It was confirmed to me that Z Cafe serves the same food as Zehnder's restaurant upstairs. Z Cafe is much more appropriate for a standard fried chicken meal. It is more casual as the food is served cafeteria style as opposed to the restaurant. It wasn't the best fried chicken I've ever had, but it was decent - well seasoned and not dry. I was able to tell the server what pieces I preferred. Servers and cashiers were friendly. The meal was under $20, which isn't bad these days, but I still consider it to be a little overpriced. The meal was large though and I needed a takeaway container for my leftovers. I also had the clam chowder soup, and I think I liked that more than the chicken meal. It was thick and creamy. read more

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This place was just OK It's really confusing when you enter and there's NOBODY to guide you/help you unless you go out of your way to ask. We ordered a side of Caesar salad that was lacking flavor, my husband ordered fried chicken and said was better than the one from the place in front (IYKYK) I ordered chicken tenders because nothing else looked good and a side of rice ( ok) the biscuit they give you on the side was just really bad. So anyways I wouldn't necessarily recommend this place unless you are in a hurry and want something quick. read more

This is the basement of the main Zehnder's Restaurant, the cafe version. There's a huge menu displayed on the wall. If you dine in, grab a tray and silverware from the right side then make your way to the food counter. I decided on the mixed (white & dark) 2 piece chicken meal with corn and buttered noodles as my sides. You must top off the noodles with bread crumbs. Then make your way over to the register to pay. Take a seat anywhere. The corn was sweet and delicious. The buttered noodles were ultra soft, verge of falling apart soft but the bread crumbs on top were incredible. Makes the whole dish with its crispy saltiness. The rolls were dense but croissant like and quite sweet. I wish it was toasted. The chicken was on the soft side and not crispy for something fried. Hindsight, should have gotten dark meat only. The white meat was dry. The skin was barely battered so it was thin and did not compensate for the plain meat. That explains the chicken seasoning at every table. You need it even though it tastes exactly like the maruchan chicken ramen seasoning. There wasn't any hot sauce available. The worker who served the food was super kind and helpful. After eating, you can go over to the market side for sweets and pastries such as fruit tarts, rosettes, baklava, cakes, donuts, & chocolates. There's meats and cheeses as well. They also sell knick knacks and there's a boutique off to the side. read more

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Sometimes you want the chicken and buttered noodles and not all the fuss that comes with dining in the main dining room of Zehnder's. And that's okay! Let me introduce you to Z Cafe. Located in the basement of Zehnder's, Z Cafe offers a cafeteria style ordering system with plenty of your Frankenmuth favorites. You can order plenty of sides, soups, wings ... Oh and their famous chicken. Individual dinner options include 2 sides and a drink for about $18. You can even package up any leftovers to take home. We typically stop here on our way home for our cottage up north to grab a quick meal before getting home. Seating is spacious and service has been great as well. I look forward to getting another chicken dinner soon! read more

Z Cafe - a plate of fried chicken, macaroni, and cheese - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

Returned for the clam chowder. Just as good a year later. The Caesar salad, made fresh as you watch is great too.

Quick line on a busy festive Friday Christmas shopping. Cole slaw and bread/roll were so good. Tender chicken in gravy (over noodles). Pricey sides but worth it as I took half of everything home. I wish they could "dim the lights" in the dining area. read more

Z Cafe - a plate of food on a tray - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

We ate in the restaurant last time through Frankenmuth, so decided to go a little low key this trip. The food was good and the folks on the line very friendly (the gentleman who made our salad was completely enthralled that we were from ... Los Angeles), but this is some pricey hot table food. This food was $36! If we're ever in the 'Muth again, we'll seek out a more affordable option. read more

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I had the two piece chicken, one side and a lemonade cafeteria style in Z Cafe. I was thinking this might save some money. Feeling a bit hungry, I added another side. HUGE mistake!! When my order rang up, it was $30. I would value the meal at ten dollars max. All Bavarian style hype and grift! read more

My daughter and I visited in August and she spotted this cafe. We didn't have time to eat here, but I promised we'd come back. We finally made it back and I must say I was impressed! Since it was cafeteria style I wasn't sure it would live up to the sit down restaurant quality but it totally did so and more! One child had been craving the scrumptious chicken noodle soup which never disappoints. She also tried the hot chicken sandwich with mash instead of bread, Mac and cheese, and the incredible pull apart garlic roll. The other child ordered the sausage plate with bread pudding. The adults got a chicken plate, and a tray full of sides: stuffing, buttered noodles, and spatzle. We also shared an amazing German bock beer, very tasty! It was not a cheap meal, but reasonably priced. The portions were large, we had leftovers. I loved the quick convenience and ability to order the items we love...like me going for a simple tray of all sides. We will definitely return to the cafe for a quick bite. My daughter is still talking about the sausage. read more

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This is downstairs at Zehnder's and has all their great food and fixings available as takeout or cafeteria style.

We got the kids hot dog, chicken wings, and 3 piece plate. Food was at best mediocre, the wings were not crispy, just very soggy. The price for that plus a drink was almost $50. The only good thing was the free refills for drinks. In my opinion, the food was not worth the price. Will not be back. read more

The whole process is kind of confused by as far as getting the food goes. I would go here over zhenders for about 70 percent of the cost. Still expensive. Portions not really big, especially the chicken. They cut the chicken into cubed. You really don't get full pieces of chicken. Ambiance is ok, nothing special. If you're looking to try frankenmuth chicken in a pinch, this might be your place. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. read more

Sometimes it's not a fancy occasion and you just want chicken. And mashed potatoes. And noodles. And... you go to Z Cafe because you can. You get everything you want in a much more low key atmosphere. Z Café is a Frankenmuth gem! read more

Z Cafe is a great choice for fast dining in Frankenmuth. We have eaten here many times over the years. I've enjoyed the chicken liver dinner, and the Michigan salad is wonderful. Their rolls are a real elevation of a dinner roll and are not to be missed! The atmosphere is fun as well, and it's right next to their bakery and shops, which are super fun to browse. Yesterday we tried a family meal for our family of 4, and it was great. It comes with 8 pieces of chicken and 3 quarts of sides. To my delight they let us have a large Michigan salad for one of the sides. I especially appreciated this because the meal ended up being a bit carb heavy, but they were delicious splurges. For the other two quarts we were allowed to "split" them into 4 smaller choices. It was perfect. The traditional mac & cheese delighted the kids, the stuffing was light and fluffy ( and came w gravy!) , and hash brown casserole was excellent. The white cheddar mac & cheese was still yummy, but it was more gooey and since the kids preferred the yellow, I might try something else instead next time. The chicken was delicious, particularly the dark legs & drums. The breasts are cut in half, so be advised a 1/2 breast is considered a piece, and some had about as much meat as a chicken leg. More of an issue than the size was that they were quite dry for us! This is a no go. That is my only real complaint about the meal. Next time I would get the family meal with all dark meat. You also can add on 10 additional pieces of dark meat for $15. As far as value, we had a lot of food left, so I would advise this route over 4 individual diners. It was easy to eat and order this with the family and the kids could try different things. Great family meal! Thanks, Z Cafe. We'll see you on out next visit! Tip: This restaurant is across the street from the glockenspiel. Plan your visit so you can see the clock show before or after your meal. read more

Great meal. Very tasty. Very nice portion and wonderful service. French onion soup/cobb salad

Not good. So glad we opted for Z cafe instead of Zender's because it's same food in smaller quantities. Chicken dry and lacking flavor. Dressing was good. read more

We had the fried chicken and also brats with sauerkraut with cooked carrots. All the food was excellent

Despite what tyler menu says they DO NOT have VEGAN options. Which was inconvenient for our group since we planned lunch around that. They're a bit pricey which you'd except, but the staff is also not friendly at all. read more

Great place to eat if you don't want to sit through a Zhender's meal. Good food and lots of options. The Michigan salad is amazing as is the French onion soup. read more

I am NOT a picky person. I'm not *food must be organically sourced and cooked in angel tears*. I'll have the occasional fast food. I have never been so disappointed with a meal. We paid $42 to feed the trash can. Mashed potatos, wild rice, green beans, stuffed chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, mac n cheese were beyond fast food salty. Like my teen said, "What is wrong with this food. It's like eating a bottle of salt." salty. Even the dinner roll was salty tasting. It was as if 30 year unfiltered cigarette smoker with a massive head cold was adjusting the seasoning. The cranberry sauce was always amazing. The coffee was really good. Potato salad wasn't a hit, but thats more because we like a different style. I don't know what happened to the rotisserie chicken. It was rubbery. How does one do that? I've had better rotisserie chicken from a big box store. I know this isn't rabbit health food. Z Cafe was a meh when we visited a few months ago. This time EVERYTHING was over salted. We will not be back. I love Zehnders, but I could not choke the food down. The service was great. Everyone was pleasant and helpful. read more

We stop here everytime we visit Frankenmuth maybe twice! We can just order our chicken and sides, pay and eat! You can also get carryouts, they offer holiday buffets and even fishfrys! Theres been a few times the chicken was forgotten during a carryout but its only once or twice so we suggest checking your order. Staff is friendly and food is not bad! read more

Z Cafe - chicken - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

Great, quick, Les's expensive alternative to the fancy dinner upstairs! Waaaay too much food. The kid's meals would have been fine for all of us. We ended taking a lot of leftovers home with us. The service was very good; Everyone we interacted with was helpful and friendly. We were a group of 14, and they offered us a semi-private room off to the side so we could all sit together. read more

Z-Cafe restaurant is located in the basement of Zehnder's. It's cafeteria style. You can order a family pack of 8 fried pieces of chicken with 3 large sides for $30 and feeds my family of four and probably ok for a family of 5 or 6 with small kids since the portions are huge!! read more

Z Cafe - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

Wewere in town for a long weekend and was hoping for some good carryout, and never thought about Z Cafe, actualy didn't know it was there after all the visits. Too funny we eat upstairs, and probably from the food coma we put ourselves in, we just didn't notice. But this time we did, and it was wonderful, chicken and mashed potatoes for me and freash sausage dinner with sour kruat for the wife. Awesome fresh garlic rols, and a few cold beers. Will definately be doing this again. Awesome carry out!!! Todd Michael read more

Fast and easy way to get the chicken dinner. Get the Traditional 4 meal, you get eight pieces of fried chicken and pick three sides. It's a lot of food, and it comes out fast and hot! read more

Amazing food and experience! I also love the shopping district around it! Best restaurant in frankenmooth.

I have been coming to the cafe for a number of years, about once a year. This year I noticed the dressing is not as moist or flavor full as prior years. Everything else was great. Please go back to other recipe.... read more

I am repeatedly amazed when I find out that my friends and family have eaten at Zehnder's, but they had no idea that the Cafe existed downstairs. They have no idea that, if they aren't looking for an all you can eat meal, that the cafe downstairs is for them. The cafe downstairs is less touristy than the upstairs. You can get food from the same recipes as upstairs at lower prices than upstairs. You can get what you want. You can get how much you want. Then, when you are done, you can go shopping through their marketplace. So, I say skip the food coma upstairs. Go downstairs to eat. Then, check out their bakery in the marketplace for desert. read more

I decided to write a separate review for the Z Cafe at Zehnders of Frankenmuth because the dining experience is indeed different than in the main dining rooms of Zehnders. The service was cafeteria style and quite speedy, but the food left much to be desired. My husband ordered the 3 piece chicken dinner and the chicken was drier and less fresh than the chicken we have been served in the dining room. He also got the pasta salad and it was not fresh. It had a sour tang that I have never tasted in their pasta salad before. My daughter ordered the macaroni and cheese and the broccoli soup. Although it is hard to mess up broccoli soup, this was inedible. The soup was exceptionally salty and thick, almost like they did not add enough water or milk to the base and the milk in the soup had separated, giving the soup a mealy consistency. Truly horrible. I ordered the stuffed chicken and although it looked promising, it was stuffed with a broccoli mixture that seemed to be the same as in the soup. Not particularly tasty, although more edible than the soup. I was not pleased with the quality of the food. At 40 dollars for a meal for three, I would expect a higher quality of food. read more

This is a smaller cafe in the basement of Zhenders. Cafeteria style, so you can walk along with a tray, and get just the items you want. It works for me when I'm out and shopping alone. I can get whatever I want, sit at a table alone and not feel out of place by myself. I don't usually do the chicken, but soup, sandwiches, meatloaf, salads, etc all are good to me. Don't try and compare it to upstairs. I think it's a different atmosphere. Good, but different. read more

We headed in for the breakfast buffet they had Sunday. It was ok but very unorganized (hostess was confused, mentioned there wasn't any waitresses yet to help us when they were open, etc). Food was ok but not a big selection. We prefer and love Zehnder's! read more

I'm a local and enjoy the Z Chefs Cafe but yesterday my husband took his brother from out-of-town there for lunch. They got the Hot Chicken sandwich and the stuffed chicken breast - with two sides each - and two small soft drinks. The bill was just over $32. They enjoyed the food but due to the cost, they would not return. read more

This is my go to place to eat when I want something light (I always order the chicken cherry salad) and fast while out and about shopping. It is a gem with the same good homemade food you can get upstairs without all the fuss and high price. read more

If you want to try the food here but do not want the long wait upstairs, and especially if you are like us and have a little one that would not be able to sit for 2 hours, check this place out. It is located in the basement of Zehnders and is served cafeteria style. It is also a little cheaper. We enjoyed our food and liked to be able to get in and out quickly. read more