Zizi Restaurant & Lounge, located in the Bellasera Hotel near 5th Avenue, is not your usual hotel restaurant. With Executive Chef Dylan Evans in the kitchen, regulars enjoy the Wednesday prime rib special or lobster night on Fridays. But no matter when you go, you can expect friendly service, great food and well mixed drinks.
If you’ve never been to Zizi’s, we’re going to give you an inside look soon. But today, we’re going to focus on what’s going on in the kitchen.
Zizi serves breakfast lunch and dinner (food is served from 7am until 9pm), and currently features dishes with a Mediterranean-American flair. At lunch, you’ll find lighter meals like sandwiches, salads and soups. The dinner menu features seafood, pasta and other Italian and American favorites. We learned that a new menu will be introduced soon, which will be “Italian with a twist.” After what we sampled recently, we’re looking forward to giving it a taste.
One of the dishes on the current menu is Pork Osso Bucco. They say you eat with your eyes first and we certainly did that day.
There’s something very comfortable and homey about Osso Bucco. And Chef Dylan’s version feels and tastes like home. The pork was moist and tender and the tender vegetables with mashed potatoes were the perfect complement. It even got a thumbs up from my 5 year old who can be quite picky.
Another delicious menu item we got to try was Bruschetta. Wonderfully infused with garlic, the tomatoes with melted mozzarella on top and a drizzle of Balsamic really exploded with flavor. A great way to start off a meal or a perfect snack during Zizi’s daily happy hour from 4-6pm (when it also happens to be just $5).
Zizi offers both indoor and outdoor dining options…and they actually have one seating area that few other places boast: poolside dining. They’ll even set up a wonderfully romantic, candlelit dinner for you and you can be wined and dined by the staff. Who doesn’t love that?
Or if you like to sit on top of the world, check out the patio upstairs at the Bellasera. Its a killer location because its 100% shade by 3:30pm year round and overlooks the pool, fountains & courtyards. Imagine 20 or so of your closest pals, enjoying your own private feast. Or maybe Foodie Naples will one day host a fabulous dinner party up here. Would you like to join us?
Sometimes hotel bars and restaurants don’t get the credit they deserve and Bellasera should not be overlooked. Whether you are staying at the hotel, know someone who is or just live here in Naples, go check it out. It’s a nice location with very attentive, personable staff, offering a uniquely intimate experience.
Zizi Restaurant and Lounge
221 Ninth Street South
Naples, FL 34102
(239) 262-4835
Reservations recommended
Note: This article written by Tiffany, author and editor of No Ordinary Homestead, first appeared on FoodieNaples.com in 2014 and has been republished with permission.
