Zaza Cuban Comfort Food — Restaurant in Alafaya

Zazas….A Complete Disappointment…

I’ve been a longtime supporter of Zaza’s Cuban Diner, dating back to when they first opened. It was once one of my favorite spots in Waterford Lakes, but after my recent visits, I’m sad to say I’ll never return. The food has gone downhill, and the service is absolutely atrocious. One employee in particular, Daniella, has single-handedly ruined any desire I had to support this establishment.

From the moment I walked in, Daniella’s attitude was unacceptable. When I didn’t tip upfront at the register, because I always tip after service, not before, she immediately rolled her eyes at me, made a sarcastic remark, and gave me an attitude that only got worse. When she brought my food to the table, she slammed the plate down, refused to make eye contact, and walked away faster than I could say thank you. She made it clear that the people I could only assume tipped her were getting significantly better service, and she seemed to go out of her way to show me that I wasn’t going to receive the same treatment. It felt like I was being punished simply for not tipping upfront.

To make matters worse, the tipping process at Zaza’s is awkward and unnecessarily complicated. Instead of a simple button, you have to search for a hidden option, which feels like a manipulative design to force tips. The entire experience was uncomfortable and frustrating, and Daniella’s rude demeanor made it unbearable.

I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life and come from a family that owned a chain of restaurants, so I understand the importance of good service. No matter how great the food is, if the customer service is terrible, people will stop coming. And that’s exactly what’s happening here. Daniella’s stank attitude, sarcastic remarks, and unprofessional behavior will cost this restaurant customers. It doesn’t matter if you’re serving the best food in the world, nobody wants to deal with an employee like her.

Zaza’s, you need to do better. Until you address this toxic employee and train your staff to treat customers with respect, I will never walk through your doors again. The food isn’t worth enduring such a hostile and unpleasant experience. If Daniella is the face of your restaurant, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Do better for your customers and...

So this little gem has been hiding in plain sight smack dab in the middle of my Waterford Lakes shopping center this whole time and I had no idea. It got a lot of love this year in the Best of Orlando, so I knew it was time to strike. I walk in, and the space is beautiful. It's a very clean, Latin diner kinda feel with a line out the door. We grab our menus and start trying to decide what sounds good.

I got a plato, the Vaca Frita (Seared Beef) specifically at the recommendation of a man who was seemingly the owner. My sides were the congri, the roasted red potatoes, and the Cuban toast. This was very good. The beef was tender and falling apart and smothered with grilled onions. The sides were all done very well, and the toast took the place of the tortilla that I'm used to using at home. Absolutely a five star, homemade-tasting dish.

My girlfriend opted for the classic Cubano (Classically prepared with fresh roast pork, deli ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on toasted Cuban bread). Crisp, soft, perfect bread with the meat and cheese really standing out as the stars of the show here while the mustard and pickles are there in the background as the tang that this sandwich needs to make it great. Huge fan. She also got the best side of tostones I've ever had. They were so crispy, but the cooked plantain taste and texture was there, too, not oily at all. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

For dessert we got a couple of little dulces, a Quesito (Cream cheese rolled in light pastry dough and sugar, baked until caramelized to a golden finish) and a Guava Con Queso (Puff pastry filled with guava jelly and cream cheese). The quesito was good. Definitely more caramelized than light and fluffy, so be careful about that, but still good. The guava con queso was ok. I really wanted a larger filling-to-pastry ratio, but hey, after a meal this great, the dulces were muchly appreciated.

Overall, this place is really great. I love that it's so close to my house, and I feel like my wallet is in trouble, because I have to go back and try...

Today at 6pm Friday my son got assaulted by the Manager on duty at Zaza in Waterford lakes , my son is 15 years old, the manager grabbed my son by the neck by the arm and shoved him out of the restaurant. The police were called by us his parents. The manager did not use the correct protocol. If there was any type of situation there was no proof of any situation. That’s why the security of the Waterford Lakes town center was never called nor was Orlando police the manager is currently incarcerated and we, his parents will be taking further action.. This is not a place that anyone should bring their family. It’s not a safe environment, especially a restaurant in such a popular family town center and a so called big franchise serving our community, restaurants and employees should not be serving our community , The manager admitted to assaulting my son. my son is suffering from a severe headache. He’s nervous. He’s scared in the moment. He never did anything for this Manager to assault my son as he did my son was waiting for his brother to get out of the bathroom, and the manager kicked him out and use physical force to take him out out of the restaurant. There’s many witnesses and videos of the manager, admitting to the crime and not doing the proper protocol, if my son was acting in any appropriate way, different measures, should’ve been taken there’s no proof of my son. There’s hard proof on the manager, assaulting my son admitting to the assault and getting arrest arrested for battery on a minor. Please do not take your child to this restaurant. Don’t take your family. This can happen to any of us that Manager is a man in his late 30s using full force on a minor child 15 years old weighs 100...