« Ballard Restaurants

My favorite burger place in Ballard. It's not a Red Mill burger, but it's so close and you don't have to travel far, wait in line forever, and have cash only. Very reliable food- have never been disappointed. Fries are always cooked perfectly. The burgers are so big I am full from the "mini" ones. Prices are very reasonable. They've got some big tables for large groups and a few comfy booths. There are a couple of tv's as well. To those who commented on the decor, actual customers bring in those license plates/road signs on the wall and they give you a free burger.

Been living in Ballard 3 months now and finally tried Zak's yesterday. This place rocks as much as everyone has claimed. Killa brgr krispy fries and yes...freak'n tartar dipp'n goop that almost made me ill it was soo good. Did WA ST start the whole "tartar" deal with fries or what? God bless the extra 1,000 calories that cost nothing extra.

some of the best french fries you'll ever eat. nice folks.

I love Zaks! Although the service can be slow (there's usually only one server) the burgers are WELL worth the wait! The fries are excellent and Zak's offers an awesome dipping sauce to go along with them. Their prices are great, for $8 you can get a burger, fries, and drink! I love this place and my husband and I frequent it regularly. Plus for anyone with peanut allergies, Zak's doesn't use peanut oil to cook their burgers (unlike Red Mill).

I loved this place! Not only was the service amazing but the food was delicious too! I recommend the Bacon Cheese Burger and Onion Rings. I hope to someday visit their sister restaurant in San Diego!

We love Zak's. They have "mini burgers" that are 1/6th pound patties, which are perfect for me. My husband likes their full-size burgers. They come with all the goodies - tomatoes, lettuce, onion, etc. Special sauce is on the table and it's terrific.

I have only been here once, but I liked it. The burger was good and fresh, as were the fries. The waitstaff were greasy, but very friendly and quick. I will definitely go back when I get the burger urge.

I'm a huge Red Mill fan, but it's not really within reasonable walking distance from Ballard. The burger I had here seemed to be close enough to the real deal that I might consider it over the competition since it's within walking distance.

It's worth noting that NWSource tidbit--which is over two years old, by the way--comes from a food reviewer who's been published in the Times, Seattle Magazine, etc. The Citysearch quote, on the other hand, is not from an editorial review but rather from some random person on the web. You could just as easily have quoted the Yelp reviewer who said: "Grey meaty mass on soggy bun, very not good." Either way readers would probably be better served if you'd linked to Zak's Yelp page, as there are 37 reviews there, compared with just 8 on Citysearch and NWSource combined.

Anyway, to add my two cents: I've only been to Zak's once, and the food didn't leave any sort of a lasting memory, good or bad, though perhaps I went before the menu renovation the Times reviewer wrote of. What did make an impression, however, was the decor: T.G.I.Fridays, except surfer themed and more charmless. Maybe I'll give the place another go sometime, but I'll definitely be getting my food to-go.