Zizzi Restaurant - Broadway, Bradford

The pizzeria and Italian chains seem to be very well represented in most UK cities but Bradford has been under served by the national chains so it was a golden opportunity for Zizzi to open up in the city. Situated outside the new Broadway shopping centre the restaurant is modern in design and has a uniqueness about it. The additional seating outside will be most welcome to eat al fresco during the summer.

The restaurant only opened at the start of the year but already it seems firmly established in Bradford. The night my partner and I visited the restaurant was continually busy with a small queue at the door and every table occupied. Either diners knew the chain already or were curious to try out this new and exciting restaurant.

Each restaurant has a huge wall painting that is relevant to the city the restaurant is located in: local artist Ricardo was commissioned to provide the wall painting for Bradford taking the National Media Museum as his inspiration.

The restaurant was warm and inviting, with it being full it added to the atmosphere. Open plan kitchens are a feature here much like Pizza Express and you can see your meal bring prepared to order.

There is ample space between tables which means you do not feel you are sitting on top of your fellow diners, like in some other restaurants I could mention!

It is not often you go to use the toilets in a restaurant these days to find Limone hand lotion but then, this is no ordinary restaurant as it feels more like a stand alone restaurant rather than part of a chain. No wonder they call it Individually Italian.

To say it has only been open a few weeks, the staff all seem to work very well and gel together. Our waitress was the friendly Elena who was very knowledgable about the items on the extensive menu. She is an asset to the restaurant as are all the staff I talked to on our visit. It was a welcome touch to have our water and wine glasses replenished every time we emptied them, a gesture you usually only get in the restaurant of a 4 star hotel these days.

The menu is extensive with meat and fish dishes being offered alongside salads, pasta, risotto alongside classic and rustics pizzas.

A comprehensive wine list is present that even the most fussy wine drinker would be well catered for. There are specials on the food menu such as Smoky Calabrese Rustica Pizza which extends to deserts such as Sticky Salted Caramel Pudding.

The Little Soul Bread I chose for starters were some of the best soft doughy puffs I have tasted; my partner chose the excellent Salmone Broccoli as a main, the pan fried salmon served with fire roast peppers, new potatoes and broccoli were described as excellent whilst my main of the Fiery Nduja classic pizza served on a rustica base was enough for two people. In my opinion it tasted as good as the pizzas I have eaten in Italy (which is usually at least 10 every year). The extra topping of chicken suggested by Elena complemented the pepperoni and spicy Nduja sausage.

The dessert menu consists of mainstays such as Tiramisu and Vanilla Pannacotta, the latter which my partner described as light and tasty. My Gelato Chocolate and Toffee Nut Sundae was the perfect end to a perfect meal.

Our fellow diners were a mix of all ages mainly in the 25 to 55 age group.

A welcome addition to the Bradford restaurant scene: reasonably priced tasty food served in a modern, warm setting with staff who were all well trained, pleasant, knowledgable and happy to serve you. As they say in Italy - Perfecto!

https://www.zizzi.co.uk/italian/restaurants/bradford/broadway
Telephone: 01274 731777