The reaction of equimolar amounts of zinc bromide and 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline in dry methanol provided the title compound, [ZnBr2(C14H12N2)], in good yield. The ZnII ion is coordinated in a distorted tetrahedral environment by two N atoms from the chelating 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligand and two bromide ions. There is intermolecular π–π stacking between adjacent phenanthroline units, with centroid–centroid distances of 3.594 (3) and 3.652 (3) Å
