I was hesitant to try Zoe's knowing it was a chain. Mediterranean food that would no doubt be watered down for the masses (as chains tend to do). But when my mom wanted to meet here for lunch I decided why not give it a stab?!
I decided the best plan of attack was not to look at this place as a Mediterranean spot but as a salad/sandwich place in order to prevent disappointments based on authentic flavor comparison. I wasn't going to get a kabob anyways when I knew it wouldn't hold a candle in flavor to La Shish.
So we ordered a baked feta appetizer and a ham and mozzarella panini-style flatbread sandwich to share. The sandwich came with a side and we opted for the Greek salad. Maybe there were a good deal of takeout orders but there was no one else in the actual line ordering food and yet it still took over 30 minutes to get the feta. I thought this was fast casual..most sit down restaurants don't even take that long for apps. The feta arrived rather awkwardly having about 5 little pita chips on one side of the plate. It was as if the other half had fallen off on the way to the table and they just figured no one would notice. However it happened, there weren't even close to enough chips to cheese and my mom will pile some stuff on a chip. We had to use the pita that came out with the sandwich (which wasn't too far behind) to eat the rest of the cheese. But I will say the feta was really good. The sandwich while not Mediterranean in flavor (but I wasn't expecting it to be) was also really flavorful. Ham, mozzarella, herbs with some sort of aioli (red pepper perhaps?) was a really nice flavor combination. The Greek salad was alright thought it really disappoints me when any restaurant uses powdery feta, especially one that claims to be Mediterranean, ESPECIALLY when I know they have a good feta that they use for the baked feta app. Come on guys! The Greek dressing on the table was also just alright. Kinda lacking flavor. To wrap the meal up my mom got a lemon cookie which she loved.
Overall the food was pretty good, although I will probably get something other than the Greek salad as a side next time. The service was forgettable, but that's not a big deal for fast casual other than the fact that the food took forever to come out. Probably wouldn't crave this place or go out of my way to come here but next time my mom suggests it I will be glad I meet her here.