ZUKA Athens — Restaurant in Athens

Pro’s:

Gorgeous decor & interior Delicious food, excellent cocktails, creative and innovative menu

However, the reason for my one-star:

We arrive for our reservation (party of two) and the first table we are given is definitely the worst in the restaurant: crammed in a corner and facing the computer program servers use, it was a truly terrible table which should not even be given to guests. It wasn’t sat for the 2.5 hours we were there, as I’m sure no one else wanted it either.

We told the hostess we wanted a different table, her response was that the restaurant was ‘fully booked’. I just want to clarify that response makes no sense, we made a reservation like every other patron over a week ago, it isn’t as if we walked off the street without a reservation, in which I would understand a poor table offered. We asked to speak to the manager to find something more suitable.

We were offered a better table in which we happily accepted, and the host offered to hang our coats.

This is where it goes sideways.

Never once when I called to make a reservation, did they say our seating was for 2-hours. Not once. We were halfway through dessert (with the intention of order more cocktails to spend more money) when the waiter suddenly brought the bill, explaining our time for the table was up, and maybe we could sit at the bar.

We were shocked! We were made to feel thrown out with the intention of enjoying our experience even further and spending more... without anyone, neither the hostess or the management, explaining that the seating is only two hours. Had this been communicated, I wouldn’t be writing this review.

Then the coat check: when the hostess took our coats, she never once said it would cost 3 euros per jacket and it was a third party service. Had she said it was, we would have been happy to pay without issue...What a total SCAM!

When we went to collect our coats, the attendant said, “that will be 6 euros please”. I refused to pay. Tell your customers FIRST what the cost is before offering a service, which your restaurant isn’t even facilitating and pretending to have nothing to do with. Well guess what? When you’re offering YOUR guests to hang their coats without explaining to your patrons their is a cost, it is YOUR fault and responsibility.

I have to agree with the one-star reviews even though I hoped to truly enjoy this restaurant and recommend further. Pretentious attribute is never...

Terrible experience

I booked this restaurant for my birthday with high expectations, but unfortunately, it was a deeply disappointing experience.

First thing I had to pay a deposit of €50 per person in advance but never received a confirmation email. When I called, the staff provided brief information about the dress code but failed to send anything in writing.While one staff member was polite over the phone, the manager's attitude was condescending and unprofessional, making me feel like I was being done a favour rather than being a paying customer.

The food was average and overpriced for its quality. Our group of 11 didn’t even reach the €1100 minimum spend, which speaks volumes about the poor value for money.

The advertised "show" lasted a mere five minutes, and the "club" was empty by 1:30 am. By 3 am, they had turned on the lights and started cleaning up, essentially pushing everyone out.

And the last surprise: Despite informing the waiter early on that our 12th guest wouldn’t be joining, the manager insisted on charging €100 for a person who didn’t even receive any service. This escalated into a public shouting match, which was extremely unprofessional and embarrassing.

Honestly I was not surprised and low key expecting the outcome since I talked with the manager at the phone but hoped it was just a bad moment. From the moment we arrived, the staff created a bad vibe. The greeter at the door is extremely rude and judgmental, setting the tone for the rest of the night and the experience you will get.

Overall, this was one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had, especially in Greece, where hospitality is usually exceptional. This place tries to market itself as a luxury venue with deceptive advertising and fails to deliver on every level. It felt like a scam. The attitude, lack of professionalism, and poor value for money are unacceptable. If you’re looking for a true luxury dining experience, save your money and mood...

Walk down stairs to a beautiful restaurant, the hostess asked for our coats and we were taken to a table that was not at all what one expects when making a reservation a week in advance. We were told that they were sold out for the evening and so this is what they had. We were about to leave when the hosted found another table, which was heaps better than what we were previously offered.The music was great with a live singer who was lovely. The waiters were helpful and professional. We had 4 dishes and desert. The fish carpaccio was lovely, fried feta salad was unique, spareribs were tasty, crispy duck was dry and over done. Cocktails were amazing wine was very nice, chocolate desert ( did not have all deserts available) was just okay. Just as we were finishing our desert the waiter came to say that we would have to go as the table was only given to use for 2 hours according to his Maître-d . I told him that was the first of heard of this but if they would like to move us to the bar I could accommodate as we wanted an after dinner drink. The waiter never came back and at this point our experience was sour. We decided to leave and went to get our coats, when we were told that there is a cost of 6 euros. I asked why this wasn’t mentioned when our coats were taken. We left and noticed the table we were given at the very beginning was still empty. Service starts with Management and the lack of training and customer service is obvious here. Athens has so many better options. I...