Za Za Bazaar — Restaurant in Bristol

Usually very happy with this place and the service we receive. However, we visited for lunch today for a friends’ 30th Birthday. The venue was booked for a large party and due to this we were all asked to pay a £5 deposit, which will get deducted from the bill upon payment.

What was meant to be a lovely occasion meeting with friends and family became rather awkward at points. The booking started at 12.15, at that point we were seated at the two tables with a party of 21, 17 adults and 4 children. After 5 minutes of being left alone, 1 person then came to take a drinks order for 2 large tables. The waitress went around the table I was sat on, asked the 2 people next to me and then the 3 opposite but completely ignored me and my partner, didn’t bode well. When I brought this to her attention, she remarked that she thinks she has my order but wait until the glasses come and if not let her know. I was correct, after 5 more minutes glasses came and 2 were missing. 12.25 and only just about to go up and get food. Our 1 hour and 45 minute slot was already 10 minutes in and I personally hadn’t even been given a glass.

At this point it was mentioned that we would be paying separately (rather than 1 person paying for a bill of over £500.00), which surely, is quite unlikely. We then all proceeded to make our way up to the counters, to get what was some lovely food that we were all very complimentary about. After around half an hour a gentlemen then came up and started to ask what we had all ordered, one couple/family at a time writing it down on a piece of paper. Quite awkward but we understood the reason for this so we carried on talking, eating and enjoying ourselves.

Having finished sorting out the orders, (which could have been worked out at the beginning) the waiter left for around 5-10 minutes before coming back with a card machine. He then proceeded to take payment while we were eating. Quite a few of us in the party mentioned to each other how rude this was and that it could have been done a very different and easier way. The waiter then mentioned to every single person paying that we would not get our deposit back and they could not just simply reduce each person’s bill by £5.00, we would have to pay the full price and then the person that booked this would receive a refund of the £105.00 deposit at some point, and then he will have to return it to each person that paid. This, incidentally is still yet to happen 9 hours after the booked ended (understandably, possibly due to being a Sunday). This ordeal ended up making a few people feel uncomfortable, flustered and quite possibly ruined part of the experience for them! Let alone the birthday girl, to which this whole party was a complete surprise that stared off very happily but was unfortunately awkward at points due to the service.

When it came to our turn to pay, my partner mentioned to the gentlemen in question that it is quite rude, to which he replied ‘yes, I know it is, it’s just difficult as there are 8 separate transactions.” I then mentioned that it would have made much more sense to have done this prior to us going up for our food, and that if we had been able to get seated earlier we could have ordered drinks and paid at the same time. Similarly to what they do at the competition, Cosmo.

After the meal we all left, making our way downstairs. After another lengthy wait for the birthday girl and her partner that made the booking, they came down to say goodbye and explained they had asked for the manager to explain that unfortunately part of our meal was ruined. This was then met with a denial that they had spoilt the experience, that we could have cooperated more (?) and that there was two outstanding payments, one of these was a mistake and that someone had miscounted the adults and children and the other was the fact they wanted payment for a no show?

I’m not used to leaving here disappointed but I was. The meal was nice, the company was lovely but the service was beyond poor and it would be helpful if anyone there could use a little...

When you go to an all-you-can-eat restaurant, you expect a certain amount of chaos as there are customers young and old navigating around the stations to pick out their food. However, our experience at Za Za Bazar yesterday was nothing short of horrendous. When we were taken to our table, it was still covered with the previous groups plates and drinks, so we had to stand and wait for 10 minutes whilst they cleared the table. We then took our seats and waited for the cutlery and for someone to take our drinks. 20 minutes past from the time of our booking, before we had to ask a passing member of staff if we could order some drinks, to which they replied with, "oh you want to order drinks"? Like this was the first time they'd been asked this question in their whole time at Za za's. We also at this point asked for some cutlery which hadn't arrived. This along with our drinks, never came and it resulted in us asking 4 different members of staff for some cutlery and to ask where the drinks were. By half an hour into our 1.40 hour booked slot, we were finally ready to go up and choose what we'd like to eat. The experience was uncomfortable. There were people pushing, bumping and running around which impacted on what we were able to view or choose to eat. It felt too busy, there didn't feel like enough space to move and adults were constantly bumping into our children due to them rushing (staff included). In the end, I gave up and didn't go up again, it wasn't fun, it was stressful and very over stimulating. Some of us did continue to brave it, more so for the children. The rest of us had to man the table as nobody was clearing the plates which is what has happened before on previous visits. When we had finally given up and asked for the bill, we were asked if we wanted to give a tip, which felt like the cherry onto of our very dismal experience. A tip for what? Now I understand that restaurants get busy, and that the staff waiting tables were never stood around not doing anything. They were busy the entire time and this was due to the amount of tables they were expected to work. But when you go somewhere for a dining experience, you should not have to justify reasons as to why you had such a poor time. The management are not looking after their workers and this then has a knock on effect to...

I am truly disappointed with my recent experience at Zaza Bazaar. Having traveled from Cardiff, I noticed a significant decline compared to our previous visits. Yesterday's trip will be our last. As soon as we left the restaurant, all three of us had to rush to find a restroom, and my elder son couldn’t hold it in. We had to locate a shop in the town center, which was challenging because we had to drop him off and return to the Zaza Bazaar car park due to parking restrictions. The hygiene standards were clearly not up to standards.

Moreover, the chefs were quite rude. While I understand that many of them speak some English, they lacked the respect and courtesy that paying customers deserve. We expect standard politeness, but some chefs made us feel as though we should be grateful for their service, especially at the noodle station. When there were queues at the noodle station the chefs rushed to prepare food, leading to subpar dishes. My meal was not cooked properly— the prawns were raw, and the vegetables were so crunchy they were practically uncooked.

We arrived earlier than our scheduled time and inquired about being seated sooner. They informed us they were fully booked and could not accommodate us. I explained that we were traveling from Cardiff and needed to leave soon, and they eventually offered us a shorter one-hour slot instead of the usual 1 hour and 45 minutes. While I appreciated this gesture, it was odd to see that the restaurant was at least one-quarter empty during the whole period we were there as we rushed through our meal.

I have been visiting Zaza Bazaar for five years, and I have always recommended it to family, friends and always spoke highly to others. However, after this experience, I will no longer be promoting this establishment. I am very disappointed with the food quality, customer service, and the overall experience.

I recall there were discussions about the restaurant closing down for development about a year ago and the owners were challenging this closure and need customers support and I supported those efforts then, but now I believe it’s time for a significant refurbishment or for new ownership to take charge and make the necessary changes for...