Zazou

Hard to judge a place since I was here for the company holiday party and we had a prix fixe menu but from my experience, I’ll give it a try.
All of the food was very bland. Really nothing special and hence the «Meh» 2-​star rating.
The ravioli was OK.
The salad was, well… just a salad.
The steak was a big hit and miss. Mine was fantastic, really melted in my mouth. I had the sauce put on the side so the presentation was very lacking but the taste was good. My coworkers complained that theirs was rough and hard to chew and most of them ended up not finishing it.
The staff was pretty friendly so nothing much to say about that. (this rating is all about the food)
On my own dime, I wouldn’t bother with this place.

Great service although it took awhile to bring our entrée. We went there with our friends & their kids. They sat us in the back of he Restuarant which was perfect. We had a lot of space & I was happy our kids wouldn’t be bothering anybody else in the Restuarant.
We ordered the beat salad, carrot soup, pasta with tomato sauce for the kids & Moroccan Salmon. They were all good but the winner was the Moroccan Salmon. It was so tasty. It had cumin seeds on it, loved the flavor. It came with mashed potatoes & it was really great. They also bring bread to the table before bringing the food, that saved our kids. They were all very hungry & couldn’t wait any longer.
Our waitress was very nice & the lady hostess was very nice too. Later I found out she was the owner’s daughter. She was very welcoming & sweet.
I will definitely go back to try more food here.

We went here for my birthday because it looked great … however food was mediocre, and prices too high. Interior was loud. The staff was nice though. I think I ordered a steak, and it turned out to be deep fried lump for $ 30 or whatever. I would not go back again. Nothing was terrible, but just way over priced for food not that good.

I had a birthday dinner at Zazou a few years ago that was very enjoyable, so when I found myself in the Riviera Village one recent weekend I was happy to stop in for brunch. What a contrast to the first experience. We were the third party in the restaurant (a 4^th showed up after) and while the service was courteous it was not very hospitable or attentive. There were two people working in the front of house for 4 small parties of 1 to 4, yet I felt neglected to the point of being unwelcome. There was a table of regulars that monopolized our server’s attention, when she was in the room. She disappeared for fairly significant stretches, though, leaving us in the hands of her colleague (who I think was probably a busser, but perhaps not).
We ordered the merguez with polenta and the frittata. The frittata was so oversalted it was inedible; my friend took two bites and couldn’t eat any more. Did anyone come around to find out how our food was during the meal? They did not. When the second server/​busser came to clear, he automatically asked if we enjoyed everything. I pointed out the barely eaten dish and said it was very salty; he just cleared the plate and dropped the check. Perhaps he didn’t understand that was a complaint that should have been addressed. We really didn’t feel like hanging around further so we just paid the bill and left, probably never to return.
As for the food itself, the merguez dish was tasty but also pretty salty, though not as bad as the frittata. These dishes came with no garnish, which felt emblematic of the service: you’re getting the literally bare minimum. We probably would have ordered some bread and a salad to share had the waitress explained how absolutely barren the dishes were served, but in retrospect I’m glad she didn’t. (Seriously, throw a little salad or some fruit on the plate and charge a few bucks more.) I ordered a cappuccino to start and was never asked if I wanted another until we were paying the bill. Whatever. Two stars is being generous here.

Service was okay, though pretty spotty. Our waitress messed up a few of our orders.
Food was meh. Nothing special.

Good food with crusty bread. Great ambiance.
We arrived with reservations but made to wait 20 mins for a table.
Service was ok.

Zazou is my favorite resutrant in the South Bay. I travel frequently and strive to find something that even compares. They have recently updated their menu and have added some great new flavors. They feature daring dishes as well as delicious standards, something for everyone. The servers in the main dining room provide excellent personable service with obvious passion for food. The bar atmosphere is welcoming and social. The bartenders are some of the best in the bussness and never disappoint. The management team has created a superb dining experience that is uniquely Zazou.

Zazou is a longtime favorite that just keeps getting better! I have been obsessed with the filet and beet napoleon for years, but every time I go back, there’s something new and exciting to try! The quality of the food is amazing. The service is 5-​star. Most recently, my family hosted a party for 50 in the upstairs dining room, and the whole night went off without a hitch. The staff was super accommodating as we were setting up, and even allowed us to add a few guests at the very last minute — so gracious and lovely! Then, the beer and wine selections were inspired and delicious, the food was perfectly cooked and the service was impeccable.
Though we were upstairs in the banquet room, I also noticed that the menu looks fresh and modern — can’t wait to come back and try some of the new additions!

Being relatively new to the area, a colleague recommended trying the happy hour menu. We stopped in last night after work, sat down at the bar and the bartender was so rude we got up and left, before even ordering. There was no hostess so the one person who saw us enter was the bartender. No smile, no hello, nothing. How disappointing! I gave her another chance by saying we had never been there before – she just looked at us, gave us the menu and said everything was half off during happy hour. My husband and I then got up and went down to the street to another restaurant where they were happy to see us.

Service was ok.
Food was good.
Maitre’d cost this review a star.
1. Upon making the reservation, he kept telling my husband everyone needed to be here at 10:00 multiple times.
2. We called to confirm our reservation and without saying anything kept putting me on hold.
3. We arrived on time. He walked us to our table and in front of our group, look a table away and had our party of 9 squeeze on to a table for 8. (No one was ever seated at the table he took away during entire time we were there.)
4. To top our experience off our Server lost the signed copy of our receipt then came and said she needed our copy. Oh well. I guess mistakes happen but she didn’t even check around the tables or on the floor around the bar. Guess what? As we were about to leave she found it. Hmmmmm?
Sorry Zazou. I usually only write reviews about restaurants I really really like. If you don’t mind dealing with the maitre’d then give Zazou a try.

This is one of the best places in the south bay to dine, unfortunately I do not think their bartenders are very creative, with all the specialty cocktails out there, when I ordered a smokey blue margarita, or whatever they called it they were out of the ingredients. ok, so i picked something else. so unimpressed. the bartender could have been at a dive bar slinging Jack and cokes for all she cared. really dissapointed.
But the food was always top notch and an amazing selection of wine…

We went on Mother’s Day, waited 30 min to get a table, even with reservation. Then waited another hour at the table. When I asked what was taking so long, the waitress rudely and patronizingly responded with ‘honey, it’s Mother’s Day, you’re not the only ones here, you’ll get your food”. Later, when it came time to getting the bill, she tacked on an $ 30 tip. When asked about this, she robotically drilled «automatic 18% tip on parties 6 or more». Apparently, not only did this waitress lack people skills but also never learned to count, as there were 5 of us. We of course ended up tipping what we thought was fair. No apology was ever made for the mistake on the bill or the long wait or the rudeness.

One of our favorite restaurants in the South Bay! Great food. Great Atmosphere. And great staff!
Deserves more than 3.5 stars. Don’t miss this restaurant.

Zazou is our go to place in the Riviera. The filet and braised short ribs are so yummy. The service is great, and you usually can get a table since it’s in the Riv and not MB.

Our waitress Yvette (sp?) made our Valentine’s date uneventful. We waited for over half an hour even with an 830 reservation, which we understood because it’s Vday. It took over 50 mins to get our main course. My husband politely asked our waitress to check because there were two tables who are already done eating, meanwhile they got seated after we already placed our order. Yvette, who didn’t even bother giving us bread that I had to ask another waiter, rudely answered, «there are two floors being served and it’s Valentine’s Day».
She also boasts that they are known for filet mignon and yet our medium rare was served well done. I called her to our table and she simply acknowledged, «I can see it is overcooked». My husband said he doesn’t want it sent back to the kitchen and I added «I’m not sure I could wait another 50mins». She walked away unapologetic, even shaking her head.
To our waitress — this is probably your busiest night and you should be prepared for that. Being extra nice would probably go a long way, otherwise, just find a new job.
Food is blah and service is bad, need I say more?

This is a spot that you must vist if you are in SoCal (South California). Please try the 8 hour short rib… my personal fav!!!

I always try to remind myself that expectations lead to disappointments, maybe I should try harder next time.
Zazou was a favorite by my co-​workers and boss. They still remember the dinner they had at a Christmas party three years ago. With stories of how delicious the food was and the next ambiance, I was sold. Plus, Zazou is fun to say.
Parking was a breeze and it was free after 6pm, which started the night off pretty well. It was a very chilly night and Zazou was easy to find.
Walking in, there was a host’s table but no host. Clarius (my +1) and I had never eaten there which left us very lost. I understood that my Boss reserved the entire upstairs but from the entrance, I could not tell how to get upstairs. We waited about a minute or so and was finally lead upstairs.
The room was spacious and cozy. There was about 30 guests and everyone was comfortable. There was a cheese & fruit plate and veggie plate for appetizers. They served red and white wine. The lighting wasn’t to bright nor dim. The servers were friendly and did a great job!
I had the Ahi Tuna Tar Tar served with potato chips and it was prepared differently from what I was accustomed to. It was with olives and capers. I like olives and capers, however I did not like it so much with the Ahi Tuna. I ended up just eating the pieces of tuna and left everything else on the plate. For my main dish I ordered the Sword Fish, which I had never had before. The fish itself was delicious! It is a very hardy fish. The texture can be compared to chicken. It did not flake as easily as other fish I’ve had. It was delicious! It was served on a bed of chopped basil and tomatoes, with eggplant. There was this mayonnaise sauce drizzled on the side and it was okay. The dessert was the best part of the entire meal! I had the Tiramisu which was very yummy! Clarius had the bread pudding, which was even better!
Overall, the food was okay and the service was great. I wouldn’t necessarily eat here again on my own, maybe for a party or birthday.

We were looking forward to having dinner at Zazou. It had been a local pick of ours for special occasions (because of its higher prices). Unfortunately it was a major disappointment.
The salad and appetizers were fine. We had to ask for bread. All three dinners were very off that night. The barramundi was overcooked and very dry, and the canellini beans were hard and underdone. Our guest had the special dish of chicken piccata, but that was also dry. My filet was very thin, and hence medium rare became a drier medium. If one dish was off, we may have sent it back, but with all three we muddled through dinner. I decided to speak to Victor the maître’d to see if there was a new cook, etc. His response was I should have spoken up sooner. He changed his tune shortly, profusely apologized, and gave us two complimentary desserts and took one item off our bill which was a nice gesture.
This would have ended our dinner on at least a civil note. Every restaurant can have an off night. However we were shocked and insulted upon returning home and reviewing the bill. For cocktails we had asked if they had blue cheese stuffed olives for our martinis. On our tab was a $ 3.00 charge for six blue cheese stuffed olives! Obviously this won’t break the bank, but I’ve never heard of such a thing, certainly not at restaurants like Mastro’s or Ruth’s Chris.
Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth. We noticed there were only a few other diners at Zazou that night. Hmmm.

I was joining friends for dinner and arrived 15 mins before our reservation. The place was ¾ empty and they were telling those with no rez the wait is 1.5 — 2 hours, wow. I decided to have a glass of wine in the bar while I waited.
HOT TIP: 50% off drinks during happy hour. 5 – 7 M-​F and all night Saturday & Sunday!
SERVICE: After reading other reviews about poor service, I was quite pleased our group of 5 experienced NONE of what others complained about. The service start to finish was exemplary and our server Nateja was a rock star! Very polite, friendly, helpful, always smiling and she stayed right on top of everything!
FOOD: After we placed our orders, they brought out complimentary warm crusty bread with a garbanzo bean /​tomato dipping sauce. The bread was excellent! The dipping sauce was tasty, but seemed a little plain IMHO.
I started with the Yellow & Red Beet appetizer (salad?) — capriole goat cheese & pickled onions ($ 13). Served cold/​cool, it had a slight «tang» from the goat cheese and was super tasty! YUM!
A friend orders the Melted Brie for the table — roasted garlic, sautéed green apples, toasted pecans ($ 15). I’m not a big fan of brie, but this was very, very tasty and I had to force myself to STOP eating it! LOL
Another friend ordered the French Onion Soup Gratinee ($ 13)
ENTREES: I decided to go with the Seared Braised Scallops — brown butter, cauliflower purée, caramelized brussels sprouts, thyme ($ 34). This normally comes with caramelized cauliflower, but I asked to substitute the caramelized brussels sprouts instead. The scallops were beautifully seared, tender and delicious, a real treat as I very rarely order them. The cauliflower purée was super creamy and the brussels sprouts, SO good!
My friends ordered:
Barramundi — Australian bass, watercress, cannellini beans, basil jus ($ 27)
8 hour Braised Short Ribs — creamy mashed potato & sautéed spinach ($ 29) I was able to taste this and it was rich in flavor and very tender, yum!
Jalapeño Pesto Spaghetti w/​shrimp ($ 24) I also tasted this and YUM! A wonderful combination of Jalapeño & pesto flavors, but only enough heat to gently warm your mouth, just delicious!
Center Cut Filet Mignon — pommes frites and a choice of gorgonzola or cognac peppercorn sauce ($ 34)
Four of our group of 5 ordered dessert (all $ 8 each). I was able to try each one and they were all very tasty!
Tiramisu. This version was more creamy and less lady-​fingery than others I’ve had, but still quite tasty.
Chocolate Monaco. Very interesting! A light, airy espresso meringue enrobed in chocolate, surrounded with crème anglaise and caramel. A very light texture but rich and delicious!
Vanilla Brioche Bread Pudding with caramel sauce. A very light and über delicious version of bread pudding, I wish I’d ordered this instead!
Caramelized Floating Island — toasted almonds & crème anglaise. A floating what?!? This is a new one on me as I’d NEVER heard of it! Caramel drizzled over a square block of meringue, «floating» in crème anglaise. Very interesting, different and tasty!
OVERALL: I’d have to say the service and food are damn near 5 stars, as everything was wonderful and very enjoyable. The only thing holding back #5 for me are the prices. Call me cheap, but they’re a bit high for what you actually get. Look at the photos and you be the judge.

Good food and great service in the best part of LA!
The weekend happy hour from 5pm-​close is our favorite. Kristen at the bar is awesome, makes a great drink and is very hospitable. The happy hour wine list is very impressive!
Restaurant is on the pricier side but the food is delicious if you’re looking for a nice meal!