I visited Zizzi Romford with my daughter after receiving a £49 gift voucher. Unfortunately, what should have been a pleasant meal turned into a very disappointing experience.
Firstly, I ordered a children’s meal and asked for water instead of juice. Surprisingly, the water was charged separately. The ice cream that was supposed to be included in the children’s menu was never brought to the table either.
Regarding the food, I ordered the Truffle Carbonara (£19.99), which was extremely disappointing. The dish consisted of pasta covered in an overpowering truffle cream, with absolutely no resemblance to a traditional carbonara. There was no noticeable egg flavour, just an overwhelming taste of truffle. Interestingly, I even found spaghetti mixed in with the other pasta! I finished the dish because I was genuinely hungry, not because I enjoyed it. For almost £20, I expected considerably better quality.
My daughter’s four-cheese pasta was equally disappointing. The waiter explained that it contained four different cheeses, yet all I could taste was a watery, creamy sauce with barely any cheese flavour.
What concerned me even more was the waiter arriving at our table holding a piece of cheese directly in his bare hand while preparing to grate it over my daughter’s food. When I questioned why he wasn’t wearing gloves, he replied that he had washed his hands and that nobody in the kitchen wears gloves because they wash their hands frequently. I understand that gloves are not always legally required when handling food, but the way he handled the cheese and dismissed my concern was far from reassuring.
However, the most uncomfortable part of the experience came when it was time to pay.
My voucher was worth £49, while our bill was approximately £33. I was informed that the remaining balance would be lost, so the waiter suggested ordering something else. I chose a pizza to use the remaining value.
During this process, the waiter repeatedly complained about how difficult and exhausting it was to process voucher payments, explaining that very few customers use them and that whenever someone does, it creates a headache.
As a customer who had simply received a gift voucher, I was made to feel like an inconvenience rather than a paying guest.
I genuinely do not understand why a restaurant offers gift vouchers if its staff make customers feel uncomfortable for using them.
Between the disappointing food, the missing children’s dessert, the questionable presentation of the cheese and the unnecessary comments about my payment method, the entire experience fell well below my expectations.
A gift voucher should be a pleasant experience, not something that makes a customer feel embarrassed for using it.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this particular Zizzi restaurant based on my experience.