Zizzi - Bankside

Really enjoyed our dinner for four on Monday night. The restaurant was packed but because i requested at the booking stage we got a window table with a view, which is what i recommend, it is literally amazing! Some people said the low ceilings made you feel claustrophic, but i would disagree. The waitress was very friendly and quick. The food was generally nice. The pasta was a bit too much and my potatoes (i had the grilled salmon and praws) a bit undercooked. BUT having said that the prawns and the salmon was delicious!!! The wine was quite expensive i think for the quality so i took two stars off for that in the value for money cat, but overall definitely worth a few visits. i will be returning!

You can usually rely on a Zizzi to offer fairly standard Italian-ish dishes, served quickly, without fuss and for a reasonable price. And that was pretty much the case at this one, located along with other High Street names on a fairly non-descript section of the Thames between the Globe theatre and Southwark Bridge. It is a of a shame that Zizzi Bankside really doesn't take advantage of its location; whilst the upper floor location offers uninterrupted views of the river, the room itself feels very dark, especially on a bright summer evening and the window tables are pretty cramped, with low ceilings. We were offered a window table, but even at my average height, the low ceiling felt somewhat claustrophobic so we opted for a table facing the window in the main part of the restaurant instead. The menu appears to have been scaled back from previous Zizzi visits, now offering more from the pizza oven than the pasta pot which . We opted for the prawn linguine (a request for no chilli in the sauce was accepted and adhered to with grace) and seafood risotto. Both were fine, although I do think the chilli in my risotto could have been better distributed; was like a mild form of Russian roulette as I never knew quite what I would get from each mouthful. Desserts again were not terribly inspiring so we opted for three scoops of sorbet each, with what then turned out to be a very decent cup of coffee. Overall it was ok, but can't say I'd rush back but then again, I can't say I'd run away should I be in the area again and in need of a plate of pasta and a decent coffee!!

The restaurant is kinda cool, a bit crampt but the window tables have a great view…Unfortunately we 4 did not have the best experience… It suffers what all these generic restaurants suffer from, lack of intimacy and attention to detail. The menu is ok but a little confusing, with daily specials, the regular menu then a tapas style thing to add to the confusion. My friends went for the tapas for starter, what a waste of time and money, for 3 it was listed at £14.00, the bill hit us with £15.00. All plates that arrived throughout the meal were stone cold…This tapas idea was a complete rip off, tiny bits of “stuff”, like 3 tiny arancini, a slice of aubergine with some mozzarella and another so forgettable we couldn't remember it..I had the Zizzi anti-pasti, which for £7.50 was ok, tasty but underwhelming, the bread sticks were not fresh, the parma ham delicious as were the marinaded veg. The pizzas are probably the best bet but the chili sausage one was sooooo hot none of us could deal with it, really overpowering, too much so. Gallons of water consumed..The crispy belly pork, as described on the menu was like a flabby boiled mess, this was sent back, another had the pigs cheeks, the tiniest portion of the day and not cheap, 3 tiny meat ball sized cheeks appeared in a sauce, that was it, I had spaghetti carbonara, a safe option, lots of pancetta but not a genuine sauce, too much cream and very cloying… The replacement for the returned pork belly was a pizza, they said it was on the house and no charge for the original, fair enough, and some complimentary bread was given. On getting the bill, the pork belly was charged for, an extra pound added to the tapas order, which we queeried, the main was removed, but after all this we really couldn't wait to leave. the staff were pleasant enough but the food and cold plates let the place down… cool interiors don't make for a cool restaurant…