Zak’s Cafe

Love Zak’s for breakfast! Within walking distance from my home. Very friendly staff and the place just has a very cool vibe!

Fantastic spot for breakfast/​brunch! I’ve been many, many times for brunch on the weekend and am never disappointed. From the lobster Benedict and sweet potato hash, to the simple two-​egg breakfast, the dishes are well-​made with high quality ingredients. Bonus: I’ve never had to wait, even on Father’s Day for a last minute brunch with a group of six — we were seated on their beautiful patio right away. I’d highly recommend.

The restaurant was really nicely decorated and I loved the feel of it. I gave one less star because the service was just a little bit slower than I’m used to, but our server was really nice and the place was a little busy because of Father’s day! The food was good, very typical America breakfast foods. My boyfriend and I got the two brunch specials, and they tasted great!

Had a mediocre crab and asparagus omelet yesterday. My wife had the eggs Benedict with avocado and roasted red pepper. Sad presentation and bland meal for a breakfast that cost $ 36 for two with one coffee. Can’t recommend. My wife enjoyed lunch at this restaurant so that could be worth a try.

Awesome spot for breakfast. I love the laid back atmosphere. The whole place is a visual delight, and very comfortable.
I had the breakfast omelet special, which was an omelet with chorizo, pepperjack, and avocado. It was the best omelet I have ever had. Fluffy, spicy, just plain delicious. The country potatoes were also superb, cooked with onions and… rosemary? Yes! Whoever is cooking in the kitchen KNOWS what they are doing.
Great service, too! Highly recommended all the way around.

Standard breakfast and lunch fare. Nothing that will blow your mind, but it also won’t disappoint. A solid option if you’re looking for a good sandwich or omelette. They also serve Rishi tea which is nice to have with brunch.

Another disappointing experience at Zak’s. We were able to get a reservation for a group of 12 for mother’s day brunch. We were seated in the upstairs, which was fine, but I noticed it is extremely dusty there! The beams, rafters, and vents were caked in dust.
Our server was not particularly friendly but was fast with water refills and fast enough with drinks.
The food was the disappointment. I love that they do a make your own omelette, and I have had an omelette there before that was decent. I ordered mushrooms, spinach, and cheddar. The spinach tasted frozen (very spinachy taste) and there was about a cup full, just a ridiculously large amount. The mushrooms I believe to have been canned. The hashbrowns were good, though.
Overall the food received mixed reviews. My partner ordered the peach stuffed french toast, and it was cold. Others who ordered omelettes with spinach had the same complaint about the bad taste and far too much spinach.
One further issue was the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of the bathroom. It smelled terrible, I could smell it from the hall, and I had to hold my breath while I used it. The toilet was very dirty. Just a major turn-​off and makes me worry what the kitchen looks like. Zak’s needs to do a better job of cleaning, and that would help. And don’t overload on the spinach!

Zak’s has an amazing brunch and great specialty bloody marys. They have brunch ever day of the week but a more selective menu on weekends. The restaurant is very inviting and has a lot of natural light.
I really enjoyed the garlic and basil bloody mary, it wasn’t too spicy and was nicely garnished.
For food I got the scrambler. It was brought to me in a mini cast iron pan. It had potatoes, onions, chorizo (meat options were ham or chorizo), and it was topped with scrambled eggs. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted amazing.

Now this review is JUST about the Fish Friday at Zak’s Café.
I go for breakfast and it’s amazing, but that damn Fish Fry is ATROCIOUS!!!
The cod, perch and shrimp was greasy and had a nasty fish taste. I don’t know if I just got a bad patch, but I will never go again for the fish fry to see if that’s true. Please view my video review on youtube to be more enlighten on this matter. copy and paste:
Happy Eating

Zak’s! Thank you for being open for an early early early 7:30am mother’s day brunch! I guess it really actually was breakfast at that time, but anyhow, We had one member of the family that had to be at work by 10, so we really appreciated the early start time! Also the food was excellent, as was the service. I’ve eaten here 3 other times, & it’s always been great. I love the sun filled room with its gorgeous old wood beams & brick walls. Ideal, perfect atmosphere. Great bloody Mary’s too. We will be back!

This place is one of my favorite brunch spots! They have great infused Bloody Mary’s. The Jalapeño cilantro and Carolina reaper are my favorite. The place has really nice décor and I like how bright it is inside. I come here regularly at least once or twice, sometimes 3 times a month with friends and nobody has ever been disappointed with the food!
The only reason I’m giving them 4 instead of 5 stars is because they can sometimes be inconsistent. The first time I got biscuits and gravy they knocked my socks off with it! So naturally I ordered it the following weekend, except this time the biscuits were a little undercooked but that didn’t stop me from eating them. But the last time I ordered biscuits and gravy the biscuits were so small you almost couldn’t see them beneath the gravy. They were so small I wonder if they didn’t cut a normal sized biscuit in half. But, this is still one of my favorite hidden gems and I’ll be in again soon!

Zak’s is a quintessential lunch spot. It’s a great restaurant for a quick sit down meal. The service is relatively prompt, although I would avoid it if you have less than an hour for lunch.
In terms of the food, it is above average. The portions are fairly large, but the selection is abundant. The Portobello Road sandwich is buy far my favorite. It’s loaded with feta, spinach, and balsamic. Always get the fries on the side. Or, better yet, get a plate of fries for the table.
Overall, Zak’s is solid. I’ve only ever had lunch there, but I’ll definitely be back for breakfast or brunch one weekend.

This is a cute place. We had lunch. I had the halibut sandwich. It was super good. Nice seasoning on the fries. My friend had a grilled chicken sandwich. She said «chicken is usually dry, this is not and the sauce on the bun is really good!» I didn’t like sitting by the employee back door. Staff kept going in and out of the door. I’m going to try it again for a dinner. Maybe a dinner will give a 5 star. :-)

The fam and I stopped in for brunch. It was a bit crowded. The space itself is unique. There is a first floor and a loft area upstairs. The space has exposed wood beams and local art work for sale.
We were sat promptly. We ordered waffles, pancakes, brioche French toast and the toast and eggs combo.
The food came at a reasonable time. My waffle was a bit cold but it was ok. The breakfast potatoes were on point. Actually, everything was on point. The prices were ok as well. There were an adult beverage ordered as well… on point!
The waitstaff were accommodating and pleasant.
I saw that they have a outdoor patio. I’d love to come back and sit outside as weather permits.

Seriously this place doesn’t fit into the area. Thought I would give them a second chance and ordered the French toast.
French toasted didn’t taste like anything special. Really simple, plain and soggy.
Bacon was such cheap quality super thin and skimpy lol. I can buy better bacon then this at the grocery store! Considering the area, most brunch places are amazing!
Orange juice was even poor quality. Totally obvious it was concentrated. It’s like those orange juices you get from a random gas station and just drink it because you bought it.
Honestly George Webbs taste better than this place and quality is the same.
Your better off going to Honey Pie or Simple Café for an awesome brunch

2.5÷5
As you are zipping through the reviews you might come to a full stop here thinking «haters gon hate». But if you stick with me here I hope you’ll understand the reason for the rating.
3 out of 5 means «a-​ok». I feel like that’s enough for the bronze fonz to break free from his frozen pose and exclaim «ayyyyyyy!» accompanied with an enthusiastic thumbs up. A-​OK implies that it’s good and that I would go again.
Zak’s is right below that. Quick summary:
Atmosphere: Mellow. That’s good because at breakfast I don’t necessarily need thumpin bass, rockets flying through the air, etc. It’s quiet. That is good +1
Service: Here there is truly nothing noteworthy. The service industry changes and sees new faces often. From my time here I was never impressed. I never thought it was average. I thought more that someone begrudgingly threw on some clothes, showed up and mustered up the strength to produce audible sounds. Have you ever hung out with hungover friends when you yourself where feeling crisp, clean and fresh? Same thing.
Food: A bevy of do it yourself items. What does that mean? Items that if you put forth minimal effort you could reproduce the same results. Eggs undercooked, French Toast seemingly made from Store bought bunny bread, lackluster hashbrowns. I never once thought to myself that «This is the reason to come here». Often times breakfast joints have things I couldn’t easily reproduce so it’s worth going there. Examples would be items off Blue’s specialty menu, Comet’s Comet Benedict, etc.
The sole reason to come here is you were too lazy to do it yourself. Full stop. You could take the same money and get more bang for your buck elsewhere. That said it’s rates above the ultra cheap greasy spoon chains you might be familiar with.
If you are a brunch junkie and value flavor, creativity, above average service, look elsewhere. If your main go to’s are Webb’s, Denny’s, Perkins then this is definitely a step up

Okay, what the heck, Zak’s? I’d heard such great things about you! I had such high expectations, and you disappointed me. Went in early on a Sunday, and almost the whole restaurant was empty. Your hostess seats us, then decides five minutes later to seat a family with two kids directly next to us. Why? You can have them in the same section, but right next to us?
Then the food came. The «hash» was far worse than I could have made at home, and set me back $ 10+! It was cut up sweet potatoes that looked like they had been unfrozen and barely cooked. It was inedible. My very expensive «quark cheese» French toast (my favorite) was barely more edible.
Not coming back!

Small spot with limited space. I found some of the hours odd for dinner anyway. I hear they do a great brunch, but not something I’ve been too.
Service was OK, and so was the food, but it really didn’t hit a point that stands out. The food is nothing original and lacks a real specialty, the service again is average, the location is cozy but not greatly memorably and the bar selection was weak. Almost no craft beer, I think there was 1 bourbon… Oh well, I doubt I would return.

Decent food and large portions but terrible service. It makes me sad because I really wanted to like Zak’s Café.
I was with a group of 15 and we made reservations 5 days in advance for a Sunday brunch. We were informed they could accommodate our group and seat us in an area that would be at least semi-​private. We arrived prior to our reservation time and they told us it would be a few minutes… totally acceptable.
The upstairs was completely empty and we assumed that was were we would be seated. All 15 of us stood around the bar and were pouring into the seating area as we waiting for our table. Not 5, not 10, but 50 minutes. Our group had a meeting to attend afterward and by this point, we were all very anxious.
We were seated in the very front of the restaurant, which was not private at all and very loud. We wanted to ordered immediately, informing in the staff we were now in a hurry. Our served came to take our orders about 15 mins after we were seated.
After placing our orders, our food came out relatively quick. So that was a star. Others loved their order and highly recommended (such as the sweet potato hash), however I felt my food was just okay… as in, I feel I could have made better food at home. I hate when I go to a restaurant and have that thought. Especially when I pay $ 12 for a dish and I could have make 4 times that much for that cost. If you were wondering, I had a veggie omelet with fresh fruit, and the fruit was tasteless.
As soon as we entered the establishment, one of the group members asked about splitting the check. They said they can do separate checks for individuals — since no one carries cash on them these days. When our bill came we were informed they can only split the bill 4 ways and it would have to be equal bills (as in the total/​4 = bills). That was not communicated to us at all when we initially asked. It caused a frantic panic among the group.
Overall, my experience as stressful and underwhelming. As I mentioned, food was okay and some dishes looked much better than others. However, I would not recommend especially if you are in a hurry or with a group.

I met my cousin here for brunch around 11:00 on a Sunday. This place seems quite popular – as we were leaving there was almost a line outside the door! No private parking lot for this place that I could find, but street parking shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
First issue off the bat: my cousin arrived a few minutes before me. As she stood waiting at the hostess stand, she wasn’t acknowledged by any staff. A bunch of people came in a few minutes later… the hostess came and seated these people before even saying hi to my cousin who was at the front of the line. Not off to a great start.
I had the raspberry pancakes with hashbrowns and bacon. My cousin had the lobster eggs Benedict with hashbrowns, and a soy latte.
Our server was either new or just completely disengaged. He didn’t seem to know what sides were included with the different brunch entrees, and actually looked at the physical menu while hesitantly writing down the order. My cousins latte was mildly warm and she wasn’t given a spoon… however it was very good! My diet coke arrived pretty late. Food came out relatively quickly which was awesome since we were starving. I LOVED my food. The raspberry pancakes were full of flavor and everything looked great. My cousin was less enthused, her eggs were overlooked. Our server didn’t ask us how things tasted. When he (again) hesitantly presented the check, we had to ask him to clear up some of the dishes so we had room to pay and sign the bill. A «thank you» was hesitantly mumbled and that was that.
I think the food here is really good, probably a ⁴⁄₅. But the service here needs attention. It’s a cute place but it needs improvement to live up to its potential.

I am conflicted about Zak’s. I have been here several times for brunch and also had tastings of their lunch/​dinner items. And I have enjoyed it more often than not.
The Good:
Great location, great space.
Friendly people.
Wonderful patio area when it is warm enough to take advantage of it!
French toast and stuffed french toast.
Coffee and coffee drinks.
Breakfast burritos.
Bloody Mary’s.
The Not So Good:
Sweet Potato Hash. It sounds awesome, or it sounded awesome to me when I ordered it. «a blend of russet and sweet potato with bacon, rosemary and thyme drizzled with pure Wisconsin maple syrup topped with 2 eggs to order and toast». It was more like a MAPLE SYRUP SOUP with half cooked potatoes and a couple bacon bits thrown in. I don’t know if that is how the dish is supposed to be, but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting based on the description. There was nothing «drizzled» on anywhere. It was «dunked» if anything. And the potatoes were seriously undercooked. The fried eggs on top were good, but that’s about it.
Our waitress noticed that I didn’t even eat a third of it and failed to ask why, which signaled to me that either she didn’t care or this is a typical response for this dish.
I don’t know. This was my most recent experience here, and it obviously left a bad taste in my mouth. Lesson learned — don’t order the sweet potato hash.

Took a quick stop for Brunch here as a passerby and I’m glad I did. They have a decent size brunch menu and the food looked really good. I had the biscuits and sausage gravy with scrambled eggs and it was freaking good. The gravy was not heavy or too oily and it was a perfect consistency. The two biscuits were fluffy and thick. Although my favorite was my side order of pork sausage links. It was not salty and you get the snapping bite when you pierce through the skin. I liked it so much I ordered another pair.
The coffee was a good brew and drank it with just cream and no sugar. The service was excellent and we had constant coffee refills. The interior was really nice and clean; I liked the cabin feel and the artwork for sale. I came hungry and left happy.

Stopped by here before taking the train back to Chicago. This was one of the few spots open in MKE early on a Sunday morning. Really enjoyed having breakfast /​brunch here. Really cozy and relaxed feel with a friendly staff to serve you.
The lobster benedict was awesome! Generous portions of lobster claw and tail with a poached egg on an English muffin and finally topped with a Bearnaise sauce. The homestyle potatoes on the side were tasty and combined with a nice cup of coffee and you’re all set to conquer the day!
Would definitely be back here next time in MKE!
‘Til next time cheers!