Zizzi - Maidstone — Restaurant in Maidstone

Arrived for our pre booked table and there was apparent confusion and an issue but we were eventually seated.

We were not advised of any changes to menu and drinks order taken. We decided to go with the 3 course festive menu. Went to order starters calamari and the spezialbboth unavailable we then went for another option again unavailable there was actually only 4 starters to choose from! We had the cheese pigs in blankets bomb. Arrived and top burnt but inside was cold! No one asked if everything ok except a waitress arrived with our mains whilst we were still eating starters!

We questioned this and she said the kitchen is on a schedule and then looked at us blankly and advised kitchen timings are set for mains to arrive 12 minutes after starters! Who eats starter and wants a main in 12 minutes it’s a ridiculous schedule! Asked to speak to manager who said that the kitchen order is pre set that way we spoke about the lack of starter and he said distribution issue and then advised there was actually only 3 desserts available from the whole menu! If we had been pre informed that day or even when we arrived we could have made a decision whether we wanted to spend hard earned money on a menu that looked amazing on paper but realistically wasn’t available!

Main courses were fine (pizza you can’t go wrong!) we ordered dessert (3rd choices again due to most of it being unavailable) my friend ordered a baileys coffee with half a shot of coffee and I requested another drink. Her coffee came with 2 shots !! My drink never arrived! Coffee was left as was Baileys (even though charges for both) as no one ever replaced it with correct order.

The manger did agree when we spoke about starter issue to take one meal off menu but bill was still £50 and to be honest was not worth anything considering most of it was not what we wanted, cold or incorrect.

We understand hospitality had this time of year but staff were arguing on the restaurant floor, manager was having words with staff in front of customers. The waiter was desperately trying to get us to leave and looking for his tip on the table!

Looking back I wish we had left when the first issue of table appeared and was not worth the money...

A Shocking Experience That Left Us Devastated, Last week, what started as a lovely evening out at Zizzi in Maidstone turned into one of the most appalling and distressing experiences of my entire life — something I never imagined I’d have to write. We were initially impressed. The starters were fantastic, and our server was warm, attentive, and made us feel welcome. For a moment, it felt like we were in good hands and ready for a lovely evening. That illusion shattered the moment I raised a concern about my main course, which was not what I had ordered. Instead of a simple apology or effort to make things right, we were met by the restaurant manager — a man named Fraser — whose behaviour I can only describe as shockingly unprofessional, deeply offensive, and utterly disgraceful. Not only did Fraser dismiss my complaint with arrogance and rudeness, but what followed was beyond unacceptable. He directed a racially offensive comment toward my wife — a remark so vile and inappropriate that she has been in tears ever since. To see my wife broken in this way has torn me apart. I am 52 years old and have dined in countless establishments across the country, and I have never in my life been spoken to or treated with such blatant disrespect — especially not by someone in a managerial position who should exemplify the values of the business they represent. I am a local resident of Maidstone, and I can say with certainty: I will never set foot in this Zizzi again. What we experienced was not a simple customer service error — it was a complete failure of basic human decency. Fraser’s actions didn’t just ruin our night. They left a lasting emotional scar on my family, and utterly tarnished the reputation of a brand we once trusted. Zizzi, you need to take this seriously. No one should ever walk into your restaurant and leave feeling humiliated, insulted, or emotionally destroyed. This cannot be brushed...

I enjoy Zizzi very much as a common to go to restaurant choice but this experience has encouraged me to look at alternatives. We have two children under two and both our family and another with a toddler were left stood in the entrance waiting to be seated for 20 minutes (we had booked). The restaurant was almost empty with maybe 4 tables at most dining and we had been noticed by staff umpteen times before someone approached. The wait was totally unnecessary and the cold welcome was the beginning of issues. Our waitress was moody beyond measure, a smile would have been too much to ask and her body language and approach was less than warm and welcoming. Short abrupt responses and little understanding or patience for little diners and parents juggling. My food was incorrect but when I said not to worry and accepted it anyway to not cause food wastage it was dry and luke warm. Sadly it was stodgy as if it had been sat on the side for sometime and normal portion sizes were non existent. My todders portion was larger than mine by half...

My sons dish had an ingredient in it we asked to be removed on ordering albeit it was not due to an allergy but a dislike however very simple to just not add it. Luckily it was not an allergy or things really would have hit rock bottom.

All in all an awful and somewhat stressful experience. Expensive unenjoyable outing. It was a treat that was far...