This is my second review for this place...my first one was a steller 5 stars - but I am a bit disappointed today and thought my fellow neighbors should know why. This morning I ordered one medium pizza online to be picked up at 4pm. Fast forward to 1:15pm, and I was out running errands and thought - I wonder if I can pick up my pizza earlier? I've been there numerous times where I just stopped in, placed an order and waited for it - which takes about 20 minutes tops....So - I asked, can I come in and pick up my order (one pizza!) a little earlier about 2:45pm or 3pm? Guess what he said? Nope! Not possible...hmm. So I asked why can I just walk in off the street and order and get it in about 20 minutes? I am asking you to have it ready in 1.5 - 1.75 hours from now - seems reasonable, right? He said they couldn't do it, too many orders ahead of mine. REALLY? I can tell you I've never been there where I've waited as a walk in for very long, and I am always getting pizza on a weekend night - probably their busiest days. It is really sad that on Mercer Island businesses never last and we have to consistently travel to Bellevue or Seattle to do any kind of shopping or eating. Get it right people - if you do you'll thrive here, the attitude is not appreciated in a small community where word of mouth is everything. I just hope the owner sees this, because if it were my shop I wouldn't tolerate employees making decisions that ultimately lead to bad reviews and less business.
Review Source:I'm glad we didn't have the same experience as some of these reviewers... our phone-in order was ready in 20 minutes, and was quite tasty. The cooking instructions worked out perfectly in our oven. This place isn't foodie-gourmet (Serious Pie, I'm looking at you!) but it's delicious and reasonably priced considering the ingredients involved.
Not sure why our experience was so different from other folks... perhaps the shop manager saw the earlier reviews and retrained their staff? All I know is, we'll be going back!
This pizza has so much potential with a great menu and good ingredients beyond the usual options. The problem is the cook at home part of the equation.
We ordered thin crust - one with just cheese for the kids and one Arugula Patch for grown up taste buds. I followed the instructions, waiting for the oven to preheat, removing the cardboard, putting it straight on the oven rack (not using an oven tray), and only cooking one pizza at a time. Problem is, the top was done perfectly while the base was a shade above raw. If I cooked it any longer the top would have been burnt. Â We couldn't eat more than one slice each. What a waste.
I get that this is my oven that is the problem but it doesn't make Zaw an option for me. Â
I understand they are trying to stand out by being different to the standard pizza places but until they have an option to purchase a COOKED pizza, I won't be returning.
I wish there was a MOD Pizza on Mercer Island. I'd be there at least a couple of times a week with my kids! Now there is a business model - Â and as other reviewers have said, Zaw is super slow. Mod is crazy quick with long lines AND they cook the pizza.
Overpriced. Â Mediocre food, at best. (first visit, fortunately we called ahead and ordered this on our way home from skiing, so we were unaware they needed a long lead time as we told them we would be there in over an hour).
Take and bake, should be quick, right?
Well, I went in there a couple months back. Â They had 6 or 7 employees working (no joke). Â I spent a few minutes waiting my turn to order. Â I then spent a few minutes ordering. All seemed well.
The cashier then informed me my Pizza (uncooked, of course) would be ready in 45 minutes!!! Â OK, maybe they have a huge order or something. Â I asked. Â I was told it was because they had 11 pizzas in front of me. Â With 6 employees making pizzas!
I do not predict them lasting long. Â On a per employee basis, 11 pizzas, over 45 minutes equals 270 employee minutes divided by 11 pizzas, means they apparently need 24 employee minutes to make each uncooked pizza! Â Dominos (or any other delivery place) can make, cook, and deliver a pizza in less time than these people can put together a raw pizza. Â Suffice it to say, we bought a groupon good for three visits at 10 dollars a piece a while back, used one, due to having a 45 minute wait that I didn't have time for were unable to use the second and I doubt we will bother trying to redeem the 2nd or 3rd ones.
I stopped into Zaw last week and picked up a Tailgate Feast pizza...thick cut bacon, pepperoni, caramelized onions...etc....and a bottle of red! Â It was easy to cook and I just sat there marveling at what a great pizza it was and how lucky I am they're right across the street. Â Yesterday they had an anniversary half-price sale. Â They were crazy busy and ran out of dough, but luckily I got my order in for a proscuitto pear pizza that was outstanding. Â Seriously, I could barely put the leftovers in the fridge without taking another bite. Â They were working so hard last night but still were friendly and polite and terribly apologetic to those that missed out and offered rainchecks. Â Thanks guys, for great pizza!
Review Source:I found this Zaw accidentally when I was visiting Stopskys a few weeks ago. The last time I was on Mercer Island before that was about 15 years ago when there were a few grocery stores and a couple of restaurants. Mercer Island has grown up since then. "Downtown" looks really cute with townhouses, and shops everywhere it actually is a destination now.
This Zaw is a quick shot off the highway on my ride home, and a lot easier to get to for me than the one on Captiol Hill(you guys really need a West Seattle Branch). I like  the organic ingredients, the ability to get wine and beer and the salads. With the ability to order online I can time this so it's maybe a 10 minute detour and have a delicious fresh pizza for dinner.
All I can say is FINALLY!! I've been waiting for good pizza to arrive to the island for years and Zaw does not disappoint. I got a large Pig and Pear, the Farmers Mistress salad and a bottle of Erath pinot gris at the recommendation of a delightful young lady named Marissa or Melissa. The pizza cooks quickly and filled our house with the smell of bakery fresh bread and fantastic, locally sourced organic ingredients. I recommend asking for a slightly thicker crust unless you're really in to the thin crust style. I'm a dedicated regular that's never disappointed. My family and I always look forward to their inventive seasonal choices. A 5 star rating is definitely in store for this place.
Review Source:I was really pleasantly surprised by Zaw - our dinner today was fantastic! We had the pig and pear, which is a white pizza, but also sampled their more traditional offerings with cheese and a sausage for the kids. The salad was really fresh with a yummy balsamic dressing. The crust was really thin and super crisp, and all of our pizzas were delicious! Best of all, their ingredients are locally sourced with quite a few organic components. They also had reasonably priced bottles of wine with recommendations of what goes with which pizza (though we didn't partake).
It was great to not really have to cook or labor over a crust (i just can't get it that thin!) and it was out of the oven in 10 min but I felt like the ingredients were certainly the quality (or better) of homemade. Definitely will return.
I'm a pizza connoisseur, in my own mind. Â It's my favorite. Â Last meal? Â Pizza with a side of jalapenos and a side of ranch. Â
I tried Zaw on a whim, not expecting much, and ended up having one of the best pepperoni pizza's I've ever had. Â
I didn't expect a fanciful, artisan, take-and-bake pizza place to have a good pepperoni. Â The menu has many interesting, artsy combinations using local, sustainable ingredients, blah blah blah. Â I don't care. Â I know it's not the popular attitude to have, but again, I don't care. Â Â
This led me to the Perfect Pepperoni. Â I like to order double pepperoni, personally. Â
Good lord. Â It's difficult to explain why it's so amazing. Â The pepperoni, itself, is very, very flavorful. Â There is something to the sauce that I can't put my finger on that really makes it. Â You can smell it when it cooks. Â When you taste it, there's just something I can't explain that is so amazing. Â
Anyway, I highly recommend it. Â Worth the price.
ordered the gluten free crust with the veggie head. Â It was awful! Â Cooked it as instructions stated (6-10 min) for 8 min. Â THe crust was burnt on edges and rubber everywhere else. Â They really shouldn't even offer gluten free or only with extreme caution. Â Topping was very bland and unappealing - undercooked. Â This was like eating a frozen pizza that is still frozen - and paid $25 for large pizza which feeds 2 people.
Review Source:I tried Zaw for the first time last night. It was so tasty! I ordered the Marg & Rita with half normal sauce, and half their pesto. Both were amazing. I also ordered the Pear Salad. I found that two pieces of pizza and a quarter of the salad was just enough for a meal without being overly stuffed. I think a Medium pizza and splitting a salad would be a wonderful meal for two people. I give it four stars as I only tried two things, but I will definitely be returning!
Review Source:The Bellingham Hippie in me loves this place - all local, and/or organic products. They have a great selection and some very creative pizzas. I got half the prosciutto/pear/Gorgonzola and half roasted vegetable (I forget the authentic "Zaw" names for these creations). Both sides were amazing. I cooked my large pizza for 11 minutes and it turned out great. I would say that the estimated "amount of people" each size will feed is a little off. Since the crust is so thin, 2 decent sized pieces aren't that filling. For 3-4 people I'd recommend getting either 2 larges or 1 large and a salad.
The employees working when I came in were very nice. They had some great suggestions and explained the mission of their business when I had mentioned it was my first time at Zaw.
I will definitely be back!
Aesthetically Zaw is nothing special, a clean uncluttered waiting area. Â I don't mind that because IMHO it shows their priorities are in the right place, quality ingredients are more important than decorations. Â The staff was very friendly and engaging the night we were there. Â Â We ordered the roasted veg head pizza and it was excellent, better than the bake at home pizzas we usually buy from PCC and the Zaw pizza wasn't that much more expensive. Â This place is not overly expensive despite the $$$ rating.
One thing about MI is there is not a shortage of pizza options, however Zaw has one thing going for it that none of the others do:
Milk free crust and the option to have Diaya Cheese (something no other pizzeria here offers) without paying extra means vegan Awesomeness and thats worth 5 stars all by itself.
My husband and I were on Mercer Island visiting family and stopped by to get a couple pizzas and a salad before heading back over the mountains. Â I was really excited to try the pizzas at 'ZAW because I had heard from my folks, my brother and my sisters that they were really good. Â The "Tailgate Feast" with the bacon & maple syrup onions was a wonderful combination of flavors. Â The "Cowardly Apricot" (I had them add a little goat cheese) was hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Â But the true delight (and surprise) was the "Ironman" (Spinach) Salad. Â I am sure, that if I still lived on Mercer Island, or any where closer than a 2 hour drive, the "Ironman" would most definitely be a weekly purchase. Â Plus, everyone there was very friendly and certainly knew their products. Â Only thing that could have made it better was if we could have enjoyed a glass of one of their amazing local wines while our pizzas were being prepared - hint, hint (-; Â Can't wait to go back and get another salad! Â Oh, and visit with the family again - of course!
Review Source:um... so i like the pizza itself a lot.. and i like the concept... but i prefer them to cook it. i had it at the farmers market and it was delicious (deliciously cooked in their own oven!). when i tried to do this ish myself though, i burned the pizza (it says 10-14 mins.. i did 10 mins and it was too much). Â they had a cute little single size cookie for the kid's pizza that was a sweet idea.. yeah.. i burned that too though. : Â doh!
ok and why isn't it the first search result when i google "zaw mercer island"? oh and also... i ordered some arugula on my pizza & the guy hands it to me in a baggie and i thought that it was strange that they didn't just put it on the pizza .. would it have hurt for the guy to mention that u put it on after u cook it so it doesn't shrivel up? i mean maybe that is common sense but i'm not in the pizza bidnass otherwise, i would be making my own pizza to cook at home!
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