Review: Zanzabar

(Credit: Josh Thomas)

For weeks, I walked past the vacated building that housed neighborhood favorite Nord’s Brown Bag on Preston Street, slowing to a crawl and peeking into the windows to check the progress of its promised rebirth.

I live just around the corner, and I’d waited with bated breath for a new spot to grab a beer and a bite within such short walking distance. Now, just a few weeks into Zanzabar’s existence, I can say that my wait was well worth it.

And while we’d been before, my wife and I took a stroll on a recent Sunday afternoon for an early dinner to give Zanzabar a formal once-over.

The bar’s facelift is evident even before stepping inside. The long forgotten black-and-white tile bedecked with a huge Z on the front of the building had been for years covered up by drab brown paneling. The renovated interior is hip — sleek wallpaper, a red-and-black color scheme, posters on the wall boasting trendy icons and Louisville history — but it retains its welcoming neighborhood warmth.

There’s plenty of room to stretch out: a small dining area in the front; a central bar area with a few high tops and a few scattered tables; and an area in the rear with stage and a pool table. Peppered throughout are ways to amuse yourself, like a couple of video games — including a sit-down version of Pac Man — and TVs are visible from just about anywhere in the house. It also offers a sizeable patio for outdoor revelry.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Zanzabar serves as a cafeteria-style lunch bar, with made-from-scratch options like lemon pepper salmon, open-faced roast beef and braised local short ribs. The menu after lunch is made up mainly of deli-style sandwiches and pub grub options.

One stand-out appetizer is the parma prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella ($7), huge hunks of mozzarella, wrapped in grilled prosciutto and served with pomegranate molasses sauce. The dish isn’t very large, but it is filling and unbelievably savory and delicious.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the beer selection: Eight drafts and a few dozen in bottles. While it’s not exhaustive, Zanzabar does offer all of the usual craft suspects, as well as a few surprising options. Catching my eye was the Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial stout ($4.50), a delightfully robust choice from the Akron, Ohio, brewer; Lindsay went for a Hoegaarden ($4).

On all of my visits, I’ve ordered the Germantown Club ($6.50) — which is braunschweiger (a German-style smoked liverwurst), provolone, bacon lettuce and mustard or thousand island on a roll — with fries. While I was a little hesitant to try the braunschweiger at first, it was very tasty and paired perfectly with the bacon and cheese. Lindsay ordered the buffalo chicken wings ($6), and they were surprisingly plump. The sauce was a bit mild for her — she likes ’em spicy — but she enjoyed them nonetheless.

And while the joint was pretty empty on our most recent visit, Zanzabar gets plenty busy during the evenings. Aside from playing host to hip pub dwellers and neighborhood foodies, it’s also booking local bands and trying to make a dent into the local music scene.

Zanzabar is open 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., but the kitchen closes at midnight.

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