Zizou — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Let me start by saying: the food is incredible. Truly. This review is not about the food. It’s about the service—or lack thereof.

Zizou, we need to have a serious talk. Because what’s happening in your front-of-house is not just sloppy, it’s offensive. I’ve worked in and around the hospitality industry for over 20 years. I’m in my late 30s. I’ve seen it all. But I’ve never been treated the way I was treated here, especially not by someone wearing the title of “manager.”

This was my second visit. I came back because the food really is that good, the short rib especially. But great food should never be the consolation prize for bad treatment. And after this last experience? I’m done.

Let’s start at the door. Once again, we walked in and weren’t greeted. Staff floated by, making eye contact with everything but us. Five, maybe seven minutes of awkward hovering before a very sweaty, very disheveled man, who I would later discover was the “manager”, finally acknowledged the entrance. But not because of us. No, it was three ethnically ambiguous, beige women who arrived after us that finally pulled his attention. Only then did he decide to look our way and ask, “Who was first?” As if the only visibly Black lesbian couple, dressed to the nines and standing dead center in the entryway, had somehow been invisible.

But I digress. Or maybe I don’t.

We were finally seated, only to be met with a server whose energy screamed, “I don’t want to be here.” Water took longer than wine. The table was still cluttered with appetizer dishes 40 minutes into the meal, and I had to ask for it to be reset. The whole vibe was chaotic, the staff clearly undertrained and overwhelmed—but still, I was patient.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the hostility that followed.

As a former manager myself, I attempted to speak to the man in charge calmly, genuinely trying to understand what was happening. But instead of listening, he threw his finger in my face and snapped, “I don’t wanna talk to you.” Then he turned and walked off like we hadn’t just spent our evening and our money in his establishment.

When I told my partner, she was understandably upset. When she addressed him, he raised his voice at us. Loud, defensive, accusatory. He claimed I was “attacking” him, because I said the service was bad. That’s when it all crystallized: this man wasn’t just unprofessional, he was used to being disrespectful. Especially toward women. And probably not used to being checked by people who look like us, people he clearly didn’t value as customers or as human beings.

And here’s the kicker: I tried to just settle the tab and leave. Quietly. Gracefully. But he told us we could leave AND not to pay. So we did. And honestly? That was the only decent service we got all night.

So if you’re into places with amazing food and absolutely no respect for your presence, go ahead and try the short rib. But if you believe service is part of the experience, and that customers, especially Black queer women, deserve to be treated with basic dignity? You might want to eat elsewhere. Or bring your own water and a spirit of deep,...

I’ve been to Zizou five times in just two months, and I absolutely love it. Walking in feels like coming home, like being on the docks in the south of France, maybe Marseille. Maati and Boris, the founders, have created a space that feels like an oasis.

Their partnership is the perfect blend: Maati, an architect by training, and Boris, a sommelier and sound designer, met in Lyon, France, during their youth. Together, they’ve designed and built everything inside and out, blending Moroccan and French influences to create an incredible atmosphere.

The food is fantastic, everything from the Moroccan salad to the mussels marinières is delicious. Their menu beautifully fuses North African and French flavors. Plus, they offer great wines, including a Sicilian white in a 1-liter bottle that’s mineral and incredible.

Music plays a big role here too, adding to the vibrant, relaxed vibe. Maati and Boris really care about the community, hosting events and creating a space where you don’t feel rushed.

All this comes at very reasonable prices, making Zizou a must-visit in LA. It’s a fantastic spot, and I never get tired of going back.

Merci...

Five stars just because it is such a cool spot though I do have some notes below. Zizou is both a beer/wine bar and mostly outdoor restaurant with a special event patio in back. On our recent Friday night visit found it busy with walk-ins being told that they were booked up for the night. It's a French-north African vibe, specifically the vibe of the north African culture that developed in France after the decolionalization of French North Africa in the aftermath of World War II, so the food is both French and North African in influence. Prices were very good for la. Food was good but not spectacular, the calamari was over salted and the piece of meat they picked for my steak frites was poorly selected. C'est la vie. I would certainly return and my hard to please boo gave the vibes a...