My friend just got a job here for the grand opening and this weekend, they had a "Taste of Italy" friends and family event where you got a complimentary three course meal. Of course I gladly accepted this invitation for Yelp purposes!
Zizzi stands where Paperchase and Starbucks in the old Borders used to be, so it felt nostalgic to be back in the shop where most of my pocket money was spent as a teenager. You're immediately greeted by a large show kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant where I can only assume they made the pizzas. We were promptly showed to our table by the door host who was really nice.
We were shown a drinks menu, I had a lovely Prosecco, friend one had a Peroni and friend two had a coke. We had a ten minute wait for starters- mine was a garlic bread pizza that would easily have fed two people. The garlic bread is tasty, the garlic isn't too overpowering which is good!
As a main course I had Spaghetti Arabiatta, I was quite disappointed that I couldn't get Penne Arabiatta, that would be my dish of choice in an Italian. It was quite spicy because there was N'Duja sausage mixed through it. Honestly, I've had better arrabiata. I left quite a bit on my plate, I felt quite full from the garlic bread. The servers were lovely, they seemed to really know what they were doing.
I had vanilla gelato for dessert and it was AMAZING. The ice cream is to die for. Its also made by an independent supplier organically!
The gripes I have with Zizzi are that, it would have been quite overpriced had we been paying, but these chain restaurants generally try to be.
I think Glasgow is already well served by Italian restaurants in all honesty, how many more do we need? I prefer more authentic Italian restaurants like La Fiorentina where it's family run. Zizzi just feels a bit generic, I did not feel like I was in an Italian restaurant at all. Also, on the mezzanine, there is only one toilet cubicle which may prove to be a problem at busy times. Also, the seats are so uncomfortable. If I wasn't getting my lunch for free, I would have asked to have been moved.
All in all, as a fan of Italian food, I wasn't that impressed. You could be forgiven for thinking this was any restaurant and not an Italian. The lovely staff and the ice cream would be the only thing that would tempt me back in all honesty. read more