Zesty's Italian

Dont Know why they are getting such bad reviews Im italian and my friends and were going every tuesday nite and plan to be going again next wednesday for a pre xmas lunch (they dont know that yet lololol) but we have all found the food faband the service and atmosphere great so kqturcmplanin!!!

After recently having one of the best Italian meals we have ever had at Paulies on York Road, I thought we would try this place. First, they had closed for a weeks holidays in early September when we first thought of going. Kind of strange one would close completely for a week. We than thought we'd look at their web site (we got the URL from friends) to see the food selections available and we also read all the reviews on Restaurantica. Wow, are they all over the place with many that seem to be questionable in terms of authenticity. Why has this web site not been updated? There are shows that are listed dating back to April. And what is "Pay what you can"? That implies a desperate restaurant for business. Nevertheless, we tried it last week at lunch and although the service was adequate, I think this place needs a new chef if they are to survive in this business as the quality of food just doesn't meet customer expectations for the prices they charged. From what I hear from others the latter has always been an issue and may lead to their downfall if things don't improve. There are too many other places in Guelph, including Paulies that offer good service and high quality food. Maybe thy need Restaurant Makeover from the food channel to assess this place or better yet Gordon Ramsay of Hells Kitchen.

Tony.....you and your staff were fabulous. My 50th birthday party was a blast and the food was delicious. The DJ you had for my party was the best. Everyone loved the music selection he had, and I sure was feeling the affects the next day from dancing so much. Thanks so much...everything you all did was perfect. I would recommend Zestys to all for great parties and great food.
Laurie MacIntyre

Tony and his staff went out of their way to make my wifes 50th party on May 22.
The room was set up with all the tables dressed to the 9,s. Tony even set up the dj which was excellent, The menu was great to.
Had a party of over 50 people. The folks we had to the evening are still talking about that night.
Tony and his staff went over and above what they had to do to pull this night off.
TONY you are the best. Would I do it again? You bet and at Zest'ys

Took the wife out for a quite night and a meal for two.
The staff were very plesant and the owner Tony could not do more for us.
The food was excellent and more than we could eat.
I would visit again. we have found our new little hide away.
The chicken parm is to die for
Thanks to the staff and Tony

I visited Zesty's after seeing an ad in a local paper.
Always being on the lookout for Good Italian food,
Sadly, this establishment did not live up to the task.
They were busy on this Friday night, however food service was taking quite some time; 30 mins for an appetizer is unreasonable! I know the waitstaff were doing there best, however the kitchen seemed to be either shortstafted or poorly managed.
When our main course came (over 40 mins later!)
the food was warm, but the pasta sauce was very uninspiring. Sad to say, but East Side Mario's could probably do better.........
The decor is very basic, and as for atmosphere, not much I am afraid to say.
Will I be going back? Not a chance...........

PS After the dismal food service, we didn't want to wait another 30 mins for dessert, so we cut our losses and left.......

I had read the reviews before we went to a family dinner. They were so opposite that I was concerned, but they were not my reservations so off we went. Unfortunately the bad reviews were closest. The timing was way off, the food came out wrong and while the server was very pleasant, she did not have an understanding of the most basic serving etiquette. The food that was sent out correct was hot and plated nicely, but the quality was poor as were the seasoning levels.

I can cook some great Italian food, so I can only go to decent restaurants for my meals. This one gets a 7 out of 10. The sauce is good (not great) and the meats are prepared well (not great). This place won't change your life with how great the food is, or how authentic it is. But it's a pleasant experience with good food. Service is fine - polite, professional. And I don't care about the decor when I go out to eat, as long as everything is clean, which this place is. Prices average, food pretty good, try it out.

I have been to Zesty's twice now. I have to say after my first experience i really didnt want to return, but we had a coupon so we thought we'd give it another shot. The first time i went i ordered the fettucini a la fontana which a previous reviewer recommended. It was okay, but it clearly had canned mushrooms in it. My boyfriend ordered the special which was a manacotti which had what was supposed to be beef in it but it was not only cold, he said he really couldnt tell what type of meat it was.
However, the second time we went, it was pretty good. The service was really great and the food was much better. Im not sure that i would return again without the coupon because I dont really feel their food is worth what they charge for it but it was okay.

We were extremely disappointed with the food and the atmosphere. When we came in, it was clear that the servers were run off their feet since there were only 3 of them, but the owner instead of helping seat us all was walking around and shmoosing guests. There were a few of us lined up at the door. The couple behind us left after a few minutes as each server stated "someone will be right with you". The tomato sauce was certainly not homemade and if it was I would suggest cooking lessons. My wife's fish was burned on the bottom and dry as a bone. The server was professional and courteous about it, but when the owner came to our table to check on everything he had plenty excuses for the poor quality of everything, blaming everyone but himself. He then proceeded to tell us how bad business was and he just couldn't explain why. DUHHH! It was not the first meal we saw sent back to the kitchen that night. I will say that the tiramisu (our server offered free because of the burned fish) was excellent and the bar tender and servers were very good despite being run off their feet. It is clear that the owners are trying to take on too much. With what looks like fine dining on one side and a sports pub with t.v.s on the other and a banquet hall running a function the same night. Pick a theme!!