Background:
Zeppelin opened in South End, Charlotte, in late 2017, and shares a building space with the soon-to-open new South End Common Market and the recently opened Bang Bang Bites. Head Chef Vince Giancarlo worked previously at Baku, Aquavina, and Cantina 1511. We found the overall Zeppelin experience similar to Soul Gastro--small plates in a hip and cozy atmosphere with a banging cocktail list. Zeppelin is tiny and super hot right now, so prepare yourself for a wait (and make use of the Nowait app--hear about the trials and tribulations we endured just to get a table on the podcast).
Eat This:
The menu is divided into "Smalls" and "Biggies," and below are our orders from two visits.
Dessert:
There are currently three options--a chocolate cake with Biscoff ice cream, a Krispy Kreme bread pudding with dulce de leche, vanilla-yuzu ice cream and candied rose petals, and a trio of ice creams (the biscoff, vanilla-yuzu, and a chocolate variety). We loved both of the options below, but if you have to pick just one, we recommend the chocolate cake.
Drink:
Bartender Ryan Hart crafted a gorgeous and novel-esque cocktail menu with a mix of innovative cocktails ("Remixes") and old school 1900s "Classics" like gin fizzes and sazeracs.
Gin Fizz
Gin, lemon, egg white, sparkling mineral water
This cocktail was rather poorly mixed--some pockets of egg white and lemon were suspended in a viscous trap of blech, but subsequent cocktails were all fabulous (no pictures due to: too lit. Whoops).
Atmosphere:
Zeppelin calls to mind early 1900s vibes, and stays on theme with zeppelin drawings and a giant metal zeppelin hanging above the dining area. Random liquor bottles, knick knacks, and the odd bird cage (or three) complete the look, but we felt that the decor went a bit overboard in this respect and was somewhat cluttered (particularly on the empty bottle front). We did, however, love The Savage Way's giant preserved moss "Z," which is certainly the visual focal point of the restaurant.
A divider down the center of the restaurant keeps the side farthest from the bar from being to noisy, and creates a private atmosphere for each table.
World War I Hospitality:
Shout out to server Tony, who we have had the pleasure of having on both of our visits. He provided attentive service, always checked in and thoroughly explained each dish to us. We love you, Tony!
Frankie's Notes:
Has avocado toast jumped the shark?; Biggie Smalls is so hot on Charlotte restaurant menus right now; Apparently the Hindenburg was a rigid airship and a zeppelin is a semi-rigid airship; Scallionpancake drops facts like candied rose petals; The romanticization of the turn of the twentieth century needs to be replaced with a renaissance of the Mesozoic Era and dinosaur themed restaurants; Forget about activated charcoal--what about asteroid debris lattes?; No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this post.