Customer Reviews Birkenstock Gizeh Birko-Flor™ - Graceful

Bought these shoes for a summer vacation as the reviews were so good. very disappointed. Looking for a Clarks substitute. The toe thong was so hard.

These shoes hurt my feet where the little dookickey goes between my big toe and second toe. I can't wear them for very long. Also, the patent leather with the uber-casual look is a bit odd. Overall, I wish I hadn't bought them. Ouch.

Lovely and comfortable but the color was misleading. I ordered the toffee color and upon arrival saw that it has a very distinct metallic sheen. The color was shiny bronze which I am not into. I am returning in exchange for the oiled leather version.

I really, really wanted to love these shoes. I have flat feet, exaggerated turn-out and hypermobile ankles that tend to roll over without warning. I have friends who swear by their Birks for comfort and, honestly, I love the way they looks as well. Unfortunately, these leave huge blisters on my feet whenever: a-it's hot outside or b-I wear them for more than half an hour at a time. And I did give them plenty of time to break in. Initially the toe thong gave me ridiculous toe crotch blisters but those did eventually go away with wear. The other blisters (on my instep) just kept occurring. One Pro: The sandals do actually keep my ankles from rolling over. But Another Con: I feel like they alter my gait to detrimental effect. I think not being able to walk in a more natural manner is the reason that my knees tend to hurt quite badly when I wear them for any extended (thirty minutes or longer) walk. I think if one is used to shoes with a ton of arch support then these would probably be fine but if one tends to be more comfortable with minimal footwear these might not work out. (And by "work out" I mean they might cause nickel-sized blisters and knee pain.)

I really wanted to love these - I ordered them for a trip to Europe this week but had to return them because they were too large and I found the toe piece very hard. I am usually a size 8 and ordered the size 39 as suggested but they were too large. I have a narrow foot but ordered the regular and think that was fine for me, but I would need the 38. But I will not reorder because I found the toe piece too uncomfortable and the shoes were rather stiff and inflexible for me. I am somebody who really only wears thong type sandals and so these are not a new style for me and I usually find them very comfortable so I was surprised to find these uncomfortable especially as everyone rates them so highly. Perhaps if I reordered a size smaller and gave them a chance they would eventually "break" in and I would find them more comfortable but I think I will try to find a lighter, more flexible sandal of this this style instead.

The portion between my toes is hard and inflexible which hurts. Not sure I would spend the money on another pair of this type of Birks.

Sadly I had to return these due to the extremely uncomfortable plastic thong. I was really hoping that this would not be an issue but for the price, it should be leather.

I can't tell you how much I wanted to keep these Birks. I loved them. So cute and if I just stood in them or walked very slowly they were great but once I tried really walking, that plastic thing just hurt my toes so bad! Would love to know if that pain would eventually go away but I figured Zappos wouldn't accept a return after the footbed conformed to my feet if the pain didn't go away. Very sad to return. They fit great...I wear a size 9 and got the 40 narrow.

This is a hard review. I bought these as a birthday gift for my daughter. She loves them and they are comfortable. The only problem is the cork heal started cracking. We contacted Zappos and they sent us a new pair and gave us sweet and funny five star service. So Overall I gave Birkenstock three stars but I will give Zappos five plus!

I never thought I'd be buying Birkenstocks, but after a hip injury left me with daily pain, I had to start replacing all my shoes with supportive versions. I have seen the Gizeh on lots of people and they look pretty cute, especially compared to the Birks I remember people wearing in high school. Everyone I asked has told me how comfortable and versatile they are. Unfortunately, they did not work out for me. Something about the way they position my foot is extremely painful. I felt like I was being stabbed in the hip with every step. Cute as they are, they are going back.

I'm suspicious of all the five star reviews... I would not describe these as comfortable. Tolerable yes, comfortable, no. The toe thong is hard and plastic.

Love the look. Normally I wear a 38 in Birkenstock, but the size 38 was too narrow and a bit short. the 39s are a perfect fit. I cannot wear flip flops because of the strap between the toes, but really wanted to like these. They are a bit more comfortable, but after 3 wearings, still painful after too much time.

I wear a narrow fit which is what I ordered. But it still fit a bit wide. I didn't find the sole/base of the sandal to have much comfortable support as I had anticipated. I thought it would feel softer. I returned it and ended up keeping the Mephisto that I also ordered.

Pretty shoe (for Birks) but the arch is built up too much for someone with lower arches that doesn't need it to be built up as high and hurts to walk in them.

The plastic piece between the toes is hard and uncomfortable. The footbed is fine. I am a solid size 8 in every shoe (aside from running shoes) and the 8/8½ (39) fit perfectly. I have had these for a week now and I am still trying to wear them in. My sister told me it took her 1½ weeks so I am hoping that I will get used to the plastic part. In hindsight, for the money spent, I should have just returned them.

These were not for me, I ended up getting the Birkenstock Mayari and am very happy with those. So the Gizeh we're my first try at Birkenstocks and as soon as I put them on I knew I wouldn't be keeping them. I'd read all the reviews about the plastic toe piece and since so many people were still happy with them I decided to get them anyway. It wasn't the toe piece that made me send these back though, it was the thong flap. On my foot the loose flap of the thong strap just looked weird and made my foot look kind of wide and naked, it's difficult to describe but they made my foot look ugly. I didn't even get to walking around in them to test the toe piece because I was definitely not going to wear these all summer. The Mayari look great on my foot and with all my clothes, jeans skirts shorts, doesn't matter the straps look and feel great! Glad I didn't settle for these.

I've loved my past Birk's but I'm disappointed that they've replaced the leather piece between the toes with hard plastic that hurts and is uncomfortable. I keep hoping I'll adjust and develop calluses, but so far that hasn't happened.

I don't get the fanaticism. Others have complained that the toe piece is hard and I agree but here is the weird thing, I wore these around the house and they were fine. I wanted to make sure I wanted to keep them before wearing outside because this isn't another retailer, and I cannot return after wearing. They felt better and better so I ventured out and that toe piece really bothers me. It pushed on the inside of my second toe and is uncomfortable. I kept wearing them thinking this would get better, but so far it hasn't. Even a very slow walk with my elderly dog has me begging to rip them off. The heel and arch feel great to me, it is just the toe piece Maybe my foot is not right for this brand but, sigh... if Birkenstock don't work for me then I guess I am hopeless. My conclusion is these are great to stand it but not great to walk in.

The toe pain is a legit concern - and I would have noticed this if I'd looked closer on the description but, Why aren't these leather? For a pair of shoes at this price I've come to expect leather.

Wanted them to work but just don't fit right. I am always a 38 in Euro sizes, 7.5 us. These have a good half inch sticking out past the back of my heel which just looks weird and the outside of my forefoot hangs over a bit. Not sure if going down a size would help. It's a shame because I really like the style and color. The onyx is more of a metallic blue-gray which I love...will decide if I try a size down.

I wanted to love these because of all the positive reviews, but I have to agree with fact that the toe piece just doesn't work. I'm a flip flop wearer, so it wasn't that I'm not used to it. They may just need to break in, but I'm not willing to risk spending this much to break in a shoe that never gets comfortable. They are way more stylish than the standard Birkenstock style though! I am usually between an 8.5 and a 9, so struggled with choosing a size but ended up with the 39 regular. I think the fit was fine, any bigger and they would have been too big.

I love the look of this shoe, however, being a long time flip flop wearer....these gave me blisters due the the toe piece being hard plastic. So incredibly uncomfortable - I tried to give them a chance, but, sadly must return them.

These are soooo cute! But the sole is hard, and my wider foot did not fit within the footbed. I'm bummed. I have plantar faciitis so these were not squishy or supportive enough. I suggest trying them on at a store first; Then buy Zappos for the great selection of colors and wonderful customer service!

I really wanted to love these shoes, but the toe piece spread my toes really far apart and made them look so wide.

Okay, so these are super comfy, but if you walk fast (like I do sometimes), the thingy between your toes in the front can hurt. Also, if the shoe slips off the foot while walking fast, I end up stepping down hard on the hard-molded foot bed. Ouch. If you're strolling or at a party, these are great shoes. Just don't try hiking around too fast! Overall, I'd recommend them - they're super cool looking and go with so much. The silver is a better choice than white because it is unique without being flashy.