I went to Zizzi today (Boxing Day), with many places being closed for food and here being open. I originally walked around the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly to find a nice independent food place that serves a Gluten free Breakfast, places like Moose Coffee was on my list but they wasn't open, then I made a reservation for 14:30 at Bar21 and with the store not opening until 4pm, I decided to come here after it being one of the only restaurants, that serve Gluten Free I could find open.
I was greeted by what looked like the manager, he held the door for me and took me to my seat, he along with all the other staff who served me/ I spoke to seemed very nice, and he arranged for a Gluten Free menu to come to my table.
First, I ordered a Latte, and it was served in a nice cup with no handles, the portion actually was bigger than it looked, and the coffee cost £2.35 each and it was really good quality, great coffee and perhaps worth more than what they charged, my friend had to agree with me.
I was pleased with their Gluten Free menu which had a very large selection, they also have menus for all other of the main allergens like Eggs. They even label the sides for example that have been fried with Gluten foods.
I ordered a Fiorentina Pizza, Gluten Free of course, the pizza's size was very big, which is good to see from a Gluten Free pizza and a pizza which cost £9.25.
The Pizza was very nice, and I loved the fresh egg in the center, it was egg- celent . A few things I did dislike was the amount of Spinach, I don't mind it on my pizza but they put so much on, it was like a Cheesy salad so I did have to remove quite a lot of it, also it did taste quite chewy. Apart from that, I did enjoy my pizza, my base was really nice for being Gluten Free however the base, was chewy in some parts.
I ordered a Still Lemonade to go with my pizza, I didn't really like it and it definitely wasn't worth £2.50, but like I said, I like having a cold drink with my Pizza, rather than a coffee, even though it was top notch and good value, cheaper than the Lemonade.
I also like how you can see the chefs cooking your food from your seat, and you don't have to go up to them to place your order, which is the case at the restaurant of Nando's located next store.
My friend really dislikes Italian food and cheese, hence he would not eat Pasta, Pizza and Risotto, he also hates Salad, which is mainly all this restaurant does, however he ordered Garlic Bread, it looked lovely, it was served in a shopping board, with loads of small square size pieces, I wish I would of got a pizza! As it contained Gluten, I didn't try it but he did really enjoy it too.
They let me take my Pizza home in a box, and the box and the bag they gave me was very nice.
Like I said, I spoke to many staff members and they all were very good, they held the door, brought me a gluten free menu, checked everything down to the oil to see if it was Gluten Free, so with the coffee being excellent, the good quality and fantastic portion Gluten Free pizza and the very kind, great staff with a knowledge of Gluten Free, I feel this place deserves 4 stars.
UPDATE: I'm sorry to report this branch deserves a downgrade to just two stars which is mainly down to two reasons which is the decling overall quality of the menu and the food sold at this branch and an issue today where I was told they could not make any pizzas or anything which requires an oven, basically just leaving salads to order which is disgusting for a restauraut. However due to the service here being good and the staff being nice, for example they even redirected me to a rival chain or the nearest other Zizzi branch with the ovens being down, and they often let me use the toilet without dining here, I still feel it deserves at least a two star rating which is mainly earned for the nice staff here. read more