Give 'Em the Old Razzle Zazzle

If you’re a Petaluma local, I don’t need to convince you that Cafe Zazzle should be a Michelin 5-Star restaurant. Maybe I do, but I think that most Petalumans would agree. I’m going to say it: I think it’s the best restaurant in downtown Petaluma. I know the Della Fattoria junkies out there will fight me to the death on this—don’t @ me—but eat my dirt. Zazzle is too good.

I’ve never met an item on the menu I didn’t like. Actually, that’s a lie. Quick unnecessary side note no one asked for: I had a run-in with romaine lettuce last year when there was an E.coli outbreak in California (sorry!), so I am indefinitely steering clear of anything that even remotely reminds me of that incident, making the Lettuce Wrap the only thing I won’t order at Zazzle, despite how much I like it. My point is… I pretty much like everything that I’ve tried ie. almost all of the wraps, tacos, soups, a handful of appetizers (definitely try the artichoke!) and most bowls, so no matter what you order I don’t think there’s a wrong choice.

Kara, who I’ve been close friends with since elementary school is a Zazzle fanatic herself, and we go every time she’s in Petaluma. She says the tacos are a “fully-loaded platter of goodness”, preferring tri-tip style over the more popular fish. Zazzle is one of the only restaurants that I go to regularly that puts a layer of cheese in-between the two tortillas—ya, it’s as good as it sounds. I’m lactose intolerant, but I’m blessed with Lactaid pills so I can enjoy the cheesy goodness like everyone else. Thank you, modern medicine!

I can always count on Kara for taking pictures of her food--Instagram eats first!

I once had goo-goo eyes for the Zazzle fish tacos but decided to branch out and try something new after I went there for dinner with a friend of mine a few months ago. The first time I tried the Slippery Noodles, my current go-to, was on a Friday night, and my friend, Tallulah, and I were super confused why there were only two other people in there, especially since it was only 7:45.

Our concern quickly passed after we got sucked into our own conversation which was, as always, hilarious and super interesting [to us], so we took our sweet, sweet time. About thirty minutes later after we had barely made a dent in our food because we had been so busy blabbing away, both of the waiters sat down at the table next to us and started eating. Kinda weird. I asked them if they closed early or something, and one said, “Yeah, we close at 8 now”—big oops!

MIND YOU it was almost 8:30 by this point, so we obviously felt awful, but they reassured us that it’d take them some time to close up anyways. We talked with them for a few minutes and then grabbed a to-go box for our delicious, but uneaten dinners.

Very few other restaurants would be as easygoing about us being there so late, and even though we felt absolutely awful about our stupidity and obliviousness, they were in no way passive aggressive about it.

Only at Zazzle would we not be mortified.

EVERY experience there is excellent. The staff takes your order, they’re back in a flash with mouth-watering dishes, and they don’t harass you every 5 minutes to ask how everything is (unlike too many other places). I’m eating it, it’s good just like it was the last time you asked—thank you, next. I enjoy being looked after and appreciate it every time, but not to the extreme.

Zazzle is trendy (there’s an exposed brick wall, hello!), quick, is in the center of downtown, and it offers a unique menu that goes beyond the average burger and fries. A staple side dish is their Zazzle Slaw and for someone who does not like coleslaw—wow! It’s best eaten fresh, however, so if you’re planning on ordering it for pick up, maybe take a quick pitstop in your car and scarf it down before the crunch vanishes.

Someday I’ll expand my horizons and work my way through more of the menu, but for now, I’ll just stick to the Slippery Noodles and embarrassing myself in front of the staff.