKER is we walk through the "Warm" part of the restaurant and it is nearly empty!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We leave with DAVID trailing behind us still making excuses. Question: Why was the older white couple moved immediately to a warmer part of the restaurant and the younger lesbian hispanic couple not offered a warmer table in an empty part of the restaurant???? read more

Won't come here again until new management change . Been coming since 1976.Been through many incarnations mostly good. Now all awful. Had bad hamburger a couple of weeks ago with fake aioli. 3 for thanksgiving dinner last night. All things just terrible. Butternut squash soup flavorless and thin. Only fairly dry white meat slices no dark meat or even bones. No gravy. Lumpy dressing and mushy tasteless mashed potatoes. Had to ask for cranberry sauce. Two tiny portions of sticky jam like thing. All 2 desserts were poor and not finished. Service passable We had dinner in Chez Panisse cafe night before. Same cost. All perfect and delicious. Zut has great location and interior space. But never settling foot in here unless I hear there is new chef and manager read more

Good Brussels sprouts. Mediocre pork chop. Openly rude server. Quite expensive for what you get. Would not return. read more

Amazing beet salad and fire roasted persimmons. Made an excellent vegetarian meal. No idea why this place only has 3 stars. Will definitely return! read more

Not very happy with the new management. First, it took the server 12 minutes before he approached us. The hostess even saw us looking around because we haven't been approached. The server was an African American guy and the hostess was a long haired middle eastern girl ( black hair ) The place doesn't have the same vibe like it used to, with the servers that we know who greet you with sincere smiles.... People who know you by name and even what you would have. I am still waiting for our food and hopefully it is as good as it used to be... We shall see! I'll give this another shot after a few weeks and see if there would be changes. My wife frequent Zut a lot when it was the old management. read more

My husband and I came here for my birthday. They told us it would only be a 30 minute wait after one hour and 30 minutes the gentleman at the front door said there's nothing I can do we have no seats for you. We told him that we've been waiting an hour and 30 minutes and how come it is taking so long he had told us only 30 minutes. I've come here before and the service is becoming terrible. I don't recommend this place. read more

Though I had greatly enjoyed the old zut and its menu, I was excited to hear they had hired a new chef and to try new menu items. However, I was greatly disappointed! I could go on and on about the things they could have and honestly, should have done... But what it comes down to--aka sparknotes version--is that the food was decent but definitely not worth the price. The service was fantastic but not so much so that I would return. Warning--unless you're okay with an undersized typical Cesar salad, don't order it (the portion in relation to price is not worth it AT ALL). And unless you like black lips and teeth, do not order the cabonara...not only will this dish leave your mouth black, it lacked dimension and depth in flavor and in presentation. The burger was decent, but again, not worth $19. I wish the meat, being Kobe beef, would have had more flavor-- whether it be more seasoning or a stronger grilled/char flavor... The burger fell flat. The bottom bun was soggy before I even bit into the burger and the condiments were hidden under the fries. I think the pickled onion was a great idea, but when only give maybe less than a few teaspoons of it, it didn't do much. The cheese didn't add dimension and isn't really worth mentioning. There was no special sauce or unique pizazz to add to the burger... The fries, though had great flavor, was way over salted. Maybe I had just ordered the wrong things... But, Not impressed, and definitely not returning. read more

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