Zizzi - Portsmouth — Restaurant in Portsmouth

Zizzi at Gunwharf Quays never disappoints, but this visit was truly outstanding! From the moment we arrived, the service was warm and welcoming, and the vibrant atmosphere made for a fantastic dining experience. Whether you’re visiting for a casual meal or a special occasion, this place delivers on all fronts.

To start, we ordered the calamari, and as always, it was absolutely perfect. Light, crispy, and seasoned just right, it’s the ideal way to kick off any meal. It arrived piping hot with a delicious garlic aioli that complemented it beautifully. Every bite was full of flavor, and it’s easily one of the best calamari dishes around.

For the main course, I went for the Rustica Sofia pizza, and I have to say—it’s the best pizza on the menu. The thin, crispy base, the perfect balance of toppings, and that touch of spice made every bite an absolute delight. It was cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of crunch and a flavorful tomato base that tied it all together.

My dining companion had the mushroom risotto with chicken skewers, and it was a complete game changer! The risotto was creamy, rich, and full of deep, earthy flavors, while the chicken skewers were juicy, smoky, and perfectly charred. The combination of the two was simply divine—something we’ll definitely be ordering again.

The food alone is reason enough to visit, but when you add in the fantastic service and buzzing atmosphere, Zizzi Gunwharf becomes an easy five-star experience. The staff were attentive and friendly, ensuring we had everything we needed throughout the meal.

All in all, an absolutely incredible experience from start to finish. If you’re in Gunwharf and looking for top-notch Italian food, Zizzi should be at the top of your list. Can’t...

I've been to other Zizzi's before since becoming a Coeliac and had a great experience but the Gunwharf restaurant didn't seem to take allergies seriously and made me feel like a problem rather than putting me at ease. We went as a family of four on the Thursday before Good Friday at 5.45pm. Already they'd run out of basics like Vanilla ice cream and the chicken dish my wife wanted. Our waiter Marcin, was super friendly and apologetic for issues raised. Not all bad, both my children loved their pizza, spaghetti bolognaise, and chocolate/caramel ice cream deserts. I was told I couldn't have the gluten free chips (as per other Zizzi's) as although they had two fryers the chefs often used both for gluten based items so they couldn't guarantee no cross contamination. I'd really been looking forward to these as not many of the Italian chains do fries. Main meals came out and Marcin apologised for mine being late. The chef had cooked the wrong item. When mine came, 5 mins later, it looked great but was black round the edges and burnt. I only mentioned this when asked if all was ok and said I didn't want to change it. The manageress came over to tell me that that was how GF pizzas were. That really annoyed me as a) pizzas have never been like that from other Zizzi's and b) why ask for feedback if you are just going to justify rather than deal with a complaint. Really poor service and made the remainder of the experience an uncomfortable one. I guess I should have refused to pay for the pizza but didn't want to make a scene in front of my children and other diners. Won't be going back to this...

We visited Zizzi Portsmouth for the first time and overall, the vibe and food were great. However, we had a confusing and disappointing experience when it came to how substitutions were charged.

We wanted to ordered a pizza and a carbonara pasta dish, both of which contained pork by default. As we don’t eat pork, we asked to have it removed and substituted with chicken. We were surprised to find that we were are going to be charged extra for the chicken, even though we weren’t asking for an add-on — just a simple substitution.

For example, in the carbonara, which included two types of pork, we asked to replace both with chicken skewers (which btw wasn’t even a skewer it was just bites of chicken). Not only did we have to pay around £4 extra for the chicken skewers, but the actual portion of chicken in the dish was very small — just 4 bite-sized pieces, which didn’t feel worth the added cost.

What felt most unfair was that we were still effectively paying for the pork (included in the original menu price), plus extra for a substitution. If the pork is being excluded entirely, a fair substitution shouldn’t result in an additional charge, especially when the quantity is so minimal.

Again, I want to stress that the food tasted really good and the overall experience had potential, but this pricing policy around substitutions left us with a negative impression.

I hope the restaurant can consider a fairer and more transparent approach for customers who request...