Zak's Diner

If you’re looking for a solid gluten-free breakfast in Ottawa, Zak’s is a great find. I ended up eating here twice during the week, which is usually the best sign a place is doing something right. The surprise highlight was the gluten-free toast—honestly some of the best I’ve had. Most GF bread feels like edible cardboard, but this was actually good. The breakfasts are classic diner style: big plates, lots of potatoes, eggs cooked properly, and sausages that mean business. The diner itself has a fun retro vibe: booths, old-school lighting, and even a Mustang front-end turned into a counter. It feels like the kind of place where breakfast has been taken seriously for decades. Staff were friendly and quick, portions were generous, and it’s right in the heart of ByWard Market. If you’re gluten-free and wondering where to get a proper breakfast in Ottawa, start here.

We overall had a pretty good experience. The interior has a really nostalgic, classic diner vibe. The food is definitely more homestyle comfort food than fine dining, but the portions are good and it hits the spot when you’re craving something classic. The fries were really good, and the milkshakes were honestly the highlight. Service wasn’t the best during our visit, wasn’t even busy, but overall it’s still a solid diner if you’re looking for comfort food and a great milkshake.

Good so good we had to go twice! Great service and atmosphere. Came to Zak’s for dinner while craving Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwiches, and we left very pleased!! The milkshakes (Mocha) were also out of this world. We came back to try breakfast and again, no notes. Everything was absolutely on point. Great coffee. Perfect hashbrowns. Outstanding French toast. We will be back!

Stopped here for a late breakfast after a tour. It’s a large place with lots of seating and classic diner-style decor. Staff were welcoming and service was generally attentive. We ordered the veg deluxe omelette, blueberry pancakes, and the Beyond Meat burger with a coffee. We later noticed on the menu that the coffee is bottomless, but the server did not check in during the meal or offer refills, which was a bit surprising compared to most breakfast spots where refills are frequent. Food was about what you would expect from a diner. The omelette was slightly overcooked and dry, as were the tater tots. The Beyond Meat burger missed the mark and lacked flavor, and the fries ended up being the best part of that dish. The blueberry pancakes were the standout and probably the best item we ordered. We did not love the extra charge for real maple syrup instead of the complimentary table syrup, which we opted for anyway.

Foods always good here, recommend the milkshakes 100%! Our server Avery was great and helpful. The only down side was that it was a bit cold in the place and the door being held open for long times made the vibe a tad off. Overall great.

Not at all surprisingly, we had a great time at Zak’s Diner. The latte could keep me going for a week, and the three cheese omelette was pretty good. My boyfriend got the eggs Benedict and also enjoyed them. The obvious star of the show (besides the perfectly puffy tater tots) was the wonderful service from Brandi and great authentic diner vibe.

Place is ok, portion size is tiny for the price but I would go back for the milkshakes. That's a $20 full size poutine just for reference. 3 star for the 5 star milkshake and the 1 star food. Fun atmosphere

Fun decor restaurant serving classics brunch, sandwiches, milkshake, etc. It is quite popular, so we waited a bit to get our food even if it was passed lunch rush hour on a long-weekend. Classic Club and Western sandwiches were good, as expected, but nothing outstanding. It's a safe choice for comfort/american style food.

Food item prices are on the higher end, but that is reasonable considering the vibe or atmosphere of the place. Zak's Diner is at the heart of ByWard Market. There are plenty of botiques and other dining places nearby. You would get the option of patio dining outdoors or indoor seating. Food is standard diner fare with nothing noteworthy. There is an option to "poutinize your fries" for an extra $4.99, which I find a little bit much for the cheese curds and gravy. I did enjoy the Zak's Famous Milkshake ($8.99) and Ice Cream Float ($6.49). The Milshake was creamy and came with a metal cup filled with extra milkshake / whip cream. We came to have lunch a little past noontime rush. It was nice that we, a group of 2 people, were allowed to move to a table for 4 when we requested it. It was always welcome to have more elbowroom. Their table for 2 is a little bit cramped when you also have a bag or some other things with you.

Since moving to Ottawa people have spoken to me about Zaks. My friend and came around 845pm and sat outside. We were promptly greeted by a young gentleman who was our server. He asked us is we wanted to start off with drinks and then gave us time to choose what we wanted. The waiter gave us time but didn't forget about us or was overbearing. I chose the grilled cheese burger. It was on sourdough instead of a regular bun and was grilled! The tater tots were hot and not oily. The burger was juicy. The pickle and coleslaw was a nice added touch. I was impressed because nailing something simple. Like a burger platter seems to be hard to serve these days in terms of having cold fries or super over cooked beef. My friend had the Nashville sandwich and said it could have been more spicier but this review is based on my food and experience . Well done Zaks! The hype is real and I'll be back.

I went her because it was a recommendation on the Ottawa Tourism website. This is an old style diner: if you haven't been to a diner before this is a good place to experience it. The service was friendly and efficient as you would expect in any restaurant. The food was typical diner style - good portion size but nothing out of the ordinary. I would have loved to see a signature dish, something special for this location only. Overall not disappointing but next time around I will explore other places.

Came here for a quick/ light lunch. Unfortunately my pictures got deleted so I can't upload any We ordered the mac and cheese wedge, it comes with a marinara sauce, it was actually really good, there was about 10 wedges in the basket so they were generous Also got the buffalo crispy chicken wrap, we had a few choice for sides we choose onion rings which was an extra 4$. All this costed us about 35$ They have a big menu and they also serve breakfast all day. They also close super late at 12. If you are feeling for dinner vibe food, this is definitely a place to go. It's a classic diner vibes. They also have a patio in front where you can sit outside during summer time. Definitely recommend for comfort food

CLASSIC diner experience. We dropped in on a Thursday afternoon after a casual stroll through the ByWard market area and reading that this diner was somewhat of an institution in the neighborhood we determined this was the perfect lunch spot for us. Foot traffic was moderate inside, but they were pretty busy still. The interior of the diner is very, very, very classic (And, yes, I'll be using that word a lot), with booth seats and pictures everywhere on the walls, and will remind you of any ol' diner in North America. The menu was a bit small compared to diners we've been to, but they had the usuals - eggs, omelettes, pancakes, French toast, wraps, sandwiches, soups, salads, milkshakes...and, OF COURSE, poutine, so there's a little something for everyone. After a walk around the market area, one can get quite hungry and that's exactly what happened to us! After mulling things over, I decided to order the Pancakes & Eggs, which you can customize, but mine came with sausage, scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes. My wife went with the Ringer Burger and upgraded her fries to a poutine. Oh, and, when at a diner, we can't forget to order milkshakes, right?!?! I went with the Strawberry and my better half got the Banana. Verdict? Pretty much what you would expect when you go to your average diner. The food was good for what it was. Also, huge portions of everything. The Pancake & Eggs arrived with 3 large pancakes and there was A LOT of poutine fries in my wife's order of the Ringer Burger. Nothing stood out as spectacular, but nothing was terrible either. It was all very average, but if you're just looking for a big breakfast or meal, this will definitely hit the spot. I do want the say that the ice cream milkshakes were GREAT though! I loved that they use ice cream and give you the entire mixer cannister on top of your glass cup. If you're a tourist who drove into the area, there is plenty of paid street parking and reasonably priced parking lots to boot. The diner is conveniently located right by the ByWard Market along with other restaurants. If you're seeking a safe bet, go to Zak's.

In searching for a not too fussy late lunch while in the Byward market, Zak's answered the call. We took advantage of the outdoor seating and were greeted quickly with glasses of ice water and menus. My spouse ordered the Eggs Benedict with the eggs medium hard. For me, I got the Hot Hamburger sandwich. Our orders arrived without undue delay and mine had a regular grilled burger patty between slices of white bread and a splash of gravy on top. Included sides were fries and a small paper cup of coleslaw. The patty was well cooked and fine with the gravy, a tad more gravy would have been welcome. My spouse's Eggs Benedict also seemed to be pretty much as expected. Unsurprisingly the hollandaise seemed to be both okay yet pre-prepared, i.e. not hand made from scratch in the kitchen. It came with a lot of hash browned potatoes. All told are meals met expectations by filling a needed at an okay price (for a restaurant in a touristy area). Service was quick and our server was both cheerful and personable. We'd be fine going back someday.

We sat outside and it was great. The food was all great and yummy. The poutine was the bomb. Grilled cheese and stuffed chicken were awesome. Staff was great too.

Had Breakfast here. Was greeted very friendly, Sat me immediately. Super friendly staff. Had the meat lovers breakfast. It was very good. Coffee was good as well. They were on top of it keeping it hot for me. Good spot. I will probably come back tomorrow.

We decided on a quick snack from Zak's before heading to the Art Gallery up the street. A big Wimpy's vibe as you enter with colorful walls and seats fashioned in an art deco period strict COVID-19 precautions including hanging up rIncoats and entering info in tablets before being seated The servers hustle from table to table which minimizes delay and increases the turnover for the next group of hungry travelers. So we shared a turkey club and a mess of poutine. Both were good, and reasonable priced. Definately worth sharing a few items as the portions were good and the sodium count off the charts. Service was good and friendly. Our server shared that her steps are in the tens of thousands daily! All in all a fun touristy stop in Byward market. Be prepared to wait outside a bit as I is a popular destination! -Zuk

OVERALL: -Great poutine, good service, casual environment ARRIVAL: -I came here because I found it on a few lists online of the best places to get poutine in Ottawa. It was also not far from my hotel and near the ByWard Market, which I heard is a cool area that I should visit while in town. -I got a table for one around 9 or 10pm one night in September. Got seated right away. There were a lot of people there so it felt busy, but it was large so there were still plenty of empty tables. FOOD: -I had the regular poutine and a mint chip milkshake. -The poutine was top notch. I got to try poutine maybe 5 times while I was in Canada and this one was my favorite. There was nothing fancy about it or any extra ingredients to jazz it up, but it was still perfect. Served piping hot with curds layered throughout the fries so some of them melted and some didn't. Fries were extra crispy and fresh so they retained their crunch even with the gravy on them. -The mint chip milk shake was very large, but pretty average otherwise. SERVICE -Service was fast and friendly! I got refills of water without asking. My server kindly answered my questions about the menu and was attentive. LAYOUT/ATMOSPHERE: -Very much a classic diner with lots of booths, a lunch counter with stools, etc.

Excellent food. Very nice staff. Always enjoy it. Nice that I can order from the seniors menu. Us old codgers need a break.

Guys, what happened? This place used to be my go-to. Tonight I went and the overall experience was just awful. When I walked in with my boyfriend, almost every since staff member saw us, but we waited 5 minutes at the door to be seated. It was dead, so I'm not sure why it took so long. We put in our order and waited 30 minutes. People who were seated after us got their full meal before we even got our milkshakes. I ordered the Caesar wrap and was given a wrap that was 99% warm lettuce, a bit of shredded cheese, and a strip of flavourless chicken. We were lucky to have a very kind waitress who did not charge us for the wrap. She was overall very friendly. Felt bad for her as she was running all over the place the whole time. Just don't come here. Sad to say this, as I used to recommend it all the time. But the quality has gone down tremendously and still charges the same for everything.

It embodies the archetypical diner, for sure. The diner is located in the core of the Byward Market and is a hotspot for those late-night dinners that you'll see students frequent (I was one of them). They're known for their breakfast menu and their milkshakes. Not to be confused with Zak's Cantina next door, which serves Tex-Mex instead. I've gone a couple of instances, with my most recent being breakfast with friends. Since I wasn't planning on spending too much, so I got the pancakes and eggs combo. It also came with a side of meat (or falafel or fruit) and your pancakes can also come in blueberry or chocolate chip. And of course, their breakfasts come with free bottomless coffee. All that for $17, which I'll admit is still not that great for my frugal mind. I can't complain much about the quality of the breakfast; pancakes are usually a safe bet wherever you go, after all. Just not really enough to justify the price, even with the large portions that you get. At the very least, the milkshake my friend had was enjoyable. Overall, my time at Zak's was just fine. I would say it's worth trying out once, but the second time you can't help but wonder what the other restaurants nearby are like.

Great service, very good food in a relaxed and clean environment. One of my favourite Byward restaurants. The desserts are wonderful.

First place we ate when we arrived in Ottawa. This is a all diner located right in byward market serving all day breakfast meals. We got the french toast with eggs and bacon as well as their signature milk shakes. The food tasted like typical diner food but much more expensive. The shakes were good and they did give a generous amount, enough to share between 2 people. Overall a ok eating spot to try just once. The prices are high for what you're getting.

A perfect weekend breakfast spot. We were seated outside on a beautiful day. Service was great and the food was incredible. Such large portions for a very reasonable price. I loved every dish we ordered. My personal favorite is the eggs Florentine and it was perfect for my taste. Also enjoyed the milkshake!

Ok fine. standard fair. The standout was the pina colada milkshake. Totally a treat and if you buy one for a couple to share they will bring in two large glasses. Impressive portions overall. Don't need to go back because quality breakfast places are all over. I figured I would give them a try since they offered my hotels guests a discount. Not terrible but not great either.

Food is we some, plates are large... share with someone else if you aren't a big eater

My dad and I passed this on the way back from a bar the night we arrived in Ottawa. The next afternoon, my dad desperately wanted breakfast for lunch and I believe it was solely because he saw Zak's twice the evening prior. We walked in to find an empty restaurant. This was to be expected as there was a large amount of snow hanging around and it was an off hour. We were greeted and seated promptly. Their decor and menu is reminiscent of a classic 50s American diner. Had the color scheme been different I would have simply assumed I walked into a Johnny Rockets. Their menu is traditional diner fare with Canadian twists including smoked salmon, smoked meat and poutine. Having a very "when in Rome" mindset, I made my own omelet with smoked meat, Brie and veggies, and upgraded my home fries to poutine style. (My poutine count for this trip ran into the double digits. I have no shame.) My dad went down a slightly healthier path and did not upgrade to poutine and substituted tomatoes for his side of bread. For such a dead restaurant, the food took a little while. I assumed they were just putting extra love in my order. There is a lot of food that comes with it. It was very typical of a standard American portion. While it all looked good, I found my food to be lacking flavor. I gave everything a heavy shake of salt and pepper and still found it all subpar. This wouldn't have been so bad had we not paid so damn much for the food. Each meal was roughly 20 American dollars but the quality and taste was nothing more than what you could find at IHOP. It just simply wasn't worth what we paid. Apparently Zak's has a cult following in Ottawa. Considering the pricing and the quality of food, I don't think I'll join said following anytime soon.

I give this a four star rating because of the excellent service. The waitress was super friendly and accommodating. My eggs benny were overcooked, and when I asked her about it, she confirmed it shouldn't have been served that way. She offered to have it remade, but I don't like food waste, so I opted to continue to eat it (it wasn't bad, just overcooked). When the bill came, she had comped it from the total. I insisted on paying, but she humbly declined, so I left what I would've paid as her tip. Thank you for your hospitality.

Pooh and I were visiting Ottawa today and decided to lunch at Zak's. I had the basic cheese nachos which I truly enjoyed because they were flat so all the chips were covered with the toppings. One of my pet peeves is when Restaurants heap the nachos on the plate so only the top has cheese and salsa and half way down its just dry chips - Zak's didn't do that. My only negative comment would be that the sides like guacamole and sour cream were extra. Pooh had the Zak Attack burger and a poutine. Being from QC he knows his poutines and Zak's poutine passed!! The burger was great too but just be really hungry when you order it cuz it's thick. We washed it all down with a pitcher of Beau's Lug Tread beer.

Breakfast was great as well. Surprised by the price though, as I felt it was high. The wait was extremely long, it took 55 minutes to get our food.

My family and I were visiting Ottawa for several days. We decided to give this place a try. The decor is really cute but the food reminded me of what frozen reheated food tastes like. I ordered the French toast which came sprinkled with powder sugar. I asked the waiter for extra powder sugar and she literally gave me this shocked look and rolled her eyes and said "oooookkkk, I guess!" You would've thought that I had asked her for hot sauce to put on my French toast or something weird. After all they already served it with powder sugar, right? Very strange!!!! I guess after thinking about it she returned and said that it shocked her that I asked for extra powder sugar because no one has ever asked for extra powder sugar, REALLY LADY! I am the customer! If I want to pay for extra whatever. What is the big deal? It's not like I asked for something strange that you didn't already garnish the meal with already. It definitely needed something extra because the French toast was NOT PALATABLE AT ALL!!! It didn't help that we were the only black people in the entire establishment. Not pulling the race card just yet but....... Hey, it does make you wonder! IJS! Why such an unpleasant response for something so simple? VERY ODD AND UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCE AT THIS PARTICULAR DINER!!!! We visited Ottawa for several days and this was the ONLY questionable encounter. Other than that, WE LOVED OTTAWA! DO BETTER PEOPLE! BTW, this was at the Elgin St. location.

If you want a classic diner experience this is the place to go, with all the diner favorites available. The breakfast burrito was above average and was better than expected. Perfect spot for someone who is lazy to make breakfast or brunch on a weekend. Great weekend spot. Not special enough to make a trip to the diner to get food, great choice if you happen to be in the area or need to be closeby for something else

Waited to be seated for about 15 minutes. Then when my group and I finally got a seat they didn't give us a menu and they didn't return to our table. So we left, but their food is Mid. If you're drunk you'll like it. Cool looking restaurant, weird place for a bathroom

They serve pretty typical diner food here. I really loved the ambience and decor of this place. It really makes for a fun dining experience. We arrived at the lunch time hour and had to wait a couple of minutes since the place was heavily packed. I was happy that they gave us a booth to dine in since we also carried luggage with us. For lunch we ordered the Cheeseburger, the Quebecer poutine, honey garlic boneless chicken wings, and a vanilla milkshake. For just 2 people, this was a LOT of food. The cheese burger was a pretty standard tasting burger. I felt like it could be replicated in anyone's home. The boneless wings did not taste like chicken wings that were deboned but more like white meat. I found that they were slightly on the dry side but the flavour profile was pretty good. Their milkshake was really nice. I liked how creamy and simple the drink was. Finally, the poutine tasted authentic and delicious. It was covered in a good amount of gravy and had tons of cheese curds. Their fries were also had great texture. I like how hip restaurant this restaurant is with affordable prices and huge portions.

The service here is what made me give them 2 stars. I walked in and waited over 15 minutes to receive service. The decor is like an American 50's era diner in my opinion. The waitress was nice once she finally got to my table. I ordered my $15 CAD poutine and I was ready to go shortly after. I got the classic poutine which was really good. Plus it was vegetarian because the gravy is mushroom gravy. Just kidding, the cheese is not vegetarian. It's more than enough for 1 person and I didn't finish it. I guess there are other places to get poutine in Ottawa because I doubt I would come back here.

"Zak's Cantina" #wheretoeat in #Ottawa This amazing authentic diner had a long queue and waiting of 1/2 an hour(they Swear by that is was not a busy day for them which is unbelievable). We almost gave up as we had to catch a show soon after. Thank God we waited and gave this a try, they are actually famous for their burgers and milkshake. Relevant to the time we ordered from breakfast menu and it was scrumptious. One meal is sufficient for a person with good appetite. Service is fast and they bring the meal together for everyone on the table. Coffee is on the house and they offer refills. Swipe right for the full picture, on the table, all their dishes comes up with in house fries and baked beans(noticed a bit sweet in Ottawa): . . ________ 2) blueberry pancakes with honey syrup and butter 3) Huevos Divorciados (Huevos in the menu comes up with 2 sunny side up on the bed of tortillas topped with refried beans, guacamole, ranchero sauce, salsa, sour cream and feta cheese) 4) tripple cheese and veggie delight omelette which was melting in mouth and layered with cheese(jack, cheddar and mozzarella cheese) 5) Zak's traditional bloody Caesar(my highlight) we got this is happy hours and I was really happy as this is the tangiest one I had. They served it with pickled green beans. Yeah I was shocked too. Try this next time you are in town and thank me

Had my first 2017 breakfast here. The decor is typical style, very local and chill. New year with old brunch habit - I ordered pancakes as usual, but this time with blueberries. They did add lots of real blueberries into the pancakes. They were relatively fluffy and came with packed butter and maple syrup. I like the packed ones cuz it's easy to take away - of course I couldn't finish all four pancakes. My bf had omelette with sausages. Looked like to omelette wasn't salty enough to him and he wasn't quite happy with his first breakfast in 2017. But overall it was a good local dining experience.

mediocre food. Any good reviews here will be fakes. The eggs florentine had a few pieces of raw spinach on it. Pathetic. No hollandaise sauce. Just something thin and yellow. No flavour. And when do you order smoked salmon on a bagel when they give you little packets of cream cheese? A scam

Good food, great service. Too bad the Jukebox doesn't work. A little expensive for diner fare, but as a tourist destination, well-priced. :) Beware: They don't accept debit, and the washrooms are up a huge flight of stairs.

Burger was very burnt, and the food was not cooked properly and very black. Also, fries were very greasy

A bit disappointed by the "Less than enthusiastic" staff that couldn't be bothered to attend to me. Food was very generic and lacked thought. Despite being open 24 Hours - I think, I'm sure you could find something better. Don't bother coming. Watch yourself in Ottawa - I'm stunned at how shady and dangerous things were. I'm also very disappointed at how unfriendly folks were; especially the staff at the restaurant. This place truly lacked any bit of character; people did not seem happy.

Above average poutine and good service. I couldn't finish it all; I got stuffed 1/2 way in. It's located in the marketplace, near everything (for those of you who are foreigners like me).

Kara was an absolute delight...food was great too! Breakfast was HUGE! Not sure if the eggs were cage free, but they weren't chickens yet so who cares?

We were in the Byward Market early and getting hangry so we came here to juice up. If you get here early there's no line up, so decide between sleep or waiting in line. The decor is classic diner, but a little cleaner. Service is efficient and friendly, perfect diner style. The food is pretty good - all the regular favourites, big portions, served promptly. I had the lumberjack's breakfast and couldn't finish it, though I tried. There must be half a pound of cheese in it! I'd have given this place a higher rating if the prices were better.

Not at all worth it. It gets 2 stars for the diner concept and layout and the very friendly and (mostly) efficient service. It loses 3 stars because charging someone 12.95$ for good ol 2 eggs, toast, potatoes, choice of meat OR fruit is a F* ING INSULT. 11$ for a regular, barely medium sized, half-assed copy of a poutine (i duno what that is but u can't call it cheese curds just because they're shaped like cheese curd). Go ahead, take a look at the menu pics i took today 2017-12-03 and tell me you agree with a single price on that thing for cheap diner food? Seriously go F urself Zak's. I don't care if your in the middle of the market...it is enragingly pathetic to charge that much for a damn plate of diner food!!!! I was super stoked to get a milkshake here but at 6.95 for a drink with no booze???!!! Again shove it right up there Zak's. 85$ (not including tip) for 4 adults and 2 small children to eat crappy food!!!! The only reasonably priced things were the kids meals (6-7$ each: main, side and drink). And the bathrooms ...freezinggggg cold!!!! My poor niece froze her buns off (literally) and so did I! It was ridiculously cold in that bathroom. You'd figure with how much they charge for food they could afford to pay the damn heating bill! It was just a shitty diner. With shitty diner food. I will never ever be back! Repeat customers should be ashamed of themselves for keeping a place like this open and accepting such ridiculous pricing.

I have to tell that the aesthetics of this place is amazing and it is a perfect place to go out for milkshakes (like in American movies). The food was not good - burger was dry and the bun was not even fresh. The taste was really weird but I am not sure if it was because it was vegetarian (I tried veggie burger at many other places and they were ok). The service was super slow and it took us 10 minutes of wait to get the bill because nobody was paying attention. Good place for beverages but not food.

There is just way too much hype over this place in my opinion. Pros: we were seated quickly and service was good. We were in and out in an hour. Cons: most of the food was fried and it was wayyyy over priced. Most breakfast places I frequent with this type of food are between the $5-10 range. My meal of pancakes, eggs, and sausage was $16!! This place is a tourist trap and I would recommend you go elsewhere. I wish I had just gotten a coffee and a French pastry from the bakery across the street.

Had one experience with a member being pretty toxic to couriers. I'd imagine this would translate into the work culture and environment as well. However I've had a few redeeming experiences. This review is subject to change pending future interactions.

Zak's Diner makes me happy. It could be the fact that it's always open, or the fond memories of "after-prom" fried food, and while the tables are old and usually a little sticky, Zak's is a happy place! I recommend the blue cheese burger and the club sandwich - both are awesome! I hear the deep fried mars bar is also fantastic, but it sounds like a little much for me.

This place has great service and an American amount of food! I mean each serving is ridiculously large! A colleague and I needed a place for dinner our only evening in Ottawa. Since our hotel was nearby, we decided to explore this fun part of town. She was on a budget and not willing to splurge, so we opted for Zak's Diner. She went for the Quebequer Poutine and I opted for a burger. My burger was awesome, but it had also been 8 hours since my last meal. I was starving! Since we were on a break from work, we opted for dessert. The diffference between Betty's Rocky Road Brownie and the mini Rocky Road brownie was just $1. Obviously, we opted for Betty. And, it was gigantic (see photo). We ashamedly left so much of it behind ... next time, I'm in this city, I may come here either just for dinner or just for dessert- not both!

Who doesn't love a good old dinner in the nations capital ? Trick question everyone does and Zaks is a must stop and eat at place they have a large menu with sweet and savoury options and a ton of vegetarian options too! I personally couldn't choose what to get so I had to go with a eggs benny plate and a side of French toast I regret nothing the food was great and had a nice homey feel to it. Not to mention they also have milkshakes that came in a variety of flavours and if your up to it they also have a boozy option and if milkshakes aren't your thing get a Caesar! With a diner vibe Canadian charm and a big menu what more do you need to be convinced to come out here !

This diner is side-by-side to their sister restaurant -- Zak's Cantina which is great for various tastebuds. Guests can order dishes from either menu. The Diner menu consists of salads, soups, CDN/US style foods as well as all-day breakfast & milkshake options. The Cantina menu consists of tacos (chicken, fish, beef & veggie), burritos, fajitas & chimichanga. The portions are massive! I got the taco platter ($15) for 3 mix & match tacos of choice and a side (fries, salad, rice or soup). For the price, the meal was great and filling. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a diner -- booths & diner tables; however, no A/C. Kid's meals are free (and large portioned) with the purchase of an adult meal & beverage which makes it a good place to check out if on a budget.

Our go to place for breakfast when we visit Ottawa. Great food, affordable, and alcoholic beverages for breakfast? Yes sir!!

Was in the Byward Market area and selected Zaks for our dinner. The inside seems like frozen in time from 60s and 70s. Most of the walls have frames with lines on the and all of them are funny. Started off with Four Cheese Poutine. The grave is vegetarian and fries although thinner than I would like the Poutine was good. The gravy not too runny or salty. The chef did not skimp on cheese I must add. Ordered a Mac n Cheese burger with veggie patty with a salad and Grilled veggie wrap with mashed potatoes. The wedges Mac n Cheese were gooey and crispy on the outside. The burger patty was chickn flavour. The wrap was good with perfect veggies inside. The mashed potatoes were fresh made and not made from a box. The gravy was the same as the Poutine. The salad was ok, but a generous helping. All in all good place to go. Seemed to be a favourite spot for a lot of University Students. Half the tables were full of them.

Went for a late lunch on a weekday and it was still considerably busy, although we waited no time for a seat! Our waitress was lovely and very friendly. Chicken wrap was good, however the prices do seem a little high. Open 24 hours so would be a great spot for a late night meal or early breakfast!

Great great milkshakes!! If you ever get a milkshake, ask to split it in 2 because that's the normal size for average people (at least I think) Service was great and milkshakes were fast. The mint choc chip was good..definitely will come by again next time in Ottawa for other flavours.

First time here. My wife ordered the Big Breakfast and I ordered Pancakes and eggs. Only two mistakes. Blueberry pancakes were bland, and gave my wife white toast instead of brown toast. Service was good. Worth coming again to try other things on their menu. Covid19 protocols were practiced.