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Categories: Pizza, Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: BallardStop by ZB's for a drink and some great football! Check the website for a schedule of the games we're showing, both college ball and NFL.
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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DEEP FRIED CHEESE CURDS.
My search is over.
Also: mac n cheese casserole, tater tots, real bratwurst with all the fixin's, and down home Midwestern beers like Leinenkugel's.
If you're looking for a Vikings game that's not televised locally in Seattle, try here. Then, if it's Sunday, wander around the corner to the farmer's market.
This place is located in "Bizarro West Seattle," also known as Ballard, where there are many of the same stores (Matador, Great Harvest, Pho Than Brothers, and more), but it's still weirdly different.
This place is kind of weird to me for some reason. I think the creepy photos of the man on the wall did it in for me.
Or possibly the fact you can get a mac and cheese PIZZA or a deep fried cheeseburger. My friends were really wanting me to get that burger, instead I opted for the Stuffed blue cheese and bacon burger, which by the way, was not stuffed. It was sufficient in getting rid of my hunger, but I would have been happier if it had more bacon and more blue cheese as advertised.
Was a bit disappointing they didn't serve half portions or anything and there wasn't anything below the $7 mark besides some soup and fries.
Not impressed at all.
Be prepared ladies and gentlemen, this is my first 5 star review.
This whole journey started on my way to the Wild Mountain Cafe for what I thought was the best bloody mary in town, and guess what the only day they are closed all week long is on Tuesday. What is a boy that works retail to do other than ask a strange street lady for advice. She sent me an my crew to Zayda Buddy's, thank you vagrantette.
We were put off at first because we were looking for a breakfast place to cure the slight hang over from a good time the night before and were going to leave after our bloody mary...but then things started going really good. The bloody mary came with cheese curds in it. that is right cheese in it, thank you Minnesota Jesus, and a beer chaser.
"We have to eat here," I related to the rest of my party and we got menus. Can I just say that my hang over has never been cured faster than with the deep fried burger smothered with pepper jack cheese? Serve that with a side of pringles and you just made my whole day. The food was good, the server was stoned and attentive, and every drink came with a side of tator tots. I love you ZB and will be back, the next time I decide that my liver is evil and must die!
My girlfriend was born in Minnesota, so when we moved to Ballard, we had to check out Zayda Buddy's, home of the Vikings. This is about as Midwest as you can get in the PNW - cheese curds, hot dish, and all. We ordered the "Freddie Boy's Slammin' Buffalo Chicken" Minnesota-style pizza, and boy, was it good! Buffalo chicken, blue cheese, and ranch served in piping hot square slices.... They also have some uncommon Midwestern beers, such as Leinenkugel's and Blatz. There are TVs, but the placement is not great, and you have to be at a premium table to have a good view. Check it out for a beer and some food sometime.
Ok, is it me or is this place straight out of the midwest??? My friend suggested we go there and I'm glad we did. The pizza is cut in SQUARES, there's cheese curds and there's a drink called a Grape Crush. Pub style pizza parlor with wood booths. There's breakfast specials that seem a little non compliant with my arteries but sound tempting.
Tried this place again. Actually tried it three or four more times. It has come around. The pizza cheese is much less salty. The staff is better and over all I really have an enjoyable time here. You can bring in your family and go down memory lane with beers like Blatz, Stroh and so many more.
The other entrees on the menu are definately worthy and the last two time we went, we didn't order pizza.
Good job winning me and my family back. I am a believer.
I love pizza, it is one of my all-time favorite foods. So I was very excited to head to this new… Read more »
I'll order for you right now: for two people, split the green bean casserole appetizer and a 12-inch pizza. Your food will be approximately 5,000 calories and $25 together.
The green beans will be kinda mussy and obviously out of a can, but covered in an addicting cream of something sauce. You think to yourself that you could have cooked this for $1.09, but that's not the point. You have more shame than to make green bean hot dish at home, I mean come on, you go to the Ballard farmers market every weekend for fresh, local organic purple colored green beans. Then the pizza arrives, and its cut into squares! Just like in Minnesota. And the the crust is thin like Minnesota, but the toppings are infinitely better, because fresh basil doesn't exist in Minnesota, at least not on pizzas.
Throw in a pitcher of Linney's and its like a trip through the northern woods of Minnesota without driving through Bob Dylan's depressed hometown (shout out to Hibbing, MN!) or being charged by a moose while canoeing.
If not convinced, in the ladies restroom there is a photo of a naked Burt Reynolds lying naked on a bearskin rug. Yep, seriously.
This place is all about novelty and excessive caloric loads.
I really wanted grilled cheese and tomato soup the other day and I figured Zayda's is "down home" they gotta have what I need. Um...no. No, they don't. They have overpriced velveeta so I aced the idea of grilled cheese.
Ok, now what?
Everything else is like a zillion calories and again, food I could make at home yet overpriced.
I ended up selecting the bbq roast beef sandwich which ended up being quite delicious and a bit spicy. Me like.
Now for sides. With the sandwich order you get your choice of Pringles or fries. Now that's cute, real cute--Pringles? But again...I'm going to pay how much for crappy potatoes? Ok, but you can get a salad for....2 whole dollars extra!?!?! WTF?
Ok, I think this Midwestern kitschy joint wants your arteries to clog as soon as you step in the restaurant. And ok, I shoulda known, but I thought I'd give Zayda a chance.
This is only my second time going to Zayda's. The first being last fall where I ordered the mac 'n cheese cuz that's my most favorite meal in the world and I'm always on the look-out for fabulous cheesey pasta. I was disappointed with their mac 'n cheese. It was..A-ok, but not the fabulousness I desired.
So again...A-ok is all you get Zayda.
The service was also blah. We sat ourselves as the sign instructed. The waitress brought the menus and asked how we were, but then left just as quickly without asking if maybe we'd like something to drink.
Meh.
Unlike some of the reviewers, I do actually like the decor. Its fun. I mean who doesn't smile when they see a large poster-sized framed photo of Kermit the Frog riding a trike?
Actually, the interior is what was most comforting to me. It reminded me of some joint my family and I would have gone to growing up in Renton. Ah, the blue collar suburbs. Totally.
Ok, maybe I give you another chance, Zayda. I think I'll have to try that pizza I've been hearing so much about.
I just don't get this place. I went a handful of times because midwest friends got midwestern boners at the thought of Zayda Buddy's pizzas and general artery-clogging cuisine.
First of all, the interior is uhh, well...they can't decide whether they want to be a crappy chain like TGIF or a divey hole in the wall. They achieve neither.
Their food is ridiculously over priced. Seriously, I'm not going to pay almost ten bucks for two Costco style hot dogs (yeah, I know they say they're imported dogs. Whatever. Unless they're coming straight from the farm to my table, they're nothing I can't get at the supermarket) with stale, cheap buns. I also tried their pizza (was that a expired package of pita bread for a crust??) and I swear their sauce is Campbell's Tomato Soup. Absolutely nothing has impressed me here and I feel I've given them and their food more than enough chances.
Just go to Hattie's Hat instead.
Tater Tot Tuesdays are pretty cool: every drink purchase gets you a free side of tots. Be wary of the misleading signage, though! Tuesdays are Happy Hour all day for DRINKS ONLY. The Happy Hour food specials are available at some kind of weird hours that were scrawled really tiny on the sign. That's what I get for not reading the fine, fine print.
The breakfast pizzas and the other food I've had there is all pretty good. I've never gone when at least one thing wasn't misprepared - mushrooms left off a burger, medium rare burger brought well done, etc.
The bad things about this place are as follows:
- Crazy slow service
- If you don't tip well, prepared to be ignored on your next visit
- Non-alcoholic drinks and desserts are not on the menu. I asked what they had that was non-alcoholic, and the waitress said, "Coke products, lemonade, apple and cranberry juice." I foolishly assumed she meant Minute Maid lemonade to go with the Coke Products, but it was homemade and $3 for a single glass with no refills. It was passable lemonade, but dude, it's lemon juice and water. That ain't ever worth $3 for one glass.
The moral of the story is this: make sure everything is made crystal clear before you commit. The waitresses are not super forthcoming about details.
I was excited about this place 'cause it's close to home and they have wifi (and come on, free tots!) but the service has made me think twice about returning.
This place was really disappointing. I had heard pretty good things about it (and I'd heard tons about the tater tot casserole), but it ended up not being that great.
My veggie burger was nothing more than a Gardenburger patty with some onions and lettuce on a bun. For $9 bucks, this was a pretty big letdown. The fries were pretty tasty, but you hardly got any! The plate almost seemed empty on that side, what with the lack of delicious fries.
Our waitress was friendly and helpful (she split our bill 5 ways without a problem) and we were able to find a table immediately, but other than that...this place didn't have too much going for it.
Overall, no one in our group was very impressed. Prices were quite high, the food was marginal at best, and service was a bit slow.
Tastes like home.
Anyone who grew up in the midwest will appreciate this place. Especially if you went to college there and played beer pong or bags while drinking old style or schlitz. I'm not going to lie, I still have an old style everytime I go home, and it's obligatory to have one at a Cubs game. I only wish they had more of a selection for the Leinie's other than the sunset wheat.
The pizza's not bad for Seattle standards (unless you're a pineapple and asparagus with a side healthiness), but it doesn't hold a flame to pizza back in the midwest. Still, A for effort.
The bar is lacking in atmosphere, but it's not a bad place to start off the night, throw a few back and play some Euchre.
My boyfriend and I went out Monday night on a double-date in hopes on indulging in the famous Madame K's pizza...Unfortunately, Madame K's is closed on Mondays (grrr....) so we turned to Plan B. Since we were already in Ballard, and still in the mood for pizza, we decided to pop on into Zayda Buddy's.
I didn't know much about this place aside from reading in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine a while back that it was a "Minnesota bar," or had that down home Midwest charm...ideal for my Midwestern sweetie. Half the items on the menu are preceded by the phrase "deep-fried," or something else equally artery clogging that tastes delicious but goes straight to your gut.
The service was slow, but worth the wait for the savory pizza. We ordered two 14" pies, the blue cheese and chicken one was by far my favorite, a great flavor combination, with a crunchy crust. Our server was very slow, but apparently their pizza is also notorious for the long wait, so I'll cut her a little slack.
While I don't know if it'll live up to my upcoming review of Madame K's, I could definitely go back for another pie.
Zayda Buddy's pizza is delightful. I prefer a thinner crust on my pizza, which ZB delivers on. The waitress was really sweet and was ribbing with my dad so points there for having a good personality. Pretty much anywhere I can go get a Rainier (pronounced Rahn-yay) tallboy is high on my list of OH EFFING HAY-ELL YES.
I took away one star because I ordered their tator tot casserole and, seriously, there were only like 5 tots on it. WTF, man! That is a super dirty tease, yo!! You can't *call* it tot casserole when said tots are merely a glorified garnish on top. I mean, evidently you can but I think that it is underhanded and sneaky. Total false advertising. Especially because they have a sandwich board outside regaling the fantazmaness of TOTS! But I digress! It tasted pretty good and I was in excellent company that night so I won't hold it against them tooooo hard.
I like the feel and vibe of this joint and will return for a quick beer or a late night nosh fest with friends.
Yes, I'm from Minneapolis and yes, I had to go just to have a Leinie's. Finally ate there (pizza) and found it to be pretty good. No Carbone's but better than 90% of the crap passed off in Seattle as pizza. $20+ for Pagliacci? WTF? Back to Zayda's pizza. Cut into squares, definitely a Midwest novelty, is a great way to cut pizza because sometimes you want a little more but not a whole slice. Will be back to try the brat and possibly the tater tot hot dish. No comment on the décor. Staff is courteous and helpful.
Though I appreciate our server splitting our check between the five of us and not adding that ridiculous 5+ person gratuity fee, the place wasn't all that exciting. I got the tuna melt ($9) and it wasn't even worth it. Maybe like $5, but not $9. The others in my party weren't that all impressed either.
I would, however, go back to try that tater tot hot dish.
Awsome little kitschy pub. I love all the local beer memorabilia.
Great cobb salad and tots.
I totally dig this place! I have been to Zayda Buddy's twice within the past week and a half and had great service and an excellent experience on both visits. They pride themselves on their Midwest charm. Owners are originally from Minnesota and have decorated this upscale, trendy pizza joint with picturesque beer signs, nature paintings, family photos, and a pic of Burt Reynolds all nakey in the women's restroom. This is my kind of place!
I was born and raised in Wisconsin, so Zayda Buddy's is home sweet home to me with their Wisconsin cheese and Midwest beer selection. But this place is so much more than a beer and pizza joint. They have burgers, hot dogs, brats, LARGE salads, and my favorite...drum roll please... CASSEROLES!!! Woo hooo!!! I am in love! I ordered the Tater Tot Casserole twice! (Well, they call it a hot dish, but this thing is so good that they could call it crap on a stick and I would still devour it)! Tater tots, cheese, and beef. Gooood stuff!
The side salads are topped with a beet, garbanzo bean mix, which is hella good. The ranch dressing is perfect (trust me, I know my ranch dressing) ...not too thick, not too thin with little to no garlic in it.
And, and, AND they have this killer BBQ sauce that is mixed with ketchup and mayo that they serve with their chicken fritters! I could dip everything in that crazy little sauce. Wait, I did dip everything into that crazy little sauce!!! What a great time!
Booths are cozy and lit with neato light fixtures, they have comfy leather bar stools, and a tasty cocktail drink menu, which includes old school favorites such as Screwdrivers and Bloody Mary's.
Great atmosphere, filling food, and a good time!
Four stars for the food and environment. I'd give five stars if the service were more consistent.
Zayda Buddy's serves up Minnesotan and Midwestern comfort food with an upscale twist in a casual-upscale environment. The green bean casserole, for example, takes a classic and kicks it up a level with some pepper and other spices. The tuna hotdish is also better than the original that inspired it. My favorite entree is the baked macaroni and cheese, with a blend of cheddar and parmesan cheeses and a crunchy topping. It was some of the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. There weren't any chewy, dried-out noodles at the top, and there wasn't any oil or excess cheese in the bottom of the dish. The blend of cheeses was just right. The thin Minnesota-style pizza is pretty good, too, but they cut it crosswise, so the center pieces can be tricky to eat (no crust to hold onto). Good selection of local and Midwestern beers, some bottled, some on tap.
The interior is as nice as can be. Most of the tables are big wooden booths, some of which are easily big enough to hold six adults. The lights are subdued but strategically placed, and there's a 21-plus section on one side, so even if there are a lot of younger families, a group of adults can still get a spot. There are also a few stools at the bar. And they carry The Stranger, so there's something to read if you get bored.
The service is usually pretty good, but one time it took about 15-20 minutes just to get drinks, and another 30 for the food, even though the crowd was very small. Most of the time, however, things move pretty quickly..
I'm in love with you, Zayda Buddy's. Not only do you mention a Superior, Wisconsin bar that I've been to several times on your menu, but you serve "hot dish." I miss my Grandma's hot dish, but yours was nearly identical.
I'm also in love with you Mr. bald friendly waiter guy - your Midwestern charm is extremely authentic.
I'm being generous with two stars here.
I don't think this place has anything to offer, and the Minnesotans I went with (who like the place a lot better than I do) aren't impressed with the Faux-Flyover theme ZB claims to have. They were puzzled by the concept of Minnesota-style pizza. (which is not a great value)
I found the menu to have nothing worthy, and unless you are a fanatic about having somebody else cook Tater Tots for you (this is really crap food!) at a big markup, what's the point?
And where's the Kids' menu?
Was in a group of 8, and saw/sampled a good chunk of the limited menu. To call the stuff 'ordinary' would be a compliment.
Service was glacial, and the crap music was deafening. After we got them to turn it down, it reverted to TOO LOUD shortly thereafter. (we were the only customers there....)
Ballard has a surfeit of great food destinations, and plenty of OK places.
This place is neither.
I don't drink so I am always on the look out for tasty happy hour eats and ZB by far has one of the best food happy hour(s) in the city!!!! $6 pizzas,$5 burgers,$3.99 (or is it $2.99) appetizers and two corn dogs and tater tots for $5. My friends who drink like their booze specials as well. All in all a great value for real good eats!
I'm sorry, no. You cannot call this tator tot casserole.
1) There are hardly any tots! Clearly there should be more tots.
2) There should really be some vegetables in here, like corn or green beans or SOMETHING. You're seriously trying to pass off a few roasted red peppers? I grew up in the Midwest and I never ate a roasted red pepper until I moved OUT of it -- least of all in my tot casserole. (Granted, that might just make me uncultured rather than authentic.)
Still, I had really high expectations. Perhaps that's why I was so disappointed. I was hoping for a little slice of home right down the street in my PacNW neighborhood. Maybe I'd be happier if I drank Schlitz?
It's just so sad that so many people leave Zayda's thinking that's really what tator tot casserole is like. Because it isn't! It can be so much more glorious, people! It can have so many more tots! Don't be foooooooooled!
I went here last night for a Happy Hour...I thought it was random to have happy hour at a pizza joint but it was perfect. Great pizza and the beer list was good too. Oh and the music was even more AMAZING. It brought you back in time to the 80's - 90's. I felt like I was in junior high...they even had powder soap in the bathroom! It is hard to find, but worth it once you get there!
It was soo sooo fun :)
I went to Zayda Buddy's for lunch today, and it fulfilled this Wisconsinite's need for a good brat in fine style. The brat itself was very good quality and the sauerkraut was some of the best I've had.
While I only had room for one dish, I will definitely have to return for the "hot tuna dish" and fried cheese curds, both of which I remember fondly from my Midwestern youth.
The rating for this place is an easy 4 stars or more. I guess not all the Pacific Northwesterners "get" Midwestern food. Don't worry, I'm sure there's a place for you at the Tom Douglas restaurant of your choice. I'll be at Zayda Buddy's.
There is no way these prices would fly anywhere in Minnesota... especially for "Minnesota Comfort Food." Blue collar food at white collar prices.
$4.95 for a CUP of soup?! It was tomato vegetable, and I'm pretty sure it was just leftover pizza ingredients, including the tomato base. My bad for ordering it. Casey said the deep fried Pepperjack Burger was only so-so and was a missed opportunity for the chef to create a special spicy sauce. He liked the Reuben.
The pizzas are definitely the way to go, good thin crusts and cut in squares which makes them really awesome for sharing. But beware of the '"Gentle" Viking.' It is chock full of roasted garlic which will still leave its mark on your breath.
Pitchers are $14 for everything except Rainier, which is $13. Is there a happy hour in this joint?? We had a $5 coupon from Val-Pak which the waitress neglected to deduct from our bill, but since we'd just had her correct the number of beers we'd had (they added a round we didn't drink), we thought 'forget it.'
But all this didn't stop me from going there two days in a row, and I'll probably be back. I'm not sure why. I guess I just really am sort of intrigued (still) by the concept here, as well as the beers I've never heard of, being a Northwesterner.
Ladies, do not miss the Tom Selleck stall.... or is that Burt Reynolds?? There appears to be some debate. All I know is, seriously gross belly button.
We have this restaurant in Texas. It's called Bennigan's. Or is it TGIFs?
In any case, the menu is similar, as is the atmosphere. Our waiter was nice, but we were both starving and it took forever and a day to get our food. My pastrami sandwich was completely adequate and came with a side of Pringles. Ok, sure.
The only thing that would get me back to ZB's is perhaps the outdoor patio out back and some reasonably priced beer. The food isn't doing it for me.
I think you either "get" this place, or you don't. No one in my party did, hence the rating.
Looking to explore beyond the core Ballard dining blocks, we ventured 'round the corner to this new construction place enticed by the nice looking dining room, kitschy midwest/heartland neon decorations, and the promise of pizza. I don't really care what your motif is, this is Seattle and you best have a good beer selection. They didn't, strike one. I don't quite know what you call tomato sauce covering a large, flat, tasteless, crisp cracker, but it isn't pizza - and no amount of toppings is going to change that. Strike two.
I'm not 18, this isn't my first time eating out, and this isn't the backwater - I don't really need a strike three to rule a place out. There very well may be other good things on the menu, but I'm not about to waste my money to discover them.
Pretty decent food, and let's not forget Burt Renolds naked in the bathroom... the service though? I think perhaps they fell of the proverbial turnip truck yesterday (or perhaps even this morning).
I decided on a cheeseburger, but instead of cheese, asked to have avocado (ask Andrew F if I like cheese on my burger, he knows!).
The server said no problem - as the cheese was the same price as the avodcado - she then proceded to ask how I want my cheeseburger cooked.
Wait, what?
When it came, it did not come with cheese, so obviously she heard me right...
I'll be back. Thanks Zayda Buddy's!
On a rainy Seattle afternoon I found myself stopping at a friend's house to dry off. I was hungry...borderline starving so my friends happily escorted me and the hubs to Zayda Buddys for some dinner.
I ordered a cheeseburger while the hubs ordered the deep fried stuffed burger. I was slightly nervous...just imagining a deep fried burger made my arteries clog. When our food arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see that the meat was the only thing deep fried and thankfully it wasn't the whole burger.
My cheeseburger was good and cooked perfectly. The fries were slightly cold but the texture was on point so I didn't really mind. Hubs said his burger was good but had the flavor of a meatball. Not sure if that was good or bad.
All in all I will be back. Next time I think I will try the pizza and possibly the cheese curds. I wanted to give this place a 4 but I felt the prices were just too high for the food they were serving.
I am not really sure why this is considered a Midwestern joint, lots of meet, a few Midwestern dishes, and two Midwest beers? I was really hopping to see some more beer from the region, but in fact they have more PNW beers then Midwestern beers?
Prices are really high for what you get, $5 for a side of totts? really?
The place is really nice though, and clean with a small bar and lots of bench style seating.
not going to be back anytime soon.
I have been all over the world. Check that -- I have lived all over the world. There is a difference.
I'm originally from a little town in Northwestern Wisconsin called Superior, which of course shares its name with the Lake. Growing up in all of the places that I grew up that were not Superior, or in Wisconsin, or anywhere near the midwest, that part of the country was always 'home' because that's where Grandma and Grandpa lived.
I visited Grandma and Grandpa for an entire summer when I was fourteen. I was a miserable early-teen, and I will always regret the small amounts of hell that I would regularly put them through because they had the gumption to want to spend time with their eldest grandchild. I wasn't the worst kid, but I could have been better. I took them for granted.
Bear with me here, it all pertains to the review. Honest.
One of the things my grandfather liked to do was drink beer. He drank a lot of beer. The day for us started around nine in the morning, when we would drive down to Four Corners and get our daily rations. He would get a half-rack or case of Old Milwaukee and I would get a six-pack of Coca-Cola. Sometime later, we would often head out to some of the local taverns, because minors can (or at least could then) sit at bars.
I sat at a lot of bars in the Superior area that summer. One of the most curious things I noticed about the Wisconsin bars was the propensity they had to serve pizza. There is a bar in Superior called the Shamrock. If you've ever heard of Shamrock Frozen Pizzas, it's not a coincidence that they have the same name as the bar.
Last night, a Domino's ad got me. I was hungry and seeing the pizza on TV did me in. The local Domino's closed recently and was replaced by something called Paradise Pizza, which looks all the world that they ripped off CPK's logo. Evidently, they were enjoying paradise when I called, because nobody bothered to get the phone.
So I hit the internet and punched "98103 pizza" into Google. I was considering Roma's and then decided to try my luck in 98107.
Minnesota-style pizza? Authentic midwestern beer? I got a good chuckle at that, and had to find out what it was about.
I swear I went home last night. I can see why other people might pooh-pooh the pie, but tastes in pizza are wide and varied. My father would appreciate this pie, I bet. It has the crust just as he likes -- paper-thin and toasty. I wonder where he got the prediliction for that? Could it be from growing up in southern Wisconsin?
As far as the midwestern beers go, they have Leinenkugel's, Hamm's, Old Style and Grain Belt. I swear I've not seen Grain Belt available anywhere since I was nine.
My only gripe with this place is their attention to detail. No olives means I really don't want olives. Really.
But I will be back. Frequently.
There was nothing exciting about Zayda Buddy's. The atmosphere was a clean, dark bar like feel with a brick wall, beer neon signs and art, and the TVs above the bar. We ordered fried cheese curds that came with marinara dipping sauce. They were fine, but nothing worth praising. Menu items were traditional American meals your mom made such as tuna casserole, tater-tot dish, sloppy joe, and grilled cheese. They also had pizzas, with thin crust that looked good. Plus, they had hamburgers and a fun drink list.
I ordered the grilled cheese since it came with Velveeta cheese and I was craving something homey. This was a horrible grilled cheese. I've had better at IHOP and Denny's. The bread was burnt on one side, it seemed like they forgot to put butter on the bread. The bread was dry and crunchy instead of gooey and chewy. It was like they over-toasted the pieces of bread and put some cheese in the middle. Aweful! The french fries were good, but I'd rather just go to Dick's for fries. My husband ordered the sloppy joe. It should have had much more sauce on it. The ground beef was like the consistency of meat you'd use to make tacos - it just didn't have enough sauce. It would have been better if they used Manwich.
"You know what would be a good idea? A bunch of framed Tom Selleck posters in the bathroom! And let's make the ones in the stall be semi-nude."
Someone had to actually think up this stroke of decorating genius and that someone expected me to eat pizza after the visual assault.
This may not have been so bad if the pizza was delicious, in fact it could have been comforting, but unfortunately the pizza was simply fine. The crust was thin and crispy in a good way but lacked flavor, the toppings got a bit lost in the cheese and the sauce, and for some reason all of the pizzas come with white onions. Since I passed on the onions we got a salad to split which consisted of a huge bowl of mixed greens with a few measly pieces of other veggies on top. It was a sad salad accompanied by an outright depressed piece of cold Texas toast.
The atmosphere is pretty bright and the music is pretty loud so it wasn't really a place I felt like lingering which made the fact that the server kept hanging out with her booth full of friends even more irritating than it would normally be.
In Summary: Not my new favorite pizza restaurant.
(I'd also like to note that this was my second attempt at eating here since the first time they ran out of cheese. Really? Out of cheese? Should we run to Safeway? They have cheese.)
Zayda's: Let me first apologize for my low-blood-sugar-induced tantrum over your "bacon and blue cheese stuffed burger". That was immature of me.
To be fair though, it was really disappointing. I didn't see no stinkin' blue cheese. And why did I get charged $2 extra for fries instead of salad?
I agree with the other reviews: Zayda's needs more time to work out the kinks. Service was terribly slow during the rush but as soon as the place cleared out (9:30-ish), it was fantastic. I was expecting a lot more from a place that serves tater tot casserole. I think Snooze Junction has a much tastier pizza.
Beer selections: big thumbs up
It's also very clean in here. Maybe that's just because it's new. Either way, the bathrooms had me at signed-and-framed poster of Tom Sellek.
I like that Zayda's isn't trying to be too cool. I mean, with "buddy's" in the name, and a cartoon character on their menu, that's obviously not what they're going for. It's refreshing to have a clean, respectable joint in Ballard that's not trying to be Belltown.
I'd go again after they've been open a while longer.
The boypal and I went to Zayda Buddy's Pizza a couple weeks ago, and... ...it was awful.
First off, this restaurant is supposedly "Minnesota style," but it fails to deliver any sense of Midwesternness. Sure, there are a few Minnesotaish trappings tossed around the menu here and there, but they get lost in all the other not-quite regional airs (hello, Chicago and St. Louis?) There's no sense of Minnesotaness, on the menu or (thankfully!) in the decor. Which is kind of odd, because Ballard really is the Fargo of Seattle. While I'm glad that there were no wall-sized murals of trout streams or posters advertising Powdermilk Biscuits, I'd hoped for a twinge, a teeny tiny twinge, of that back-home feel. Zayda Buddy's menu did have a smattering of stereotypical MN foods - Tater Tot Casserole, Deep-Fried Burgers, and Wild Rice Soup - but a few items do not a regional cuisine make.
And with that, the review:
First of all, I waited 5 minutes to get seated. The place was dead and still I waited 5 minutes. If i hadn't been meetin' up with the boy, I'd have already left.
Then the drinks! God! The horror!
The drink menu was a total mess. First of all, there's no such thing as a Minnesota Bullfrog. Bartenders everywhere, take note - Vodka, Kahlua, and cream with a splash of cola on top is a called Colorado Bulldog, and it's served in a lowball glass, with hazelnuts. Points given for having a Colorado Bulldog on the menu - that cocktail is a rarity in these parts - but points taken away for insisting on calling it something stupid.
Also worth noting, the traditional drink along the shores of Lake Superior is not a North Star; a concoction of brandy, vodka, and pomegranate. No really, it's not. You know what the traditional drink is? It's black coffee and Bud Light. There may be a few holdouts for Buckhorn, Steinhaus or Pfieffer's, but that's it. In that neck of the woods, fancy might get ya killed.
Oh, and in Minnesota, a shot of hooch with a small beer back is called "a shot." At Zayda Buddy's, a shot of hooch with a pint of beer is called a "Minnesota Martini." Fail.
Also on the Fail List is the Minnesota Pop - "grape soda for big kids." A real grape soda for big kids is purple Kool-Aid mixed up with Everclear, not some weirdy Chambord and lemon concoction.
Ok, the eats: Zayda Buddy's pizza oven was broken, so we couldn't try their "Minnesota style" pizza (cracker crust, square cut; which is really St. Louis style, everybody knows that), and evidently we couldn't try their reubens either. When I asked about vegetarian status of the green bean casserole, our dudely-dude waiter said rather snidely that it wasn't vegetarian (what??), so I threw in the towel and had a veggie sandwich instead. The meatless options were few, far between, and far from appetizing.
The veggie sandwich - umm ... it was greasy and it did not taste good. I'm not entirely sure how a smattering of vegetables, some half-melted mozarella, and dry.white.toast can drip oil, but they did. I ended up peeling off and casting aside the tomato first, then pulling out the avocado and dipping that in the boy's salad dressing, then eating the Pringles. Melted cheese with no oven? huh?
Oh yeah, he boyfriend wanted a reuben, but snootywaiter said he couldn't have one because the pizza oven was broken, so he had the green bean casserole which I had been denied (parenthetically - which, hello, should be called hot dish). He said it was not so great. And now I'm wondering how the casserole got hot if there was no oven... Blowtorches? Oh sweet mystery.
Other menu weirdnesses included the use of "youse guys" which is a Chicagoan term, not a Minnesotan one; and the omnipresent veggie burger. Please, restaurants, give up on this! They don't taste good, they're not vegetarian (handled with meaty hands, cooked on a meaty grill), and face it, they're simply not an acceptable menu item. Total cop out.
All in all, a lot of work needs to be done. And quickly.
EDIT!!
I figured out what kind of cheese they use on the pizza - Imported Saltzarella.
I was talking to a friend today about this place and here's my input:
Great location, great place, great drinks from scratch (I LOVE scratch bars, since they're a rare find)! now I'm more of a drinker at this spot, so it does it well for me.
Keep in mind this is a mid-western themed restaurant, and even though I'm not super into that type of cuisine, I understand the concept and how it goes (I traveled all over for a few years, hence first hand knowledge). For those who went when zayda's first opened and were skeptical, i say go back. a new establishment ALWAYS has numerous kinks to work out and from what I've heard from friends it's all getting worked out. i took a girlfriend there and she LOVED the grilled cheese sandwich, i myself went for something different (anchovy pizza). Mmmm, how could you not love it?
Bottom line: If you know what the midwest is like and enjoy a filling beer, tasty cocktail, or are just craving something that makes you feel like you're back home, chances are you'll love this place!
I'd never heard of this place, but was meeting friends and ended up there. They said it was Midwestern Food to which I replied "Wtf?" and they started talking about tater tots and pizza.
I don't eat pizza (it can taste really good, but never works out for me otherwise) so I was less than thrilled, especially since...tater tots? For reals? Who orders tater tots at a restaurant? Apparently, my boyfriend does and bless his heart for it because DAYUM!!! I have never had such delicious tots in my life, and yes, I would have them again.
I also had a pastrami sandwich which was yummy, served with fries that were crisp and ample in supply.
I was really excited about the sweet potato salad that I ordered, and disappointed to be told they were out of it, then excited again when the waiter placed what he announced was the last plate of it on the table.
Then I was disappointed again, because although it was quite good, it was NOT potato salad made with Sweet Potatoes. It was a SWEET potato salad.
The wait staff was super cool, but I will say that all the other patrons made me a little uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.
Uh, okay ... wow.
Almost an hour. It was juuuuuuust nearly an hour when we finally told our server that we now need our food to go. So a couple things one should know about attempting to dine here. They are, in no specific order:
a. Have no other plans or committments the day you come here.
b. Have no reasonable fascimile of a taste bud
c. And only like burnt to hell cheese on your pizza
I went because I had a specific hankering for a tuna casserole my Mom makes (though she has no connection to the Great-Lakes-region). I tried both the tuna and the tater tot dishes. Tasty, great, exactly what I was after.
Ignore the complaints about the pizza and how thing-X is not authentic Minnesota/Wisconsin/etc. and try a casserole. Better yet, I suggest trying TWO because that will bring on the sweat embrace of death via cardiac arrest that much sooner. If, instead, it brings on the slow immobilization of, say, diabetes then I want my money back.
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