Zazil Restaurant

11/25/08

Not impressed

by jimmy2

The overall atmosphere and decor in the restaurant is pleasant.

Unfortunately, we found the food to be inconsistently priced for what we were served. $12 for a Guacamole Appetizer is, simply put, obnoxious and while their full plate options were not as exorbitant, they really should not have been over $20.

We had the Pollo Con Huitlacoche, which was a little dry. At the end of the day, it was just just Chicken and Mash Potatoes...how could they get that wrong?!? On the servers recommendation, as one of their best plates, we also ordered the Arroz A La Tumbada which was a huge disappointment. The clams were not cleaned and very gritty which destroyed an otherwise potentially tasty meal. Honestly, we've had better shellfish at Joe's Crab Shack!

This restaurant is next to a Steakhouse and a Pan Asian restaurant in the Westfield Shopping Center. We made our decision to eat here only becase the other two restaurants had a waitlist and Zazil had open tables. We should have taken the hint...

• Pros: Nice Decor
• Cons: Overpriced, Average Food

12/28/07

Mildly disappointed but not surprised.

by diamondbackqueen

The reason I say I am not surprised is because in all the times I have come to central and northern California I have yet to come across a "mexican" resteraunt that is.. good. The kind of restaraunt where you walk in the front door you are greeted immediately and seated just as fast. Whatever you order you know is going to be delicious because these are the kinds of dishes were you can taste the cuminn, the onions, the cilantro, the chile actually has flavor. It doesn't taste like it comes from a can or from a jar. It tastes authentic without having to advertise itself as "authentic mexican cuisine".

I have been preparing and cooking mexican food for over 20 years. I run a catering service and our speciality is mexican food tamales, chile rellenos, birria and occassionally mole'.

I personally think it is unreasonabel to wait more than 5 minutes for a party of 4 when you have two available tables that seat 4. We waited becuase the tables not been bussed or prepped. Our waiting was nice but we had to constantly flag them down to get basic things like, sugar, more water,tortillas. I tried to order the sangria but was told they were out of sangria. Go figure. I ordered the coffee instead. The coffee was horrible. It tasted as though it had been sitting out.

So enough with the negativity. We ordered the mole` & the chile`relleno. They were delicious. In fact, they could have made up for the wait time, the so-so service and lousy coffee. The portions were good the presentation of food was alright. The rice with the Mole` had an odd taste like it had been burnt. IMO not worth 15 dollars.

I could have overlooked all that...the wait time the so-so service even the bad coffee but what I can not overlook is if you are going to garnish a mexican dish don't do it with Italian Parlsey. I mean come on guys its called Cilantro. I know here in Northern California you have access to cilantro.

Unfortunately the overall experience overshadowed the good food.

• Pros: ambience, mole`
• Cons: service, menu items availability

08/04/07

you gotta try this place- great food and amazing drinks

by ej12

When i first saw some of the iffy reviews posted for this restaurant, i was a little bit hesitant to try Zazil- but a huge craving for margaritias and mexican food while shopping prompted me to stop by... what a great place! I'm a big fan of tres agaves, mamacitas, etc., the food AND the drinks here were just as good but w/o the long wait. The warm tortillas (hand-made fresh in the back) alone are worth the visit- they literally melt in your mouth. the sangria was better than any place i've ever had- not too sweet, clean and fruity. we tried two of the margaritas from the extensive margarita menu- both were excellent, and so was the vanilla-mango mojitos and the taquilito (i know i spelled that wrong- it's the first mixed cocktail listed on the menu w/ pomagranate). as far as the food-- the spicy crab soup was my favorite- thick and flavorful. can't wait to go back to try some of the other things on the menu. next time you're at the bloomies mall- give this place a try- at least stop by for a drink!!

• Pros: convenient and no waiting, amazing food, drinks and service
• Cons: not a hip as some of the other higher end mexican places in the city