Zima Russian Restaurant in Wandsworth

It was our second time here. We were very positively impressed during our first visit, so we were keen to come back. Unfortunately, the restaurant has changed a lot. The menu has changed. It is now more limited and the prices have gone up. This was a smart and expensive restaurant before but now it has become prohibitively expensive. The waiters also try and push to add items to the menu, which is not appreciated. The pirozhki are now made using French brioche bread, which I personally don't like and I wouldn't call this pirozhki at all. The worst of all was that almost as soon as we arrived we got a big dog right next to our table. It came as a shock to see an animal allowed in such an expensive restaurant that charges 13.5% on top of the bill for service. I would expect the service to be impeccable for that price and not to be made to sit next to any kind of furry animal. The staff played with the dog touching it with bare hands, it went on the sofa and it tried to climb on the table too. There is a big question mark over hygiene and sense of propriety here. It's of course their choice how they run their business and it is ours whether we come back or not. Unfortunately, after how this restaurant has changed its menu, pricing and taking the hygiene situation into consideration, I can no longer recommend this and I will not be back myself.

Opposite Bar Italia and next door but one to Ronnie Scott's on Frith Street, you’ll find Zima. It serves Russian food in a way that’s modern but not entirely disconnected from its heritage. We’ve eaten here a few times. The first occasion because of the novelty - I haven’t eaten much Russian food; but also because I really like caviar. There, said it, and Zima’s caviar is some of the most keenly priced in the capital. This visit was a Thursday night and Soho was heaving. Bar Italia blipping with folk inside and out and a line of excited guest for the early show at Ronnie’s. Fortunately, we’d booked. What can I say? Zima does what it says - great Russian, and Russian inspired, food. My caviar and blinis were excellent. You can’t go wrong if the ingredients are good, and they were. The Beef Pirozhki were excellent too. I was still on with the fish eggs, blinis and sour cream whilst my partner enjoyed her Lamb Pelmeni. It was the Medovik - layered honey cake - was especially good. During the course of the meal we enjoyed two or three of Zima’s flavoured Vodkas - the Gooseberry Nastoyka was a cracker. Attentive service from Victoria made the meal a winner. Highly recommended and just a little bit different.

Delicious food, really. Great location. Fantastic service. Laura was just as attentive despite me walking in at almost closing time.

Been here 3rd time over the week. And more likely it was my last visit. The story: Enquired about my reservation over the phone, discussed all and found out a solution. On arrival first I was gaslited and accused of being a liar, after checking that I called indeed and the phone number was correct instead of apologies I was told the stuff is not responsible for what was told over the phone as it was not them (the same accusing me). Every time that lady did not like our answer, she just turned round and went away, making it impossible to even ask for the manager. Luckily I manager to finally ask for the them - Youssouf (that was his name). Unfortunately never bothered to appear and the lady confirmed he is not coming as all was clear and his presence was not required. Did I like the food? Yes Did I like the place? Yes Was shisha good? Last 2 times it was overheated and burning (confirmed by stuff 5 minutes after it was brought to the table, was never changed) However, I won’t be coming back, I don’t find this approach acceptable of any standards. P.S.: we have been in the restaurant 3 times (average bill 220£ each time) over the week, guys were difficult, with constantly changing rules (1shisha per 3 people; 2 Shisha per 3 person; last time 1 Shisha per person) but approachable, and both food and vibe compensated. Everytime we visited, number of Shisha’s per person increased, without any reason explanation apart Youssouf told we only do it. We had plans to come again a least a few times a week, until yesterday happened. So now, we’ll go for something else instead

Went with a Russian speaking friend who is well acquainted with Russian food and they were quite disappointed. The pelmeni and salo were definitely nice but the rest of what we had was quite disappointing. The pirozkhi and draniki were both pretty substandard. Service and drinks (sea buckthorn lemonade and kvass) were decent but for £90, I'd expect better.

ZIMA’s menu looked interesting and we saw that they had good reviews so opted to go for lunch. We were given a lovely table by the window which was perfect, as it was a birthday lunch for my daughter. Our waitress, Eliza, was extremely helpful, friendly and efficient and nothing was too much trouble for her. We ordered flavoured vodka shots which were perfect and shortly afterwards our starters arrived. I had aubergine rolls which were beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. My daughter had herring pâté which was equally good. We had Chicken Kyiv for mains which again was fabulous and beautifully presented and I finished with a fresh mint tea. My Daughter had a chocolate dessert which she thoroughly enjoyed. This was a really beautiful lunch. The staff and service were spot on and the ambiance in the restaurant was warm and comfortable. I highly recommend ZIMA if you are looking for great food that is delicious and a little different. Pricewise also pretty good for central London.

Wir waren hier 2x Essen. Die Speisen und Getränke waren sehr gut, der Service freundlich. Wir waren sehr zufrieden und werden wieder kommen! Danke!

We celebrated our son’s 40th birthday at Zia, and it was a perfect choice for our small group. Our table in the upstairs dining area felt both intimate and full of character, we loved the colourful wall decorations. The food was excellent, but in particular a wonderful couple of hours was enhanced by the superb staff - friendly, personable and professional and very accommodating of our 10 month old Mikaela, it made a big difference. This is a wonderful place.

We arrived at this restaurant, and we were made to wait in the corridor by member of staff. After 10 minutes with questions, why we’re still waiting and haven’t been seated, only to be usher down into the basement seating with no explanation. We found the staff extremely rude and unprofessional in this restaurant and I would never visit it again. The food is ok, but there was nothing on the menu worth having again. We have been to better Russian restaurants in London.

At the restaurant big prices , small portions. And borshch was cold. Newer came back again . Time and money waisted . Disappointed

The food is simply delicious. I liked the Olivier salad and draniki especially but that's not to say that other dishes were not good. The environment is smart, clean and sharp. Drinks are on the expensive side but good. Service also great and friendly. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant and I hope to come back here.

Very authentic and lovely Russian food. Felt right at home. Never been to a place like it. Rivalled my mother’s food (don’t tell her). Absolutely astonishing, flavourful food that even my English boyfriend adored. Our waiter Anton provided a very homely service and was lovely. Brilliant experience. Will be coming again.

Посетили ресторан 12 Декабря 2023, столик находился на 2-м этаже. Заказали по набору настоек, блины с черной инрой, борщ, вареники с картошкой, вареники с вишней, медовик и кофе. Борщ, видимо повар не готовил никогда. Кислая вода - без аромата борща с одним квадратным кусочком мяса, почти помои, похлeбка для нищих думаю вкуснее. Тесто у вареников пуле-непробиваемое, жесткое, начинка безвкусная. Настойки - просто спирт с водой. Почти 200 фунтов, какое-то дорогое спец обслуживание добавили + чаевые.... Еда из 10 - твердая двойка - 2!! Приятная девушка-официант пригласила придти еще. Пока не замените повара, даже бесплатно к вам не приду, спасибо нет.

N'ayant jamais eu l'occasion de goûter la cuisine russe, ce restaurant fut une excellente découverte. La cuisine est délicieuse et les produits sont de qualité. Je recommande notamment le Medovik en dessert. Cadre et service également très agréable.

Not from around London, so we don’t have any Russian restaurants in Newcastle. I was torn between which restaurant to visit but this turned out to be a great choice. Lovely, calm atmosphere with a mixed variation of Russian music which was refreshing to hear alongside some very friendly staff. My friend and I started of with some caviar to share and I followed up with Borsch and he with the duck, both which were delicious and beautifully presented, the soup really brought back memories and had pieces that really brought it together. I can’t recommend it enough, and when back in London will visit again.

It was my first time eating Russian food. I went with my friend who has a Russian girlfriend so i was very excited. Turns out the food and service wonderful. My friend told me that all the decorations, plates, glasses etc were very Russian. Not only was the food well presented but also tasty and I felt good afterwards

I became interested in Russia and Russian about a year before the Ukraine war which was a shock and I just thought oh well I like Russian. So I finally went to a Russian restaurant, Zima, which is bit arty, and I had Verenika as a vegetarian, and it tasted vegetarian, all of it. It was also 'warming'. Perfect. Service was efficient and friendly. I liked the place a lot but I don't know why. Recommended.

Mon épouse et moi avons beaucoup apprécié votre restaurant. Un repas délicieux, des mets préparés avec soin. Zakouskis et Bortsch divins. Le gâteau en couche au miel, un délice. Belle ambiance et personnel tr aimable.

Was going to a theatre near here & on checking TripAdvisor, found this restaurant had good reviews. The restaurant doesn't look much from the street, but once inside it is nicely decorated and comfortable. I found it was a good choice as a solo customer, because although it does look out onto the street, the windows are slightly higher up. So I could easily look out without feeling like I was "on show" to the world. The food was freshly cooked and delicious. There was a 12.5% tip added to the bill, which I hadn't realised would happen, as it's written in small writing on the menu.

Great food and great service from Sofia! Ate the dumplings and apple pie, both delicious. Would go back and recommend!

I love Russian food because it revolves around dumplings, blinis, soups and stroganoff. It is similar to Eastern European Polish and Ukrainian food where they also have dumplings. Spotted Zima one night after having tiramisu nearby so decided to try this place as their menu is a bit more sophisticated with the same suspects but with a finer and modern touch being in Soho. To be honest, I was attracted by the black dumplings. When we entered the restaurant, the decor and everything was elegant and how you would expect it to be. At the far back of the room, there was a shelf and it was encouraging to see another place that does pickled strawberries and other pickles. It was really hard deciding what to eat because everything was nice but we had Fish pelmeni, ukha fish soup and chicken and beef cutlet with buckwheat. For dessert, the only thing I would have chosen would be the Cherry Vareniki which are cherry dumplings, the rest I have tried elsewhere. To start off, the fish solyanka soup was a light consomme yet impressive because of the strong fish flavours and dill, there were big chunks of salmon in it. Next, the star of the show was the black fish pelmeni which did not disappoint topped with my favourite salmon roe in a lobster and salmon roe sauce. These were gone in flash because they were so delicious and the remaining sauce just had to soaked up with bread. Moving on to the mains, the pork and beef cutlet was more like a steak hache. The accompanying buckwheat with oyster mushrooms took me by surprise, I was expecting the texture of the buckwheat to be coarse and prickly but it was soft like rice which I finished off happily. For drinks, I had the sea buckthorn tea which tasted like hot orange juice it was good that it was not sweetened. Overall, I was really impressed with the food especially the soup and dumplings.

The food was really tasty and I was happy to introduce Russian cuisine to my Chinese friend who has never tried it before. Thank you for amazing playlist! Really like these old legendary songs! The staff is very nice and smiley)

I was very pleased to find this hidden gem in the centre of Soho – Russian food restaurant Zima. I felt welcomed and treated warmly from the first steps into the place when was met by Liza. Very nice environment, courtesy and attention from the waiter Polina. As I am a good cook myself (according to my friends) I was curious about what a Russian food restaurant can offer. I had baked beetroot salad, which was very tasty well balanced with green sauce ricotta and pumpkin seeds. As a main dish I ordered lamb dumplings, and was very satisfied. I will definitely come back there with my friends to share excellent quality cuisine and to taste the nastoyka shots and would consider the restaurant for my future event celebrations.

Great food, music and lovely staff! Thank you Sofia for amazing service. We will definitely come around again.

We had a great dinner at Zima. The menu provides an array of traditional dishes to order and what we had was great - with a light touch on being contemporary yet not straying too far from the original. Service was attentive and pleasant. Prices are pretty reasonable too which was a relief. Our two niggles were that we were told we had our table for 90 mins - which seemed a little tight when we wanted to enjoy ourselves and were having three courses. But the bigger irritation was being asked to leave a tip (and prompted to do so on the credit card machine and by the waitress) when there is already a 12.5% service charge included in the bill. Seems pretty cheeky!

I used to really like the food from this place but it looks like they have cut down on quality. Salads have more mayonnaise than main ingredients and mayonnaise itself full of vinegar and mustard - can actually taste those over everything else. Also way...

We are very grateful to Zima for such a lovely evening! During our first visit on the 8th of March our expectations of the home atmosphere were fully met! We highly appreciate the excellent way of being treated by Ana C! She did her best...

I have been to Zima several times, and the quality of the food is always good. The staff are friendly and generally everything is great, but I was disappointed on the Metenis (Pancake Day) that the advertised caviar was a cheaper version than the advertised...

This restaurant is amazing! The atmosphere is great, staff is very lovely and welcoming, and of course the food is simply phenomenal (coming from a Russian person who’s familiar with the cuisine, it says a lot). Sofia was a lovely waitress. Can’t wait to come...

I have never eaten at a Russian restaurant before. The food was great. Sofia was a great server and answered all questions I had. I would go back here again the next time I am in London.

I went to Zima with my sister to celebrate our birthdays. We were served by a wonderful Ana C, who went above and beyond to make sure our evening was fantastic. We would come back to ázima many times and would highly recommend to everyone...

The place is very cozy, tidy & the staff is very friendly! Especially Sofia, she made us feel special as a guests on such important Birthday celebration & was looking after our table at all the times. Thank you very much for your hospitality! We...

Went to Zima today for a late Valentine’s dinner and everything was perfect ! The place was very well decorated and the food was excellent. We got starters, mains and desserts to share along with cocktails. Everything was excellent and very tasty. Also very much...

Recommend. Was with my son, he likes pancake with honey. Borsh is 4+. Salad oliver 5+. Staff is very professional. All the best.

Красивое уютное место, чтобы насладится любимыми домашними блюдами, вареники с картошкой были очень вкусные. Благодарность официанту Anna Sia за внимательное...

A very nice restaurant to enjoy Russian food when you really miss it, got the best service from Ana!

Great food and a lovely interior. Staff are very friendly (our waiter Sofia was super nice). Beef stroganoff and pelmeni are perfect

I ordered Ukha, pelmeni and apple pie. Everything was great, especially Ukha soup. Also, Anac was responsive and fast waitress.

14th February 2023 - important date to remember, one that’s filled with love, consideration for others and happiness. I booked a surprise Valentines Day dinner for my Russian born wife and I at Zima, we had been looking forward to going for many years given...

We loved the food, the easy going ambiance (Soviet avangardism) and the stuff (Liza K) - everything was great and we are definitely going back.

Delicious food, friendly staff. Ana C. was lovely, will definitely come back again. Caviar with pancakes is a must try

Amazing Russian food as always! Sofia was very sweet and attentive to us :) will definitely come back!

best borsch in london!top service!!! The waiter Sofia is very friendly and professional I advise you to visit this restaurant in the center of Soho

Great place from the receptionist to the server, the service was just great. The server, Sofia, was extremely kind, patient, offering great recommendations and tips about the food and desert. If Russian food is your thing, that's your place in London.

Food was amazing, the ambience was great and I’m looking forward to going back again soon, Really friendly staff who genuinely care that you have a great evening. Special thank you to Anton. Definitely we gonna come back.

Great atmosphere and fantastic food (especially fish pelmeni). Special thanks to Ana C for great service! We will definitely be back ;)

We had a very lovely time and were looked after by Ana C, the food and service were both incredible and it was lovely to try traditional Russian cuisine, we will definitely be back again in the future!

I have recently visited restaurant Zima in London. Our table was serviced by waitress Sofia who was very friendly and professional. Food was also very nice and fresh. The only disappointment was seeing a propaganda of Ukrainian flag on hostess, which I believe was not...

We have been coming to Zima for 6 years and it is always wonderful! On our visits over the years we have enjoyed live Georgian music, Russian discos (downstairs) and lots of wonderful lunches and dinners- I cannot recommend anywhere better for a perfect dining...

Каждое блюдо было очень вкусным , официант обходительным, атмосфера супер!Хороший ресторан с русской кухней)

Вкусно как дома🙂, оливье, пельмени и медовик. Правда чай в пакетиках как-то не по нашему. Чайник для заварки , с...

Great restaurant. Quality and friendly service by our host Sofia. Enjoyed the food, particularly Furry herring. Thank you!

Amazing restaurant, such a delicious food, nice location. Waiter Anton was very friendly. Highly recommended. The atmosphere is great

The restaurant was full when we arrived so service was at its peak. As a result our server Ana C started off very distracted and busy elsewhere. We could see she was having to cope with a lot so we waited patiently for our turn...

The food was delicious and we enjoyed their vodka platter. The server was Ana C and she was very helpful and kind. Thank you !

Really enjoyed my visit to Zima Restaurant. The service (Ana C.) and food was extremely good. I ordered Mimosa for my starter and Dumplings for my main. Thank you! It was delicious. Definitely come back again.

Went to Zima for the first time because my twin brother is a Russophile, it was great! The food was tasty and the service from Ana was top notch! Will definitely be going back.

WoW what a find…. Gorgeous little place … food was awesome … I had the beef Stroganoff with mashed potatoes n the cauliflower n roasted toms , my partner had the dumplings Pelmeni Sibirskiye … OMG… they were amazing …. Ana C was so lovely...

Really enjoyed the food and Ana was a great waitress. Nice traditional Russian restaurant. I recommend the salayanka soup!

Ana was a wonderful waitress. The food was great. Ana was a wonderful waitress. The food was great. Ana was a wonderful waitress. The food was great.

Great experience, I keep returning here whenever I crave my childhood food! My table was served by Polina, who was really welcoming and ensured that service was on the top level. Thank you, will definitely come back

Zima is a lovely Russian restaurant with great atmosphere and traditional food. I come here a lot and recommend it to my friends. If you’re in London looking for traditional Russian food, definitely make a stop at Zima. We were served by Ana C and...

Had a great experience, great food, great service by Ana C. Would definitely recommend pelmeni, pierogi and vinaigrette! Thank You 🫶

Невероятно тёплая атмосфера и очень душевная домашняя еда! Очень внимательное обслуживание. Официант Полина, спасибо вам большое!:) прихожу к вам в...

Had a lovely dinner at ZIMA tonight! Our waitress Polina was very accommodating and friendly, immaculate vibes all around.

The food was delicious and our waitress Polina was amazing and very friendly. Can recommend draniki, solyanka and pirozhki

Everything was extremely delicious, and our server (Polina) was incredibly friendly! The dishes were beautifully served and tested more Russian than in many restaurants in Russia, so I highly recommend ZIMA and will surely come back! It’s the best place to try Russian cuisine in...

Very tasty Eastern European cuisine. We recommend chicken broth, “seledka pod shuboi”, crepes, smashed potato. Polina - best service!

Hosted by Anton our 1st ever visit to Zima and it didn’t disappoint. The food was absolutely amazing and the host was polite and attentive, very helpful and most importantly he was excellent in his service Ps Honey cake is amazing 🤩 we will be...

Upon arrival we was quickly seated by a friendly hostess called Kristina who made us feel really welcome. We wasn’t really sure what to eat and she recommended the best dishes and drinks we ever had in our lives. And loved the service we received....

We received the most disturbing and disrespectful service of our lives. Apart from missing orders! The waitress was extremely pushy to the point that she was asking us why we are not ordering more and coming every 2-3 minutes to check if we are ordering...

We chose absolutely the best option for dinner - everything were perfect! Special thanks for bartender Dmitry - the best cocktails I've ever tried in London :)

Assaggiamo per la prima volta un ristorante russo a Londra e la scelta cade su Zima. Che dire...tutto ottimo, dalla...

Delicious food beautifully presented and at a fair price. Friendly service, nice decor. Unusual to find a place in Soho serving good food at this price level! I had all but given up…

Thanks for the perfect service to Sofia! Food was delicious, nice atmosphere:) black fish pelmeni and Tsvetayeva pie are amazing

Food, service and overall atmosphere was amazing! Special thanks to our server Ana C for being really friendly and helpful ❤️

First choice for Russian food in London (my family lived in St Petersburg). Credit to the waitress Sofia!

Food is always amazing, but the star of the show is the lovely Ana C who I’ve had as my server many times. She makes the experience even better each time with recommending dishes and being so happy and kind. I can also share a...

Great place to have some delicious Russian cuisine. I enjoyed my pelmeny - Russian meat dumplings. I don’t think I tried so tasty pelmeny even in Russia.

Ana C was very helpful and friendly. She helped to choose the best dishes and drinks as well as served as in a very good way. For sure will come back again because of Ana C

Thanks for the amazing dinner. Liza K was very good in recommending dishes we liked. We will come back again.

Food was incred!!! Polina, our lovely server, was so kind great service. Would likely come back and try more of there menu. Love the tablet :)

Went to Zima to feel like home again and end up in the basement trying all Flavours of nastoyka. Dmitrii was a pleasant addition to my evening helping me to choose Thanks and highly recommend this place

The food was amazing! And our waitress Polina was great :) really friendly and perfect service, the honey cake was delicious too.

Thank you to Polina for making our visit so pleasant. She was very polite, welcoming and even gifted us a Zima guide. Otherwise, great food and service as always. Thank you:)

I love the place and both food and service have been amazing. Our waiter Polina was incredibly nice! Can’t recommend enough!

The food was delicious! We had the shuba, sebirskey pilmeni and mashed potato vareniki. It was almost as good as my grandmas 😉 The service was amazing (thank you Polina) 😊). The food arrived very fast and the vibe at the restaurant is really great!...

Today I visited zima and thanks to Polina I had the best time this evening! Service is 10/10 Food is 10/10

Прекрасный русский ресторан в центре Лондона. Еда безумно вкусная, сервис потрясающий. Спасибо Полине за рекомендации

Had a lovely Russian dinner, served by the equally pleasant Ana C. It was my second time at this restaurant and I will come again! ♥️

absolutely an amazing experience. Food, vibe, service were better than we would wish for. we were a party of 6. wanted to introduce them to russian cuisine and Zima is definitely a place u can do that. Top style dishes with perfect ingredients to be...

Had an incredible dinner here whilst in London for work. Polina was a fantastic server, the portions were perfectly sized and everything was absolutely delicious. Reasonably priced and great value for money. Definitely satisfied my craving for Russian food, and will be certain to return!

We had a fantastic time at Zima with delicious food and fantastic service. Ana C's service was exceptional and we would definitely come back with more friends!

Excellent food, lovely restaurant and fabulous service! Thank you to Sophia for taking care of my friend and I! Super service!

As always, amazing food and incredible atmosphere. Make sure you try Shuba, seriously best one I have ever tried. And make sure you have Medovik for the desert, just great. Every member of the staff is very friendly and caring, but especially our waitress Ana...

Have had an amazing dinner as always, big shoutout to Zima and thanks to Polina for great and hospitable serving!

Awesome Russian food and very friendly service. Ana S. took very good care of us. Traditional dishes with a modern twist. Would love to come back 🥰🥰👏👏👏

This was my first time at a Russian restaurant and Ana C really made us feel welcome ! Ana gave us some really good good recommendations and alcohol too ! We all really left satisfied and very happy ! Thank you very much Ana C...

Always great to enjoy real Russian food @Zima Really enjoyed the Olivier salad and of course the Vodka shots. Ana C was a great waitress taking care of us.

I've been going to Zima to celebrate my birthday mostly. Done this 3 times now. The quality of the food never disappoints, although portions are a bit gourmet. Our waiter the last two times was Sofia who was very attentive and polite. Definitely would recommend...