Zephs’

What a great evening!
Delicious, unusual food, prompt service, all together a wonderful experience.
We live in Montclair, NJ, arguably the restaurant capital of the Garden State. But as my wife noted, none of our many favorite restaurants offer anything close to the extraordinary dishes that we and our friends enjoyed at Zeph’s last night.
Very special!

Wonderful local place with fresh local ingredients. As you walk in, there are gardens with herbs and greens. The food did not disappoint. Zeph’s has a wonderful seasonal menu and great selection of wine. Duck, chicken, and steak were our choices for the night. The meals came dressed in the perfect seasoning and au jus with a scrumptious side of veggies and a potato creation. The food made me feel like you were welcomed into someone’s home. Looking forward to returning.

Food is flavorful and fresh. Started with the Gumbo. Would definitely recommend it. The duck and lamb were delicious. Only comment on the lamb was it could have been seasoned a bit more but that’s a personal preference more than a critique.

This a true gem with authentic food. Everything is made with love and care and the service is up to par. Wish we had a couple more places like that.

A quiet rendezvous destination, Zeph’s has a delightful menu (I had the moussaka rollatini app and crispy duck entrée) that changes with the seasons and their garden output. The ambience is relaxed and calm. Zeph’s wonderful wait staff is responsive and quite professional.
Make reservations for Zeph’s has a modest table count and is truly worth a visit to Peekskill NY

The food here is super high quality, no doubt about it. Fresh ingredients and everything’s always perfect. The service is very good and there’s not an ounce of pretension to the place. They also have a very low key vibe which we love, as it makes for a relaxing meal. Only two problems I see: The interior is clearly from the early 90s which brings the experience down a notch, and they don’t have beer on tap. Still, a really solid place in terms of food and service. We usually save it for special occasions since it’s a little pricey.

Birthday dinner for my brother, and overall pretty good. I’ve worked in some pretty high end restaurants, which, to be fair, makes me kind of nitpicky, but it is what it is; I call it like I see it.
While overall Zeph’s was great, there a few spots that to me could easily be improved. However, let’s start off with the good stuff, which was significant:
We started with a red sparkling wine called Rex that seemed to work well with what we were all eating, despite perhaps not being that traditional, given that my mom was having salmon, but we were taking a walk on the wild side. Ha!
The bread that arrived early on was delicious and seemed home baked, and the butter was supple and easy to spread. For a starter I had the Lamb Manti, which are lamb dumplings served with a yogurt sauce on a bed of (what I believe was) spinach, some other vegetables and mint, as described in the menu. They were absolutely delicious and I could easily have eaten another portion. I think I pretty much inhaled mine. My main course was a special for the night which was a steak with a chimichurri sauce. I asked for it medium rare and that’s exactly how it arrived (although unexpectedly sliced); the chimichurri was a really delicious enhancement to the beef. For dessert I had some dulce de leche ice cream which was rich (hard for that not to be, frankly).
The ambience is overall very nice and I would say the crowd that was there on a Sunday night I would consider on the older side.
The places I would fault them are a few:
1. The pacing of the courses; there was way too much time between salad and main, and plates were sitting on our tables for longer than they should. I understand you don’t want to rush plates off, but they were sitting for a bit with both owner and waitress seeing them and walking past.
2. I was pointed to the downstairs bathroom because the upstairs one was occupied. My suggestion would be that they remake that one and remove the weird stuff in there. First, there’s a slop sink in there which shouldn’t be in a bathroom for customers. Second there are some weird art affectations on the walls, including a weird picture of a baby orangutan in relief and what looks like a small stuffed kangaroo sitting on a shelf. They seemed pretty random. Anywhere you’re sending customers should be buttoned up, and this almost seemed like he was letting me use the employee bathroom. Accommodating, sure, but it leaves a bad impression. Second, to get there you have to walk down some stairs into the kitchen. This is not somewhere you want to send customers, at least to me.
Here’s where the nitpicky part comes in:
3. Um, generally speaking one does not «test» sparkling wine the same way you do non-​sparking. It’s normally opened and poured straight away, but we were offered a test (no offense to our lovely waitress, who was more than accommodating and pleasant, but it’s just something it seems to me staff should be trained about). While it’s not a huge deal, if you’re purporting to be high end which Zeph’s seems to be, you’d get points off from most food critics for things like that. Also, I’ve opened literally thousands of bottles of champagne (I was brunch service bartender for years); hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle and turn the bottle, not the cork. There should be no «pop» sound at all. Overall, minor, but the difference between four and five stars in my book.
Here’s how it’s done:
in the grand scheme of things, the criticisms above are relatively minor and easily fixed. However, I’ve seen other reviews about the timing here on Unilocal,and it seems to me the owners and chef should pay a lot more attention to this. It makes a huge difference when a service feels choreographed. This did not.
I’ll be back for the tasty food, and hopefully these other items will have been addressed.

Underwhelming dinner here. We arrived a little before 7pm on a Friday evening and the restaurant was empty save for one other table. The welcome was warm and gracious, but the décor is tired and dated — definitely could do with some freshening up.
The menu is limited which would have been a good thing had that meant focus, curated ingredients and skilled execution. Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up. A starter of Jamaican cod fritters was dense and over-​fried and tasted fishy and under-​seasoned; the accompanying Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce was one-​note sour/​vinegary and not spicy. The sticky-​sweet fried plantains were very good, though.
A salad served with pomegranate walnut vinaigrette was also marred by too-​sour flavors in the dressing, and consisted of a small plate of chopped romaine with some matchstick beets on top.
My main was a salmon fillet stuffed with nice sautéed vegetables — but the fish was overcooked, and the sorrel sauce, while pleasantly buttery and winey, was nonetheless pretty bland. It was accompanied by an oily wedge of rösti that tasted more like potato kugel, and some steamed broccoli. For what it was, this seemed overpriced at $ 30.
We skipped dessert; the restaurant had filled up by the time we left which definitely made the vibe more convivial. Service throughout was friendly and professional; the pacing of the meal was leisurely bordering on slow.
Given the high prices and the ambition apparent in the menu, I was expecting more from Zeph’s. A just-​OK meal — there’s definitely room for improvement.

We have been to Zephs’ several times since we moved to Peekskill. I think what I like most about the place is that they can prepare a dish with ingredients that I would normally never eat, and I find myself wanting seconds.
The entrees are a bit in the pricey side, but I think they earn that with the preparation. I only wish they had a draft beer selection.

Went here with some friends last Friday night after work, and it will be last visit. This restaurant is overpriced, mostly all entrees on the menu cost $ 30. Whereas the menu choice is not large which is a good thing because you won’t spend too much time thinking of what to order.
This place has been around for years in Peekskill, and is in an industrial area which at night I would not want to be there alone. The location is not near the main street.
The décor is clean, and restruant is one large room. Now for the food,
I ordered the Duck, that was crispy (which was good but it could have been cooked in a plum sauce) a slice of potato that was thick almost like a Hash Brown, with Broccoli. However my friend ordered the Short Ribs and she thought the meat was dry most moist where the meat falls off the bone.
All in all, this restruant is OK if you are going to be in the Peekskill area.

Zeph’s is a true dining experience. A great place to go with friends because they never rush you and you will have time to relax and enjoy each other’s company. The menu changes with the seasons and the offerings are always unexpected but delicious. Make a reservation in advance and on Saturdays a reservation is a must because most of the time they do not accept walk ins.

Zeph’s is an exceptional example of fine dining, fresh ingredients, and great service. Some if the best food I have ever had. The vegetables are served garden-​to table. The love and delicate way the meals are crafted and presented, just flawless.

Why, oh why did I not go to this restaurant years ago, when I first moved to Peekskill? Incredible. …. We began our meal with the Spring green soup and the brocoli rabe soup. These two soups embody the season perfectly. I’m no Stranger to either preparation, as I often will cook something similar at home, but the Presentation and utter freshness of the ingredients was sublime. Since we were using a gift certificate, we also ordered appetizers. The seafood ‘brick’ was phenomenal. …it seemed that each element of the dish was cooked separately to maximize flavor, then combined in a flaky Phyllo packet with complete grace. If the meal had ended there, it would’ve been sufficient, but we soldiered on. … my dish of roasted Pork shank was beyond perfection. My taste buds couldn’t keep track of the various aromatic aspects of the viand. The accompanying vegetable Side dishes were so complementary to the entrée, but so beautifully prepared they could have been the entrée! My husband’s duck was delightful, I assume; he was not sharing ! Come to think of we hardly spoke throughout the meal. … that’s how intense this meal was. …I can’t speak of dessert.. it was gilding the lilly, but so worth the pain … save your pennies, friends; it’s pricey for Peekskill but well worth it.

We were so excited to bring my father in law to this place after hearing & reading rave reviews. He was talking about it for so long. He even put on a fancy jacket and saved his appetite all day-​he heard you needed to «dress up» to go here.
We were OVERWHELMINGLY disappointed. 3 exceptions: 1) the service was overall polite and efficient; 2) the brussell sprouts sauté side dish was delish; and 3) the homemade toffee ice cream was a nice treat at the end.
Everything else was, well, meh. Less than meh. We shared the pierogi appetizers which might as well have come out of a BJ/​Costco freezer. Duck confit was lame. Chicken was awful. And the salmon, while somewhat tasty, had a cardboard element to it. Salads were typical side salads – a few leaves of green, 1 – 2 slices of tomato, red onion rings. Wine list is extensive and I was happy they had 3 selections of house white and red.
Décor hasn’t been updated since 1987. Street parking only (I think) on Central Ave. It’s located in a cool & historic building and in what I think is an up & coming river town, but man, they need a designer and architect to come in an assess how they can better use their space and lighting. As much as I love throwbacks, they need new furniture (and curtains).
With a rising number of good restaurants in Peekskill and a rising number of visitors to the area, they really need to up their game.

The food, A+, the staff, A+…the wine list is also amazing! I want to say more, but I really just can’t put in to words how great this place is… best in Westchester, no contest.

We were in town visiting family in Croton, and decided to venture to Zeph’s on a Sunday evening, it happened to be the only place still serving dinner after 8pm.
The restaurant owner Michael was very accommodating and gracious, especially being so near to closing time. This restaurant has the look of a quaint & stylish room, very tastefully decorated, Our table of 5 started the evening with appetizers and a bottle of wine. Appetizers were simply amazing. Each of us ordered a different entrée, and I must share that each entrée was prepared gourmet style and were absolutely delicious and bursting with flavor, with ingredients fresh from their garden.
Our waiter was very attentive and shared with us some of the restaurant’s history.
I believe he said he’s been there for 10+ years.
We decided to try a few of the desserts, with suggestions from our waiter. Each dessert was of course homemade and tasted like my Grandma was in the kitchen. We each agreed that this was the best meal that any of us ever enjoyed, it was truly a dining experience that we will not forget. Zeph’s is #1 on our list of «garden to table» restaurants to try, even if you have to travel out of your way. It’s worth every bite!

I finally got to go here with my wife after many years of always wanting to but never getting around to it. We went for our anniversary, and it was more than appropriate for such an occasion, one of the best restaurants I have been to in Westchester, with food that was sophisticated and tasty without being fussy, in a cute little room in old mill building on an obscure street in Peekskill, all at a price that was reasonable given the quality. It’s a Mom and Pop shop (The name is written with the apostrophe after, not before, the final s), and you can see that the long-​time owners really care about their product and their customers. My wife’s chicken dish was amazing, and I managed to have scallops for both appetizer and entrée without it feeling even slightly redundant, since the preparations were so different and novel. The desserts were incredible — a blueberry cheesecake for her, a butter pecan ice cream with lots of stuff in it, for me. Once again, delicious, with thoughtful preparations, but not fussy. It was comfort food, with a twist. I recommend Zephs’ very highly.

Walking past this place every day on my way to work, I feel like it was plucked out of Williamsburg (hipster brooklyn). My wife and I finally got the chance to go there, and upon entering, were taken aback. It was not the little rustic mom and pop joint that the outside lead it to be. It was a weirdly placed, trying to be upscale restaurant… We had looked at the sample menu’s prior, so the prices weren’t an issue, it was just the total vibe that thru us off.
From the outside, you would expect this rustic old place that has been there forever, before the town turned to ghetto and before it’s revelation to the «artistic scene.» On the inside, it seemed like a place that didn’t realize the town around them was so ghetto, trying to keep up a front.
The food was completely awesome. We started with the zucchini pancakes and followed up with the Pork and Duck dishes. Both on par to what we were expecting. The service was alright… For an upper crust place they fell short, for a hipster place they were alright.

This is a very highly rated foodie spot. And you can’t argue that the small but ecelectic menu is pedestrian — it’s a well-​rounded set of choices. We have visited several times over a number of years (hey they are still in business and our neck of the woods is not exactly overflowing with good restaurants), with consistent results.
The place itself is pretty cool, in an old mill building right on the edge of the old river that used to power the mill.
I have enjoyed my meal each time. It’s a small place and usually very busy, and we have found the service to be average. Reservations are a must.
BUT, each time we have visited, my wife has ordered a fish entrée, and each time it had to be sent back. The backbreaker for her on the last visit is after returning the undercooked halibut, it came out with the same (and now cold) sides. This was a huge, lazy mistake. Unfortunately it will be our last visit.
So it gets an OK, but I’d offer Peter Pratts Inn (Yorktown) or Somers 202 (Granite Spings) as much better alternatives.

My friends invited me to have lunch here in Zephs’ and so far, it’s awesome.
They got a nice outside design. It looks classy and unique. When we walked inside the place, I felt good vibes and I felt that it was going to be a good lunch. The waiter was very friendly, they greeted us and we were seated at once, nice!
Their menu has so much to offer and everything looks so delicious. For appetizers, I tried the Lamb Manti, Armenian-​style pasta dumplings with a spiced lamb filling. Served with a garlic yogurt sauce and finished with fresh mint. I loved it! And for the main course, I decided to try Peekskill Cheese Steak, Grilled rib-​eye steak topped with braised cipollini onions and a young gorgonzola butter. Served with mashed Yukon gold potatoes. It was the best, delicious steak I have ever tried.
I’m so happy that I went here with my friends! My tummy is so full and very satisfied with my meal. We are definitely coming back and we’re going to try some other meals. Thanks Zephs’ for that awesome experience!