I got a Zomato Gold membership last January. The ticket price was P500 for 12 months membership. I used a friend’s referral code and got 20% off so I paid only P400. But before anything else, what is Zomato Gold? Zomato Gold is Zomato app’s membership program which lets you enjoy either 1+1 on Food or 2+2 on Drinks at a Zomato Gold partner restaurant. That’s Buy 1 Take 1 on food and Buy 2 Take 2 on drinks. You can download the Zomato app for free from the App Store or Google Play.
Since we eat out a lot, I figured a Zomato Gold membership would come in handy. We put it to a test for the second time during dinner last Sunday at Tra Vinh. The first time we tried using it was at Isaribi, a Japanese restaurant in the Tomas Morato area.
Our Zomato Gold experience at Isaribi was disappointing to say the least. I think more than half the menu was off limits for the 1+1 Food deal. I tried ordering a bento and was told meal sets are not included in the Zomato Gold promo. So I tried ordering a rice bowl. Again, I was told I could not. The server said food for sharing cannot be included as well. I told her but a rice bowl is only GOOD FOR ONE PERSON. She was adamant and spouted more nonsense about how it is food for sharing. The ending? We got a free yakitori stick worth P60 for free from Isaribi for Zomato Gold 1+1 Food.
I don’t think we will go back to Isaribi ever again because apart from the Zomato Gold issue, service was terrible. We ordered Takoyaki and they wouldn’t start making it until 30 minutes after we ordered. The ingredients were just laid out in front of us. It was so strange.
Anyhow, we tried using Zomato Gold again at Tra Vinh. This time, there weren’t any nonsensical restrictions. We were just told that 1+1 Food can’t be applied to orders for Large bowls. You can avail for Small and Regular bowls, which was okay. Desserts are also not included, which makes sense because desserts are the cheapest things on the menu so you won’t even feel the 1+1 Food if you happen to order a small dessert.
I ordered Braised Beef Noodle Soup (P230). It’s rich, hearty, and very flavorful. I felt I was eating beef stew. This is good for warming you up on cold days or nights.
My hubby and daughter decided to share a Large bowl of Tra Vinh Special Noodle Soup (P299). Both complained it lacked flavor and depth.
Our son ordered a Small bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (P150). He didn’t like it either.
We also ordered Fried Spring Roll with Pork (P170). Everyone agreed it was good. This became +1 dish, my order of Braised Beef Noodle Soup was the first dish. I appreciated that they chose the dish with the 2nd highest price instead of the cheapest to give as a freebie.
Hubby and I each ordered Iced Chendol (P120). I kind of like it better than Halo-Halo because the combination of coconut milk, palm syrup, and pandan gives it a unique flavor that is not overly sweet. The green stuff you see are the Chendol, made from green rice flour.
I have read about how people have recouped their P400 or P500 Zomato Gold subscription fee in one sitting. I guess that’s possible if you are dining at a more upscale establishment. Say you order two salmon dishes worth P500+. You would’ve already gotten back what you paid for.
The good about Zomato Gold:
- You can have several Zomato Gold members on the same table and they can all use the 1+1 Food or 2+2 Drinks privelege at the same time. So if hubby and I both have Zomato Gold and we eat with the kids, we pay for 2 dishes and get 4 dishes.
- There are currently over 500 restaurants tied up with Zomato Gold.
- Zomato Gold has a referral system wherein you can get a 20% discount off the current membership price (it’s usually P500 unless there’s a promo rate) if you enter a friend’s referral code. Mine is ANIMETV. So if you decide to get a Zomato Gold membership, just enter ANIMETV as the referral code and you will instantly get 20% off (pay only P400 if the membership price is P500). In turn, once you become a member, you will be given your own referral code. If anyone uses it you get a 1 month extension on your membership.
The bad about Zomato Gold:
- Some partner restaurants have a lot of restrictions for the 1+1 Food and 2+2 Drinks, like Isaribi.
- If you eat at cheaper places it may take a few meals to recoup your P400 or P500.
- There has to be at least 2 people dining for you to be able to use Zomato Gold. It’s not for solo diners.
- Some restaurants go on and off quite a bit. For example, your favorite restaurant is a Zomato Gold partner when you sign up. That may not be the case a week later.
- The “Dine like an Influencer / Queen / Whatever” social media campaign is greatly exaggerated. It’s just 1+1 Food and the freebie is the cheaper dish. One free dish or 2 free drinks do not make a feast lol. Plus it’s NOT EVEN HARD to get a slot, I don’t think there are really 30,000 people on queue. I was able to sign up and pay IMMEDIATELY the moment I decided I wanted to try it.
What do you think? Is Zomato Gold for you? If you’re going to sign up, you can get a 20% discount on the membership fee by using my code ANIMETV.
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I probably not get one. I even have difficulty using all the deals at Booky. Thank you for this awesome feature, Miss Rowena at least, I am enlightened with Zomato Gold. 🙂
Di ko pa po natry mag order sa ganyan. Thanks po sa info . Ms.Rowena
Zomato Gold. Ngayon lang po nagkaroon ng info about dito. Hihi. Thanks po for sharing this.. Pero okay din minsan. Wag lang dun sa Isaribi. hehe.
We’ve used Zomato Gold 5x already since I got it, and I think we’ve been able to save around P2,000-3,000. Bawing bawi na yung P500 cost for Zomato Gold 🙂
I have had 2 bad experiences out of 5. One was at Flatiron 1771 when we went for the steak and were told it was the only item on the menu that was not included in the 1+1. Instead we just moved to The Brewery and used Z Gold there, their loss. The other was at Queens at Bollywood where the staff was weird and rude. The other 3 times the experience was okay – the staff seemed unfamiliar with the process but they asked their manager about it and figured it out.
I think it depends on the restaurant whether they will honor the spirit of the 1+1 promo. Some restaurant owners join Zomato Gold but don’t follow through and make so many restrictions. In those cases, I report the restaurants to Zomato and write a review on the experience.
However, I feel that Zomato must make more of an effort to make sure that erring restaurants get reprimanded or something. Sa totoo lang, parang dedma lang sila sa mga reports ko. No follow up on what happened, no apology from those restos, no reply to my low rating reviews. Haha, parang gusto ko na tuloy iblog yung dinededma feedback ko.
Anyway, to avoid hassle, I just stick to using Zomato Gold on restaurants with good mgmt who have a reputation for good customer service. I avoid places where people have said they don’t honor Zomato Gold – for example, one foodie friend was very upset at Sincerity Banawe for so many restrictions, and now plus your feedback on Isaribi and Tra Vinh. They shouldn’t have so many restrictions, mas mabubuwisit lang customer.
In spite of all of that, sulit pa din naman Zomato Gold if you use it at restaurants that fully honor it 🙂 I’ve been meaning to use it at Mama Lou’s but because of errands we always end up in another mall. But I have heard friends have good experiences using their Zomato Gold there 🙂 We also recently used it at Alter Ego near Robs Magnolia, no problem naman using Z Gold there.
Thanks for this. I’m actually thinking of getting one. I just have a question though, this is wierd but does the 1+1 apply to all orders (as long as it is not restricted) or 1 card can only have 1 1+1? Am i making sense? hehe.
One Zomato Gold membership can only avail of one 1+1 Food or one 2+2 Drinks at a time.
Great! Thank you ☺️
I got Z Gold for 350 pesos during their flash sale last January 25. I’ve used it twice and didn’t encounter any problem. First was during lunch at Thai BBQ Original Restaurant and then dinner at Motorino Pizza, all in Makati. These two restaurants let us order their second most expensive items on their menus. I was able to recoup my Z Gold cost in one day. However, if it wasn’t on flash sale, I wouldn’t have bought it at regular price which was 700 pesos, I think.
Try ko nga mg zomato membership☺️
Haven’t heard of this one Ms Rowena. Ang sad naman ng experience sa service ng nauna.
Curious ako sa Iced Chendol taste Thanks for the feature❤️
Hindi ko pa na try tong Zomato na to…heheh Thank u sa info po ms.rowena.
Nakaka sad lang dun sa 1st nyong napuntahan pero atleast mejo bumawi dun sa pangalawa..and mukhang masarap nman na ung foods
Ig: @iam_anafe08 / itsme_anafecompoc