Zazou Restaurant
1810 S Catalina Ave
Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (310) 540-4884
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
163 reviews
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
"Went to this place with my boyfriend and his parents and it was one of the best meals I have ever had! The decor is fabulous with a koi…" read more »
17 Reviews for Zazou Restaurant
Yum. This is one of those places where you put on your sophisticated face and have a legitimate dinner, apertif, first plate, main course, dessert, cheese, and wine.
I've come here a few times with my honey and everything is always top notch, from the selection to the service.
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I'm with Jack K. on Zazou! Why aren't there more bistro-type places like this on in the South Bay? He's hit all the points, great location, romantic ambiance, tasty (but admittedly limited) selection of high-quality food... I love this place! It's expensive, no doubt, but if you enjoy outstandingly delicious food, you got to come ready to through down some bucks!
I'm very surprised by the several poor reviews of Zazou; I've eaten here 4 times over the past 5 or so years and have always found the food consistently well executed, just as it should be. If I still lived in the area, eating at Zazou would be a monthly treat.
Zazou is the cozy neighborhood bistro to find good food. Everything on the menu sounds good, looks good, or is good.
I started with the green salad with a lemony vinaigrette and sliced beet. Then had the sea scallops which were sweet and tender and served with ravioli in a champagne beure blanc sauce. The desserts looked delicious, but, to everyone's shock, I had to pass this time (OK, confession -- I had cupcakes waiting for me at home).
The place gets busy, so dine early if you can. Service is so-so.
A good date place... at least it was for me! :) We arrive for a late dinner and wandered through the extensive wine list and menu.
We had the melted brie, wild rice salad (big portion - beware), the risotto special, the.. uh.... the braised pork? Crap, I don't remember what it was called, but I called it AMAZING. Carrot gnocchi to garnish and a fabulous reduction of... something else awesome. It's off their seasonal menu so I can't look it up, either!
We didn't save room for dessert, but the tray looked scrumptious. We were there for 2 hours - the service was slow enough to allow us enjoy each course separately and we didn't even notice when they took away plates. Food coma, I guess.
On the higher end as far as prices, but that's ok when he pays. :-P
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I usually love this place, have never had a bad meal, until yesterday. I went with my mother, who also loves the place, and it's usually packed for lunch, but there were only 3 other tables with customers. Very strange. Our waiter was completely indifferent and ignored my mothers request to hold the sauce and topping on her filet mignon. It came with the butter on top, and stood there as she scraped it off. Duh. I had to ask for ice tea refills and we never really saw the waiter after he delivered the food.
I'm hoping it was just an off day - I'd hate to see this place take a dive.
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Oh my zazou...
The steak I ordered was like butta... It melted in my mouth. I can easily say that's how you make steak! The meat was tender and juicy... It felt so smooth and warm in my mouth.
Atmosphere is kind of generic out-on-a-date nice. It doesn't have much charm, but it's definitely poppin. Lots of guests at the bar and at the tables having meals...
They actually slightly messed up our order but graciously compensated by offering desserts of our choice.
If you're in South Bay, it's a pretty nice place. If you're out in LA... I'm not sure it's worth the trip out there. At the same time, I live out in LA, and I really would like to have their steak again.
Not sure if this review is helpful... but
their steak is good.
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Two words my friends--braised rabbit. The braised rabbit is by far my favorite dish on the menu. The meat is incredibly tender and is served with ricotta herb gnocchi and forest style cacciatore--making the ultimate tasting, elegant, comfort food. I know it's sad to say, but since first tasting Zazou's rabbit a year ago, I haven't been able to look at Bugs Bunny the same way; nor the Easter Bunny. Any bunny, really, causes a Pavlovian response and sends my head immediately to thoughts of Zazou. Another one of Zazou's highlights is their bread pudding. As a coinsurer of bead pudding I encourage you to save room for dessert.
The bar...stay in the bar.
They have one of the best fruit infused vodka martinis around. they infuse the fruit themselves.
The bar food seems better than the dining room food. The last time i was there they served the ahi poke stack with an Italian spin to it. A side order of the pommes frites was tasty.
And if you stay for dessert, try their bread pudding. It's so creamy. It's almost like creme brulee.
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The service is awful. They think they are so cool for normal people like me and my boyfriend. When we got there at 7:20, they told us the wait is "15 to 20 min or less." We waited for an hour, and got fed up and left. With the amount of money they charge for everything, they could have offered us a drink after 30 min. While we were waiting, the staff was bragging about all the celebrities that come and eat here. Whatever.
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Zazou gets four stars for sticking it out in Riviera Village. My wife and I are consistently mystified at why there aren't places like this all over the South Bay. It's not like people down here don't have the disposable income to support nice restaurants and the market abhors a vacuum, eh?
Zazou's menu is somewhat limited but that's OK because the quality of the dishes is always quite high. It's clear that they take great care in selecting and preparing their ingredients. The ambience is what you'd expect to find in nicer restaurants to the North. Bring your checkbook, though, because an evening at Zazou ain't cheap. How come I keep talking about money when I'm supposed to be talking about food? Oh well. Keep up the good fight, Zazou!
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I came here for lunch with a friend and I have been wanting to check this place out. I had the ahi tuna salad which was incredible and definitely a filling meal for me. My friend, with a heftier appetite had the filet mignon with cognac sauce and french fries...oh I am sorry pommes frites...but I believe you have a choice of sides. Apparently, he eats their all the time and loves all of their food.
My office had a holiday party upstairs in the banquet room which was very nice too.
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im giving this place 4 stars because the environment was so elegant, the server was so professional and articulate, and the food was great. saying that, it was VERY pricy and the portions were VERY small. we went on our anniversary and had one glass of wine each, an appietizer, entree, and dessert and the bill neared $200. those of you who are rich out there and have rich friends- a great dinner-party place.
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Alas! There ARE good eats in the South Bay of Los Angeles! Zazou is a French Fusion Restauarant with an undeniable flair of California's best fresh seasonal fare. Open the dinner menu and there are two panels- the left side is their standard menu and the right side is their market menu that is inspired by locally available ingredients. I chose the potato-crusted barramundi in a lemon caper sauce over a bed of arugula and a side of steamed artichokes. Barramundi is listed under the "Best Choices" category of the Seafood Watch, which means that this fish is locally abundant, well managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.
Artichokes are also a seasonal item in the summertime in California. The crisp texture of the spaghetti-like potatoes crusted on the fish was to-die-for with the flakey texture of the juicy fillet. The refreshing taste of the arugula below made the meal a health-nut's haven. The meal includes a fish protein, sufficient carbohydrates from the potatoes, and a generous portion of leafy greens from the arugula. The artichokes are served with a garlic aioli, so make sure to go light! There is so much flavor from the garlic, you won't need much anyway. They don't serve alcohol outdoors, but the whether is worth it, plus you save your waste line and your pocket book from the empty calories in the vino.
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Let me just say right now that my Mom is a very picky person. She is an amazing chef and she likes her Cosmopolitans a CERTAIN way. Not only that but she expects 5-star service whenever she comes to visit me.
This is where Zazou comes in. This place is never very crowded, has a wonderful atmosphere and great service. The dishes are always amazing and they have a constantly changing seasonal menu that never leaves us wanting for more. The portions are the right size and the wine selection by the glass was just what the doctor ordered. I have gone by time and time again and never had a bad visit. It is hidden between some mediocre bar food restaurants and I feel like it is a diamond in the rough in the village in Redondo Beach.
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Cozy bar (TV is off), soft lighting, tables not too noisy. An interesting soft jazz duo was starting up just as we were leaving. Service friendly, not that informative though. I had lamb shoulder. It was more like a lamb stew. Not what I expected, but tasty. My wife had a spicy clam and mussel dish. Clams were mushy, sauce spicy but no depth of flavor. Walt's Wharf in Seal Beach has a similar dish that is far superior. Mousse-filled chocolate cookie for dessert. Three glasses of wine, tax and tip: $100.
This place should pare down the menu, focus on what they do well (steaks and meat dishes) and improve the quality of the seafood.
The menu was ambitious and the quality of the ingredients seemed quite high, but I feel that Zazou lacked inspiration in its menu. I hate to judge this place by one visit alone. I ate here for lunch and had a blue corn crepe dish with chicken and vegetables inside. I came with two others and there was nothing on the table better than "good"; I will definitely give it another visit though. The atmosphere was nice and the service was friendly and knowledgable.
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i'm the first to review this place? amazing :)
i really did enjoy a very pleasant dinner here at zazou. i had never been, and on a whim, my friend and i decided to go in and see what was cookin. our waiter was pretty interesting. i think he was putting on his best fake french accent that he could muster and with all the arrogance of a frenchman, took our order. he was great. i had this pesto chicken pasta which was absolutely melt in your mouth fantastic. they had a large selection of wines and the ambience was super cozy and not as fancy shmancy as one may have guessed from just looking in. it was casual elegance, i suppose. generally overshadowed by hennessey's nearby, i feel like this place probably doesn't get the fair shake it deserves. go ahead and try it. you'll thank me later.
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