Good food. Terrible service. Staff was incredibly rude and did not check on us once. We waited at least 15 minutes after being seated before anyone saw us. There was no interaction beyond taking our order and delivering our food. We won't be going back. read more

I DO NOT think that I will go back there again! The bread was burned, and the omelette is plain-no flavor. All the food were served in much less portion but were charged the same price as many other cafe/dinner. And I can not believe that they even charge us $2.5 for simple a cup of hot water, regular size! read more

My wife and I had a very pleasant Sunday brunch at Zakes. I ordered the Home egg's benedict and my wife had the lemon honey pancakes. Both dishes were very good. The smoke salmon on the egg's benedict complemented the runny eggs very well. The pancakes were good although we felt it needed a little more lemon zest and less sugar. Actually the caramel sauce on the pancakes was a neccessity and took the dish to a very pleasant salt and sweet level. Overall the brunch was elegant and delicious. read more

The staff here is very nice and helpful. This is definitely not the place to go for Eggs Benedict, though. Which is surprising, since they have quite a few different options to choose from. The yolks were hard and the Hollandaise sauce was lacking. My husband loves his Salmon sandwich. I also watched servers put together a couple of sampler baked goods platers. They used their hands for picking up cakes, no utensil, gloves or paper. So I didn't order any. read more

went here for Brunch and so cute and GREAT food! trust me worth it. Only thing is it is small and the parking is weird.

Great pancakes - lemon zest with berries or banana with pecan. Rest of the food is pretty good too

Dining in Zake's is fun. Fine combination of classic Southern country style with Indian food. A lot of interesting items on the menu, and it turns out good to our taste. read more

This is the best brunch in the Ambler area. Hands down. If I could, I'd move upstairs and come down to eat for every meal. Keep up the awesome work, Zakes! read more

An American with Asian twist to some pretty tasty dishes. Great place to dine that I just discovered. Minutes off the PA turnpike in Ft Washington. An old home renovation. Friendly service, clean and the food is incredibly delicious. Always fresh, seasonal and creative. The menu changes monthly. Great soups, apps and entrees right down to dessert. Desserts are homemade in house and they have a pastry case for some take home delights. Also weekly lunch and offering fabulous Sunday brunch. Owner Marlene on premises. Bring friends and share so you can taste the best of everything. Place can get busy, so make reservations to guarantee a table. Check online for hours of operation. Perks: unique find, quality/fresh, reasonably priced, ample parking and BYOB. Can't get better than that. So enjoy! read more

I rarely ever write reviews but had to on this one. First the hottest was completely lost and couldn't keep the order of reservations so we waited almost 30 minutes when people who came well after us got seats. When I brought this to her attention she said someone took our name and she will get us in right away but we still waited 10 more minutes. Server When we got to our table the bus people were very helpful and got us our drinks quickly. After that we didn't see a waiter for almost 20 mins and when we did she said she was busy and would be with us soon. I felt like we inconvenience her and the whole breakfast was uncomfortable. Food It probably would have been good if it was hot or even warm but it probably sat in the window and we got it cold. At this point we were already there for over 1 hour and decided to just pay for the food and leave than say anything to them. Also who doesn't toast the bread on a bacon egg and cheese sandwich yes we didn't ask but I assumed it would be an automatic. Conclusion We will never go back here again and it's a shame because there aren't very many breakfast places around. read more

Just had a wonderful summer lunch. Busy place. Fast service. Interesting and delicious sandwiches and the key lime pie and mocha gateau were unbelievable. A great spot for dining and the dessert case alone is worth the visit!! read more

Went for Sunday brunch and it was great! Cute place, friendly staff. Had the coconut French toast and it was the best French toast I ever had! Brilliant. read more

Excellent breakfast! We had the coconut French toast and special Benedict. Got in and out fairly quickly. Nice service.

In a Phila suburb with one of the worst dining scenes in a dead, dead, semi dust bowl looking ghost town with no style, no shopping, EXTREMELY LIMITED FOOD CHOICES, in a supposed affluent area, I tip my hat to the chef at Zake's This one is a winner, the only above average Ft. Washington restaurant in my opinion. With no exaggeration, it is safe to say that Ft Washington has slim pickings for lunch seeking office workers on a weekday. My advice? Unless you go to Zake's, brown bag your lunch because there are barely any choices to go and one has to drive a distance. Zakes' on the other hand ( isn't half bad for a town loaded with companies and nowhere to eat. Fresh salads and good ingredients go into the food with half decent service ; something that is missing in most Montgomery County places. Usually filled at lunch and didn't disappoint me, even in a nothing going on ultra sleepy suburb, particularly with dining. Food Network nor Style Magazine isn't coming to Ft Washington to do a story, rest assure of that, but this restaurant receives 2 thumbs up from me, despite it being in the plain uninspiring commercial landscape with its abysmal architecture between Rt 309 and Bethlehem Pike. read more

Three stars is a generous rating. Staff was blatantly rude - from being ignored by a chef in the parking lot when I politely asked where the main entrance was, to the hostess constantly crossing her arms and scowling at customers...not to mention the waitress who never once checked on our table. Seems as though their staff has better things to do with their time and they're not afraid to show it. The coffee was good but the food was mediocre. The worst part about this place is the people they employ. read more

I went to Zakes once and really enjoyed the food, especially the eggs benedict, so I took a group for brunch. My second time at Zakes was extremely disappointing. Here's why: We ordered coffee and oj, and the coffee came without creamer. No big deal. We asked for creamer. We ordered 3 eggs bene and 1 French Toast. The eggs bene came, but no french toast. The eggs and the home fries were cool. They weren't cold, but they were not above room temperature. Eggs? Room temperature? Sorta gross. They didn't give us ketchup for the homefries. Again, no big deal. We will just ask when they come back with the french toast. But no one came back. We finished our eggs bene (yes, after 10 min. we stopped waiting and decided not to be polite) and there was still no french toast, no ketchup, no coffee refills, no "How is everything?" and certainly no "Oh! You didn't get your French Toast?!" We sent the nicest person in our party up to ask about the french toast. Someone came to our table to look at the empty space. No apologies, no explanation. And, finally, she got her food. After everyone else was finished. No apologies, no coffee refills, nothing. We had a total of 4 different people coming and going to and from our table. Not one of them had any idea what was going on with us or our food. It was a complete cluster that left us less than satisfied. I spent some time as a waitress, and an apology can go a long way. These people didn't even bother. read more

Service was very slow and we were the only ones in there. Food was much worse than I've heard. Club sandwich was blah. I wouldn't go back.

The food is definitely great but they ruined my Dad's father day. We had a reservation and when we got there a flustered lady said she didn't have our reservation and would "try to accommodate us." We then got pushed out. We left, don't care how great the food is we will not be coming back. read more

We have found a new favorite place. Was refreshing not to have the wait staff interrupting us every 5 min. Tonight I had the grill duck. Next time I'll have the rack of lamb. read more

Zakes Cafe - Grilled Duck - New American Near Me - Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Went for breakfast for my sons birthday and was disappointed. Made a reservation, as suggested, and were taken 30 mins later after everyone was seated who were waiting. I mentioned this to the host, but he forgot to look at his reservations list. Our order was taken right away, and then our toast came out in 5 mins thinking our food would immediately follow, only to wait another 15 mins for our food. They couldn't understand why we didn't want cold toast. When our meal came, we laughed at the portions, honestly the French toast and pancakes were kid sized. They forgot one side dish and after mentioning it again, we still never got it. As soon as we finished, they were all over us to get up, probably to seat the others who were waiting. This was a disappointment as I've always loved lunch here, but will not be back for any meal now. read more

We've had the best breakfasts ever at Zakes. Their coconut French toast is absolutely dreamy with caramel sauce and fresh berries on the side. I can't wait to try their dinner menu. They have a special on Wednesday nights for $28.00 appetizer, entree and dessert. If they approach it like they do their wonderful unique breakfast menu then it will be awesome! read more

Salmon Benedict is to die for! Absolutely delicious with amazing flavors. Their salmon is cured in house. I certainly enjoyed their coconut dusted French toast. Their Vietnamese Benedict wasn't so appealing. Their honey and lemon pancakes were mediocre. read more

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Very prompt and friendly service. Went for breakfast and was pleased to find a solid number of intriguing options. All of the items my wife and I ordered were delicious. Would definitely recommend. read more

This cafe is a gem of the suburbs. Whenever I have family or friends visiting, we're sure to stop by Zakes for lunch or dinner. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The food is fresh and of the highest quality! Highly recommend! read more

We live in NY and were visiting and wanted a really yummy brunch spot to meet some friends and I found this place on yelp. I was very impressed and so were our friends. I got the pancakes with caramel sauce and it was really good. Everyone was really happy with what they ordered. The place is really cute too. Kid friendly too. I highly recommend!! read more

Five stars indeed, I love this restaurant my family loves it and you will as well. Breakfast lunch and dinner, you can't go wrong. The staff really care, the first time we went for breakfast and aside from being delicious we were treated like long time customers. I really felt at home. I would hope that if I ever ran a restaurant I could do as well. Add a caring staff with a chef that has chops and smart managment and this Is the result. We have been enjoying this hidden Jem for several years and while I have my favorites I force myself to try new items from the menu and I can confidently say that I have never been disappointed. This is our go to spot, without Zakes in our area my wife and I would be doing a lot more cooking. read more

My wife has been here with a friend a couple times. She raved about it and insisted we visit it for our 15th Wedding Anniversary. Why not, right? First, let me say, I am HARD to please when it comes to "fine dining". Especially when it is talked up as much as this place was by my wife. So, with that said, here goes. Not impressed with the whole "quaint house" thing. Put a restaurant IN a restaurant. Simple as that. Otherwise, call it an "Inn". Wait staff was ok - but the "greeter" was dressed in faded, warn, jeans. Really? And we didn't have a specific server. Three different people waited on us. Some may think that wonderful, but I find it confusing and disjointed. We do not consume alcohol, so we ordered soda. They came out with a glass of ice and a can of our choice of soda. A can? Really? Appetizers: I'll include the bread basket here. It was very good. The butter was a bit sweet, but it was still very good! My wife started with the flatbread ' that she immediately said tasted "doughy". "It's nothing like the last time I had it" she said. I had the dumplings. Mass produced, or at least bulk purchased? I really don't know, but they weren't great. They were much better with the slaw that was served with them. Dinner: My wife ordered the Salmon. Her first comment was that there was a really hard "shell" on it. And there certainly was. It was over-seared for sure. Other than that, she said it was good. I got the rack of lamb, medium. It came out medium well, at the very least, and tasted like it had been seared on a dirty flat grill. There was almost as much fat on the lamb as there was lamb. I think it was cooked AFTER cutting, not before. Dessert: The wife ordered tiramisu. I didn't think it was great idea since we were not at an Italian restaurant. (I didn't say that, since the evening was already tense.) I was right. It was cake - not Lady's Fingers as any good tiramisu would have been made with. It was about 6 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and about 1.5 inches tall. She ate maybe 10% of it. Even she mentioned that it was cake, not Lady's Fingers. She also mentioned that the cinammon (I think she said it was cinnamon) that was in stripes on top was REALLY strong. (Maybe she said cocoa. . . either way, it wasn't good). I ordered the "Belgian Chocolate". Not sure what was more disappointing - the lamb or the "Belgian Chocolate". It was a layer cake (same size as described above) that tasted like it was recently defrosted. I have a REAL hard time believing this was homemade. I ate a little more of mine that the wife did of hers, but only because I was trying to convince myself that it was good. I am a chocoholic. . . I still couldn't choke down anymore of this "cake". At least the coffee was good. Not a good evening. My wife was actually annoyed with me that I didn't like anything (except the bread, soda, lemon-water, and coffee). I will never be back, and will urge others to avoid it. You are better off going to Red Lobster, Olive Garden, or Outback, depending on what you are looking for. Seems all the good restaurants are going away. . . . I miss you, Il Garda! read more

One of the best brunch places in the area! The onion, spinach, & brie omelet + the banana walnut pancakes are great! The space is a little crowded, but the food is good and so is the service and overall atmosphere! Would definitely recommend! read more

Zakes is primarily known as a dessert place, but it's actually a great cafe for breakfast and lunch. (It's open for dinner, but it's a bit overpriced for dinner.) The ambiance is warm, the food is light and delicious, and the staff is friendly. Understandably, the service can suffer a bit when it gets busy, but usually it is top-notch. My obligatory dessert recommendations are strawberry shortcake (great icing) and fruit tart. read more

Excellent restaurant in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My wife and I had dinner here (we had a gift certificate), and we were so impressed with the food! We each ordered the prix fixe dinner, which included a complimentary glass of wine and dessert sampler. It was a great evening, and we're looking forward to going back to our new "go to" spot soon! If you live in Montgomery county, save yourself the trip into Center City Philly and try Zakes Cakes instead... read more

WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! I have been here many times, for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I visit Philadelphia. I literally can't find any fault with the restaurant at all. Wonderful menu - wide variety, expertly cooked with well-developed flavors. The menu changes, but I've always had great experiences with anything they do with duck or Asian-style salads and spring rolls. Bakery items are phenomenal, but watch out -- they're huge. Small, intimate place... not too fancy. Marlene is a delight as owner/operator and runs a tight ship. BYOB makes it even nicer. My favorite place for an everyday meal. read more

Excellent breakfast. Honey lemon pancakes are out of control - best pancake texture ever with a little crunch. Caramel sauce delicious and not super sweet. One star short on the rating because service wasn't great. Not very friendly and accommodating. We had a large party and were told to wait in the foyer until the entire party arrived. With better service this place would be perfection. read more

good sticky buns, needed something very early in the morning and they were open. im excited to go back and try their breakfast.

expensive but delicious. carrot ginger soup is a must try and the pancakes are delicious.

My friend and I went to Zake's for the first time during Ambler restaurant week and let's just say, there's lots of room for improvement! We had 8:00 reservations and arrived on time; we were quickly whisked away to a small table in the corner and promptly forgotten. Someone came by and dropped off some bread and quickly left without saying a word; we didn't even have bread plates on which to eat the bread. Then someone came by and dropped off a carafe of water and left quickly as well. Finally, a woman who I assume was our server, came by. She didn't greet us, ask if we had any questions, etc. I asked if it was always this busy in there and she rudely said "It's restaurant week". I said "Yes, I'm aware; I'm curious if it's always this busy" and she again says "It's restaurant week"....absolutely no personality at all. She then asked if we were ready to order, took our orders, and was gone. Like gone, gone. Like finito. Like never came back for the entire duration of our meal, not during appetizers, not during entrees, not during dessert. She didn't even bring our check. Never ONCE did anyone ask us how our food was, if we were happy, if we needed more to drink, etc. The busser was this establishments only saving grace to the service staff and he was very helpful. I felt bad for him because he was running food, bussing, refilling drinks. He was doing EVERYTHING and he was clearly not a server. I'm a service professional, in the restaurant business to be exact. I sometimes set the bar kinda high for other servers. But this service was, hands down, the most neglectful service (aside from the busser) that I have ever received in my life. We even had the joy of swatting gnats away from our food and drink throughout our meal. Disgusting. The ONE positive thing that I can say about this place is that the food was phenomenal. Both my friend and I had the lobster mac & cheese (made with orzo instead of "normal" pasta), the portabella with veggies & goat cheese (absolutely devine), and the chocolate decadence dessert which was great as well. The food was our visit's high point for sure. It's such a shame that the service was so awful because the food was so good. However, I don't think that I'll be returning anytime soon; service is just as, if not more, important than the food itself. read more

Cute little place, adorable atmosphere but as for food, overpriced, we paid $4.50 for one pancake and it was the size of my fist... very small. All the portions seem to be small. $30 plus for breakfast seems a bit ridiculous for two people.. nice but probably won't come back. read more

We lived in East Falls when Zake's Cakes was a standby there. Zake's left the neighborhood shortly before we did. For twenty years, I've been living 20 minutes away from their Fort Washington location, occasionally getting cakes there, but I just had dinner there for the first time. What the hell was I waiting for? It started off auspiciously when Ms. Zake herself put a carafe of water, completely with plenty of ice and a slice of lemon, on our table. Why doesn't every restaurant do this? It was followed very quickly by good bread and then our salads, which were excellent. My husband's calamari salad was especially good, with a very generous amount of calamari over a really legit salad with mango. My beet salad was beautiful and tasty. Our entrees were just as satisfying. The husband had the scallop risotto, which was so good I made little happy noises with every bite when I sampled it. My duck breast was perfectly cooked and the stone fruit chutney was vividly spiced. The crispy fritters that came with it were a little disappointing, somewhat greasy and more flabby than crisp, but the roasted carrots were delicious. Zake's started out as a bakery, so if you like cake, pace yourself. If you don't like cake, you're kind of out of luck for dessert here. The ambience is pleasant if not special. The service was attentive and almost too efficient. The food was excellent, imaginative, fresh, and not overpriced. I will absolutely be back. read more

friend and I came here for brunch on saturday, but instead only lunch menu was available...sandwiches on the menu were tasty...but portions are too small...for a guy like me...friendly staff...cozy setting...I would like to try this place out again...perhaps for dinner or earlier breakfast...but for now...just three stars. read more

Zakes has outstanding food! I have only been there twice, but both times, the food was stellar. They definitely have a homemade style menu with homemade bread and a menu that is every foodie's dream. The wild mushroom salad was to die for. I only wish that the inside of the cafe would get a little restaurant makeover. I will be back! read more

We should have known to steer clear of Zake's when my boyfriend called ahead to ask about the wait time for a table of 4 since we couldn't make a reservation, and spoke to an extremely rude woman. She responded to his reasonable questions with "well if you would let me wait some tables, then maybe we'll have one open up" and when he asked how busy they were she came back with "what kind of a question is that." Okay lady, we get its lunch time on Mother's Day, but there is no reason to speak to a potential customer in such a manner. Should've found another place then, but our mothers had their heart set on this cafe. When we arrived and were seated, our first of several servers approached and asked what we'd like to drink. Didn't greet or personalize the experience. Coffee was good, iced tea was good. But when we went to place our food orders, the woman that helped us was very rude and rushed us. I ordered a club sandwich that comes with a side salad so I asked what kind of dressing that came with and whether or not I could swap out the vinaigrette for something else. She RUDELY a replied to me "nope, sadly," and turned and walked away. Out whole table witnessed this and was shocked. If it's a pre-mixed salad with the dressing already in there, then fine. But it wasn't. I watched someone else receive theirs with a drizzle of dressing on top, and mine arrived the same way. Really, you couldn't take a moment to provide me with a few other options? Ridiculous. This wouldn't have even been an issue had she responded in a reasonable way. Boyfriend's mother ordered the English breakfast which she enjoyed, but her eggs came out completely hard. She sent them back and asked for them over easy, and there was an apparent annoyance from the man who took her plate away. At least apologize and say "we'll fix that for you." No one checked on us, no one asked if we'd like anything else. The check was dropped at the table and we were shuffled out rather quickly. Yes, it was busy, but shouldn't they be prepared? They certainly have a decent number of staff members but absolutely no order in the way they work together. It is really important to provide an excellent experience for every customer that dines at your business, in order to create repeat customers. And being busy doesn't mean you can't take the time to SMILE and provide a courteous and professional experience. Probably the most disappointing experience I've had at a restaurant and I'm happy to say this cafe will not be getting my money, no matter how good there food may be. read more