So, we showed up here at about 8:00 PM. It wasn't packed, but it was somewhat busy. We were led into an area of the restaurant that was slightly off of the main dining area. And then we waited ... and waited ... and ... eventually just gave up and left. Several wait staff had entered the area at one point, but looked pointedly away from us, and eventually left. There was someone else in our nook, they had a menu when were seated, and by the time we gave up - 15 minutes of being ignored is our limit - they still hadn't been served either. Obviously they didn't need our business, but we needed sustenance, so we headed off to Pret a Manger and had a delicious snack instead. read more

Amazing pastas. Asked about food allergies and had a special menu for them. We needed a homey meal and this was it.

This branch of the newish Italian-themed pizza and pasta chain (part of the same stable as ASK) is in a large, spacious basement. The decor is standard for the chain - wall alcoves full of logs, only in this case they have encouraged guests to sign the end of each log. This looks a bit tacky to me, but it's not a big feature. More importantly, the piped music was a bit too loud for me - it's a pet hate, actually - and when I mentioned this, the waitress seated us in a quiet corner away from the speakers. Good start. I had a pizza and my friend had pasta, and both meals were very decent - tasty and well done. Not outstanding, but good value for money. With coffee and water, and 10% tip, the bill came to £13. Not bad for central London. Service was also very fast, although they weren't that busy. The reason for dropping a star was that the service was somewhat over-attentive - we were asked several times apiece whether we wanted extra side salads, anything else to drink, any desserts with our coffee, etc. I don't mind being asked once if I want coffee, or bread, or dessert, but not if it's clear we've decided not to. I have never understood the psychology of this approach. Do other customers wilt under the pressure and end up ordering stuff they didn't intend to? Had we wanted more, we would have asked for it. To me, it's an irritant. I suspect this is a facet of the crunch - a tad too desperate to sell us more food. A pity, as otherwise it'd have been a very nice lunch. read more

I'm having to deduct a star from Zizzi after my most recent visit. As much as I enjoy eating here the staff don't cope so well with large groups. Of course a large group makes the service more difficult but it wasn't a case of the staff being stretched, they were just poor. The meals were as good as I had expected but everything took far too long and some orders seemed to be just forgotten about. Twice I had to ask a waitress for a new fork (I had dropped the one I started with), twice we had to ask another waitress for a jug of water and, coming to the end of the evening, a cup of tea took so long to be brought over to my lady-friend she ended up having to go and collect it herself. All this in between the lengthy gaps when our orders should've been being taken but, for some reason weren't. We spent over three and a half hours in Zizzi, a lot longer than hoped as we planned to find a bar afterwards for a few drinks but by the time we left there was hardly any time for that. To Zizzi's credit, they provided a surprise birthday cake for our birthday girl. Only a small cake but the sentiment was nice. I like Zizzi and will go back as I've never had an issue with the food (or anything else for that matter) but if you're heading there in a group (ours was a group of about 12 or so) then be prepared for a long evening. TTFN, Ian read more

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In April 2007 a gentleman walked into this particular branch of Zizzi and chopped off his todger in front of a packed restaurant. While I'd never really seriously consider going to such extremes, as I've had contrasting experiences on the three times I've eaten here, I can kind of understand his frustration If its quiet, or just steadily busy, then generally things will be fine - the service will be attentive and accurate, the food will be at your table within the time limits (Zizzi, like Ask, have strict mystery diner standards, including the timings between ordering the food and having it arrive at your table) and it'll be hot, and generally above average. If its busy though, service noticably suffers, food can take an age to arrive - or even not arrive at all and it has to be chased up two or three times and general sloppiness creeps in, including cold or burnt food, poor presentation and occasional ingredients missing altogether. The food isnt bad at all - its mid level Italian fayre, the pizzas are nice (and they do a very nice line in calzones occasionally via the specials menu) the pasta dishes are tasty and the salads are fresh (and in the case of the nicoise - massive) Theres also a range of starters and a choice of a few (pretty expensive) desserts. The kitchen is open plan, so you get to watch the chefs at work, and theres a wood burning pizza stove as the centrepiece. The wine list is pretty good for a chain restaurant, and they sell a range of bottled soft drinks and spirits. Only one beer is one sale - Peroni, which is bottled and not draught. Generally speaking, its not bad at all, and I've never had such a bad experience that I'd never go back, but its frustrating to know how good it can be and then experience the opposite end of the spectrum. Recommended, but only in quieter times. read more

Zizzi - Italian Near Me - London, LND

After visiting did we realize that this is a chain restaurant, but the this location was perfect. We enjoyed the decor, great personable service and perfect food. I hope re rest of the locations are as good as this one. read more

It's a cute little hidden gem with all the seating areas downstairs! The service is prompt and efficient and the portions are generous as well. The atmosphere is cozy and the decor was unique! read more

In a crowded pizza restaurant market what do you do to make yourself stand out? Though not cheap,Zizzi's offer high quality pizza in generous portions. For example, the Rustica pizza is more sizable than the regular pizza - "Piccante" was an excellent spicy salami topping. I think for most people two people could quite happily share this single portion, however the beast was in me and it ate the lot. Its my first visit so can't comment on the non pizzas. 4 stars for service being a bit short. They were almost full and the waitresses were particularly busy. read more

Out of all the british italian chains, I think Zizzi is definitely one of the better ones. I like this place as a decent lunch option. If you're seeing a musical/play nearby, I'd recommend making a reservation because the place does get very busy pre-theatre time. I generally stick to the pizzas here - they have a new wholemeal option which was okay but think my pizza was a little overcooked the other night. Definitely good value if you have a voucher or a Tastecard. read more

A nice size restaurant with a decent size open kitchen to view the chefs at work. Great food and they are always offering offers to use like 40 % Off etc so look out for those. One criticism plates are coldabd I like hot plates. read more

Zizzi - Italian Near Me - London, LND

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Being an Italian native makes me picky on italian food abroad. Pizzas are ok - my advice for fellow Londoners is to choose placet where pizza is wooden cooked as it is the only coking style that guarantees the best texture and taste in tour mouth. I cannot say anything on pasta as I did not try it. The place is clean and staff friendly. Prices on average also when compared to Italy. read more

The team at Zizzi need to pull their socks up, it didn't start off well last night when the waiter greeting customers was just mumbling and running away from tables after he had showed customer to them. The staff fail to watch tables to see if they need anything, they also rotate heavily so you are never served by one person - making it a very impersonal experience. The food was average, we sent back a pizza as it was hard to cut and lacking toppings in places. 5 Things you can do Zizzi: 1. Greet your customers, make them welcome and they will spend more 2. Check if they are ok, enjoying their food 3. Taste your own food - is it worth the price tag 4. Don't get complacent, because your in a tourist hotspot doesn't mean you can cut corners 5. Learn to upsell, customers do actually want more food and drink when they are looked after - its easy. read more

One of my favorite UK chains here in London. I've been multiple times and have always been pleased with the consistency and service. It's perfect for a casual family meal and everyone seems to be able to find something to enjoy. I always come back, when I'm in town! read more

Zizzi - Strozzopretti pasta - Italian Near Me - London, LND

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Have to agree with the other poor reviews, I'm afraid. I'm really not sure what it is about this particular branch of Zizi's that has led to such awful service, but something has clearly gone wrong. Zizi's is a big enough chain and I've had pleasant enough meals at some of its other branches. The Strand branch used to be pretty good too - it's huge, and has beautifully designed interior decor - but it's really gone downhill in the past few years. The last time I ate here was for a business lunch at around 1pm on a weekday. We waited around 35 minutes for starters, which eventually arrived piecemeal, unevenly distributed and too cold to eat. These were replaced over the course of a further 15 minutes. It was extremely hard to flag down any staff and when they did they were not very apologetic. We were then assured that main courses would turn up quickly but we had a similarly lengthy wait for our mains. We were very late back to the office and all in foul moods after what should have been a relaxing lunch! We managed to get starters taken off the bill but nothing else. Not ideal! read more

Large branch of this chain that offers a range of Italian pizzas, calzone and great salads. Nice decor and atmosphere, and service from staff is really great and attentive. I would recommend for groups of friends for a nice night out. read more

I've been to plenty of chain restaurants in my time and had perfectly pleasant meals. This was not one of them. Perhaps Zizzi struggles with the large numbers of people that arrive, given the location, in which case the staff could do with some serious retraining. Service was slow, bordering on sloth-like levels of speed, with drinks arriving at different times and the staff taking an age to take orders or bring the bill. As for the food, there are a few adjectives, none of them complementary. The portions were wildly overpriced for what you received and rarely rose above average. The butternut squash and goat's cheese salad was decent but a seafood risotto got a huge thumbs down (4 out of 10, said one of our party), and the pasta dishes were all instantly forgettable. The pizza was decent, but if that's what you're after, you'd be better advised to go to other chain restaurants where the prices are cheaper and the service much sharper. read more

My travel partner and I were recommended this place from the staff at the Strand Palace hotel. We ventured over hoping for a good meal, and were so glad we went! We were immediately greeted by friendly staff and given a table right away. The decor and atmosphere is warm and inviting. The portions are huge! Everything we ate we liked. Especially the dessert, oh man. My main course was the rosemary, chicken, roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese pizza, and dessert we tried the chocolate tart with hazelnut crust and vanilla marscarpone. YUMMY! We also enjoyed some great wine. Overall great experience, it was a smidge slow but that could be because we were REALLY hungry. read more

My family went to Zizzi based on a recommendation from the Hotel staff. If it wasn't for them pointing us in the right direction I probably would have stopped and gone in based on the smell alone. From the outside you can't see the restaurant and have to make your way down the stairs before you can be seated. While heading down the stairs you can see the kitchen, which was a fun treat. It took me a while to decide. Not because I wasn't sure what I wanted, but because I wanted so many, I couldn't decide what the lucky dish would be. So my mom choose one dish I wanted and I choose another. Before our main courses arrived we ordered the bread plate and olives. I could have spent the entire night eating just the bread, it was amazing. The food arrived and all of our dishes looked amazing, and tasted even better. I love pesto, and the pesto pasta did not disappoint, as well as all the other dishes at the table. Our waitress was wonderful too. My clumsy brother spilled his orange fanta everywhere. She quickly brought napkins to clean up the mess, and another bottle of pop without adding the extra bottle to the bill. Bottom Line: An underground Italian specialty with a lively staff. All dishes tasted wonderfully and I highly recommend the bread. read more

I visited Zizzi's on Wednesday, March 22nd with a tour group of students and adults. We were fleeing from the attack on Westminster Bridge. The manager, Besim Ahmati, was gracious to allow our group of 18 people to sit inside of his restaurant for several hours before a bus was able to come and pick us up. He allowed our travelers a comforting space in the basement space to decompress and to call their families. Several travelers ordered food and drinks, and everything was delicious. The service was great. I highly recommend visiting this space for the food, service, and hospitality. Thank you, Mr. Ahmati. read more

Very, very average. Pizza rustica is okay with a crisp thin crust, but toppings were pretty tasteless. We ordered a salad- not on the menu but they were kind enough to make up one to share. It was alright, but the calamari was not. Service was good, the price is right, kids will most likely be happy here ( if you can get them down the 19 stairs ). They pour a good Campari soda with a proper orange slice, but overall the place should be better and is on par with some of its lacklustre competition- you know which ones! read more

Located a short walk from Charing Cross station is this really popular branch of the top restaurant chain. It's very, very busy in the evenings and you're lucky to get a table then, so I'd suggest calling up and booking a table beforehand. At lunchtime it's a lot more empty and relaxed. The service is good and efficient. The staff are also quite nice and helpful when it comes to making special requests for your food (i.e. asking for no mushrooms in a dish). I love the brushetta genovese and really recommend it, there's nothing like the lovely chicken in pesto on lightly toasted bread. Also the chicken rissotto is nice, and the lasagne's not too bad either. I REALLY recommend the choloclate torte for dessert, it really is the best thing in the world!! Once they even let us have it as take away as I was full but couldn't leave without a portion! And a bailey's coffee to finish with is perfect. Sure, c.£9 for a dish can be a burden on your wallet, but if you dine here on a day when special offers such as 2for1 meals is on, it really is a hell of a bargain. read more

I went here for a lunchtime meal at the beginning of December, I was impressed with the general ambience of the restaurant and the decor, which was very clean and modern. The restaurant was busy but not full, it is obviously popular. The food was ok, nothing special but reasonable - but the thing that bothered me most was that my friend and I spent the whole time feeling rushed. The waitress was impatient and it felt as if she was trying to get rid of us. We hadn't seen each other for a while and wanted to spend time catching up, but it seemed every 5 minutes she was hassling us to make choices from the menu. When we had finished our meal she kept hovering - it really wasn't what we wanted at all and it really put me off eating here again. Prices were average. read more

Delicious pizza with great wines. Definitely more "commercially" italian, but yet a really good place. Has delicious vegan options!

Had the Christmas menu on Saturday night starter is a sharing platter & it was a big problem for them to serve the veggie elements only. Mains were fine, had ice cream for desert which was fine. Had a £5 discount on bottles of prosecco which was good. Service was painfully slow though the waiter was rushed off his feet, but the food seemed very slow in coming out of the kitchen. The restaurant is in the basement & the stairs were hazardous as people queued for ages for a table. read more

Went as a group, won't lie my spaghetti bolognese wasn't the best I've had, therefore I have deducted a star, that being said the pizza's my co eaters ordered was lovely and tasted and looked great. Great atmosphere and prompt lunch service so no complaints there. Good menu with a something for everyone, 3 of our group were on diets and happily ate under 500 cals on their "light pizzas" so certainly mixed group friendly. Would go again! read more

My girlfriend and I have been long time fans of Zizzi and we thought we'd try the Strand restaurant last night. Well, we are still fans, it's great!! It's downstairs and has a nice open feel to it, good decor and ambiance. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming which is so important with any restaurant. You'd think that all branches of a chain restaurant would be the same with their food quality, but that's not the case! BUT Zizzi is very consistent and the food here was good. We went for a pizza and a pasta dish between us and they lived up to expectation. All in all, a good experience, so go and check it out for yourself and hopefully you'll have a good experience as we always seem to at Zizzi! read more