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Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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We tried this place last night through a delivery service.We wanted Italian and this sounded good. We ordered a caesar salad, a spaghetti puttanesca and a spaghetti with sausage. We asked for extra spicy but I do not know if that was passed on to the restaurant because it certainly wasn't.
Jack really enjoyed his dish with the sausage. It had green onions in it among other vegie ingredients. I tried it so I could include it in my review. It had almost an Asian flavor to it (which w both like).
My puttanesca was also good, a little heavy on the olives which I know belong in it but I don't like. The caesar came undressed with the dressing on the side most likely because it was take out. It was also very nice.
Last night I convinced a member of my harem to venture across the bridge to my hood and get some eats. Italian is my fave and I was excited to try out ZZA's but was sorely disappointed.
Ventured inside and the delivery guy who is sitting at a table looking sad makes his way to the front to seat me. I like the sidewalk dining but didn't like waiting over 7 minutes for anyone to come outside to greet us. There were only a handful of tables in the restaurant so no excuses.
They were out of several wines and menu items. Pretty annoying considering how few offerings they have anyway. Drink wise I tried the Italian Stallion wine flight for $16. It was three tastes of wines I would call ponies not stallions. Again, a disappointment.
Food wise we went for:
Insalata Verde - weak basic green salad.
Meatball appetizer - OK but the sauce was really lacking. Tasted more like canned sauce :(
Clams - they were out of the mussels we asked for and were offering this instead. Not the freshest I have ever had. We didn't finish them.
Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce - sauce needed more garlic, and seasoning. The gnocchi was really odd. All different shapes and sizes, like they didn't even try to make it uniform.
Tiramisu - the marscapone was off and tasted more like cheesecake. You could not even taste the espresso in the ladyfingers and there certainly was not any rum.
Affogato - the best thing we had. Kind of hard to screw that up.
With tip we put down $100 for 2. So NOT worth it.
peace, love, and good booze ~ chase
Blah.
What a horrible place!
We went for lunch and ordered a salad... no wait... let me restart.
First off, this place was totally understaffed, frazzled and clearly frustrated. It wasn't packed but, there was a lot of scrambling and sorrys and an eventual offer of free dessert.
We ordered the spinach salad and literally 1/3 of the salad was rotten spinach. Like when it turns to a dark green paste that smears onto the fresher leaves? Yeah... really gross. Sent it back. Was comp'd free mista salads, which was nice.
Then we have margherita pizza. Figured they couldn't screw up what they're known for... right? Nay. Tepid at best with undercooked crust. Tomato chunks tasted canned and the cheese was par melted.
They didn't have coffee and kindly brewed a pot... but, who doesn't have coffee ready to go?! Surprising.
Kids menu was good. But, at this point all the food tasted like kid's menu fare.
Will never go again.
The reason they get 2 stars is the waitress was genuinely trying to make it a better experience and therefore got a quality tip for it.
Okay, so I've never actually been to this restaurant, but I have been to their wine bar for a quick one which was a superb experience. I recently just ordered some delivery though for a nice treat on a hangover Sunday. I ordered the Rosemary Skewered Prawns on baked polenta with tomato-basil confit. Okay...nothing exciting here. Shrimp, skewered on what I thought was a bark stick but I guess it's a rosemary stick? The tomato-basil confit, is just a fancy name for some oily tomatoes diced up on your shrimps. And for $10 you only get like 5. LAME.
I also ordered the Pizza Del Giorno, which was a pesto Margherita basically. Pretty simple, and pretty tiny. The crust wasn't really done and the pesto had an unexciting flavor...the whole meal was just blah. For a total of $33 I got decent delivery service and a really disappointing meal. This place is over priced and lacking some culinary talent in the kitchen.
Great atmosphere, great location, staff was very nice.
There's nothing like sidewalk dining on a warm Oakland night.
WIne list seems and menu options limited for a trattoria.
The meat-based dishes were flavorful, but all the pasta was really salty...I really hope it was just because they had too much salt, and for no other reason....
Really lousy meatballs. Tough, and raw--how is that possible? also just tasted weird. .
I complained that the meatballs were raw inside, she took them back to the kitchen, brought them back and informed me that the cook said "that's the way he cooks them" BUT he cooked them longer for you. Gee thanks. I'm touched.
I paid 13 and some change for a half order of spaghetti and meatballs. A full order is 14.50. I put a 20 on the table and the waitress asked if I wanted change. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!
I left most all of my meal untouched, and was never asked about it. To bad ZZA's I won't be back.
Now there's an hour I'll never get back.
Chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.
Creme brulee.
La Patianna sauvignon blanc
Odero Muscati d'Oro (2008)--not on menu but just in
Blue Paddle Ale
Conversation easy.
Ambiance relaxed.
(By comparison, it was a zoo at Sidebar.)
Perfect for post dinner drinks and dessert with friends on a Friday night.
Worthy of another visit.
This place is in a serious downward spiral. My wife & I used to enjoy eating here, it is right in the neighborhood & the people that owned it were swell. I guess the owners changed, the prices went up, & the quality went down, & keeps getting worse. I have had better pizza on an all you can eat buffet that was better than what we were served this evening. Makes me sad.
Zza's has good Za! Did you know that "Za" can be used in Scrabble? It is a very handy two letter Scrabble word. It is slang for "pizza", and is, for some reason, included in the Scrabble dictionary.
I like the pizza at Zza, and I like the reasonably priced carafes of wine. I've ordered many different flavors of pizza there, and not one has been bad, although I remember there being a mushroom pizza that was particularly delectable and garlic-ful. I've had pasta dishes here before, but I'd skip those. The pizza is your best bet.
I went here for the first time on a first date, and the guy told me it was a "nice" place, which to me means "dress nicely". I put on my black dress and heels, only to encounter rustic flooring, long wooden tables, and checkered table cloths. This is not a fancy place. I felt dumb. Everyone else was wearing their jeans and shlumpies.
Still, the food and wine was delicious, and I had a really nice time! Well, except for the part where four months later he cheats on me two days before my birthday and then doesn't even get me a present. But, that is not important.
What is important is that Zza has decent pizza and cheap wine and I am married to a good, loyal man now and don't have to deal with dating anymore.
If you want to venture outside of San Francisco...You will be surprise what you find in Oakland.. The Pizza was superb as well the Salmon and Filet Mignon..Their wine selection is good as well their Spinach Salad and Caesar..The service is a little Slow for me but over all is pretty good..the only thing is the Breakfast Brunch needs to improve a little as well extend their Menu..but it has potential to be a really good place to eat..
I can't believe I've never reviewed Zza's on here before! I love Zza's! They have a great atmosphere, I love the big Zza's lights in the back as well as the fact you get crayons so you can draw on the table. Their outdoor seating is particularly awesome - I recommend coming during weekend brunch and you can eat in the sun and watch all the people walking around.
Some particularly great things:
- creme brulee with chocolate on the bottom
- breakfast pizza (only available on weekends during brunch)
- cheese plate w/ honey
I'd skip overpriced things which are not worth it in my opinion
- bruschetta
- caesar salad
When I came here recently, for the most part the service was good except for a few things. We ordered bruschetta & caesar salad and they forgot about them. When we inquired, towards the end of our meal, our server brought them out - the bruschetta had clearly been sitting as it was all soggy so they must have made it & apparently forgotten about it. The caesar salad was the most un-worth it salad I've ever had from them. I hate having to remind staff of something we've ordered cuz I always feel like a bitch. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful but this particular time they were not quite on top of their game.
Other than that, Zza's is usually excellent and I'll continue to come, just next time they'd better remember and bring in a timely manner the things we order!
I think Zza's is okay. I really like the sidewalk dining, especially with the warm weather we've been having lately. It's a great view of Lake Merritt and you get a nice breeze. It's also nice to people watch as you eat. The meal was fairly fresh and nicely prepared-- the bread, soft; the wine, crisp; and the roasted chicken, juicy. I can't complain. The servers were attentive, she wanted to know if were were enjoying our meal and checked on us several times. I feel bad, but I just can't say it's mind blowing and that I'm dying to go back. There was a yummy organic spinach salad with white cheddar cheese, apples, walnuts and a sour cherry vinaigrette, but overall, it was just okay.
zza's has become soooo zzzzzzzzzz.
This used to be one of my favorite Lake Merritt spots during my college days. The line out the door, the cozy feel of the trattoria, the greeting of garbanzo beans-pepperoncini-and fresh bread, and the yummy delightful pasta dishes! Alas, these are all things of the past. The decor is darker and less inviting. The ZZA's light no longer has that vibrant OOOOhhh and AAAAAh effect on me... the shrimp pasta dish was too salty and unsatisfying. The desserts were okay (the bread pudding was just dry as was the tiramisu cold and wet...). And overall the service was good. But overall, it was Blah and ho hum sort of dining experience. In these hard times, going out to eat should be a luxury.... this dining experience was no such thing. A bad let down, sadly....
I have to say, figuring out how to pronounce the name of this place felt like we were right out of a Seinfeld episode. When we finally got our waiter to confirm the right pronunciation (it's not ZaZa's, but it's ZZA's, like pizzas with the "pi" removed. I was right by the way!), then we finally put debates aside and looked at their lovely menu.
Food wise, between the four of us, we each ordered something different. My gnocchi was tasty and made me feel warm and gooey inside. My friend's salad which had walnuts and lemon vinagerette, was terrific. We also had the swordfish special w/lemon caper sauce and spaghetti w/meat sauce. Everything was well made and nicely seasoned. I really really really liked dipping the bread in the caper sauce, it was phenomenal! Also my 2006 California pinot was light and smooth and my friend's Spanish cab had a nice ping to it.
Most of all service was wonderful. Dylan was great with our table, which with a few loud ones and me slightly buzzed, we were not a mellow bunch! He gave us a lot of attention and did an excellent job with the wine recommendations. I would love to go back next time I'm in the East Bay.
I was not so impressed with Zza's tonight. The last time I was here, the place was lively and pleasant. Tonight, the atmosphere was blah and there wasn't many people seated at the tables. The dim lights made it difficult for most people at my table to read the menus, the big flashing ZZA sign in the back didn't help us while seated in the front.
I was disappointed in the service, which was slow and annoying. The food was decent. I ordered the Zuppa Pasta, I liked it but it was just Ok. My dad ordered the Lamb Shank and it was full of flavor and the meat peeled off the bone easily. The Spaghettini with braised pork and beef sugo wasn't too bad either.
I'm not sure if I'll be back anytime soon, the prices are on the higher end and the service wasn't so hot. Plus parking can be a pain in the butt.
I absolutely hate this restaurant I went in this joint 2 saturdays ago and the place was a mess. Me and my boyfriend thought maybe the food would be better. WRONG! The Fettucinni was hella watered down and the big tall ass cook added way too much salt for my likings. SO we of course had the salads and I had the spinaci everyone loves it how can they get it wrong? EASILY, the cheese the used looked like it was sitting out for a couple of days and the spinach was wilted. How do you mess up a salad? FRESH PLEASE! On top of that there were flies everywhere, that is totally disgusting. Okay I know what you are thinking too ruff right well we tried the warm chocolate cake there is usually this cute little girl bouncing around talking about it, she sold it, anyways it looked like they forgot about our order because it was cold and the ice cream was melting. Like hello warm you kind of have to hurry up! So the food suck the service is okay and the place gross. It smells like wet dog when you go to the bathroom and on the way you hear nothing but crazy talk in the kitchen. Everyone just playing around and having the time of their lives not preparing food. I don't know about this place it sucks to me. The only reason I gave them a star was because in the wine bar Chris was super sweet. I can get drunk but keep the food please.
I couldn't agree anymore with the recent reviews that frown poorly about the menu, lighting, and pricing of Zza's.
After hearing wonderful reviews from a friend, we scheduled our holiday party there at the suggestion of a colleague. There was barely anyone there but our party of 15 until about 8pm on a Saturday evening. I know the economy is tough, but the restaurants we passed on our way there were packed.
In our first 15 minutes at Zza's it was almost as if they could not decide was lighting was appropriate, as they'd turn the levels up and then back down again. This would continue throughout the entire evening. Ultimately, it was turned up higher than when we'd arrived.
What may have been most annoying was the HUGE sign in the back that belongs on a ferris wheel. It also could not make up its mind.
The menu's were subpar, and I refer to the physical condition of the menu's. They resemble the documents I grew up with in primary school that were printed with the blue ink, and rolled out one by one as someone turns a wheel, or a photocopy, of a photocopy, of a photocopy...
Pricing? Lets just say none of us left feeling we'd retained any degree of value for the even modest $40 we'd each spent. The caesar salad was absolutely inferior to that I'd just prepared for lunch that day, resembling more of an oily vinaigrette dressing, and the pasta.... A colleague kept repeating he'd much prefer having made reservations at Pasta Pomodoro.
Its not tough to see that service is anything but paramount at the establishment either, as the "reserved" tents were not removed from our table until the latter part of our dining. The waiter spilled beer on the table while delivering a beer and did not even bother to clean it up.
Now the colleague who offered this as a destination only two days ago argued with me about the quality of the food at Luka's, just down the street. He stated his case that the food there was incredibly good. I've not heard anyone say that in a long time.
Perhaps I've been biased by five years spent in Chicago but Oakland, with the likes of Tamarindo and newly opened Ozumo offered around the corner from these throw togethers, its time that we begin demanding quality dining solutions.
I sadly disagree with most here and offer a firm thumbs down for Zza's.
Once you are seated and look out at the lovely view of Lake Merritt that many reviewers have mentioned, the first thing you may notice is that the reflection of the lit up ZZA sign in the window looks like "ASS". I'm giving them an extra star for that alone.
They have "Asian vodka" drinks on the menu which is, of course, soju and a decent wine list, probably because their wine bar is immediately next door. There is also butcher paper on the table and crayons that may bring out the artistes in some.
I tried the pizza with the shrimp and bacon and also the pesto chicken one. Both were fine. The crust was a little thicker than I prefer but the flavors were good. The dressing on the spinach salad was a little too tart but ok in small doses.
It's a spacious place that can accomodate over 30 people celebrating the birth of everyone's favorite little sister and the first one to point out the "ASS" in the window. Happy birthday, Dweng!
3.5 stars!!
Organized a big dinner here for the little sister. Zza's was great at accommodating a group of 20 - with 2 tables of 10. I regret not sitting facing the window for the lovely view of the lake and the "ASS" reflected in the window.
The food came out piping hot which was awesome and seemed like most of the folks enjoyed their food - especially the piZZA. I had the Paste di Mare which was average at best. The shrimp was over cooked and the rest of the pasta lacked flavor.
While the restaurant did a decent job of handling the large crowd, I was annoyed that we had to ask repeatedly for more menu's. We shared about 5 menus across 20 of us. The hostess was on her cell phone most of the time so it was awkward for us to interrupt her to ask for more menus.
While they were quick to our requests, it would have been more thoughtful if they just brought us more bread. Still, service was very friendly and I think they were doing their best to keep us happy. They brought Van a chocolate cake with ice cream with a candle in it which was a nice touch. The dessert looked delicious enough for me to order one of mine own and is DEFINITELY worth getting.
20% gratuity was added to our order, $2.00 per person for cake cutting and $15.00 a bottle for corkage.
My biggest gripe about Zza's is the price. My food was good (some sort of "little ears" pasta with butternut squash and cream sauce) but I think it cost like $12-14 bucks. I know I'm cheap but seriously, I've had comparable food at Olive Garden.
Also, the cheapest bottle of wine was $28. They have a sign out front that says, "Life's too short to drink Two Buck Chuck." Maybe, but I like Two Buck Chuck, and I can get a week's worth of booze and delicious food at Trader Joe's for the same price that I paid for dinner for two at Zza's.
The wait staff is really nice, though, so props to them. And we had fun drawing pictures and playing hangman on the butcher paper table cloth.
Zzas, I gave you another chance, and my pizza arrives STONE COLD and twenty minutes over due.
Get your act together.
I would have been eating what looked to be pretty yummy food right now.
Except their website, which…
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I really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn't happening. I've been here twice now. Once with a big group (10 people) on a Friday night. We had to wait well over an hour for our table, which I guess is understandable. Looking around the table at what everyone ordered, nothing looked great - maybe adequate at best.
Thinking that maybe we needed to come back just the two of us, J and I tried it again on a Saturday afternoon. We were some of the only people eating here, and it wasn't that early - maybe about 5pm. The service was forgettable and the food was, again, adequate at best. The tomato sauce on J's pasta was straight out of a glass jar (and it wasn't even the reminiscent of one of the better-tasting canned sauces). Plus, even the ZZA's sign was a turn-off. It seems like it would be kind of hip that they have this big old-school sign at the back of their restaurant, but it's just kind of garish when they leave it flashing. Makes you feel like you're eating at a chicken wing take-out place.
Won't be back here, unless forced by circumstances beyond my control!
Slow service. Spent too much. Left hungry :(
Only thing good about this place is that it's in walking distance of my home and a view of Lake Merritt.
I've never actually eaten in the restaurant, so take this review for what it's worth. However, I've ordered delivery more than enough times to make up for that, and Zza's is a solid choice for good Italian delivered to your door. Minus one star because it's a bit pricier than I think it should be, but the food is pretty great. Try their new dessert, the Polenta Amore -- I was dubious about "polenta poundcake" at first, but it is dee-licious.
This evening my bride and I decided to try Zza's. The place looks kinda gloomy with no art on the walls and cracked concrete floor. The hard surfaces make it pretty noisy.
We started with an excellent spinach salad with a thin slice of Parmesan, a thin slice of pear, chopped walnuts and a tasty dressing.
We ordered the capellini pomodoro--thin pasta with cherry tomatoes, Italian greens and corn. They brought us gnocchi instead, but quickly repaired their mistake and included a comp glass of house Chardonnay as an apology. The capellini lacked flavor, and we had expected better tasting tomatoes considering they are in season.
We also ordered the pizza rustica with smoked chicken, roasted red peppers and scallions. I like to pick up a slice of pizza and have it hold up, rather than go limp as these did. The crust was pretty good near the edges, but that does not a pizza make.
The service was good and the staff friendly. However, there are plenty other Italian restaurants in the area that serve better pasta and pizza.
Once again the infamous Bonnie M. and myself explored another new drinkery. Luckily we walked because we left in no condition to be driving.
It was hard to resist the supple, sensual, sumptious tastes of the vino that we consumed. All of my choices were quite potable for sure. Ms. M also enjoyed her options which were all different from mine.
For the record, my 3 selections were as follows:
2005 Fonthill Wines, Sea Air Verdelho, Mc Laren Vale, South Africa (white)
2006 Graham Beck, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2005 Domaine Monte de Luz, Syrah, San Jose, Uruguay
The staff were also particularly wonderful. That night the staff featured was the beautiful and talented Katie (manager) and her two pourers, August and Chris. All three were very personable and attentive.
Besides the lovely wine choices, we were offered some happy hour pizza which was actually quite good. The atmosphere was relaxing and warm.
All in all, I would recommend spending a nice time here with a good friend(s) sousing it up a little.
I was literally lured into ZZA's by one of waiters. What a delightful surprise! The Solid Gold inspired ZZA's sign in the back of the restaurant is such a trip. Imagine seeing this after splitting a bottle of wine...with yourself, not that I did. The paprika almonds are good, as is the gnocchi with bacon and tomatoes. The peach cobbler was a total revelation, especially for an Italian restaurant. I will make a return visit.
Great view of the lake and the space is nice. The dining room seems like it is having an identity crisis. The bar area is so elegant and then sitting in the dining room I feel like I am in a cafeteria. There needs to be art on the walls and the Italian colors are too much.
The service was pretty good and the food was fast. It's over priced though. Our meal was about $8 more than I thought it should be for what we got. We were very disappointed in the salami plate. They just slapped three kinds of salami slices onto a plate with two pieces of cheese and charged us $12. The pizza was good, but expensive also. Crust a tomato cheese and a basil, they should be around $8 or $9.
I'm willing to go back and try their lasagna and will be back to the wine bar again.
Feeling to lazy to walk around to the other side of the lake, we ordered some pizza and pasta for delivery to carb load before the half marathon.
They told me that it would take about 45 minutes, but I doubt it took more than 30.
We got the Penne di Melanzane e Pomodori and the Salsiccia e Funghi pizza. Both were delicious. The sauce to pasta ratio was perfect. And the crust on the pizza was nice and crisp - not too doughy. The portions were very generous - filling two of us with plenty of leftovers. I'd definitely order again for another lazy night.
I LUUUUUUUUV this place! U guyz have 2 go here! There food is hecka good (try the margarita pizza) and the people are really nice (: If ur on the wine bar side hang out with Chris or Yenika they're fun to talk 2 while you enjoy they're large variety of wines and food.
I also like the fact that they have a different menu from the wine bar then the restaurant. You get alot 2 choose from.
The restaurant is GREAT for families with children cuz they have crayons at every table for kids (or adults) to color with (:
Plus the servers are really cute (: So i'm sure that you'll find something you like even if you don't like the food (which i doubt !!!)
All they're desserts are REALLY GOOD!!!
This is my go-to casual dining spot near the house. A neighborhood restaurant, grown up menu, but with butcher paper and crayons for the kids. Now I don't have kids but alot of my friends do. And who is to say that you have to compromise the quality of food when dining with children?
And I love thier pizza's and pastas. The entrees, eh, they are ok sometimes, but I tend to stear away. I particularly like the prawn, mushroom, pancetta something or other pizza. BUT I do kinda resent them thinking they can pass of bacon for pancetta...they are NOT the same thing. Just call a spade a spade already!
And I also like the variety of entree salads (tends to be hard to find at Italian restaurants). And I love love love love the molten choclolate cake with jack daniels ice cream and a little raspberry and hot fudge drizzle. Now I know this dessert has been done over and over again at every restaurant, but I was surprised at how well it was executed at Zzas.
So most of the food here (for the setting) is a solid 3.5 borderline 4, but I bump up the rating because they now have a wine bar next door AND they deliver with online ordering. SO, I can have a grown up glass of wine (good variety of regions served) a great pizza and dessert all in a casual tuesday after work setting. And its reasonable.
Extra points are definitely given for the chocolate cake that was delivered to my house with warming instructions, the raspberry, hot fudge and jack daniels ice cream (yumminess) all in little containers on the side so not to run together. And to top it all off, my own little sprig of mint! Oh so delivery chic, I was impressed
Oh yeah and who doesnt love obnoxious flashing neon signs of "ZZA's" Flashing behind your head in letters almost as large as the walls...well I do. And apparantly so do the kidlets.
Ordered a pizza, Caesar salad and a clam dish for take out. Got there right on time, paid for the meal, *then* was told they didn't have any more of the clam dish (guy waved around us as if all the tables had ordered it and they were just out...whatever). Then, get this, he tells me they tried to call us back but our number was blocked -- uh, it's not. And what restaurant does takeout/delivery without having the caller repeat their phone number? Then he asks what else they can get me and "don't worry, it'll only take a few minutes." How should I know what to get though, the dish was for my hubby! So I call him, get an alternate. While I do so, a waitress comes up, and starts taking the menu out of hand and tries to take my friggin' credit card receipt. Finally I get that order in, then walk out 10 minutes later with my cold pizza, pasta with runny sauce and prepacked salad. They get a second star only because the pizza tasted pretty good once I reheated it in the toaster oven. I may try again but it'll probably be a while.
i went to dinner there tonight, and had a marvelous time. Our waiter was very gracious and very forthcoming about his dinner suggestions.
I had the Linguine con Gamberetti, and it was divine! The creamy tomato sauce had me using up all the bread to mop up every last drop. Oh yum oh yum yum! Very very tasty. Next was the Rotele alla Chix which was very rich, but my fave is still the Gamberetti. We also got the chicken lasagna that was good, but the size was a little unexpected. All the other dishes were huge, but the lasagna was a the tiny side. But whatev, we filled up on the other dishes.
All in all, an enjoyable evening, especially since they sat us next to the open windows and the night breeze was cool enough to remind me why I love the Bay Area so much.
Only problem I have is that the food is more expensive that it should really be, and the decor is a bit faded. Also, the waiters sometimes roam around and are not there when you need them. Meh, good experience overall.
I ordered delivery and was surprised that the pizza was a little personal pie for $12
Luckily, my fiance and I got two otherwise that would have been really hungry.
The pizza was OK nothing special. Still on the search for good pizza.
I was just here for the first time. My girlfriend and I were going to check out bottomless saki night at Coach Sushi (which I highly recommend - it's on every Friday!) but it was totally packed. We past Zza's on the way and decided to check it out. We were seated right away and we really enjoyed the fun sign and atmosphere. My biggest gripe would be the noise - this place is so loud I thought I was going to lose my voice just trying to have a conversation.
I was not that impressed by the food. I had a side salad that was completely drenched in oil and vinegar - not so yummy. My girlfriends pumpkin ravioli looked delicious but had a WAY too much sage on it. It was like eating a sage bouquet.
We might give them one more try - but I won't go more than twice. Maybe I'm cheap but better be dazzled when paying $65 for two people.
I'm not as enamored as I used to be, I can see the flaws, but that also means I see clearly what they really do well. The few times I strayed from my regular choices were not great successes. But that doesn't mean I've given up on Zza's, I'm just going to stick with what I know they do well: salads, desserts, and that fabulous gnocchi with fontina and bacon. And while service is still a little odd, the staff are very congenial, whether this is genuine or extra effort to survive in a shaky market (have you checked out all the discounts and special offers available their lately? 15% off delivery, if you have a code that I don't remember) doesn't really matter. Solid "A-Ok" for Zza's.
Previously I had given Zza's a three but I've decided to revise my review. I've always had good food… Read more »
Zza's has always fed me right, so I don't get the review hate. Despite being on a date, I ordered the linguine con gamberetti (pasta of the sea, with giant prawns and pepper flakes), and my companion promised not to laugh at my noodle slurping. He did anyways, but that's okay. We shared a fantastic bottle of red, a meritage of pinot, cabernet, and zin -- the best grapes ever to share a menage a trois.
I'm intrigued by the Enoteca next door, and will hit that on my next rendezvous to the East Bay.
I'd rather go out, get drunk... eat a hot pocket, throw it up and then eat my own hot pocket puke than go here again.
terrible slow service, mediocre fare, dirty walls and floor, too expensive for what it is.
They get one star for being close enough to our house to walk.
It appears they are under some sort of construction which may have been the cause of our bad experience... but there was no explanation... no "pardon our dust" signs... just slow, rude servers and a ridiculous wait for our food and then the check.
The host was standoffish and weird. Our water came in dirty glasses, our waiter was non-communicative, it took over an hour to get our food and we politely asked for the check 3 times over 30 minutes before we finally got up and took it from the waiter.
a very twilight zone experience...
Sad, Zza's has the looks, but totally lacks substance.
I had 7 dishes here, all made with lots of meh. Only their Bruschetta is worth mentioning, it was nice and chunky.
If I can have it my way, I'd replace that giant light up 'a' with a third 'z' -- the food here seriously makes you Zzz....and not in a 'I'm-now-in-a-near-death-food-coma' zzz either.
What a waste of good ambiance...
This place is a dump. How did it get such a high rating? The food is substandard Italian. I've had comparable dining experiences from the frozen food aisle at Safeway. The salads were nothing special, I had a calzone that felt like heavy chunks of stone dropping in my gut, my friends pizza was so so, and likewise for the ravioli.
Service was decent but oh my lord the place was crowded like a fish market. I don't mind lively bustling restaurants but it's a totally different experience when they lay out the tables so closely to each other that the old man behind us was virtually jabbing us in the back with his elbow during the whole meal.
The only thing I liked was the bright circus-like sign on the back wall.
Join us for breakfast and…
Alameda, CA
1/2 Off Wine Wednesdays
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Montclair Village
Category: Italian
Oakland, CA
Category: Sandwiches
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