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My friend and I were walking around Penn's Landing area and stumbled upon ZoT on a quiet summer night and decided to give it a shot. Although I'm sure our excellent service also had something to do with the fact that only 2 tables were occupied (probably because it's late July -- prime vacation time), we both really appreciated our waitress' recommendations on the beer and mussels. As for the latter, I had Jamaican: green curry, coconut milk and Red Stripe, and my friend had Bangkok: cilantro, lemongrass and ginger. Both were fantastic, and as per below comments, all our shells were open. ZoT's beer menu is similar to Eulogy's in that it's massive, so it's hard to choose. The waitress let me sample 2 draft beers and when I still wasn't sure, asked me what kind of beer I liked. I told her about a beer I had tasted in New York, and she spoke to the bartender (whom she said had spent time in Germany, and he definitely knows his scheisse). He selected a beer that tasted EXACTLY like the one I was looking for. The ambiance of ZoT is also great -- kinda quirky, with interesting art and dishware and beautiful exposed-brick walls. I'll definitely be back soon -- and hopefully that Baltika hefeweizen will be back, too!

Some friends and I tried Zot last night, and i will definitely be coming back. The food was amazing, and our server Gina was so knowledgeable and friendly - we felt totally at home! Her recommendations were amazing and the beer was great! See ya soon!

I just came back from a very enjoyable dinner at ZOTs. I am scratching my head at some of the less that shining comments I have read regarding the dining experience. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful with BOTH the food (sauce) and beer suggestions. The ingredients were fresh and the entrees were cooked to our specifications. Medium rare WAS medium rare. I cannot wait to come back… One must check their nightly specials including the reverse happy hour!

I thank you for coming to zot but i do have to respond to the bull.... from you.Our menu is adventurous and descriptions,ingredients are noted on the side of each dish.What don't you understand @archiduc sauce:creamy mushroom or black pepper sauce:spicy black pepper flambeed with brandy or bearnaise:butter and yolk emulsion w/vinegar reduction and tarragon i can go on since we have 25 different sauces for you to choose from,as far as meats are concerned what exactly is it you want us to explain to you,n.y strip,filet mignon,lamb chop, blood sausage etc....Vegetables,now again here i am really confused, asparagus,pommes puree, risotto,brussel sprouts,braised red cabbage etc...are, as written on the menu,what exactly is it you don't understand? I don't understand you not understanding.My kitchen doors are always open to catch praise or hell, but you chose not to.Instead you write a non sense blog that hurt small biz like mine due to the lack of knowledge you possess .We are different in a lot of ways and i know that service can be worked on but in this young transitional town it does take a lot of time to retrain each new candidate since our dinner/beverage menu are very extensive,but i can assure you that each and everyone on my staff is honest and will bend backwards for you in order for you to have a nice experience. By the way how were your first two experiences? Now to another anonymous 2 doors down,the reason why we bring out a portion of frittes at a time is so you keep having nice hot ones to enjoy during your dinner,it also cuts down on half eaten portions being trashed. Yes i do it my way,that's the beauty of it all and i understand that zot is not for everybody but neither am i. Please if there is ever an issue regarding food or service have it addressed immediately, not only here,but wherever you may find yourself dining i am sure that any smart caring biz owner will attempt your fulfillment. Bernard/proprietor

This place can be ok at best or most likely a complete disappointment. The menu is a choose your own adventure which relies on the waiter to know the menu and make suggestions. They need to know what meats go with what sauces and better yet, what the sauces are! The waiters have no clue what they are doing, can't make recommendations, and are slow and forget full. When we asked our waiter what sauces go well with what meats, he said "I really don't know, I’m not the one to ask those questions to" After coming back from the kitchen he told us what 4 out of the dozen or so sauces were. Not much help. Luckily i chose well, but my date did not and the meat sauce combination was unappetizing. I've been here 2 times and there will not be a third.

Another great trip to Zot left me happier than before. Friday night 5/16/08, I went with a friend. She had Mussels with creamy Mushroom sauce. I had grilled elk with the Red wine and goat's cheese sauce. The elk was served on potatoes (blue ones from South America, but I can't remember the name of them). The elk was a good cut. As always at Zot, I requested chef's choice on the cooking, and it came rare. The texture was firm, yet tender. The flavor was zesty and not at all too gamey - though I frequently prefer a gamey flavor. The sauce was a perfect match for the meat, bringing out the tangy elements of the meat with the red wine and adding mellow and good accompanying flavor with the cheese. The potatoes were pleasantly flavorful, and the color of the presentation made it fun. The Mussels on my friend's order scored high with her. She admits that she prefers the SNOB sauce to the creamy mushroom, but on the basis of personal preference, not because of a deficiency with the mushroom sauce. I didn't have dessert, but she did and she said the ice cream with nuts was delicious. The service, as always, was attentive but not overbearing. I'm not a professional food critic, but I know quality and Zot presents it every time I go. This is a MUST visit restaurant if you prefer an imaginative menu with unusual food. Now, the beauty of it is that we had an appetizer, drinks, 2 incredible entrees and dessert for under $70.00. This is an excellent value as well as delicious. I plan to be back on June 18, when I've heard they will have a special menu of different types of meats. I have to say that hands down, Zot is my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia.

Go elsewhere. I live within a one block radius and I have given this place 3 tries. Each time the food was just okay and the service is poor. Your mussels are supposed to come with fries. Well, the server brought out each of our mussels and only one set of fries. I asked him where mine were and he told me to see if we could get through one first! I was appalled. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to deprive me of my food! I won't go back. Maybe for a drink but that's it.