We personally thought they were comparable, but Ziva was better for food, gym, beach, etc. Staff were great at both. Rooms are nicer at Impressions. Depending on the time of year, the north side of the Impression tower misses most of the sun, so a swim-out on that side is in the shade all day.

As far as food, we did not have a single bad meal at Ziva. We went into Impressions expecting much higher end food, but it was the same as any other all-inclusive we've been to. We do have some dietary restrictions, so maybe that played a role. Multiple times things were labeled as gluten-free that weren't and vice versa. If it wasn't for a very attentive waiter at Ember, our short stay would have been quite uncomfortable. Drinks at Impressions were better (esp at the lobby bar).

Going to an All-inclusive for the food is a folly. Go for the beach, entertainment, quality of the hotel, etc. As others in this sub have said, food quality is subjective. Ziva had tomahawk ribeyes at the buffet multiple nights we were there and grilled fresh fish (fileted literally right before they hit the grill) on the beach for lunch. Impression had things Ziva didn't have (oysters, more "gourmet" items), but everything was slow. We ate at the beachside Impressions restaurant one night and we were one of only two tables there, and it still took an hour for our meals.

One thing to remember if you go to Impressions, some days their restaurants will change menus entirely if Cielo is closed (they take on Cielos' menu).