Zizzi

I visited Zizzi in Tunbridge Wells, served by a friendly, efficient waiter. Starting with Antipasto Sicilano which I had before, because I enjoy a little selection of everything and not a huge meat fan, this is a great starter. My friend had garlic bread with cheese and remarked the caramelised balsalmic onions made it very nice (I was annoyed I didn’t get to try any!). We both had the Duck Arrosto which was let down on presentation and the skin was not crispy (although I am not certain it was meant to be). It was hot and we both ate all of it. Mine was washed down with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc Holmes Point, NZ. Whilst the most expensive wine by the glass, I certainly had no complaints about the quality. For dessert, my friend had rather a large portion of Panettone al Forno, so I started to wish I had chosen that instead of the Gelato. Baring in mind I am not a fan of chain restaurants, I enjoyed the Zizzi experience and look forward to visiting again, especially if the same waiters are serving.

With chain restaurants it is the service that makes all the difference. Having dined here twice in the past two weeks I can say with conviction that the service is immaculate, and the waiter who served my table on both occasions was extremely friendly and appropriately attentive. He also gets massive bonus points for being so kind and helpful when I start to explain that I would like a pizza without the cheese, it is amazing the amount of people in the service industry who seem bewildered that you require their attention more than just to point at something on the menu.
The food is what you would expect from an Italian restaurant, all though Zizzi do seem to have conveyed some original flair and a sense of Italian authenticity with large flat rectangular pizzas and, a particular favourite of mine, long dough sticks as opposed to balls.
I very much enjoyed being seated in the upstairs conservatory area, whilst remaining indoors away from the elements, the light and airiness of the room made it perfect for an English Summer Evening. Big thumbs up all round, the Pizza Express directly opposite should be wary.

Great Italian in a little country town… YAY!
Ok, ok… I know this is a chain, but I finally had to try it the other night…
We were very pleased!
The food was fantastic! We started off with the ITALIAN BREAD BOARD, which consisted of; Altamura, dough sticks and olive breads, fresh baked and served with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil… Oh, so yummy!
For dinner I had the DIAVOLA Pizza; Spicy pepperoni with Roquito and green chillis, juicy tomato and mozzarella… OMG! Spicy, but oh so good!
My husband had the FETTUCINE ALLA CARBONARA which had; a pancetta creamy sauce, and more crisp pancetta on top. He really loved it. To top it off we ordered a bottle of PROMESSA ORGANIC MERLOT-​SYRAH, from PUGLIA… did I mention, YUMMY!
The service was really wonderful and the waiters were fantastic! The ambiance was delightful and well lit. Very clean indeed!
I give this place 2 thumbs up and will be back!

We wandered in early on a Saturday night and managed to get a table (albeit near the door). The place was attractive and quite busy. While this is part of a chain, it was still very good. My Salad and Pizza were excellent and my wife enjoyed her dinner too. Nothing was particularly expensive either. If in the area I would go back.