Zizzi (Brentwood)

Went to Zizzi'z on 5pm Mothers' Day. Never again. We have been there several times and had mixed to fair experiences, this was appalling. There simply weren't enough staff to deal with the customers, and most of the serving staff were undertrained (and underpaid, according to one who told us their hourly rate).

Our food was very slow to arrive, several mains were cold and had to be re-ordered, one simple Margerita pizza took an hour to arrive. When the replacement dishes arrived they vegetables were severely undercooked. Apart from that, food quality was average, at best and overpriced for the standard.

Although we were not charged for the mains after complaining yet again, our evening was spoiled. The table beside us gave up after anhour of waiting for a starter and booked another restaurant nearby. The table of 24? beside us had no hope of getting things at the same time. No way did they have the staff level to cover it properly. I will not return.
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AF
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Thursday, March 06, 2008

Zizzi Brentwood is a very attractive and inviting restaurant. It's modern interior is of a high standard, with sofa chairs and wooden chairs alike. The tables are prepare as basic; with wine glass, cutlery, napkin, salt and pepper, and a candle on evenings.

You will normally be invited to a table by the manager or if it is busy, you will be seated in the comfortable waiting area, where you are sometimes offered drinks.

At your tables, the waiting staff are generally fast at offering drinks, although at busier periods it is considerably slower. At this time, you are offered any garlic bread or olives to begin with, which arrive promptly after your drinks have arrived. A waiter would normally come to order your main courses before this pre-starter has arrived, although again during busier periods this seems to lapse.

Any starters ordered are served with oil, balsamic vinegar and italian dressing dependng on the starter. With garlic bread you have the option of chilli oil, which is a spicier treat rarely found in restaurants. This oil is also offered with pizzas' and calzones' from the menu.

The food normally arrives within 10-15mins of finishing the starters. During busier periods however, the food can be considerably slower at arriving, which is always a bigger disappointment, especially when dining with larger parties as not all the food will arrive at the same time.

All dishes I have had have been satisfactory, not anything special, but I think you will find the prices are reasonable for a cheaper enjoyable evening. The pizza's ranging from 6-8 pounds and the steaks at being around the 10 pound region I think it's a bargain, although, I have not tried the steak so be weary of cheaper cuts of meat that may be leathery.

At busier periods (which tend to be those Friday and Saturday evenings) you will be waiting a while for a table after 7pm. It appears that the restaurant is not capable of providing for a full restaurant as staff are always seen rushing around.

A further disappointment to Zizzi Brentwood is the attitude of the foreign staff, who we witnessed shout at a young english waitress (not loud enough for everyone to hear, although we were sitting near the stairs where it happened).

The foreign staff also spoke a lot of their own language to each other, which can feel like they are talking about you or other customers, which my wife and I found highly uncomfortable.

The few english staff were very cheery and, unlike the staff that may struggle with the language, did not seem abrupt.

Overall, I find Zizzi Brentwood a satisfactory restaurant for an 'eat-out', but unless the flaws are repaired I would not go back to expect a perfect evening.
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Anon.
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, February 16, 2007