ZELIGS REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
Fantastic……A huge thank you to Zeligs for helping me organise my evening.
What can I say? The whole team thoroughly enjoyed their evening, the venue, the food and the all over general atmosphere of the restaurant.
The food was excellent, the staff were efficient and nothing was too much trouble. Please do thank your chef, your team of waiters and everybody else who was involved with the dinner.
Once again; a big thank you to all those involved from the Grosvenor Team.
- Helen Pinkerton (Grosvenor - Britain & Ireland) 1.10.9
"We visited Zelig's at lunchtime for the 1st time, and my wife and I had an excellent meal. My wife - not easily pleased- said the lasagne della casa was the best she had ever tasted! and I had an excellent pasta dish. The food was absolutely 1st class. Our waiter was very attentive and the Manager - who was very professional and charming - made a point of checking that everything was OK. He invited us to look around to make sure that we were aware of what was on offer in terms of cabaret meals etc. at different times. Thoroughly recommended!"
- Miguel Solera (Sugarvine.com) 14.9.9
Zeligs is one of the latest offerings from the team behind Liverpool-based Korova Corps.
Walking in you are transported to New York City c. 1930. Classic Italian scenes adorn the walls; fresh meat and cheese sit behind the bar overlooked by wild boars heads all culminate to give a chic Italian Rocco theme. The more you look the more you see how truly unique and the creative the decor actually is, bare concrete floors, heating ducts and bare brick walls are juxtaposed with ornate luxurious chandeliers. Totally unpretentious but effortlessly elegant. We were greeted and seated in the bar area where we had a drink until our table was ready. The romantically lit, spacious room was warming and welcoming. After being seated we ordered a bottle off the house wine, Santa Serena, (Sauvingion Blanc – Chile - £14.95) which was crisp, fruity and a perfect summer eve’s tipple.
To start I chose the ‘Gamberoni Piccanti’ (£6.95), sautéed king prawns served on toasted ciabatta with chilli butter and lemon, which was stunning; meaty prawns were huge and so tasty in the warming chilli butter – a real stand out starter. My other half went for Arancinial Formaggio Di Capra (v) (£4.95), crisp arancini rice balls with goat’s cheese, spiced with chilli, rosemary and sweet pepper compote.
After a short pause, long enough for another glass of wine, the mains were brought to the table, I had ordered a stand out dish on the menu, the Filetto Rossini (£22.95), Fillet of beef, sweet potato fondant, seared foie gras with wild mushroom fricassee. The beautiful cut off beef adorned with the tender foie gras a formidable pairing, there really were chalk and cheese textures but together they were a match made in heaven.
My adventurous date went for the Fegato di vitello (£13.95), pan-fried calves liver, caramelised figs, truffle mash and crisp pancetta. The contrast of the sweet figs against the sharp saltiness of the pancetta and the velvety texture of the liver made the dish a striking and deliciously memorable meal.
Even though it felt like we couldn’t squeeze in any more, one look at the dessert menu and we were hooked.
My date went for the generous helping of Farmhouse Italian Cheese (£6.95) with chutney and crisp breads. Having a sweet tooth, I ordered the Zeligs Mess (£5.50), a sweet chaotic medley of meringue, cream and strawberries, a feast to the eyes and the perfect way to end a meal.
Whether you want a drink after work or on a night out, a romantic meal for two or a large party Zeligs can cater for everything you could ever want.
I thoroughly loved my time at Zeligs, and with live music most Fridays and Saturdays I will be making another visit soon.
- John Pattenden (Liverpool Lifestyle Magazine) 22.7.9
Tucked away in Liverpool One across from the Albert Dock, Zeligs offers Italian in its purest form.
The restaurant takes the name of its famous host and properietier Mr. Leonard Zelig and its style of cooking comes straight from New York’s Little Italy.
Adorning the walls of this lofty conversion are famous Italian heroes... so when the Clickliverpool team were invited to spend a Friday night with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Al Pacino, we jumped at the chance.
The hospitality was second to none, and we were welcomed into the fold like a member of the family by general manager, Marcus and gorgeous waitress Cora.
The atmosphere was warm and lively and it was clear this was the perfect place to unwind after a tough week in work meeting deadlines!
And the ambience was heightend even more by the presence of a live band without them being too loud or over bearing.
Zeligs prides itself on classic simplicity both in décor and menu selections, this establishment provides diners with exotically named, sumptuous pastas and meats flavoured to perfection.
The dishes are rustic, traditional and have been influenced by hundreds of Italians over generations. Some favourites include Spaghetti Marinara, Clams Casino, Tournedos Rossini, Beef Carpaccio and also the perfect Pizza Pie, made using a secret family recipe - to name but a few.You can also top off your meal with an authentic Italian wine from the extensive list.
The lovely bi-level setting, perfect backdrop view of Chavasse Park and the efforts head chef Lee Evans and his incredible staff, means you've got all the right ingredients for a perfect evening out.
I would recommend Zeligs to anyone and everyone! (9/10)
- Jamie Somers (Click Liverpool) 9.6.9
Underground, New York car park with chandeliers. I might be wrong, but Zelig’s is possibly the most spacious and one of the most “out there” restaurants I have been to in the City so far.
My first impression was that the owners had run out of money and just decided to open anyway. Then It dawned how clever and creative they had been. The split level venue is a mass of polished concrete, heating ducts and light fittings you wouldn’t get Del boy Trotter to clean!
I remember at the launch, the mixed comments from some of the invited guests. “it’ll never work”, “Liverpool has never seen the like” and “this is simply awesome”. Despite any negative views, I am of the school that believes, in the hands of the Guttmann clan, Zelig’s will become one of the higher profile restaurant and bar in the city.
I dined with a friend last Saturday evening. It was his first time, so his first impression was valuable. He got it straight away and started bandying around words such as ad-hoc, contemporary, decedent and raw. All of which struck a chord.
We were shown to our table just in front of the stage. Now I’m not talking a little podium here…I’m talking STAGE, which suggests the potential for some serious entertainment and we were not disappointed either, with a great set from Toni James and her band, who I believe is now resident.
The food didn’t disappoint either and the Italian menu definitely caters for every taste and makes for a fascinating read. I’m not going to get all creative with my description of the food, there are only so many ways one can gush about taste and quality, but if I were to gush about Zelig’s taste and quality, I would.
For me personally, I have discovered a new place to go on a night out, and if I don’t fancy eating then I can just simply have a drink. Zelig’s is a great destination if a large group want to dine in style without breaking the bank, or as a romantic occasion for two. I loved it.
- Roger Jonas (Download Liverpool) 30.5.9
A crib-sheet circulates among the waiters of the world, apparently, that teaches the international technique for getting a stonking big tip. You know the sort of thing: smile, repeat the order, squat down to the customer’s eye level, leave a few sweets on the saucer when you put down the bill.
At the newly opened Zelig’s, in Liverpool, I think we ran through the entire check list- aside, that is, from the suggestion to “forecast good weather”. With icy rain and a wind blowing off the River Mersey that would have made an Eskimo wince in his thermal undies, even the world’s smoothest waiter would have found that a challenge. So they just said: “why not have a nice warming glass of red?”- which we did, several times over.
The waiting staff at Zelig’s are very attentive, but not in the creepy way that makes you feel as if a slug is slithering around your table. They really do seem to want you to be happy. There was a lot of smiling, crouching down to our level (this can sometimes be plain weird- but not on this occasion), repeating the order back to us and making an effort with our child, which wins me over every time. We had just been to see Bolt and she was still a bit emotional (well, so was I- the dog does go through the wringer a bit) and knocked over my drink. But the staff mopped it up with a smile that was genuine.
Every parent knows that posh bars and restaurants (I should have mentioned- Zelig’s is very chi- chi, a vast place beautifully decked out with bare brick juxtaposed with fancy chandeliers) don’t always go with children, especially in city centres in the early evening. Many just show you the door.
This is why places such as Zelig’s are godsends if you have just had a hellish day of shopping and want to sneak in a few anaesthetizing drinks before you go home but still want them in a bit of style. And the food here is lovely- unpretentious but classy, and based on the cuisine of Little Italy in New York. It even managed to make gnocchi taste interesting.
Happily there was another recommended tip trick that the waiter didn’t pull: drawing a smiley face on the bill. What is that about, eh? One day I swear I’ll pull out a pen and write underneath: “Are you offering me an E?”
- Supplement (The Times) 10.4.2009
If celebrity sells then Zeligs, the biggest nightspot to spring up at Liverpool One, is destined to become a true collectors item. Leonard Zelig, the fictional proprietor, may have first made his name mixing it with various social classes of 1920s New York courtesy of Woody Allen, but his big break into the gastro world starts here in the former European Capital of Culture.
And once again they’ve ridden their latest theme to the max by adorning the walls – and there are plenty of them – with hundreds of pictures of the American mock-umentary character with celebrities from every generation.
The Beatles, Elton John, Winston Churchill, Barack Obama and even Russell Brand are all depicted in frames alongside Zelig and his monocle and moustache.
The rest of the interior, which is vast, is a puzzling mix of luxury furniture, wild boars’ heads, state of the art fixtures and overblown antiques.
The grey concrete and silver tubing of the air conditioning is brazen in its appearance but, against a bar and restaurant littered with candlelight and warm aromas, somehow it all comes together just perfectly.
The wet bar is generous to say the least and would easily cater for a couple of hundred revellers, while there is even space at one end for the construction of a bandstand or theatre stage.
After climbing the steps to the wall of glass entrance, Zeligs copious frontage offers plenty of scope for summer alfresco entertaining.
Inside is a mix of giant leather armchairs, high stools and tables and chunky wooden chairs around long sturdy benches.
Despite its size, Zeligs is warm and welcoming and a real retreat from the winter weather blowing in off the river it overlooks. Up at the bar there is plenty to warm your cockles, also.
- Nick Peet (Liverpool Echo) 12.2.9
"...we've had a rash of hi-spec interiors, washable suede, and globe-trotting menus. We've had the smell of money emanating from over-ambitious and under-performing kitchens (or, worse, style-bars thinking they can cook) for the past couple of years. And we've definitely had enough molecular spheres of Blumenthal balls. Zelig brings fun and flavour back to food. High-quality mid-priced cooking has been in short supply for too long - and right now, if we're to brave the cold, and the crunch, we want a Big Night Out. Zelig gives it to us with room to spare. If it can sort out its teething troubles (consistency is everything, gents - we've had two out of three great experiences, and one which left us jittery) Zelig's could represent the shape of things to come."
- David Lloyd (liverpool.com) 20.1.2009
Zeligs. 8 Thomas Steers Way. Liverpool ONE. L1 8LW. 0151 709 7097
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Live Bands
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Testimonials & Reviews
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Leonard Zelig Achieves Taste QualityAssured Award!!!
Zeligs is proud to announce the receipt of Liverpools prestigious 'Taste Quality Assured' accreditation for scoring top marks in the Taste assessment.
