Zest Café and Home Art

I haven't been here in years when I was still living in North Raleigh. I love this place. I really enjoy just being in the restaurant. There is so much to explore and look at. This place is more than a restaurant, it is a whole experience. Now the food. The food is amazing. The portions are huge and I am always so full. I had the Torta sandwich which was delicious and filling.

Love this spot! My parents frequent it, but it was my first time coming for Sunday brunch. I enjoyed the avocado toast, mimosa special and the mini muffins they brought to our table before the meal. Service was great!

YUM! Oh my word how delicious is Zest?! Complimentary bread is given to the table and I don't know how they make their butter but it was SO sweet and oh wow, so tasty. As an appetizer we got the hummus plate which came with pita, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives. It was very light and refreshing!My boyfriend got the catfish sandwich (tortilla crusted fresh catfish filet with lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickled jalapeño tartar sauce on house flatbread) and I got the cc (cashew crusted boneless chicken breast with sweet potato fritters, crispy cucumber-cabbage salad and peanut sauce).His was a little slippery - each time he tried to take a bite the catfish would slide out of the sandwich. Flavors were good, it was just kind of difficult to eat.The cc is absolutely incredible. The chicken was juicy and the sweet potato fritters were a little like a hash. I've never had anything like it, it was so good. And the portion was HUGE. Like mega huge, in a comical but delicious way.The storefront is also incredibly cute and had a lot of great home decor and gifts.

I met a friend for lunch on a recent Saturday afternoon, and really enjoyed it! Food and service were solid, and the store side was very cute.

Great food and if looking for great gifts for family and friends, this is the place to go. Zest has an amazing staff and ownership. Always friendly and helpful.

Went in with higher expectations because of previous reviews. Sat down and ordered at the same time as the people sitting behind us. They received their food, finished eating it and we still had not been served ours (45 min later) asked the server about the time it's taken. Server informed us that the chef has been being difficult and taking a long time with food. She went and checked on our food and said it was being plated and told us to feel free to leave a review... so here I am leaving it. We waited for another 5 min (felt like if it were being plated that would be sufficient time.)We were not served and we decided to leave at that point. Very disappointed in the service and hope this does not happen to others.

I walked over to Zest on my lunch. Their menu is awesome and they have a great selection of salads. I originally wanted to sit down and have lunch, but the wait was pretty long (12:30 on a Thursday) so I placed a to-go order. It was ready in about 10-15 minutes and I browsed the store until then. My salad was $18 before tip because I added salmon which was $7. I have to say, for the price, the piece of salmon was quite small, but the salad was 10/10. This place gives off "ladies who lunch" vibes and is pretty crowded during the week, so if you're looking for a speedy, dine-in option, you might want to choose somewhere else or pre-order for pick up. I will definitely be back!

I finally got a chance to try this place after living in the area for years. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed and will not return.We were seated promptly and given menus. I ordered the "Asian-style chicken soup" and a turkey BLT. The food that was delivered was poor. The Asian style chicken soup was completely tasteless. Maybe three small pieces of chicken and some not very Asian style vegetables. No spices at all. The BLT was also poor, and it is hard to mess up a BLT. Very little tomato, bacon, or mayo/aïoli sauce so it was quite dry. The turkey tasted like Oscar Mayer and was tasteless. To pay the bill, you can't pay at the table, but need to walk through the overpriced knickknack store, and wait in a long line of people buying overpriced knickknacks. It took us almost 10 minutes to check out.My friend had the tomato soup and chicken salad and said hers was equally bland with no seasonings. Maybe we just came on a bad day or chose bad items. But I really don't know why people like this restaurant. Will not return.

I went today for the first time for lunch.I had the tomato sandwich and a dessert. I will be back!!

So sorry that Karen W. wrote such a negative review of Zest. We have been going there for years, and years - as have friends and co-workers and never, ever an issue with anything. She also had negative comments concerning their very unique gift area. I have purchased untold amounts of birthday, Christmas, and thank you gifts in that gift shop, and everyone that received my gifts, were thrilled. I had dinner there with a friend just last week, and as usual, everything was delicious, excellent service, and left with full, happy, bellies. Karen should give it another try.