Zio's Italian Kitchen

From the outside it looked like a decent place. Very polite when we first walked in, and only had to wait 5 minutes for a table on a Sunday night. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there. Once seated we ordered the Classic Calamari for an appetizer, the Kid's chicken strips, chicken parmigiana, and the grilled tilapia. They brought out some bread with a plate of olive oil and the tallest pile of oregano I've ever seen. The bread was tasteless and hard on the outside. A salad came out in a large bowl. The lettuce was warm and wilted. Next came the calamari. It was cooked perfectly, tender and not the least bit chewy. This gave me a renewed sense of hope for our main selections. But we were sorely disappointed. The chicken parmigiana was overcooked, and my the pasta had a strange taste to it, as if the same boiled water had been used to cook their pasta all day. My husband ate it anyway because he felt bad that I was already sending my tilapia back. I never send food back at a restaurant, but it looked as awful as it tasted. There was supposed to be a ""drizzle"" of a butter sauce on the tilapia and angel hair. Instead my plate came to me with the fish and angel hair submerged in a thick, congealed, bright yellow liquid. The first thought that came to mind was that this ""sauce"" was sitting in a large plastic tub in the back of the kitchen somewhere. To give them the benefit of the doubt, I took a bite to try it. It was awful. I told our server that I didn't care for the dish. She did not ask why, but simply tossed it into the trash as if she was used to this reaction to their food. No manager came by to ask what happened, or to apologize for the appalling food. They took the dish off of the bill, but I felt no one gave the service a second thought. My son who is two and will eat just about anything that's chicken attempted to take a bit of a chicken tender and quickly turned his head. My husband tried the chicken and said it had the same after taste as the pasta. My child ate his fries for dinner. As we were leaving the only thought in my head was how sorry I felt for my server and the rest of the workers trying to make a living serving this junk. They truly should be embarrassed calling themselves a restaurant. We don't eat out often, so it's very disappointing to go somewhere and have the food turn out to be that bad. more

We ordered the spaghetti tour and grilled salmon w/ steamed veggies. Salmon took forever...longer than steaks.. so the cook completed the spaghetti dinner and veggies first. Once the food was brought to us, the alfredo sauce was congealed over the noodles and the veggies were super cold. My husband dealt with the alfredo sauce but I wanted hot veggies, so i sent the veggies back. once they did come back they were not completely cooked. Our waiter was awesome but once the manager walked over our experience was too. I explained to the manager the situation with the veggies but he decided to explain the difference between blanched and raw veggies. I know the difference between the two and I also know that the veggies that i got were not boiled or steamed but instead placed into a microwave and warmed enough to steam. We were fine with paying but the manager only wanted to shut us up and offered to take something off of the bill. that wasnt the point, we didnt want some other customer, paying with their hard earned money, to get shafted like we did. We paid our bill and decided that this was the last time we would ever step foot in this Zios or any Zios ever again. Management SUCKS!!!!!! or should i say the manager on the line sucked! Pros: good bread and soup Cons: horrible veggies and management more

I've eaten at Zio's a few times since moving to SA 5 years ago and I've never been disappointed. I've gone once with family, once with a friend, and once on a date. My dinner companions all liked it as well. Be prepared for a wait of half an hour or more on Fri & Sat evenings. Also, Sundays are very crowded. Despite the crowds, the service staff is always very friendly and attentive. I've had the Vegetable Lasagna, Shrimp Limone, and a combo platter with three of their signature dishes. All of it was very good with BIG portions. When I dined there the other night, the waiter filled our glasses each time we ran out of drinks without being asked. (a rarity these days). He also asked us twice if we were happy with our order. My aunt said her dish was spicier than she expected. (Her vision is not very good, it may have been indicated on the menu). He replaced it with another dish right away and seemed happy to do so. She was not charged for the first one. All of the staff is friendly and attentive without hovering over you every single minute. Also, the manager was visible, walking around and thanking eveyone for coming in. I recommend Zio's for any occasion, but try to go on a Mon-Thurs when they're not too crowded. more

Everytime I go to Zios the food order is wrong. Last time after waiting 45 mins for a desert that never came the management picked up the entire tab minus drinks but STILL never got desert. Food is average at best. more

Military, married to an Italian; I had to take leave to Mama's house for some good Italian food. I discovered this little restaurant, with great service, friendly atmosphere, and the waiter had a real Italian accent. ""My future son-in-law is here I gotta take care of em"". The food was great. My wife said the rigatoni was ""just like mama's"". The lasagna was great! The pizza is the best I've had in San Antonio. This restaurant is definately a hidden treasure. If you like authentic tastes of Italy with a quiet, friendly atmosphere which felt like a getaway, go to this restaurant. By the way the dessert menu is in my daughter's words ""So yummy"". The tiramisu was excellent, freshly made. They were out of canoli's but I am definately going back for more. The only minus was the veal parmegian was a smaller portion than I expected but the great taste made up for it. I am glad I trusted these reviews and gave this place a try. My wife, daughter and I loved it. We are taking ""mama"" there next week when she comes to visit. Pros: Service, Ambience, food taste Cons: veal parmegian portion was small for the price more

This has to be the best Restaurant that my family and I have frequented in quite a while. The atmosphere is very family friendly and the food is a steal for the price you pay. To top it off the food is absolutely magnificent. Pros: food is delicious, inexpensive, relaxed atmosphere more

This is definitely NOT Italian food. It is what Americans think Italian food is. The value is great, you get a lot of food, its just not very good. The ambiance is nice; there are lots of things to look at, but who cares if the food is nothing to talk about. more

I liked this restaurant because it kind of made me feel like a kid again. My date and I drew pictures the whole time we were there....Even when we were eating haha more

Great food at a great price!!!!!!!! Very romantic and great atmosphere to eat w/ spouse or friends more

One of the very best, fantastic food, great service and atmosphere, most for the price. Really feel pricing to low for quality of food. Inexpensive to take large family or group. Pros: very inexpensive, atmosphere, service Cons: waiting time more

Everything that I've tried at Zio's has been wonderful. The atmosphere and the service are great! more

I was amazed and pleasantly surprised when I ordered and ate my first pizza at Zio's Italian Kitchen. I will certainly recommend this if you like pizza and everything about -- the crust and the sauce and other ingredients were delicious and I hated for the meal to end-- HA! Pros: Delicious, great tasing crust, great tasting sauce Cons: a bit noisy in restau more

Zio's Italian Kitchen has great food for a very reasonable price. The food is made from scratch and doesn't taste frozen (like Olive Garden). They aren't a national chain either. I highly recommend their Pizza Bread to start off with and their Lasagne as your main course. However their Fettuccine Alfredo is great too. I was very pleased with my service and my food. If you like Italian food, I strongly recommend Zio's Italian Kitchen. Pros: Inexpensive, Great Food, Authentic Italian Foo Cons: Sometimes Crowded more

This was some really good food. I adore the cheese bread and the sangria. more

Try this place! Your taste buds will never find food like this and your pocketbook will love the prices. For a lot of Itallian food at a reasonable price - get yourself there! Pros: inexpensive, good food, large portions Cons: loud, can be crowded more