Zizzi - Norwich — Restaurant in Norwich

Went for dinner with some colleagues at Zizzi Norwich. I am vegan (due to allergies) and gluten intolerant. I checked the allergen guide/menu well in advance and saw multiple options I could have including a pizza, 2 pasta dishes, sweet potato fries, regular fries, and strawberry sorbet. My group of colleagues very kindly selected this restaurant due to the number of options apparently available to me which was very kind of them. On entering the restaurant, we were asked for any allergies and I advised I am vegan + gluten free and was told this was no issue at all and reassured. I ordered the vegan non-gluten margherita pizza, to then be told there’s no vegan cheese so this was not possible. I then asked for one of the vegan non-gluten pasta dishes, and was told there’s no gluten free pasta so neither were possible. I then asked for the sweet potato fries, and was told this was not possible either. The waiter then advised they would give me 2 portions of regular fries at no charge which was kind. These portions, while doubled and very tasty, were still quite small and not filling at all while surrounded by people with good portioned meals. We also asked for a jug of water for the table when we ordered drinks and did not receive this, so had to ask again when we ordered desserts. For dessert, I spotted that the strawberry sorbet was suitable for me without needing any adjustments, so I ordered 2 scoops. My colleague sat next to me ordered the same for dessert and the same number of scoops, however when the bill came we saw that she was charged less for the same product, and mine said vegan sorbet, even though the strawberry sorbet was vegan anyway. Initially I thought I had been charged for an extra scoop by accident, but saw the bill listed 2 scoops so the number was correct, so I was being charged the price of 3 scoops for the exact same (no adjustments) product as someone else because there was an awareness of my allergies. It is already embarassing enough attending social food events, and I never expect people to cater to my dietary needs because I know it is difficult, but to be advertised multiple products and reassured on entry, for almost none of these to be available, and then charged extra for the same product as someone else when it did not even need to be adjusted is unacceptable and was incredibly embarrassing. I know I could have challenged the bill before leaving, but I was so embarrassed and let down by the whole evening that was meant to be a special employment anniversary event for my colleagues, that I just paid it on the QR code so I could leave as quickly as possible. I am not one to make complaints ever, and my dietary needs are my own issue and nobody else’s, but if you can’t provide a service, don’t advertise it, so that people with dietary requirements have a chance to find an alternative place to go. The staff were very kind and apologetic, but unfortunately that does not stop me going hungry, so would like to leave this review in hope this changes in future and that dietary needs alternatives are kept stocked, and as a heads up to other people with dietary needs that this may not be the best...

A coeliac's review: A cautious recommendation

On paper, Zizzi offers a large variety of gluten free (GF) options. In reality this is not quite the case, as Zizzi is one of many establishments which fails to fully separate "no gluten-containing ingredients" from true "gluten free" options.

On the phone I was told that all GF dishes are prepared completely separately to avoid cross-contamination. Upon arrival however, the allergen information clearly states that all fried dishes use the same fryer and all boiled dishes use the same water. This renders a large amount of the no-gluten containing dishes unsuitable for coeliacs or those with allergies, due to the cross-contamination risk. (some examples: 5 starters on the GF menu reduced to 3 actually suitable, chips on the GF menu but not suitable)

Despite this disappointment, the food I had was lovely. The staff were extremely friendly but also polite and professional, not interrupting the meal and swiftly removing empty plates and glasses.

The atmosphere is lacking, with bland decor, music played far too loudly and tables uncomfortably close: meaning that I heard my neighbours' conversations more clearly than my partner's, and we both had to shout.

The prices range from reasonable to expensive; this is not a cheap place to eat, though it is better value than the other, more expensive restaurants nearby.

Overall, given the limited selection of options for eating out gluten free in Norwich, Zizzi is fine. Not amazing and not terrible, best enjoyed with a large group or as a prelude to a night out, definitely serviceable but not good enough to be...

So this review is mainly for honest feedback to help with the customer journey. Firstly we understand we were a large table (20 people) but the staff were really friendly , the young lady looking after our table was polite and helpful and I can’t fault her.

The only issue was when it came to pay, we were told we couldn’t pay cash, which was annoying but not the biggest issue. But we were asked to pay via the qr code, which wasn’t working and even the waitress couldn’t make work on her pad/tablet. She admitted it was a bad system, we all paid (with a fair amount of struggle) and I was the last to pay , when she got to me, she said all that was left was a selection of drinks , so I paid for that and gave an extra cash tip.

As we were leaving we were stopped as apparently there was £27 remaining yet when she added it to the basket it would say nothing owing. We stood waiting for 5 minutes and were asked to pay it even though the app was saying all paid . So we declined and said if there was an issue to contact us, the waitress was polite and said she didn’t trust the app either. Basically the payment app/system needs some work because it felt very awkward being stopped from leaving a restaurant and standing in the door way with both staff and other patrons looking at us as if we had done something wrong. I’m hoping this feedback is passed along to the owners to come up with a better solution.

Once again I’d just like to thank the waitress for great service and being very personable and understanding , the food was also very nice, but the customer experience was let down with a badly designed...