ZEST bar+grille

I was here a few years ago and the drinks were good but the food was just so-so.
This time everything was great.
We did Sunday brunch.
My friend got the pancakes, mom got the corn chowder soup, and I had the fried rice.
Our appetizers we had the spring rolls and the dumplings.
No complaints from the table.
The sauces for the apps were amazing and everything was fresh and tasted that way.
Their open concept kitchen gives it a nice feel as well.
The view during the day is nice as well but the view at night is even better!

Owner response

Had a great dinner on the outside terrace.
The appetizers were decent but the entree (pork chop) was amazing.
Ambiance and service were excellent and I will definitely be returning.

Owner response

I came in as a walk-in with my brother after we both got out of our shifts dealing poker at windcreek.
Honestly, I almost didn't even go but my brother was really hungry and suggested the place because we have both heard a lot of people speak highly of Zest and I am so glad we went.
Immediately upon walking in you are hit with a very professional and upscale vibe to the place that impresses upon you the professionalism of the employees and the clear attention to detail put into everything.
All of the staff are moving with purpose but not hurried and you know immediately that you can expect great service which is exactly what my brother and I got.
Our server for the night was Hannah and the bartender we met after eating and going to the bar was Travis.
Hannah was a perfect server, prompt but not pushy, knew the menu in and out and was able to answer all of our questions without a moments hesitation.
She made my bro and I feel welcome and it was easy to relax into the quiet atmosphere and take in the amazing views of Bethlehem the restaurant offers with windows that wrapped around the restaurant and an outdoor eating balcony that I'm probably going to sit at next time.
Looking at the menu it was almost impossible to make a choice given how great everything sounded and watching the kitchen staff through the pass window at work, it was immediately obvious the food was going to be high quality.
I wasn't very hungry so my bro and I decided to just order a few drinks and a bunch of the apps to make a sort of mini tasting menu out of em.
All in all we ended up ordering 8 different apps and everything was fantastic.
I wasn't dissapointed about a single thing we ate and the way they put the dishes together and mix different flavors of savory to sweet to acidic, nothing ever felt too much or over the top.
I seriously can not impress enough on whomever may be reading this, the apps absolutely slapped.
I could go on and on, but I highly recommend the clams, the bao buns and the pork belly personally, but I doubt you could really go wrong.
Also, on a side note, I have a girlfriend with celiac disease and finding a restaurant with a decent gluten free menu or options has been quite a challenge.
Here at Zest, they have basically the whole entire menu but with small changes to accommodate gluten free allergies.
I again, can not state enough how great Zest was from beginning to end.
And speaking of the end, my bro and I decided to sit at the bar when everything was done being eaten to take a shot each of casa migos before leaving.
This is where we met Travis, didn't spend much time at the bar but he helped bring full circle the customer service experience and professionalism felt here at Zest.
The drinks were delicious, well priced and I can't remember the names of the two cocktails I ordered (shame on me) but they were well crafted and again, Travis knew what he was doing.
All in all, will definitely be coming back here and bringing others with me.
If you're in the Bethlehem area, there is no reason why not to try the fantastic restaurant. Ps: I wish I took more photos of the apps as they came out, but I was having such a good time it totally slipped my mind.
These photos are of the grilled octopus on rice cake, bone marrow, crab egg rolls, bao buns and empanadas.
The drink with the purple flower was my favorite and tasted so good, it's a tequila drink and I wish I remembered the name Edit: spelling errors and I think the drink with the purple flower was called heebeejeebees or something

Owner response