Zunzibar Review: A Late Dinner, $8 Wings and a Waterfront Patio

This week, my wife and I headed to Zunzibar for this Zunzibar review of a late dinner. We arrived after 8 p.m., which happened to put us into the restaurant’s second Golden Hour of the day.

We ate inside on a quiet Tuesday evening, tried a couple of salads and the $8 Island Jerk Wings, and spent some time checking out the waterfront patio afterward. Service was attentive throughout the meal, and there were a few things we’d consider coming back for.

A Quiet Tuesday Evening

We were greeted promptly when we walked in and seated right away.

It was a quiet Tuesday evening. A few guests were having drinks at the bar, but the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy during our visit.

Our server was quick and responsive throughout the meal. The manager also stopped by our table to make sure everything was going well, which I appreciated.

We chose to eat inside, although we went outside after dinner to have a look at the waterfront patio.

The manager told us there is live music outside on weekends until 9 p.m., weather permitting. According to the manager, the music moves inside when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

We didn’t experience the live music ourselves on this visit, but the patio is something I’d like to come back for.

Zunzibar’s $8 Island Jerk Wings

Because we arrived after 8 p.m., I was able to order the Island Jerk Wings for $8 from the Golden Hour menu.

The wings are grilled rather than fried and marinated in island jerk seasoning. They’re served with citrus chimichurri, arugula and piquante peppers.

I enjoyed them.

They came out nicely grilled, with some char around the edges and plenty of flavor. For $8 during Golden Hour, I thought they were a good value.

I also ordered blue cheese dressing on the side. We were told the salad dressings are made in-house, and this version had a noticeable tarragon flavor.

It wasn’t quite what I expected from a traditional blue cheese dressing, but that’s more a matter of preference than a complaint. It was simply a different take on it.

A Simple Caesar Salad

Along with the wings, I ordered the Caesar Salad ($12) without croutons.

It was a straightforward Caesar with Parmesan and house-made dressing. The lettuce tasted fresh, it was nicely dressed, and it worked well as a lighter meal alongside the wings.

The Endless Summer Salad

My wife ordered the Endless Summer ($16).

The regular version comes with avocado, quinoa, roasted corn, golden raisins, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, prosciutto and vinaigrette. She ordered hers without the raisins or prosciutto.

It arrived with a generous portion of avocado along with the quinoa, roasted corn and other ingredients.

Everything tasted fresh, and she enjoyed it.

A Recommendation Before We Walked In

Interestingly, we received a Zunzibar recommendation before we even made it through the front door.

As we were entering, another guest told us we should try the Blackened Mahi Sandwich with truffle fries.

We didn’t order it, so I can’t offer a firsthand opinion. He was enthusiastic about the sandwich, though, and specifically recommended upgrading to the truffle fries, which he said were worth the extra $4.

I’ll probably give that combination a try on a future visit.

How the Golden Hour Works

One practical thing worth knowing about Zunzibar is its Golden Hour.

Instead of limiting the specials to late afternoon, the restaurant had two Golden Hour windows at the time of our visit:

2–5 p.m. and 8–10 p.m.

That later window worked particularly well for our dinner.

At the time of our visit, the Golden Hour menu included food specials ranging from $8 to $11, along with $5 draft beers, well drinks and house wines.

I had a soft drink and my wife had water, so we didn’t try any of the drink specials.

Menus and prices can change, so rather than reproduce everything here, we’ve added photos of the food, Golden Hour and drink menus from our visit to the Zunzibar restaurant listing.

The Waterfront Patio: A Zunzibar Review Highlight

Although we ate inside, we walked outside after dinner to check out the waterfront seating.

There’s quite a bit of outdoor seating overlooking the water. Based on what we saw, it’s a setting I’d consider when the weather is comfortable.

We didn’t stay for an outdoor meal or experience the weekend music ourselves, so I’ll save judgment on that part of the Zunzibar experience until a future visit.

For now, the patio is one of the main reasons I’d like to go back.

Zunzibar Review Verdict: Would We Go Back?

Yes.

Our Tuesday-night dinner was fairly simple, but the experience was consistently good. We were seated promptly, service was attentive, the manager checked on us, and both salads tasted fresh. I enjoyed the jerk wings, and arriving during the later Golden Hour made them a particularly reasonable $8 order.

There were also a few things we didn’t experience this time around. I’d like to eat outside on a future visit, hear the weekend live music for myself and perhaps try the Blackened Mahi Sandwich with truffle fries that another diner recommended.

Zunzibar Review Verdict: Based on this visit, Zunzibar worked well for a casual late dinner. The 8–10 p.m. Golden Hour is useful to know about, particularly if you tend to eat later, while the waterfront patio gives us a reason to return and experience a different side of the restaurant.

For menus, additional photos and practical restaurant information, see our Zunzibar restaurant listing.

Author: Dave