Zeus Gallery Cafe

Just heard that this place is bankrupt and closed. This is second hand info so call before going to be sure.

This pains me to give this place just 1 star, as I have eaten here several times and always enjoyed. So last week I made a reservation for tonight for my wife and two friends. We got babysitters and everything. We show up at our dinner time and lo and behold, the place is pitch black. For some reason they were closed during peak hours on a pretty busy night (Thursday). Never got a phone call to let us know or anything. Very disappointed in this.
The food is good if you do go, I’m just really upset about the whole situation.

We had a Groupon and tried Zeus Gallery tonight. I am quite surprised at this experience. We had the beef skewers with peanut sauce which had the distinct flavor of having been grilled on charcoal. This made is anxious for our dinner. One had shrimp and grits, which was quite extravagant. The steak was cooked to perfection with an incredible demi glaze. And the desert, a chocolate torte, was delectable. Service was quick and pleasant. Highly recommended for a quaint dinner out.

The food was OK in general but the service is slow. Got fried oysters for appetizer. It was delisious but the steak we got was salty and had too much fat it it. Definitely overpriced for the value. The worst part is how they give you the bill. Everything is handwritten like chineese restaurants. Double check their calculations. Make sure numbers add up.
If you have a Groupon deal, be aware that they charge taxes on full price of food not on the transaction price. When you buy a $ 20 shirt on sale for $ 10, your taxes are calculated based on $ 10 sale price. Unfortunately that is not how this business runs. Their approach is shady and of course illigal.

This place is great! Fried Oyster are great, you’d be surprised how many places fuck up some fried oysters, but not this place. The dredge is real, it is great. Great, lets move on. I ordered red meat and red wine, cause thats what I like. True American hero, FILET, thats right, I know a ribeye is the way but I got a fucking filet. Béarnaise was the bomb, brown butter up in dat ass so it makes a filet legit and not boring like all y’all’s shitty Unilocal reviews. Red wine reduction was not on par tho, when I reduce red wine I like to finish it with some butter cause I am an American Hero, I don’t know what the shit they did with theirs but it was no bueno. The tenderloin was thick, like a filet of beef should be. They must cut it themselves there instead of having PFG prepackage individual steaks. I love restaurants that do the hard work themselves. Anywell, I was with the family so we had a big group, the ladies all got the rockfish cause thats what the women in my family do, they all get the same thing. I did not try it because they inhaled it, that means it must have been good cause they cook, you know real food, not like you with your stupid fucking gluten free muffin mix and your pretty white apron that hasn’t seen the light of a hard days work in the kitchen. Fuck…

Awful experience. I never write reviews but this was such a bad experience I have to warn others. Father’s Day dinner, remembered this was a nicefunky place around corner from museum where we had gone for a show. 100 degree day and they had no ice, the waitress acted like she was annoyed we were there and it was hot as Hades inside the restaurant. Service was absolutely pitiful. People next to us were beyond P .O-​d and loudly made everyone aware of it. Luckily the food was ok, not stellar but good.
Wow, all I can say is I hope it’s not like this all the time or they won’t be around much longer. Maybe it was just an anomaly, but I won’t go back. Too many good restaurants in Richmond!

I wish I knew how to edit my old reviews because this was truly worth 5 stars and no other meal I’ve had in RVA deserves as many stars as the meal we had tonight.
We went because of a groupon and I am so glad we did. 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and a dessert for $ 55 is a steal here. We started with the mozzarella salad that is dressed in a tomato vinaigrette that is so complex you wouldn’t know it was tomato based. I had the gnocchi which was cooked to perfection and then seared with asparagus, mushrooms, and bacon pieces, lightly covered in a brown butter sauce. It was the perfect balance of saltiness. I couldn’t stop raving about it through the meal. My companion had the veal and ricotta meatballs. They we also perfectly done, as was the pasta, which I can only assume was homemade and a deliciously fresh tomato sauce.
We met the chef Matt and couldn’t thank him enough for the amazing meal.
This is without a doubt the best meal I’ve ever had in Richmond (and maybe ever)

Had dinner tonight at Zeus Gallery with Darrell, Dan and Mario.
Started with Fried Oysters, Pork Belly, and Pear Salad. Dinner was crab cakes, burger, scallops and veal meatballs. Dessert comprised of chocolate pâté, key lime pie and a donut dish with whipped cream and raspberry sauce.
This meal was delightful. The restaurant was filled to brim and yet the service was perfect. We had our own room in the front of the house which made it even more perfect. Even ran into one of my relatives!
Way to go Zeus! Thanks for making a perfect evening for my friends and me!

Extremely frustrating experience with Zeus two years in a row!!!
Beware of driving out of your way to reach this place. They randomly with no warning close their doors. Sign in the front window says they are open, website says they are open but you may drive 45 min out of your way to find the door locked with no explanation as to why.
Show some respect for your customers. Wont be returning to this place after trying TWICE during business hours and finding them closed both times.

If you are looking for good wine, savvy wait staff, delicious entrees, and an intimate atmosphere, Zeus has it all. We have been several times, and it is consistently impressing us! We especially enjoyed our recent Valentine’s Day dinner there. Perfect!

Yay! As most in the area know, Zeus recently changed hands. Hopeful, we decided to give it a try. I am really glad we did.
It was a quiet pre-​Thanksgiving evening. We split the beet salad (much better than the average, with toasted, not candied, pecans — I am so tired of candied pecans in salads) and fried oysters. We were talked into the oysters by our attentive but not overbearing server, and weren’t sorry — these were light, soft on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside, and kept the oyster flavor that is often lost in heavier and less well executed fried oysters. We split the rockfish, which had a lovely crispy skin (so difficult to do at home!) and red pepper purée. We don’t usually get dessert, but were (once again) won over by our server. We could smell them being made in the open kitchen, and they were lovely! Like a funnel cake for the adult palate.
This wonderful food was served graciously and with pride, which brought the experience from great to phenomenal. We also had a nice, but reasonably priced (about $ 30) bottle of pinot noir recommended by our server.
I am so glad Zeus seems to be doing well in capable hands. Go try it (or go again) and enjoy the dark, cozy, romantic ambiance and gorgeous Chadwick orchids decorating each table.

This is how a great restaurant should be run! Attentive but not overbearing waitstaff, and delicious food timed perfectly. Even during busy restaurant week.

What stood out for us at this restaurant was the super customer service. This is your model for how to host guests in a restaurant. Jess and Angie were attentive to every table in there, and even though it was our first time, they spent as much time checking in with us as they did with their «regulars.»
The special poached pear salad was perfect for an autumn meal, as was the veal short rib… I caution you — the beignets with sautéed apple are addictive!

Sorry but started off badly. I don’t know when I’ve had a four ounce pour. The wine by the glass seemed pricey to begin with but when the tiny glass arrived, we knew we wouldn’t be back. Food was ok.

What an amazing meal! We were visiting from Washington and stopped in on the strength of their Unilocal.Started with the oysters and the truffled mac & cheese. The oysters were about the best I have ever had and the coating was exceptionally good. They also came with a spicy sauce that was unique and delicious. My husband had fillet which melted like butter in our mouths. It also came with a delicious hollandaise sauce and a red wine reduction which truly added to the overall flavor.
I had the crab cakes. Like others have said it is all month. But that doesn’t tell the whole story as the seasoning and the cooking were pure genius.
If you live in Richmond, you must try this restaurant! It would be like living in Washington and not visiting the Smithsonian. Enjoy.

Meh. We were driving around the area looking for somewhere new to try. I had heard great things about this place so we figured why not. When we drove by, We weren’t even sure if the place was open. When we asked about a bottle of wine, it took a while for someone who had a little knowledge to come to out table. Luckily the wine was great. For dinner, I ordered the shrimp and scallops with risotto and the hubs had the rockfish with curried israeli couscous. Both dishes were ok, nothing to write home about and overpriced.

I have been to Zeus many times this year. The food continues to get better every time I visit. My husband had the delicious filet. I had the lump crab cakes. Honestly, after having the crab cakes at Zeus, I don’t want them anywhere else. They are 100% lump. We had the house Pinot Noir with our meals. To finish off the meal, we had the house-​made beignets. They melt in your mouth! I have had desserts in the finest restaurants, and they can’t beat Zeus’ beignets.

Perfect, great meal excellent service.
Highly recommend. Everything we had was spot on preparation. Oysters were incredible and the scallops were cooked perfect.

Always consistent. Service perfect, food fantastic, wines a plenty. If it had a better bar space it would be a 5-​star in my book.
Ted, we will miss you!

One of my absolute favorite places I’ve ever eaten. Homey atmosphere, attentive wait staff, great owner, delicious food. Not sure how it can get much better.
Recently made a reservation for 9 PM when a group was in town for a celebration. We ended up not arriving until 9:45 (our fault) and the place was just about empty but for one group finishing coffee. We asked if they would still seat us and if the cooks were still around. Though they were getting ready to go home, the owner grabbed them and they sat us. We were the only folks in there for a few hours and the owner and wait staff were not impatient at all and we even enjoyed our time hanging and chatting with them. Oh yeah, and the food was terrific even at 10:30 at night. This is the type of experience I’ve come accustomed to at Zeus. They get 5 stars from me every time.