I used the OSM web page.
Just type in the address with zip code, and it takes you to a completely different different zip code. This is a relatively new bug.
I find it interesting that I am down voted by 4 points. The OSM fans must not understand the value of user testing. Maybe it is the google fans who don't understand user testing.
The idea is that this database can be used by anyone, e.g. OsmAnd, the openstreetmap.org homepage, Facebook, Apple Maps, Mapbox, GraphHopper, etc. provide various services on top of it. Nominatim, the component you're having trouble with, is indeed fairly picky in its input.
But do mind that you're comparing this to Google, the company on this planet that is the undisputed king of search. I'm not surprised their search function works better than this open source project using an open source set of data. For what it's worth, if you stick to common address formats and don't put in abbreviations like a country-specific postal code (it doesn't look for results near you, it just searches the planet for what you typed; it has no knowledge of where in the world you are as it doesn't track you -- yeah, maybe it should), then it works fine, or at least as reliable as the underlying data is.