Fresh Idea

Restaurant Review - Z Cafe South Coast Plaza

My family decided to try this place out because they advocate local, fresh ingredients.  What's not to like, right?  Well their children's options, that's what.  First of all, we wanted to get Ava (our 3 year old) a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because I don't like her to have meat at restaurants since it is rarely (if ever!) organic, and I don't like the idea of grilled cheese (it just seems like fat on bread).  However, when we arrived, they said they didn't offer PB&J (even though their website said it was an option!).  In that case, we went with the grilled cheese.  At the time, the kids meals came with a side of chips or a cucumber dill salad.  I, of course, chose the cucumber salad for her.  

When the meal finally arrived, one problem was the fact that they brought chips out!  It was then they told me they were out of the cucumber salad (at 11:30am, mind you).  So I asked them if they had any other fruits or vegetables they could bring out for her.  (I knew they did because both mine and my husband's meals had fresh veggies on them).  We had to wait another 5 minutes, and they finally retured with a spring salad...for a THREE year old!  I don't know about your three year old, but mine can't really eat large leafy greens on her own.  

Another issue I had was with the grilled cheese itself.  It was made with a VERY crusty bread and each slice was about an inch thick.  It would have been delicious for an adult, but it was impossible for my daughter to bite through!  Needless to say, she shared the food my husband and I got, and barely touched her meal.  What a waste.  

Verdict

Z Cafe is a nice place for adults to eat at the mall, but the kids menu is not good for young children.