ZZAN Wellington — Restaurant in North Island

ZZ Ann Fried Chicken: A First Table Experience Marred by Second-Class Service

ZZ Ann Fried Chicken's vibrant ambiance and undeniably delicious fried chicken set the stage for a promising dining experience. However, our recent visit, booked through First Table, left a bitter aftertaste that overshadowed the flavorful food.

The initial communication with the restaurant was frustrating. Despite First Table's assurance that larger parties could be accommodated at the restaurant's discretion, securing approval felt like pulling teeth. The manager's curt response and the rigid enforcement of separate tables and no food sharing created an immediate sense of being unwelcome.

On the night of our visit, thankfully, we were allowed to sit together. However, the staff's demeanor throughout the meal was noticeably cold and unwelcoming. It was clear that serving First Table customers was seen as an obligation rather than an opportunity to provide a positive dining experience.

The food itself was enjoyable. The fried chicken, while occasionally lacking in deep flavor, was crispy, satisfying, and generously portioned. We shared three dishes among the four of us on the First Table deal, which proved to be ample. The prices were steep, but the 50% discount made it more palatable.

However, the service continued to disappoint. My wife's Korean rice wine arrived in a large, open bottle, with no option to take leftovers home. We were not informed beforehand that it only came in this size, leaving us feeling obligated to consume more than we intended. When the bottle tipped over, spilling its contents, our request for a cap was denied, citing restaurant policy. We had to resort to using a ginger beer lid and cleaning up the spill ourselves, with no offer of assistance from the staff.

Overall, while the food was tasty and the First Table discount undeniable value, the experience was marred by the distinct feeling of being second-class patrons. The lack of warmth and flexibility from the staff left us feeling unwelcome and undervalued. While we got what we paid for in terms of food, the accompanying service left much to be desired.

Ratings:

Ambience: 5/5 Service: 2.5/5 Flavors: 4.5/5 Value for money (First Table deal): 5/5

Would I recommend using First Table at ZZ Ann Fried Chicken? Sadly, based on this experience, I would hesitate. The significant discount comes at the cost of feeling like an afterthought. If you're seeking a truly enjoyable dining experience where you feel valued and appreciated, consider exploring...

I used to go here like every weekend when they just opened up, its been about a year since i came here & honestly i wouldnt come back. we came in at 5 (2 people) with no reservations & the manager had told us that their booth seats has been booked out & asked us to sit in the bar seats, no problem. i ordered my food & was looking online n i went to their website turns out there was some booth seats open, i booked it online for 5.30 (food came around then aswell 5.35) spoke to the manager asking if she could change my seat bc its a bit uncomfortable to sit at the bar seat she said its all booked out, so i said i saw online it’s available she said they’re already booked for someone else that supposed to come in 30 mins. so i told her that i booked online for 5.30 & the reservation has been confirmed & she said she will take a look & clean the table. We eneded up sitting at the booth seats, no big deal did not complain or nothing.

The food came i has ordered kimchi soup, garlic & spicy chicken i made sure i pointed to garlic n spicy chicken & corndogs.

kimchi soup was pretty nice. it was hot n mild, good with the rice. garlic & spicy chicken was just straight up sweet & salty not spicy whatsoever, not a single chilli on it nothing. like i said i came here since 2021 my fave to get is always their garlic & spicy chicken, never had to tell them to make it extra spicy, they would just asked me if im sure about what im ordering bc its very spicy. but nope not today😒 corndogs was average.

ordered another garlic & spicy chicken & some vegan meal for takeout & made sure i asked for extra spicy, tried it when i got home it was straight up sweet n just mild🥲

when the vegan meal came it has eggs on top of it😭 smhh i dont even know what to say, i would’ve told them how bad it was but It was only 2 waiter working with lots of people waiting for their food so it would’ve been stressful, but i came before all those people came soo idk what went wrong.

also i spend $124 for all that. i dont mind the price & the chicken portion is alright, but other than that i didnt have a good experience & i think it was not worth...

I was surprised to see that this place even had ANY good reviews after the countless experiences I’ve had where things were not up to standard, the staff were rude, and/or the food was just straight-up BAD. I see many people, especially Koreans, complaining in their reviews that the food was not authentic, or that it was too expensive compared to what you’d receive in KR if you were to order the same dish — But in Zzan’s defence, we are not in Korea, therefore we should not expect them to have authentic Korean ingredients nor experienced Korean chefs preparing the meals. For what is available, the food is alright, but there’s no reason it should be the price it is. I mean, one kimchi pancake for $27… You could literally buy the ingredients to make that multiple times at home, and not have the hassle of waiting on the slow kitchen staff, while simultaneously avoiding the rude wait staff. Take today for example, my partner and I walked in at 21:15, expecting to have some fun in their coin-operated karaoke booths, and to have the option of ordering some snacks in-between songs. We were met with a sign in the entrance that read “kitchen closes at 21:30” after seeing on their website that the kitchen closes at 22:00; a minor annoyance, but some things are out of the control of the workers as well as the customers... We brushed it off, thinking we’d still have time to order something small, but were told that the kitchen had already closed at 21:00; all the while, food was being served to those who were obvious friends of the workers. Quite the disappointment. Keep in mind, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this type of “favouritism” behaviour. I could go on for paragraphs about what a mess of a business Zzan is, but my statements would soon become repetitive and redundant. All in all, this restaurant (if you can even call it such) is an embarrassment to the Wellington food scene in more ways than one. I don’t recommend anyone in their right mind to dine, drink,...