Restaurant Review
I pulled up at about a quarter after eight at night, on Saturday the eighteenth of October. Like always, the tiny parking lot was filled with cars. Just by pulling in it is easy to tell that Zorbas Coney Island in Riverview, Michigan on Fort Street, is a family owned restaurant. Immediately, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of being welcomed. The outside is lit up with a bright neon sign and the awning surrounding the building is a turquoise color that no franchise restaurant would ever be able to get away with. Walking through the door, you are immediately greeted with familiar faces, as almost everyone who goes there can be considered a “regular” because they always come back. A 
waitress named Jenny greeted me at the door with a huge smile, despite the lack of a “please wait to be seated sign,” and allowed me to sit wherever I pleased. Immediately after, she brought me a glass of ice water and was ready to take my drink order. I ordered a Mountain Dew and while waiting for her to return I examined the details of my environment. The walls were covered in pictures and wallpaper. Most of the pictures were the ones you can find at trade centers or pawn shops with the tiny lights all over them representing something in the picture. For example, one of my favorites was a car at a drive in and all the lights on the building as well as the car’s taillights were actual lights behind the picture. In most places this would have seemed ridiculous to me, but it fit the atmosphere of the dining room and made it feel even more like I was at home. I also noticed in the corner there was a Scooby Doo mannequin holding a tray with a hot dog on it. Again, this would have seemed awkward at most restaurants, but at this Coney Island it seemed to fit perfectly. 
Jenny soon returned, interrupting my examination of the interior, with my Mountain Dew, and asked if I was ready to order. When I told her that I hadn’t even begun to look at the menu she told me she would return soon and to let her know if I needed anything. So far my service had been extraordinary. I also couldn’t help but notice that she was the only waitress in the building at that time and it was quite busy. She seemed to be having no trouble however, and what would have been a stressful situation to most people, was very simple for her to handle. I began to look over the menu. The variety of it was what one would expect from a Coney Island. There was breakfast, which was served all day, of course the Coney part of the menu, many different styles of sandwiches and burgers, and a somewhat large salad menu. I decided I would order an appetizer of the cheese sticks and follow it up with an entrée consisting of what was called the “country omelet”. I found it difficult to pass up ordering breakfast if they were so confident that it was good enough to serve 24 hours. I took the few minutes I had before Jenny returned to examine the cleanliness of the restaurant. My silverware was spotless but I couldn’t say the same for my two glasses. They looked very old and used up. It wasn’t completely shocking to me, being that it was a Coney Island, but it was still very noticeable. The floors were clean other than the grout in the tiles which was black and was supposed to be gray. The Ceiling was smoke stained because the entire restaurant allowed smoking. This obviously made it difficult to keep the building entirely clean, and if you found the smell of smoke bothersome it would be difficult to enjoy a meal here. Jenny again returned and was as nice as she had been before. I placed my order and before I could even ask, she had grabbed my Mountain Dew to refill it.
After she left I wanted to further my examination. I visited the men’s restroom and was surprised to find it wasn’t as clean as I had expected it to be. There was a bar of soap on the sink, which struck me as weird. In the corners, hair was visible, and it looked almost as if it had been swept there. I went back out to my table and saw my cheese sticks just being put up in the passover window. Jenny saw it and immediately, after taking another tables order, grabbed it and brought it to me. She brought a small side of ranch and marinara as well, and informed me that she had forgotten to ask if I needed either, and had brought both just in case. After just one bite, I was satisfied. The cheese stretched from my mouth to my hand for a couple seconds before breaking off. The gooey, delicious cheese mixed perfectly with the flawlessly seasoned breading. I was more than happy after consuming all six of my cheese sticks for just $2.75. Jenny soon came back with my omelet. My mouth began to water when I saw the perfect looking concoction of vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses, and gravy. The inside was filled with green peppers, onions, ham, small potatoes, melted cheese, and tomatoes. The outside of the omelet was topped with homemade country gravy. I immediately dove into my entrée. Again, I was extremely satisfied. It seemed as if the farther I got into the omelet, the more ingredients there were. My plate was overflowing with deliciousness. The food had definitely lived up to my expectations. I was more than happy when I was finished eating. However, there were many other things on the menu that looked delectable and absolutely worth trying. Someone can expect to pay under $3.00 for most of the appetizers, and to get an entrée for under $10.00.
Overall my experience was very satisfying, with a few downfalls. The service was very good and the decorations were fitting for this type of restaurant. The cleanliness of the restaurant was mediocre, but that was to be expected considering they are a 24 hour restaurant with very little down time to focus mainly on cleaning. My entire dinners total came to $11.83. The pricing seemed very fair on all the other items on the menu as well. My food was done and brought to me very quickly, but appropriately, with appetizers first. I definitely recommend Zorbas Coney Island to anyone looking for a less expensive, but still delicious meal. Obviously, no reservations are required and there is plenty of available seating so you can expect to almost never wait very long. My overall impression was satisfactory and I plan on returning very soon.
Photos 1-4 all taken by Jeff Cesta
