Zilli Green

Food was great, but it is a great shame about the service which has been poor during my two visits. Zilli was there on both occasions, on the second it was he who told a couple waiting to be seated that my partner and I were leaving and they could have our table. We still had our cheese board and wine and were clearly not ready to leave.
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5 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Sunday, August 08, 2010

Definite improvement of an already very good place

It's good to know that they seem to have listened to the comments and reviews regarding portion size and the limited menu- both have definitely changed for the better recently. The gnocci with blue cheese was divine and contrasted well with the red wine sauce it was served with, mexican platter was a vast improvement, both size and flavour wise on previous incarnations and the new burger is one of the best I've tasted. No room for pudding this time but will be back again soon!

A new take away lunch service looks like a great idea as does the veggie breakfast, although the latter is a little expensive.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, August 08, 2010

We really werent sure whether or not to visit this restaurant based on alot of the reviews but I have to say we both were pleasantly surprised. The service was very good and the tables were not too close together, certainly not as bad as Mildreds! We had soup & the tofu starter both were v good. Our mains were tofu again & mexican & again were really nice, full of flavour and tasty. We tried the dairy free tiramisu, which was interesting as I wasnt sure what to expect, but it was pretty yummy. We would have no reservations in visiting this restaurant again.. Loos were fine too.
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Mel
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Friday, May 14, 2010

I went to Zilli Green with my friend who is a vegetarian diner. I personally love vegetarian food, but also eat meat and fish. I am a huge fan of Zilli Fish, so was keen to try this new place out. I had the wild mushroom and truffle risotto and she had the haloumi salad. Both dishes were fantastic. I do no not eat gluten and avoid lactose and the dish was made without both. It came with beautiful grilled asparagus on the side. We followed with the carob dessert and dairy-free ice cream and once again were left impressed. it is hard to find somewhere in London (or anywhere full-stop) where you can eat gorgeous food, without the worry of stodgy fatty cream or worrying about gluten in the food. The prices are reasonable and staff are charming. There is also a great passion behind the cooking and that comes across. Well Done!! I can't wait to come back very soon.
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Charlotte
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I have to say Zilli Green surpassed my expectations! As a vegan, my needs were catered for with a fine menu full of choices for every course. The staff were courteous, professional and attentive without being obtrusive. The food was well presented and delicious and arrived in good time. The ambience was relaxed and unpretentious. This is one restaurant that makes the journey into Soho worthwhile. I can happily recommend this restaurant to any one, vegetarian, vegan or meat-eater.
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andy
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, May 02, 2010

I've been a vegetarian for over 50 years, so I was really looking forward to this restaurant. What a disapointment it turned out to be. I thought that the old fashioned idea that vegetarians want to sit at small pine tables on hard pine seats and be squashed into a tiny space had gone forever with the closure of Cranks. But no! It has been resurrected in Dean Street.

The food was no better. Small portions of unimaginative vegetables, poorly cooked and sold at premium prices. The staff seemed to be trying to be friendly, but seemed totally out of their depth - there was no one in charge, so there was a lot of confusion over our order for drinks and food.

Next time I will take my guests to one of the many Italian restaurants in Soho where I can eat tasty vegetarian food and they can have whatever they like.

For the 21st century, this is just not good enough and it gives vegetarians and vegetarian food in general a bad name.
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Pol Fixel
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Hmmm where do i start.. have been into zilli green now for the 3rd time and have always left disappointed . I decided to still return after the first and second visit to see if they had been reading some reviews and comments on sites like this and doing anything about it... it seems there not too fussed what the customer is looking for.

I first went to zilli green a few days after they had opened so was expecting a few teething problems, there were more than just a few, the only thing i liked on my first visit were the artichoke chips. The portions of all the food on the menu are very very small, and the descriptions on the menu don't match the food that comes out of the kitchen, some of the food combination's are just wrong as they dont compliment each other.

Had quinoa sushi for starter, i was expecting something wrapped in seaweed paper but received 4 small bland rolls filled with a bland quinoa and a ramikin of dipping sauce, no wasabi or pickled ginger for the sushi???

Mains i have had: Mexican tacos, that was a joke a smaller than average soup bowl with black beans, were actually very tasty, served with 6 corn chips and a mini ramikin of sour cream, thats it for a main course i was very shocked and as i said before the description on the menu said i waould be getting tacos, well where is the tomato, lettuce, guakamole and taco shells to make it a real meal??

White truffle lasagna, again very small for a main course and all i got was a piece of lasagna no sides or a bit of leaf salad. The lasagna also contained mushrooms that are not stated on the menu

Plantain Lemongrass sticks with a side of tagine and cous cous, this main was also a good laugh, about a table spoon of cous cous on the side 3 plantain sticks and about 150ml of some sort of tagine liquid was more like a tagine broth

Zilli burger and detox salad i have also had, burger would be nice if they used a different burger Pattie, am fairly confident they are cheap frozen burgers that have just been reheated, i say this as they are very similar burgers i used to get from eat and 2 veg and i know they used frozen burgers. the detox was also very small, hmm not too sure that blue cheese is a very detoxing ingredient to put in this salad..

As i said before some of the food is not bad but for the prices they are charging i expect to leave with my hunger satisfied.

well third time not so lucky and i am sure i wont be giving zilli another try in the next few years, that's if they have survived that long, get it together zilli..

There are much better vegetarian restaurants around London and in SOHO for that matter, perhaps you should stick with what you know and leave the vegetarian cooking to the people that care about it..
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Tam
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, April 26, 2010

This was my second visit and although it didn't quite live up to the first (where have the artichoke chips gone?!) it was still a very enjoyable evening. We started off next door in the bar (Zilli Bites) where we enjoyed some big juicy olives, that rather put the portions of Zilli Green to shame. If there is one thing I agree on the negative reviews it is the portion size, the food choice and quality is great and I like the fact that the menu changes (even if it means the loss of the beloved artichoke chips!) as it shows a flexibilty and seasonality that is refreshing. The staff were fantastic-neither pompous nor too overlyfriendly and although it is a small space it is a nicely and welcomingly decorated. The Aubergine Milanese was lovely, the spaghetti was melt in the mouth divine and beautifully flavoured and the ice cream the best I've had for a long time. Will definitely be going back and taking friends and family, whether vegetarian or not!
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9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Read the reviews and took the plunge. Group of us stopped it from being an empty cavern. Service was poor - fizzy water poured into flat water glasses, wine poured unsolicited. Maitre d' didn't know what the soup of the day was. Tables were too small and pokey. Room was echoing.

The food I had was very poor. I didn't realise you could cook Penne badly. It's easy isn't it? Put it in water, time it. Even taste a bit if you are unsure. Hard and undercooked added a new twist to al dente. The topping put on it left an over-garlicked taste in my mouth well into the next day. I had a tin of ravioli for lunch today that tasted better.

Ice cream was nice, but even that failed to purge the garlic. I would be amazed if this place is open in a month's time.
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, April 06, 2010

My sister and I are vegetarians with high standards, having tried just about every veggie restaurant in London.

We went to Zilli Green on a Wednesday night (31st March '10), and were exceptionally well looked after - the blueberry mimosa cocktails were to die for, the portion sizes were generous (can only assume the people who are complaining they are too small must be used to consuming supersize American eske portions??) its definitely quality not quantity here. Having said that, I couldn't even finish my main! I had the orecciette pasta with garlic pesto and brocolli, and my sister the aubergine milanese - both gorgeous. The dessert platter was also fantastic, my sister loved the tofu & limoncello cheesecake, and I thought the dairy free tiramisu was delicious.

The staff went out of their way to look after us, and we loved the small yet cosy vibe of the place. We could have sat there all evening, so comfortable!

I really admire Aldo Zilli for going out on a limb here with a veggie restaurant, especially as vegetarianism wrongfully seems to be some sort of taboo subject with most 'celebrity' chefs. He could really use peoples support! I for one will be returning!
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City Girl
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 04, 2010