Zia's — Restaurant in Kiama

Upon recommendation from my accommodation I wandered down to this lovely restaurant to celebrate a milestone by myself. #tableforone

Right from the start the staff were friendly and when asked for recommendations, which I went with, I was pleasantly surprised (and rather full!).

I started with the recommendation of Sweet Chilli Prawn Pasta and although I only got the smaller portion I still had to pack away some to take away. Hats off to whoever thought to put prawns, chilli and avocado into a creamy pasta dish. I could have done with more chilli but it was delicious as is.

To accompany this I asked my server for a recommendation and was rewarded with the delightful Lady-chello. Peach Schnapps with everything lemon it seems… lemonade, Limoncello, lemon and garnished with a dehydrated lemon.

As I was a bit stuffed after eating the pasta I was peering wistfully at the dessert menu. My server noticed and asked what I would like, I couldn't pull my eyes away from the words 'Zia's Tiramisu'. He strongly recommended it and so he was sent off to find out if they had any left and if I could get it as a takeaway.

I was in luck and so after a short walk back to my motel I partook of the tiramisu and am so glad I got it!

If you're looking for a great restaurant with a lovely vibe, friendly staff, and great food I'd recommend...

Leading into our plans to eat at the restaurant we were pretty excited as we'd eaten here in the past.

Since our last visit we were unable to book as they were closed, so this time around we attempted to call for a booking a week in advance.

None of our calls answered and as a last effort we emailed in the day before. It wasn't until 10am the day we intended to have dinner that they responded with availability for outdoor seating. We promptly confirmed but did not hear back.

We arrived and found out that no booking had been made against our names but as we had arrived early enough we were able to secure outdoor seating.

The meal took close to an hour, which agitated the kids who had become unsettled as by this stage they were quite hungry.

The food finally arrived we were served without cutlery and when we had asked, it still did not find it's way to our table.

In the end we sent our son to the counter to retrieve cutlery, who was also given no serviettes. Given the cooler weather, our food in the time had gone from hot to warm.

What I did notice is that we were the only Asian family at the restaurant. I would like to think this had nothing to do with it, and I do appreciate they were busy. However, looking around we noticed that everyone else seemed to have received...

Zia’s used to be our family go-to spot when it was on Manning Street, and we always looked forward to dining there whenever we visited Kiama. This was our first time at the new location, but sadly it was a major letdown. It seems like the place has completely lost its cosy Italian family vibe and the authentic homemade food we loved. The garlic bread tasted like cheap frozen stuff, and the pizza bases were brittle, flavorless, and clearly came frozen in a box. The toppings were disappointing too, pre-shredded deli ham and pre-cooked chicken straight out of a packet. The service didn’t help matters either. It felt perfunctory at best. The kitchen and wait staff were a group of teenagers more interested in hanging out behind the bar than taking care of customers. The young lady at the door didn’t even bother walking us to our table, just pointed to an empty one. She took our order and brought the food, but there was no friendliness or engagement, not even a smile or a check-in on our meal. No shade to them, they’re just kids doing the bare minimum for a paycheck, but need guidance and supervision. Honestly, we left wishing we’d just got pizza at Domino’s for half the price. At least they make their own pizza dough! Sadly, this will be our last...