Zak's Diner Elgin St in Ottawa

The food is too bad.

One of the Best Breakfast spots in Ottawa with 24 hour breakfast available. Must try their Quesadilla... Good food with generous quantities...

Laid back good ol food... and they serve TATER TOTS! Handt had tater tots in ages!

Enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving breakfast with family. Lovely food and ambience.

It was a pleasure to have breakfast in Zaks Diner. Friendly staff and delicious food. Thank you!

Wings, good beer, fries, simple, quick, close to amenities in Ottawa.

A lot of salt, my sister don t ate her smoked meat sandwich

Great place for a burger.

the Ruben sandwich was massive, I would have been satiafied with half the size, but they left me happy instead.

Its not the best Zaks location. Service was awful, and the waiter wasnt helpful in the slightest. Food took 50 minutes to come out for a two adult meals and one kid meal. Food was good but the service killed it for me.

Servers are always friendly :) but the wait to be seated and served is incredibly long. We were waiting 30+ minutes after ordering with no communication from our waiter.

The diner feels very basic, with simple chairs, tables, and utensils that seem more fitting for a casual spot. However, the menu prices are surprisingly high, more in line with an upscale chain restaurant, which doesn t quite match the overall ambiance. 20$ for chicken wings,15$ Poutin for this service!

Really awful. Too pricy but was not worth it at all. The eggs were cold.

Smoked meat piled on bread, Eggs and bacon sizzle bright, Breakfast dreams fulfilled. Food : 5/5

Safe choice, good service, they do expect a minimum of 18% tip but still an good overall experience.

Our server Marquise was very nice and good at making recommendations of their menu

I got their milkshake and smoked meat poutine, it was amazing and the portion sizes were very good! Definitely a great place to go with friends!

Good dishes for a Dinner, generous portions. Very clean restaurant, pleasant and fast service. Fair prices.

Only one word is enough to describe my meal : AMAZING !!! Burger, steak and pancakes, everything was absolutely divine

Ive loved this place since the 90s. Always open, good food, comfortable seating. A great place to catch up with friends over a meal. Reasonable prices, filling food. Not often you see a place keep quality over such a long time.

Excellent food...you will be transported back to your past

Kid-friendliness: Choices of kids meals Pogo, burger, hotdogs, grilled cheese and more.. Sides of salads fries more.. Ice cream vanilla or chocolate

Curly fries poutine was magical! The milkshake was perfect

As always, the food was excellent. I had the spicy chicken club. Very filling and tasty. The spice is baked into the seasoning, which is my preference. The curly fries are great (for those of us who enjoy curly fries) and I had a calabogie front porch. Most importantly, our server Hunter was attentive, friendly, and pleasantly talkative. We will continue to come again. Vegetarian options: Beyond meat options as meat replacement Kid-friendliness: Kids menu with options that appeal to a wide variety of kid preference.

Nice and cozy place, old-school restaurant with tasty burgers

Awesome all day breakfast. Had an omelette with sourdough and it was perfect. No line on a Saturday at noon. Great service.

Excellent food and very friendly staff.

Excellent service on a very busy day! Would certainly return and recommend to a friend. Vegetarian options: Milkshakes can be made dairy free Dietary restrictions: Gluten free bread available

Food is ight, service needs work. Everytime I come here the server either takes over 15 minutes to greet us/take our drink order or they completely forget about the table and we need to chase them down for things we need, even the bill. Its really annoying.

Nothing special. Food is ok, not great. Price is not really fair for the type and quality of food.

Always get great service. Food is great. See you again!!

The best homefries ever!

The staff is not professional at all, the baby high chairs have broken seat belts, none of them work, the food is bad, and the service is terrible, I stayed with my family at the Cartier hotel and we saw this place for breakfast, I dont recommend it at all, dont go They will only waste time, money and it is not good at all.

Dietary restrictions: They can accommodate nearly anything Kid-friendliness: There was a kid screaming makingna hitnof noise and my server Carol just sent over to her and interacted a tiiny hekp youncould see the relief on moms face when her daugther stopped yelling. Carol was amazing as she always is super friendly and attentive, so great!

Great food and service

Went here for breakfast, the food was decent, the service was excellent but the prices were way higher than expected for what you get. Theres an upcharge for syrup with your pancakes which is just ridiculous. Wheelchair accessibility: Bathrooms are up a steep staircase with no elevator in sight. Be warned.

Eggs Benedict were overcooked, the yoke was solid. The floor was covered with syrup and was sticky and gross. One of the waitress kept spilling syrup on the floor while she was bringing the jar to the tables. We were served by a rude guy with a mustache that wasnt saying a word to us. I usually liked the place but our last experience wasnt the best. I dont think I will go back.

Huge portion could barely finish it French toast sausage home fries juice eggs delicious

Our experience with the waiter (guy with the mustache) was a trip to the twilight zone. When he walked up to our table initially he just stood there. No greeting or anything. After a few awkward moments he finally said. So coffee? Absolutely bizarre behavior for a server. He was completely unfriendly and aloof during the entire visit. He was nothing but unhelpful when we were ordering. Our food was quick and decent. By the time he finally came around to ask how our food was, one of us was already finished. Of course he didn t clear the plate. No offer of water, coffee or pop top ups the whole time we were there. And then after waiting forever to see him again he appeared with the bill. Never asking if we wanted anything else or as mentioned any refills. This man is clearly in the wrong line of work and left us walking away wondering what the hell just happened. In reading other reviews we are definitely not the first customers to have the unfortunate experience of being served by this guy.

Elgin Location is busy, but sparse interior. Byward is more Diner like. Wheelchair accessibility: Level entrance. Booths / General access may be too narrow. Inside strip of tables, has wide aisle to the back of Restaurant. Might be suitable depending on your mobility. Bathroom is stairs access only.

Excellent, pleasant place where I would happily return

Excellent customer service served with a smile. Great food!! Loved the atmosphere of this diner bringing me back to yesteryear. Will be definitely coming back! Wheelchair accessibility: Outside patio is 100% wheelchair assessible whereas indoors is not. But I did hear that the staff can assist those who need it. I sat outside in my wheelchair and thoroughly enjoyed it as umbrella protected me from the hot afternoon.

July 2024 A dinner with good products and generous plates

Went here to eat breakfast, it was very good. But a BIG portion, not something I m used to as I m from Denmark but it was very tasty, filling and great service. Will recommend going here for eating! Very tasty

Went here twice. Breakfast was ok but fairly expensive. Had a banana split that was terrific and a sundae with resses pieces and crispy crunch chunks that was also extremely yummy! Nice atmosphere and good service. Maybe adding a slightly smaller portioned breakfast at a reduced price would improve satisfaction.

Kid-friendliness: Decent portions and affordable pricing for kids. Food

This place is a nice place to dine (especially for a breakfast), there are so many restaurants I have been to but this one ranks as one of the best. It s not only a service and the product (food & drinks) but a good bridge between them. The servers are real caring people.

Zaks diner is a well know restaurant franchise in Ottawa for its smoked meat sandwiches and shakes. The Elgin restaurants 50s style diners interior gives customers the retro era experience, while still looking fresh and clean. Its prime location on Elgin Street in the downtown core makes it very popular with government workers during the weekday lunch periods, tourists during the day and party goers when the want to eat in the evenings. You can feel comfortable coming alone, with friends or family all around the clock. It is also a great place just to eat and sit back to watch the people walking on Elgin street. If you like my reviews, photos or videos the put another dime in the jukebox, hit the like button and rock around the clock.

Good for breakfast / brunch.

tasty, but for takeout didn t provide utensils had to eat omelette with bare hands :)) also asked for no bacon but got bacon .. :(

I had the Eggs Benedict. The Hollandaise sauce was incredibly lumpy and looked unappetizing. I thought well maybe that is how they do it, 10 minutes later another table had the same order but with normal smooth looking hollandaise sauce and even a shake of paprika on top. I was so disappointed that not only the kitchen let my order out but my waitress did not even ask them to redo do it, given how it should look. Poor customer care and food consistency. Will not go back.

Very pleasant restaurant, clean, excellent waitress, smiling, knowledgeable about the products Quality products My first poutine, excellent! I recommend

Went here twice on my 2 day trip. Great service and food was fantastic. Thank you!

Love Zaks! Carol is awesome! We walk in, she points to a table, and then brings us our regular order of milkshakes! So love being regulars.

Been here a few times and its consistently good food and plentiful. Had a really long wait for service due to a staff mix-up but they made up for it with a good discount. Vegetarian options: A few vegetarian options are on the menu and you can also order with vegan substitutes like for egg and beyond meat sausage

Classic diner experience, but made contemporary. Booth seating and great decor. Friendly, helpful staff. We had the brunch, which was classic brunch but tasty. Coffee was standard cafe coffee, but bottomless. Great selections on the menu to choose from, for all sorts of tastes. Great for families, couples, or solo diners. Will definitely go again, and highly recommend. Vegetarian options: They have vegan and vegetarian options Parking: Street parking on side streets Kid-friendliness: Great for kids

Cheeseburger with bacon and ranut not bad

Dinner with nice decoration, average service and decent dishes

The portion was huge, got most of it but just couldnt eat it all! Just a way down from the war memorial a good walk there and back lots of nice buildings and stores a few parks to stop at when you reach the Natural History Museum

Amazing milkshakes

Food was okay, price wasnt worth it, location isnt great with the homeless around to harass you as you eat and enter/leave but Im a sucker for the retro atmosphere

Great place with lots of vegan options Vegan milkshakes are Yum!!! Food

Excellent nostalgia diner. Service can be spotty. Food good, served eventually, hot. Impressed that they had my lost radio station hat waiting for me at the host station! Thanks for that!

Large portions. Clear, nice for breakfast.

My girlfriend and I come here all the time and the service and food is always amazing. This is the best diner in Ottawa!

Jumbo sized portions! Great service!

Consider that I ve worked in restaurants for years when reading this (visited Sunday June 9, 2024 at 1pm) Food: typical. Service: non existent. Sat in a booth for 15 minutes with a group of 6, no one came by to greet us or even offer water. I asked hi could we be served please, to somebody walking by, and it took a whole 5 more minutes to get served. Our server was neither bad nor good once she finally arrived; but when you re 19 minutes into getting neglected, there s not much you. An do to earn your tip back. Atmosphere: terrible. There were 7 employees all walking by our table, avoiding eye contact, no one asking if we ve been served, no one apologized for making us wait 19 minutes, absolutely terrible. Genuinely unsure about what the employees were being paid to do. Not coming back here again, not worth your time. The interior design is nice though!

Great breakfast spot; lousy coffee.

My coworker and I went to this location for breakfast. I order the eggs Benedict and the pea meal bacon came raw. My coworkers breakfast poutine came as regular home fries and the coffee was full of granulars. Was not too impressed this time around at zaks.

Food is comforting, service is pretty good, prices reasonable, many vegan options though those are mostly Just Egg substitutes, which is fine for a diner. Good location. Would recommend.

Friendly atmosphere & good breakfast food. Service was excellent. Dietary restrictions: Waitress was able to make adjustments to my fruit selection, and gluten free toast was available. Food : 4/5 |

One of the things I love about diner food is that out is simple fare but made with pride and care. Almost everything in my simple poached egg breakfast was not home made even the poached eggs were not authentically poached but steamed in a mold. Home fries were packaged. Very, very sad little breakfast and don t even get me started on the service!

Came to zaks after work to grab some locally famous milkshakes to go. Jay was the only waitress and it was getting pretty busy. She even had a splint on and was hustling hard to get all the customers served! And she did truly look like she enjoyed serving her customers it was so refreshing to see. I always love zaks and their staff always make the experience better, this time stood out :) thanks for the great service Jay!

Damn, that was a good breakfast poutine!!!

Love the zaks on the elgin! It s less busy than in byward so i feel like they re more personal and i get to chat with the servers more! its also nice when its summer and they open the garage doors so its an inside outside vibe Dietary restrictions: LACTOSE FREE MILKSHAKES AVAILABLE

The servers very nice, the food is delicious and the place is clean. All you need in a restaurant

EXCELLENT service from our server Marcel!!!

Server wasnt very attentive...

Brilliant sundae!! A work of art!! Thank you!!

Absolutely appalled. We were a group of three adults, and one baby. We asked if we could have patio seating, the hostess said maybe, if it s possible we informed her there was in fact seating available, and she said if there s time to which I said oh are you guys closing? She said no and started looking behind her and said she was just complaining. She proceeded to leave us at our patio table, not offering even water! Never returned, never took our order. It was so disrespectful to see all the two servers laughing and chit chatting while we d been waiting all that time. We went to Elgin dinner and had an amazing experience, the service was fast and friendly, although they didn t have a patio.

We went there with a baby and asked for a table outside the hostess was complaining to us it s super busy and they re gonna stop accepting people. We ask her if we should get a table inside she said no she s gonna stop accepting people period because there s too many people. I asked her if she was understaffed (because the inside looked empty) and she said no she was just complaining and continued to complain. My sister then asked if she wanted us to seat ourselves which she said no it s fine and seated us outside. She then said she doesn t know who s gonna come and serve us and left us to wait for 30 mins and never returned or gave us water. She went to the other tables beside us and took care of them but did not come to tend to our table. We decided to take our hungry baby to the Elgin diner instead and as we were leaving we saw the two waitresses at the front standing there talking and just watching us. It was clear to me this was completely intentional and was reminding me of something out of the movie Mean Girls. Quite appalled with this behaviour with these young ladies.

We were a big group on Mothers Day, and were accommodated very well by the staff. We all managed to sit at one very big table! Breakfast was great with lots of options and tasty food.

Nice retro ambiance and good breakfast.

Good value for money

Its a diner. Diner food was good, booth was comfortable, service was fast. No complaints.

Great food! Comfortable atmosphere... All Day breakfast as well as classic diner offerings. Food

Loved the retro diner decor and service. The prices are fair for typical diner food, but the food was underwhelming in both quality and appearance.

We had breakfast in this restaurant. The service was quite quick. The pancakes are good and the maple syrup is offered even if it appears extra on the menu. Budget around $15-20 per person.

Eggs benidict and hash brown tots did not taste very good. Dry and bland. I can make way better at home with no experience in the kitchen. Waste of $25 per plate. Worth maybe $12 at best.

Portions were very good. Pancakes were so huge my daughter and I couldnt finish Chocolate Milkshake was yummm. Will definitely visit again whenever we go to Ottawa

Food was hot and good. Prompt and efficient service.

I like.

The managers, Sam and Jenny were super rude to our group tonight. Telling us to smoke across the street that is 9 meters away AKA across the street that was 25ft away...We were nice too through the whole night so, we dont know why they were being super unpleasant. Plus, they treat there workers like trash and will embarrass them in front of the customers. We had a super nice server name Kayleigh but unfortunately, we wouldnt be returning here ever after this poor experience.

Decent price with good waiters, but expensive and a little dull in asthetics. The bathrooms and the toilets were relatively clean though.

Really nice atmosphere and amazing food. Staple place! Amazing breakfast and milkshakes. Retro vibe. Good location!

Updated my review to reflect their customer service - it s been two weeks since I emailed her and no response. So the thing with Zak s is there food is actually very tasty, that s the only reason I keep giving them chances. The don t have a vegetarian friendly breakfast poutine option, which is fine so I always order their regular breakfast poutine and specify NO MEAT. That being said there has never been a time the poutine arrived without meat in it. I decided to give them one last try tonight and of course, shows up full of bacon and inedible obviously. Very disappointing

Many years ago I used to go to Zack s and really liked the food. Most recently I ate there and found that the food was over cooked nachos we re sticking to the paper and toppings were not well distributed. Fries were very hard to chew . Staff was friendly and the diner vibes was great.

Went here with a friend after hearing amazing things, ordered a vegan breakfast sandwich and was brought one with Meat and Eggs. The staff were busy and short staffed, we took a long time to be seated. Ive got food intolerances and had to take time off work due to being fed dairy, meat, and eggs and was throwing up the next day. When I told staff their error was going to make me sick there wasnt really much of an apology or anything for such a big mistake. The staff said that I could get something else and it could be discounted but wasnt when the bill came. When I order something labelled vegan and get the exact opposite its not the kind of place I want to give my business too.

While I could tolerate the food being average due to the convenient hours and location, the service left so much to be desired. Don t expect coffee refills, expect to wait 10-15 minutes for your bill to come (and even worse, they will insist on clearing the table before bringing you the bill - holding you hostage even longer against your will.) I should know better as I m local and this place has only ever been popular among the late night post-booze night out crowd, but to any tourists considering a visit: avoid at all costs. Don t be fooled by the vintage charm diner appearance. The servers seem miserable, and bottomless coffee loses its appeal if you have to flag a server down to get it.

Classic diner style. A very big space but not a lot of people. The service was very friendly but it was also very slow considering how few customers there were. The food though, that was excellent. My colleagues had burgers and I had the poutine with smoked meat which was delicious and a very generous portion. Definitely worth the wait.

A super breakfast! I had no idea the pancakes were giant! Very friendly staff, retro but clean environment. Not expensive. In short, I will return and recommend it! Kid-friendliness: If I were here with my kids, I would definitely go!

Classic diner in the heart of Ottawa

Staff hard working friendly. Slow service. Fun Retro decor..nice place to chill with friends. Selection not traditional diner food. Expecting a hot homemade meal . Menu consists burgers sandwiches finger foods. Way over priced. Quality average. Nachos just ok. Cheddar and sour crean fresh very good .Separated the chips more than half with no topping. Salsa cheap quality. Black beans tiny some kind of tomatoe sauce like marimara sauce. Strange beef squares expecting traditional chili Mexican type beef. Milk shake good.Over priced. Gave doggie bag to grateful homeless person.

Food was tasty, hot and reasonably priced. Staff were friendly. Bathrooms were a bit of a walk.

Ordered january 22/24 clubhouse with side salad through uber eats. I got mixed greens not romaine and the lettuce was rotton, slimy and black. The diced cucumbers looked sketchy as well starting to turn colour. Clubhouse barely had any chicken and bread was not toasted. First and last time ordering here. Im not sure who put that garbage out to serve. would you really serve that to a friend or family member? Disgusting, salvaged what I could because I was hungry. Pictures attached.

We loooove this place for weekend brunches! Great diner food. My fave is is the salmon bagel. Fun decor. Friendly staff.

We went after watching a special session of Grease in the movies, and the experience was complete: Zaks Diner has that 50s vibe. We ordered burgers with milkshakes, and the service was great.

Food is very delicious.. Best french fries ever!!! Waiters are professional and friendly

Classic diner with classic diner food, however modern day prices. The atmosphere is great, the decorations seating arrangements are pretty cool. The food was quite good and the staff is friendly. Other then the higher then expected cost for a plate, portions are fantastic and would definitely recommend if you are hungry on elgin st. Came pretty quickly too given the amount of people there at lunch time Vegetarian options: Lots of options Dietary restrictions: Very clear messaging on the menu Kid-friendliness: Looks like a great family location

Im fond of this place!! They have the best milkshakes that I ever drink! There are numerous and various breakfast! I would like to go to Ottawa just for eating and drinking an awesome Chloe-Rita milkshake!

Went for a Glittershaker drag show and it was phenomenal. I ordered the salmon and lox for brunch. For $20 I got tater tots, a toasted bagel, 2 plastic packets of cream cheese, 3 rolls of smoked salmon and some capers. Food : 3/5

Great choice for breakfast. Consistently delivers quality meals for a decent price. Excellent location in downtown.

Great place to eat! Prices were good, especially for alcohol. Loved the 60s decor and music, really brought you back to the old diners.

I stopped by Zaks Diner on Elgin St and tried their Banana Milkshake a while ago. I d give it 8.3/10 for the flavour, portion, and mix/blend

Came for breakfast at around 2pm. Great service and great food.

Good food and service was excellent! Great atmosphere made for an enjoyable brunch.

Huge portions!

Fun place, good food,great staff

Love the ambiance, great food quality.

My first experience at a Zaks, and certainly not disappointed! The breakfast was more food than I had stomach space for.. :-) will be back!

Not bad, but not exceptional either. Service was fast and friendly. Food portion is just right for the price. My only nitpick is the taste of the meal I got (Benny Pacific) was so bland. I had to put a lot salt and pepper for taste.

Classic diner. Great food, great prices

Great service, very hip ambiance. A true diner with great quality. The hot cocoa had marshmallows hidden under the whipped cream which was a wonderful surprise

Love the poutine and the coffee is average strength but tastes good . Kids chicken nuggets tasty also. Service very prompt and i like the large booths that can accommodate 6 people at one table .. nice ! Order the shakes !! They are awesome.!!

Although the byward one is legendary, the Elgin street one is soooooo nice! I went for a drag show and the vibe was great, food Good, freiend staff. Would go back definitely

Great place for breakfast in Ottawa. Kid-friendliness: Kid breakfast set. Food : 5/5 |

ZAks has been my choice on many occasions. This last visit I found the chocolate milkshake overly sugary and the putin super salty. I am an old person. We are supposed to lose some sense of taste. I wonder. The server was amazing and the place clean and welcoming.

Attentive server, delicious food, and clean, comfortable interior. Had a gluten free Mexican breakfast burrito which came with a huge basket of gluten free tater tots! Friends ordered French toast and it was delish.

Food was great, probably the best broccoli cheese soup I have ever had!! Service was a bit to be desired.

During our stay in Ottawa we visited Zak s twice, the atmosphere was great, service was excellent and the food was amazing, especially the poutine. The strawberry milkshake was delicious.

Great food and service, prices are too high for a diner. Would visit again

Quick easy and good

Great Big Breakfast, sausages were very good

Nice atmosphere. Not cheap.

The manager gave my husband a broom to sweep the floor. She said it was because he gave a 5 dollar tip. The manager was beyond rude and asked us to Get out even after we let her know we would add to the tip after she said that was how the staff got paid. I have been around the world and never been spoken to condescendingly and harassed for a tip before. And I do tip. Maybe the manager was biased because of our color...who knows? I actually care less what she thinks. But I would like others to have this information before going there. Our server, bless her heart was wonderful. But the whole experience left a bad taste in our mouth after eating.

It is a very busy and noisy place for the same reason.

Came here for breakfast with colleagues and the food and atmosphere were very good..... Its what you would expect a dinner to be Service was absolutely fantastic!! Will definitely be back. Enjoy.

Expensive.. $18 for a small soup and salad with Kraft commercial dressing. Not worth the detour. Food : 3/5 |

We were celebrating my nieces birthday and there were several people. We loved the service and attention of our waitress. Thank you again for this beautiful evening!

We had a great family breakfast. Awesome food, service and great milkshakes

Nice diner in downtown Ottawa. Has some good breakfast options and coffee is good too.

Great food and service

I was a semi-frequent late-night customer & ill never return. i was refused service at 11:30pm when they close at 12 on friday. not only that, but i found the manager and waitress to be rude & condescending. the staff has changed since i was there last. i work in the service industry aswell and it takes alot for me to make a complaint. ill be contacting the manager personally tomorrow.

We had such a beautiful evenjng at Zaks Diners Elgin location. Maya was such a friendly, attentive, and caring server.

disgusting place & bad service

First time there. Reminds me of a family diner popular in the 50s and 60s. Loved the atmosphere. Service was great. Had breakfast. Their tater tots are the best I ever had. I plan on going back and will bring a friend.

Disgusting never coming back. They make mcdonalds take out look like a 5 star meal

A real hamburger, not some generic patty. Best burger Ive had in a very long time. Food was great, staff was great and atmosphere is cool. Loved it

Lilys service was excellent! Went above and beyond for us and was so kind!!

I really fun place to eat when youre in Ottawa. Not just for the all day breakfasts but for just about any kind of meal you want to have. I like the place on Elgin Street but its other location in the Byward market is perhaps a little bit more fun. Its a funky sort of retro place with comfortable booths and oldies music from bygone eras. Stuff is always super friendly and engaging.