Zaza is a new and trending lounge in Victoria Island, Lagos. They began operations in September 2021 and quickly became the talk of the town because of their unique customer experience. Zaza seats at the same spot that was once Casper and Gambini’s, but it looks nothing like it. From the outside, you’ll never guess what’s happening inside.
I’ve been to Zaza twice. The first time was in October for a birthday dinner and the second time was for dinner with my family, last month. For this review, I’ve written about my most recent experience at the lounge with my brother, Luki, my sister, Lateefah and my brother’s friend, Seun.
AMBIENCE
From the moment the doorman opens the door, you’re transported into a new world. You’re welcome by beautifully dressed hostesses, and when your reservation is confirmed, a hostess walks you up the stairs to your table. There are three sitting areas: the bar, the main sitting area, and the inner extension with booth seats. They managed to fit a lot of tables and chairs into the space, and I believe it can easily sit up to a hundred people. The decor is pretty with a playful, artsy, colourful and greenery setting. The lounge also has a unique lighting system, and the colours of the lights change frequently, which adds a whole vibe to the entire pizzaz.
MENU
Zaza’s menu is simply collated. It’s a long menu with text on the front and back. The meal options are from different parts of the world, so there’s something for everyone. However, some prices are way over the top, like a cocktail that costs N35,000.
OUR ORDER
For drinks, we ordered water and two cocktails from the menu; Wiki Tiki and Honolulu Honey. We chose The Calamari Salad, The Scallops and The Fresh Crab and Shrimps Croquettes for starters. For mains, Luki and I chose The Tomahawk to share, while Seun and Lateefah both chose The Prawn of Lagos.
The cocktails were a hit and I ordered mine twice. We didn’t fancy the starters much besides the scallops. The scallops were served on a bed of mash in a creamy sauce, and they were perfect. The salad was just okay. We all agreed we’ve had way better calamari before, and we could barely taste the crab in the croquettes.
The Tomahawk was basically dry cut lamb chops. For something we ordered as medium-well, it wasn’t juicy at all. It was served with bland fries and scotch eggs. Why serve eggs with cut grilled meat??? Thank goodness it came with sauce and some salt on the side; those condiments helped us push it down. The Prawns of Lagos was two big prawns, fried rice and veggies. It tasted okay, but it’s not the best prawns and rice combo we’ve had.
SERVICE DELIVERY & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Zaza pays close attention to making their customers feel comfortable and taken care of, and this shows through the warm welcome, the multitude of waiters and the live performances. Zaza doesn’t just focus on food and drinks; they also focus on entertaining their guests. It’s safe to refer to the spot as an entertainment center because it’s clear their main attraction is to entertain their guests. We were entertained by singers, dancers and even a magician while eating and drinking. The wait times for our orders weren’t long, and our waitress was hands-on in making recommendations. Also, when we decided to leave, the manager managed to convince us to stay for another show, and he sent shots to our table on the house. The show was worth it.
DAMAGE
Water Jug x2 ~ N3,000
Wiki Tiki x2 ~ N14,000
Honolulu Honey ~ N7,000
Croquettes ~ N7,000
Calamari Salad ~ N5,500
Scallops ~ N8,000
Tomahawk ~ N30,000
Prawns of Lagos x2 ~ N20,000
A tax charge of 12.5% is added to bills, so our total damage was N94,500.
It’s hard to rate Zaza because if you focus on the food, the rating will be poor, but the rating will be high if you focus on the service and overall experience. I know I’m going back, and you should stop by too.
Have you been to Zaza? Share your thoughts below.
P.S. this is not a sponsored post. All opinions expressed were not influenced.
Mariam Shittu
header credit – @zazalagos
I want to book a trip to Lagos now!
The place looks really nice 🎉