Zazu

I like Zazu, the food is better than what you would expect in Opelika and their new space is beautiful.
Tonight, though, I had a very bad experience. I had a reservation for 7pm, for which I arrived about 10 minutes early. We checked in with the hostess who confirmed our reservation and told us a table would be ready in just a few minutes. Of course that’s fine, I don’t expect a table to be available immediately.
We stood near the bar, about 15 feet away from the hostess, who made eye contact with us a few times throughout our wait. In the span of about 20 minutes, 2 or 3 parties our size or larger came in and got their table. After seating the third party the hostess (the one we checked in with) approached us and asked if we had checked in. We said yes and that she confirmed our reservation. She said, in an accusatory tone, «well you didn’t check in with me!» (as if checking in with the other hostess would have been an expected screw up?) We told her we did, and said that we were confused since we had a reservation at which she barked back «well a lot of people have reservations!»
Making a reservation and then being treated as if it’s our fault the hostess screwed up in unacceptable. This will not deter us from returning but we hope this time of behavior is rectified.

Probably the most awkward staff that I’ve ever encountered. It just didn’t seem as though the hostess or the server had ever worked in a restaurant before and it was like their first day. But they were nice so it wasn’t a problem.
The food here is really good. The portions are a little small but I guess living in America, you expect huge portions.
My boyfriend and I started with the cornbread waffle and shrimp. They only gave us two shrimp, which even as an appetizer portion, seems to be pretty small. The waffle was really good. It wasn’t dry and it absorbed the sauce very well.
I got the braised short ribs which were okay. The polenta that it came with was absolutely delicious. Creamy and buttery.
My boyfriend got the chicken fried chicken which was probably my favorite thing. Tender and moist. Cooked just right. The chipotle syrup was really good. The ABSOLUTE BEST PART were the collard greens. They were tender and sweet with just enough saltiness from the bacon. I wish there was more. Our portion was rather small.
The mimosas are meh. The bloody Mary’s are super spicy. It burned my throat but it was good.
The bread pudding with ice cream is a must. It takes forever to come out because they make each serving when ordered. It’s got this great crust on the outside but incredibly dense and custardy inside. Whatever caramel sauce they served with it was heavenly.

Great atmosphere, staff, and fantastic food. The short rib burger and duck fat fried fries… AMAZING!!! So pleased with everything. I would highly recommend this grant place to anyone

Our 1^st time & we LOVE IT!
We had a Great waiter, Ryan! He’s a Nice addition to this extremely Cool building:-)
Love the view and the levels of floor space for eating. So Cool!

Excellent food. The burger is phenomenal.
The soup of the day was roasted tomato bisque. I’m not a fan of tomato soup, but this was incredible. They have a good selection of beers on tap and in the bottle as well. Service was superb. Our waitress was pleasant and very complimentary of the food. The kids ordered vanilla ice cream for dessert and the waitress brought a caramel sauce (which normally goes on the bread pudding) to top it. Oh my goodness, that is one of the best sauces I’ve ever tasted. The ratio of caramelized sugar and butter was perfect. Absolutely perfect. This place is an hour from our house, but we will be back.

Great food, small portions. Zazu was easily my favorite restaurant in Auburn for great food at a reasonable price, but horrible atmosphere. The new Zazu has one of the best restaurant build-​outs in the region and the food is still awesome. However, the portion sizes after an expensive lunch made me wonder if I could ever afford to come back. We ordered Crispy Eggplant as an appetizer, which was awesome… but, you only got four small pieces for $ 8. Mafias Fried Zuccinni is over double or triple the size. My wife had a salmon, pecan, and pear salad for $ 14 with about 3 – 4 oz of salmon and the lettuce barely filled the bottom of the bowl. I loved the food, but kind of felt ripped-​off when we left. Please try and see for yourself, because the food is very good.

Delicious food and a great atmosphere. The duck fat fries are life-​changing! My husband had the French dip (made with short ribs) and said it was the best he’s ever had. I loved the salmon BLT, too. Can’t wait to come back and try the dinner menu soon!