Zizzi - Chatham — Restaurant in England

I am pleased to be able to confirm what most people say about this amazing venue. I attended Zizzi, Chatham for the first time yesterday, 14 March 2025. I was part of a family group and birthday celebration. It proved to be a very successful and enjoyable experience.

In the first place, Marc who looked after us for the evening, couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful if he had tried! Without being pushy or intrusive, he ensured we were all attended to quickly and efficiently. I couldn't help noticing that he really did hit the right 'balance'. In some restaurants, the servers can by a bit too pushy to enusre everything is OK or the service can be sluggish and we have to attract attention etc. Marc seems to have this skill very well honed. We were very well looked after, and with minimum fuss, Marc ensured our evening progressed like clockwork.

The food was delicious and everyone really enjoyed their meal. I decided on a healthy option and had a salad type starter with a lovely tomato dish served on bread. I cannot remember the exact title but the flavour was awesome. My main course consisted of shredded chicken and salad which was also really tasy. I have to be careful with blood sugars, but their healthier meals are very well prepared and dressed so there was absolutely no loss in enjoyment. I chose the baked cheesecake for my desert, which disappeared very quickly indeed! It was as good as I have yet tasted. This was all part of their three course meal deal which, for standard and quanity, is excellent value for money.

It is also worth mentioning that I was very impressed with their cleanliness. I couldn't help noticing that the toilets were spotless and this is not always the case in busy establishments where there is a lot of use and limited time for regular inspections/cleaning. The toilets in this establishment were exactly what we would want in our own home!

It goes without saying that I can recommend Zizzi Chatham, without the slightest hesitation - excellent food at reasonable prices coupled with exemplary service and a pleasant and spotless environment!

It is worth mentioning, that for me, the few negative reviews authenticate the positive majority. There are always those who set out to jeopardise successful businesses - for whatever reason. I read a couple of these reviews complaining about food and service and this is completely and contrary to what I, and the majority of customers have experienced. Thank you everyone and I look forward to...

This was our first visit to a Zizzi's restaurant and we chose it because of the nice variety of food options on the menu. We dined here with some friends (a party of 4) and can certainly say we will not be coming back! I'm glad I chose the 3-course set menu, as the food was poor and would be even less happy about paying full prices.

Starters: I had the Chorizo & Mozzarella Bombe, which was a giant dough with a bit of cheese and some chorizo cubes placed on top. It was very dry in the middle with no flavour and the Roquito hot honey was severely lacking, and not 'smothered' as the menu advises.

Mains: I had the Rustica Sticky Pig pizza which was very poorly made and the ingredients not correctly placed (as per the menu description). The amount of topping was absolutely ridiculous with the crumbled meatballs making up about 85% of the topping! The crackling was not dry and crunchy, but soft and soggy, there were lumps of uncooked pork fat on the pizza, one piece of crispy prosciutto and no hot honey, or at least I couldn't taste it.

Sides: I ordered the chips that were supposed to be seasoned with rosemary and salt. This was not done and instead I was served plain fries (not chips, which are larger pieces of chopped potato) which I had to season myself.

Dessert: This was the Chocolate Melt which was a pre-made, catering supplied, sponge cake removed from a metal tin (no different to a can of tuna) and then heated in the microwave with a small dollop of vanilla ice cream. Poor quality and not freshly made.

Further to the abysmal food quality, the sugar free soft drink options are limited and very overpriced!

Lastly, the service was absolutely shocking! It took more than 2.5hrs to serve a 3-course meal, of which one course is not even made onsite, it is just 'assembled'. After the main course we were completely ignored to the point where empty plates and cutlery sat on our table for half an hour. I had to call a member of staff to clear the plates and take our dessert order! Then they had the audacity to apply a 12.5% tip to the bill, even though for groups of 6 or more they would only apply 10%. This was quickly rejected and...

My husband and I came to Chatham dockside’s ZIZI’s this anfternoon and while the food was good the service was so poor that I feel compelled to leave a review.

Our server ‘Freya’ took over 15 minutes before asking us if we wanted to order a drink. No eye contact was given to acknowledge she would be with us, so we were sat there waiting watching her chat to collegues or stand around. At no point did it seem they were rushed off their feet and they certainly were not understaffed. There was a server in another area that was very attentive to her area. Wish we were sat in that section!

After eventually placing our full order ( we had ample time to choose our drink and meal)from our miserable server, our food came. My napkin fell off the table and she looked at it and didn’t offer to replace it. The food was great, can’t fault the food at all.

Freya then returned when our plates were empty… THEN asking us if our food was ok. Bit late if it wasn’t!

When Freya returned with the card machine, no pleasantries were given, however what topped this experience off what when she said ‘ would you like to leave a tip? We take cash or card’ I was floored. I just looked at my husband in disbelief. He chose to leave a tip with the thought it would be shared with the kitchen. They were the only positive part of our experience.

Freya at no point of our visit showed any customer service skills. Not a smile. No recognition of making us wait. Nothing!

I would like to add that my husband and I are generous tippers… it’s a shame that we have had to think twice about IF we leave a tip and HOW MUCH to begrudgingly leave.

I hope that management see this feedback and consider speaking to staff about how to better represent the company and provide a service and experience that people want...