Zeno's on the Square

Last night for our anniversary my wife and I made the 40 minute drive out to Weatherford to try the highly recommended Zeno's on the Square. Set in the corner space of a building located across the street from the historic Parker County courthouse, we were really looking forward to trying this restaurant. Dinner service starts at 5pm and it's recommend that you make reservations. We arrived at 5:30pm for our reservation and found about 20-30 people already inside the small restaurant. Best guess is maximum seatings runs around 70-80 so on a busy weekend night you would definitely want to make reservations. The ambiance walking in was casual fine dining but the aroma said "fasten your seatbelt, we are fixin' to take a tour of Italy one plate at a time!" We quickly got seated and started off with a basket of Italian style bread fresh out of the oven. The bread was cut in small finger sized slices that made it a quick start dipped in the fresh olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Next we ordered an appetizer - the Bruschetta Board. This was a "flight" of different types of Bruschetta; the classic tomato and balsamic vinegar was our favorite. The runner-up was a fresh mozzarella with pickled red bell pepper. Honorable mentions included a spicy tomato puree with goat cheese and an olive spread on a corn fritter type bread. This appetizer was definitely big enough for the two of us to share and could have easily fed a third person if needed - but I would have fought over the classic bruschetta. The next stop was the entrees. We both ordered off the recommendations of the waitress. I had the braised beef ravioli and she had the lobster fettuccine. The lobster fettuccine featured fresh handmade linguine pasta topped with a light and vibrant vodka pink sauce finished with a fresh lobster tail. The sauce - wow - light and fresh summer tomato taste with a distinct Italian twist. Honestly, I could have ate a bowl of the sauce alone. The braised beef ravioli was a variation of a traditional dish. Handmade ravioli filled with braised shredded beef instead of a cheese filling. The pasta alone was fantastic but the burst of flavor from the beef really hit it home. Then there was the sauce; a brown gravy type sauce infused with truffles that really brought out the dark earthy tones of the dish. I could imagine this dish coming straight out of an Italian grandmother's kitchen as she serves her family their favorite comfort foods. Now, I warned my wife when I knew we were going to have Italian - my favorite food. I warned her that all the safety stops were off; I was eating everything I could while I was there. So naturally we cued up the desert menu for the final course. For me, it was the traditional tiramisu made in house with fresh brewed coffee soaked ladyfingers and a thick layer of cream dusted with cocoa powder. My wife is a chocoholic so she went with the triple layer marble cake which consisted of a layer of dark chocolate mousse, milk chocolate mousse and a white chocolate mousse. Both desserts were delicious and rich to the point we weren't sure we'd finish them. Overall, Zeno's was a great experience. It was elegant dining without the high price tag. You can expect appetizers to be $9-10, entrees to be $25-35 per plate and desserts run between $6-10. You could easily get in and out for less than $100 and enjoy all 3 courses. A couple things that detracted from the experience was the waitress and the music. The waitress did a fantastic job and answered all of our questions. We could tell she was fully capable but use to working the busy dinner rush. There was no wait, empty tables and we were in no rush but did feel a little pressure from the waitress. The second issue was the music. It sounds petty now, but rocking out to hip hop music while trying to enjoy this fine Italian food just didn't jive. Neither thing was a deal breaker, we'll definitely go back but both were things that caught our attention.

We've had pretty good luck at Zeno's, both for lunch and dinner.Our last meal here was dinner, on a Tuesday. We did not have a reservation, and the place was packed. We did get a high top, and that was fine. Quick run down: My beef ravioli was yummy. Thuy's gnocchi divine. But the best part of our meal was watching the table that ordered the "Pasta Wheel - Moma Monica's fresh egg pasta tossed into a flame warmed parmesan cheese wheel. Served with fresh ground pepper." This looked so yummy, and gooey, and cheesy! We are eager to come back to Zeno's, just to try the Pasta Wheel!We are so happy for the low minimum number of 2, because Thúy and I can't wait to come back to try it.

This place is delicious and highly recommend trying the pasta they make at your table side. They use a fresh parmesean cheese wheel to make it in and cook it. any meats you'd like to add to it are available hot and ready, lobster, chicken, shrimp, oysters etc all available. Our waitress was great and gave an excellent old fashioned recommendation that also came out smoked. Highly recommend that plus the tequila lid fashioned. It is not loud and they offer plenty of table space and room at the bar.

My wife's birthday was coming up and she had been wanting to try Cheese Wheel Pasta also called "pasta alla ruota" that she saw trending on Instagram shorts. What is Cheese Wheel Pasta? It's a dish served table side where the chef scrapes the cheese wheel into a bowl and lites it on fire mixing in the pasta as the cheese melts into the pasta. My wife did some research and found out that Zeno on the Squre did it in downtown Weatherford, so we made the hour long drive out for her birthday.The main chef Massimiliano Zubboli came to the table and was a fun showman explaining what he was doing during the process while the huge cheese wheel was set on fire. It was all smiles and was such a joy to watch him work so happily. The Pasta Wheel pasta was absolutely warm, rich and delicious. You have to have a minimum of two people to get the pasta wheel and it cost $28 that is such a great price for all you get. We added the scallops and shrimp to our pasta too. I very much recommend Zeno's on the Square. Especially ambience, the service and the fun they have and really appreciate that they made my wife's Birthday very special to her. Happy Birthday Gina, love you

If you haven't made your way to Zeno's on the Square or tried the pasta prepared table side, you are missing out! Make it a destination soon ... well worth the stop!!

My wife and I dined at Zeno's On The Square tonight, and we were left quite disappointed. From the start, the experience was subpar. My wife ordered the Italian Artichokes as an appetizer, but they were far from enjoyable. For her main course, she chose the Spaghetti Pomodoro, which was unfortunately over-salted to the point that she could only manage two bites. To make matters worse, despite her barely touching her meal, the waiter didn't check in or address the issue.I had the Lobster Fettuccine, which was the highlight of the meal, with the lobster tasting great. However, the fettuccine itself was just average. Our total bill came to $86, which felt steep given the overall quality of the food and service.The restaurant's layout also detracted from the experience. Zeno's is quite small, and if you decide to dine here, I strongly recommend avoiding the high chairs and tables situated to the left as you enter. These tables are crammed together, making it nearly impossible to have a private conversation. The close proximity to other diners and the awkward positioning of the tables, where waitstaff have to maneuver sideways, only added to our discomfort. Additionally, the high chairs were uncomfortable and not ideal for a pleasant dining experience.Given the combination of poor service, mediocre food, and an uncomfortable environment, we will not be returning to Zeno's.

I am no an Italian person, but this place was pretty good! I had the scallops and it was very good. The chef even brought us out a few extras because this was a "smaller" batch. The service was top notch. Really a great spot.

Cute and quaint local spot. It wasn't our first choice but the place we wanted to go is closed on Mondays. Very friendly staff that greeted and sat us promptly. Unfortunately this place is nothing special. We were very hopeful and tried the pasta wheel... it was an epic flop. Cold, watery and tasteless. A real let down after the table sample of the warm cheese prior to preparation. Additionally the Ceasar salad came dry and was overloaded with crouton and minimal lettuce. Too bad.

Delicious food, great atmosphere with very friendly staff.Reasonable prices on menu, I have been here twice and both times. I was very happy with the service and the delicious homemade food. I would really highly recommend this place and I'm coming back the third time.

Delicious, homemade pasta. Good atmosphere, service, and food. There were a couple of large parties there with table side and they were still able to keep track of the smaller tables. The table side cheese wheel looks awesome.