Green Zebra: User Reviews

I was excited - everyone raves about this place. No clue why. As a vegetarian, I thought this was going to be amazing. We went with a larger party (8) and things seemed right.

The staff was slow, inattentive and confusing. Chaotic experience. Some dishes came out nearly 2 hours after we ordered them. It was all very awkward.

The food was decent. Some bright spots (the poached egg, BBQ Eggplant) and some misses (Cucumber Dill salad, Garlic Soup) but overall it was okay. I felt a lot more blandness then I was expecting - a highly indecisive menu.

I do not plan on going back, especially at the prices we paid. I was highly underwhelmed.

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We went to Green Zebra to celebrate a birthday & I have ot say that the service was AWEFUL!!!!! NOt only was it incredibley slow to get anything, including water, but there was attitude about asking questions about the menu! The food was cold& the ice cream melted! I specifically told the person taking the reservation that we were celebrating a birthday & the waiter had NO clue! He ultimatley brought a gold ball size scoop of half-melted ice-cream with a candle! so cheap! No apologies were offered for any mishaps! ps. Do not ever take a child to this place!

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We were planning to go here, and then I read all of the negative reviews here on metromix and I got nervous that it would be a let-down. It was delicious, great service, incredible food, creative dishes. Everything was wonderful. Highly recommended, especially the mushroom dumplings.

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GZ is a unique, engaging experience on the Chicago dining scene (though I enjoyed a prior visit, when it was under a different chef de cuisine, even more). The imaginative combinations from a dazzling palette of flavors were intriguing. Our favorites tonight were roasted shiitake mushrooms with crispy potato & savoy cabbage (rich, full-flavored, well-balanced), and medjool dates with coconut custard & spiced epplant over taboulleh (a delightful mix of flavors and textures). There’s a nice selection of affordable wines by the glass and a commendable array of standard and small-portion desserts (among which the churros & hot chocolate won my heart). Service was casually attentive and the pacing even and leisurely. On the downside, for me, the place is cramped and a little dim. Truly a requisite Chicago stop for fans of inventive, yet approachable, fine vegetarian fare.

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I was extremely underwhelmed given the hype and good reviews about this place. The dishes were mostly fried and the seasoning was lacking. Seems like they rely mostly on salt. I would recommend Mana on Division instead of this restaurant. The food is much more flavorful and interesting.

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We had heard so much about Green Zebra that we choose it as a place to celebrate with friends-- but even if we hadn't had high expectations this would have been a let down. They blew our reservation by 45 minutes, the water boy was friendlier than our server, out of nine courses, three were good, the rest total messes and to cap off the evening, our bill was all wrong. Green Zebra is not an affordable restaurant, it's a special occasion one, but the polish wasn't there as it should be for a place charging what it does. Definitely will not be back. Ever.

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This is my favorite restaurant in Chicago. I love the small plate concept because there are so many phenomenal things on the menu and you want to taste them all. The Thai spiced carrot soup is outstanding. I also had the Shiitake mushrooms with crispy potato, delicious. Presentations are great and the small plate portions are perfect. And for dessert, the Valrhona chocolate trifle with raspberries was divine!

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Finally, an upscale, innovative vegetarian restaurant. I ate here when I first visited Chicago and now I live down the street from this place. The seasonal menu offers vegetarians a chance to experience the kind of dining meat-eaters have been able to enjoy for years. Food is delicious.

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I went to the Green Zebra a couple weeks ago with three friends, and left feeling satiated and happy. One person in our party ordered the tasting menu (changes daily). The GZ website says that if more than one person in your party orders the tasting, that different combos will be offered. This apparently is not true. We did dine on a Sunday and our server seemed pissed off about something (made up for by the attentive busboy), so perhaps it just depends on the day? I'm not sure. Anyway, the other three of us ordered 3 dishes a piece off of the regualr menu. We all shared the dishes (the soup came out in little shot glasses which was too cute). The food was AMAZING! I love cooking and eating, and I will tell you that I tasted food combinations that I have never even dreamed of. Eating at GZ is an experience. I think we sat for about 2 or 3 hours, slowly tasting each course and chatting. The only down side is that I left without having any plans to attempt the dishes at home. There were just so many new tastebud experiences that I lived in the moment and forgot to think about what I would do with my newfound knowledge later. I would highly recommend going with a group so that you can taste many items. The food is quite sexy, so I'm sure it's not a bad place to go with a date either. Just an FYI: the bar is not for sitting or standing. It's just for table service. So, I would discourage showing up early to have a drink and wait for friends at the bar, bc you can't. I do believe that there is a bar next door or close, though. One last note: It's SUCH a relief to have an entire menu of vegetarian food that is inventive, pushes taste combos, and doesn't include portobello mushrooms or anything purposely low-fat or low-sodium (you fellow veggies know what I mean).

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I lived in San Francisco for 10 years and never left a vegetarian restaurant feeling hungry. We had the tasting menu and there was no protein served with any of the courses. And, the garlic soup had the same consistancy as the panna cotta dessert. Both were lukewarm and mushy. There have to be better places that are more affordable in Chicago if you are a vegetarian.

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