Zona’s Italian American Restaurant

Like, Kathy, I too, am wondering why they closed. We went there all the time. Cannot believe that the owners did not post or take out an ad in the local papers to thank their loyal following. Should the owners every reappear, I will NOT support them, as I’m very disappointed in how they handled the closure.

This restaurant closed and disappeared overnight. it was sad to see it go but I guess you have to be able to pay the bills to stay in business. the people were always nice here and the food was decent. early on they had a lot of great music but that kind of changed as the years went by. goodbye

Why in the world did Zona close ?
No notice, no info, nothing ???
This was our favorite restaurant !

My favorite bar just closed!!!

Oh Zona’s. This is close to our house, so we were really hoping it would be a regular spot. It’s become semi-​regular. Here’s the best thing I can say about them. It’s great… when we have a Groupon. Otherwise, it’s not worth the price.
The food is good, there is a burger (Zona’s, I think) my husband loves. I have yet to find one entrée that brings me back. I love the bacon wrapped dates and the sauce that comes with it.
I did really enjoy brunch. I got an omelette that came with the most delicious potato casserole. I could have eaten an entire plate of it.
Service can be hit or miss. Many times, the server seems to be off in their own little world.

Love this place. Awesome appetizers and the happy hour prices are so good. You better show early because it gets really busy during those hours.
Thank you Richard for booking my birthday party next to the band, im soo looking forward to it!
Thank you

Dined here for the first time last week.
Service (thanks Jason) and food were great!
My Mom had the Lasagna and a green salad and I enjoyed the homemade Minestrone soup and half of a turkey club sandwich.
Zona’s is a combo sports bar and fine dining restaurant. So you have your choice of experience. We sat in the dining room and there is also outdoor patio seating.
I will return soon on the weekend to check out their live music and sip a wine from their extensive list!

Went with a Groupon and while it was a smoking deal at $ 15 for $ 40 of value, I expected an OK dinner but the food was amazing. Field green salad was fresh and the goat cheese, strawberries and finely ground brittle made it one of the best salads I have had in years. Then the entrees and they were incredible. Seafood pasta and shrimp scampi were perfect and more than plentiful. Scrumptious authentic sputnik topped off the meal. Can’t wait to go back with or without a Groupon. Yum!!! Server was very nice but service was spotty. And the background music just didn’t fit the place. But overall it was a terrific dinner.

i bought the recent groupon for zona’s and was pleasantly surprised. i am in san clemente often, and meals can be pricey since my son & i eat out while there.
zona’s portions are «family style» which means huge! we literally had enough left overs for 2 more meals. i added a piece of salmon to our pasta, thinking the portion would be smaller once i mentioned the groupon, but it wasnt.
we also had the hummus/​olive tapenade appetizer and it was really good. it does have a balsamic vinegar glaze on the pita, so be sure to let them know if you prefer without. (it is delicious with)
we really wanted to try the tiramisu, and it didnt disappoint. moist, creamy, and plated with fresh berries and whipped cream.
all in all, a great deal and beautiful ambiance.
our server was really great too!

I’ve only ever come to Zona’s for brunch on Sunday as I’m leaving town. Generally, it’s a nice quiet atmosphere and convenient. I’ve only ever had the breakfast options, so that’s all I can speak to.
Arriving for brunch this time, there was plenty on parking. The bar was fairly full with people watching football. We got a booth and the sound wasn’t intrusive. One of the first things I noticed was there were fewer booths than before in attempts to alter the aesthetic.
The food is fairly standard for brunch. I’ve never been disappointed with the bacon wrapped dates. The traditional eggs Benedict and the salmon Benedict are good choices, the sandwiches are standard, and the pancakes are a nice option if you have a sweet tooth. Unfortunately, 50 percent of the time, my food has been cold. When mentioned the most recent time, the waiter did offer to correct it.
For brunch, they also have bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s if you’re inclined to partake while watch football.

3 out of our 4 plates were not good, chicken was rubbery and grissley. Waitress didn’t ask how food was probably she already knew that we didn’t care for it, especially when we didn’t want boxes for the huge amount of food we had left over, or she just didn’t care. Manager didn’t want to discuss giving us any discount in exchange for no Unilocal review. So here it is! Not a good review, and I’m being nice… wouldn’t want my customers walking out feeling like this. I was hoping this place would be a good place to get a drink but don’t even want to do that now.

Had a really nice dinner here last night thanks to their Groupon. The portions were plenty and everything was delicious! Service was friendly.
Definitely get the fried green beans! The chipotle aioli was amazing!

Went last night for a last minute date night with the hubby and we decided to do something different. Looking places up in Unilocal I discovered Zona’s! When we walked in we were greeted right away and shown to a table in the bar half of the restaurant. The restaurant is very nice and clean with its own personal flare of décor. The lighting and the overall feel of the place was very welcoming and very romantic. So it was perfect for our date night. My husband ordered an IPA and I ordered a glass of champagne which were both very enjoyable. Our food got to us fairly quickly as well which rocked because we were both pretty hungry. My pasta was SO good. I can’t remember the name (or even attempt to spell it!) but I got angel hair pasta with romain tomatoes, butter, cheese, and other stuff that I can’t remember! Holy cow it was delicious! My Hunny got a regular house salad with salmon added to it and he enjoyed his very much. He’s a huge fan of salmon so he was pretty please with his meal. I really wanted to try the green bean fries because according to the other reviews they are the best but hopefully next time!
Service was great. Everyone was very nice and professional. Came and refilled what was needed and checked on us occasionally.
Overall we were very pleased with our visit! The food was very very good and the drinks were good as well and with a large variety to choose from. Really recommend this place. We will be back! Even though you are a Tad expensive Zona’s we will return for your great food and friendly service :)

I am First timer to Zona’s. Saw it on Groupon.
The waitress, Sarah was great! She recommended
for me The Pasta Primavera with White Sauce
And The Crème Brulé. Both were– TO DIE FOR!!! The atmosphere
was relaxing and romantic. The drink menu was nice and
I am recommending Zona’s to everyone. Plan on coming back
for seconds! Get to this place!!!

Have to say, never even heard of Zona’s until I received a Groupon offer, but wow — what a gem! We took a couple of friends with us to test the water at this previously unknown restaurant fully expecting to be underwhelmed, but all four us had exceptional meals and service.
I’m assuming it was the owner who greeted us at the door (a lovely older gentleman), and he made us feel at home immediately. The interior is very tastefully decorated and MUCH larger then one would expect, it’s huge — but sectioned off in such a way that if feels intimate no matter where you’re seated.
Wish I had more time to write a detailed review, but all I can say is everyone in our party was extremely impressed with the food, the service and ambience. Without a shadow of a doubt, we will be returning to Zona’s frequently!

This is my hidden gem! My boyfriend and I love this place and it’s our go to for date night. The ambiance is great! Service has always been exceptional! They have live music on the weekends which is lovely. It’s has a real romantic feel to it, great for dates.
The owner, I never have got his name, but he’s the sweetest older man! He always greets you with a smile and sits you wherever you want. Read his story inside of the menu when you get there! His grandmother cooked authentic Italian and was from Italy and it was passed down through generations and he got to open his own Italian restaurant which had been a dream of his family and himself.
As far as their food. It’s delish! I always order the same thing though because it’s just too good. We get the wedge salad! (The best wedge I’ve ever had)! Then we get the surf n turf or the salmon. Both are equally as delicious. Then, of course we have to end the night with the best peach cobbler in Orange County! It is soooo good.
I also always get the lemon drop and pom martini and I noticed they make them pretty strong here (no complaints here) because I end up walking out tipsy and in a food coma, lol.
We love Zona’s and it is by far our favorite restaurant!

FYI, this review is tainted with a Groupon deal.
The Food was good and service was outstanding. The live band was pretty good, too, in the lounge. We had the filet mignon and the lasagna, both were tasty and prepared the way we liked them. For desert, we ordered panna cotta, but got spumoni. Everything else was nice so we didn’t complain.
We had just 1 gripe, and that’s the parmesan cheese from a shaker. That might work for a pizza joint, but I expect the freshly grated stuff from a $ 25/​plate place. Even Olive Garden has that.

I came here from a Groupon deal (It was about $ 50 worth of food for $ 25).
THE MOOD:
Parking is extremely hard to find here since the lot is small and it took us a good 10 minutes before we could find parking — Zona’s shares the same parking lot as a theater and other businesses.
I liked the dim lighting of the booth seats. The dining experience felt very private if you get a booth seat since the walls separating you are so tall, you can’t see any parties sitting to the left or right of you except for those sitting in front.
THE ‘TUDE:
We were greeted when we walked in, but then it took a while until our waiter even came around to our table (about 10 — 15 minutes). There was no one there, so the fact that it took as long as it did was a little surprising. However, we finally did have a waitress come by and she was good for the rest of our meal. My bf did mention that it was my birthday, but they never came around with a free dessert or anything like other restaurants do.
THE FOOD:
The food was average. My bf got a burger and I got a pasta. We also shared a mini pizza as an appetizer. The pasta sauce was thick — a little too thick and the pizza tasted like one of those mini frozen pizzas that you buy from the supermarket and heat up.
OVERALL:
I liked the Groupon deal that we got, but I honestly wouldn’t normally pay $ 50 for this food. I probably won’t be back, but at least I can say I came, I tried, I Unilocaled! :)

We got a Groupon and it was a very good deal. Almost half off. We ordered a bunch of appetizers because nothing on the menu seemed interesting to me.
–Wings — tasted like frozen wings
–Ceviche sampler — nothing special. not fresh.
–Pesto pizza — this totally sealed the deal!!! We were surprised at how good it was. The pizza was very unique with the cheese sauce. I would come back just for this.

I came here on a Friday night with my fiancé and we were both astounded with the amazing service they have. It’s easily the restaurant with the best customer service I’ve had in months. When we walked in, we were kindly greeted by an older man with an awesome sense of humor. He told my fiancé, «beautiful girl, you have» and seated us at a nice cozy table-​for-​two nook. I’m not being conceited here since he would also tell any other couple that walked in that the man had a «very beautiful girl» with him. Normally this recycled phrase would seem insincere but this man had such genuine charm and a charismatic aura that it was just adorable.
Upon being seated, we were greeted by a cheery and nice waitress. We ordered a bottle of wine after asking her for a recommendation. She explained to us which wine we would both like best. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and my fiancé ordered the Linguini and Clams seafood pasta. Both dishes were delicious. We were able to take our time with our dinner, we weren’t rushed or pestered. Another waiter would come by and refill our waters whenever it got halfway empty. We also ordered the Peaches and Cream Cobbler for dessert and it was yummy! We should have ordered two since I hate sharing desserts…
The atmosphere of the place is what made this Italian American restaurant even better. There was music playing in the background, soft candle lighting, and cozy booths. I would recommend this place for a romantic dinner date.