Zizzi Restaurants

Let me say straight up that I’m not a huge fan of restaurant chains but it was late and I was hungry…
I was also presently surprised — the crab linguine was very good and the wine (Viognier) an excellent — without trying to sound like I know what I’m talking about! ;-)
Definitely gets my vote — give it try, if you haven’t already, much closer to real food than some I could mention…
Oh, and the restaurant was pretty busy but no one looked harassed or grumpy, always a good sign!

Zizzi, you’ve won me back. After a slightly less than satisfactory experience in the Winchester branch, I was in two minds about trying this one. I needn’t have worried though. It’s a little off the beaten track, outside of the giant shopping arena that is Woking town centre, but it’s only a 10 minute walk from the station.
From the moment we walked in without a reservation, the manager and staff made us feel welcome. I liked the décor in this one, nice and airy despite an overall dark woody appearance.
I fancied sharing a Fritto Misto to start, but neither of my two companions were interested. However the manager offered to do a half portion for me so I could indulge myself. One of my companions ordered the tomato and pesto bread, which I have to say was a spectacular colour mix on the board that it arrived on.
I followed this up with another favourite, the Risotto di Pesce with a side order of garlic bread. Having mentioned that I didn’t want cheese on any of this, the manager intuited that I might have dairy problems and asked me if I was OK with the butter used in the risotto — that was a star added to the review right there!
We were joined later by another friend, and the staff didn’t bat an eyelid at this late addition to the group (we were well into our main course by then). She ordered the chicken salad, which arrived promptly so she could eat before the rest of us had finished our meals.
Great food as always, super friendly staff, cool ambience in the restaurant. The toilets were clean, and I was particularly impressed by the rectangular sinks and the designer combination tap — very stylish and I haven’t seen those before anywhere else, so thumbs-​up for the design choices.
In fact, I’m giving two thumbs up and a full five stars for this Zizzi. Excellence on all fronts.

Zizzi restaurants are a classic choice in the UK. They’re slightly pricier than your usual pizza place but I can assure you that it’s worth it. The quality of their pizzas is great, especially their «Rusticas».
If you are concerned with price they usually have discounts available on websites like toptable, etc. My sister in law ordered a risotto that looked very nice but I didn’t taste it so I can’t really comment. All in all is a good reliable Italian restaurant.
The calzone carne piccante was good but not great. Next time I will try the calzone pollo spinaci. The calzone dough reminds me of american pizza. It’s yummy too but it reminds me of pizza hut. however rusticas are the real Italian deal :)

Yet another Zizzi.
This one has dark wood inside, with wooden logs decorating a separating wall.
The chairs aren’t very comfortable, so don’t sit down too hard!
Staff are sometimes (often) a bit too casual and carefree, so do budget plenty of time for them to come take orders and clear plates if you’re planning on having more than a single course.
Now that the weather has lightened up, they’ve brought tables outside and one can eat al fresco, right on the road. It’s not the best view, but it sure is an improvement on the inside which is fabulous in winter, but stifling and dark in summer!
Right across the street from Pizza Express, you can immediately see that this pizzeria attracts a more mature crowd (you can hear the screams from across the street), which does not mean it’s not family friendly, as many do come for lunch.
It’s nothing different from other Zizzis, but does have the al fresco to recommend it.
Do avoid the pasta dishes, they’re overcooked or undercooked most of the time. Although if you’ve never been to italy (or eaten at a real italian place) you won’t be able to tell the difference, and will be sure to enjoy them
The pizzas are pretty good most of the time. Trentino is covered in Rocket with some parma ham, and Sofia has all the meats you can think of, in spicy format. My 2 favourites!

Zizzi is a pretty good chain Italian with a varied menu of pizza, pasta, and salad dishes. The staff are very friendly and the food has always been excellent. Personally it would always be my first choice as opposed to Pizza Express across the road, because Zizzi’s pasta is far superior.
However, on our last visit to Zizzi in Woking, the service was desperately slow, because there simply weren’t enough staff. I would suggest not going on a Sunday evening as you may find yourself waiting half an hour for your dessert course.